The Soaring Dragon Altar in the Five Coloured Treasure Pagoda was actually nothing but a big scam.
The hundreds of Origin Kings who had gathered around really couldn’t accept this reality right away.
Near the Soaring Dragon Altar, everyone looked gloomy, especially as they glanced around at all the dead and broken bodies lying on the ground.
If the Soaring Dragon Altar was just a fraud, what had these people died for? Some of these people had relatives and friends among those who were still alive.
“Young Lady Qin, don’t you think you should give us an explanation about this?”
Suddenly, from the crowd, someone turned to look at Qin Yu, who was quite far in the rear, and asked coldly.
Qin Yu had also stopped in place a while ago, and because of her low strength, she had not advanced very far. At this moment, along with her guards, she was quite a bit behind the crowd, at least two hundred meters from the next closest person.
Hearing this accusation, Qin Yu frowned, raised her head, and said lightly, “What does this friend mean…?”
“Hmph, is Young Lady Qin not clear what I mean? You were the one who told us about this Soaring Dragon Altar, and we all believed you, but now it turns out to be nothing but a fake! After so many people were killed and injured here, does Young Lady Qin still want to feign ignorance?”
The speaker was filled with righteous indignation, as if Qin Yu had really cheated them and was responsible for the ones who had died.
What he said was in line with what many cultivators believed and there were not just a few who were staring towards Qin Yu with unkind expressions, seemingly wanting to vent their grievances on her.
Qin Yu’s brow furrowed even more severely, but before she could speak, the guard next to her couldn’t help coldly snorting and snapping, “This friend, would you mind thinking a bit before you speak? What does this matter have to do with my Young Lady?”
“What does it have to do with her? If it weren’t for Qin Yu Young Lady saying all that nonsense about this Soaring Dragon Altar, we wouldn’t have…”
“Wouldn’t have charged forward without hesitation?”
Before this man could finish speaking, Duan Tian Ci suddenly cut in and sneered, sending him a murderous glare, “Don’t be ridiculous. All of you know full well that even if Young Lady Qin didn’t say anything, with such a huge opportunity in front of you, you wouldn’t have just let it go.”
Duan Tian Ci was the son of the City Lord and his strength was not weak, so among the cultivators of Maplewood City, he enjoyed a very high status and popularity. Hearing what he said, many people lowered their heads and began to ponder, finding that what he said was indeed the truth.
Even without Qin Yu’s explanation, none of them would have just ignored this Soaring Dragon Altar. Just as they had now, they would have swarmed towards it and wound up in the exact same situation.
In other words, with or without Qin Yu, nothing would have changed.
“Young Lady Qin was kind enough to advise you, yet now you try to place the blame on her, have you no shame?” Duan Tian Ci looked at the cultivator who spoke before with a cold expression.
Naturally, this man didn’t dare disagree with Duan Tian Ci, and for a time, his eyes began to swim.
“Good, Young Lady Qin is not at fault. If anyone dares to accuse her again, they will become enemies of my Raging Fire Temple,” Zong Zi Jin added indifferently.
“My Jiang Family also agrees!” Jiang Chu He chimed in with a smile, not missing this chance to take the righteous stance and improve his Jiang Family’s reputation.
“Naturally, we won’t blame Young Lady Qin. What just happened was some irresponsible rhetoric by a few disgruntled miscreants. Young Lady Qin doesn’t have to care about such trivial whining.”
“Yes, if it were not for Young Lady Qin, we would not even know what this thing was, but instead of offering thanks some people actually dare make accusations. These people are simply a disgrace to my Maplewood City’s cultivators. It is embarrassing to even stand among them!”
…..
As the crowd swiftly took a stand, the face of the man who had just been accusing Qin Yu flushed a deep red, like he could not wait to find a hole to crawl into and never come out again.
Not far away, Qin Yu smiled and said elegantly, “Many thanks for all your understanding, but… this Mistress did not speak incorrectly, this Soaring Dragon Altar really has a very precious treasure.”
“Where?” Duan Tian Ci and Zong Zi Jin’s expressions became hot as they hurriedly asked.
Yang Kai’s heart sank as he stared at Qin Yu fixedly, praying she would not say anything unnecessary.
Qin Yu smiled slightly and replied, “This Soaring Dragon Altar itself… is a treasure. Perhaps the things placed on it were merely illusions, but the Soaring Dragon Altar itself is refined from authentic Dragon Bone, an Artifact Refining material coveted even by Emperors.”
With just these words, everyone’s expressions became fierce again.
Qin Yu, however, quickly sighed, “But… with just our paltry strength, there is no way we can destroy this Soaring Dragon Altar or take it away, otherwise, it would not still exist inside this Five Coloured Treasure Pagoda. If that were possible, it would have been taken away by a powerful master long ago, and if we were to try to attack it, it would likely trigger a very powerful restriction, so this Mistress advises everyone to not act rashly.”
Hearing what she said, the expressions of Zong Zi Jin and Duan Tian Ci gradually calmed down as they turned to look at the huge Soaring Dragon Altar and sighed.
A giant treasure was right in front of them, but they were unable to seize it, leaving them with complicated expressions.
“By the way, Young Lady Qin,” Yang Kai, who had not spoken until now, suddenly cupped his fists and asked, “Since Young Lady Qin seems to know something about this Soaring Dragon Altar, dare I ask… when will we be able to leave here? After all, those who tried to retreat earlier… Everyone saw their end. We won’t be trapped here permanently, right?”
“Yes, Young Lady Qin, please advise us!” Many people also suddenly realized this problem and turned their attention to Qin Yu.
Qin Yu took a deep glance at Yang Kai before smiling and saying, “You can leave now. Once the treasures on the Soaring Dragon Altar have disappeared, the restriction will also lose its effect. What’s more, this Soaring Dragon Altar will disappear within half an hour. As for when it will re-appear, no one knows. However… you can also choose not to leave; after all, the Dragon Pressure still exists, and the benefits of cultivating here… this Mistress need not explain.”
Yang Kai felt quite uncomfortable under her gaze, always feeling like she could see through him, but he still knew how to express his gratitude, “Many thanks for your instruction, Young Lady Qin.”
Having said that, he did not move.
One should always learn from other’s mistakes. He did not want to be killed inexplicably by the light shot out from the Soaring Dragon Altar.
As such, he simply sat down cross-legged, took out a Source Condensing Pill, and swallowed it, using it in combination with the powerful Dragon Pressure here to further transform his strength.
Yang Kai was not alone in his approach, as none of the other cultivators moved either, all of them waiting for someone to take the risk first. Most cultivators followed Yang Kai’s example, sitting down cross-legged, obviously not wanting to waste this great opportunity.
As for the remaining people, they were eager to leave here and search for treasures elsewhere, but none of them had the guts to move, so their eyes continued to wander about, hoping for someone to make the first move.
Seeing this situation, Qin Yu smiled lightly, turned around, and walked outwards a few steps.
“Young Lady!” The guards around her were shocked and hurriedly called out, cold sweat dripping from their foreheads.
However, they soon relaxed as Qin Yu did not encounter an attack from the Soaring Dragon Altar. It seemed that what she said before was true: Once the treasure on the altar disappeared, the Spirit Array keeping them here also lost its function.
With Qin Yu setting an example, many cultivators also turned outwards and flew off.
Soon, there were only a few dozen cultivators left near the Soaring Dragon Altar.
Yang Kai was among them.
He had withdrawn the power of his Golden Divine Dragon Source and was now using his body alone to bear the terrifying Dragon Pressure. Under the catalysis of the Source Condensing Pill’s medicinal efficacies, he felt his Saint Qi rapidly being transformed into Source Qi.
A quick calculation allowed Yang Kai to estimate that half an hour of cultivation here was worth about ten days of effort outside.
Just as Qin Yu said, half an hour later, accompanied by a rumbling sound, the Soaring Dragon Altar sank back into the ground under the influence of some inexplicable force.
Another half cup of tea’s time later, the Soaring Dragon Altar was gone.
Even the Dragon Pressure had disappeared without a trace.
Yang Kai sighed and stood up.
Turning his head to look around, he saw the few dozen remaining cultivators also stand, some of them alone while others were in groups, but each of them lived in peace with one another at this moment.
Soon, the few dozen people flew off in different directions.
Yang Kai also arbitrarily picked a direction and left to continue looking for the Five Coloured Light Pillar that led to the second layer.
A short time later though, as he flew forward, he suddenly frowned and increased his speed.
After an hour, Yang Kai’s expression had turned ugly, and he came to a halt before turning around and staring behind himself.
Initially, there was no one behind him, but soon a streak of light appeared in the distance.
As this light drew closer, Yang Kai could see that it was actually a flight-type artifact similar to the ones he had previously seen.
On the deck of this ship, a slender figure stood looking in his direction. After seeing Yang Kai, this graceful figure turned around and seemed to issue some kind of order.
Soon, the ship arrived in front of Yang Kai and landed slowly.
“Young Lady Qin!” Yang Kai looked at Qin Yu and the few Origin King Realm guards who were accompanying her with a gloomy expression, “What are Young Lady Qin’s intentions? Did you think I would not notice you following me all this time?”
Qin Yu heard the meaning behind his tone and quickly apologized, “Please don’t misunderstand, Your Excellency, this Mistress was not intentionally trying to follow you. Your Excellency’s speed was simply too fast, and my Qin Family’s ship was unable to catch up, leading to the current situation.”
Yang Kai’s frown relaxed slightly as he asked, “Young Lady Qin means she has something to discuss with me?”
“Yes,” Qin Yu nodded when she heard these words.
“I do not believe Young Lady Qin and I have ever met before, so what is it that you are looking for me for?” Yang Kai looked confused, but instinctively rejected this frail-looking woman. In front of her, Yang Kai always had an inexplicable sense of insecurity.
“While it is true we have never met before, this Mistress simply had a question she wished to ask Your Excellency.”
“A question?”
“Good, may I ask Your Excellency’s surname?”
“That’s what you wanted to ask?” Yang Kai was stunned.
“Naturally not,” Qin Yu smiled before suddenly coughing slightly, taking a moment to compose herself before explaining, “What this Mistress wanted to ask was not this question…”
Yang Kai nodded and said, “My surname is Yang.”
“So, it is Brother Yang,” Qin Yu nodded before immediately moving her lips lightly, her delicate voice sounding directly into Yang Kai’s ears.
“Dare I ask Brother Yang, was there really no treasure on that Soaring Dragon Altar?”
“Dare I ask Brother Yang, was there really no treasure on the Soaring Dragon Altar?”
Qin Yu’s voice clearly rang in Yang Kai’s ears.
“Why would Young Lady Qin ask that?” Yang Kai looked at Qin Yu in amazement, looking extremely surprised.
Qin Yu stared deeply into Yang Kai’s eyes with a clear and flawless gaze, as if trying to see into the depths of his heart.
Yang Kai stared back flatly but soon frowned and asked in a low voice, “Young Lady Qin means… Could it be that among the dozen or so treasures on the Soaring Dragon Altar, some weren’t illusions?”
“Haha…” Qin Yu smiled, “This Mistress cannot say for certain and was just asking casually. At that time, only Brother Yang, Brother Duan, and Brother Zong were near the Soaring Dragon Altar, so only the three of you were able to check all the items carefully.”
Yang Kai shook his head and said, “I did not see any real treasures there, and according to my observations, neither of the other two obtained any benefits.”
“So that’s how it is, this Mistress simply thought too much,” Qin Yu nodded apologetically.
“Is this what Young Lady Qin wanted to ask?”
“Yes, it seems I have wasted Brother Yang’s time. I apologize.”
“It’s fine. If there is nothing else, then this one will take his leave,” Yang Kai cupped his fists and turned to go.
“Brother Yang, please wait!” Qin Yu suddenly called out.
“Is there something else?” Yang Kai frowned, a little displeased. If it were not for the fact that the other party was a weak woman who had a gentle and forthright temperament, he wouldn’t have bothered even speaking to her; after all, he and Qin Yu were strangers who had only just met.
“Please calm yourself, Brother Yang, this Mistress simply wanted to ask Brother Yang if he was seeking the entrance to the second layer?”
“What of it?” Yang Kai didn’t try to deny it.
“Then does Brother Yang know where that entrance is?”
Yang Kai shook his head. He only knew that the entrance was a Five Coloured Light Pillar, but where exactly that pillar was, he had no clue. Kang Si Ran had not mentioned anything about it at the time.
Nonetheless, since a giant Five Coloured Light Pillar was quite a dazzling sight, it should not be difficult to find. As long as he was close enough, he should be able to discover some clues.
However, seeing the look on Qin Yu’s face, Yang Kai suddenly realized that things might not be as simple as he thought so he could not help raising his brow and asking, “Does Young Lady Qin know where the entrance is?”
“I don’t know the exact location,” Qin Yu shook her head apologetically.
Yang Kai was stunned speechless at once.
Qin Yu smiled and followed up though, “But, while this Mistress doesn’t know the specific location, she has a general idea…”
Lowering her voice further, she whispered, “Between the mountains, beyond the misty banks of fog, surrounded by a clear river spring, the pillar of light appears.”
“Between the mountains, beyond the misty banks of fog, surrounded by a clear river spring, the pillar of light appears?” Yang Kai repeated with a frown.
“En!” Qin Yu nodded, “The Five Coloured Light Pillar is the only entrance to the second layer, but if one does not arrive at exactly the right spot, they will never be able to find it. Even if one passes right by it, there is a chance they will not notice.”
“Is this something you learned from your ancient books as well?” Yang Kai looked at her in surprise.
Qin Yu nodded.
“Young Lady Qin’s knowledge is truly profound!” Yang Kai admired sincerely.
Qin Yu’s pale face showed a slight blush, and for a moment seemed to be a bit more energetic, but she soon shook her head and said, “Brother Yang is too polite, this Mistress simply knows some superficial things while being unable to ascend to gain true understanding. In truth, this Mistress is now on her way to search for the entrance to the second layer. If Brother Yang does not mind, would he like to accompany me?”
She had invited Yang Kai.
Yang Kai heard this and could not help glancing at the ship behind her, a hesitant look appearing on his face.
If he had such a ship, he could save a lot of energy and could even rest and recuperate onboard while still advancing forward, which was a distinct advantage.
However…
“This Yang appreciated Young Lady Qin’s kind offer, but he is more accustomed to travelling alone,” Yang Kai thought it over for a moment but eventually declined Qin Yu’s proposal.
Qin Yu wore a look of disappointment, but did not try to force the issue, simply nodding and saying, “In that case, this Mistress will not disturb Brother Yang any further. I wish Brother Yang good fortune.”
“To you as well, farewell!” Yang Kai cupped his fists before turning away and flying off.
“Hmph, can’t appreciate kindness!” After his figure disappeared, a guard next to Qin Yu stared in the direction Yang Kai’s flew off and coldly snorted cry, a look of dissatisfaction filling his face, apparently incensed on behalf of Qin Yu.
Qin Yu simply smiled and said, “He’s simply acting cautiously, how could that be the same as not appreciate kindness? I think it is normal for him to have made such a choice.”
“Young Lady, you are far too generous,” The guard looked upset, “By the way, Young Lady, why did you ask him that before? Weren’t all the treasures on that Soaring Dragon Altar fake?”
“Perhaps… but… from what I saw in the ancient records, things should have been a little different. I don’t know what happened.”
After saying a few words, Qin Yu suddenly coughed violently.
The guard became panicked and quickly said, “Young Lady, let us return inside, the wind is quite strong outside.”
“En,” Qin Yu nodded lightly before turning around and heading into the ship.
…
At the same time, somewhere in the first layer, there was a petite woman with a striking crescent-shaped birthmark on her face. It was none other than Mo Xiao Qi, who had been with Yang Kai at the entrance of the Five Coloured Treasure Pagoda.
At this moment, Mo Xiao Qi was riding a Monster Beast that resembled a lion and a tiger. The Monster Beast had a fierce look, and its fur was a mixture of snow white and silver. It possessed a giant body and when it breathed, the heat from its nose seemed to contain a mysterious force that caused the ground before it to melt slightly.
If anyone else was here, they would be incredibly shocked.
Because the creature Mo Xiao Qi was riding was the famous Silver Maned Liger. Although this Monster Beast could not trace its lineage to the Ancient Divine Spirits, it was still an extremely powerful creature that was born as a Fifth-Order Monster Beast. As long as this Monster Beast’s aptitude and fortune weren’t bad, it could easily grow to the Tenth-Order and possibly even reach the Eleventh-Order at its peak.
In other words, a fully matured Silver Maned Liger could compare with an Origin King, or even Dao Source Realm, master.
Some legends even told of Twelfth-Order Ligers which were as strong as Emperors!
This Silver Maned Liger was obviously not comparable to a Dao Source cultivator as it only exuded a peak Tenth-Order aura, but it was still not to be underestimated.
Silver Maned Ligers were famous for their wild ferocity, not something an ordinary cultivator could subdue. Even if an Emperor Realm master took action, they might not necessarily succeed in taming one. The most likely result would be that the Liger would fight to the death, choosing to die rather than submit.
But now, this majestic Silver Maned Liger was being used as a simple mount by Mo Xiao Qi. What’s more, it didn’t seem the least bit dissatisfied, obeying all of the young girl’s orders without question, a stunning sight to behold.
In front of Mo Xiao Qi, there was a strange beast about the size of a palm flying about. This strange beast looked like a bat and was quite unremarkable at first glance; but judging from the aura fluctuations coming from its body, it was apparently a Tenth-Order Monster Beast.
This Heaven Escaping Bat, like the Silver Maned Liger, was another extremely rare species.
It was a wonder where Mo Xiao Qi had acquired these two precious Monster Beasts and how she had gotten them to obey her so loyally.
It was not even clear if these two Monster Beasts had been subdued by Mo Xiao Qi before she entered the Five Coloured Treasure Pagoda or after.
“Xiao Fu, quickly find the entrance! If you do, I’ll give you something delicious… Xiao Yin, you also walk a bit faster, don’t be sluggish now,” Mo Xiao Qi sat on the back of the Liger and gave out orders, obviously looking for the entrance to the second layer.
The Heaven Escaping Bat named Xiao Fu by Mo Xiao Qi seemed to have some special abilities and was leading her across a certain mountain range covered in fog and lined with streams. These mountains were quite strange, seemingly stretching up into the Heavens and out to the horizon, making it impossible to see what lay beyond them.
Amidst these mountains, the babbling of mountain springs seemed to echo all around in a disorienting manner.
The Heaven Escaping Bat flew directly past a certain mountain spring before stopping and fluttering in place.
Mo Xiao Qi quickly had her Liger follow and when she arrived on the other side of the stream, she looked up and laughed, “That wasn’t too hard to find… En, I must be the first one here hehe.”
Just as she was about to go forward though, she suddenly remembered something and said, “Right, I should see where Big Brother Yang is first.”
Saying so, she took out a bead from her Space Ring and sent her Qi into it. A moment later though, she showed a look of disappointment and shook her head, “This place is really too big, the Sound Bead can’t reach. Could it be because the World Principles are too fragmented here as well? Forget it, Big Brother Yang will certainly come here eventually. Xiao Fu, you wait here, and when you see Big Brother Yang, bring him to find me on the second layer.”
After leaving this command, she took out a jade slip, poured her Divine Sense into it, and left some information in it before hanging it around the Heaven Escaping Bat’s neck and rushing forward happily.
A moment later, in a brilliant flash of light, Mo Xiao Qi and the Liger disappeared.
The Heaven Escaping Bat circled around for a moment before it suddenly dove into a pile of rocks and vanished into the ground.
…
On the Five Coloured Treasure Pagoda’s third layer, Lan Xun wandered around surveying the surrounding environment. She was exuding a faint glow that seemed to be capable of repelling all dangers from her.
At a certain point, she arrived at a secluded mountain valley and after scanning it carefully, she smiled happily and nodded, “Here.”
Saying so, she took out some Spirit Array equipment from her Space Ring and got to work.
Two days later, she had finished arranging everything and took out a large amount of Source Crystals, creating a big pile nearby. Only after this was done did she sit down cross-legged and begin circulating some kind of mysterious Secret Art while impacting the bottleneck to the Dao Source Realm.
As time passed, Lan Xun’s tender body began to emit a faint suction force that drew in many firefly-like wisps from nearby. These wisps looked similar to the starlight wisps Yang Kai had absorbed in the Starlight Corridor some time ago.
However, if one examined them carefully, they would discover that these wisps were completely different in nature.
The starlight in the Starlight Corridor was a kind of catalyst that could promote the transformation of Saint Qi into Source Qi.
But the wisps here were actually shattered World Principles.
As these wisps entered her body, Lan Xun was able to more clearly grasp Principle Strength, and her aura began to slowly increase in intensity.
Five days after entering the Five Coloured Treasure Pagoda, somewhere in the first layer, Yang Kai landed indifferently from the air besides two other cultivators who were staring at the fresh corpse of a Monster Beast.
Unlike Yang Kai’s indifference, the two other cultivators were extremely excited.
These two cultivators, one wearing blue, the other white, were both men and Third-Order Origin Kings.
The group of three had not exchanged given names and only knew one another by their surnames. The reason for this was because they were just a temporarily gathered alliance.
After separating from Qin Yu, Yang Kai had been constantly searching for the entrance to the second layer, but after arriving at a certain spot, he had come across these two cultivators and heard an interesting story from them.
Yang Kai learned that the two of them had discovered some rare Golden Crystal Grasses, but these Golden Crystal Grasses were guarded by four Iron Arm Spirit Apes. Iron Arm Spirit Apes had extremely tough skin and amazing natural defence, so when the two of them had fought against these four previously, they were unable to gain any advantage and were forced to withdraw. As such, they were now looking for another helper to deal with these four Monster Beasts.
Yang Kai happened to pass by at this time, so the pair invited him to cooperate.
After listening to their story, Yang Kai immediately decided to join the group.
Although he did not know what Golden Crystal Grass was, since it could draw the attention of two Third-Order Origin Kings, it would certainly be of great value.
It was just four Monster Beasts, so it would not cost Yang Kai much time.
Furthermore, he did not put these two Third-Order Origin Kings in his eyes. Even if they were plotting something, Yang Kai felt that he could handle whatever they threw at him with his current strength.
After some inquiries, Yang Kai learned that the Golden Crystal Grass was actually a rare spirit grass that could aid one’s Body Tempering. Even if it was directly swallowed and refined, it could increase the strength and toughness of a cultivator’s body. If it could be refined into Golden Crystal Pills, the effect would be even better.
It was for this exact reason that the four Iron Arm Spirit Apes had decided to live where these Golden Crystal Grasses grew.
With their group of three, they launched an attack.
Of the four Iron Arm Spirit Apes, the largest one had a cultivation at the peak of the Tenth-Order, which was equivalent to a peak Origin King. If it was given a few more years, breaking through to the Eleventh-Order would not be a problem. As for the other three, they were equivalent to Second-Order Origin Kings.
If they were ordinary Monster Beasts, two Third-Order Origin Kings would have been able to deal with them somehow.
But Iron Arm Spirit Apes had astonishing defensive and offensive power. What’s more, they were a tenacious species that did not seem to fear death, so in the previous fight, the pair had suffered quite a bit but gained nothing in the end.
However, after Yang Kai joined, the situation was completely different.
Although Yang Kai held back, he still had no problem entangling the big Iron Arm Spirit Ape.
The other two teamed up to use their artifacts to kill the three small apes before joining Yang Kai and launching a concentrated attack, causing it to fall after a short struggle.
“Brother Yang’s methods are profound, tying down that evil animal with ease and emerging unscathed, this Zhao is impressed,” The man in blue smiled in a somewhat forced manner as he praised.
“En, this slightly longer Iron Arm Spirit Ape made Brother Zhao and I almost suffer serious injury before. I didn’t expect Brother Yang would be able to deal with it for so long. This Sun is ashamed of his inferiority,” The man in white also spoke.
“Two friends are too polite, this Yang’s Movement Skill is just a bit more flexible. Although this beast is indeed strong, as long as I could distract it while not letting it hit me, its strength doesn’t mean anything,” Yang Kai said lightly.
The men surnamed Zhao and Sun looked at each other and didn’t say anything, instead just laughing awkwardly and glossing over the matter.
After all, when the three of them teamed up to deal with the last Iron Arm Spirit Ape, they had witnessed Yang Kai’s performance up close and knew that it was not just his Movement Skill that was extraordinary…
At this moment, both of them felt a little fear towards Yang Kai.
“Now that these four beasts are dead, we should first harvest their Blood Essence, fur, and fangs. All of it is good material that should not be wasted,” Zhao Peng suggested.
“Indeed, especially their pelts, they can be used to refine high quality defensive artifacts,” Sun Qian continued happily.
Saying so, the trio did not waste any time and used their own methods to process the four Iron Arm Spirit Apes.
Not long after, the three showed looks of satisfaction. Splitting the materials amongst themselves, they only left behind some useless pieces of meat and bone.
“Now, it’s just the Golden Crystal Grass left. I don’t know how many there are, but I hope there are many,” Zhao Peng looked at a nearby cave with a fiery gaze.
“We’ll only know after we take a look,” Yang Kai smiled slightly and took the lead as he walked towards the cave.
The men surnamed Zhao and Sun exchanged a glance before hurriedly following.
The cave was dark and damp, and there was a foul smell in the air which made people want to vomit. The bones of many other Monster Beasts were piled up near the entrance of the cave that when stepped on made an unnerving crackling sound.
The four Iron Arm Spirit Apes had obviously made this place their home for some time now.
After a short walk, the trio arrived at the back of the cave.
In front of them, there was a stone block roughly twenty meters across on top of which there were a dozen or so small golden blades of grass about the size of a finger that exuded a metallic lustre.
Three Divine Senses swept out and after confirming that there were no hidden dangers, the trio approached the stone pier.
“Haha, there are thirteen stalks!” Zhao Peng said with clear joy.
“We can’t divide them evenly though,” Sun Qian frowned as he thought of another matter.
Yang Kai just chuckled, “Since there are thirteen stalks, we can each take four then convert the last one into Source Crystals. The one who wants it most can take out those Source Crystals and compensate the other two.”
“En, Brother Yang’s suggestion is good,” The men surnamed Zhao and Sun naturally had no reason to refuse and nodded quickly.
The trio split twelve Golden Crystal Grasses amongst themselves before discussing an appropriate price for the last stalk. Yang Kai eventually bought it for five thousand Source Crystals.
Everyone was happy.
“It has been a rewarding cooperation, I hope there will be another chance in the future,” The man surnamed Zhao smiled and said to Yang Kai, cupping his fists politely.
“Yes, Brother Yang is very capable. I do hope we can work together again,” The man surnamed Sun added.
“If there is a chance,” Yang Kai said in a perfunctory manner. “Since our business is concluded, I will take my leave.”
“May we meet again, Brother Yang!” The men surnamed Zhao and Sun quickly cupped their fists and replied.
Yang Kai nodded and turned to walk out of the cave.
When he reached the entrance, however, he turned around and asked, “Aren’t you two going to look for the entrance to the second layer?”
Zhao Peng chuckled and said, “Naturally, we are planning to do that, but during the previous battle, this Zhao expended quite a bit of strength, so he is going to restore himself first. Please do not mind me, Brother Yang.”
The man surnamed Sun nodded, indicating he would do the same.
Yang Kai showed a look of understanding before nodding and turning around to leave while the other two sat down and took out some restorative Spirit Pills from their Space Rings and stuffed them into their mouths, closing their eyes to adjust their breathing.
For a time, the cave was silent.
Only after a long wait did the man surnamed Sun suddenly open his eyes and whisper, “He should be gone now.”
“It’s been so long already; do you think he’d linger around?” The man surnamed Zhao commented.
“Brother Zhao, why did you tell me not to act rashly just now? Golden Crystal Grass is extremely rare, so letting him just take five of them away is really not worth it. Also, judging from the way he bid for the last one, he seemed to have a lot of Source Crystals on him. If we could kill him…”
“Do you think the two of us are his opponents?” The man surnamed Zhao heard this and coldly snorted.
“Why not? Although his performance just now was quite good, and he was probably still concealing some of his strength, isn’t it the same for us? With the two of us acting together, why would we need to fear him?” The man surnamed Sun looked unconvinced.
“That’s only because you don’t know how terrifying he really is!” The man surnamed Zhao scoffed, “Remember how I told you before that I encountered the Soaring Dragon Altar? During that incident, I saw a man kill Kui Sha with a single strike, with Kui Sha being unable to put up any kind of resistance.”
“Kui Sha? Kui Sha of the Blood Transformation Sect?” Sun Qian was startled.
“En, how do you think we compare to Kui Sha?”
“Naturally, we’re not as strong. Although Blood Transformation Sect isn’t a powerful Sect, it is still on par with Raging Fire Temple. Even I have heard of Kui Sha as he is a young talent with a promising future.”
“That’s why I didn’t let you act just now. I didn’t remember where I had seen that guy surnamed Yang at first, but after watching him fight, I remembered that he was the one who killed Kui Sha! Even if both you and I acted together, we would definitely not be his opponent and our end would be disastrous.”
“So that’s how it is! Many thanks, Brother Zhao, for your prompt reminder. Otherwise, if I had torn face with him…” The man surnamed Sun shivered slightly as sweat dripped from his forehead.
“Forget it, let’s not talk about it anymore. Fortunately, this person seems to be a bit ignorant, not even knowing the details about Golden Crystal Grass, even going so far as to ask us about its uses.”
“En, he’s a strange one. With such great strength, how could he not know anything about Golden Crystal Grass?” The man surnamed Sun wondered.
“It’s best that he knows nothing, it allows us to pick up a bargain. Since he did not know about Golden Crystal Grass, he naturally wouldn’t know that Golden Crystal Grass will only grow above rare ore deposits. In other words, there is definitely some valuable ore vein below here!” The man surnamed Zhao smiled slightly.
“Alright, now that he’s left, we should get to work. If we can find a piece of Emperor Grade ore, you and I will become rich.”
“How could Emperor Grade ore be so easy to find? It is rumoured that Emperor Grade ores only appear above the Five Coloured Treasure Pagoda’s third layer while we’re still just on the first, but… a piece of Dao Source Grade ore is still quite good.”
After the two spoke, they no longer hesitated and each began using their own methods to excavate the area beneath the stone pier. It was not long until a big hole was blasted open in the stone and the pair began using different methods to dig down into the ground.
“Sure enough, they hid something!” Not far away, using his Secret Technique Nihility to conceal himself, Yang Kai coldly snorted.
Previously, Yang Kai had felt that these two had been hiding something from him.
After all, this cave where the Iron Arm Spirit Apes lived was dark, humid, and smelt terrible, yet the two of them had actually chosen to stay here to meditate after acquiring the Golden Crystal Grass. Obviously, they had other intentions.
If it were not for there being significant benefits to doing so, how could they have chosen to remain in such an environment?
So, Yang Kai pretended to leave, but had gone into hiding nearby to quietly investigate.
As soon as he felt signs of the two people using their strength, he affirmed his judgment.
However, in this situation, Yang Kai felt somewhat awkward simply appearing and killing them; after all, although the pair surnamed Zhao and Sun had concealed something from him, they also had not acted against him. If anyone was to blame, it was him for being ignorant and uninformed.
[Seems like… after this time, I have to study up on the various materials and herbs of the Star Boundary, otherwise, I’ll continue to suffer similar losses in the future.]
Yang Kai did not know what was buried underground that was worth Zhao and Sun digging up, but since it wasn’t convenient for him to appear directly, he simply chose to continue to hide.
The movement inside the cave continued for some time and soon a large hole was dug up. However, the pair surnamed Zhao and Sun just continued to dig and dig without pause.
After a full half a day, at the mouth of the cave, the pair surnamed Zhao and Sun walked out one after another, their expressions filled with frowns and frustration rather than happiness.
“Such bad luck, wasting a whole half a day like that,” The man surnamed Zhao grumbled.
“En, who would have thought that things would turn out like this. If I had only known before, I would have just left directly,” The man surnamed Sun also sighed.
“Forget it, there’s nothing we can do about it anyway, let’s just hurry up to find the entrance to the second layer. We don’t know when this Five Coloured Treasure Pagoda is going to close, so we have to hurry to obtain more benefits, especially those Dao Source Fruits!”
After exchanging a few words, the pair showed no intention of idling and summoned their flight type artifacts and flew off.
A short time later, Yang Kai’s figure appeared mysteriously, and a thoughtful expression appeared on his face as he stared in the direction the two had left.
Judging from the previous conversation between the two, it seemed they have failed to obtain any benefits from the cave. If that wasn’t the case, they wouldn’t have seemed so annoyed. However, the two clearly had expected something but seemed to have obtained nothing.
This puzzled Yang Kai greatly.
With a flicker, he returned to the cave again and when he arrived at its deepest point, he laid eyes on a giant hole where the stone pier once stood.
Yang Kai didn’t hesitate to jump in.
Not long after, he landed at the bottom of the pit and after a sweep with his Divine Sense, he immediately understood the situation.
The efficiency of the two surnamed Zhao and Sun was commendable, as could be expected of two Third-Order Origin Kings. In just half a day, they had actually dug out a pit almost five hundred metres across and a few hundred metres deep.
There were no signs of this hole collapsing either.
Yang Kai looked around and couldn’t help admiring the pair’s methods.
However, inside this pit, there was only a single, giant ore!
Yang Kai did not recognize this ore which had a light green hue to it that made it look like it was covered in moss.
The edges of this ore had been excavated out so Yang Kai could clearly see its irregular shape, but in terms of size, it was at least as big as ten houses.
In front of Yang Kai, there were also some traces of this ore being attacked.
There were many marks and scratches a few inches deep on the surface of this ore that were clearly freshly made.
These marks were obviously left behind by the pair surnamed Zhao and Sun just now.
Yang Kai suddenly understood why those two had shown such annoyed expressions when they left the cave.
It turned out that underground, there were indeed benefits to be had, but… the two of them were unable to take this ore away with them and could only sigh in frustration!
Such a large piece of ore was not something an ordinary Space Ring could accommodate. Obviously, the pair surnamed Zhao and Sun knew this and wanted to try to break off pieces of this ore to take away, the scratches left here being the best evidence of their thinking.
Unfortunately for them, this ore seemed to be extremely hard, and even with their strength, they were unable to break it into pieces. In the end, the pair could only give up to avoid wasting more time.
Yang Kai, however, just stared at this ore with bright eyes and smiled happily.
His Space Ring was no different from others, and naturally could not hold such a big piece of ore, but he also had his Sealed World Bead!
Many years ago, he had managed to stuff his thousand-metre tall Embodiment directly into the Sealed World Bead, so retrieving this piece of ore would be no issue.
In any case, it was much smaller than his Embodiment from that time.
Since this ore had appeared in the first layer of the Five Coloured Treasure Pagoda, it was definitely not Emperor Grade. Yang Kai estimated it was some kind of Dao Source or Origin King Grade mineral.
Even so, being this large had to make it quite valuable.
The Embodiment now cultivated the Heaven Devouring Battle Law and needed to swallow a massive amount of material to strengthen itself. This giant ore would be a good resource for this process.
Considering all this, he no longer hesitated, sat down cross-legged, and began wantonly spreading out his Divine Sense, trying to envelop the entire ore with it.
Soon after, Yang Kai let out a low roar as his Divine Sense erupted at full strength.
The next moment, the huge ore in front of him disappeared and reappeared inside his Sealed World Bead.
After completing this, Yang Kai couldn’t help shaking somewhat as his face turned pale and a sharp pain pierced through his head.
Yang Kai did not panic, though, and just quickly took out a Spirit Pill used to restore Spiritual Energy and stuffed it into his mouth.
Time passed slowly, and after another half a day passed, Yang Kai let out a long breath and opened his eyes.
His Spiritual Energy had been mostly restored now. Fortunately, with the help of his Seven Coloured Soul Warming Lotus, Yang Kai’s Spiritual Energy recovered several dozen times faster than ordinary cultivators. If this weren’t the case, with his current realm and his previous effort, it would have taken him at least ten days to recover.
Scanning the Sealed World Bead with his Divine Sense, Yang Kai found that the huge ore had already been moved to where his Embodiment was.
At this moment, his Embodiment was also a little different than before.
Although it was still a giant as high as a mountain, it was undoubtedly much smaller than the last time Yang Kai saw it. What’s more, around his Embodiment was a ten-metre thick pile of impurities scattered around.
As Yang Kai waited and watched for a while, he saw more and more gravel falling from his Embodiment, making for quite the spectacular sight.
Yang Kai was very satisfied. According to this speed, in as short as half a year or as long as a year, his Embodiment would be able to provide him with assistance again, and not simply need to remain on the sidelines due to its extreme size.
Retracting his Divine Sense, Yang Kai jumped out of the pit, walked out of the cave, picked a direction, and flew off.
…
Seven days later, Yang Kai frowned as he stared at a mountain range in front of him with a somewhat anxious look on his face.
He had been searching for the entrance to the second layer all this time but had not found any trace of it so far.
What Qin Yu said that day to him still rang in his ears, and Yang Kai did not believe she had been deceiving him, so he had followed her instructions and searched through all the mountains he came across.
Yang Kai had scoured several locations already but so far found nothing.
He also didn’t know if the mountain range ahead was the target he was looking for.
Regardless, he had to take a look to know.
With a flicker, Yang Kai’s figure moved forward.
After a short while, Yang Kai landed at the base of a certain mount, looked around, and flashed a happy smile.
Because this place, surrounded by mountains and covered in mist, actually fit the first part of Qin Yu’s description perfectly.
Just as he secretly felt that he was on the right track, a small black shadow suddenly shot out from nearby. Yang Kai instinctively stretched out his hand and palmed towards this approaching shadow.
The black shadow’s reaction was extremely fast, though, and the moment it was attacked, it turned straight up to dodge this blow before falling back down at an equally quick speed while letting out a stream of squeaks.
Its tone was that of a one who had been wronged.
Yang Kai froze on the spot upon hearing these cries and stared at the black shadow which had suddenly pounced on him.
It wasn’t until now that he was able to clearly see that this dark shadow was actually a palm-sized Monster Beast which looked like a bat. Flapping its wings quickly, it seemed to be quite nimble, and judging from its reaction just now, its speed was nothing to scoff at.
At that moment, this bat-like Monster Beast flew up to Yang Kai and circled him a few times while using its small eyes to seemingly evaluate him.
Yang Kai was quite surprised by all of this.
Before he could figure out what this Monster Beast wanted to do though, he heard a series of squeaks coming from it as it opened its mouth and spat out a jade slip towards him.
“For me?” Yang Kai frowned as he guessed the little beast’s intentions.
The little beast squeaked again, seemingly responding to Yang Kai before it flew up to him and let the jade slip fall from its jaw.
Yang Kai caught the jade slip and poured his Divine Sense into it. A moment later he let out a chuckle as he muttered, “So you were sent here by Xiao Qi…”
It was only now that he understood that this little beast in front of him was a Heaven Escaping Bat raised by Mo Xiao Qi, and that she had left it here to help guide him.
Yang Kai could not help feeling some warmth in his heart.
It seemed… he had not found the wrong place, and that Mo Xiao Qi had entered the second layer much earlier than him, which amazed Yang Kai quite a bit.
“Lead the way then,” Yang Kai put the jade slip away and smiled at the little bat.
The Heaven Escaping Bat seemed to be able to understand people, so after hearing this, it immediately turned and flew off in a certain direction.
At that moment though, a loud shout suddenly came from the distance, “Friend, wait!”
As this voice called out, the sound of clothes swishing drift over on the wind.
Yang Kai’s face sank. Just now, all his attention had been fixed on the actions of the small bat and he had failed to notice someone approaching him until he heard this voice.
After sweeping the surrounding with his Divine Sense, Yang Kai realized that there were actually six cultivators nearby, all of them Origin Kings.
When Yang Kai turned his head and looked, he confirmed that six Origin Kings were approaching.
The leader of this group had a haughty air about him and a jade carved face, clearly indicating he came from a powerful background.
Also… it turned out to be someone Yang Kai knew.
The Young Palace Master of Flying Saint Palace, Ning Yuan Cheng!
In the black market that day, Ning Yuan Cheng and Mo Xiao Qi had gotten into a small conflict because of a Monster Beast Egg. At the time, Yang Kai had concealed his appearance and used some clever deception to frighten off Saint Palace’s group.
Now, he had unexpectedly run into these Flying Saint Palace cultivators again in the first layer of the Five Coloured Treasure Pagoda.
However, at this moment, the Second-Order Dao Source Realm master Liu Yi Zhi was nowhere to be seen. This was not a surprise though as the Five Coloured Treasure Pagoda was only open to those below the Dao Source Realm this time, so Ning Yuan Cheng could only bring along some Origin Kings with him.
It was unknown how he had managed to gather together his guards or why he was now trying to confront Yang Kai.
Although he knew who this person was, Yang Kai did not show any signs on his face at all.
He had hidden his appearance that day, so he believed that Ning Yuan Cheng would not recognize him at this moment.
“Do you need something?” Yang Kai turned his head and asked Ning Yuan Cheng faintly.
“Are you daft, boy? How could we have called for you to stop if we didn’t need something?” One of the Origin Kings behind Ning Yuan Cheng snapped in a cold tone.
Yang Kai sneered as he cast a cold glint towards the speaker.
“Don’t be rude,” Ning Yuan Cheng snapped, seemingly reprimanding his guard, immediately turning his eyes back to Yang Kai and cupping his fists while saying with a proud smile. “This friend, this one is Flying Saint Palace’s Young Palace Master, Ning Yuan Cheng. How many I address this friend?”
“If you have something to say, just say it, I have no interest in wasting time,” Yang Kai’s expression remained indifferent.
He had understood the personality of this Ning Yuan Cheng and knew that he was only showing politeness now because he had yet to confirm what Yang Kai’s background was.
Perhaps… it had something to do with what happened in the black market that day; after all, once bitten by a snake, one would fear ropes for ten years.
Yang Kai’s reaction and demeanour caused Ning Yuan Cheng’s brows to furrow and he was clearly quite unhappy, but pressing that rage down, he continued, “In that case, this one will speak frankly. Just now, this little beast seems to have delivered something to Your Excellency, yes?”
“What of it?” Yang Kai immediately understood. Clearly this Ning Yuan Cheng regarded that jade slip as some kind of treasure and had come here in hopes of snatching it.
“What was it?” Ning Yuan Cheng’s eyes lit up as he continued to probe.
“What does it have to do with you?”
“Wild boy!” The guard who had spoken before suddenly became furious and exploded in anger, “Young Palace Master asked you a question, all you need to do is answer obediently! What thing are you to dare ask questions?
Ning Yuan Cheng waved his hand to stop the guard’s next action, but his expression gradually turned cold as his patience was also wearing thin, “This one is very interested in your little beast, I don’t know whether Your Excellency is willing to part with it? This one can offer…”
“Not interested,” Yang Kai refused without waiting for him to finish.
Without even mentioning that this little bat was a Tenth-Order’s Monster Beast, not a creature which could be casually cultivated or something Yang Kai would sell casually, it was not even his in the first place as it belonged to Mo Xiao Qi.
After speaking, he turned to leave.
“Friend seems to want to refuse a toast! Good, then you must drink a loss! Capture him for me!” Ning Yuan Cheng saw Yang Kai being so disrespectful and no longer bothered keeping up appearances, ordering his guards to act.
The five Origin Kings heard this order and immediately took action.
However, at that moment, the Heaven Escaping Bat which had been lightly hovering nearby suddenly opened its mouth and let out a series of sharp cries.
Sound waves visible to the naked eye spread out like ripples, covering the Flying Saint Palace cultivators in an instant.
All of a sudden, the five Origin Kings and Ning Yuan Cheng couldn’t help going pale as they felt their eardrum ring and their vitality tumble. Even their Source Qi began to riot inside their meridians.
Each of them wore a look of horror as they quickly roared and pushed their strength to resist their discomfort.
By the time they had recovered, Yang Kai and the little bat had already flown far away, becoming just a dot in the distance.
“Damn it! Follow him! No matter what, I must have that little beast. It seems able to find precious treasures and will play a big role in this place!” Ning Yuan Cheng angrily shouted.
The five guards did not dare to doddle and quickly used their Movement Skills to pursue.
But soon after, they completely lost sight of Yang Kai and the little bat.
“Where did they go?” Ning Yuan Cheng looked around but was unable to see any clues.
“Reporting to Young Palace Master, somehow, in the blink of an eye, that man and his beast just vanished,” One of the guards said with some uncertainty.
“They must be nearby, quickly search for them! How can this Young Master just watch his treasures fly away?” Ning Yuan Cheng said with a cruel expression.
The five guards immediately dispersed and began to search.
Not long after, a guard called out in pleasant surprise, “Young Palace Master, come quickly, it’s the entrance to the second layer!”
“What?” Ning Yuan Cheng was overjoyed when he heard these words but quickly snapped back, “Nonsense! The entrance to the second layer is a giant Five Coloured Light Pillar, an extremely obvious sight, you think this Young Master is so blind he cannot see… see… huh?”
As Ning Yuan Cheng was angrily shouting, he moved forward and suddenly raised his head to look up at the sky. Sure enough, the Five Coloured Light Pillar was standing right in front of him.
Frowning, he took a few steps and the Five Coloured Light Pillar in front of him disappeared just like that. Stepping forward again, the pillar of light reappeared.
“So strange?” Ning Yuan Cheng was shocked.
“En, Young Palace Master, this entrance seems to only be visible if one stands within a certain distance of it, otherwise it is impossible to detect even if one passes right by,” The guard who discovered the entrance said with enthusiasm.
“Those bastards from Star Soul Palace are really treacherous. Fortunately, this Young Master is one of Heaven’s favoured, otherwise, how could he have found this entrance? Hahahaha, what are we hesitating for? Let’s head to the second layer! That bastard from before must have also travelled to the second layer. Hmph, he won’t escape from this Young Master’s grasp!”
“Young Palace Master, that little beast may not only be able to find precious treasure, it most likely also discovered this entrance. It’s truly a strange beast.”
“Then this Young Master wants to possess it even more! Perhaps we can use it to find the entrance to the third layer, allowing us to go up and have a look,” Ning Yuan Cheng’s face was filled with fiery desire as he led his group of six into the Five Coloured Light Pillar, the next moment all of them disappearing.
However, after they reached the second layer, there was no sign of Yang Kai.
At the same time, somewhere in the second layer, Yang Kai was flying forward with the little bat leading the way.
Yang Kai knew that it was looking for Mo Xiao Qi, so he just leisurely followed after it while taking in the sights and scenes of the second layer.
It seemed to be no different from the first layer. The World Energy was still extremely thin, not suitable for cultivation. Moreover, the World Principles were still shattered and fragmented.
However, the second layer seemed to be much more dangerous than the first layer.
Yang Kai had explored the first layer for quite some time but did not encounter too many powerful traps and barriers.
But after arriving on the second layer, he could feel many hidden power fluctuations under the surveillance of his Divine Sense.
It was difficult to tell if these Spirit Arrays were man-made or naturally formed, but it was obvious that they would be triggered if he approached too close.
However, with the Heaven Escaping Bat leading the way, Yang Kai was not worried about whether he would encounter danger as this little beast seemed to have an innate ability to sense danger and was thus able to lead him along a safe path.
Half a day later, one beast and one person arrived at a windy gorge approximately a thousand metres across.
Yang Kai checked left and right to confirm that there was no danger before proceeding.
However, the moment the little bat flew over the canyon, it suddenly began squeaking in panic.
Yang Kai was shocked by this but before he could figure out what was wrong, he suddenly began to sink.
At that moment, there seemed to be a terrifying suction force coming from below, causing him to plummet uncontrollably.
Yang Kai’s face changed drastically.
Quickly pushing his strength, he tried to resist this downward suction.
But soon, Yang Kai discovered that his efforts were in vain. Even with his Third-Order Origin King cultivation, he was unable to slow his descent. As for the little bat, despite it being extremely agile in the air, it too failed to escape this force and spiralled down into the canyon below.
The wind whistled as the speed at which Yang Kai fell got faster and faster, the pressure even starting to sting his face.
Yang Kai finally began to panic.
He immediately understood that he had encountered some kind of extremely powerful trap, one that not only he couldn’t find, but even the Heaven Escaping Bat was unaware of.
Such a powerful restriction was unlikely to be man-made and instead had a high chance of being naturally formed.
Such Natural Spirit Arrays were generally incredibly difficult to detect until it was too late.
If his speed of descent continued to increase, even with Yang Kai’s powerful physique, Five Elements Indestructible Sword Tempering Art, and Dragon Transformation Secret Technique, he would definitely die on impact.
This would be an incredibly miserable death.
The sharp squeaking sound of the Heaven Escaping Bat continued to sound in Yang Kai’s ear, but the tone was quite distorted thanks to the incredible speed they were falling at.
Yang Kai struggled to sweep his eyes around but was unable to see anything. As a last resort, he released his Divine Sense widely and after some probing, finally gained some awareness of his surroundings.
Locking onto the little bat with his Divine Sense, Yang Kai flicked his wrist and sent out a Golden Blood Thread towards it; however, his accuracy was affected greatly by his current situation and failed to catch his target.
With no other choice, Yang Kai sent out a couple dozen Golden Blood Threads, forming a big net that finally managed to catch the little bat and bring it back to him.
The next moment, he hugged the little bat and escaped into the Sealed World Bead without hesitation.
A short time later, at the bottom of the canyon, a soft thud occurred as the Sealed World Bead bounced just once before coming to a stop.
It was not until a while later that Yang Kai dared to release his Divine Sense outside to check his surroundings.
However, the attractive force here was simply too terrifying, causing even his Divine Sense to warp the moment it left the Sealed World Bead.
Pondering for a moment, Yang Kai comforted the Heaven Escaping Bat for a bit before leaving it in the Sealed World Bead and moving outside.
The next moment, Yang Kai shrunk as he was sucked down towards the ground, finding it difficult to even lift a finger.
“A natural gravity field?” Yang Kai’s expression contorted.
The Star Boundary was incredibly vast, and the number of strange places that existed was beyond countable.
Not just in the Star Boundary though, natural gravity fields existed even in the Star Field.
In certain places, the gravity was several times, even tens of times greater than ordinary and they could often catch people off guard and cause them to suffer big losses.
But the natural gravity field here was even more terrifying than that. Even with Yang Kai’s Third-Order Origin King cultivation, he was immobilized, so one could imagine how strong the gravity here was.
The gravity here was definitely thousands of times higher than ordinary.
Natural gravity fields were extremely rare, and the conditions for their formation were quite stringent, so although Yang Kai had encountered some before, he was able to break free of them with just a little effort, but here…
His face gradually became dignified as he constantly pushed his strength, but he could only lift his arms slowly at best, so wanting to fly was absolutely impossible.
Looking up, Yang Kai could not even see the sky, it was so far away. So, if he couldn’t fly up, it would be impossible to escape from here.
Looking around again, Yang Kai’s eyes narrowed slightly.
This gorge was not very big, only a few thousand metres long, but its entire floor was actually covered in white bones, some from Monster Beasts while others were human in shape. Most of these bones had already crumbled and scattered about while only a handful of them barely maintained their original shape.
There was even a fresh corpse nearby, one that had apparently died not long ago, the blood still not even completely dry and the hashed meat and internal organs splattered out in a terrible display.
This person was obviously a Maplewood City cultivator who entered the Five Coloured Treasure Pagoda this time, and just like Yang Kai, when flying over this gorge, had been pulled down into it, but unlike Yang Kai who had a means of survival, this man had simply fallen to his death.
Before this person died, he must have been extremely unwilling…
Yang Kai silently offered tribute to this man; after all, who could have thought that after cultivating to the Origin King Realm, they would actually die by falling to the ground one day? If word of this kind of death was spread around, most people wouldn’t be able to stop laughing at it.
But how could there be such terrifying gravity here? Yang Kai was quite puzzled. He had encountered natural gravity fields before, but none could compare with this place.
Yang Kai was eventually forced to use his Five Element Indestructible Sword Qi and display his Dragon Transformation Secret Technique in order to slowly walk around at the speed of a turtle.
After a half cup of tea’s time, though, Yang Kai dispersed his Five Elements Indestructible Sword Tempering Art and Dragon Transformation Secret Technique before sitting down and panting heavily.
Maintaining these two Secret Techniques for extended periods of time would consume a lot of his strength, but the progress it brought was minimal, making the gains not worth the loss, so Yang Kai simply gave up wasting his power.
[I won’t be trapped in this damned place forever, will I?] A sad thought emerged in Yang Kai’s heart.
Soon after though, he frowned as a look of surprise filled his face.
“That’s not right, the aura here…”
He suddenly discovered that the World Energy in this place was actually extremely rich.
Regarding the Star Boundary, Yang Kai did not know how rich the World Energy could be in the best cultivation paradises; after all, he hadn’t been here for very long and had never visited the headquarters of any big Sect.
However, the World Energy at the bottom of this gorge was completely incomparable to the headquarters of Blue Feather Sect and the secluded home he had rented in Maplewood City.
The richness of World Energy here was beyond anything Yang Kai had imagined possible.
Even just sitting there, without moving, the surrounding aura would sink into his body spontaneously, and in short order, the strength Yang Kai had consumed before was restored once again.
[This is incredibly strange!] Since Yang Kai entered the Five Coloured Treasure Pagoda, he found that the ambient World Energy was extremely thin everywhere he went. This was the case for both the first layer and second layer, yet now, in this strange gorge, the World Energy was simply rich beyond imagination, an oddity that was difficult to ignore.
Moreover, because of the terrifying natural gravity field here, all the World Energy seemed to be concentrated in the metre or so above the ground, unable to spread out.
This created a spectacle where at the bottom of this gorge, a dense mist covered the ground, with signs of Spirit Qi Wisps floating about within it.
Yang Kai had previously been absorbed in the crisis he was facing and had not had much time to pay attention to other things, so it was only now that he realized this shocking reality after a careful observation of his surroundings.
[Down here… Is there some kind of treasure?]
A thought emerged in Yang Kai’s mind as this was the only explanation he could think of to explain this phenomenon.
Considering this, Yang Kai could not help getting a little excited.
Bracing himself, he struggled to his feet then stretched out his palm, summoning several dozen Golden Blood Threads and moulding them into a drill-like shape.
With a shout, Yang Kai started the Golden Blood Thread drill spinning and struck towards the ground.
The next moment, a loud bang resounded.
Golden light exploded…
The several dozen Golden Blood Threads collapsed, revealing their original form as they could not maintain their transformed drill shape. At the same time, sparks flew out from the spot on the ground which had just been struck.
A moment later, Yang Kai looked down at the rice-grain-sized pit he had made and exclaimed in shock, “So hard?”
He confirmed at that moment that there was some kind of extraordinary treasure down here.
Because the dirt beneath his feet was clearly just ordinary dirt; however, for some reason, something was hardening it so much that even his Golden Blood Threads could not cause it much damage. A full-powered blow was only able to chip away an insignificant speck and in the blink of an eye, this pit had already disappeared.
The ground had restored itself and become level again!
Whatever inexplicable force was at work here actually had the ability to repair this terrain!
Yang Kai’s eyes flashed brilliantly, but he was also quite helpless.
Because if he couldn’t dig up the ground here, there was no way for him to take away whatever treasure was hidden underground. But if he couldn’t take away the treasure underground, he couldn’t dig up this ground…
This was an endless loop, like trying to figure out which came first, the chicken or the egg.
[If only Xiao Xiao was here!] Yang Kai suddenly missed Xiao Xiao’s innate talent of being able to devour any kind of ore to strengthen his body, and more importantly in this case, his ability to travel through the earth like it was air.
If Xiao Xiao hadn’t been separated from him, Yang Kai would be able to use his power at this moment to extract whatever treasure was underground.
Unfortunately… Yang Kai didn’t even know where Xiao Xiao was now.
As for his Embodiment, which was inside the Sealed World Bead, although it could also be regarded as a member of the Stone Puppet Race… its size was far too great, and it was still in the process of expelling the impurities from its body. Yang Kai was fairly certain that it would be unable to burrow through the earth freely in its current condition!
Just as he was wallowing in disappointment, Yang Kai’s expression suddenly brightened as he thought of something.
He immediately took out the Sealed World Bead and swept its interior with his Divine Sense to find the Heaven Escaping Bat.
Since this little bat was one of the rare Heaven Escaping Bats, it should have no trouble using an Earth Escape technique, and if it could…
This little fellow was a Tenth-Order Monster Beast, so even if its sentience hadn’t quite reached the level of a human cultivator, it wasn’t a mindless creature and it could even have some simple communication with Yang Kai.
A moment later, Yang Kai carefully lifted up the Sealed World Bead.
A light flashed, and the little bat suddenly appeared beside Yang Kai.
Yang Kai’s expression turned solemn as he kept his Divine Sense firmly wrapped around the little bat. Once he noticed the slightest problem, he would immediately take it back into the Sealed World Bead; after all, the pressure in this place was simply too terrifying, and it was not clear whether this little Tenth-Order Monster Beast could withstand it. If something were to happen, there was no way he would be able to explain to Mo Xiao Qi.
Fortunately, the situation was not too bad. The little bat showed a strained expression on its face after it appeared, its body seemingly sinking as its bones creaked, and its small eyes turning somewhat bloodshot.
However, it soon began to adapt and let out a couple of squeaks towards Yang Kai.
Yang Kai was overjoyed to hear this and quickly said, “Then it’s up to you. If you think something is wrong, come up immediately, don’t force yourself!”
The little beast squeaked again before immediately turning and diving into the ground like it was jumping into a pool of water.
However, its speed was not fast by any means, taking a full breath before its figure finally sank into the ground.
Yang Kai stood in place anxiously, constantly trying to use his Divine Sense to track the little bat, but it was useless in the end. As soon as his Divine Sense left his Knowledge Sea, it would begin to warp under the extreme gravity and was unable to accurately scan what was happening underground.
Soon, a cup of tea worth of time passed…
Then a stick of incense worth of time…
Then an hour passed…
Yang Kai’s expression gradually became ugly.
Just when he thought that the little bat had suffered misfortune, a small head suddenly appeared at his feet and while letting out an extremely laboured squeak, it tried to lift itself up out of the earth.
Yang Kai was overjoyed and hurriedly responded.
Urgently pushing his Divine Sense, he tried to envelop the little bat and bear most of the pressure for it.
After the little beast’s body was completely exposed, Yang Kai stretched out his hand and grabbed it before his figure flickered and one human and one bat disappeared into the Sealed World Bead.
Somewhere in the Sealed World Bead, Yang Kai sat cross-legged on the ground while the little bat lay down on his knees, panting as if it had experienced a great battle and was now thoroughly exhausted.
“You’ve worked hard,” Yang Kai combed its fur lightly and said comfortingly.
The Heaven Escaping Bat raised its eyes towards him lightly and stared at him weakly for a moment.
After a while, it managed to get up, open its small mouth, and put out a pigeon-egg-sized, yellowish-brown object.
Yang Kai stretched out his hand to catch this object, but deceived by its size and appearance, he almost tripped during his attempt to hold it as this tiny thing actually seemed to weigh ten thousand kilograms or more.
In shock, he quickly circulated his strength to stabilize his figure and somehow managed to not embarrass himself.
The little bat squeaked happily, seemingly taking pleasure in his misfortune.
Yang Kai did not care about its teasing and stared solemnly at this yellowish-brown object instead, his brow furrowing and relaxing a few times before he finally called out in alarm, “Heavy Earth!?”
What this Heaven Escaping Bat had brought back from below ground was actually a piece of Heavy Earth!
Heavy Earth and Weak Water were both first-class treasures that shared the characteristic of being extraordinarily heavy among other varied traits. Ordinary cultivators, and even true masters, would rarely encounter these exotic treasures.
Mo Xiao Qi’s Weak Water Bead, which seemed to be refined from Weak Water, was even able to allow her to restrain an infant Luan Feng back in Clear Jade Mountain.
The Luan Feng was a true Ancient Divine Spirit, and even a baby was not a creature to be provoked easily. The death of so many people in Clear Jade Mountain that day was the best proof. After being imprisoned by the Weak Water Bead, that baby Luan Feng wasn’t able to break free though, so it was obvious just how powerful it was.
Mo Xiao Qi’s background was enormous so it wasn’t too surprising she possessed an artifact like that Weak Water Bead.
Heavy Earth was a treasure on par with Weak Water.
To a certain extent, it was even rarer and more precious than Weak Water.
Because Heavy Earth was not only extremely dense and able to create natural gravity fields wherever it formed, which created an excellent cultivation ground for certain cultivators, but could also be refined into various different types of artifacts. With the addition of just a small portion of Heavy Earth, an artifact’s weight could be dramatically increased, and its sturdiness would be enhanced greatly.
Moreover, if used to refine an Alchemy or Artifact Refining Furnace, Heavy Earth could increase the chance of successful Alchemy or Artifact Refining.
As such, Alchemists and Artifact Refiners would kill to obtain Heavy Earth.
Perhaps most importantly though, because Heavy Earth was extraordinarily rich in Earth Attribute Energy, if one planted any kind of spirit medicine or grass into soil infused with Heavy Earth, those herbs would have their growth cycle drastically reduced.
In other words, if a spirit grass ordinarily took a hundred years to mature, if it was planted atop Heavy Earth, it could mature in just ten years, five years, or possibly even less!
Such a precious effect was not only sought after by many cultivators, but also by big Sects.
Which Sect did not have its own medicine garden? Each Sect’s medicine garden would be used to cultivate many rare and precious spirit grasses and medicines, but generally, the more precious an herb, the longer its growth cycle was. Dozens, or even hundreds of years, was considered short for some rare herbs while some of the most valuable ones could take thousands of years to reach maturity.
With such long growth cycles, many spirit medicines simply could not be cultivated by ordinary cultivators as they would not have the time or energy to nurture and care for them. Only powerful Sects would be able to dedicate the time and resources to such pursuits.
However, once a piece of Heavy Earth was in hand, the situation was completely different.
A thumbnail-sized piece of Heavy Earth was enough to enhance a medicine garden an acre in size to continuously produce all kinds of rare and precious spirit grasses. As such, even such a small amount would be enough to spark a war between great forces!
Unfortunately, Heavy Earth was extremely rare, so most Sects would never be able to acquire some.
The rare times Heavy Earth was acquired by individual cultivators, it would be swiftly refined into powerful artifacts to enhance their personal strength, leaving none behind to use in medicine gardens.
Yang Kai knew about Heavy Earth because he had been cultivating the Five Elements Indestructible Sword Tempering Art.
The Five Elements Indestructible Sword Tempering Art needed supreme treasures from each of the Five Elements in order to cultivate, so Yang Kai had always paid special attention to the rarest of Five Element Treasures. Heavy Earth was undoubtedly a supreme treasure of the Earth Attribute! To some extent, it was even more precious than Sun’s True Essence and bordered on comparable to his Soul Warming Lotus.
This small piece of Heavy Earth the size of a pigeon egg was enough to refine several high-grade artifacts, but Yang Kai would naturally not be satisfied with just this much.
He believed that there was far more Heavy Earth deep underground in this gorge, otherwise, how could the gravity field here be so terrifying?
After taking a moment to sort out his thoughts, Yang Kai put down the piece of Heavy Earth before taking out a number of restorative Spirit Pills from his Space Ring, placing them on the palm of his hand, and lifted it to the little bat’s mouth.
The Heaven Escaping Bat was thoroughly exhausted, and had even lost the strength to fly around, but when it saw these Spirit Pills, its little eyes lit up and it quickly opened its small mouth and swallowed them all.
*Gezhi gezhi…*
Like candy, the little bat crunched on the Spirit Pills before swallowing them down.
“Do you want some more, I have lots,” Yang Kai smiled slightly as he waved his hand and took out a dozen or so jade bottles.
The Heaven Escaping Bat’s eyes lit up when it saw these bottles.
“Good, help me obtain the rest of this stuff from underground and I’ll feed you all the Spirit Pills you want!” Yang Kai grinned meaningfully as he pointed his finger at the lump of Heavy Earth, bargaining with the little bat.
The Heaven Escaping Bat’s eyes turned slightly as it was obviously quite excited. After a while, it let out two squeaks to acknowledge its agreement.
Inside the Sealed World Bead, the natural gravity field obviously had no effect, so Yang Kai and the little bat were able to rest and recover quickly, and with the help of Yang Kai’s abundant Spirit Pills, the Heaven Escaping Bat was back to full strength in just two hours.
Yang Kai took it and reappeared in the gorge.
After another hour, the little beast appeared from the ground and Yang Kai swiftly brought it back into the Sealed World Bead to recuperate.
A short time later, Yang Kai obtained another pigeon sized chunk of Heavy Earth!
This situation then repeated itself over and over again.
Five days later, enough Heavy Earth to cover a small desk had now been piled up three fingers thick in front of Yang Kai.
So much Heavy Earth was an astonishing sight to behold. One had to know that a fingernail-sized piece was enough to create a miraculous medicine garden or to raise the grade of an artifact directly. As for this desk-sized pile of Heavy Earth, it was a treasure precious enough to even cause the Ten Great Emperors to snatch it.
Yang Kai now firmly believed that the inside of this Five Coloured Treasure Pagoda was indeed a shattered ancient land.
If it were not, how could there be such incredible treasures here?
Thankfully, the terrifying natural gravity field of this gorge allowed Yang Kai to obtain all these benefits for himself. If not for the unique terrain and circumstances here, this place would have long ago been cleaned out by others.
Anyone who passed over this gorge and discovered its abnormality had already fallen to their death. It was only thanks to his Sealed World Bead that Yang Kai was even alive at the moment.
In fact, he should have realized what was happening here a long time ago, as what else other than Heavy Earth could create such a powerful natural gravity field?
The Heaven Escaping Bat was still busying itself outside, but by now the gravity field in the gorge had weakened to the point where it could almost be ignored. After all, the Heavy Earth here had basically all been transferred to the Sealed World Bead by Yang Kai, so the natural gravity field generated by it had of course disappeared.
Therefore, Yang Kai didn’t need to worry about the little bat’s safety anymore.
At this moment, his eyes flashed and under the control of his Divine Sense, the pile of Heavy Earth was swept up.
Outside, Yang Kai absolutely would not have such ability. Likely, only an Emperor Realm powerhouse would be able to accomplish this.
However, Yang Kai was the absolute master inside the Sealed World Bead, able to change and affect anything at will.
Even so, lifting so much Heavy Earth still consumed a great deal of his energy.
After finally bringing the Heavy Earth to the medicine garden, Yang Kai stared at the empty plot of land and smiled lightly before sending all of this Heavy Earth into the ground.
In this way, he would possess a Heaven defying medicine garden. If he saw any precious seedlings in the future, he could transplant them here and drastically shorten their growth cycle. As long as it was not the type of herb which would die upon being transplanted, Yang Kai wouldn’t need to worry about anything surviving in this medicine garden.
Of course, Yang Kai also kept a small piece of Heavy Earth to cultivate his Five Elements Indestructible Sword Tempering Art with.
After checking his work, Yang Kai was very satisfied, and his figure flickered and disappeared.
When he reappeared, Yang Kai was already standing at the bottom of the outside gorge.
Without the intense gravitational field, the rich aura that lingered at the bottom of the gorge had lost its constraint and escaped upward.
Seeing no trace of the Heaven Escaping Bat, Yang Kai figured it was still busy underground.
Heavy Earth was a rare treasure, so Yang Kai naturally did not want to miss a single piece of it, so he simply allowed the little bat to continue searching underground. The more he found, the better, but if some was left behind in the end, it did not matter too much as his harvest this time was already quite astonishing.
Walking out, Yang Kai quickly arrived next to a skeleton, stretched out his hand, and removed its Space Ring.
This cultivator had died many years ago and was now nothing but bleached bones. The only thing of value left was this Space Ring.
Of course, Yang Kai had no reason to let off the wealth of this individual.
After a thorough search, Yang Kai harvested more than fifty Space Rings.
In other words, more than fifty people had accidentally fallen to their deaths here. Most of these people should have been Origin Kings, and besides the one who had died most recently, the rest naturally belonged to Star Soul Palace.
After checking a little, Yang Kai could not help smiling wryly.
Worthy of being disciples of Star Soul Palace, each and every ring was filled with wealth. Not only were there many Source Crystals, there were also good artifacts and pills inside these rings.
Unfortunately, possibly due to age or the unique environment here, a number of these rings had been damaged, the contents either lost or destroyed.
Yang Kai took everything of use and discarded the rest.
All of a sudden, he had harvested more than 300,000 Low-Rank Source Crystals and more than 5,000 Mid-Rank Source Crystals. He didn’t see any High-Rank Source Crystals. As for Origin King Grade artifacts, there were more than thirty, as well as two Dao Source Grade artifacts.
This made Yang Kai feel slightly complicated.
The last time he went to the black market and sold out all of his excess Spirit Pills, he had only managed to obtain 200,000 Source Crystals, but now, after a short stroll around this gorge, he had obtained several times that wealth.
Yang Kai finally felt relieved about the amount of money he had available to him.
After confirming that he hadn’t missed anything, Yang Kai stood contentedly and waited.
Not long after, the little bat poked its head out from the ground at a certain spot before leaping up and flying over to Yang Kai and spitting out a few objects from its mouth.
Yang Kai looked down and found that there was no Heavy Earth, which was a small disappointment to him.
However, after taking a closer look at these objects, he began to rejoice.
“Earth Vein Crystals!? And so many!”
This time, the little bat had actually brought up a number of Earth Vein Crystals!
Earth Veins were produced when the concentration of World Energy reached a certain critical limit and condensed into a physical form. As long as a Sect headquarters was built atop a good Earth Vein, it could ensure that its disciples did not lack World Energy for their cultivation.
The stronger a Sect was, the better the Earth Vein it could occupy. As for small and weak Sects, occupying the lowest quality of Earth Vein was the best they could hope for.
Every year, many Sects and families fought over control of Earth Veins, causing countless casualties.
Earth Veins were immovable and if one tried to shift it, they would only end up destroying it; therefore, if one wanted a good Earth Vein, they could only occupy the territory atop which it sat.
However, there were always exceptions.
Some Earth Veins that had existed underground for countless years, because of some special reasons, would condense their energy into a special existence known as an Earth Vein Crystal!
An Earth Vein Crystal was equivalent to a miniaturized Earth Vein and it contained all the energy an Earth Vein should have.
Earth Vein Crystals were extraordinarily rare treasures.
Yang Kai had wandered his native Star Field for many years and had only ever seen one Earth Vein Crystal in the vault of Purple Star. That Earth Vein Crystal had been placed beneath his medicine garden inside the Sealed World Bead to maintain the aura of the medicine garden and cultivate spirit grasses and herbs.
However, the Heaven Escaping Bat had actually managed to collect four such Earth Vein Crystals from this place.
Yang Kai was overjoyed and quickly accepted these crystals as he began examining them carefully.
Soon, he discovered that these four Earth Vein Crystals were of a higher grade than the one he had obtained from Purple Star. Regardless of the total amount of energy stored inside or the purity of that energy, both were far in excess of the one from Purple Star’s Vault.
If the Earth Vein Crystal he obtained from Purple Star was Low-Rank, then the four in his hand were clearly at least Mid-Rank, with the biggest of the four possibly being High-Rank!
The aura that this Earth Vein Crystal exuded was so rich it shocked Yang Kai.
There being so many Earth Vein Crystals down here surprised and delighted Yang Kai.
However, after thinking about it for a moment, Yang Kai felt that this was actually quite natural.
If it weren’t for these Earth Vein Crystals, how could the World Energy here have been so rich? Heavy Earth was indeed precious, but it could not create such rich World Energy, only Earth Vein Crystal could.
However, the existence of Heavy Earth was probably also the root cause of the formation of these Earth Vein Crystals.
The natural gravitational field was so powerful in this place that the nearby World Energy would all be drawn to it and held in place. After countless years of such intense pressure, Earth Vein Crystals had naturally been produced.
The Five Coloured Treasure Pagoda had existed since ancient times, so over many thousands of years, these four Earth Vein Crystals forming under the effects of the intense gravity here was reasonable.
With just a bit of thought, Yang Kai had formed a likely theory in his mind about this matter.
Although the value of these Earth Vein Crystals wasn’t as high as the Heavy Earth, they were definitely not cheap either. Even large Sects would try to acquire Earth Vein Crystals so they could increase the richness of the World Energy inside its borders.
Yang Kai flicked his wrist and sent the four crystals to the medicine garden of his Sealed World Bead.
Now, in addition to the previous one, there were five Earth Vein Crystals here, and with so much Heavy Earth as well, Yang Kai likely had the best medicine garden in the Star Boundary.
Yang Kai could not wait to cultivate some precious herbs to see what kind of effect there was.
Half a day later, Yang Kai let out a sigh and gave up his search.
It seemed that all the benefits from this place had been taken away, and without the Heavy Earth and Earth Vein Crystals supporting it, the special environment at the bottom of the gorge disappeared and the World Energy quickly became thin
Signalling to the little bat, Yang Kai pushed his strength and flew up.
Without the natural gravity field, flying out of the gorge wasn’t difficult.
The Heaven Escaping Bat continued to lead the way ahead, looking for Mo Xiao Qi’s trail, with Yang Kai following behind unhurriedly.
…..
Three days later, Yang Kai passed by a small hill and suddenly glanced down after sensing something. Smiling coldly, he stopped and called out, “Friend, are you going to come out on your own or do you want me to force you out?”
There was no movement below, only the sound of the wind blowing in the leaves.
“Pointless resistance!” Yang Kai snorted coldly as he lifted his palm and a Golden Blood Thread slashed out towards a certain spot below.
The next moment, a blue light flashed as the Golden Blood Thread impacted something.
With a bang, the Golden Blood Thread was bounced back and where there was nothing before, a middle-aged man now appeared sitting cross-legged, his face pale, a look filled with murderous hatred directed towards Yang Kai.
Yang Kai was startled by this scene.
With his vision, he was naturally able to see that this man was seriously wounded, and with an unusual injury at that. It seemed his very foundation had been damaged.
This situation… was completely different from what he had previously expected.
He thought that this person was hiding here and wanted to sneak attack him, but now it turned out this man was hiding here to heal his wounds while Yang Kai’s actions had exposed him.
For a moment, Yang Kai couldn’t help but feeling a bit awkward.
However, after realizing what the situation was, and realizing he was in the wrong, Yang Kai quickly cupped his fists and said, “I apologize, it seems there has been a misunderstanding, please don’t take offence. Friend should continue to heal his injuries, this one will take his leave.”
“Isn’t this ‘friend’ here to take my life? If you’re going to do it, just do it, why bother putting on a show?”
What Yang Kai didn’t expect was that after he issued an apology, the middle-aged man didn’t relax his vigilance and instead shouted angrily at him, as if he and Yang Kai really had some kind of absolutely irreconcilable hatred.
Yang Kai frowned and replied, “This friend misunderstands me. I don’t know you, so why would I want your life?”
This matter was caused by a momentary mistake on his end, so Yang Kai didn’t take the other party’s offensive attitude to heart. Having said what he needed to, Yang Kai took out a jade bottle and tossed it over to the other party, “This is a bottle of healing pills, it should be able to alleviate your situation.”
Finished with this, Yang Kai turned to leave.
The middle-aged man was taken aback for a moment. By now, he realized that Yang Kai’s actions really were unintentional, otherwise, there would have been no need to act like this. Yang Kai could easily have killed him, but had compensated him with a bottle of pills instead. Opening the jade bottle, the man sniffed it lightly and confirmed it was indeed healing medicine as a look of hesitation appeared on his face.
Seeing that Yang Kai was about to leave ear-shot, the man finally made up his mind and called out, “Wait!”
Yang Kai stopped his pace, turned back, and sighed, “What does this friend want? Although I made the move and ruined your hiding place, as long as you move a bit that won’t be a problem. I also gave you a bottle of healing pills as an apology so we should just simply part ways here. Don’t try to reach out for a yard after taking an inch!”
The middle-aged man heard this but did not show the slightest signs of anger, instead just smiling mysterious and whispering, “That was not my intent.”
“Then what is your intent?” Yang Kai spoke impatiently.
“Do you want a Dao Source Fruit?” The middle-aged man stared at Yang Kai and said slowly.
“What?” Yang Kai’s face turned serious as he immediately swept his eyes around before eventually gazing towards the middle-aged man’s Space Ring and quickly asking, “Did you just say Dao Source Fruit?”
“Indeed, this friend did not hear wrong, I did say Dao Source Fruit just now,” The middle-aged man nodded.
“You obtained a Dao Source Fruit?” Yang Kai looked at him with surprise.
The middle-aged man nodded again and said calmly, “Heavenly Martial Holy Land put three Dao Source Fruits into the Five Coloured Treasure Pagoda this time, and this Zhang was lucky enough to acquire one of them.”
Before Yang Kai could ask where the Dao Source Fruit was, the middle-aged man surnamed Zhang smiled lightly and said, “Friend should not be hasty. Even if you kill me, you won’t get the Dao Source Fruit. Before I came here to heal, I hid it in a safe place.”
Yang Kai could not help lightly coughing as he asked, “Did I look like I would kill you?”
“That’s hard to say,” The man surnamed Zhang chuckled, “This friend does not seem to be a wicked individual, otherwise you would not have left so simply just now. Murdering others and seizing their treasures is a natural thing, but… The Dao Source Fruit is extremely precious, especially for people like you and me, so I cannot guarantee you won’t try to kill me and seize it.”
“Makes sense!” Yang Kai nodded, agreeing with his statement.
Even if the average cultivator did not take the initiative to kill people and seize their wealth, whether they could maintain such moral behaviour when faced with a treasure like a Dao Source Fruit was a different story.
“However… you even took the initiative to call me back and tell me about Dao Source Fruit. What do you really want?” Yang Kai looked at him suspiciously.
“Naturally I want to give that Dao Source Fruit to this friend,” The man surnamed Zhang said with a solemn expression.
“Are you making a joke?” Yang Kai squinted at him with an expression of disbelief.
The man surnamed Zhang shook his head, “Those who are about to die have no need for excess words. Why would I crack a joke with you about this matter now?”
Yang Kai narrowed his eyes and said lightly, “It doesn’t look like you’re about to die.”
The man surnamed Zhang gave a wry smile, “In order to escape, I had to use up eighty percent of my Blood Essence. Even if I do survive, my cultivation will fall sharply. What’s more, I was poisoned, and even my Knowledge Sea has been contaminated.”
Yang Kai’s expression changed when he heard this and he quickly released his Divine Sense to investigate this man carefully, only then realizing that he was not lying.
Although he put up a strong front, this man surnamed Zhang was actually only barely clinging to life. Perhaps he had taken some kind of powerful pill just before Yang Kai arrived that was prolonging his life.
With such injuries, even if no one came to kill him, this man would not survive more than two days.
Yang Kai sighed, “If it was just your body that was poisoned, I might still have been able to help you, but with even your Soul contaminated… I am powerless.”
“This Zhang has already made peace with his situation, friend does not need to care,” The man surnamed Zhang spoke casually, even chuckling slightly.
“I don’t know you, and whether you live or die has nothing to do with me, but… You called me back and said you want to give me a Dao Source Fruit. How can there be such a good deal in this world? Speak frankly, what do you want in return?”
“Friend is a smart person,” The man surnamed Zhang smiled and said, “My time is short, so I will be straightforward.”
Yang Kai nodded and assumed a listening posture.
“I can give you the location of the Dao Source Fruit, but after you take it, when you find someone to refine it into pills, you must give one to my Zhang Family’s descendants!” The man surnamed Zhang said, “I am Zhang Gao Xuan, the Patriarch of Maplewood City’s Zhang Family. The Zhang Family is not a big family, but it still has a few hundred years of history. This Zhang knows quite a few people in Maplewood City, so after you leave this place, it should not be difficult for you to find the location of my Zhang Family. If refining the Dao Source Fruit into pills is a failure, then that is simply the Heavens’ will, but if it succeeds, there should be at least three Dao Source Pills. I only ask you to bring one to my Zhang Family while the rest are yours to keep.”
After listening to Zhang Gao Xuan’s words, Yang Kai nodded and replied, “This request is reasonable, so I can agree, but… Are you not afraid I won’t keep my promise?”
Zhang Gao Xuan smiled bitterly, “What use would fear have now? I will die soon, and there is no one here I can trust, so either that Dao Source Fruit remains as a prize to be sought for future generations that enter this Five Coloured Treasure Pagoda and my Zhang Family has no chance to obtain any benefits, or I can take a chance. Unfortunately, I do not have a Soul Contract with me, otherwise, I would not need to worry so much.”
“Then do you want me to swear an oath?” Yang Kai grinned.
Zhang Gao Xuan glanced at him and said lightly, “Forget it, swearing an oath… Hah, what use is that? What’s more, I can see that this friend’s temperament is fairly good, so I’d like to request that friend remains a guest in my Zhang Family for ten years after this place closes!”
“Ten years?” Yang Kai frowned deeply, “Friend, your offer is a bit excessive, is it not?”
“Is ten years too much?” Zhang Gao Xuan looked at Yang Kai with a surprised look, “You must know, what I am offering you is a Dao Source Fruit. To an ordinary cultivator… even if they spend their entire life and fortune, they would never obtain such a treasure. With it, friend’s chances of breaking through to the Dao Source Realm will increase by at least forty percent. As long as friend’s aptitude is not too bad, breaking through is almost guaranteed.”
Yang Kai said lightly, “I don’t need a Dao Source Fruit in order to break through, so it doesn’t have much attraction to me.”
“Friend’s tone is quite bold!” Zhang Gao Xuan was a little shocked, but as he looked up and down Yang Kai, trying to see if he was idly boasting, all he saw was calm and steady confidence.
After a long while, he sighed and said, “It seems friend’s aptitude is extraordinary, even a Dao Source Fruit cannot move your heart. In that case, forget ten years, three years will be enough.”
However, Yang Kay still shook his head.
Zhang Gao Xuan’s expression darkened as he said with some dissatisfaction, “Then what do you want? It is only three short years. For a Third-Order Origin King like you and I, this is but a brief moment. This condition is already quite generous.”
Yang Kai chuckled and said, “It is not a question of ten years or three years, I simply do not want to be fettered, even if it is only a single year, because I do not know how long I will remain in Maplewood City. If, for some reason, I need to leave Maplewood City, fail to comply with this request, and it creates a heart demon, what would I do? I won’t make such a causal agreement.”
“Well.. this is…” Zhang Gao Xuan was startled but soon smiled lightly. “It seems that this Zhang’s decision was correct. Friend should be a man who keeps his word.”
Yang Kai bargaining back and forth with him now was evidence he really planned on abiding by their agreement. If that weren’t the case, why would he even bother arguing? Yang Kai could simply agree then ignore his promise after.
Hearing Yang Kai mention the formation of a heart demon gave Zhang Gao Xuan much more confidence in him.
If Yang Kai was not a man who valued his word, it would be impossible to form a heart demon because he broke an agreement.
“Alright, I can promise you that I will assist your Zhang Family while I remain in Maplewood City, assuming it is within my power. If your Zhang Family asks for something impossible, I will not agree, and… they will only be able to request my assistance three times,” Yang Kai thought about it and proposed.
“Three times…” Zhang Gao Xuan mulled over the idea for a long time before raising his head and nodding, “Good, three times it is. However, in addition, I will need you to bring a message to my Zhang Family. “
“That’s fine.” Yang Kai nodded.
After the two reached an agreement, Yang Kai stood waiting quietly while Zhang Gao Xuan took out a jade slip and poured his Divine Sense into it, obviously recording some last words.
Soon, everything was in order. Zhang Gao Xuan handed the jade slip to Yang Kai and watched him take it away solemnly before letting out a long breath and saying, “I will entrust everything to this friend.”
“The location of the Dao Source Fruit…” Yang Kai asked.
Zhang Gao Xuan smiled slightly and stretched out his hand, “Do you see the hill on the opposite side? The Dao Source Fruit is over there, the exact location…”
At this point, Zhang Gao Xuan’s voice went silent while his lips continued moving, using his Divine Sense to convey the final instructions.
Yang Kai quickly understood.
“Friend, take this Zhang’s Space Ring back to the Zhang Family, I have no need of it anymore,” Zhang Gao Xuan slowly withdrew the Space Ring from his hand and threw it to Yang Kai.
…..
After an hour, Yang Kai came to the opposite mountain and according to the hints given by Zhang Gao Xuan, he found the place where the Dao Source Fruit was hidden.
“He was quite careful about this,” Yang Kai muttered to himself.
The Zhang Family Patriarch had not only hidden the Dao Source Fruit elsewhere but also put up a simple Spirit Array where the fruit was stored. This barrier needed a drop of his Blood Essence to open safely, and it would destroy the Dao Source Fruit inside if it was forcefully broken.
In other words, if someone had really acted against Zhang Gao Xuan and forced him to spit out the whereabouts of the Dao Source Fruit, without him actively cooperating to take out a drop of Blood Essence, it would be impossible to obtain it.
However, Zhang Gao Xuan was seriously injured already, so after taking out a drop of Blood Essence, his situation only became worse.
Yang Kai estimated that he would be lucky to live another day, while he would most likely pass on in less than half a day.
Yang Kai poured the drop of Blood Essence into the barrier and followed the method Zhang Gao Xuan had provided him with to open it.
A short time later, the barrier broke and a beautiful wooden box appeared.
Yang Kai stretched out his hand and lifted the wooden box before he slowly opened it. Before his eyes, a fist-sized golden fruit appeared, a fragrant aroma wasting from it that seemed to contain a kind of magic power that allowed Yang Kai to more clearly sense the World Principles around him.
Dao Source Fruits were the primary ingredient for refining Dao Source Pills which could promote the chance a cultivator had of breaking through to the Dao Source Realm, so it was not surprising that it had such an effect.
However, Yang Kai found that this Dao Source Fruit was a bit dry and seemed to have been picked some time ago. On top of that, the medicinal efficacies had clearly been somewhat depleted.
“Heavenly Martial Holy Land…” Yang Kai slowly shook his head, cursing this great force that ranked in the top echelon of the Southern Territory’s hierarchy.
Previously, the cultivators of Maplewood City heard that Heavenly Martial Holy Land had contributed three Dao Source Fruits to the opening of the Five Coloured Treasure Pagoda, which had set off a wave of praise and jubilation, but now that he had actually obtained one, Yang Kai discovered that this Dao Source Fruit was actually a spoiled good from Heavenly Martial Holy Land’s stores.
However, thinking about it logically, if it had been high quality, freshly harvested Dao Source Fruit, Heavenly Martial Holy Land would not have been willing to take it out.
Even if it was a spoiled product though, it was still a genuine Dao Source Fruit and there was absolutely no problem using it to refine Dao Source Pills. The only issue would be that the number of pills produced would be slightly lessened.
After carefully storing the Dao Source Fruit, Yang Kai leapt up and flew off.
Two days later, Yang Kai arrived at a barren valley under the guidance of the Heaven Escaping Bat.
After arriving here, the little beast seemed to be extremely happy and with a flicker it dove into the ground and shot off, only sometime later re-appearing near a slight embankment.
Yang Kai frowned and released Divine Sense to perceive the area carefully, but before he could see any clues, Mo Xiao Qi’s voice reached his ear, “Big Brother Yang!”
Yang Kai narrowed his eyes and followed the voice to determine the location of Mo Xiao Qi, but even then, he still could not see her at all. She seemed to have used some kind of powerful Secret Technique to completely hide her whereabouts.
When he was in Clear Jade Mountain, Yang Kai discovered that Mo Xiao Qi had cultivated an extraordinary concealment Secret Technique, but now it seemed he had still underestimated her methods.
The question was, why was she acting so stealthily?
Shaking his head, Yang Kai displayed his Nihility Secret Technique, concealed his aura, and walked forward cautiously.
After a while, Yang Kai arrived at the embankment and after looking around carefully, he finally found what he was looking for and couldn’t help smiling, “Xiao Qi, why are you hiding here?”
“Shhh…” Mo Xiao Qi put a finger to her lips and motioned Yang Kai to look in a certain direction.
Yang Kai felt suspicious as he squatted down quietly and followed the direction of Mo Xiao Qi’s finger.
At a glance, Yang Kai felt quite surprised.
Because in a spot about ten kilometres away was a large group of cultivators gathered around. A rough count put this group’s number at a few dozen with all of them sitting down cross-legged in groups of three to five, using their own methods to pour their strength towards a central point.
“What are they doing?” Yang Kai asked in a low voice.
“I don’t know. It seems that they have found some kind of barrier and are trying to break it open together,” Mo Xiao Qi replied softly.
“Oh?” Yang Kai suddenly became interested, “If there is a barrier, doesn’t that mean there are treasures? Why didn’t you join in the fun?”
Mo Xiao Qi frowned and shook her head lightly, “Something doesn’t feel right. Behind that barrier, there might not be treasure.”
“If it’s not treasure, then what is it?” Yang Kai was surprised.
“I don’t know, that’s why I’m just watching for now,” Mo Xiao Qi answered naturally.
Yang Kai was speechless, but he was also curious about what this barrier that required so many Origin Kings working together to crack was hiding.
Generally speaking, the greater the power of a barrier, the more extraordinary the thing hidden inside was. Since this barrier required several dozen Origin Kings to crack it, the treasure inside must at least be Dao Source Grade, possibly even Emperor Grade.
No wonder so many people were willing to work together.
“How do you know something is wrong?” Yang Kai thought for a while and asked.
With just ten kilometres separating them, and with so many cultivators gathered together, Yang Kai didn’t dare to release his Divine Sense to investigate lest his whereabouts be exposed.
“I can’t say for certain, but the closer I got to the other side, the more unsettled I felt, as if there is something dangerous over there,” Mo Xiao Qi replied seriously.
“Are you certain?” Yang Kai’s expression changed.
Generally speaking, cultivators had innately sharp senses. This kind of sense was unclear and difficult to describe, but once it appeared, it was not something that could simply be written off or ignored.
Mo Xiao Qi came from an extraordinary background and had both profound knowledge and ability, so since she felt a sense of foreboding, it was very likely this barrier was actually a seal that was suppressing something dangerous.
“I still feel a sense of crisis even now,” Mo Xiao Qi patted her chest with his small hands, “What’s more, Xiao Fu feels the same way.”
Of course, Yang Kai knew that the Xiao Fu she spoke of was the Heaven Escaping Bat who had led him here. This little thing was naturally sensitive to danger, which had allowed Yang Kai to avoid many barriers and traps along the way.
Since both Mo Xiao Qi and this little bat felt danger, they should not be wrong.
Yang Kai went silent as he and Mo Xiao Qi continued to conceal themselves while secretly observing the situation.
As he was scanning his surroundings, Yang Kai discovered something of interest. It turned out that not just he and Mo Xiao Qi, but others were also using concealment techniques to hide nearby while watching and waiting.
As for the several dozen Origin Kings working together to crack this barrier, they were obviously having a strenuous time. Many of them were frequently taking out pills to supplement their consumption as they continued their attempts.
As the power of a dozen people poured into this barrier, a cross-shaped symbol composed of brilliantly burning flames gradually appeared.
The scorching power of this cross could be felt even from where Yang Kai stood.
“The Raging Flames Cross Seal?” Mo Xiao Qi suddenly whispered after seeing this scene.
“You recognize it?” Yang Kai asked quietly.
Mo Xiao Qi nodded lightly, “I have seen pictures of it in ancient books. It is a very, very old sealing technique, no one alive today should know how to use it. The principle of this kind of seal is quite simple, but it requires an enormous amount of strength to create. Unfortunately, I can’t tell what it is being used to seal.”
“We’ll know soon enough,” Yang Kai furrowed his brow.
Ten kilometres ahead, when this Raging Flames Cross Seal appeared, the several dozen cultivators working to crack the barrier suddenly became excited, some of them even calling out, “Everyone, just a bit more, the barrier is about to break and the treasures are about to appear!”
Just these words alone were enough to inspire the gathered cultivators. Their blood boiling, each of these cultivators pushed their strength even harder as they poured it into the centre of the seal.
As time passed, the shape of the Raging Flames Cross Seal became more and more complete and clear. As more and more power flowed into it, the Raging Flames Cross Seal seemed like it was gradually becoming unstable.
The burning flames began to riot and cracking sounds from the seal could be heard.
At a certain point, the flame cross suddenly trembled and distorted before rapidly shrinking back to a central point.
The next moment, a loud bang resounded.
A wave of flames shot out in all directions, accompanied by an intense heat and pressure that swept towards the dozens of Origin Kings nearby. Thankfully, all of them had been prepared for such an outcome and swiftly summoned their defensive artifacts, so although all of them were a bit dishevelled, none of them were injured.
“The barrier has been broken!” Someone shouted, with a pleasant surprise in his voice.
Everyone else also felt a sense of joy as they raced forward to inspect the situation. Where the barrier had once been, the Raging Flames Cross Seal had disappeared and was replaced by a giant pit that seemed bottomless.
The many Origin Kings who had just stabilized themselves no longer restrained themselves and all dove towards the pit as fast as they could, hoping to snatch whatever benefits it held for themselves.
Everyone’s thoughts aligned with each other. Suddenly, many rushed to the gigantic pit as they glared around at everyone else, hostility growing by the breath and soon a giant melee had erupted.
All of them had joined forces earlier because they wanted to break this barrier, but now that it was gone, there was no need to cooperate anymore.
Even some of the cultivators who had been hiding nearby to watch the show decided to make a move and rushed out towards the pit.
Yang Kai and Mo Xiao Qi remained where they stood, along with a few others who were acting more cautiously.
Not far in front though, flashes of light from powerful artifacts and Secret Techniques appeared as people began dying.
Amidst the chaos, a few people quickly managed to rush down into the pit. When others saw this, how could they hesitate? Giving up on their opponents one after another, everyone dove into the pit.
Soon, there were only a few cultivators left above the pit while the rest descended into it.
“It’s quite lively here.” Suddenly, a voice appeared not far from where Yang Kai and Mo Xiao Qi were hiding.
Yang Kai was instantly shocked, because although he had been paying attention to the situation beside the pit, he had not relaxed his vigilance of his immediate surroundings. Yet, he still had not noticed anyone approaching until this voice sounded.
Turning his head to look, Yang Kai could not stop his eyes from shrinking.
A dozen metres away, an old man with a shabby appearance and a sloppy goatee had mysteriously appeared and was now stroking his beard while observing the situation.
“Men die for wealth, birds die for food. Why, oh why?” The old man suddenly muttered in a low voice with a forlorn look. At that moment, this old man gave off a profound aura that was laced with the vicissitude of ages past, surprising Yang Kai greatly.
“It’s that old swindler!” Mo Xiao Qi also noticed this person’s arrival, and after seeing his appearance, she immediately flew into a fury as she recognized him as the one who had cheated her out of her Source Crystals.
However, Yang Kai waved to stop her from moving.
Although Mo Xiao Qi did not know why Yang Kai wanted to stop her, she nodded obediently.
The next moment, the old swindler took a step forward and, in a flash, arrived a few kilometres away before squatting down and looking at an Origin King who had lost an arm and a leg in the previous battle.
This cultivator was severely injured in the melee just now and was barely even alive at the moment. Blood was still pouring out of his wounds and it was clear he was not long for the world.
“You’re hurt quite badly, son!” The goateed old swindler stared at the other person with a pitiful expression on his face, like a merciful deity who had descended to rescue people from suffering.
“Old… Old Sir, help me!” The cultivator stretched out his remaining arm and grabbed onto the old man desperately, begging for his life.
“Saving a life is more rewarding than building a seven-story pagoda, this old master will naturally not ignore your plight. Your broken limbs are not easy to treat, if not handled properly, you will be crippled for a lifetime. Tsk tsk, it is truly pitiful, but… Fortunately, this old master has a Nine Revolutions Life Restoring Pill his ancestor obtained long ago and has been passed down through his family until today. This pill can even bring those at the gates of death back to life! This old master seems to share some fate with you, so he will sell it to you cheaply!” Saying so, the old man took out a Spirit Pill from his Space Ring while acting all mysterious.
The cultivator’s eyes lit up, as if seeing a life-saving straw while drowning, and nodded repeatedly while exclaiming, “I’ll buy it! How many Source Crystals do I need to pay?”
“Ho ho, it’s not expensive at all, just give me your Space Ring,” The old man said with a smile on his face.
When these words fell, he pushed the so-called Nine Revolutions Life Restoring Pill in his hand into the mouth of the cultivator without any explanation before snatching his Space Ring without the slightest trace of politeness.
The cultivator had not even reacted yet, much less agreed to this deal, when his eyes rolled back from anger and he fainted directly.
“En, en, just sleep well, when you wake up, it will be like nothing happened,” The old man grinned and chanted, like he was soothing a baby, flashing his yellowed teeth benevolently.
“Big Brother Yang, that old swindler is too much! He’s actually robbing people in this kind of situation!” Mo Xiao Qi was suddenly filled with righteous indignation.
She and Yang Kai, who were still hiding, clearly saw everything this old man did.
She had thought this old man was just a swindler, but now, it seems that he not only cheated others but went so far as to rob them as well. How could Mo Xiao Qi possibly tolerate such wretchedness?
“He’s really going too far!” Yang Kai nodded sincerely.
“I’m going to teach him a lesson!” Mo Xiao Qi declared as she revealed her figure.
But before she could do anything, the earth began to shake and a deep rumbling sounded from the ground, like muffled thunder.
Yang Kai and Mo Xiao Qi’s expressions changed dramatically but before they could figure out exactly what happened, streams of light shot out of the giant pit ten kilometres away.
Naturally, these streams of light were the cultivators who had rushed in to fight for the treasure before.
When these cultivators went in, there were several dozens, but now, only half that number emerged, all of them carrying serious wounds and looking panicked, as if they had just witnessed something terrifying.
After flying out of the pit, these cultivators did not stop and instead scattered in all directions, fleeing with all their might.
In the blink of an eye, many cultivators disappeared from Yang Kai and Mo Xiao Qi’s view.
“What happened underground?” Mo Xiao Qi wondered.
“Something’s not right, we need to leave now!” Yang Kai made a decisive decision and tried to take Mo Xiao Qi away, but at that moment, he sensed a powerful life aura rapidly rise up from below the surface.
The speed of this aura was astonishing, and the strength of vitality it radiated was beyond anything Yang Kai had ever sensed before.
*Kacha…*
Suddenly, the surrounding earth cracked and in the blink of an eye, with the giant pit as a centre, innumerable big and small fissures spread out for dozens of kilometres.
Things had not ended yet though as from these cracks, verdant coloured vines shot out.
These vines seemed almost sentient as they constantly twisted and wriggled, growing at a shocking pace, soon covering everything within a dozen kilometres, dancing through the air like a field of demonic tentacles, a terrifying sight to behold.
Yang Kai and Mo Xiao Qi both leapt up into the air as all this was happening.
A moment later, an arm-thick, razor-sharp vine suddenly burst from the ground right below where Yang Kai and Mo Xiao Qi had just been standing.
It was conceivable that if the two had been even slightly slower, they would have already been caught by this vine and forced into a dangerous struggle.
“AH!” Suddenly a scream rang out, startling Yang Kai. Turning his head in the direction of the shout, Yang Kai saw that not far away, a cultivator that had been hiding and watching previously was pierced by a sharp vine and was now suspended mid-air.
This cultivator was also an Origin King, but no matter how hard he struggled at this moment, he was unable to escape from the shackles of vines.
In the blink of an eye, more vines shot out and wrapped around him tightly.
Immediately afterwards, a sound like someone drinking water could be heard. A red colour, like fresh blood, started to seep into the vines while the cultivator that had been impaled and wrapped up went silent.
Not only that, but this man’s body also rapidly began to shrivel up, as if the life was being drained out of him.
“It’s swallowing his vitality!” Yang Kai’s expression changed drastically.
Naturally, he could see what happened to this cultivator. His blood and vitality was being drained away by the vines that had pierced him, leaving him dry and dead within just two breaths.
This man was an Origin King, but facing these strange vines, he was as vulnerable as a three-year-old child!
“Wood Spirit! It’s a Wood Spirit! To think there was a Wood Spirit sealed underground!”
At that moment, Mo Xiao Qi suddenly screamed, terror apparent in her voice. This was the first time Yang Kai had ever seen her in such a panic. Even when she was facing off against the infant Luan Feng on Clear Jade Mountain that day, she had remained completely calm and composed, but after seeing these strange vines, she went completely pale.
“Big Brother Yang, we need to flee, we’re definitely not this thing’s opponent. It can quickly restore itself by absorbing the blood and vitality of any living creature!” After Mo Xiao Qi finished speaking, she waved her hand and a flawless jade-white chariot appeared before her.
Dragging Yang Kai along, the two boarded the chariot at the same time.
Immediately, Mo Xiao Qi poured her strength into a Spirit Array on the chariot and multiple thick and powerful light barriers formed around it with a hum.
Without hesitation, the chariot started to tremble and quickly began to accelerate away.
Before it could get up to speed, however, countless vines shot towards it from the cracks down below, whipping the chariot madly with its thorns.
The light shields around the chariot flashed wildly, but fortunately, this artifact seemed to be extremely high grade, so its barriers were also quite strong. The vines which were able to kill an Origin King in an instant could not break through these shields immediately.
However, under this wanton bombardment, the chariot couldn’t leave this space.
After only a brief delay, the chariot was tightly wrapped up in vines.
Mo Xiao Qi’s face paled even further.
“Moon Blade!” Yang Kai snorted and swung his hand, sending out a giant Moon Blade to cut the vines that were entwining the chariot.
Although his attack had some effect, Yang Kai’s expression remained extremely solemn because he found that he had underestimated the defensive power of these vines. His massive Moon Blade was only able to cut through four vines before it exhausted its strength and dispersed.
As for the vines that were cut apart, in just a blink of the eye, they had re-grown and wrapped around the chariot even tighter than before.
“Big Brother Yang, we need to use Fire Attribute, other attacks are unable to destroy these vines,” Mo Xiao Qi shouted while at the same time she tapped one of the cloth bags on her waist. Out of this cloth bag, a creature that resembled a Fire Qilin appeared. Covered in crimson scales and exuding the aura of a peak Tenth-Order Monster Beast, this Fire Qilin quickly opened its mouth and spit out a fierce jet of flames.
Wherever these flames passed, the vines would shrink back, as if they had suffered a serious blow.
When Yang Kai saw this, he quickly adapted and pushed his Five Elements Indestructible Fire Sword Qi, condensing a long sword of flames in his hand as he slashed towards the surrounding vines.
This time, the vines that were chopped off did not instantly regenerate. It seemed Fire Attribute attacks were extremely effective against this vine.
Mo Xiao Qi was not idle either. After releasing the Qilin-like beast, she summoned a crimson ribbon and poured her Source Qi into it, transforming it into a cloud of burning flames.
The two people and one beast were somehow able to push back the vines from the chariot.
Without waiting for those vines to regroup and surround them again, Mo Xiao Qi stamped her foot hard, sending the chariot shooting out like an arrow from the string.
Behind them, countless vines flailed and whipped as they chased after them, but the chariot soon left them behind.
After ten breaths, the chariot finally escaped from the danger zone and the vines stopped their pursuit.
Only now did Mo Xiao Qi let out a gasp of relief.
Looking back, countless vines were flying around like tentacles within a several-dozen-kilometre range, a disturbing sight to see.
“Xiao Qi, what is a Wood Spirit?” Yang Kai finally had time to ask.
“It’s a type of plant which has gained sentience, possessing its own will and intelligence, and it is an extremely difficult opponent to face. Depending on what type of plant it evolved from, Wood Spirits all possess different innate abilities. It is difficult to say what exactly the ability of this Wood Spirit is, but regardless, all Wood Spirits are extremely difficult to kill because they have extremely strong Wood Attribute Strength, granting them enormous vitality and regenerative capabilities. Even if a Wood Spirit is severely damaged, as long as it is given enough time and nutrients, it can restore itself. Not all Wood Spirits are bad though, some of them even have extremely wondrous uses, but that Wood Spirit is an extremely dangerous existence. I don’t know how long ago it was sealed, but its strength must have fallen significantly, otherwise, it would have been impossible to escape with our current strength.”
“Are Wood Spirits that frightening?” Yang Kai was surprised.
“Of course! Big Brother Yang must not underestimate it. There are plenty of records of even Emperors being killed by Wood Spirits. Right now, this Wood Spirit has just been released, so its priority is to restore its strength. The best way to do that would be to swallow the vitality of cultivators like us… Oh no, the entire second layer may no longer be safe…” Mo Xiao Qi said after suddenly realizing something.
“What? Isn’t that impossible? The second layer is so vast; shouldn’t we be able to find a place to avoid it?”
“And if it happens to find us?” Mo Xiao Qi looked at Yang Kai, worried.
“Then what should we do? Go back to the first layer?” Yang Kai frowned.
“Once inside the Five Coloured Treasure Pagoda, one can only go up, not down. We can’t return to the first layer…” Mo Xiao Qi frowned before her eyes flashed, “En… let’s go to the third layer.”
Yang Kai was stunned, “How? Aren’t only the first and second layers of the Five Coloured Treasure Pagoda open now?”
“It’s worth a try. If we really can’t reach the third layer, we’ll just have to make do. Let’s hope our luck is good,” Mo Xiao Qi laughed happily before recalling the Qilin-like beast and releasing her Heaven Escaping Bat again, ordering it to search for the entrance to the third layer.
…
Three days later, the pair stood in front of a Five Coloured Light Pillar.
This Five Coloured Light Pillar was exactly the same as the one that Yang Kai saw before. Obviously, it was the entrance to the third layer, but when Yang Kai tried entering it just now, he got no response. This was vastly different from his previous experience where simply stepping into the light pillar had transferred him to the second layer.
He looked over at Mo Xiao Qi helplessly, but the latter just smiled mysteriously as she took out a long, shuttle-like artifact from her Space Ring.
As soon as this artifact appeared, Yang Kai’s complexion changed.
Because he felt a distinctive aura from this artifact, one that no Origin King Grade or even Dao Source Grade artifact could possess.
[An Emperor Artifact!]
This long shuttle-like artifact was definitely an Emperor Artifact!
Emperor Artifacts were infused with Principle Strength, a fact Yang Kai was familiar with because he possessed several Emperor Artifacts of his own. It was for this reason that Emperor Artifacts could display such enormous power. What Mo Xiao Qi possessed was obviously an Emperor Artifact.
Although Yang Kai was shocked, after thinking about it carefully, he realized this was an expected outcome and did not try to ask anymore.
“This Nine Stars Seal Breaker Shuttle is an artifact that Aunty Feng gave me. It specializes in breaking through all kinds of barriers. Although I cannot exert all its might with my current strength, with Big Brother Yang’s help, we should be able to break open the seal here and enter the third layer,” Mo Xiao Qi took the initiative to explain.
“What do I need to do?” Yang Kai asked.
“Simple,” Mo Xiao Qi briefly explained to Yang Kai.
Yang Kai carefully noted all Mo Xiao Qi’s instructions, and after going over it in his mind a few times, he nodded to her.
Mo Xiao Qi stretched out her hand to tap the Nine Stars Seal Breaker Shuttle. In the next moment, the artifact grew in size and became ten meters long.
After jumping aboard the Nine Stars Seal Breaker Shuttle first, Mo Xiao Qi waved to Yang Kai.
After both of them had entered the shuttle, Mo Xiao Qi closed the Nine Stars Seal Breaker Shuttle’s hatch before turning to Yang Kai and nodding. The two of them then began to form a specific series of seals.
As time passed, the pair continued to pour their strength into the Nine Stars Seal Breaker Shuttle, causing the star-shaped patterns on its surface to flicker.
Suddenly, on the surface of the Nine Stars Seal Breaker Shuttle, a star pattern was lit.
After a while, another star pattern was lit.
Then a third.
By this time, both Yang Kai and Mo Xiao Qi had reached their limits and their strength was fluctuating chaotically as their expressions became extremely difficult.
In the end, this was still an Emperor Artifact, so even bringing out half its power was impossible for the two of them.
Mo Xiao Qi’s expression turned solemn as she changed her hand seal and shouted, “break!”
The next moment, the Nine Stars Seal Breaker Shuttle shook slightly and shot into the Five Coloured Light Pillar before disappearing.
The pair aboard the shuttle felt a sense of weightlessness at the same time, and both could not help smiling happily. However, neither of them relaxed just yet as they continued to pour their strength into the Nine Stars Seal Breaker Shuttle to maintain its operation.
Soon after, the sense of discomfort they felt disappeared.
The two looked at each other and Mo Xiao Qi opened the Nine Stars Seal Breaker Shuttle expectantly before jumping out first. Her cheers came a moment later, “Big Brother Yang, we made it to the third layer!”
Yang Kai was also incredibly pleased. When he came out, he found that although this place looked similar to the second layer, there were some noticeable differences, the biggest of which was the density of the Shattered Principles floating about.
“That wasn’t so hard,” Mo Xiao Qi smiled proudly.
“It’s important we restore ourselves first. The third layer is supposed to be much more dangerous than the second,” Yang Kai reminded her before releasing his Divine Sense to check their surroundings.
After confirming that there was no danger in the immediate area, he sat down cross-legged and took out a bottle of Spirit Pills from his Space Ring, popped one into his mouth, then began adjusting his breathing.
Mo Xiao Qi did the same, but before she did, she released her Silver Maned Liger, Heaven Escaping Bat, and the Fire Qilin Monster Beasts to have them stand guard.
One day later, Yang Kai and Mo Xiao Qi opened their eyes one after another, each of them smiling lightly, apparently having completely recovered.
Mo Xiao Qi recalled her Monster Beasts and asked Yang Kai, “Big Brother Yang, now that we’ve reached the third layer, we certainly can’t miss out on the benefits here. Should we act together or separately?”
Yang Kai thought about it for a moment before deciding to ask, “What do you want to do?”
Mo Xiao Qi giggled, “If we want to be safe, I think it’s better to act together, but if we want more benefits, we should act separately. Big Brother Yang probably doesn’t know, but the biggest benefits in the Five Coloured Treasure Pagoda aren’t actually the various precious treasures that are scattered about, nor the artifacts which have been left behind, but the shattered World Principles and Star Sources!”
“I’ve heard something about this before, but I’ve yet to really experience it. Why is that?” Yang Kai frowned.
Mo Xiao Qi smiled and said, “Of course, it’s because the first and second layers don’t have a high concentration of such things, but the third layer is different. What’s more, there are only two of us here, so no one will compete with us for these benefits! If we can acquire some shattered World Principles and Star Sources, it will be of great help to us in breaking through to the Dao Source Realm.”
Yang Kai nodded and smiled, “So what you mean to say is, you want to act separately?”
Mo Xiao Qi spat out her tongue cutely and replied, “En, after all, if the two of us travel together, even if we encounter such benefits, we’ll need to divide them up between us… Big Brother Yang, it’s not that I don’t want to split things equally with you, it’s just…”
“I understand, since you are confident enough in yourself, then we’ll act separately,” Yang Kai interrupted her with a smile.
“Then Big Brother Yang must be careful, there are Eleventh-Order Monster Beasts in the third layer.”
“You as well,” Yang Kai nodded.
Yang Kai was not actually worried about Mo Xiao Qi. With her methods and the artifacts she was wearing, even if she actually encountered an Eleventh-Order Monster Beast, it wouldn’t be a problem for her to protect herself.
As for himself, he was not worried either. If things got dangerous, he could just release his Monster Insect Queen. As long as he wasn’t besieged by several Eleventh-Order Monster Beasts, Yang Kai was confident he could safely traverse the third layer. He might even be able to take this opportunity to condense more Blood Beasts.
His current Blood Beast Army was composed entirely of Monster Beasts from back in his native Star Field, and was naturally no longer useful in the Star Boundary, so the time to raise a new generation had come.
After the pair finished their discussion, they chose different directions and headed out.
With the two of them moving in opposite directions, it was almost certain they would not run into each other again until the Five Coloured Treasure Pagoda closed. This way, they would have plenty of space to search for their own opportunities.
A day later, Yang Kai stood on a large open plain, waving his hands lightly as he sent out one Moon Blade after another.
Not far in front of him, the Monster Insect Queen drew blue and purple arcs with its dual swords, causing a gentle fall of snow to fill the air as it brought out the full power of these Origin King Grade High-Rank artifacts.
Around the Monster Insect Queen, an icy domain had formed where rich Ice Principles had turned the surrounding thousand-metre radius into a frozen wasteland.
The opponent of the Monster Insect Queen was a Blue Flame Thunder Wolf, another Eleventh-Order Monster Beast that resembled a wolf and a jackal. It was small in size and had extremely flexible movement as well as a mastery over Thunder and Fire attribute strength, making it a powerful opponent.
The Monster Insect Queen could now exert power on par with a Second-Order Dao Source Realm cultivator, but even after fighting this Blue Flame Thunder Wolf for some time, it was unable to kill it, emphasising the latter’s prowess.
Yang Kai did not dare to intervene in the battle between them rashly and instead took some distance from the fight while using his Space Secret Arts to hinder and harass the Blue Flame Thunder Wolf’s movements.
As time passed, more and more wounds appeared on the Blue Flame Thunder Wolf, its movements becoming slower and slower due to the invasion of the Monster Insect Queen’s Ice Attribute Energy.
This was the true terror of the icy domain as it could slowly and silently weaken an enemy, causing them to gradually freeze in place, losing their life without even noticing.
Two more hours passed when finally, accompanied by a miserable howl, the Monster Insect Queen’s dual swords pierced into the enemy’s vital spots, bringing forth a giant splash of red blood. The Blue Flame Thunder Wolf struggled viciously, forcing the Monster Insect Queen to retreat again and again.
Unfortunately, this was nothing but a futile last struggle.
Soon, the eyes of Blue Flame Thunder Wolf lost their lustre and it fell to the ground, no longer moving anymore.
Only then did Yang Kai step forward.
The Monster Insect Queen opened its mouth and swallowed the dual swords into its body before immediately crawling over to Yang Kai and nuzzling him affectionately.
Normally, Blood Beasts could not show such life-like behaviour, but because the Monster Insect Queen had its own chaotic sentience, it was able to show such mannerisms.
Squatting in front of the Blue Flame Thunder Wolf, Yang Kai thought for a moment before deciding to condense a new Blood Beast from it. Taking out a Golden Blood Thread, Yang Kai pierced it into the corpse of the Blue Flame Thunder Wolf before sitting down cross-legged and forming a series of seals with his hands, executing his Blood Beast condensing method.
Half a day later, the already dead Blue Flame Thunder Wolf shook and stood up again, but there was no light in its eyes or expression on its face. Instead, a faint Blood Qi was pulsing from its frame.
This was the most distinctive feature of Blood Beasts.
Yang Kai examined his work for a while and was satisfied to find that this new Blood Beast had not fallen to the level of an Origin King but retained its Dao Source Realm strength.
Now, Yang Kai had two Blood Beast guardians, the Monster Insect Queen and this Blue Flame Thunder Wolf, so he did not need to fear traversing the third layer in any sense.
Immediately, Yang Kai took back his two Blood Beasts and continued to explore.
…
Two days later, Yang Kai was sitting cross-legged somewhere in the third layer with a happy expression on his face, circulating his Secret Art silently.
At the same time, from the sky above, streams of light were continuously flowing towards him and disappearing into his body.
These streams of light were actually shattered World Principles from this ancient battlefield.
Just as Mo Xiao Qi had said, these were the most precious treasures within the Five Coloured Treasure Pagoda.
Yang Kai happened to pass by here and sensed a high concentration of Shattered Principles, so he immediately sat down and began absorbing them.
By absorbing these streams of light into his body, he was able to clearly perceive Principle Strength and lay a good foundation for his future breakthrough to the Dao Source Realm.
But soon, he discovered something strange.
That is, after these streams of light entered his body, the concentration of Shattered Principles was far too large for him to immediately absorb, but instead of escaping, they flowed towards his Sealed World Bead and quickly disappeared.
From the Embodiment, Yang Kai learned that these Shattered Principles had flooded into the Small Sealed World and been absorbed by it.
The Sealed World Bead was undergoing tremendous changes at the same time.
The space in the Sealed World Bead that had so many Shattered World Principles poured into it was rapidly becoming more and more complete, transforming from a mere contained storage space to a real world. There were also other subtler changes occurring in the aura of this Small Sealed World due to the influx of Principle Strength.
Yang Kai originally did not quite understand why all of this was happening.
But after careful consideration, a possibility came to mind.
The Sealed World Bead was, in the end, an Emperor Artifact, a powerful storage artifact that an Emperor Realm master had refined using profound methods. As such, its own World Principles were imperfect, so, even though people could live and cultivate inside of it to an extent, it was still not a real, independent world.
Right now, though, the Shattered World Principles from the Five Coloured Treasure Pagoda were pouring into the Sealed World Bead and helping to make up for the flaws in its own Principles.
Once the Principles inside the Sealed World Bead reached a certain level of perfection, it might become indistinguishable from a real world!
Yang Kai could not prove his hypothesis was correct, but he knew his guess was not far off from the truth.
As such, he did not try to stop this process and simply allowed it to continue. In any case, no matter how many Shattered Principles the Sealed World Bead absorbed from the Five Coloured Treasure Pagoda, it would not hurt him.
This absorption process took more than half a day, and when no more streams of light appeared in his surroundings, Yang Kai opened his eyes and heaved out a sigh.
After a moment of contemplation, Yang Kai found that his understanding of Principle Strength had indeed improved, and he now vaguely understood some of the mysteries of the Dao Source Realm, but this was far from comprehensive. Moreover, the Sealed World Bead was far from satisfied, and it seemed that it would need to absorb a great deal more of these Shattered Principles to become complete.
Standing up, Yang Kai continued his search.
What Yang Kai didn’t know was that the place he had just cultivated in should have had enough Shattered World Principles for a dozen or more Origin Kings to reach a level of comprehension where they would be capable of breaking through to the Dao Source Realm, but because the Sealed World Bead had actually absorbed the vast majority of these World Principles, it not only drastically shortened the time he could personally absorb them, it had also rendered this stretch of land a barren place that would no longer have any cultivation value for at least a hundred years.
If this matter was known to the Star Soul Palace, they would definitely not let him off easily.
To a certain extent, this kind of cultivation spot was part of Star Soul Palace’s foundation. A person ruining the foundation of a Sect was no small matter.
Over the next few days, Yang Kai kept searching for locations similar to the previous one, but unfortunately, there seemed to be very few such places so he was unable to find another.
Over the past few days, he had encountered some Monster Beasts, but with the protection of his two Blood Beasts, the Monster Insect Queen and Blue Flame Thunder Wolf, these attacking Monster Beasts naturally were unable to harm Yang Kai.
Either these attackers tragically died under the siege of the two Blood Beasts, or they fled.
Yang Kai did not condense any new Blood Beasts and instead processed the dead Monster Beast bodies, taking out their Monster Cores and any valuable parts in preparation to use or sell them in the future.
From his previous experiences in his native Star Field, Yang Kai understood that having too many Blood Beasts was more of a burden than a benefit. Having to control too many at once drained his Spiritual Energy too rapidly and condensing more Blood Beasts meant consuming more of his Golden Blood Threads while at the same time giving up on the valuable materials in these Monster Beasts’ bodies. It was not worth it.
After several days of searching without results, Yang Kai was feeling a bit disgruntled.
He did not know when the Five Coloured Treasure Pagoda would close, but he did know it would not be long before it did. This was a rare opportunity he would likely never have again, so Yang Kai could not help becoming anxious in his search for more Shattered World Principles to absorb.
On this day, Yang Kai was flying close to the ground when suddenly he stopped and looked up at the distant sky.
At a point far off into the distance, there were an uncountable number of light streaks gathering towards the ground below, like a gorgeous meteor shower.
Each of these streams of light was surprisingly a wisp of Shattered World Principles, the very ones Yang Kai had been searching for all this time. However, the number of them gathered at that spot vastly exceeded the number he had encountered last time.
Overjoyed, Yang Kai did not hesitate to rush over.
Three hours later, Yang Kai came to a mountain valley.
What he saw immediately stunned him.
At the center of this mountain valley, there was a mass of swirling light that was only continuing to brighten as more and more light poured into it from every direction
This mass of light was surprisingly an aggregation of all the light streams coming from above.
“So many!?” Yang Kai had prepared himself before arriving here but still could not help feeling shocked.
The total amount of Shattered World Principles he and the Sealed World Bead had absorbed previously was probably less than one percent of what was gathered here. Yang Kai had benefited infinitely from just that small amount of Shattered World Principles and his Sealed World Bead had also undergone a significant transformation, so he knew that if he could absorb all the light streams in this place, his comprehension of Principle Strength would rise to the level of a Dao Source Realm master and breaking through in the future would not be a problem.
Even the Small Sealed World inside the Sealed World Bead would be able to fundamentally evolve.
Smiling happily, Yang Kai jumped out directly, stopping at a spot about three hundred meters away from the mass of light.
It was not that he didn’t want to get closer, but rather that the power contained within this mass of light was too intense so he could not approach any closer. If he rushed in, he would likely be crushed into dust by the chaotic Principles.
The light ball in front of Yang Kai hummed while contorting, possibly because it was unstable.
Yang Kai took a deep breath and released the Monster Insect Queen and Blue Flame Thunder Wolf, letting them stand guard nearby, before he sat down and began circulating his Secret Art.
Suddenly, as if being drawn in by some invisible force, a stream of light emerged from the giant mass and shot towards where Yang Kai sat. This river of light quickly began pouring into Yang Kai’s body and disappearing.
And at the moment this profound light poured in, Yang Kai felt that he could clearly sense the mysterious World Principles around himself.
At that moment, he no longer hesitated and fully immersed himself into his comprehension.
Yang Kai was just an Origin King so there was no way he could absorb that much Shattered World Principles, so just like last time, when his physical limits were about to be exceeded, the streams of light would flow into the Sealed World Bead and integrate with it, perfecting the Principles of the Small Sealed World.
Time passed slowly.
Yang Kai’s expression fluctuated endlessly, sometimes frowning, sometimes relaxed, sometimes black, sometimes contemplative…
As more and more light was drained away from the primary mass, the glow surrounding Yang Kai only became denser and denser.
However, once he was done comprehending what he absorbed, Yang Kai started again and was like a bottomless pit. No matter how much light he drew out, he had no trouble absorbing it.
Time flew by and soon, three days had passed.
After Yang Kai’s wanton absorption, the mass of light had shrunk significantly and the glow it emitted was no longer as strong as before; however, the amount of light which was being drawn away from it and pouring into Yang Kai’s body did not decrease in the slightest.
At a certain moment, Yang Kai suddenly opened his eyes, a thoughtful look appearing on his face.
After pondering for a moment, he suddenly stretched out his hand and slashed it through the space in front of him. An inexplicable force lingered at his fingertips, causing a dark Void Crack to appear in the path his fingers traced.
Yang Kai had not actually used his Space Force at this moment, but he was still able to achieve this feat thanks to his enhanced comprehension of Principle Strength.
The hallmark of a Dao Source Realm cultivators was the ability to mobilize the World Principles around them to enhance their own Secret Techniques.
Yang Kai had already touched upon this realm at this moment, something only possible thanks to the massive amount of Shattered Principles he had absorbed over the past few days.
However… his comprehension of Principle Strength was still quite superficial, so before he even finished tracing the air, the tiny Void Crack he had managed to open had already begun returning to its normal state.
Looking inward with this Divine Sense, Yang Kai examined his Origin Essence Crystal.
He saw that his Origin Essence Crystal, which had originally been completely black, at this moment now had a hint of light coming from its surface.
Yang Kai’s Origin Essence Crystal was the condensation of all his perceptions and experience in Space Force and greatly enhanced his ability to perform Space Secret Techniques. Now though, it had a trace of Principle Strength surrounding it as well, further strengthening it while also adding a layer of profundity.
From now on, as long as Yang Kai was willing to, he could use this comprehension to slightly mobilize the Principles around him.
Moreover, the Principles he would be manipulating were the mysterious and powerful Space Principles!
This was a qualitative and fundamental change. Although he wasn’t able to display much strength related to Space Principles with his current cultivation, once he broke through to the Dao Source Realm, the situation would be completely different.
Closing his eyes with satisfaction, Yang Kai once again began absorbing the wisps of light in front of him into his Sealed World Bead.
Two days later, the mass of light had shrunk to a tenth of its original size, and the light it was emitting had even become a little dim. If Yang Kai continued at this pace, it would not be long before nothing more would be left.
Yang Kai was unaware of this, however, as he was completely immersed in his own comprehension.
Suddenly, a slight groan came from in front of him.
Although this voice was quite soft, it was extremely clear.
Yang Kai originally thought he was hearing things, but when a second moan sounded, his expression changed dramatically, and he hurriedly opened his eyes.
At the same time, affected by the changes in his mood, the Monster Insect Queen and Blue Flame Thunder Wolf that had been standing guard nearby also quickly returned to protect him.
Yang Kai’s eyes widened at this moment as he stared stupidly in front of himself, only after a long-time muttering, “There’s someone inside?”
Only now did he realize that there was a figure inside the light ball in front of him.
The light ball had been too bright before, and with so many chaotic Principles lingering about, Yang Kai had not been able to probe its interior. It was only now that the light mass had shrunk to a certain extent that the figure inside was revealed.
[Was this person there from the beginning or had they entered it at some point?]
[Also, who is she?]
Yang Kai was at a complete loss.
However, judging from the graceful outline of this figure, the one inside the light mass was clearly a woman.
Yang Kai immediately thought of Mo Xiao Qi.
After all, in this third layer, besides him and Mo Xiao Qi, there should not be another living cultivator; however, after thinking about it carefully, Yang Kai realized he was wrong. He had clearly travelled in the opposite direction as Mo Xiao Qi, so how could she have gotten here ahead of him and hidden inside this mass of light.
Moreover, the curve of this figure was also somewhat different from Mo Xiao Qi’s.
[Could it be that some old monster was sealed here?] Yang Kai remembered the Wood Spirit he had encountered in the second layer and could not help guessing, some cold sweat instantly forming on his forehead.
At that moment, he suddenly noticed that the woman opposite him had opened her eyes and was now staring at him through the light ball.
Yang Kai frowned, got up quickly, and looked forward vigilantly.
But what he did not expect was that the other party just glanced at him before closing her beautiful eyes again, as if she didn’t even perceive his existence.
But soon, Yang Kai understood why she acted this way.
Not long after this woman closed her eyes, the surrounding wind began to swirl and all around her, piles of high-quality Source Crystals burst apart and transformed into pure and rich World Energy.
Immediately afterwards, thunder began to rumble as large black clouds appeared seemingly out of nowhere. There were even flashes of lightning dancing across the blackened sky.
The World Energy formed by the bursting Source Crystals gathered madly towards the Heavens and in the blink of an eye, an extremely terrifying vision was formed.
“Breakthrough!” Yang Kai could not help stepping back a few steps, his expression changing dramatically.
This woman was here to make a breakthrough to the next Great Realm and the scene before him was clearly the initial signs of a World Energy baptism that would accompany such a breakthrough.
At this time, Yang Kai also noticed the woman’s true cultivation, which was actually the same as his own: Peak Third-Order Origin King. If she succeeded in her breakthrough, she would become a Dao Source Realm cultivator.
Yang Kai quickly judged that this woman was likely not an old monster who had been sealed here for countless aeons but was instead like him, a cultivator from Maplewood City.
It was a mystery how she managed to enter the third layer though.
As these thoughts flashed across his mind, Yang Kai felt immense surprise.
No matter who this woman was, since she could arrive here on the third layer, her background and strength were obviously extraordinary. Her being here on the third layer was also likely intentional so she could make this breakthrough.
As for the huge mass of light from before, she had obviously been the one gathering it. In other words, Yang Kai had been snatching benefits from her this entire time.
Considering this, Yang Kai sweat more and more.
Regardless of the truth, this was not a place he could stay!
The very first thing this woman would do after she broke through would undoubtedly be to settle accounts with him…
Although Yang Kai was not afraid of a newly promoted Dao Source cultivator, if he could avoid dealing with trouble, he would, so he quickly decided to flee.
At that moment, the woman seemed to realize Yang Kai’s intentions and suddenly called out, “Stand there obediently and don’t move, otherwise I’ll make you pay!”
The sound was clear and sweet, extremely pleasant to the ear.
But since Yang Kai had already decided to run, how could he care about this woman’s threats?
Immediately, he waved his hand, took back his Blood Beasts, and turned to fly away.
The woman coldly snorted, raised her jade white hand, and condensed what looked like a mass of starlight onto her palm. The starlight transformed into an arrow and shot out towards Yang Kai in the next breath.
As the sound of something breaking through the air sounded, Yang Kai felt a chill behind his back.
Without hesitation, he turned around and threw out two punches.
In an instant, a violent explosion rang out as Yang Kai’s fists collided with the starlight arrow, sending out a shockwave of wind.
Yang Kai used the resulting force to propel himself forward though and hurriedly fled.
From beginning to end, he did not even say a word.
“Fast!” Inside the mass of light, the woman ground her teeth as her brow furrowed, muttering to herself, “Strange, how could there be anyone here on the third layer? And that man… didn’t seem to be an ordinary Origin King.”
The woman was no ordinary Origin King either and she was on the verge of a breakthrough right now, so the power of her attack was extraordinary, not something an average Origin King should be able to resist.
Yet Yang Kai had managed to resist it without any difficulty, even taking advantage of the brief confrontation to boost his fleeing speed, so the woman was able to faintly understand his real strength.
“Does this tiny Maplewood City actually have such a genius?” The woman frowned, expressing surprise.
But soon, she set this matter aside because the World Energy baptism which accompanied her breakthrough to the Dao Source Realm was about to fall and she could not afford to be distracted.
Not long after, from the sky above, a massive amount of energy fell down like lightning towards the spot where she was sitting.
…
Yang Kai flew a hundred kilometres before slowly coming to a stop.
He did not know who this woman was, or how she had managed to enter the third layer, but since he had robbed so many benefits from her, it was better for him to withdraw first.
The other party was also at a critical point in their breakthrough, so it would obviously be impossible for her to chase after him, allowing Yang Kai to relax.
From the distance behind him, Yang Kai heard the sound of booming thunder, and looking back, he could still see the swirling black clouds filling the sky, which signified that the woman he encountered was already receiving her World Energy baptism. Once she succeeded, she would break through to the Dao Source Realm.
And judging from the woman’s previous state, it was obvious that she had been preparing for this moment for a long time, so her chances of success were likely quite high.
Thinking so, Yang Kai stepped forward again and flew away from this place.
Over the next few days, Yang Kai’s harvest was quite good. He also encountered some dangers. At one point, he found himself being pursued by a Monster Beast at the peak of Eleventh-Order. A peak Eleventh-Order Monster Beast was equivalent in strength to a Third-Order Dao Source Realm cultivator, not an opponent Yang Kai could handle with his current strength. If it had not been for his Monster Insect Queen and Blue Flame Thunder Wolf, as well as comprehension of the Dao of Space, Yang Kai would likely have been in much greater peril.
After spending some time throwing off his pursuer, Yang Kai found a place to rest and recover, but after just half a day, he suddenly felt the surrounding space tighten, a vague force coming from the surrounding world seemingly constricting and immobilizing him.
Yang Kai’s face changed drastically, but before he could even attempt to resist, a mysterious circular array suddenly appeared below his feet.
This array spun rapidly and produced an irresistible suction force, holding Yang Kai in place for a moment before sucking him in.
A familiar feeling of weightlessness came over Yang Kai and allowed him to relax.
Because he understood that this sensation meant the Five Coloured Treasure Pagoda was closing and all the living cultivators inside were being teleported out. Realizing this, Yang Kai stopped resisting and simply allowed the array to do its work.
Sure enough, when Yang Kai’s vision was restored, he was already back in the square of the City Lord’s Mansion.
A dense crowd surrounded him, standing shoulder to shoulder, all of them with somewhat dizzy or disoriented looks on their faces, a result of the long-distance teleportation.
To avoid appearing suspicious, Yang Kai pretended to feel some discomfort as well as he slowly shook his head.
Noise came from all around as the cultivators of Maplewood City who entered the Five Coloured Treasure Pagoda this time began to mull about. Some had obtained great opportunities while others came back empty-handed, so there was naturally much discussion to be had.
Now that everything was over, the scene was a big mix of joy and sorrow.
While tens of thousands of Maplewood City cultivators entered the Five Coloured Treasure Pagoda, only about half returned while the rest were buried inside. It could be seen from this alone that although the Five Coloured Treasure Pagoda had many benefits and opportunities, it was also extremely dangerous.
The Emperor Realm masters who had been sitting on the high platform when the pagoda opened looked as if they had not moved at all, with Xiao Yu Yang who sat in the centre position sweeping his eyes around and quickly fixing on a graceful-looking woman with a blue gauze veil.
The woman’s eyes met with Xiao Yu Yang’s and she nodded lightly, allowing Xiao Yu Yang to let out a hearty laugh, appearing to be incredibly happy.
“Senior Xiao seems to be in a good mood,” Chen Wen Hao, sitting on the right-hand side of Xiao Yu Yang, gave him a suspicious look.
Xiao Yu Yang smiled, “And if so, does Brother Chen have some objection?”
“I would not dare,” Chen Wen Hao’s face twitched as he quickly backed down. Although he was a master from Heavenly Martial Holy Land and had a powerful First-Order Emperor Realm cultivation, Xiao Yu Yang was a Silver Star Envoy of Star Soul Palace and had an even stronger cultivation, so in front of Xiao Yu Yang, how could Chen Wen Hao dare act presumptuously?
“However, it is surprising that there are so many cultivators from this small Maplewood City who managed to come out of the Five Coloured Treasure Pagoda alive,” Feng Ming of Orthodoxy Temple glanced back and forth across the crowd, as if trying to find some good seedlings, mentioning to the side, “City Lord Duan must be quite pleased his Maplewood City is so full of talents. Although the loss this time was not small, those who survived will definitely be able to support Maplewood City in the future.”
“Sir is too polite, this is all thanks to the blessing of Seniors!” Maplewood City’s Lord Duan Yuan Shan smiled from ear to ear, his tone very humble.
As Feng Ming said, although many Maplewood City cultivators lost their lives inside the Five Coloured Treasure Pagoda this time, the ones who came back would no doubt have bright futures and would be able to enhance the city’s strength by several levels if given enough time to mature.
Looking out into the crowd, Duan Yuan Shan saw his son Duan Tian Ci and noticed the bright smile on his face. Obviously, his son had gained much so how could Duan Yuan Shan not be happy?
At that moment though, Duan Yuan Shan frowned as he suddenly took out a communication artifact from his sleeve and poured his Divine Sense into it, his expression changing drastically in the next moment.
Quickly turning his eyes towards Duan Tian Ci in the crowd, he saw his son nod solemnly to him.
At that moment, several other messages were passed out to the various communication artifacts of the Patriarchs of the major families in Maplewood City, all of them saying the same thing.
“City Lord Duan, is something wrong?” Feng Ming looked at Duan Yuan Shan suspiciously and asked.
“Seniors, something has indeed gone seriously wrong,” Duan Yuan Shan heard this and hurriedly stepped forward and bowed.
Feng Ming smiled, “City Lord Duan need not be so worried, with the few of us here, how could anything be too serious?”
It was not surprising he spoke with such confidence; after all, there were five Emperors present, one of them Second-Order. As long as it was not on the level of one of the Ten Great Emperors coming to lay waste to the city, they could handle practically anything.
Duan Yuan Shan wiped the cold sweat from his forehead and explained, “It is like this, my Maplewood City cultivators broke a seal at the second layer of the pagoda and released an ancient Wood Spirit from inside!”
“What?” Feng Ming heard this, and his face changed abruptly, standing up as he questioned, “Are you serious?”
“It is absolutely true, this Duan has just received reports from all the Patriarchs of the big families in Maplewood City.”
“A Wood Spirit… there was actually a Wood Spirit sealed on the second layer of the pagoda?” The young woman who had not spoken until now frowned and asked in surprise.
This young woman was impressively Gao Xue Ting of Azure Sun Temple, another powerful First-Order Emperor who could stand on equal footing with Feng Ming and the others.
“Wood Spirits are not easy to deal with, and this one is actually an ancient Wood Spirit. Senior Xiao, why didn’t you warn us about this earlier?” Chen Wen Hao glanced at Xiao Yu Yang and complained.
Xiao Yu Yang, though, just rolled his eyes, “The Five Coloured Treasure Pagoda is not as simple as you think. The internal space is something that not even the Great Emperor himself fully grasps. There are many seals and barriers that are extremely well hidden, to the point that even if the Great Emperor searched for them, he would not be able to find them. This Wood Spirit was likely hidden in one such restriction.”
With him explaining it this way, there was nothing more the others could say.
“This Duan must ask Seniors to take action to purge this Wood Spirit, otherwise it will be a great disaster for my Maplewood City,” Duan Yuan Shan looked at the six Emperor Realm pleadingly.
“It is just a trivial Wood Spirit, what does City Lord Duan have to fear? Moreover, it has been sealed for countless years, so its strength has undoubtedly fallen greatly. Even if we did not take action, City Lord Duan would be able to solve the problem himself,” Feng Ming wore a face of disinterest.
However, Duan Yuan Shan said with a bitter face, “Senior Feng perhaps does not know, but according to the news this one has received, this Wood Spirit is able to swallow the essence and vitality of cultivators to quickly restore its strength and can also implant cultivators with its own Wood Seeds, letting them lie in wait until the time is right to burst from their shell, occupy that cultivator’s body, and spread itself further. Among the cultivators of my Maplewood City, this Duan is afraid some have already been parasitized.”
“Is that true?” At this moment, the six Emperors could not help becoming more serious.
“Undoubtedly. This news was passed to me by my son, who was nearly killed by such a cultivator who had been infected with a Wood Seed,” Duan Yuan Shan replied quickly.
“If that’s the case, then this situation is indeed a bit serious,” Xiao Yu Yang pondered for a moment before ordering. “Alright. Since the Wood Spirit came out of the Five Coloured Treasure Pagoda, it is partially my Star Soul Palace’s responsibility, so this Xiao will not just sit back and watch. First, open Maplewood City’s Protective Array and close the city gates. No one is allowed to enter or leave. Also, ensure no one can leave the square! We will eliminate the problem here and now!”
“Yes! Many thanks for your assistance, Seniors!” Duan Yuan Shan was overjoyed when he saw this and quickly turned around, raising his voice as he shouted, “In accordance with Sir Star Envoy’s command, everyone here is to remain where they are. Several Seniors have a matter they must process immediately, and only once this matter is completed will you be allowed to leave. Please cooperate.”
As soon as he said this, the noisy square down below instantly became silent while everyone turned to look at Duan Yuan Shan in amazement.
Yang Kai, who was using the Communication Bead to contact Mo Xiao Qi, could not help raising his head, frowning slightly, wondering why Duan Yuan Shan and the six Emperors were making such a move.
However, the command of an Emperor could not be ignored, so even if the cultivators who were in the square were a little bit dissatisfied, none dared show any dissatisfaction and simply stood obediently.
The next moment, the six Emperors on the high platform seemed to exchange a few words before four of them suddenly shot off in different directions, leaving only Xiao Yu Yang and Gao Xue Ting still in place.
Next, a hum sounded across Maplewood City as the sky was immediately covered in a thin, translucent barrier of light, forming a dome over the top of it.
This change made the expressions of the many cultivators who were standing in the square quite difficult, but awed by the strength of these Emperors, none dared act disrespectfully.
Most people were completely confused as to what was happening.
As soon as the barrier went up, Xiao Yu Yang and Gao Xue Ting, who were sitting on the high platform, looked at each other and stood up together.
The next moment, two immense Divine Senses swept forth, covering the entire square.
Almost everyone went stiff at that moment; after all, being scanned by the Divine Senses of two Emperors would naturally feel quite uncomfortable. In front of these powerful Divine Senses, all the secrets they tried to hide seemed to be exposed.
But soon, these two Divine Senses were taken back, allowing everyone to feel relieved.
“It seems that many have been infected,” Xiao Yu Yang narrowed his eyes before stretching out his hand and sending a streak of light out from his fingertip.
The speed of this bolt of light was extremely fast, and in the blink of an eye, it pierced towards the abdomen of a man wearing blue robes down below.
The blue-robed cultivator had a Second-Order Origin King cultivation, so after witnessing an Emperor Realm master attack him, he could not help paling and calling out, “Sir Star Envoy, you…”
He couldn’t figure out how a tiny, insignificant Origin King like himself had provoked a Silver Star Envoy of Star Soul Palace into personally attacking him.
Before he finished speaking, the bolt pierced his lower abdomen. The blue-robed man could not help letting out a grunt as he was sent stumbling back from the huge impact force.
At the same time, from his back, the bolt of light shot out, but now it clearly was wrapping around something.
Everyone looked carefully and was surprised to find that this thing was an oval-shaped cyan-coloured seed.
*Pa…*
There was a soft pop as the steam of light burst, and the seed was vaporized.
At the last moment, a shrill shriek seemed to come from the seed.
Seeing this scene, everyone’s expression changed drastically as they realized that something had invaded this blue-robed man’s body, and that Xiao Yu Yang had attacked him in order to get rid of it.
Turning their heads back, the crowd saw that the man in blue, who had been pierced by the bolt of light just now, was quite pale, as if his foundation had been damaged, but there was no immediate concern about his life.
Xiao Yu Yang did not even spare this man a second glance as he instead waved his hand, sending out a storm of light bolts.
One after another, these streams of light shot out and hit different cultivators in the crowd.
At the same time that Xiao Yu Yang moved, Gao Xue Ting also took action.
With a solemn look on her face, this woman traced a rune pattern in the air which quickly condensed into a small net. This net then multiplied before shooting out in all directions.
These small nets seemed to have a mind of their own and swiftly arrived at their targets, enveloping them.
All the cultivators shrouded by these small nets let out a gasp of fear, but surprisingly, these nets actually passed right through them. However, when these nets re-emerged, they had cyan seeds in them.
Gao Xue Ting formed a seal with her hands and instantly the small nets burst apart, shattering the seeds inside them to pieces.
“What was that?” A cultivator yelled in horror as he stumbled backwards.
Although they now understood these two Emperors were not trying to take their lives, many people were still shocked to see such strange seeds being extracted from the cultivators around them.
At that moment, inside the square, pitiful screams suddenly sounded from all directions.
Immediately afterwards, a violent force surged upwards.
Among the crowd, suddenly there were several strange trees. At first glance, these things were no different from ordinary trees, but they were exuding an extremely evil aura and at the center of their trunks, there were clear and obvious faces.
Yang Kai was also taken aback at that moment.
He saw with his own eyes a cultivator next to him undergo a tremendous and extremely rapid transformation.
This cultivator had been laughing with his companions and discussing his adventures inside the Five Coloured Treasure Pagoda only a moment ago with a look of excitement on his face, but all of a sudden, a look of pain had filled his expression.
At the same time, a blue light shone from his abdomen and his skin cracked, spilling out blood from his physique as if something was trying to emerge from inside of him.
In the blink of an eye, the cultivator had transformed into a tree-like existence with a human face on its trunk. From his lips a terrifying howl, filled with vicious hunger sounded.
*Chi chi chi…*
Green vines shot out from the inside these trees and began madly flailing about.
Several nearby cultivators who were not paying attention were caught off guard. One of them was pierced by a vine and as a guzzling sound rang out, like someone was rapidly drinking down a glass of wine, the pierced cultivator rapidly shrivelled up.
“Wood Spirit!” Yang Kai called out in shock.
How could he not recognize what was happening before him? This scene was identical to the one he encountered when the Wood Spirit appeared on the second layer of the Five Coloured Treasure Pagoda.
However, Yang Kai never expected that he would see it again in the square of Maplewood City.
As he shouted, Yang Kai swiftly backed away while at the same time condensing his Fire Sword Qi from his Five Elements Indestructible Sword Tempering Art to chop down the vines that were stabbing towards him.
With a loud thumb, the severed vines fell to the ground and burned as Yang Kai kicked off the ground and took some distance.
By now, many cultivators also recognized what was happening, and in an instant, the name ‘Wood Spirit’ spread across the square.
“Circulate your strength to protect yourselves, don’t allow the Wood Seeds to invade your body, otherwise your fate will be the same as theirs!” Xiao Yu Yang roared loudly from the high platform.
Yang Kai heard this and immediately understood something, hurriedly circulating his strength to cover his body and avoid being accidentally infected.
Other fast-reacting cultivators followed Yang Kai’s example while those who reacted slower either escaped by luck or were unfortunate enough to be invaded by the tiny Wood Seeds and quickly degenerated into Wood Spirit Clones.
Atop the high platform, Xiao Yu Yang coldly snorted as he pushed his strength wildly, pointing his hand and swiftly killing several of the Wood Spirit Clones.
Gao Xue Ting did not lag behind and similarly began to act. Seeing that the scene could no longer be contained with gentle methods, she did not show any mercy and began executing all the Wood Spirit Soul Clones in range.
At the same time, the other four Emperors followed suit throughout Maplewood City.
When the cultivators returned to the square from the Five Coloured Treasure Pagoda before, many had left immediately, and among these people, some had been infected by the Wood Spirit’s Wood Seeds. Somehow, the Wood Spirit realized it had been exposed so it immediately caused all of its seeds to sprout.
And so, the six Emperors began cutting down the Wood Spirit Clones like they were cutting melons and chopping vegetables.
After realizing the danger of the Wood Spirit, the cultivators of Maplewood City also began using their strength to protect themselves.
Soon, all of Maplewood City was caught up in a chaotic battle, but the overall situation was still manageable. These Wood Spirit Clones weren’t very powerful, and their methods weren’t varied. The Wood Spirit’s greatest advantage was that it could spread its Wood Seeds silently and infect other cultivators.
But as long as a cultivator was on guard, the chance of them being infected was almost negligible.
With the cooperation of many cultivators, the Wood Spirit crisis seemed like it would soon be resolved.
Half a day later, the corpses of Wood Spirit Clones lay everywhere in Maplewood City. These corpses were originally Maplewood City cultivators, but after being infected by Wood Seeds, they had all transformed into completely different existences.
The six Emperors did not take any chances and split up to perform a thorough inspection of Maplewood City.
During this inspection, they found a few hidden Wood Seeds.
This situation lasted for two days before the chaos in Maplewood City gradually subsided.
Within these two days, the number of Maplewood City cultivators that died reached into the thousands. This fully illustrated how terrifying this Wood Spirit was. It did not even need to take overt action, simply spreading its Wood Seeds was enough to raise a calamity.
If it had really been allowed to mature and grow, all of Maplewood City would likely have been wiped out.
Yang Kai finally realized just how horrible an enemy this was and felt that Mo Xiao Qi saying Emperors had even fallen to Wood Spirits in the past was not groundless.
Over the past two days, he had also been actively cooperating with other cultivators to seek out and destroy Wood Spirit Clones. After all, all of Maplewood City was participating in this effort, so if he did not stand with them, he would quickly become a target of public criticism.
During this time, both Mo Xiao Qi and Kang Si Ran had sent messages asking whether he was safe numerous times, only feeling relieved after receiving word from him that he was in good condition.
After all the dust settled, Yang Kai went to Spirit Pill Plaza to meet with Kang Si Ran and agreed on the date for him to resume his Alchemy work. Finished with this, he returned to the secluded home he had rented.
Yang Kai needed to sort out his harvest from the Five Coloured Treasure Pagoda.
At the same time, inside the City Lord’s Mansion.
The six Emperors gathered together with Duan Yuan Shan still standing to the side respectfully.
However, the expressions on these Emperors’ faces were not as relaxed as before, even seeming a bit solemn.
“Seniors, has the Wood Spirit really been wiped out?” Duan Yuan Shan hesitated for a long time before asking cautiously.
He had personally had to execute two of his once-loyal subordinates during this clean-up operation, so he fully realized just how difficult the Wood Spirit was to destroy, leaving him quite anxious and distressed.
“Even if I said it was wiped out completely, you would definitely not believe me,” Xiao Yu Yang raised his head and glanced over at him.
“Senior means…” Duan Yuan Shan’s face paled slightly.
Xiao Yu Yang sighed and explained, “There are many types of Wood Spirits, and their innate abilities are all different. This Wood Spirit… has indeed been more troublesome than this King had anticipated, so this King does not dare to guarantee it is really gone. Out there, there are perhaps some well-hidden Wood Seeds which we were unable to find.”
Duan Yuan Shan looked horrified and asked, “Even with the methods of several Seniors, you cannot be certain?”
Gao Xue Ting replied, “We cannot be sure unless we gather every single cultivator in Maplewood City and thoroughly inspect them one by one with our Divine Senses.”
“How could this one dare ask such a thing from my Seniors,” Duan Yuan Shan was taken aback and hurriedly waved his hands.
How many cultivators were there in Maplewood City?
This time alone, tens of thousands of Origin Kings and Origin Realm cultivators had entered the Five Coloured Treasure Pagoda, and there were still all the cultivators in lower realms as well. Although there was no exact statistics, the number of cultivators in Maplewood City was somewhere between 500,000 to 1,000,000.
With so many cultivators, even if the six Emperors worked tirelessly to check each of them one by one, the amount of time it would take was absurd.
What’s more, during such a long period of time, many unexpected events could occur.
So, this approach was completely impossible to achieve.
“Although we cannot be sure whether the Wood Spirit is dead, you may rest assured that after losing so many of its Wood Seeds, even if it is not dead, its foundation is likely severely damaged, so it won’t cause any trouble in the near future. You only need to instruct the cultivators in the city to inspect themselves regularly while taking some preventive measures,” Gao Xue Ting said lightly.
“This Duan will respectfully carry out Senior Gao’s orders!” The matter was done, and Duan Yuan Shan knew that there was no good way except this method, so he could only nod in agreement.
“Good, you should head out. We still have something to discuss!” Xiao Yu Yang suddenly waved his hand and said.
Duan Yuan Shan complained again and hurried back, not daring to be disrespectful.
Although this was his City Lord’s Mansion, the Emperors present were all from the most powerful forces in the Southern Territory, and he could not afford to provoke any of them. It was extremely rare to meet even one such master, much less six, so Duan Yuan Shan did not dare to disobey.
After Duan Yuan Shan left, Xiao Yu Yang suddenly stretched out his hand and waved, forming an invisible barrier around the group of six.
Vice President Ceng Yuan of Seven Glories Chamber of Commerce narrowed his eyes and asked with some surprise, “What is it that Senior Xiao wants to discuss that warrants such caution?”
“Is it because of the Wood Spirit?” Vice President Lou Chi of Violet Source Chamber of Commerce also asked in surprise.
Xiao Yu Yang smiled, “Naturally not, how could this King pay so much attention to a trivial Wood Spirit? What this King has to discuss with you is about the Shattered Star Sea.”
“Shattered Star Sea?”
As soon as this statement came out, the other five Emperors could not help turning solemn.
Feng Ming of Orthodoxy Temple thoughtfully asked, “Senior Xiao means… The Shattered Star Sea is about to open?”
The others also looked at Xiao Yu Yang excitedly, as they cared very deeply about the Shattered Star Sea.
“A few days ago, according to a message from the Great Emperor, the entrance to the Shattered Star Sea is indeed about to open, but as for exactly when it will happen, the Great Emperor has still yet to determine. I am simply informing all of you now,” Xiao Yu Yang turned to the south and slightly cupped his fists.
Everyone naturally knew who the Great Emperor he spoke of was.
In the entire Southern Territory, the only one of the Ten Great Emperors was the Sect Master of Star Soul Palace: Bright Moon Great Emperor!
“Since the Great Emperor has said so, it should not be wrong,” Gao Xue Ting said, lightly nodding. “Senior Xiao, may we inform our respective Sects about this matter?”
Xiao Yu Yang smiled, “Junior Sister Gao need not worry, the Great Emperor has already dispatched messengers to each of your Sects to inform them about this. Since we have all gathered here though, I am simply taking this opportunity to discuss it with you.”
“So that’s how it is!” Chen Wen Hao nodded and said, “Although we all belong to the same Southern Territory, it is still a rare occurrence to gather together like this, especially for our six great forces. Taking this opportunity to discuss some matters is truly a great idea.”
“That was the Great Emperor’s intention. This way, we will save some time and effort,” Xiao Yu Yang smiled and said, “All of you know that the reason why this Shattered Star Sea was born is related to the Heaven Devouring Great Emperor. Back then, the Heaven Devouring Great Emperor was so arrogant that he dared to swallow all things in creation in order to enhance his strength. Even the sun, moon, and stars could not escape his clutches. In the end, however, he aroused the anger of the Heavens and was thus purged by the world itself.”
“Ahem…” Feng Ming lightly coughed, and said, “Senior Xiao, there’s no need to mention such falsehoods with us.”
Xiao Yu Yang chuckled, “Naturally. This is only the story the average cultivator knows of, while those of us here understand the real truth of this matter. However, during that battle, it is true that worlds collapsed, and the order of Heaven and Earth was shattered, leading to the creation of the Shattered Star Sea, a broken, but Self-Contained World. Unfortunately, although the Shattered Star Sea is vast, only Dao Source Realm juniors may enter it. If an Emperor were to rashly try to intrude, it may destabilize the pathway to the Shattered Star Sea and force it to close. One must know that there are many Shattered and even complete Star Sources inside that place, which are of great benefit even to us.”
As soon as this statement came out, the other five Emperors also showed a look of yearning.
Quickly though, everyone sighed again.
Gao Xue Ting followed up, “For that reason, we Emperors have never been allowed to enter the Shattered Star Sea since it first formed. If that were not the case, I would have liked to enter it to explore.”
“If Junior Sister Gao is interested, you can try,” Feng Ming chuckled.
Gao Xue Ting coldly snorted, “I’d rather not be killed by the Great Emperor. If Senior Brother Feng does not take his life seriously, he is free to make an attempt.”
Feng Ming tapped his nose and grinned, not saying anything more.
“Although we cannot enter, the disciples from our forces can, and they are more than capable of bringing back Star Sources with them, so why should we worry? If any of you wish to sell some Star Sources when the time comes, my Seven Glories Chamber of Commerce will purchase all of them, regardless of the cost!” Ceng Yuan smiled lightly.
“I will second that notion. My Violet Source Chamber of Commerce has vast business dealings and can definitely afford to buy a few Star Sources,” Lou Chi quickly added.
The Vice Presidents of the two big chambers of commerce glanced at each other and smiled, sparks seemingly flying between them.
“The two of you must be sleep talking,” Xiao Yu Yang chuckled. “But enough about this, we do not even know when the specific opening time of the Shattered Star Sea will be, so discussing how to divvy up the gains from it is a bit premature. Regardless, the opening of the Shattered Star Sea is a great event in my Southern Territory, so once the news spreads, there is certain to be some chaos, especially with the limited number of entry quotas. What we need to discuss now is exactly these quotas, or more precisely, how many quotas each Sect may occupy.”
…..
Inside his secluded home, with all the barriers open, Yang Kai left the Sealed World Bead on the floor and entered inside.
Inside, he transplanted the spirit grasses and medicines he obtained from the Five Coloured Treasure Pagoda into his medicine garden one by one.
He could only recognize less than half of these herbs and was unable to even tell what their purpose was.
The few multicoloured fungi, which were constantly changing colours, were the first harvest he obtained inside the Five Coloured Treasure Pagoda when he appeared above that swamp. Judging from the aura they emitted, these were Dao Source Grade herbs and should be worth a lot of money.
Although this fungus had been sitting around for a number of days already, they still possessed most of their vitality and rapidly adapted after being transplanted into the medicine garden.
This was not a surprise though as the medicine garden inside this Small Sealed World now had five Earth Vein Crystals supplying World Energy as well as a massive amount of Heavy Earth. The spirit grasses and medicines which were planted here would undoubtedly grow faster and stronger than in any great force’s medicine garden.
Yang Kai believed it would not be long before these spirit grasses and medicines vigorously matured.
As for the five Golden Crystal Grass, Yang Kai knew what they were for, but if he wanted to refine them into Golden Crystal Pills, he would need to acquire several other herbs first, so for the time being, Yang Kai simply transplanted them into the medicine garden.
In addition to these gains, Yang Kai also had a lot of materials from various Monster Beasts.
Yang Kai sorted through these materials as he prepared to sell some of them at a later date.
In any case, he did not have a need for artifacts for now, so these Monster Beast materials were useless in his hands. It would be better to just exchange them for Source Crystals.
There was also a Dao Source Fruit which Yang Kai took out and examined for a while before storing it away again.
He wasn’t too concerned with finding a Dao Source Fruit before, but now that he had one, he would not just let it go to waste. Yang Kai believed that as long as this fruit was refined into a Dao Source Pill, it would help him reach the Dao Source Realm even faster.
Of course, the prerequisite for this breakthrough was that he finished transforming his Saint Qi into Source Qi.
Next, Yang Kai took out another jade bottle and stared at it solemnly.
If one asked what Yang Kai’s biggest gain during his exploration of the Five Coloured Treasure Pagoda this time was, aside from the massive amount of Shattered World Principles he acquired in the third layer, which not only gave him some preliminary insights into Principle Strength while also promoting the evolution of his Sealed World Bead, it would be this jade bottle.
This jade bottle was surprisingly obtained on the first layer from the Soaring Dragon Altar.
The dozen or so treasures on the Soaring Dragon Altar had basically all been fake, mere illusions, but whatever was contained inside this jade bottle was undoubtedly real.
At that time, Yang Kai had used his Demon Eye of Annihilation, which was capable of seeing through all illusions.
While checking through the dozen or so treasures on the Soaring Dragon Altar together with Duan Tian Ci and Zong Zi Jin, Yang Kai had quietly hidden this jade bottle and exchanged it for another.
At that time, everyone was immersed in their disappointment and fooled by this little trick.
Only Qin Yu from the Qin Family seemed to have noticed something.
Later, when she had come to ask Yang Kai about whether all the treasures had been fake, Yang Kai had initially thought he had been discovered, but after thinking about it carefully, he concluded that Qin Yu was only suspicious, not certain.
Yang Kai did not know exactly what was inside this jade bottle.
During those days inside the Five Coloured Treasure Pagoda, he had not taken this bottle out to investigate.
However… he vaguely guessed that the contents of this jade bottle should be related to actual Dragons, because whether it was back then or right now, the Dragon Scale on his chest felt slightly hot, like it was resonating somehow with the contents of the jade bottle.
Taking a deep breath, Yang Kai lifted the jade bottle in front of his eyes and then slowly opened its cap.
At that moment, an abrupt change occurred.
A high-pitched dragon roar suddenly rang out from the jade bottle while Yang Kai stared in surprise. Before he could figure out what was happening though, he saw something small rush out from the bottle.
This little figure was only one finger long and had the appearance of a tiny snake.
At this moment, its whole body seemed to be exuding burning hot flames as it shook its head and flicked its tail, rushing straight up into the sky.
After getting rid of the shackles of the jade bottle, this tiny snake immediately tried to escape!
Yang Kai didn’t expect such a thing to happen at all. If he were outside, this little snake might have actually escaped.
But this was the Small Sealed World of the Sealed World Bead after all.
So, Yang Kai just froze for a moment before stretching out his hand and grabbing towards it.
The World Energy in the Small Sealed World moved according to his will and the tiny figure, now about ten metres away, was instantly held in place by an invisible power. Even so, this little snake was still struggling restlessly and soon released a loud roar.
Only now was Yang Kai able to see clearly what it was.
It was like a Dragon that had been shrunk down countless times, a red Fire Dragon covered in flames!
Yang Kai was taken aback and muttered in amazement, “A baby dragon?”
But soon, he discovered that this was not the case as the ‘baby dragon’ transformed into a single red drop about the size of a fingernail. However, this small drop was like boiling magma, giving off a scorching heat Yang Kai could clearly feel even from ten metres away.
Yang Kai’s complexion changed as he quickly seemed to think of something, calling out in alarm, “Dragon blood! A drop of true Dragon blood!”
What was inside the jade bottle was not a baby dragon, but a drop of true Dragon blood.
Judging from the previous scene, this was a drop of Fire Dragon blood! If a cultivator who cultivated a Fire Attribute Secret Art could obtain this drop, they would definitely receive enormous benefits.
However, that did not mean it didn’t have significant value to Yang Kai.
Although Yang Kai did not primarily cultivate the Fire Attribute, he could still use his Monster Transformation Secret Art to fuse other Dragon artifacts into his body, like the Dragon Scale he had integrated into his physique that was now covering his heart.
Yang Kai had been planning to integrate his Dragon Bone Sword into his body for some time now as well.
His Dragon Bone Sword was refined from an authentic Dragon’s bone and bead. Previously, he had only roughly refined it into an artifact but not fundamentally damaged or transformed it, so there would be no problem fusing with it.
Fusing with the Dragon Scale had given Yang Kai huge benefits, and he had never once forgotten about doing the same with his Dragon Bone Sword, but suffering from insufficient strength, he had been unable to carry out his plans. Later, his strength had improved dramatically but he had not had enough time to carry out this plan.
At this moment though, he obtained a drop of true Dragon blood.
If he could integrate it properly, he might be able to exert a portion of a Dragon’s power! After all, he had a Golden Divine Dragon Source in his body already.
Yang Kai’s expression beamed as he felt a great sensation of surprise and happiness.
He had not realized until this moment that the plain-looking jade bottle that had held this drop of Dragon blood was actually covered in dense seals and Spirit Arrays and contained an extremely cold aura. This kind of cold was extremely peculiar, as Yang Kai could not feel it on his hand, but when he tried to probe it with his Divine Sense, his Spiritual Energy quickly froze.
Only this kind of unique storage container could hold a drop of dragon blood.
Wearing a solemn expression on his face, Yang Kai did not immediately try to fuse with this drop of blood.
In the past, using his Monster Transformation Secret Art to fuse with the Dragon Scales had caused him to suffer greatly, so Yang Kai planned to make appropriate preparations first before proceeding. After making up his mind, he carefully put away the drop of dragon blood before his figure flickered and he left the Sealed World Bead.
Over the next few days, Yang Kai wandered around all the major shops in Maplewood City, and even went to the black market a few times.
The Monster Beast parts he obtained from the Five Coloured Treasure Pagoda were sold out for Source Crystals, and after spending many of those Source Crystals on a variety of ancient books, Yang Kai returned to his secluded home to do some reading.
His experiences since entering the Star Boundary made him realize how limited his knowledge was, so although these books were somewhat haphazardly collected, they were precisely what he needed right now.
Among these books were introductions to the Star Boundary’s major Sects, forces, geography, famous landforms, and alchemy.
Such widely-known information was not difficult to find or complicated to comprehend, so after Yang Kai spent a few days reading them, he finally gained a basic understanding of the Star Boundary.
Yang Kai also obtained some ancient books that recorded a variety of secret information, but whether the contents of these books were true or not, Yang Kai had no way of knowing. Unfortunately, he did not find many records about the Dragon Clan, only that the Star Boundary had a place called Dragon Island, on which many authentic Dragons seemed to live.
He did find some information about fusing Dragon artifacts into his body, though.
Most of these records said that a certain special Secret Art was required to begin the process, and that the fusion process was different from person to person. There were even some accounts of people succeeding in the initial fusion, but because their physique was not powerful enough, they were ultimately killed by backlash afterwards.
Nonetheless, Yang Kai felt that he should be fine.
Regarding special Secret Arts, he had his Monster Transformation. In terms of physique, he felt his was more than strong enough. His biggest advantage though, was his Golden Divine Dragon Source, giving him a unique edge when it came to fusing with these Dragon artifacts.
Ultimately, this was not a matter to be rushed. His top priority at the moment was to break through to the Dao Source Realm!
The advancement to a new Great Realm would bring about a dramatic increase in his strength.
Time flew by, and soon, half a month had passed.
Yang Kai walked out of his secluded home and came to Spirit Pill Plaza to fulfil his previous agreement with Kang Si Ran.
Ten days later, when Yang Kai had refined enough Spirit Pills and exited his Alchemy retreat. Kang Si Ran was already standing outside the Pill Room waiting with a smile on his face.
“Shopkeeper Kang,” Yang Kai greeted and cupped his fists slightly.
“Alchemist Yang, many thanks for your efforts this time,” Kang Si Ran seemed to be in a good mood and smiled through his wrinkled old face.
“I simply fulfilled my obligations, Shopkeeper Kang doesn’t need to be so polite,” Yang Kai smiled and said. “Judging from Shopkeeper Kang’s look, could there perhaps be some kind of happy event happening?”
“Not at all, however… the two Alchemists sent from the headquarters arrived five days ago.”
“So, that’s how it is,” Yang Kai knew that Kang Si Ran had been worrying about the pill supply problem of Spirit Pill Plaza for some time now. Previously, all the Alchemists of Spirit Pill Plaza had been poached by his nemesis, and if not for Yang Kai suddenly appearing, Spirit Pill Plaza would have been forced to close down long ago. Now that the Alchemists dispatched from Violet Source Chamber of Commerce’s headquarters had finally arrived, Kang Si Ran could put down his labour shortage worries.
“Congratulations to Shopkeeper Kang, then,” Yang Kai smiled.
Kang Si Ran chuckled, “If Alchemist Yang would be willing to remain in the employ of Spirit Pill Plaza, this old master…”
Yang Kai waved his hand and said, “Shopkeeper Kang, I’m afraid this will not work. I told you before that I do not pursue Alchemy as my primary profession. The reason I agreed to assist you last time was because I needed pill recipes. Now, since your chamber of commerce has sent two Alchemists to alleviate your situation, I will not be offering my Alchemy services again in the future.”
Kang Si Ran heard this and sighed, “It’s a pity. In fact, with Alchemist Yang’s ability, if you were to focus on Alchemy, your future achievements will probably be no worse than Grandmaster Huang Fu at the headquarters.”
Yang Kai smiled lightly.
“Since Alchemist Yang has no intention of pursuing the Alchemic Dao though, this old master will not try to persuade you anymore. The number of Spirit Pills Alchemist Yang refined during this time is quite large, but this old master has carefully calculated the appropriate remuneration and will have the Source Crystals delivered to your secluded home shortly.”
“Many thanks,” Yang Kai nodded, “Then I shall take my leave.”
Kang Si Ran nodded and walked out together with Yang Kai.
As they were returning to the surface, Kang Si Ran suddenly spoke, “Alchemist Yang, this old master will take the liberty to ask, do you require more pill recipes?”
“Oh, does Shopkeeper Kang have a way for me to acquire more?” Yang Kai’s eyes lit up, “If Shopkeeper Kang has additional pill recipes that I do not currently know, I can purchase them for a satisfactory price.”
Kang Si Ran smiled, “Alchemist Yang has done a great benevolence for this old master. If this old master really had more pill recipes, he would have handed them over long ago for free.”
“So, Shopkeeper Kang does not have additional pill recipes?” Yang Kai looked confused.
Kang Si Ran smiled mysteriously, “Although this old master does not have them, this old master knows where some might be found. What’s more, in that place, not only would there be a number of pill recipes, perhaps… There will be a complete inheritance of an Alchemy Grandmaster!”
“What do you mean?” Yang Kai raised his brow.
“Come with me, I will explain carefully,” Kang Si Ran thought for a moment before leading Yang Kai to a secluded room.
After a short while, the two entered the room, and Kang Si Ran asked one of the shop-hands to prepare tea before he began.
After listening for a long time, Yang Kai realized that Kang Si Ran had knowledge of a cave mansion that was likely the secluded home of an Alchemy Grandmaster.
As for how he obtained this information, it seemed that he had learned of it many years ago, but due to the limits of his strength, he was unable to explore it. However, after much research and inquiry, he had basically confirmed what this cave mansion was.
“Are you certain it’s the cave mansion of a fallen Alchemy Grandmaster?” Yang Kai became quite eager and asked urgently, “Do you happen to know which Grandmaster it belonged to?”
“Gong Sun Mu! I wonder if Alchemist Yang has heard of this man,” Kang Si Ran replied slowly.
“Gong Sun Mu?” Yang Kai frowned as he began recalling the records, he had just reviewed a few days prior. He vaguely seemed to recall coming across such a name but could not remember in detail.
Seeing his expression, Kang Si Ran smiled slightly and said, “Even if Alchemist Yang has never heard of Gong Sun Mu, he must certainly know that among the Ten Great Emperors, there is one that excels in the Alchemic Dao.”
“The Wondrous Pill Great Emperor?” Yang Kai raised his brow.
“Indeed, among the Ten Great Emperors, only Wondrous Pill Great Emperor reached his supreme status by relying on his talent and accomplishments in the Alchemic Dao.”
“So, what Shopkeeper Kang means to say is that there is some kind of relationship between Gong Sun Mu and Wondrous Pill Great Emperor?” Yang Kai asked thoughtfully.
“Gong Sun Mu was Wondrous Pill Great Emperor’s Third Disciple!” Kang Si Ran smiled slightly.
Yang Kai could not help gasping.
“Originally, this old master was not qualified to know such secrets, but I have been inquiring about that cave mansion for many years, so I have learned more than is generally known to the public. Gong Sun Mu was Wondrous Pill Great’s Third Disciple and was quite favoured by the Great Emperor, but… for some reason I have yet to uncover, Gong Sun Mu seems to have offended Wonderous Pill Great Emperor and was expelled as a disciple three thousand years ago. Later, Gong Sun Mu settled in seclusion in the Southern Territory, ultimately losing his life in this foreign land, a truly sad fate.”
“Gong Sun Mu has such astonishing origins, so how did Shopkeeper Kang determine this cave mansion belonged to him?” Although Yang Kai was shocked, he still asked cautiously.
Kang Si Ran smiled and said, “Naturally, this old master has a reason for his confidence. Let’s put it this way, when Gong Sun Mu was expelled by Wondrous Pill Great Emperor, he brought a servant with him, and that servant was only responsible for tending to his daily life, but was later driven away by Gong Sun Mu, whose temperament underwent a dramatic change at some point. This information was obtained by this old master from a descendant of that servant.”
Gong Sun Mu had a prominent identity in his day, so even his servants would have impressive strength. After being driven away by Gong Sun Mu, this servant lived in seclusion in the Southern Territory, married a wife, and had children, creating his own family.
Unfortunately, as the generations passed, his descendants’ aptitude was somewhat unremarkable and the family eventually declined.
A hundred years ago, only one heir to the family remained. That heir, by chance, was rescued by Kang Si Ran when he was being hunted down by his enemies, but unfortunately, he suffered severe injuries from which he could not recover.
Before his death, that heir, out of gratitude, informed Kang Si Ran about his family’s greatest secret.
This was also the reason why Kang Si Ran was able to obtain such intimate information about Gong Sun Mu’s hidden cave mansion.
As Yang Kai listened, most of his doubts were assuaged.
Having gotten to know Kang Si Ran over the past two months, Yang Kai felt that he was a good person, not a villain, and saw no reason for Kang Si Ran to deceive him here. Secondly, Yang Kai knew that such opportunities and coincidences truly occurred in this world as he had experienced several himself.
After mulling the information for a while, Yang Kai spoke, “If it is truly the cave mansion of Gong Sun Mu, exploring it really would be a great opportunity, but in that case… Why is Shopkeeper Kang coming to me with this offer? Your chamber of commerce is full of talents who are far stronger than I, why not ask them for assistance and improve the odds of success?”
Kang Si Ran chuckled, “What Alchemist Yang says is reasonable, the headquarters of my chamber of commerce is indeed full of talented individuals, with countless Dao Source Realm masters as well. If this old master invited them to participate, the chances of success and safety would be much improved, but then… how many benefits would this old master obtain? Alchemist Yang must know that this is a private action, unrelated to the chamber of commerce. If the masters from headquarters were to learn about such a golden opportunity, this old master most likely would not even obtain some leftover soup. In order to carry out this plan, this old master has been searching for a reliable partner with similar strength, please understand this, Alchemist Yang.”
Yang Kai nodded slightly, “I understand Shopkeeper Kang’s concerns.”
“Alchemist Yang is considerate, it is truly this old master’s good fortune to have met him. Now, about Alchemist Yang. After hearing this much…”
Yang Kai smiled, “Since it is related to an Alchemy Grandmaster like Gong Sun Mu, I am very interested in participating.”
Kang Si Ran was overjoyed and nodded, “Very good! However, this old master must make something clear.”
“Shopkeeper Kang, please speak!”
Kang Si Ran wore a serious look and said, “If there is a Dao Source Pill inside the cave mansion, this old master has the first rights to it!”
“Alright,” Yang Kai didn’t even think about it and readily agreed.
Kang Si Ran was startled seeing Yang Kai agree so quickly, a trace of gratitude appearing on his face, “Many thanks for Alchemist Yang’s understanding. This old master knows that his aptitude is low, and without something like a Dao Source Pill, he will never reach the Dao Source Realm, but just how rare are Dao Source Pills? When the Five Coloured Treasure Pagoda was opened this time, this old master did not even hear rumours about the appearance of those three Dao Source Fruits. If not, this old master would not be in a rush to explore that hidden cave mansion. But Alchemist Yang may rest assured, regardless of whether there is Dao Source Pill in there or not, all materials related to Alchemy will belong to Alchemist Yang, as for other things, you and I can discuss the distribution when the time comes.”
“That’s fine,” Yang Kai nodded, “When will we leave?”
“Tentatively, after one month. One month from today, this old master will be waiting for Alchemist Yang at the pill shop. This old master has to make some preparations and in addition, there will be an auction soon in the city, so this old master wants to join in the fun and see if he can gain something good. I wonder if Alchemist Yang is interested in participating?” Kang Si Ran asked.
“There’s going to be an auction held in the city?” Yang Kai was startled.
“Yeah,” Kang Si Ran chuckled, “This time, Maplewood City’s cultivators obtained many good things from the Five Coloured Treasure Pagoda, so Sir City Lord plans to host an auction where everyone could exchange some of the rarer treasures they acquired but do not need. Perhaps in this auction, this old master will even see a Dao Source Fruit. Alchemist Yang is now a Third-Order Origin King, so wouldn’t now be a good time to prepare a Dao Source Pill?”
“Indeed. When and where will this auction be held?” Yang Kai asked.
…
After half an hour, Yang Kai walked out of Spirit Pill Plaza.
Regarding the auction, Yang Kai did not say he would certainly attend, only telling Kang Si Ran that if he had time, he would go and join in the fun. Kang Si Ran of course made no objections.
After leaving Spirit Pill Plaza, Yang Kai thought for a while before turning towards a certain direction and heading out of the city instead of returning to his secluded home.
A short while later, outside Maplewood City, Yang Kai adjusted his bearings before flying due north.
At a location about thirty kilometres away from Maplewood City, there was a manor-like complex filled with houses and buildings covering a vast area. There were small bridges built of pristine rivers, making for a peaceful and elegant environment.
Yang Kai flew down and swept the manor with his Divine Sense for a moment as he muttered, “It should be here.”
The reason why he came to this place was naturally to fulfill his previous agreement with the man named Zhang Gao Xuan he had encountered in the Five Coloured Treasure Pagoda. The Zhang Family was also a somewhat famous family in Maplewood City, so after just a few inquiries, Yang Kai had found where it was located.
The Zhang Family’s foundation was not located inside Maplewood City, but outside Maplewood City. After all, a bit of land inside Maplewood City was worth an immense sum of money, and even building a simple house would be a great expense. Outside the city was different though, and although the World Energy would not be as abundant, that was not a problem for a small family.
Yang Kai glanced around and immediately understood that someone from the Zhang Family should have a little understanding of Spirit Arrays, as there were some simple ones arranged around the manor to gather World Energy.
Having received a Dao Source Fruit from the Zhang Family Patriarch, Zhang Gao Xuan, Yang Kai had a reason to come here and have a look while at the same time deliver Zhang Gao Xuan’s other possessions and final words.
He had been busy until now, so his visit had been slightly delayed.
When he arrived at the front entrance, Yang Kai prepared to call out, but before he could even say a word, two streams of light shot out from the inside of the complex.
Behind these two streams of light, two figures also rushed out, each one tightly gripping their fists, their eyes bloodshot and red, as if they had some kind of absolutely irreconcilable hatred with Yang Kai and their only wish was to kill him.
Yang Kai was stunned.
However, he did not put the attacks of the other party in his eyes as these two were just a Second-Order and First-Order Origin Returning Realm. Even if both used their full strength, how could they possibly harm Yang Kai?
So, he simply stood in place and waved his hand lightly.
With that wave, the two streams of light that had shot towards him shattered.
Seeing this, the two people who had rushed out froze in place, but soon, a grim look filled their faces as they used some kind of Secret Technique, coughed up mouthfuls of Blood Essence, and forced their auras to rapidly inflate.
Yang Kai’s brows suddenly wrinkled, and without waiting for these two people to summon their artifacts, he casually released his Domain.
In that instant, the two attackers felt as if mountains had been placed on their backs, causing them to go stiff, unable to move. However, this did nothing to diminish the anger on their faces as they continued to glare at Yang Kai hatefully, fire nearly spewing from their eyes.
“Is this the Zhang Family?” Yang Kai maintained the power of Domain, suppressing the two, and asked faintly.
The pair were both male and seemed to be about thirty years old. One was fat while the other was thin. Hearing Yang Kai’s question, the fat man coldly snorted and snapped, “Why ask something you already know? If you are here to kill, just kill, why bother with so much nonsense!”
Although the thinner man did not speak, the stern look that came out of his eyes clearly indicated his attitude.
“Has something happened to the Zhang Family?” Yang Kai was no fool, so seeing these two’s attitude, he had a faint guess about what had transpired, causing him to frown.
“You sure like running your mouth! Since you are here to do the Lu Family’s dirty work, why bother acting pretentious?” The fat cultivator snapped with a look of contempt.
The thin man sneered, “Lu Bai Chuan is nothing but an old bastard, so the people he hires are naturally the same, why is Third Brother so surprised?”
The fat cultivator laughed, “You’re right, it was Third Brother’s mistake.”
As he spoke, he spat towards Yang Kai fiercely.
Yang Kai sighed, “I am afraid that the two of you are misunderstanding something. I don’t know any Lu Bai Chuan or Lu Family, I only fought back because you suddenly attacked me.”
“You don’t know that old dog Lu Bai Chuan? Then why have you come to meet the Zhang Family?”
At that moment, an aged voice suddenly called out from inside the manor and soon, an old woman with silver hair and a wooden walking staff stepped out with the help of a young girl.
Behind this old woman were a few other people.
The old woman had a face full of wrinkles and her complexion was clearly somewhat sallow, but her eyes still contained a sharp light as she stared at Yang Kai.
Yang Kai’s Divine Sense swept out and he immediately understood that this old woman was a First-Order Origin King, but it seemed she had suffered a serious wound recently that damaged her foundation, so her Saint Qi aura was somewhat disordered.
However, what puzzled Yang Kai was that the people who followed this old woman were all women, some middle-aged, some young, several of them even just little girls and young children.
The only males present were the fat and thin cultivators who had attacked him before.
It was like all the men in this family were dead except for the fat and thin pair.
Yang Kai waved his hand, dispersed his Domain, and freed his two assailants.
The two men also had some sense and understood that there was a massive gap in strength between them and Yang Kai, so they did not act rashly again and instead retreated to the old woman’s side, standing before her in a defensive stance as they stared at Yang Kai vigilantly.
“Junior Yang Kai greets old madam. Dare I ask if this is the Zhang Family?” Yang Kai cupped his fists politely.
“Yes, this is the Zhang Family,” The old woman replied in a deep voice while supporting herself with her cane.
“Good,” Yang Kai smiled slightly and pondered before asking, “Old madam, is there some kind of misunderstanding here? Why was I sneak attacked the moment I arrived?”
“Misunderstanding?” The old woman sneered, “Whether it is a misunderstanding or not depends on what business you have here. You say you don’t know Old Dog Lu Bai Chuan?”
Yang Kai shook his head, “I’ve never heard of him.”
“Grandmother, don’t listen to his nonsense, if it weren’t for Lu Bai Chuan asking him, why would he have come to our Zhang Family at this time!?”
Before the old woman could speak, the fat cultivator who had been imprisoned by Yang Kai sharply accused.
Yang Kai could only smile bitterly.
The old woman glared at the fat cultivator and scolded harshly, “Since when did I need you to tell me how to handle myself?”
The fat cultivator’s neck shrank as he did not dare to argue back.
The old woman turned her gaze back to Yang Kai again and released her Divine Sense; after realizing that Yang Kai’s cultivation was much higher than her own, her expression changed slightly, “Your Excellency’s cultivation is profound. If you were truly sent here by Lu Bai Chuan, there would not be any need for conversation. Alright. I will believe you, but that still does not explain why Your Excellency has come to the Zhang Family.”
“I’m here because I was entrusted to come by another. Please have a look at this, old madam,” As Yang Kai spoke, he took out a Space Ring and tossed it over to the old woman.
The old woman stretched out her hand to catch it, taking a deep look at Yang Kai for a moment before she poured her Divine Sense into the Space Ring.
The next moment, the old woman’s face turned pale, and her body trembled violently, as if she had suffered a heavy injury, even going so far as to open her mouth and cough up a mouthful of blood, causing her old face to suddenly become even older.
“How dare you use a sneak attack!?” The fat cultivator exclaimed furiously.
It was natural for him to misunderstand the situation; after all, the old woman had suddenly had such a response after catching the Space Ring. Anyone would think that Yang Kai had done something to the Space Ring and used it as a way to attack the old woman secretively.
The women who were standing behind the old woman also turned fierce as they glared towards Yang Kai with indignation. Each of them began pushing their strength while some bolder ones even summoned their artifacts and immediately began to attack.
Facing this group of women’s attacks, Yang Kai couldn’t help but feeling a bit anxious as he hurriedly retreated to open up some distance between them.
“Stop!” The old woman suddenly shouted.
These women clearly respected the old woman greatly, so although they were very upset with Yang Kai’s behaviour and deeds, when the old woman gave a command, all of them obeyed.
“Grandmother, are you alright? Does it hurt?” At that time, the young girl who had been supporting the old woman asked with a worried look, her hand reaching out to stroke the old woman’s back.
The old woman shook her head to indicate she was fine before turning her eyes back to Yang Kai, all the hostility from before being replaced with desolate sorrow as she asked, “Dare I ask this Little Brother, this Space Ring… From whom did you obtain it?”
Yang Kai’s lips moved slightly as he sent his voice directly to the old woman’s ears.
As soon as the old woman heard his words, she staggered again, but soon, a mirthless smile covered her face as she mourned, “Such cruel fate! Although this old woman had expected it, I had still prayed it would not be true.”
“Mother, what happened?” A beautiful middle-aged woman with a First-Order Origin King cultivation asked.
“See for yourself,” The old woman handed the ring in her hand to the middle-aged woman.
The woman took it, and after inspecting it closely, her pretty face also turned white. After scanning its content with her Divine Sense, tears suddenly flowed down her cheeks.
As Zhang Gao Xuan’s family, they recognized the items in his Space Ring. Now that Zhang Gao Xuan’s Space Ring was here, but he was nowhere to be seen, even a fool could guess what had happened.
Looking at this scene, Yang Kai felt a sense of sympathy and did not try to rush them, instead just standing by quietly while the Zhang Family digested the news that Zhang Gao Xuan had died.
Although they did not know the specific story, seeing the reactions of the old woman and the middle-aged beauty, it was apparent that they had already speculated things were like this, but that did not stop them from feeling sorrow.
After a long time, the old woman took a deep breath and turned to Yang Kai, “Honoured Guest, this old woman has been rude, please come inside.”
“Very well, I still have something I need to give you,” Yang Kai nodded.
Under the leadership of the old woman and the middle-aged beauty, Yang Kai was led to a meeting hall in the manor.
Everyone else was ordered to wait outside while only the old woman, the middle-aged woman, and the young girl who was assisting her Grandmother were allowed to enter, the latter curiously directing her eyes towards Yang Kai.
After ordering tea to be served, the old woman spoke, “Little Brother, regarding the misunderstanding from before, I hope that Little Brother can appreciate the traumatic circumstances my Zhang Family has experienced and not take our offence to heart.”
“It’s fine, old madam. I am sorry for your loss,” Yang Kai nodded.
“You said just now that you have something else to deliver to us, may I ask what that is?” The old woman asked.
“This,” Yang Kai took out another jade slip and handed it to the old woman while explaining, “Before your Zhang Family’s Patriarch died, he left a message in this jade slip and asked me to deliver it. Old madam will understand everything after she reads it.”
The old woman accepted the jade slip and poured her Divine Sense into it. A short time later, she passed it to the middle-aged woman in a calm manner.
When the middle-aged beauty finished reading the contents of this jade slip. however, she ground her teeth angrily and shouted, “As I thought! It was that old dog Lu Bai Chuan’s poisonous hand that killed my husband! Mother, I must seek revenge for my husband!”
Hearing what she said, Yang Kai realized that this woman was Zhang Gao Xuan’s wife, and it seemed that this old woman was Zhang Gao Xuan’s mother.
Losing one’s child, being forced to bury them rather than being buried by them, it was a fate no parent ever wished to endure, but this old woman was actually able to adjust her mood in such a short time, causing Yang Kai to admire her.
“Naturally, this enmity must be settled, but do you have the ability?” The old woman gave the middle-aged woman a cold look.
“Daughter-in-law is indeed not the opponent of that old dog, but even if she dies, she must still carve a piece of his flesh out!” The middle-aged beauty clenched her teeth as her eyes filled with hatred.
“Bold words,” The old woman sneered, “But I’m afraid that death will not be your fate. If you go now, only humiliation will await you!”
As soon as this statement came out, the middle-aged beauty could not help paling.
“If you understand, then sit down!” The old woman stamped her cane severely and ordered.
The middle-aged woman did not dare to disobey and fell back onto her seat feebly, her eyes seemingly losing their lustre.
Yang Kai saw this and sighed, “Old madam, might I ask what tragedy has befallen your household in addition to Brother Zhang’s misfortune inside the Five Coloured Treasure Pagoda?”
The old woman heard this, and her expression darkened, nodding as she replied, “It seems Little Brother is already aware of this family’s misfortune.”
After a moment of silence, the old woman narrated what had happened to the Zhang Family recently.
Having both settled around Maplewood City, the Zhang Family and Lu Family had always had a close friendship, because the Old Ancestors of the two families had come to Maplewood City together and worked hard to establish themselves. After several hundred years of time, the two families could be called close relatives that had shared friendship for multiple generations.
For the opening of the Five Coloured Treasure Pagoda this time, the two Patriarchs, Zhang Gao Xuan and Lu Bai Chuan, had entered together.
Additionally, just after the opening of the Five Coloured Treasure Pagoda, the juniors of the two families also travelled together to a certain Restricted Area for life experience.
However, everything turned out to be a conspiracy by the Lu Family.
In that dangerous Restricted Area, all the heirs of the Zhang Family were killed, while everyone from the Lu Family returned safely. This created the situation the Zhang Family was in now, where only women remained, as well as fat and thin male cultivators who had been in secluded retreat at the time. Now, they were the only men left in the Zhang Family.
After the closure of the Five Coloured Treasure Pagoda, only Lu Bai Chuan returned, while Zhang Gao Xuan had disappeared.
Lu Bai Chuan’s attitude also changed dramatically from before. After returning, he frequently tried to pressure the Zhang Family into marrying a girl from the younger generation, Zhang Ruo Xi, to his son.
The Zhang Family Patriarch had disappeared suddenly, and everyone was naturally quite worried, so how could they possibly agree to such a request at this time? What’s more, the old matriarch had many doubts about the Lu Family, so she immediately refused.
How could she have known that Lu Bai Chuan would directly tear face with her and try to take away Zhang Ruo Xi forcibly, even starting a fight with the Zhang Family?
Lu Bai Chuan, like Zhang Gao Xuan, had a Third-Order Origin King cultivator. The current Zhang Family was clearly not his opponent. At that time, the old matriarch had used their family’s Secret Technique and taken a forbidden pill to dramatically boost her strength. Cooperating with the rest of the family, she had managed to temporarily force Lu Bai Chuan back, otherwise, there would be no Zhang Family anymore.
Now that she had obtained this jade slip from Yang Kai, which contained the message left by Zhang Gao Xuan before his death, the old woman could finally confirm that her son’s death was indeed caused by Lu Bai Chuan.
All her previous doubts were cleared up.
The sadness and hatred in the heart of the old woman could be imagined.
Yang Kai listened and remained silent.
All of this seemed like a plot to annex the Zhang Family by the Lu Family. With so few males left in the family, how could the Zhang Family continue its bloodline? As long as the Lu Family seized this opportunity to marry a young lady from the Zhang Family, they could slowly begin to assimilate what was left, ultimately wiping the Zhang Family from Maplewood City.
However, Yang Kai had some doubts about this.
As the saying went, men die for wealth just as birds die for food. The Zhang and Lu Families had been allies for hundreds of years, so how could such a drastic change have so suddenly occurred? Yang Kai didn’t know what kind of secrets were hidden below the surface here, but he also didn’t care to ask.
“Old madam, since you have read the information in the jade slip, you should already know about the agreement between your Zhang Family’s Patriarch and myself,” Yang Kai suddenly said.
The old woman nodded, “Gao Xuan made everything clear in the jade slip, saying that as long as the little brother still lives in Maplewood City, he will fulfil three requests for my Zhang Family within his ability, and… After the Dao Source Fruit has been refined into a pill, the Zhang Family will be given one Dao Source Pill!”
“Dao Source Fruit?” The middle-aged beautiful woman heard this and could not help asking in shock, “Did my husband manage to obtain a Dao Source Fruit?”
“En,” Yang Kai nodded, not trying to conceal the truth. “Patriarch Zhang did obtain a Dao Source Fruit inside the Five Coloured Treasure Pagoda, which is now in my hands. This is all in accordance with the agreement we made.”
The old woman glanced at the middle-aged woman’s face and coldly snorted, “An ordinary man is innocent, but treasures make him guilty. My Zhang Family now does not have the ability to protect a treasure like the Dao Source Fruit, not to mention, it is now rightfully this Little Brother’s property.”
The middle-aged woman shook slightly before nodding solemnly, “It is as mother says, I understand.”
The old woman turned her head back to Yang Kai, “Little Brother, you may rest assured, only the four people inside this room will ever know about that Dao Source Fruit. Little Brother coming to the Zhang Family to honour this agreement is already more than this old woman could have asked for. Little Brother is a man of character and credibility. This old woman will surely not cause any more trouble for you.”
Hearing what the old woman said, Yang Kai nodded, “That would be best.”
Although his attitude towards the Dao Source Fruit was indifferent, that was not the case for other Origin Kings. Once news spread out, it was likely that countless Origin Kings would hunt him down, and even Dao Source Realm masters might take action.
A Dao Source Fruit was useless to a Dao Source Realm master, but which Dao Source Realm master didn’t have descendants or Juniors?
The old woman spoke again, “Little Brother, if it is not inconvenient, please spend a few days here in my Zhang Family so this old woman can provide some appropriate hospitality.”
Yang Kai frowned and considered this proposal, feeling that it might be wrong for him to leave now. Although he did not have much friendship with this Zhang Family, he did reach an agreement with Zhang Gao Xuan after all. Now that the Zhang Family was facing a crisis, if he left and Lu Bai Chuan came, this group of orphans and widows would likely be unable to resist.
Perhaps it would be best if he used this situation to his advantage, making the Zhang Family use up one of their requests.
Just as he was thinking, Yang Kai heard a strange sound suddenly ring in his ears.
“What’s that sound?” The beautiful woman’s expression changed as she perked up her ears.
Yang Kai smiled, “It seems to be the sound of gongs and drums.”
The beautiful woman was startled and had a blank look on her face, but the old woman seemed to have thought of something and exclaimed in an enraged voice, “Lu Bai Chuan you little bastard! You’re going too far!”
Although Lu Bai Chuan’s cultivation was higher than hers, this old woman was Lu Bai Chuan’s senior by a generation, so it was not a problem for her to scold him like this.
The beautiful woman’s face changed when she heard this, “Could it be that old dog…”
The old woman glanced at the young girl who had been standing by her side, serving her attentively, and gently patted the back of her hand, “Don’t be afraid, while Grandma is still here, the Lu Family will not take you away.”
The girl was very well-behaved, and although it seemed she had a vague idea of what was transpiring, she did not look flustered and instead shook her head and spoke, “Grandma, if Ruo Xi can save the family, Ruo Xi is willing to.”
“What are you saying!” The old woman snapped and stamped her cane loudly, “Your grandfather, father, and brother all died at the hands of the Lu Family! The enmity between the Lu Family and my Zhang Family is absolutely irreconcilable! How could your grandma push you into such a fiery pit? Rest assured, grandma will guarantee your safety.”
Hearing them speak, Yang Kai immediately understood that the little girl who had been serving the old woman, Zhang Ruo Xi, was who the Lu Family wanted.
Earlier, Yang Kai had used his Divine Sense to investigate her cultivation and found she was only a First-Order Saint King, not even an Origin Returning Realm cultivator. Such cultivation could only be described as average for a fourteen or fifteen-year-old in the Star Boundary.
Moreover, although she was indeed quite pretty, she was not a country destroying beauty. It was a mystery what she possessed that caused the Lu Family to care so much about her.
Perhaps she was just an unlucky pawn that the Lu Family had randomly chosen in order to annex the Zhang Family with.
Yang Kai frowned slightly as he felt a little uncertain.
At that moment, the old woman turned her gaze to Yang Kai and said in a solemn tone, “Little Brother, this old woman must ask you something…”
Yang Kai nodded, “Please speak, old madam.”
The old woman nodded, “Little Brother’s cultivation is profound, but Lu Bai Chuan’s cultivation is comparable to yours so a fight with him would surely be difficult. This old woman will not ask you to kill him and avenge my Zhang Family, only that when the time comes, you step forward to safeguard my Zhang Family today!”
“Is this a request?” Yang Kai asked with a smile.
“Yes!” The old woman nodded solemnly while the middle-aged beauty and the young Zhang Ruo Xi also looked at Yang Kai with entreaty. After all, the only two people with any real strength in the Zhang Family at this moment were the old woman and the middle-aged woman, who were First-Order Origin Kings. However, the old woman had damaged her foundation recently by using a forbidden technique and medicine, so she was in no condition to fight.
If Yang Kai were to wipe his hands of them now, the Zhang Family would surely face calamity.
However, Lu Bai Chuan’s cultivation was on par with Yang Kai’s, so they were not certain whether Yang Kai would uphold his agreement with Zhang Gao Xuan to assist the Zhang Family; after all, what cultivator would be willing to offend another just as powerful as themselves for a mere verbal promise?
For a time, they were all very worried but did not dare to say anything.
“This request…” Yang Kai chuckled, making the three people in the hall feel like their hearts were stuck in their throats, “It’s fine with me!”
The old woman let out a sigh of relief, as did the beautiful woman and the young girl, all three of their eyes flashing with gratitude.
“But old madam, I just so happened to be in the Zhang Family this time, so keeping you safe once is not an issue, but what will happen if next time I am not here? What do you plan to do if the Lu Family comes to provoke you again? It is impossible for me to simply remain here indefinitely,” Yang Kai said lightly.
The old woman furrowed her brows and sighed forlornly, “We can only take one step at a time.”
Yang Kai quickly said, “Old madam has not thought about simply cutting weeds and pulling out roots?”
“Cutting weeds and pulling out roots!?” The old woman’s muddy eyes lit up suddenly as she asked quickly, “Is Little Brother sure? There are many people in the Lu Family, not just Lu Bai Chuan.”
“I can try!” Yang Kai declared.
The old woman was stunned and swept her eyes over Yang Kai, as if she was re-examining him. Hesitating for a moment, she ultimately spoke, “If it can be done, the Zhang Family will regard Little Brother as our greatest benefactor, ensuring that for generations to come we light incense and bow thrice in the morning and evening to pray for Little Brother’s good fortune and safety.”
“That’s not necessary…” Yang Kai smiled, “But we have to renegotiate the terms of the agreement.”
“The terms?” The old woman was startled, but immediately said with a wry smile, “I don’t know what the little brother wants? I’m afraid my Zhang Family has nothing of interest to you.”
“Old madam misunderstands, I don’t want compensation,” Yang Kai waved his hand. “However, doing this will carry a certain amount of risk for me. More importantly though, I do not like being fettered, so my proposal is, if I can eliminate the Lu Family for you, you will consider my previous agreement with Brother Zhang to be fulfilled and will no longer be able to make requests of me in the future. What do you say?”
“Little brother means…” The old woman asked cautiously.
“Either this time I ensure your safety and it will be considered a single request of the three fulfilled, meaning you still have two left, or I seek complete revenge for you and we consider all three requests fulfilled. You are free to choose.”
The old woman heard this and declared, “Naturally this old woman will choose the second option. If Little Brother can really avenge my Zhang Family, we will not seek you again in the future and will regard the agreement between you and Gao Xuan to be fulfilled. Not only that. This old woman will offer my sincere and generous gratitude.”
“Alright. Since you said it, you better mean it.” Yang Kai grinned meaningfully, in an exceptionally good mood as he stood up, “Just wait here for the good news.”
Saying so, he turned and walked out the door.
“Little Brother, this Mistress will accompany you!” The middle-aged beauty volunteered.
As these words fell, Yang Kai’s figure flickered and disappeared.
“Help me up so I can also observe,” The old woman stood up excitedly and said to Zhang Ruo Xi who was beside her.
Outside the Zhang Family Manor, a festive scene had appeared.
A procession, beating the gongs and drums, had arrived at the entrance of the manor in a mighty manner while eight strong-looking men were hoisting a sedan chair on their shoulders as well as many boxes covered with red cloth.
It was obvious at first glance it was a bridal procession and that the contents of the boxes were a dowry.
At this moment, the team had stopped outside the manor and a man who looked to be roughly forty years old and had a trimmed moustache stood at its fore. This man had sharp eyes and a powerful Third-Order Origin King cultivation.
Behind this middle-aged man, there is another young man wearing red robes, standing there with a smile, his cultivation not too high, only Third-Order Saint King. He did not seem to be very old, perhaps sixteen or seventeen, but his face was clearly drunk with happiness.
This bridal procession was now confronting the orphans and widows of the Zhang Family.
Everyone from the Zhang Family was glaring at the people of this procession with obvious rage, their strength tumbling and their auras flashing with hostility. Were it not for the vast gap in strength, these women would likely have already attacked!
“Lu Bai Chuan, you still have the face to come to my Zhang Family?” The fat cultivator who attacked Yang Kai before gritted his teeth and shouted at the lead man. “My Zhang Family has been on good terms with your Lu Family for generations, but it was all in vain! Your greed and cruelty are simply without limits! I must avenge the enmity of killing my Zhang Family’s disciples or I will not be a man!”
Lu Bai Chuan glanced at the fat cultivator faintly and said, “Junior, this old master is here today to welcome a bride into his family, so he will let you off for your rudeness this once. Call Aunt Cheng out at once.”
“You still have the face to address her as Aunt Cheng?” The thin cultivator couldn’t help but sneer, “Lu Bai Chuan, Father here has been enlightened today! Only now have I learned that your Lu Family’s skin is thicker than a city wall, impressive indeed!”
“Junior, you court death!” Regardless of anything else, Lu Bai Chuan was a Third-Order Origin King, so two Origin Returning Realm juniors clamouring and insulting him so wantonly was more than he could bear, causing an immediate and visceral response, “In front of whom are you calling yourself ‘Father’? Such impudence!”
As he shouted, he reached out to grab towards the thin cultivator.
The thin cultivator’s complexion changed as he desperately pushed his Saint Qi and Shi while at the same time trying to retreat in order to avoid Lu Bai Chuan’s blow.
But no matter how hard he tried; he was unable to escape.
The difference in strength between a First-Order Origin Returning Realm cultivator and a Third-Order Origin King was just too big. To put it bluntly, Lu Bai Chuan could crush him to death with a casual snap of his fingers.
Seeing that the big hand was about to grab his head, the thin cultivator steeled himself as a trace of madness flashed across his face, “Lu Bai Chuan, even if I die today, you won’t feel any better!”
As he spoke, he formed a seal with his hands and the suppressed power in his body suddenly began to riot.
“You are planning to self-destruct?” Lu Bai Chuan’s eyes narrowed slightly before he coldly snorted and said, “In front of this old master, you think you’ll have the opportunity to blow yourself up? Good, today is Tao’er’s wedding day, so we should add some excitement. Boy, surrender your life!”
Saying so, he waved his hand and a black curtain of energy suddenly enshrouded the thin cultivator.
The thin cultivator’s face went ashen with shock as he realized that he would not be able to self-destruct before this black curtain crushed him.
At that moment, the thin cultivator suddenly saw a burst of light and the black curtain which was covering him shattered like a mirror. At the same time, the pressure which was suppressing him suddenly disappeared.
Overjoyed, he charged forward instead of trying to escape while at the same time pushing his strength even more violently, determined to finish what he had started.
The self-destruction of a First-Order Origin Returning Realm cultivator is indeed powerful, but it couldn’t threaten a Third-Order Origin King, so the thin cultivator’s act of defiance would at most be able to dirty Lu Bai Chuan a bit and cause him to lose face.
But, it was mainly how madly obsessed this thin cultivator was going against him, which annoyed Lu Bai Chuan.
What Lu Bai Chuan was far more concerned about, though, was the young man who suddenly appeared in front of him. As soon as this young man appeared, his Domain had instantly been suppressed, saving the thin Zhang Family cultivator.
The aura coming from this unknown young man made Lu Bai Chuan aware that he was no weaker than himself.
But since when did the Zhang Family have another Third-Order Origin King? Lu Bai Chuan was puzzled and did not hesitate to open up some distance between them.
Yang Kai looked at him faintly, not giving chase and instead reaching out and tapping the thin cultivator’s back. The violent power which was rioting inside the thin cultivator’s body instantly steadied and the man himself staggered and nearly fell to the ground.
Raising his head, the thin cultivator looked at Yang Kai who appeared suddenly with a blank face, seemingly in a daze.
“Old Third, get back here!” The fat cultivator was dripping cold sweat as he hurriedly called out to the thin cultivator. Seeing that he did not move though, the fat cultivator rushed over and dragged his companion back.
“Who is Your Excellency?” Lu Bai Chuan stared at Yang Kai, instinctively feeling that the other party was a tricky opponent, causing his tone to become serious, “You don’t seem to be a Zhang Family member, right?”
Yang Kai smiled and shook his head, “You’re right.”
“Then who are you and why are you interfering in this private affair?” Lu Bai Chuan frowned.
Just now, Yang Kai’s casual move had made him realize that Yang Kai’s strength was not inferior to his own, so he did not want to make an enemy of him if possible and tried to probe Yang Kai’s background and relationship with the Zhang Family.
“For certain reasons, the Zhang Family’s affairs are now my concern,” Yang Kai grinned meaningfully.
“What does friend mean? Since the Zhang Family’s affairs are now your concern, should you not also give a reason? Moreover, this old master is only here to welcome a bride into his family, not to embarrass the Zhang Family in any way, is this friend perhaps misunderstanding something?”
“Lu Bai Chuan, cease your meaningless rhetoric! My husband was killed by you inside the Five Coloured Treasure Pagoda, so our hatred is absolutely irreconcilable!” At that moment, the middle-aged beauty soared out from the manor, a sword in hand, screaming as she landed beside Yang Kai.
Lu Bai Chuan smiled upon hearing these words and said, “Sister-in-law, this Lu is also deeply saddened by Brother Zhang’s death, but it truly has nothing to do with this Lu. How can I explain it to you so that you will believe me?”
“This little brother has brought back the last words of my husband, yet you still dare to quibble?” The middle-aged beauty pointed to Yang Kai as she grit her teeth and shouted.
Lu Bai Chuan narrowed his eyes and immediately turned his attention to Yang Kai, “So you met Brother Zhang inside the Five Coloured Treasure Pagoda?”
When he asked these words, a look of pleasant surprise filled his expression, as if this was extremely good news for him.
Yang Kai replied calmly, “Indeed I met Brother Zhang, but why does that make you so happy? Heh heh, did you perhaps think of something?”
Lu Bai Chuan’s face changed several times before he whispered, “If that’s the case, then is ‘that’ thing with you?”
“You guessed right. Yes, that thing is with me. Do you want it?” Yang Kai looked at him lightly.
At that moment, a trace of guilt suddenly flashed across the face of the middle-aged woman as she secretly blamed herself for being indiscreet, exposing the secret that Yang Kai had obtained the Dao Source Fruit.
Lu Bai Chuan and Zhang Gao Xuan had entered the Five Coloured Treasure Pagoda together, and had also travelled together inside the pagoda, so it wasn’t a surprise if they had found the Dao Source Fruit together as well.
Even if the beautiful woman did not directly reveal that the Dao Source Fruit was with Yang Kai, with Lu Bai Chuan’s shrewdness, how could he not infer it?
“It seems that you killed Brother Zhang because of that thing,” Yang Kai looked at Lu Bai Chuan contemptuously.
“Hmph, even if it weren’t for that, I would still have done so, but that is my Lu and Zhang Families’ business. Now that it is with you, this Lu has something to say to this friend.”
“And what might that be?” Yang Kai looked at him with interest.
Lu Bai Chuan’s expression turned serious as his lips began to squirm, seemingly sending a message to Yang Kai.
In that instant though, Yang Kai smiled meaningfully as he leapt up into the air. The moment he did so, a small black snake burst out of the ground silently and bit towards where Yang Kai’s leg was a moment ago.
Everyone on the scene was taken by surprise when the little black snake appeared from the ground, none of them having detected it before it showed itself.
“Friend is truly sinister!” Yang Kai said in a condescending tone as he looked down at Lu Bai Chuan with a sneer, “It seems that Brother Zhang was attacked by you in this way and then killed by its poison, yes?”
As he spoke, Yang Kai flicked his wrist and sent out a Golden Blood Thread that swiftly wrapped up the little black snake.
Lu Bai Chuan hadn’t expected Yang Kai to be so alert and able to avoid such a concealed attack. He had used the same move against Zhang Gao Xuan inside the Five Coloured Treasure Pagoda and at the time it had worked perfectly.
Seeing that his attempt had failed and that he was at a disadvantage, Lu Bai Chuan hurriedly moved his lips and the black snake immediately tried to retreat underground, like it had received some kind of order.
But it was too late. The Golden Blood Thread had already wrapped up the little snake and was rapidly constricting it.
*Chi Chi…*
The snake struggled hard but no matter how it tried, it was unable to escape from the Golden Blood Thread. The Golden Blood Thread continued to tighten and it was not long before the black snake’s skin was cut open and blood began leaking from its body.
“Stop!” Lu Bai Chuan shouted as he summoned out a war-hammer artifact and poured his strength into it. This hammer flashed with dark blue sparks before it rapidly shot an arc of lightning out towards Yang Kai.
Yang Kai narrowed his eyes as he realized that this war-hammer was a high-grade artifact. Not wanting to act rashly, he swiftly dodged to avoid the blow.
With a hissing sound, accompanied by a faint crack, the black snake was strangled to death by the Golden Blood Thread and slivered into several pieces. As its corpse fell to the ground, the head continued to struggle about, looking particularly fierce and vicious.
But with such an injury, it was destined to die.
“My spirit snake!” Lu Bai Chuan roared in anguish, as if his wife or daughter had been snatched from him, his eyes turning bloodshot as he glared towards Yang Kai, who was still standing up in the air, and roared, “For killing my snake, I’ll have your head!”
Saying so, he poured his strength into the war-hammer in his hands recklessly.
With a loud crackling noise, lightning arcs swirled around the hammer wildly and even the surrounding World Energy became turbulent.
Lu Bai Chuan lifted his arms and hurled the war-hammer out towards Yang Kai with a Heaven destroying force.
“Little Brother, be careful! That is the Lu Family’s Thunder Wind Hammer, an Origin King Grade High-Rank artifact, don’t try to confront it head on!” The Zhang Family’s old matriarch shouted from below as she finally managed to arrive on the scene with the help of Zhang Ruo Xi.
How could Yang Kai not understand the power of this artifact? The Thunder Attribute Energy which pulsed from it was violent and domineering, so even with his intrepid physique, he did not dare despise it.
Waving his hand, Yang Kai sent out dozens of Golden Blood Threads and wove them into a sturdy net to intercept the Thunder Wind Hammer.
*Hong long long…*
There was a loud series of bangs as the Golden Blood Thread net was continuously strained and lightning arcs darted about. The scene of the two forces opposing one another was quite a thrilling sight to behold.
“Grandma, can this Sir win?” Zhang Ruo Xi, who was supporting the old woman, looked at Yang Kai and asked. Although she was not very old, she at least understood that the Zhang Family’s safety was all tied to Yang Kai’s ability, so she couldn’t help feeling nervous.
The old woman didn’t answer; after all, she didn’t know much about Yang Kai, only that he was a Third-Order Origin King. However, Lu Bai Chuan was also a Third-Order Origin King.
Comparing opponents of the same level was always difficult.
But looking at the situation right now, Yang Kai seemed calm and relaxed while Lu Bai Chuan wore a violent expression and was clearly going all out, perhaps because his precious spirit snake had been killed.
High in the sky, the golden net condensed from Golden Blood Threads and the Thunder Wind Hammer competed on equal ground.
Lu Bai Chuan suddenly shouted loudly, and as he opened his mouth, he spat out a ray of light which quickly transformed into another artifact.
The old woman’s expression changed drastically when she saw this artifact and cried out in shock, “Silver Moon Purple Frost Sabre!”
The Zhang and Lu Families had been close for centuries, so the old woman knew a bit about the Lu Family’s most precious artifacts and quickly recognized the one Lu Bai Chuan had summoned.
The Silver Moon Purple Frost Sabre, like the Thunder Wind Hammer, was an Origin King Grade High-Rank artifact. These were the two most powerful artifacts owned by the Lu Family. Generally speaking, they would be held by different individuals, but now they both appeared in Lu Bai Chuan’s hands.
“Be careful, Little Brother, this Silver Moon Purple Frost Sabre was originally a Dao Source Grade artifact refined by an Artifact Refining Grandmaster, but due to some sort of failure in the refinement process, it only ended up as an Origin King Grade High-Rank. Nevertheless, it still contains a trace of Principle Strength,” The old woman opened her mouth to warn.
“Old thing, shut your mouth!” Lu Bai Chuan was furious.
He was locked in a life or death fight with Yang Kai but the old woman was completely exposing all his secrets, so how could Lu Bai Chuan not be angry? With a glance, he silently signalled to the other members of the bridal procession, and they swiftly turned to attack the Zhang Family.
In this team, there were three Origin Kings, and although these three were just First-Order Origin Kings, that was more than enough to deal with the current Zhang Family.
Seeing the Lu Family’s people rushing over, the old woman gripped her cane tightly and exchanged a glance with the middle-aged woman. Nodding to one another, they bravely led the Zhang Family’s people into battle against the enemy.
After Lu Bai Chuan summoned the Silver Moon Purple Frost Sabre, he immediately gripped it tightly and sneered over at Yang Kai, “Boy, I won’t waste my breath with you, hand over that thing and I’ll spare your life, otherwise you’ll die under my blade!”
“Just where are you getting all your confidence from?” Yang Kai laughed and scornfully beckoned to him, “If you want to do it, hurry up and do it, I’m quite interested in the power of your sabre.”
“Since you refuse a toast, you must drink a loss!” Lu Bai Chuan was thoroughly enraged now and shouted, “In that case, this Lu will let you witness his might!”
As soon as these words fell, he held up the Silver Moon Purple Frost Sabre in front of his chest and spat out a mouthful of Blood Essence onto it, causing it to hum slightly as a trace of Principle Strength began to radiate from it.
Feeling the unique sensation of Principle Strength, Yang Kai’s eyes narrowed and his expression became more solemn.
The old woman saying that this Silver Moon Purple Frost Sabre was a failed Dao Source Grade artifact was definitely correct, as an ordinary Origin King Grade artifact couldn’t have such an effect.
Of course, this was also only possible because Lu Bai Chuan’s own cultivation had reached a certain height, his Saint Qi being fully transformed into Source Qi while he had likely touched upon the mysteries of the Dao Source Realm and Principle Strength.
All of this was essential as an average Third-Order Origin King would not be able to produce such a result even if they had the Silver Moon Purple Frost Sabre.
The Principles inspired by the sabre were naturally Ice Principles, and although the effect was quite subtle, even somewhat faint, it was still the domain of Dao Source Realm masters. With this artifact in hand, Lu Bai Chuan’s combat power had risen to a new level!
*Kacha…*
There were now faint signs of the surrounding space being frozen, and with Lu Bai Chuan at the centre, layers of frost began to spread outwards.
The Patriarch of the Lu Family suddenly let out a great roar and with a single step, disappeared from where he stood and then re-appeared in front of Yang Kai, slashing out with the sabre in his hands.
The blade flashed as it released an extremely powerful aura, one that seemed completely overwhelming and unavoidable. Moreover, with the Ice Principles emanating from the blade sealing the surrounding space, there was no way Yang Kai should have been able to avoid this blow.
“Hahahaha!” Lu Bai Chuan laughed madly as a happy expression filled his face, “Like an ant trying to stop a cart, such overconfidence!”
He was completely certain that his attack had succeeded in dispatching Yang Kai, because he had already killed several Third-Order Origin Kings with the very same move in the past.
However, in the next instant, his eyes suddenly shrank as he stared forward in amazement.
Standing before him, Yang Kai, who should have been split in half without being able to resist, actually remained completely unscathed, with no trace of any kind of wounds on his body. In his hands at this moment was a verdant coloured long sword that had no edge. From this sword, a sort of snake had emerged and was even now blocking the terrifying slash the Silver Moon Purple Frost Sabre had released.
The Ice Principles which should have rendered any Origin King powerless didn’t seem to affect Yang Kai at all. In fact, with just a flick of his wrist, the verdant long sword released a strange power that instantly disintegrated the Ice Principles and scattered them to the wind.
“You…” Lu Bai Chuan’s face changed wildly as he called out sharply, “You can also utilize Principle Strength?”
Principle Strength was the ultimate power that governed the world itself. In this world, only those who had reached the Dao Source Realm could touch upon this strength while Origin Kings could not use it at all. Lu Bai Chuan had only managed to inspire traces of Principle Strength thanks to his special Silver Moon Purple Frost Sabre, but now it seemed Yang Kai could do the same, or possibly even better.
Seeing Yang Kai easily disperse his killing blow, Lu Bai Chuan realized that his opponent had surpassed ninety-nine percent of all peak-level Origin Kings and was likely on the verge of breaking through to the Dao Source Realm.
Without the support of Principle Strength, Yang Kai could easily handle an attack from an Origin King Grade High-Rank artifact.
“Boy, you’ve been playing the pig to eat a tiger, curse you!” Lu Bai Chuan roared indignantly.
Yang Kai laughed, “Blame your dog eyes for looking down on people too much.”
As he spoke, he pushed the Dragon Bone Sword in his hand forward with force and sent Lu Bai Chuan crashing to the ground like a meteorite.
Upon landing though, Lu Bai Chuan immediately steadied himself and formed a seal with his hands. The earth began to rumble and in a series of bangs, three earth dragons shot up from the ground, roaring as they rose up to attack Yang Kai.
“Earth Dragon Dance!”
Lu Bai Chuan shouted sharply before he swiftly turned around, ignoring the life or death of the other Lu Family members, and fled.
“Sir Yang, he’s going to run!” Zhang Ruo Xi suddenly shouted softly.
This little girl, who was just a First-Order Saint King, could not contribute anything to the battle between the Lu and Zhang Families and could only hide in the back and observe from a distance. When she saw Lu Bai Chuan flee though, she could not help calling out.
“He won’t get away!” Yang Kai snorted coldly before he slashed forward with his Dragon Bone Sword, chopping the three earth dragons into dust before his body flickered and disappeared.
Although he did not have any grudge with the Lu Family, he had an agreement with Zhang Gao Xuan and against such a shameless man like Lu Bai Chuan, Yang Kai had no qualms about acting ruthlessly.
Lu Bai Chuan using these three earth dragons seemed to only be an act to buy time, but it did not play any role.
By the time Yang Kai appeared again, he had already caught up and swung out his Dragon Bone Sword. Yang Kai was about to deliver a fatal blow to Lu Bai Chuan, but suddenly, the Lu Family Patriarch, who seemed to be fleeing with all his might, turned around and flashed a vicious, victorious grin.
In the next instant, he flicked his wrist towards Yang Kai.
A strange, subtle power fluctuation propagated.
Yang Kai’s brow rose sharply as his expression suddenly became weird.
Instantly, he reached forward with his hand and grabbed the air.
“Hahahaha…” Lu Bai Chuan stopped, as if he was watching a joke and smiled at Yang Kai mockingly, “Seems you can’t wait to court death!”
“Really?” Yang Kai glanced at him in a sidelong manner as he twirled something in his fingers lightly.
Lu Bai Chuan’s smile suddenly stiffened as his face began to twitch and a voice filled with shock called out, “Impossible, that is impossible! There’s no way you could break the Secret Technique this old master spent half his life studying!”
“So this is what you were relying on and running away was just an act to get me to lower my guard?” As Yang Kai spoke, he clenched his fist and the subtle energy fluctuation lingering around it flickered and disappeared.
Seeing this, Lu Bai Chuan’s face really paled this time as he realized he was completely not Yang Kai’s opponent. If he continued the fight, he would definitely die, so without hesitation, he immediately fled without another word.
“Interesting, it turned out to be Space Force,” Yang Kai did not chase immediately this time and instead just observed Lu Bai Chuan’s disappearing figure.
Just now, Lu Bai Chuan had lured him close by pretending to escape and then launched a sneak attack, one that was actually comprised of Space Force! Although this attack was nowhere near as powerful as Yang Kai’s Moon Blade, it could at least be considered a condensed Space Needle.
Space Force was incredibly difficult to guard against, and if one was caught off guard, Lu Bai Chuan’s technique might really have been able to hit its mark.
Once that happened, a tiny Space Needle could really kill.
Unfortunately for Lu Bai Chuan, he had actually tried to use Space Force against Yang Kai. How was that any different from using a blunt kitchen knife to attack a man holding a peerless sword?
Glancing back, the battle between the Lu and Zhang Families was in a state of chaos. Although the Zhang Family was composed entirely of orphans and widows now, and the number of masters on their side was lower, each of them fought without fear of death, each of their moves fierce and resolute. This was especially true of the old woman and middle-aged beauty who were First-Order Origin Kings. Their reckless assault, which completely ignored their own safety, caused great hardship to the Lu Family masters.
However, in the end, the difference in strength was obvious and if things continued as they were, it would only be a matter of time before the Lu Family won.
But now that Lu Bai Chuan was unable to compete with Yang Kai for even half a cup of tea’s time and was forced to escape, everything was different.
This shocked the rest of the Lu Family members and they lost all will to fight, only wanting to flee from this place as soon as possible.
Yang Kai saw this, flicked his wrist, and sent out a dozen Golden Blood Threads which swiftly transformed into three golden spears that flew out and pierced through the three Lu Family Origin King Realm cultivators, causing them severe injuries.
“The rest of the mixed fish are yours to deal with, I’m going to pursue Lu Bai Chuan,” Yang Kai did not finish all of the enemies off and instead just took out the three First-Order Origin Kings before turning and chasing after Lu Bai Chuan.
“Many thanks, Little Brother!” The old woman was overjoyed and quickly rallied the rest of the Zhang Family to battle.
With the three First-Order Origin Kings already having lost the ability to fight, now was the perfect time to take revenge with their own hands, so how could the old woman hesitate? While directing her anger and hatred at the enemy, she was also immensely grateful to Yang Kai.
…
To the northwest of Maplewood City, a thousand kilometres away from the Zhang Family Manor, another large complex stood. Above the gates, the words ‘Lu Mansion’ were written boldly. Obviously, this was the residence of the Lu Family.
Inside the Lu Mansion, lavish decorations had been put up while everyone was continuing with preparations for the marriage ceremony, all of them completely unaware that catastrophe was approaching.
It was not until Lu Bai Chuan suddenly appeared in the main hall of the mansion that a few of the Lu Family cultivators realized something was wrong.
“Patriarch, didn’t you go to the Zhang Family to welcome the new bride? Why have you suddenly returned alone? The auspicious hour has not yet arrived,” A Lu Family Origin Returning Realm cultivator asked curiously.
“Pass the order, make everyone pack up everything of value with all haste, we must leave here as soon as possible!” After Lu Bai Chuan gave these words, he did not explain any more and immediately rushed deeper into the mansion.
“What?” A few of the Lu Family leaders looked at each other in confusion.
However, although Lu Bai Chuan did not leave much information, all of them were able to infer from his expression that something bad would soon happen; what’s more, they did not dare disobey the Patriarch’s order so after a quick discussion they immediately began carrying out his command.
In the backyard of the Lu Family, in front of a secret room, Lu Bai Chuan hurriedly took out a token and opened a few dozen barriers before diving inside.
This secret room was not very big, but it was where the Lu Family had stored its accumulated treasures over the years. Almost all of the Lu Family’s Source Crystals were also stored.
At the centre of this secret room, there was a pitch-black round jade suspended in the air, slowly rotating, and from time to time giving off a profound but indescribable light.
As soon as Lu Bai Chuan rushed into the secret room, he hurriedly moved to this round jade. It seemed that in this secret room, only this round jade was of any worth to him.
Just as he was reaching out to retrieve this black jade though, he suddenly turned around and shouted, “Who!”
Because at that moment, he noticed another living being behind him.
“Huh…”
At the same time, a mutter of surprise left Yang Kai’s lips as his figure appeared behind Lu Bai Chuan, a look of astonishment on his face.
As early as halfway back to the Lu Mansion, Yang Kai had already caught up to Lu Bai Chuan.
But, he did not immediately show up to attack him and instead quietly trailed behind.
With Yang Kai’s powerful Divine Sense, and his Nihility Secret Technique, if he wanted to hide, even most Dao Source Realm masters would be unable to detect him, much less Lu Bai Chuan who was running away in a panic.
As for the reason he didn’t kill Lu Bai Chuan immediately, it was because Yang Kai was a bit curious about him.
The Dao of Space was not so easy to comprehend, and even if Lu Bai Chuan could only condense a small Space Needle, that was enough to show he had some competency in the Dao of Space.
As such, Yang Kai wanted to investigate him a bit.
After noticing that Lu Bai Chuan had entered this secret room, Yang Kai hurriedly followed him inside, maintaining Nihility to observe him from up close.
But something he didn’t expect suddenly happened. The moment he entered this secret room, Nihility was actually forcefully dispersed by some strange force, revealing him!
Yang Kai clearly felt that this force emanated from the pitch-black round jade suspended up ahead.
“You… how did you come in?” Lu Bai Chuan shouted in a high-pitched voice as he stared at Yang Kai like he was a ghost.
Yang Kai withdrew his gaze from the round black jade, glanced at Lu Bai Chuan, and grinned, “Naturally, I followed you inside.”
“Damn! Do you really insist on killing ruthlessly? Little Brother, this old master has never met you before today and has no grievances or grudges with you, so why take things to such extremes? Instead of fighting with this old master and ending with mutual wounds, why not let matters end here? If you agree, this old master can allow you to leave here unharmed,” Lu Bai Chuan saw that Yang Kai hadn’t immediately attacked him and forced himself to calm down.
“If I want to leave, do I need your consent?” Yang Kai sneered, “Moreover, although I have no grudge with you, since I have agreed to the Zhang Family’s request, I can’t let you live anymore.”
“Boy, don’t go too far! Do you really think that this old master is afraid of you? If so, I advise you to think twice!” Lu Bai Chuan saw Yang Kai’s stand-offish attitude and immediately understood that it was useless to say anything more. There was nothing more to do now but fight.
As he spoke, Lu Bai Chuan pushed his strength madly and rushed towards Yang Kai, murderous intent filling his bloodshot eyes as he summoned his Thunder Wind Hammer again and sent out bolts of lightning to fill the secret room.
Yang Kai smiled lightly at this sight and just shouted, “Come out!”
As he spoke, he waved his hand casually.
The pure white Monster Insect Queen, wielding its blue and purple dual swords, made a grand entrance.
As soon as Monster Insect Queen Yu appeared, she received Yang Kai’s order and waved her swords towards Lu Bai Chuan.
Yang Kai didn’t want to expose the existence of the Monster Insect Queen, but inside this secret room, there was just him and Lu Bai Chuan, so there was no issue. The Monster Insect Queen could now rival a Second-Order Dao Source Realm cultivator, so dealing with Lu Bai Chuan was naturally a breeze.
Feeling the aura emanating from Monster Insect Queen, Lu Bai Chuan was startled and cried out in shock, “An Eleventh-Order Monster Beast!?”
Instantly, his face turned pale and all his fighting spirit disappeared.
He was currently just a Third-Order Origin King, so after encountering an ordinary Eleventh-Order Monster Beast, he would have no choice but to flee. What’s more, at first glance, it was obvious the Monster Insect Queen in front of him was no ordinary Eleventh-Order Monster Beast, it was wielding dual sword artifacts after all…
“Little Brother, this Lu acknowledges his punishment is deserved and asks Little Brother to show mercy by not killing him!” Lu Bai Chuan immediately begged for mercy without any shame.
Yang Kai flatly ignored him.
Naturally, the Monster Insect Queen would not pay attention to Lu Bai Chuan’s begging and the icy aura it released surged as it swung the dual swords down.
Suddenly, the inside of the secret room became chaotic as Lu Bai Chuan called out repeatedly. Even going all out, he couldn’t protect himself from the Monster Insect Queen and it was not long before he was bleeding from cuts all over his body.
In the meantime, Yang Kai had arrived in front of the pitch-black round jade and was frowning as he observed it.
This thing was extremely weird. Yang Kai’s Divine Sense was able to penetrate it, but when it did it was as if it was sinking into a bottomless ocean.
On top of that… it was able to disperse his Nihility Secret Technique somehow or another.
After studying it for a while, Yang Kai stretched out his hand and grabbed the pitch-black round jade. But unexpectedly, nothing happened. Even after pouring his strength into it, the jade did not respond at all.
“Strange!” Yang Kai shook his head.
“Little Brother, mercy! If you want to know the purpose of that thing, this Lu can tell you, all he asks is you spare his life!” Lu Bai Chuan had been forced into a corner by the Monster Insect Queen at this moment and had no way out.
What made him feel resentful at this moment was how sturdy this secret room was. Long ago, his Lu Family ancestors had spent a great sum of money to create a secret room that even a Dao Source Realm master would find difficult to break out of in short order, so there was naturally no way Lu Bai Chuan could simply smash a wall and escape.
“Do you know the details of this thing?” Yang Kai turned to look at him.
Lu Bai Chuan said anxiously, “I know!”
Yang Kai nodded, and in the next moment, with a single command from his Divine Sense, the Monster Insect Queen froze in place, its dual swords less than a finger-length away from Lu Bai Chuan’s forehead. Some residual Sword Qi from the swords even shaved off a few of Lu Bai Chuan’s hairs.
The hair fell through the air and passed by Lu Bai Chuan’s eyes, making him leak cold sweat all over.
“Talk. What is this thing? Why can it break my Secret Technique?” Yang Kai asked after fiddling a bit with the pitch-black jade in his hand.
Lu Bai Chuan gulped hard before he weakly glanced over at the Monster Insect Queen standing in front of him, not understanding how a trivial Origin King like Yang Kai could command such a powerful Monster Beast.
“Don’t get any ideas, or I’ll kill you immediately,” Yang Kai couldn’t help coldly snorting when he saw Lu Bai Chuan’s expression flickering.
Lu Bai Chuan quickly understood something and hesitantly asked, “This old master admits the punishment is deserved, so he would not dare try anything, but… If this old master can provide Little Brother with the information he wants, can Little Brother spare his life?”
“Are you trying to negotiate terms with me?” Yang Kai grinned.
“I would not dare!” Lu Bai Chuan waved his hand quickly, “It’s just… This old master really doesn’t want to die.”
“No one wants to die,” Yang Kai nodded, “Good, I can give you a way out.”
Lu Bai Chuan was overjoyed and was about to speak when Yang Kai continued, “Of course, the premise is that the information you provide can satisfy me!”
Lu Bai Chuan’s face suddenly became bitter as he said, “This old master will not conceal anything.”
“Very good,” Yang Kai nodded in satisfaction, stretching out his hand and pulling over a stone bench from somewhere inside the secret room before sitting down casually. Still playing with the black jade in his hand, he asked once more, “What is this thing?”
Lu Bai Chuan quickly replied, “A Space Spirit Jade!”
“Space Spirit Jade?” Yang Kai raised his brow, as if thinking of something before asking, “What is its relationship with Space Spirit Crystal?”
Lu Bai Chuan hurriedly replied, “Space Spirit Jade is produced at the cores of pure, condensed Space Spirit Crystals. Less than one in ten thousand Space Spirit Crystals will produce a Space Spirit Jade.”
“So it’s the core of a Space Spirit Crystal?” Yang Kai’s expression changed.
“Indeed, but… this doesn’t seem to be a pure Space Spirit Jade. It seems to have been blended with other materials by some powerful master and refined into a type of artifact,” Lu Bai Chuan explained further.
“Oh? You know quite a bit,” Yang Kai said with some surprise.
“Little Brother flatters me, this old master has been studying it for many years and read many ancient books to come up with these speculations,” Lu Bai Chuan smiled, his expression fluctuating quite a bit as he hesitantly asked. “Dare I ask if Little Brother cultivates Space Force?”
“Don’t you?” Yang Kai looked at him faintly.
Lu Bai Chuan smiled bitterly, “How can this old master’s comprehension of the Dao of Space compare to Little Brother’s? After Little Brother caught this old master’s Space Needle with one hand, this old master had some faint guesses, but now it seems to be true. If Little Brother did not cultivate Space Force, how could he have accomplished such a feat?”
“Just some paltry tricks,” Yang Kai snorted.
“Yes yes, this old master’s accomplishments are like dim fireflies compared to Little Brother’s brilliant moon.”
“Cease your flattery and get to the point. How did you manage to cultivate Space Force? Does it have something to do with this Space Spirit Jade?” Yang Kai continued to inquire.
“Little Brother’s insight is indeed sharp,” Lu Bai Chuan nodded, “The reason why I know something about Space Force is because of this Space Spirit Jade.”
Hearing what he said, Yang Kai’s doubts disappeared.
When his Nihility Secret Technique was cracked by the Space Spirit Jade, he had a guess that Lu Bai Chuan’s comprehension of the Dao of Space was related to it.
“As this old master said before, this Space Spirit Jade seems to have been refined into a peculiar artifact by some powerful master, but this old master is unable to draw out any of its power and only inadvertently gained some inspiration from it which allowed him to begin cultivating Space Force…” Lu Bai Chuan explained while carefully observing the changes in Yang Kai’s expression.
However, Yang Kai’s face remained as tranquil as an ancient well, with no joy, sorrow, or interest showing at all, causing Lu Bai Chuan to become more and more nervous.
“How difficult the Dao of Space is to cultivate, I understand well. If one does not have the appropriate aptitude for it, even spending a thousand years would not be enough to learn anything. I’m a little curious, what kind of opportunity did you have that allowed you to accidentally comprehend Space Force from this thing?” Squinting at Lu Bai Chuan, Yang Kai asked lightly, “If you dare to speak any lies, I’ll make you beg for death.”
Lu Bai Chuan shivered in fright as he quickly said, “Little Brother, I would not dare tell any lies. Since Little Brother wants to know, this old master will naturally explain clearly. There truly was a special opportunity that allowed this old master to spy on the mysteries of the Dao of Space. It is a long story though. Actually, this thing was not originally my Lu Family’s, but the Zhang Family’s.”
“Then how did your Lu Family come to possess it? Did you steal it?” Yang Kai looked at him and sneered.
Lu Bai Chuan waved his hand, “Little Brother misunderstands. This thing was part of the dowry the Lu Family received when a woman from the Zhang Family married into the Lu Family two hundred years ago. You should know that my Lu Family and the Zhang Family have several hundred years of friendship, so marriages between us are…”
“What does that have to do with the opportunity you obtained?” Yang Kai cut in, still quite confused.
“Please be patient, Little Brother, this old master will explain everything,” Lu Bai Chuan squeezed out a smile, but seeing Yang Kai’s cold glare, he didn’t dare to dally and quickly continued.
After listening to Lu Bai Chuan’s explanation, Yang Kai understood the whole story.
According to him, this Space Spirit Jade was the dowry of a woman from the Zhang Family who married into the Lu Family two hundred years ago. The Lu Family Patriarch at that time had also studied this treasure many times, but never discovered anything about it.
At that time, the Lu Family Patriarch even consulted the Zhang Family Patriarch about the purpose of this Space Spirit Jade, but even the Zhang Family Patriarch only thought of it as a rare Artifact Refining material.
The Lu Family Patriarch believed that to be true and took the Space Spirit Jade to a few Artifact Refining Grandmasters, wanting to refine it into something more practical. Unfortunately, those Artifact Refining Grandmasters were unable to melt this rare ‘Artifact Refining material’, let alone forge it into something. None could even tell what its origins were.
Since then, this Space Spirit Jade had been stashed away in the Lu Family’s Vault until Lu Bai Chuan’s generation.
“How did you discover its purpose and realize you could use it to cultivate Space Force?” Yang Kai asked curiously.
“It was all a coincidence.” Lu Bai Chuan gave a wry smile and continued, “Ten years ago, when this Lu was cultivating in this secret room, he accidentally discovered that this Space Spirit Jade was emitting some subtle energy fluctuations. At that time, this Lu was surprised and went to investigate, but did not learn anything useful. Soon after, the fluctuations ceased. At that time, this Lu merely thought he was seeing things and didn’t take it to heart.”
“After half a year, it reacted again. This old master realized when this phenomenon occurred once more that it was no mere illusion. The second incident lasted for much longer, but unfortunately, I was still unable to learn much. It was two more years before the fluctuations resurfaced, and this time they persisted for three whole months, allowing this Lu to finally glean something from it, including the method to begin cultivating Space Force.”
“Something so convoluted actually happened?” Yang Kai looked at Lu Bai Chuan suspiciously.
“This Lu would not dare to lie, this is the entire truth,” Lu Bai Chuan said hastily.
Yang Kai nodded, “Go on. I want to know why this Space Spirit Jade responds only at random intervals.”
Lu Bai Chuan gave a wry smile, “This Lu thought the same as Little Brother at the time, that everything was random. Since this Lu managed to obtain great benefits from this phenomenon, however, he naturally did not want to miss any opportunity. Later, after careful investigation, this Lu realized that only when a certain individual came to my Lu Family did the Space Spirit Jade React.”
“What individual?” Yang Kai’s eyes flashed.
Lu Bai Chuan’s mouth twitched, “It was a little girl from the Zhang Family…”
Yang Kai frowned, but soon seemed to understand something and asked, “Zhang Ruo Xi?”
“Indeed,” Lu Bai Chuan nodded and explained, “Every time this Space Spirit Jade has reacted, that little girl was inside my Lu Family and staying close to this Vault. If the first two times could be written off as coincidence, the third time settled things because, at that time, that little girl stayed in my Lu Family for an entire month, and only after she left did the Space Spirit Jade fall silent again. After this Lu had this speculation, he paid special attention to it and sure enough, every time that little girl from the Zhang Family came to my Lu Family, the Space Spirit Jade would show a reaction. What’s more, as she grew older, the jade’s reaction became stronger and stronger. This Lu has no aptitude in the Dao of Space. The only reason this Lu was able to cultivate his Space Needle was thanks to this jade.”
“That little girl actually has some kind of connection to this thing?” Yang Kai was also a little surprised.
There were only two possible explanations for this situation. One was that Zhang Ruo Xi had some kind of Special Constitution which was able to induce a reaction from the Space Spirit Jade, the second was that she had some kind of bloodline connection to this Space Spirit Jade.
However, Yang Kai examined Zhang Ruo Xi before and had not discovered anything special about her. Though, determining if she had a Special Constitution would require a more careful inspection.
As for the second possibility, the chances were low because if Zhang Ruo Xi was inspiring a reaction due to her bloodline, other members of the Zhang Family should have been able to do so as well. Of course, there could be special circumstances, like Zhang Rou Xi’s bloodline suddenly awakening after generations of slumber, or her bloodline being more concentrated due to a sudden mutation, making her unique compared to the rest of the Zhang Family.
Yang Kai frowned as he sank into contemplation while Lu Bai Chuan didn’t dare to move, only able to observe expression anxiously.
“So, you wanted one of your descendants to marry Zhang Ruo Xi for this Space Spirit Jade?” Yang Kai suddenly asked.
Lu Bai Chuan smiled awkwardly, nodded, “Exactly, as long as that little girl remained inside my Lu Family, this old master would be able to study this Space Spirit Jade longer and it may not have been impossible to delve further into the Dao of Space!”
As he spoke, Lu Bai Chuan’s tone grew more and more frantic.
But soon, depression overtook him. A single mistake had caused him to lose this opportunity, and now, whether he lived or died was up to Yang Kai’s mood, so there was no need to think about future glory.
“Little Brother, I have told you everything I know, all I request is that Little Brother allows me to live,” Lu Bai Chuan looked at Yang Kai anxiously.
Yang Kai nodded and said with a smile, “Not a problem.”
“Many thanks, Little Brother…” Lu Bai Chuan was overjoyed and bowed his head, but as soon as the voice fell, he suddenly let out a painful scream as his body was thrown out like a sack, smashing into the wall and causing his bones to shatter while a mouthful of blood spewed from his lips.
“You…” Lu Bai Chuan looked at Yang Kai incredulously, as if he did not expect that after Yang Kai agreed to let him live, he would still launch such a vicious attack.
“I promise to spare your life, so I won’t kill you, you can be assured of that,” Yang Kai continued to smile. “However, whether the Zhang Family kills you or not is none of my business.”
The smile on Yang Kai’s face looked as terrifying as that of a reaper from the underworld to Lu Bai Chuan. Feeling pain in his body, heart, and soul, he coughed up another mouthful of blood and passed out.
Yang Kai turned around, swept up all the Source Crystals in the Lu Family Vault, removed Lu Bai Chuan’s Space Ring, then hoisted him over his shoulder before he began searching for a way to open the various barriers.
It took Yang Kai a little time, but eventually, he managed to disable the arrays protecting the vault. Even with Lu Bai Chuan’s token in hand, the dozens of barriers weren’t so easy to open.
By the time he left the vault, about half a day had passed.
Sweeping the complex with his Divine Sense, Yang Kai could not help but feel a little astonished, “This Lu Family is really skilled at fleeing, there’s actually no-one left.”
When Lu Bai Chuan asked the Lu Family members to pack up their things and leave as soon as possible, Yang Kai was also hiding nearby and heard it, but he hadn’t expected their efficiency to be so high.
However, that did not matter. Yang Kai had promised the Zhang Family’s old matriarch he would obtain vengeance for them, and now that Lu Bai Chuan was captured by him, and the three Origin Kings who had gone to the Zhang Family had been crippled by him, his task could be basically considered complete.
Yang Kai had never intended to slaughter the Lu Family to the last; after all, there were over three hundred members of the Lu Family, many of them elderly or children, so even if they were right before his eyes, Yang Kai would not have been able to just kill them.
And so, after seeing that the Lu Family had fled, he did not have any intentions of chasing them down and instead flew back the way he came leisurely.
At that moment, in front of the Zhang Family Manor, red blood covering the earth as the broken corpses of the three Lu Family Origin Kings lay on the ground. None of the members of the Lu Family that had come with this bridal procession had been spared, all of them were killed by the Zhang Family’s people.
The old woman was pale, covered in blood, her own and her enemies’, while the middle-aged beauty also had a chaotic aura, her jade white hand trembling as it held her sword. On her delicate face, there was some crimson blood that added a dreadful kind of beauty to her.
The fat and thin cultivators were both lying on the ground, one of them leaking blood from his leg with the other was clasping his stomach which was oozing red.
Although the Lu Family’s bridal procession had been wiped out, countless people from the Zhang Family’s side had also been injured. Fortunately, no one had died, which was a small blessing.
The team of women were cleaning up the battlefield even now, kicking and spitting on the dead bodies of the Lu Family cultivators as they worked.
After taking a short break, the middle-aged beauty said, “Mother, Little Brother Yang has been gone for almost a day now. I would like to go and see what the situation is and if he requires assistance, what do you think?”
“Alright,” The old woman nodded, “but be careful.”
“Yes,” The middle-aged beauty nodded sternly and without even taking the time to restore herself, turned to fly towards the Lu Family.
At that moment, Zhang Ruo Xi suddenly cried out, “Grandma does not need to worry, Sir Yang seems to be back.”
Hearing what she said, the old woman and the middle-aged beauty quickly turned their gazes towards the horizon where they saw a figure quickly flying over.
“You’re right, he’s back.” The middle-aged beauty calmed down.
The old woman also smiled and said, “Little Brother Yang is quite amazing, coming back safely.”
“Oh, he seems to be carrying something… It’s a person…” The middle-aged woman stared attentively, and when Yang Kai approached, her tender body suddenly trembled as she shouted, “It’s Old Dog Lu Bai Chuan! Brother Yang managed to capture and bring back that old dog!”
“Really?” The old woman’s eyes flashed as she hurriedly got up and stared towards the distance. Soon after, she burst into laughter and cheered, “It’s really that Old Dog Bai Chuan! Retribution has come! Gao Xuan, my son, you can rest in peace now!”
As she spoke, two tears rolled down her wrinkled cheeks.
Zhang Ruo Xi supported the old woman as she wept with both sorrow and joy.
Soon, Yang Kai landed before the crowd, threw the half-dead Lu Bai Chuan to the ground, and cupped his fists, “I’ve kept you waiting.”
“Good, good, Little Brother has worked hard. Little Brother, for this great kindness, my Zhang Family is eternally grateful,” The old woman said solemnly.
Yang Kai simply waved his hand and said, “Old madam need not be so polite, I’m simply fulfilling the agreement I made with Brother Zhang.”
Hearing him mention Zhang Gao Xuan, the old woman’s face could not help turning slightly gloomy again.
“Ah… I also brought Lu Bai Chuan back with me. I’ll leave what to do with him up to old madam,” Yang Kai quickly changed the subject.
In the middle of the night, inside the Zhang Family Manor, inside an elegant hall.
The old matriarch of the Zhang Family hosted a dinner in Yang Kai’s honour to thank him. Only Yang Kai, the middle-aged beauty, and the old matriarch attended.
The young girl, Zhang Ruo Xi, stood to the side, waiting eagerly, pouring drinks for the three of them as she cast Yang Kai glances from time to time with her beautiful eyes, her gaze filled with gratitude and admiration.
This young girl was only sixteen or seventeen, an age where she was still enamoured with stories of heroes and legends. Today, Yang Kai had almost single-handedly destroyed the Lu Family and avenged the wrongs that had befallen her Zhang Family, so how could she not worship him?
Among the people she met in her life, Zhang Gao Xuan was probably the strongest, but unfortunately, her father had died inside the Five Coloured Treasure Pagoda.
Now though, Yang Kai seemed quite young, but clearly possessed even greater strength than her father. It was only natural she stole a few glances at him. Perhaps it was also due to the aroma of the wine, but the little girl’s delicate face now had a healthy blush on it. However, she still maintained excellent decorum and would promptly perform her serving duties without a single mistake.
“My Zhang Family does not have much in the way of hospitality, but I do hope Sir Benefactor will enjoy what little we do have.” Although the old matriarch was still injured, she still had a ruddy look on her face and politely offered Yang Kai the best she could.
The middle-aged beauty also spoke to him warmly.
“Old madam is too polite, and there is no need to address me as Sir or Benefactor. If old madam does not mind, please just address Junior by name directly,” Yang Kai felt quite uncomfortable when the old woman addressed him so formally.
After the Zhang Family killed Lu Bai Chuan, Yang Kai wanted to leave. If it weren’t for Zhang Ruo Xi’s relationship with the Space Spirit Jade, he would never have agreed to remain.
However, he didn’t know how to bring up this subject. He instinctively felt that this Space Spirit Jade was hiding many secrets, ones likely related to the Zhang Family, so talking about it rashly would only be counterproductive. As such, he could only look for the right opportunity.
Considering all this, he couldn’t help glancing over at Zhang Ruo Xi, just to find that this little girl was also quietly looking at himself with a pair of bright eyes.
Seeing Yang Kai looking towards her, Zhang Ruo Xi was shocked and hastily lowered her head, her pretty face turning bright red as she stared at the floor.
Yang Kai chuckled and looked away casually.
The beautiful woman sitting on the left side of Yang Kai saw this scene and many thoughts flashed across her mind as a slight smile appeared on her lips.
“Old madam, the Lu Family matter has been settled, so according to our previous discussion, the agreement between myself and Brother Zhang has now been completed,” Yang Kai said with a solemn expression.
“Naturally,” The old woman nodded.
“As for the Dao Source Pill, after I find an Alchemist to refine it, old madam may rest assured that I will find a way to deliver one to the Zhang Family.”
The old woman chuckled, “This old woman believes in Sir Benefactor’s character, and my Zhang Family is in no hurry now. Currently, my Zhang Family has suffered severe damage, so even if we were to receive a Dao Source Pill, what could we do with it? So, Benefactor need not worry about this issue, we can discuss it after the pill has been refined.”
“That would be best,” Yang Kai nodded.
At that moment, the middle-aged beauty, who had not much that evening, suddenly spoke, “Brother Yang is so young but has such amazing cultivation, an extraordinary hero worthy of admiration. There must be many women who have shown you favour, yes?”
Yang Kai was startled when he heard these words, never having expected them to come up and from a woman no less.
The old woman also frowned, and although she felt that it was a bit inappropriate for a woman to talk about such a topic with Yang Kai, she knew her daughter-in-law was not one for casual gossip so she didn’t interrupt and instead just observed.
The middle-aged woman was also observing the situation carefully, and after seeing the shock fade from Yang Kai’s eyes and be replaced with a look of fond reminiscence, she immediately knew her speculations were not unfounded.
However, if one thought about it a bit, it wasn’t too surprising. Despite Yang Kai looking quite young, with a Third-Order Origin King cultivation, it was only natural he had plenty of life experience and would have met at least one or two unforgettable women on his journey through life.
It would be stranger if Yang Kai really was divorced from the matters of the heart.
The banquet seemed to fall into a strange silence as Yang Kai became lost in his memories.
After some time, Yang Kai sighed and stood up, “Old madam, the hour is late, so Junior would like to go back and rest first. Old madam was injured during the battle today so she should also go back and rest early, lest her wounds become worse.”
The old woman smiled and nodded, “Many thanks for Sir Benefactor’s care, I shall do so. Ruo Xi, take Benefactor to the guest room and serve him well.”
“Yes,” Zhang Ruo Xi heard this, put down the wine pitcher, and elegantly bowed to Yang Kai, “Sir, please come with me.”
Yang Kai complied and left with Zhang Ruo Xi.
After Yang Kai left, the old woman glared at the beautiful woman.
The beautiful woman looked embarrassed, “Mother, daughter-in-law knows she made an indiscreet remark.”
“Hmph! Fortunately, Benefactor seems to have a benevolent nature, otherwise, this old lady would not spare you,” The old woman coldly snorted.
The middle-aged beauty nodded repeatedly.
“But… why did you ask such a question just now?” The old woman frowned and inquired.
The beautiful woman smiled and said, “Mother, did you not notice? Benefactor glanced towards Ruo Xi several times during the night.”
“And so?” The old woman asked.
The beautiful woman smiled, “Even though Ruo Xi is not a great beauty, she still has her charms. It seems Benefactor is a bit interested in her.”
The old woman heard this and furrowed her brow, “That can’t be, no? Ruo Xi is just a First-Order Saint King, how could she enter Benefactor’s vision?”
The beautiful woman pursed her lips and smiled, “Mother, men do not only care about a woman’s cultivation, their feelings also matter as well. If there is an attraction, no matter how low a woman’s cultivation is, it will not matter, and if there are no such feelings, it will not matter how high a woman’s cultivation is.”
The old woman immediately became a bit disgruntled as she snapped, “Are you implying this old woman does not understand the ways of men and women?”
The beautiful woman spat out her tongue, “Daughter-in-law had no such intentions. However, right now, my Zhang Family is weak, Gao Xuan died inside the Five Coloured Treasure Pagoda, and although the Lu Family is now gone, meaning there is no need to worry about foreign enemies in the short term, Mother must not forget that in the surrounding region, it is not just the Lu Family that has an interest in us. If my Zhang Family does not have a master to protect it, what will we do if a strong enemy invades? The three favours Gao Xuan secured from Benefactor for us have also been used up, so it will be impossible to ask him to help in the future.”
“What you mean is…” The old woman asked thoughtfully.
“If my Zhang Family can form a relationship with Benefactor, if the Zhang Family encounters trouble in the future, will he just stand by and watch?” The beautiful woman smiled elegantly, “And Ruo Xi is the key to forming such a relationship.”
“I understand what you want to say,” The old woman nodded and said seriously, “If it is as you said, this is an excellent plan. Gao Xuan has died, and my Zhang Family really must begin considering its future. “
“En. He is so young yet has already reached the Third-Order Origin King Realm, and judging from his performance during the day, it seems that he is not an ordinary Third-Order Origin King. No ordinary Third-Order Origin King would be capable of plunging into the Lu Family and capturing Lu Bai Chuan alive! With his aptitude, breaking through to the Dao Source Realm in the future is not impossible. If my Zhang Family could be connected with him, it would be the same as enjoying cool shade under a big tree! Even if he did not remain here, who would dare to provoke us?”
Hearing this, the old woman’s eyes lit up and she also became excited. Around Maplewood City, there weren’t many families that had a Dao Source Realm master. If a Dao Source Realm master was sheltering them, that family could at least remain worry-free for a hundred years.
But she still hesitated, “It is as you say, but I’m afraid all this is still just our wishful thinking, and if we were to upset Benefactor in any way…”
The beautiful woman smiled, “Mother, we can do this…”
As she spoke, she leaned forward and whispered in the old woman’s ear.
The old woman listened and nodded repeatedly, and after a long time smiled and said, “Good, good, very good, we’ll follow your plan. But doing this will probably make Ruo Xi suffer.”
The beautiful woman smiled and shook her head, “Why would this make her suffer? I think Benefactor is by no means a villain, and if Ruo Xi can really follow him, she will likely be extremely happy. Mother, rest assured, I will go and explain everything to Ruo Xi tonight.”
“Good, but if Ruo Xi disagrees, don’t force her. I don’t want to exchange her happiness for the future of my Zhang Family,” The old woman nodded.
…..
Under the guidance of the young girl, Yang Kai walked through the manor until finally arriving at a certain room. The young girl opened the door and quickly prepared the beddings inside.
Yang Kai exchanged a few words with her on the way, but judging from the girl’s reaction, she was extremely shy. When answering Yang Kai’s question, her voice trembled and her face flushed while she constantly apologized to Yang Kai even if she had done nothing wrong.
After everything was prepared, the girl bowed and said, “Sir, please rest, Ruo Xi will take her leave.”
“En, good work,” Yang Kai nodded.
The girl hurriedly walked by him, and with the faint moonlight, Yang Kai was able to make out a hint of red colouring her cheeks all the way to her ears.
After the girl left, Yang Kai turned his head and looked around the room, finding that it was decorated quite luxuriously. With a wave of his hand, he used his Qi and Spiritual Energy to create a barrier around the room to isolate it from the outside.
With a flicker, he arrived atop the bed and sat down cross-legged to begin checking his harvest from the day.
Needless to say, the things he obtained from the Lu Family Vault were not plentiful nor poor. Just the Source Crystals along number more than 600,000.
With Yang Kai’s previous gains, he now had almost one million Low-Rank Source Crystals.
There were also some artifacts in the vault, all of them Origin King Grade. Yang Kai had only glanced at them before tossing them into his Space Ring. As for the rare ores, he had thrown them into his Sealed World Bead so his Embodiment could absorb them with the Heaven Devouring Battle Law.
There were also some pills which Yang Kai quickly sorted through and stored away in case of emergencies.
Next, Yang Kai checked Lu Bai Chuan’s Space Ring and found a similar assortment of items to the ones he found in the vault.
As for the Thunder Wind Hammer and Silver Moon Purple Frost Saber, Yang Kai appreciated them a bit more than the other treasures. Although the Thunder Wind Hammer was quite imposing, it was just an Origin King Grade artifact in the end, so it was only slightly more valuable.
The Silver Moon Purple Frost Saber, on the other hand, was able to display slight traces of Principle Strength.
Before he broke through to the Dao Source Realm, this Silver Moon Purple Frost Sabre would have some use to him.
His most precious artifacts were the four Emperor Artifacts he had on him, but none could be easily revealed in front of others. Apart from that, only the Dragon Bone Sword was left.
However, Yang Kai had already made up his mind to fuse the Dragon Bone Sword into his body, so this artifact was destined to disappear in the near future. The Silver Moon Purple Frost Sabre would be able to make up for this in the short term. This artifact wasn’t too high-grade, so it wouldn’t be noticeable when he used it, and it could also display the might of Principle Strength, which boosted its strength greatly.
Thinking so, Yang Kai put away the Silver Moon Purple Frost Sabre, not intending on refining it, as that would be a waste of time. This way, when he found something better, he could simply replace it.
Then, he solemnly took out the Space Spirit Jade from his Space Ring.
As soon as the dark round jade appeared, Yang Kai felt that it was different from earlier today. At this moment, the Space Spirit Jade was vibrating slightly while also exuding a profound and mysterious fluctuation. On its surface, a faint trace of black ripples even appeared.
The pitch-black jade seemed to grow even darker, like a pure emptiness that wanted to swallow in everything around it!
“Seems like it’s real!” Yang Kai saw this and confirmed that the Space Spirit Jade had undergone this change because Zhang Ruo Xi was nearby. When Yang Kai had seen it earlier in the day, it was completely still and tranquil.
But now, Yang Kai could clearly feel the Space Force fluctuations coming from the Space Spirit Jade. If someone was immersed in these fluctuations for a long time, it wouldn’t be impossible to comprehend Space Force.
Zhang Ruo Xi had lived with Lu Family for a month at one point, and during that month, Lu Bai Chuan had an opportunity to comprehend the Dao of Space.
Obviously, the reason why Lu Bai Chuan wanted his heir to marry Zhang Ruo Xi was entirely because of this Space Spirit Jade. It could even be said that the reason he turned on the Zhang Family was related to this.
However, Yang Kai wouldn’t be able to learn anything from these kinds of fluctuations. If Zhang Ruo Xi were to be exposed to this jade, however, he didn’t know if a change would occur.
This thing was currently in his hands, but ultimately, it stemmed from the Zhang Family. It belonged to Yang Kai now though, and it didn’t matter if he didn’t return it as this was a trophy that the Zhang Family no longer had any right to. But that also meant that Yang Kai couldn’t just go to the Zhang Family to ask about it either.
What’s more, the Zhang Family likely didn’t even know anything about this! If they had considered it valuable, they would not have given it away two hundred years ago as dowry to the Lu Family.
It seemed he would need to depend on himself.
Yang Kai thus began to study the Space Spirit Jade attentively.
Over the next two days. Yang Kai stayed with the Zhang Family, and he spent almost all his time trying to pry into the secrets of the Space Spirit Jade but got nothing for his investment.
When he realized that such investigations were pointless, he also determined that there was no reason to remain with them. As such, he immediately decided to bid farewell to the Zhang Family’.
The old woman and the middle-aged woman tried multiple times to get him to stay, but seeing Yang Kai determined to leave, they did not force the issue and instead saw him out personally.
“Benefactor, please take care of yourself in the future, if you ever have time to spare, my Zhang Family would be honoured if you grace us with your presence!” After two days of recuperation, the old woman looked much better, but due to her age and the damage she had suffered to her foundation, she was unable to completely restore herself.
Seeing her act so enthusiastic, Yang Kai simply smiled lightly and said, “If there is a chance, I will stop by. When the time comes, I hope old madam will not shut me out.”
“Benefactor is the sole reason my Zhang Family was able to overcome our crisis, but my Zhang Family really has nothing to repay you with… This Mistress has noticed the Benefactor is a lone traveller, so inevitably there must be some inconveniences in Benefactor’s daily life. As such, This Mistress hopes that Benefactor will allow Ruo Xi to accompany him so she may tend to his needs in the future!” The middle-aged beauty suddenly said while pulling out Zhang Ruo Xi who had been hiding behind her.
“Huh?” Yang Kai was stunned for a moment, never having expected the middle-aged woman to make such a proposal, causing him to unconsciously glance towards the young girl.
All Yang Kai could see, though, was the little girl lowering her head and playing with her clothes, her face blushing, her lips pressed tightly shut.
Yang Kai had a strange feeling in his heart, but soon understood the intentions of this middle-aged beauty.
She obviously felt that the Zhang Family was severely weakened now and feared that, powerful enemies would covet them in the future. She wanted to build a good relationship with him in hopes he would shelter the Zhang Family in the future, and Zhang Ruo Xi was the bridge she had chosen to build this relationship on.
If he really agreed, he likely wouldn’t be able to stand idly by if such calamity befell the Zhang Family out of consideration for Zhang Ruo Xi.
After understanding this, Yang Kai frowned as he instinctively repelled such ideas, but he did not immediately refuse.
Because according to his original idea, he was planning on handling affairs with Kang Si Ran first before coming to the Zhang Family to stay as a guest to study the Space Spirit Jade. If that wasn’t the case, he wouldn’t have agreed to the old woman’s invitation to visit in the future.
However, through some twist of fate, the Zhang Family was actually giving Zhang Ruo Xi to him.
While he found this kind of practice off-putting, he also could not help feeling that good fortune had fallen from the sky and landed in his lap.
Seeing Yang Kai hesitating, Zhang Ruo Xi seemed to become even more embarrassed. The middle-aged beauty, however, just smiled slightly and said, “Although Ruo Xi is a young child with low cultivation, unable to assist Benefactor in battle, she has good talent and is both quiet and clever. If Benefactor takes her with him, he will no longer need to worry about trivial matters in the future and can focus on his own cultivation as well as breaking through to the Dao Source Realm as soon as possible.”
The middle-aged woman vigorously promoted Zhang Ruo Xi in front of Yang Kai, while observing his words and expressions, “However… If Benefactor is adverse to this idea, then it seems Ruo Xi will not be able to enjoy this blessing.”
As soon as she said this, Zhang Ruo Xi could not help trembling slightly as she tightly gripped her small fists.
“Sister Ruo Xi is both refined and intelligent, how could I dislike her, it’s just…” Yang Kai frowned and glanced at the old woman while speaking but seeing her looking back at him with some expectation, he knew that this matter had already been discussed between these two women beforehand.
Perhaps, during the dinner that night, him glancing at Zhang Ruo Xi a few times had caused some kind of misunderstanding.
Seeing Zhang Ruo Xi’s head droop as she bit her thin lip, Yang Kai sighed in his heart and swallowed back the refusal he was about to make, “It’s just that I don’t want to force someone to do something against their will. Regarding this matter, I will have to ask Miss Ruo Xi’s opinion. If she wants to go with me, I can take her away from Zhang Family, but if she does not want to leave, then I’ll pretend I never heard anything.”
Hearing this, the middle-aged beautiful woman breathed a sigh of relief and smiled, “Of course.”
Saying so, she turned to Zhang Ruo Xi and asked, “Ruo Xi, you heard Benefactor’s words yourself, so speak your mind. Would you like to leave with Benefactor and serve him from now on?”
Zhang Ruo Xi did not lift her head and just nodded shyly.
The middle-aged woman smiled warmly and spoke once more, “Ruo Xi, you need to make yourself clear or Benefactor will not know your true thoughts.”
Zhang Ruo Xi’s voice was as quiet as a mosquito as she spoke a simple, “Yes!”
The middle-aged beauty smiled and turned to Yang Kai, “Benefactor, Ruo Xi is willing. No one is forcing her.”
Yang Kai sighed, “Good, in that case, she will accompany me.”
“Many thanks, Sir,” Zhang Ruo Xi bowed elegantly.
“You may rest assured, as long as you remain with me, no one will bully you, regarding this, old madam may feel relieved,” Yang Kai turned to the old woman and said with a serious face.
The old woman smiled, “It is Ruo Xi’s blessing to be able to follow Benefactor, and the Zhang Family believes in the character of Benefactor.”
Yang Kai nodded before turning to Zhang Ruo Xi and saying, “If you have anything you wish to say to your family, do so now, I will go on ahead and wait for you.”
Saying so, Yang Kai flew off a short distance.
Glancing back, Zhang Ruo Xi had thrown herself into the arms of the old woman, choking on her sobs, the old woman patting her shoulders to comfort her while telling her something.
Next, Zhang Ruo Xi bid farewell to the middle-aged woman and the other members of her family one by one. Before leaving, she kowtowed three times towards the Zhang Family home before turning around and walking out towards where Yang Kai stood.
When she got closer, she wiped the tears from the corners of her eyes with her hand and whispered, “Sir, I’m fine now.”
Yang Kai chuckled, “You don’t have to look so forlorn. I live in Maplewood City, so if you ever feel homesick in the future, you can come back here to visit, I won’t stop you.”
Zhang Ruo Xi shook her head and said, “Grandma said I am no longer a member of the Zhang Family so I do not need to return. I should only serve Sir with all my heart.”
Yang Kai was taken aback for a moment, before nodding, “Old madam seems to have considered things carefully.”
The old woman telling Zhang Ruo Xi this was obviously because she was afraid of upsetting Yang Kai, but how could she have known that he would not care about such things at all. The only reason Yang Kai agreed to bring Zhang Ruo Xi along with him was because of the Space Spirit Jade, not because he had any interest in her personally. Yang Kai couldn’t be bothered to explain any of this though, so he simply left it as it was.
Flying back, Yang Kai realized he did not have a good flight-type artifact, only the Star Shuttle he had from his native Star Field, which was far from sufficient for his current needs.
As such, he simply wrapped Zhang Ruo Xi in his Qi and flew back on his own.
Zhang Ruo Xi only had a First-Order Saint King cultivation, and had never left the Zhang Family before, nor experienced such a fast flight, so she kept her eyes closed shut with fright and her fists clenched tightly, like she was bracing herself on the way to the execution ground.
Yang Kai saw this, smiled, and shook his head, choosing not to say anything.
Soon after, Yang Kai arrived at the gates to Maplewood City, landed, and brought Zhang Ruo Xi into the city.
This little girl had apparently never seen the city due to her constantly attending to the old matriarch in the Zhang Family, so after entering, she could not stop her eyes from darting about, taking in all the new and dazzling sights.
Yang Kai noticed she was wearing a simple dress with no jewellery on her body and found it a bit pitiful. He wanted to give her something, but was afraid she would misunderstand his intentions, so he simply gave up.
Once back at his rented secluded home, Yang Kai took out the Identity Token and was about to open it when suddenly, someone rushed up to him and called out anxiously, “Alchemist Yang, you’re back.”
Yang Kai heard this voice, turned his head, and saw a familiar face he couldn’t help chuckling at, “It’s you again?”
It was none other than the shop-hand from Spirit Pill Plaza he was familiar with. Because Yang Kai often went in and out of Spirit Pill Plaza to refine Spirit Pills, he had a slight impression of this man.
“It is this humble one,” The shop hand bowed to Yang Kai. After straightening himself back up, he gave Zhang Ruo Xi a strange look, wondering why Yang Kai was being accompanied by a young First-Order Saint King girl.
“Why are you waiting here for me?” Yang Kai asked, looking at the shop-hand.
The shop hand promptly replied, “It’s like this, this humble one has been ordered by Shopkeeper Kang to wait here for Alchemist Yang to invite him to the upcoming auction fair.”
“Auction fair?” Yang Kai raised his brow, soon recalling that Kang Si Ran had mentioned this to him a few days ago. He said that the cultivators of Maplewood City had found a lot of treasures in the Five Colored Treasure Pagoda, so City Lord Duan Yuan Shan had organized an auction fair to let everyone exchange for what they needed.
It was just that Yang Kai’s pockets were a little light at that time, so he didn’t have much interest in it. As he hadn’t expressed much interest in participating, he was surprised Kang Si Ran would send someone to invite him.
[I’ve just obtained a lot of Source Crystals and treasures from the Lu Family, so it should be fine to check it out.]
Having considered all this, Yang Kai asked, “What’s so special about this auction fair? Why is Shopkeeper Kang so interested?”
The shop hand smiled mysteriously, glancing left and right before leaning in closer to Yang Kai and saying in a low voice, “Shopkeeper Kang said that a Dao Source Fruit will appear.”
“Really?” Yang Kai was astonished.
“Indeed! That’s why Shopkeeper Kang is so keen about this auction, and also wants to ask Alchemist Yang to join him to gather funds and snatch the Dao Source Fruit together.”
“Alright,” Yang Kai nodded.
“In addition, Shopkeeper Kang said that there is an ancient pill furnace among the items listed for auction, one that is at least of Dao Source-Grade Low-Rank. If Alchemist Yang can obtain this pill furnace, his refinement success rate will surely increase. This ancient pill furnace should be very attractive to all Alchemists.”
“I am indeed interested in this,” Yang Kai smiled. “Hmm, where is this auction held and when will it start?”
A smile appeared on the shop-hand’s face as he replied, “It will start at noon today. I have been waiting for Alchemist Yang for two days now, if Alchemist Yang had not just returned, he may have missed it.”
“So, it seems that I came back just at the right time. Good, go back and inform Shopkeeper Kang I will come to meet him right away.”
“Yes!” The shop hand replied before promptly retreating.
Although the two didn’t speak loudly, Zhang Ruo Xi, who was curiously watching things nearby, heard most of it. Waiting until the shop hand left, she asked Yang Kai curiously, “Sir, are you an Alchemist?”
Yang Kai smiled and replied, “I know a little something. Let’s head in first.”
Saying so, Yang Kai activated the barrier of the secluded home and took Zhang Ruo Xi inside.
The secluded home that he had rented in Maplewood City might not be the best, but it wasn’t bad either, having several rooms inside and being fairly spacious. Yang Kai gave a room to Zhang Ruo Xi to live in for now.
He also gave her an Identity Token and taught her how to activate and deactivate the protective barriers. He then warned her not to open the secluded home to anyone except him.
Zhang Ruo Xi nodded and agreed.
“You can go out for a walk if you are bored. Security in Maplewood City is fairly good, but you must stay away from the Black Market as the City Lord’s Mansion cannot supervise that area. If you went there with your cultivation, it would be very dangerous,” Yang Kai exhorted.
“Ruo Xi won’t go anywhere. Ruo Xi will be waiting for Sir’s return,” Zhang Ruo Xi stated in a quiet voice.
“As you wish. You can rest first, I will be going out for a bit,” Yang Kai said before leaving straight away.
Zhang Ruo Xi bowed respectfully to his disappearing figure.
After Yang Kai left, Zhang Ruo Xi started looking around the secluded home and realized that although it was neat and clean, it was also quite barren and empty. Considering she would be living here from now on, she began thinking about how to redecorate.
After taking some time to come up with a plan, Zhang Ruo Xi smiled happily before immediately taking things out of her Space Ring and arranging them.
…
Spirit Pill Plaza…
When Yang Kai arrived, someone immediately informed Kang Si Ran.
Not long after, Kang Si Ran came out and held Yang Kai’s hands enthusiastically, “Alchemist Yang, you finally showed up. If you didn’t appear, I’m afraid you would have missed this auction fair. Let’s go, time is running out, we need to arrive at the City Lord’s Mansion as soon as possible.”
“The auction fair is being held at the City Lord’s Mansion?” Yang Kai asked, astonished.
“Naturally! After all, this auction fair is organized by Sir City Lord himself, so of course, the venue is the City Lord’s Mansion. I will tell you about the treasures that will appear on the way.”
While on his way to the City Lord’s Mansion with Kang Si Ran, Yang Kai listened to the inside information from him. As they walked, Yang Kai came to realize that although Maplewood City’s cultivators had suffered serious casualties inside the Five Colored Treasure Pagoda, many had also managed to obtain good treasures.
Needless to say, the Dao Source Fruit would surely become the final item to be auctioned.
There were also several Dao Source Grade artifacts, which had attracted many Dao Source Realm masters of nearby great forces to participate in the auction.
Moreover, there were ancient pills, Secret Arts, and Secret Techniques.
In short, this auction would be an unprecedented event for Maplewood City, and all cultivators were looking forward to it. However, there were some prerequisites to participating in the auction; after all, there were many cultivators in Maplewood City and not everyone could be accommodated into the City Lord’s Mansion.
If one wanted to join the auction, other than being invited by the City Lord’s Mansion, only two kinds of people could enter freely.
Cultivators at or above the Origin King Realm, or someone with strong financial backing. If a cultivator didn’t meet either of these requirements, they weren’t even allowed to enter the auction house.
As the shopkeeper of the Spirit Pill Plaza, Kang Si Ran often dealt with the City Lord’s Mansion, so he had obtained an invitation long ago and was allowed to bring one person inside with him, meaning Yang Kai’s cultivation and financial resources didn’t need to be checked.
“Heavenly Martial Holy Land placed three Dao Source Fruits in the Five Colored Treasure Pagoda this time, one of which will appear in the auction. As for the other two, no one knows who obtained them,” Kang Si Ran said. He had always been eyeing the Dao Source Fruits and was quite annoyed that his luck wasn’t good enough to obtain one inside the Five Colored Treasure Pagoda. Today though, he had brought out his life’s savings to obtain this Dao Source Fruit.
However, he knew that he had little to no hope of success; after all, while he was the shopkeeper of Spirit Pill Plaza, how could his financial resources be compared with those from big Sects and families? If he were to attend the auction as a representative of Violet Source Chamber of Commerce, his situation would have been completely different, but using funds from Violet Source Chamber of Commerce would mean the Dao Source Fruit would ultimately not belong to him.
Hearing what he said, Yang Kai scratched his nose and remained silent.
After all, one of the Dao Source Fruits was still lying in his Space Ring. As for the third one, he had no idea about it.
Chatting and walking, the two soon arrived at the City Lord’s Mansion.
The City Lord’s Mansion entrance was bustling with people, many of them eager to enter while the guards were trying to maintain order. From time to time, people would try to push their way inside, but they would immediately be thrown out while being mocked and cursed.
“A mere Third-Order Origin Returning Realm wants to participate in the auction!? Go back and cultivate for a few more decades first! What, you have Source Crystals? Let me see, a few hundred thousand Source Crystals? You call this having Source Crystals!? Scram!” Loud cursing could be heard coming from the front as some unqualified cultivators wanted to pass through but were caught by the guards and unceremoniously expelled.
“First-Order Origin King, you are barely qualified.”
“A Third-Order Saint King like you wants to join in the fun? You think Father here won’t slap you to death? What, you have a million Source Crystals? Why didn’t you say so! Go on in.”
The guards were also very busy. The auction was about to start, but there were still countless cultivators who wanted to enter, leading to many big headaches.
“Ah, Shopkeeper Kang!”
Kang Si Ran and Yang Kai squeezed their way through the crowd to get to the City Lord’s Mansion’s gates where the guards immediately recognized Kang Si Ran and put a big smile on his face.
“Shopkeeper Kang, even if it is you, you must follow the rules. You have an invitation, right?”
“Of course,” Kang Si Ran smiled as he took out the invitation before handing it over under the envious gazes of the nearby cultivators.
The guard took it and after verifying its authenticity, he said with a smile, “Shopkeeper Kang, please enter, you only need to show the invitation at the entrance and someone will come to greet you.”
“Very good! Ah, right, this Kang will be bringing this friend in with me, that’s not a problem, right?” Kan Si Ran pointed at Yang Kai.
“According to the rules, it’s not a problem,” That guard only glanced once at Yang Kai before letting him go.
Kan Si Ran nodded before the pair left the crowd and made their way inside.
“Let’s go, the auction is about to start,” Kang Si Ran picked up his pace.
Soon after, the two entered the City Lord’s Mansion and after Kang Si Ran showed his invitation, a maid promptly led them to a private room numbered B9.
Kang Si Ran looked a little surprised by this number; after all, he could be regarded as someone famous in Maplewood City and although his cultivation wasn’t the strongest, with Violet Source Chamber of Commerce backing him, even City Lord Duan Yuan Shan dared not look down on him.
But now, he had only been assigned to a private room in the B Block, making it all the more evident that the people in the higher-ranked rooms either had higher strength, or bigger backgrounds.
Realizing this, Kang Si Ran frowned as a bad premonition came over him.
The auction site was a large hall inside the City Lord’s Mansion that had been temporarily remodelled specifically for the occasion. The hall was jam-packed with people and with just a glance, Yang Kai estimated that there were at least thousands of people here and over a hundred private rooms.
What’s more, there were many people who were still trying to enter. If not for Kang Si Ran’s status, the two of them might not have even been able to squeeze inside.
At this moment, the lower hall was bustling with noises and people as countless cultivators chatted with each other in small groups. Obviously, the auction had still not started.
Only the hundred private rooms remained silent, and whenever a cultivator down below glanced upwards, gazes filled with envy.
“Please sit,” Kang Si Ran said as he found a place for himself.
Yang Kai also took a seat. In any case, he had participated in several auctions over the years, so despite this being his first one in the Star Boundary, everything still felt quite familiar to him.
Yang Kai and Kang Si Ran took their seats and began chatting, but soon after, drums played and down in the auction hall, a short old man with white hair and beard jumped onto the auction platform all of a sudden.
This man’s appearance was quite eye-catching. He wore loose and baggy clothes, his hair was unkempt, and he had the red nose of a drunk. On his waist, there was a big green wine gourd. At first glance, everyone would think of him as a beggar from the streets.
As soon as the old man stepped on the stage, he let out a hearty laugh, lifted the big gourd on his waist like there was no one watching, removed the cork, and poured a strong-smelling wine straight down his throat.
After a few loud gulps, he actually gave a loud burp and narrowed his eyes slightly in satisfaction. He looked as if he would have no regrets even if he ended up dying right this moment.
The smell of wine quickly permeated through the hall.
“This…” Yang Kai was dumbstruck at this sight, his eyes looking as if they were ready to pop out at any moment.
He had participated in several auctions in his native Star Field, but in every one of those, the host had either been a sophisticated or seductive woman, or a scholarly well-kept man. He had never seen a host as unique as this old man on the high platform.
“Alchemist Yang, you only arrived in Maplewood City recently, so it’s not a surprise you don’t know him,” Kang Si Ran broke into a fit of laughter, and before Yang Kai could ask anything, he explained. “He is one of the two Vice City Lords of Maplewood City, no one knows his exact name, but since he calls himself Drunkard, everyone else does as well.”
“He’s one of the two Vice City Lords? Wouldn’t that make him a Dao Source Realm master?” Yang Kai was extremely shocked.
“Yes! He is a First-Order Dao Source Realm cultivator, but as for his specific strengths, that’s unknown. Rumour has it that his true strength isn’t much worse than that of City Lord Duan’s and he is actually capable of fighting cultivators above his realm,” Kang Si Ran said.
Yang Kai nodded his acknowledgement as he asked with a smile, “Is it okay to let him preside over the auction? I think he’s already drunk.”
To that, Kang Si Ran just smiled and said, “Don’t judge him by his appearance, Drunkard has a very prestigious reputation in Maplewood City, beating up ruffians and helping the down-trodden, being generous and kind to the poor. He is a good man.”
Yang Kai nodded, “If that’s the case, then there should be no problem.”
At that moment, Drunkard seemed to be reminiscing about the taste of his wine, but after a moment, he returned to his senses, glanced around, and cupped his fist, “I believe all our honoured guests recognize this old man already. En, it doesn’t matter if you don’t recognize me either. This old man isn’t here to make friends, but to host an auction anyways, so don’t stare at this old man; just focus on the auction items.”
Just as he said this, many cultivators in the hall broke into laughter. Yang Kai also found him quite interesting. This old man didn’t seem to have the slightest aloofness and arrogance a Dao Source master should have, but was instead calm and carefree.
“Good, this old man despises troublesome things, so obviously this old man didn’t want to host this auction, but Sir City Lord suddenly came out and offered me some good wine, getting me to agree to this while I was drunk. Sir City Lord is really too sinister, damn it all! Anyway, this old man is in a hurry, so act decisively during the auction because this old man won’t wait, he has to go out and bask in the sun as soon as possible,” Drunkard quickly said as he walked up to the dais.
Hearing what he said, many people put on serious expressions.
“Good, enough nonsense, let the auction begin,” Drunkard said in a low voice as he gestured towards the back.
A maid of the City Lord’s Mansion immediately came out from backstage, carrying a jade plate. On this jade plate was a white porcelain bottle. From the looks of it, the first item going to be auctioned today was a pill.
“Soul Condensing Pills, an ancient lost pill, three pills in total to be auctioned off together, the starting bid is 30,000 Source Crystals, and each raise should not be less than 1,000 Source Crystals, begin.” Finished with the introduction, Drunkard stood in place silently.
“Soul Condensing Pill, it’s really a Soul Condensing Pill!? If Soul Condensing Pills are being auctioned first, just what kind of treasures will appear next?”
“It’s said that taking a Soul Condensing Pill can temper one’s Soul, making their Spiritual Energy and Divine Sense stronger. I wonder if it’s true or not.”
“This is an Origin King Grade High-Rank pill! It can’t be refined by any of Maplewood City’s Alchemists under normal circumstances.”
After hearing the words ‘Soul Condensing Pill’, all the cultivators present instantly became enthusiastic; after all, it was difficult to increase the strength of one’s Soul, and a powerful Divine Sense was useful for many things, including searching, concealment, and even direct confrontations. These Soul Condensing Pills were useful to all cultivators.
“31,000!”
“32,000!”
“35,000!”
The bids kept rising in the hall, one after another, and even some from the private rooms participated. Not long after, the bottle of Soul Condensing Pills broke through the 50,000 Source Crystals mark.
It wasn’t until someone called out 60,000 Source Crystals that the hall temporarily turned calm.
“60,000 going once, going twice, going thrice, and sold! This bottle of Soul Condensing Pill is sold to the friend who just made the bid, please take your Source Crystals and go backstage to claim your item. Now, let’s move on to the next item!”
Drunkard, who had been standing on the high platform with his eyes closed, closed the deal all of a sudden and moved on to the next item without giving others even a chance to react.
“This…”
“So fast!”
“Is this an auction or selling by compulsion!?”
“Senior Drunkard’s conduct is really too much!”
An uproar immediately broke out in the hall, with many objecting. Obviously, no cultivator had experienced such an auction before. Normally, auction hosts would ask again and again for higher bids, like they feared selling the item at lower than the deserved price, but Drunkard didn’t seem to care about it at all.
It really seemed like he wanted to end the auction as early as possible and then go to sleep under the sun…
For a moment, the cultivators who had been hesitating on whether to increase the bid or not just now were extremely annoyed, while on the other hand, the man who made the last bid of 60,000 got up from his seat with a face filled with joy at having picked up a bargain and immediately rushed to the backstage to finalize the deal.
After having come to learn about Drunkard’s impatient style, every cultivator bid passionately during the subsequent auctions. When they found something they wanted, they didn’t hesitate, and the rate of bids coming in only grew faster and faster. Everyone was afraid that Drunkard would call the winner before they managed to call their bid.
This way, the auction suddenly progressed extremely quickly, and in less than half an hour, more than forty items had been auctioned off.
This was completely the opposite of all auctions Yang Kai had participated in before.
Pills, artifacts, Secret Arts, Secret Techniques, all appeared one by one. Some of these were put up for auctions by cultivators themselves from their personal or family collections, but most items originated from the Five Colored Treasure Pagoda.
These relics of the ancient battlefield naturally caused a lot of people to vie for them, making the atmosphere of the entire auction site extremely hot.
Yang Kai also gained a rough understanding of the market prices of the items sold.
An ordinary Dao Source Grade artifact apparently cost between 700,000 to 800,000 Source Crystals, and if its grade was slightly higher, then the price reaching a million to several millions was pretty normal.
Originally, Yang Kai felt that with a million Source Crystals, he was sufficiently wealthy, but now he realized he was still quite poor.
“Dao Source Grade Low-Rank Tiger Battle Armor, 1.8 million, going once, going twice, going thrice, and sold! Friend, please take your Source Crystals backstage to claim your item. Let’s move on to the next item,” Drunkard, having finished speaking, continued moving things along.
From backstage, a maidservant walked out, carrying a mysterious auction item on a jade tray which was covered by a red cloth. The audience could not see this item’s true appearance and could only tell it was about the size of a melon.
When the maid came closer, Drunkard suddenly grinned as he looked out at the audience meaningfully, “This item is extremely precious and would normally have been auctioned as the finale, but is being auctioned in advance under this old man’s strong suggestion. Presumably, many people here can guess what it is. Now then… let’s begin.”
Saying so, he lifted the red cloth on the jade plate, revealing its true appearance to everyone.
It was a small furnace that seemed to fit in one’s hand. This furnace had a black lustre to it and had many dragons and phoenixes carved into its surface, giving it an extraordinary appearance while an ancient and desolate aura permeated it.
Drunkard picked up the furnace with one hand and said with a laugh, “This Black Jade Furnace has been studied for many days by this old man and Sir City Lord, but we cannot tell what material it is refined from. We were only able to determine it is an Alchemy Furnace, and a Dao Source Grade Mid-Rank one at that.”
“A Dao Source Grade Mid-Rank Alchemy Furnace!” The audience in the hall cried out in shock.
Many priceless treasures and artifacts had appeared in the auction thus far, but only a few were Dao Source Grade Mid-Rank.
More importantly, this was an Alchemy Furnace, a treasure all Alchemists would fight desperately over.
Alchemists were extremely wealthy, but they wouldn’t hesitate to spend enormous amounts of money on a good Alchemy Furnace. What’s more, big Sects and families always cultivated their own Alchemists, so this Dao Source Grade Mid-Rank Alchemy Furnace would definitely make them excited.
With a good Alchemy Furnace, Alchemists could not only improve their chances of successfully refining pills, but also improve the quality of their pills, so the value of high-grade Alchemy Furnaces could be imagined.
Even Yang Kai, who had not bid on anything during the auction, couldn’t help his eyes from flashing when he saw this Alchemy Furnace, immediately sending out his Divine Sense to the stage to scan it carefully.
Many people were doing the same as him, so numerous powerful Divine Senses quickly surged forth and covered the stage, making for a lively scene.
“Is Alchemist Yang interested in this Alchemy Furnace?” Kang Si Ran asked with a slight smile as he was paying attention to Yang Kai’s every word and expression.
“I am somewhat, but…” Yang Kai wryly smiled and shook his head, “I probably can’t snatch it.”
Kang Si Ran thought for a moment before saying, “How would you know whether you can win it or not if you don’t try? Alchemist Yang, please don’t hesitate. If you are lacking in Source Crystals, this Kang can lend them to you.”
“Let’s wait and watch first,” Yang Kai remained noncommittal.
He knew that Kang Si Ran had brought a lot of Source Crystals to this auction, but those were for the Dao Source Fruit. If Kang Si Ran couldn’t obtain the Dao Source Fruit because of him, Yang Kai would feel troubled.
While he wanted this Alchemy Furnace, it wasn’t a necessity.
“Have you all taken a good look? Good, this old man might not be an Alchemist, but because the Secret Art I cultivate is Fire-Attributed, I can also bring out a bit of this Alchemy Furnace’s power. En, let this old man demonstrate the features of this thing.” Finished with his explanation, Drunkard tossed the Black Jade Furnace he had been holding up in the air and quickly formed a few seals.
Pouring his pure Source Qi into the Black Jade Furnace, it rapidly began to expand and soon became as tall as a person before falling heavily on the auction stage with a grand thump.
After the Alchemy Furnace expanded, the complex patterns on its surface became clearer.
Not only that, everyone was now able to see the inside of the Alchemy Furnace with their Divine Senses. Engraved inside were four dazzling, burning dragon heads.
“The Grandmaster who refined this furnace was definitely a genius who carved countless Spirit Arrays into it, all of which are good auxiliaries for Alchemy. As a result, as long as one understands what these Spirit Arrays are for, they would not need to portray them themselves during Alchemy, saving time and energy. Furthermore, the four dragon heads inside the Alchemy Furnace allow an Alchemist to have better control over the heat as well as providing another interesting feature.”
Saying so, Drunkard suddenly lifted his gourd and took a swig of his wine, causing his ruddy face to immediately become even redder. He then patted his chest and opened his mouth towards the Black Jade Furnace in a spitting motion.
A Fire Dragon flew out of his mouth in the next instant. One that soared forward, shaking its head and wagging its tail before crashing into the Black Jade Furnace and sinking into it like a stone falling into an ocean, disappearing from everyone’s sight.
Drunkard immediately formed another set of seals with a mysterious smile hanging on his lips.
Suddenly, a raging flame spurted out of one of the dragon heads inside the furnace. The flame seemed to be extremely hot and was blue in colour. Next, under Drunkard’s control, the flames grew more intense, then less.
A second dragon head also began spewing flames before the third, then finally the fourth.
Drunkard then withdrew his hands and stood to the side, motionless.
However, the flames inside the furnace didn’t go out, but instead continued to burn. From the looks of it, it would be some time before these flames went out.
“The Alchemy Furnace can even store flames?” A knowledgeable person quickly saw through the situation and commented.
“Precisely! Friend, you have sharp vision,” Drunkard broke into laughter, “This old man didn’t even use much strength, only about as much as a normal attack, but that was enough to provide enough energy to this furnace to burn for half a day. On top of that, once the flame intensity is set, it will absolutely not change until its energy supply is exhausted or the Alchemist alters it. Presumably, everyone understands how great an aid this would provide to an Alchemist, yes?”
Just as Drunkard’s voice fell, everyone in the hall immediately broke into a clamour.
He might not have explained clearly, but all the cultivators present understood how precious this Alchemy Furnace was.
When an Alchemist was refining pills, he would often need to add various herbs and portray different Spirit Arrays all while carefully controlling the heat by providing just the right amount of energy, making it a process that required extreme focus and precise control.
However, with this Black Jade Furnace, the situation was completely different. An Alchemist would only need to set the appropriate temperature and pour in sufficient energy to maintain it for the required period of time, allowing the Alchemy Furnace to remain in that exact state for an extended period without outside intervention.
The Alchemist could take advantage of this time to restore himself.
Many times, Alchemists would fail their refining not because of some mistake in their methods, but because of their physical or spiritual limits.
But with this Black Jade Furnace, there wasn’t any need to worry about this problem at all.
In addition to the various abilities of an ordinary Alchemy Furnace, it also had its own unique auxiliary features. On top of all that, it was of Dao Source Grade Mid-Rank, making it an extremely valuable to begin with. In the eyes of Alchemists, this Alchemy Furnace was no less valuable than an Emperor Artifact!
“Time is limited, so this old man will not show the other features of this Alchemy Furnace but this old man can guarantee that if any Alchemist can obtain it, their grade will increase by one whole rank!”
Everyone couldn’t help but gasp and marvel when they heard this.
An Alchemist’s rank was much harder to raise than a cultivator’s realm, especially when it came to Great Realms. Many Alchemists would become stuck at the Origin King Grade High-Rank, unable to make further progress for the rest of their lives, but if what Drunkard said was true, an Origin King Grade Alchemist had a chance to refine Dao Source Grade pills as long as they had the Black Jade Furnace, and the chances of success wouldn’t be low.
All these features and benefits not only made the Alchemists present on the scene unable to hold themselves back, but also made the representatives of the various Sects and families become enthusiastic.
“Dao Source Grade Mid-Rank Alchemy Furnace, Black Jade Furnace, starting bid, one million Source Crystals, each subsequent bid must increase the price no less than 50,000. Everyone, please.” Drunkard shouted as he stepped aside, chuckling.
“Starting price… one million…” The corner of Yang Kai’s mouth couldn’t help but twitch upon hearing this.
After listening to Drunkard’s extravagant and colourful description, he was naturally a little tempted to bid on this Black Jade Furnace.
The Alchemy Furnace currently had was the Purple Origin Furnace he obtained in the Emperor Garden many years ago. As an Origin King Grade High-Rank furnace, it’s grade wasn’t low, and had served him well over the years, but it wasn’t on the same level as the Black Jade Furnace here.
However, a starting price of a million Source Crystals made Yang Kai smile wryly.
The Source Crystals he had on hand totalled just about one million, which was barely enough to match the starting bid…
“Is this Black Jade Furnace really so marvellous?” The nearby Kang Si Ran also seemed surprised.
Although he was able to obtain some information in advance by relying on his connections with the City Lord’s Mansion, he obviously didn’t know the details of this Black Jade Furnace beforehand, so when he heard Drunkard’s introduction, his expression couldn’t help but become solemn.
If he could obtain this Alchemy Furnace, the pill output of his Spirit Pill Plaza would definitely increase significantly, which would in turn increase his value as a Shopkeeper. Perhaps he could even be rewarded with a promotion from the chamber of commerce.
However, when he thought about the Dao Source Fruit at the finale… Kang Si Ran hesitated.
He turned to glance at Yang Kai, and when he saw the wry smile on his face, he asked curiously, “Alchemist Yang, are you not going to bid?”
“No! I’ll just watch the excitement,” Yang Kai shook his head.
Kang Si Ran immediately understood and nodded in acknowledgement, remaining silent.
The auction had already begun as the two were speaking, but strangely, no one called a bid. The hall was completely silent as, obviously, everyone was waiting for someone else to make the first move.
For a while, the atmosphere in the auction house became tense.
If someone else had been hosting this auction, they would not show any signs of anxiety and would instead just wait confidently; after all, such a good treasure would naturally sell for a high price. However, this time, Drunkard was hosting the auction.
After waiting for only a brief time and seeing no one bid, Drunkard couldn’t help grinning and calling out, “It seems this will be the first item today to not be auctioned off. Good, since that’s the case…”
“Wait, Sir Vice City Lord, aren’t you being too impatient?” A man shouted out from one of the private rooms.
“Nobody’s bidding though? If no one bids, this old man will simply buy it himself. En, maybe he can sell it later and make a big profit!” Drunkard looked toward the speaker, smiling.
Hearing him say this, many people couldn’t help but roll their eyes at him.
The host of the auction actually wanted to participate in the auction, it was completely unheard of. Only someone like Drunkard could act so brazen.
“Well, since all my friends are being so reserved, then this one will offer a million to get the ball rolling,” the man in the private room helplessly said.
“One million is far too low, my Du Family bids 1.5 million for this Black Jade Furnace.”
“You dare think 1.5 million is enough? Ridiculous! My Jiang Family bids 1.8 million!”
After the first bid, another rapidly came in, then another, and another. Moreover, each of these bidders represented some powerful family or Sect, but that made sense as only such forces could afford to spend so many Source Crystals.
All of a sudden, the private rooms all began enthusiastically participating in the bidding, causing Drunkard to grin meaningfully at the sight while lifting his gourd to drink from it complacently.
The big families inside Maplewood City naturally had friction between them, and now that this Black Jade Furnace had appeared and was clearly capable of improving their respective strength, none of them wanted to let it go.
In just thirty breaths, the price of the Black Jade Furnace had reached 2.7 million and was rapidly increasing with no one willing to give up.
After another half a cup of tea’s time, the Black Jade Furnace’s reached 4 million and only then did several of the families stop bidding. Obviously, the current price had exceeded their limits.
Although this Black Jade Furnace was a good treasure, the Dao Source Fruit which could help a cultivator reach the Dao Source Realm directly was more valuable, so many people could only reluctantly give up in light of this.
At this moment, Yang Kai had completely become a spectator. The Black Jade Furnace had soared past the price he could afford so he had long ago given up.
“My Jiang Family needs this Black Jade Furnace, please give us some face. 4.1 million!” An angry voice suddenly reverberated from the Jiang Family’s private room.
Others truly fell silent as many didn’t dare to continue to compete with the Jiang Family; after all, the Jiang Family was one of the strongest in Maplewood City so it was unwise to offend them while also having to pay out a huge amount of Source Crystals.
Seeing this, the speaker from the Jiang Family called out in an overjoyed voice, “Sir Vice City Lord, if you could…”
But before he could finish, a coquettish voice suddenly sounded, “Uncle Jiang, don’t be so anxious, Little Sister still hasn’t called her bid. I offer 4.2 million.”
As soon as these words rang out, a man with thick eyebrows and sharp eyes inside the Jiang Family private room turned to the source of the sound and snapped, “Shopkeeper Zhuo?”
At this moment, Kang Si Ran also let out a cold snort, “Zhuo Ning Si! That slut really couldn’t help herself.”
As rivals, Kang Si Ran naturally knew that the owner of this sultry voice was the shopkeeper of the Pill Pavilion, Zhuo Ning Si, who had recently poached all his Alchemists from him.
Yang Kai also had some dealings with Zhou Ning Si, specifically on the day he went to Spirit Pill Plaza and signed a Soul Contract with Kang Si Ran. At that time, Zhou Ning Si wanted to poach him for her Pill Pavilion, but he refused.
As such, Yang Kai naturally had an impression of this charming woman.
Her decision to bid for the Black Jade Furnace was understandable; after all, she was the shopkeeper of Pill Pavilion, so buying the Black Jade Furnace would be of great use to her.
Kang Si Ran, hearing Zhou Ning Si’s bid, instantly grew angry. It seemed that he had recalled the various injustices he had to go through over the past few months and that fueled his rage.
On the other side, the man with the thick eyebrows inside the Jiang Family, distinguishing Zhuo Ning Si’s identity, furrowed his brow and said, “Shopkeeper Zhuo, my Jiang Family and your pavilion enjoy a cooperative relationship and have some friendship with one another. Is this really necessary?”
Zhou Ning Si chuckled and said, “Uncle Jiang, while you’re right, friendship is friendship and business is business. Little Sister is just itching to get her hands on this treasure, so naturally she has to offer a bid. Uncle Jiang, how about you be the magnanimous one and give this Black Jade Furnace to Little Sister? Little Sister will definitely host a banquet tonight to entertain Uncle Jiang in return for his favour. Hehe, I just don’t know whether you have the stamina to attend.”
She was blatantly seducing the Jiang Family master in front of thousands of cultivators.
Many cultivators in the hall snorted contemptuously upon hearing this.
“Slut!” Kang Si Ran was also filled with righteous indignation as he despised Zhuo Ning Si’s debauchery.
Inside the Jiang Family private room, the man with the thick eyebrows snorted coldly but remained unmoved and said indifferently, “Is Shopkeeper Zhou insistent on opposing my Jiang Family?”
“Oh, how could I dare? After this incident, Little Sister will personally come to the Jiang Family to apologize, but still, Little Sister can’t give up on this Black Jade Furnace,” Zhou Ning Si declared loudly, as if she was inhumanely wronged, her voice was filled with grief at the injustice she suffered. Everyone couldn’t help feeling some pity for her upon hearing this, but they also realized her last words were filled with determination, as if she was on a crusade that was simply unavoidable.
The Jiang Family man let out a cold snort and snapped, “In that case, let’s see who wins in the end. 4.3 million!”
Zhou Ning Si smiled and continued, without flinching for even a moment, “4.4 million!”
Before the Jiang Family could raise the bid, another voice called out from a different private room, “4.5 million!”
The Jiang Family’s man was stunned and Zhou Ning Si too was taken aback while Yang Kai, who was sitting in room B9, turned to Kang Si Ran in amazement and asked sceptically, “Shopkeeper Kang, are you…”
It was actually Kang Si Ran who had called the bid just now, joining the race for the furnace.
Kang Si Ran smiled and said, “I’m just making some trouble for that slut.”
Yang Kai nodded in understanding.
“I was wondering who was poking his nose into my business, so it is Shopkeeper Kang. En, so you were still alive you old fogey?” Zhuo Ning Si spoke with obvious ridicule.
Kang Si Ran broke out into laughter and replied, “Many thanks, Shopkeeper Zhou, I’m very much alive and well.”
“So, it is Shopkeeper Kang.” Obviously, the Jiang Family master heard Kang Si Ran’s voice and recognized it, laughing as he commented, “Since your two chambers of commerce are interested in this Alchemy Furnace, my Jiang Family will withdraw; after all, we are not an opponent of your two forces.”
Apparently, he mistakenly believed that Zhuo Ning Si and Kang Si Ran were bidding on behalf of the chambers of commerce behind them, so he immediately and swiftly retreated. He could afford to offend Zhuo Ning Si for the Black Jade Furnace, but offending both major chambers of commerce together was not an option for the Jiang Family.
What he didn’t know was that Kang Si Ran was just bidding maliciously while it was uncertain whether Zhuo Ning Si was representing Seven Glories Chamber of Commerce.
“Many thanks.” When Kang Si Ran saw him misunderstand, he didn’t try to explain himself and just cupped his fists instead.
Zhuo Ning Si quickly cut in, “Shopkeeper Kang, now only you and I remain, I wonder what Shopkeeper Kang’s bottom line is.”
“No comment, just make your bid, if you don’t, this Black Jade Furnace will belong to this old master,” Kang Si Ran let out a cold snort.
Zhou Ning Si, having met with gruff rebuff, became annoyed and stopped trying to talk to Kang Si Ran, instead just bidding again.
For a time, only these two competed for the Black Jade Furnace, each of them raising the price by 100,000, soon bringing it to 5 million.
Only at this moment did a meaningful grin appear on Kang Si Ran’s lips as he generously said, “Shopkeeper Zhuo, seeing you persist like this, this old master has no choice but to relent. En, this old master will withdraw here.”
“Damn Old Ghost!” From Zhuo Ning Si’s room, the sound of cursing and grinding teeth could be heard. Although her voice wasn’t loud, many could still hear her clearly.
Kang Si Ran broke out into laughter with a look of satisfaction on his face.
Atop the stage, Drunkard smiled at the sight of this, taking a step forward to announce the winner of the Black Jade Furnace when suddenly, a male voice resounded from a private room in the A Block, “You’re finished, right? If both of you are done, then… 6 million!”
As soon as this bid was called out, the entire auction hall fell silent, while even Drunkard paused in place, turning to the source of the sound in astonishment.
Zhuo Ning Si, who thought that she finally obtained victory, had her pupils shrink sharply as her pretty face distorted in anger.
“6 million? Did I hear that right?”
“Who is this guy? He raised the bid by a million Source Crystals! Is he crazy?”
“Shhh, keep your voice down! Whoever he is, he’s sitting in the A Block so he must be a Dao Source Realm master. If he hears you, you’re dead!”
“So what if he’s a Dao Source master? Do Source Crystals not mean anything to him? A million… if they were given to me…”
After a moment of silence, the hall broke out into an uproar, with all the cultivators whispering amongst themselves; after all, it was truly frightening for someone to increase the price by a million Source Crystals all at once.
After giving it a bit of thought, Drunkard seemed to have realized the identity of the bidder and a trace of fear flashed across his eyes before he stepped back and stood quietly in place.
Inside her private room, Zhou Ning Si’s mood couldn’t be worse; after all, she had the fruit of victory snatched by some troublemaker at the last moment. No one would be in a good mood after encountering such a thing.
While she was just a Third-Order Origin King, she still represented Seven Glories Chamber of Commerce so after a moment of silence, she asked in a cold voice, “Dare I ask what Your Excellency’s honoured name is?”
The bidder in the A Block’s room didn’t seem to have any intention to answer her.
Zhou Ning Si was annoyed and snapped, “Showing the tail but hiding the head, Your Excellency, don’t you dare to reveal your name?”
After she said this, the bidder finally sneered, “What a farce, this one is only participating in the auction according to its rules. What’s wrong, do I have to report my name before I call a bid? What kind of auction house has such rules? Vice City Lord, does your Maplewood City’s auction house have this custom?”
His last question was addressed to Drunkard.
Drunkard furrowed his brow, but after pausing for a moment, he cupped his fists and said, “Friend, you must be joking! Maplewood City’s auctions don’t have such a rule.”
“Good! Shopkeeper Zhuo, I will let this offence go this time because you belong to Seven Glories of Chamber of Commerce, but if you dare use such an arrogant tone with me again, don’t blame me for being ruthless!” A vast and intense Divine Sense suddenly spread from the A Block private room and assailed Zhuo Ning Si at that moment.
Zhuo Ning Si couldn’t help but turn pale as she immediately realized that this man did not care at all about her identity or status and that if she kept pestering him, he might really get annoyed and act against her.
And judging by the strength of this Divine Sense, the other party didn’t seem to be just a First-Order Dao Source Realm master but rather a Second-Order Dao Source Realm master!
Maplewood City’s Lord, Duan Yuan Shan, was a Second-Order Dao Source Realm master and was an overlord in the surrounding hundred thousand kilometre region, so who knew where this man who was on par with him suddenly appeared from?
Even if Zhuo Ning Si had the backing of the Seven Glories Chamber of Commerce, with this man’s strength, killing Zhou Ning Si silently wouldn’t be any trouble.
After realizing this, Zhuo Ning Si quickly backed down, squeezed out a smile, and said, “Since Senior is interested in this Black Jade Furnace, then this Mistress will withdraw. Congratulations, Senior.”
Let alone the fact that 6 million Source Crystals had already exceeded Zhuo Ning Si’s bottom line, this man was a master she could not afford to offend. If she competed with him, she would be the only one to suffer. Understanding this, Zhuo Ning Si judged it best to offer some polite words and retreat.
No one had expected that the Black Jade Furnace, which was fought for by so many Sects and families, would eventually fall into the hands of a mysterious person who only offered one bid.
After Drunkard came to the front of the stage and called for other bids thrice, the ownership of the Black Jade Furnace was settled.
“How surprising! I didn’t expect that the Black Jade Furnace itself would go for 6 million, there’s even the Dao Source Fruit still left to auction off…” Kang Si Ran said with some depression in his voice. Although he had brought a lot of Source Crystals this time, seeing the intensity of the previous bidding, the Dao Source Fruit would probably have nothing to do with him, so he couldn’t help feeling frustrated.
Yang Kai also had no idea how to comfort him, so he just maintained his silence.
The next item auctioned was a Spirit Pill. Atop the stage, Drunkard put on a meaningful grin and said, “Regarding this Spirit Pill, please let this old man explain a little bit.”
While he was introducing the item, a maid had already arrived with a display tray.
After he lifted the red cloth covering the item, everyone immediately saw a navy blue, longan-sized Spirit Pill lying quietly on the jade place.
This Spirit Pill wasn’t inside a jade bottle, as if the auctioneer wasn’t worried about the medicinal efficacies dissipating from improper storage.
When a sharp-eyed cultivator saw the Spirit Pill, he immediately cried out in shock, “Pill Veins! This Spirit Pill actually formed Pill Veins!”
“What!? Let me see… you’re right, it’s really Pill Veins! So, Pill Veins look like this…”
“It’s not just that, take a good look, this Spirit Pill seems to be quite aged, wouldn’t that mean…”
Many cultivators started discussing the pill while Drunkard was all smiles, looking extremely satisfied with the effects of his actions.
Although some Spirit Pills had appeared already during the auction, no Spirit Pill had formed Pill Veins. This was the first.
Furthermore, many cultivators had never even seen a Spirit Pill with Pill Veins, so everyone found it extremely marvellous and kept gawking at it.
“Sir Vice City Lord, may I ask if this Spirit Pill came from the Five Colored Treasure Pagoda?” Someone among the audience asked aloud.
Drunkard nodded and replied, smiling, “Exactly! And this Spirit Pill isn’t one placed inside by the major Sects just after it opened, it is a true Ancient Spirit Pill. Everyone can also see that the medicinal efficacy of this Spirit Pill had been perfectly preserved because of the Pill Veins. If this was not the case, even the most potent of Spirit Pills would have been reduced to ashes after so many years.”
After a Spirit Pill had been refined, it would be stored in a jade bottle to preserve its medicinal efficacy.
But even high-grade Spirit Pills would have their medicinal efficacy dissipate with time, becoming useless eventually.
But if the Spirit Pill formed Pill Veins, there was no need to worry about this issue. Pill Veins could absorb World Energy autonomously, thereby maintaining the pill’s medicinal efficacy. Pill Clouds, which were above Pill Veins, were even more remarkable. Spirit Pills with Pill Clouds would have their medicinal efficacy grow stronger over time.
The longer such a pill was preserved, the more terrifying its medicinal efficacy would become.
If an Origin King Grade pill formed Pill Clouds, its medicinal efficacy might even be comparable to an Emperor Grade pill after thousands of years of accumulation.
Yang Kai had even seen such a pill before.
When he obtained the Purple Origin Furnace in the Emperor Garden, there was a Purple Veins Dragon Flame Pill that formed Pill Clouds inside. This pill was refined by the owner of the True Alchemy Enlightenment Scripture and only the Heavens knew why it was still in the Purple Origin Furnace. Ultimately, Yang Kai had picked up a bargain when he obtained it.
The Emperor Garden had been sealed off for over ten thousand years, so this Purple Veins Dragon Flame Pill was nourished by its Pill Clouds for an equal length of time. As such, even though it was only an Origin King Grade Mid-Rank pill, even an ordinary Emperor Grade pill could not compete with it in terms of medicinal efficacy.
Such a pill was extremely useful, even to Emperor Realm masters.
This was the reason why Yang Kai didn’t dare to take it; he was worried its medicinal efficacy was too powerful and he could not withstand it.
He dared not make its existence public either as such a pill was extremely unique. There could be no more than ten such pills in the entire world, so one could imagine just how valuable it was.
Even with his current strength, Yang Kai didn’t dare to take this Purple Veins Dragon Flame Pill easily and could only wait for his strength to improve until he could withstand its potency.
“Sir Vice City Lord, what is the grade of this Spirit Pill? What are its uses?” A cultivator on the lower floor asked the question that was running through everyone’s mind.
Drunkard smiled and replied, “You don’t have to ask, this old man was about to explain. After many Alchemists studied this pill together for several days, they finally came to the conclusion that this Spirit Pill is a Dao Source Grade Mid-Rank pill, and its function is very attractive.”
Having heard Drunkard’s reply, the cultivators in the auction hall suddenly grew energetic and looked up at the stage with rapt attention.
“What the exact name of this pill in ancient times was, no one knows for sure, and its pill recipe has long been lost. Sir City Lord decided to name it the Marrow Washing Pill, and as for its specific purpose… heh heh, you can tell it by its name. It can wash one’s marrow and cleanse their physique, allowing one to be reborn and thereby enhancing that cultivator’s aptitude.”
Just as Drunkard’s voice fell, many cultivators in the audience suddenly exclaimed, all of their gazes turning sharp and hot.
Even the masters in the various private rooms released their Divine Senses to investigate this Spirit Pill.
It was no surprise everyone showed such a reaction, though. After all, how rare and valuable was a Spirit Pill that could wash one’s marrow and cleanse one’s physique to increase one’s aptitude? Besides a few legendary pills and treasures, no such pill existed in the Star Boundary.
But this Marrow Washing Pill indeed had such a Heaven-defying effect.
Who would dislike having better aptitude? This was something all cultivators dreamed of. Why were some Third-Order Origin Kings unable to break through to the Dao Source Realm? Some might be unable to because of their Secret Art, or due to old injuries, or some other reason.
But the most common reason by a large margin was simply because their aptitude was insufficient!
If they could improve their aptitude just a little bit, they might be able to remould themselves and reach the Dao Source Realm.
And the Marrow Washing Pill before them obviously represented hope for such a future, so everyone coveted it.
“No, something’s wrong, isn’t it, Sir Vice City Lord?” A man’s voice suddenly spread from a private room. It was the Jiang Family master who had bid many times before. “If this pill really had such a magical effect, how could anyone be willing to put it up for auction instead of just taking it for themselves? This Jiang does not believe that any cultivator with even the slightest bit of brains would make such a decision. Sir Vice City Lord, there’s more to this pill than that, isn’t there?”
Hearing this, those coveting cultivators with fiery eyes were instantly shocked as they felt that the Jiang Family master made a lot of sense. If this Marrow Washing Pill really had such amazing effects, which fool would put it up for auction? It could even be said that City Lord Duan Yuan Shan would immediately have taken it upon learning of its effects.
Just now, Drunkard’s elaborate description had made everyone subconsciously ignore this concern, but now that they were reminded by the Jiang Family master, they immediately woke up and asked Drunkard to give a clear explanation.
Drunkard, looking at the Jiang Family private room, grinned meaningfully and said, “Brother Jiang is correct. Although this Marrow Washing Pill has a Heaven-defying effect, it does have some drawbacks as well!”
“Oh? I’d like to hear the details!” The Jiang Family master immediately asked.
“First, although this pill is able to wash one’s marrow and cleanse one’s physique, it can only be taken for cultivators at or below the Saint King Realm, becoming completely ineffective to those above the Saint King Realm. Secondly, the effects will only last until its user has cultivated to the Origin King Realm. Once the consumer breaks through to the Origin King Realm, their physique and aptitude will return to their previous level. Of course, except for these two points, this pill has no other side effects and will not have any harmful after-effects, of this everyone may rest assured.”
“There’s actually such a strange pill in this world?” The Jiang Family master was taken aback for a while.
A smile appeared on Drunkard’s lips as he said, “No one knows what the ancient world was like. This old man has no idea why this kind of pill was created in ancient times, but there are so many capable and eccentric people in history, so it’s not surprising that such a pill appeared.”
“This Jiang understands. Many thanks, Sir Vice City Lord, for your explanation.”
“Good, this is what this old man ought to explain. Now that everyone has understood the purpose of this Marrow Washing Pill, let’s start with the auction. The starting bid is 100,000 Source Crystals and each raise shall not be less than 5,000.”
“100,000!”
“150,000!”
“200,000!”
Although this Marrow Washing Pill had many limitations, like being useless to cultivators above the Saint King Realm and having the boosted aptitude return to its original level after breaking through to the Origin King Realm, it still aroused the interest of many people.
This was only natural as all the cultivators participating in the auction had their own juniors and heirs. This pill might be useless to them personally, but it could still be given to their descendants. There was a massive gap of two Great Realms between the Saint King Realm and Origin King Realm, so if one’s aptitude was improved even for that short span, it could greatly shorten their cultivation time.
However, its various restrictions doomed this pill to not have too high a price.
The bids soared upwards, quickly breaking through the 200,000 mark.
In the B9 private room, Yang Kai’s brow rose as he too began bidding.
Kang Si Ran looked at him with amazement and asked, “Alchemist Yang, do you have a little friend in need of this thing?”
Yang Kai, pondering for a moment before nodding, “You could say that. Furthermore… since I have come to this auction, I can’t just go back empty-handed, can I?”
“En, I suppose so,” Kang Si Ran nodded. He had also bid on a few useful items before that were relatively cheap, but this was actually Yang Kai’s first time bidding for anything.
“Alchemist Yang, don’t hesitate to bid, if you don’t have enough Source Crystals, this old master will assist you,” Kang Si Ran generously said.
“Then I will thank Shopkeeper Kang in advance,” Yang Kai smiled and continued to raise. “250,000!”
The reason why he participated in bidding for this Marrow Washing Pill was naturally because of Zhang Ruo Xi. This Zhang Family Young Lady just so happened to be a First-Order Saint King and was a prime candidate for taking this Marrow Washing Pill.
He might have no friendship or feelings for this little girl, but he still wanted her help to unlock the secrets of the Space Spirit Jade at the end of the day. Perhaps he would be with Zhang Ruo Xi for a long time in the future, so it wouldn’t hurt him to help her grow up quickly. It would also lighten the burden on him if she was stronger.
Most importantly though, Yang Kai had accepted her while having such plans for her which he had not revealed from the outset, so he felt that giving her a little compensation would relieve the guilt in his heart.
As the price soared, fewer and fewer people participated in the bidding as even though it was a rare Ancient Spirit Pill, it was useless to them. Except for some cultivators who were interested in cultivating their descendants, others had already withdrawn.
When Yang Kai offered 300,000, only a single woman continued to compete with him. This woman was sitting in the lower hall and didn’t seem to be too wealthy. She was also only a Second-Order Origin King.
She hesitated for a while before continuing to increase the price.
Naturally, Yang Kai did not give up.
After Yang Kai called out 320,000, the woman let out a sigh and seemed to have given up.
Seeing this situation, Drunkard immediately stepped forward and declared, “320,000 going once, going twice, going three times, and sold. Please go backstage to pay and finalize the deal!”
Yang Kai smiled upon hearing this before promptly standing up and saying to Kang Si Ran, “I’ll be right back.”
“Alchemist Yang, please return as soon as possible. If I’m right, the Dao Source Fruit is about to appear,” Kang Si Ran looked towards the stage with great expectation.
Yang Kai nodded and left the room.
Walking backstage, he paid 320,000 Source Crystals, and obtained the Marrow Washing Pill.
Spending so many Source Crystals to buy a Spirit Pill was indeed a little extravagant for Yang Kai today; after all, this was almost a third of the Source Crystals he had on hand, and more importantly, it was useless for him.
But in the long run, it was fine.
Furthermore, Yang Kai could also study the ingredients of this Marrow Washing Pill himself, and if he could derive its recipe, it would be of great use to him. Regardless of anything else, this was an Ancient Spirit Pill that had been lost to history, so if Yang Kai could learn its pill recipe, he could refine more in the future and sell them himself. At that time, he wouldn’t need to worry about making back his investment.
When Yang Kai returned to the private room again, it seemed that another item had been auctioned off for some unknown price.
“They still haven’t reached the finale, the Dao Source Fruit?” Yang Kai asked in astonishment as he took his seat.
Kang Si Ran shook his head, smiling wryly, “There seems to be a lot of items to be auctioned this time, but it should appear soon.”
Yang Kai nodded and didn’t make a comment, instead casting his gaze towards the stage.
There, a mysterious smile appeared on Drunkard’s face again as he looked around and spoke, “The next item is an extraordinary one indeed; in fact, it wasn’t an item that was supposed to be auctioned today, but it was submitted by a certain friend who suddenly came today. Although it is something of a violation of policy, Sir City Lord judged that this item was indeed worthy enough to be auctioned today, so it has been allowed to appear. Hehe, everyone, if you cultivate Fire Attribute Secret Arts or have a Fire Attribute Artifact, please pay close attention.”
As he said this, he gestured toward the back and immediately a maid walked out, carrying a round bowl in her hands.
Inside the auction hall, all the cultivators focused their gazes on this bowl curiously, especially those cultivators who cultivated Fire Attributed Secret Arts, Secret Techniques, or had a Fire Attribute Artifacts, they were particularly interested.
Judging by its appearance, it was quite apparent that this bowl was a sealing artifact, and the runes on its surface continued to flash and pulse as they swam across its surface like fish in a pond.
Most of the cultivators present here had sharp insight so they naturally understood that the item to be auctioned wasn’t the bowl itself, but whatever was sealed inside it.
“Interesting! I wonder what it contains,” Kang Si Ran smiled lightly as he paid even closer attention.
Yang Kai, on the other hand, furrowed his brow the moment the bowl appeared.
For some reason, he felt a mysterious connection to whatever was inside the bowl, but because it was surrounded by multiple barriers, this feeling was very weak, almost imperceptible. If not for the throbbing and restlessness in his heart, even he wouldn’t be certain it was real and not just his imagination.
Yang Kai released his Divine Sense to investigate, but he couldn’t break through the barriers to investigate the situation inside and he did not dare to use force, so he could only frown deeply.
“Alchemist Yang, do you know what’s inside?” Kang Si Ran, noticing that Yang Kai’s expression didn’t seem right, asked curiously.
Yang Kai subconsciously shook his head, but his eyes remained completely glued onto the bowl.
The next moment, Drunkard started giving an introduction, “This item was submitted by a Dao Source Grade friend, but because that friend happened to cultivate a Water Attribute Secret Art, this item wasn’t useful to him, so he could only reluctantly part ways with it. If that was not the case, it would have been put up for auction.”
“Sir Vice City Lord, don’t leave us in suspense, it doesn’t suit your personality,” some impatient cultivator urged.
Drunkard let out a chuckle as he said while nodding, “En, but I will still have to provide some explanation. There were rumours a few months ago in Maplewood City that a Fire Attribute Artifact Spirit had appeared in the nearby Clear Jade Mountain. Many cultivators went to search for that Artifact Spirit, but ultimately it was determined that it wasn’t a Fire Attribute Artifact Spirit but an infant Luan Feng. My Maplewood City’s cultivators competed for this baby Luan Feng, leading to many casualties but no result. At the last moment, a mature Divine Spirit Luan Feng appeared and breathed out its World Extinguishing Black Flame, incinerating everything within a hundred kilometres to ashes. Those flames are still burning at Clear Jade Mountain to this day. The might of a Divine Spirit is truly horrifying.”
He sighed for a moment, as if he really saw those World Extinguishing Black Flame with his own eyes.
“Sir Vice City Lord, could the item here being auctioned really be… an infant Divine Spirit?” A cultivator on the floor of the hall, upon hearing Drunkard, make an excited guess.
The same guess happened to be running through the minds of many others, and in an instant, rapid breathing spread across the hall as everyone stared greedily towards the bowl.
Drunkard just chuckled, however, and spoke, “An infant Divine Spirit? You guys really think we’d keep an infant Divine Spirit here? Forget about whether anyone would dare to bid on it, my Maplewood City wouldn’t even dare to auction it. If anyone here dared to provoke a true Divine Spirit, Clear Jade Mountain’s present situation would be Maplewood City’s future. Who could bear responsibility for bringing about the death of everyone present today?”
As these words echoed in the hall, a chill ran down the spines of everyone present, and after giving it a second thought, they all realized it was indeed true. In this world, who would have the courage to put the descendant of a Divine Spirit on auction? That was no different from courting death.
“Then, Sir Vice City Lord, why do you speak of this…”
Drunkard grinned and continued, “The main point is not about the infant Divine Spirit, but the Fire Attribute Artifact Spirit! I really don’t know what you all were listening to. Good, this old master will let you see what it is that is being auctioned today!?”
As he said this, he formed some seals with his hands and struck the bowl lightly. The seals around the round bowl began to flash as a crisp and resonant cry suddenly came from inside it. Immediately after, a fiery red light shot out.
*Chi…*
Suddenly, a three meter tall burning flame appeared above the auction stage and rapidly condensed into the appearance of a flaming bird similar to a Divine Spirit Phoenix. Amidst this firebird’s flames though, purple arcs of lightning could also be seen flashing.
To everyone’s surprise, this strange bird actually possessed the power of two attributes, lightning and fire.
Furthermore, the aura it was emanating was extraordinary, equal to that of a Third-Order Origin King. Its flaming body appeared quite majestic and with its wings spread, it was a beautiful sight to behold.
Raising its head, it let out a long cry, one that was filled with stubbornness, anger, and resistance.
“Liu Yan!”
Yang Kai in room B9 immediately stood up as his pupils shrank and he cried out in surprise.
“Alchemist Yang?” Kang Si Ran turned a strange look to Yang Kai, having no idea why Yang Kai showed such a big reaction, but when he noticed the look of pleasant surprise mixed with fury on Yang Kai’s face, he suddenly seemed to understand.
Yang Kai had never expected to meet Liu Yan in this kind of situation.
In the Starlight Channel back then, he and his two companions, as well as President Ai Ou, Red Moon Tribal Lord, and the others had been separated. To this day, he still had no idea where any of them were.
Leaving aside President Ai Ou and Chi Yue, Yang Kai had always been deeply worried about Xiao Xiao and Liu Yan because one of them was a Stone Puppet with low intelligence and the other was an Artifact Spirit. No matter which one was discovered, they would certainly face grave danger. This was especially true for Liu Yan as she was particularly attractive to cultivators who cultivated Fire Attribute Secret Arts or had Fire Attribute Artifacts.
If Liu Yan’s Artifact Spirit body could be refined by a cultivator cultivating a Fire Attribute Secret Art, that cultivator’s strength would increase dramatically, and if she were to be integrated into a Fire Attribute Artifact, it would raise the grade of that Fire Attribute Artifact significantly.
What Yang Kai was afraid of had come true. It had been apparent now that Liu Yan had really been caught by a master and put on for auction. It was rather clear that many cultivators would be fighting to get their hands on her next.
Fortunately, Yang Kai was also at this auction, so there was some room to manoeuvre. It was a blessing in disguise!
This also explained why when the bowl was first brought out, Yang Kai felt a kind of spiritual connection to the sealed object inside.
When Liu Yan didn’t have much sentience, Yang Kai had left a Soul Imprint on her natal body, so naturally there was a connection between their two Souls which had not been cut off.
And as soon as Yang Kai stood up, Liu Yan on the high stage also seemed to become aware of his presence and her pair of fiery eyes turned towards private room B9 where he was. Immediately, she let out even more resonant cries as she flapped her wings hard, trying to fly to him.
But Drunkard noticed this and promptly formed another hand seal, causing some chain-like seals to appear on Liu Yan’s body, restraining her wings and forcing her back down.
“Stop!” Yang Kai couldn’t help shouting out in anger when he saw this.
However, as soon his voice escaped his mouth, he realized that he had acted a little recklessly. Liu Yan might have belonged to him originally, but now she had been captured and put up for auction.
He did not have the power or status to force Drunkard to show mercy to Liu Yan; on the contrary, his actions might let others see through their relationship.
As this thought flashed across his mind, Yang Kai took a deep breath and calmly said, “Sir Vice City Lord, please act gently, this one is very interested in this Artifact Spirit, please don’t hurt it.”
Drunkard had a friendly temperament, so after hearing this, he glanced in Yang Kai’s direction and said with a smile, “Rest assured, this old master has a sense of discretion and will not harm it. En, as everyone just saw, this Fire Attribute Artifact Spirit is the item to be auctioned now, and it is no ordinary Artifact Spirit at that! It has already achieved a high degree of sentience! If it can be refined into an artifact, it will be extremely useful.”
On the stage, Drunkard worked hard to promote Liu Yan, introducing her various unusual features, weaving an extravagant and colourful description that immediately piqued the interest of countless cultivators.
In his private room, Yang Kai sat back on his chair as a gloomy look covered his face.
In the current situation, if he wanted to snatch Liu Yan back, he could only do so by winning this auction, or forcing the thousands of Origin Kings and dozens of Dao Source Realm masters present to submit while he seized her by force.
The latter obviously was impossible of course. Although Yang Kai was a Third-Order Origin King and had several Emperor Artifacts on him, if he really tried to use force here, he would only be courting death.
However, he didn’t have many Source Crystals on him either. At the very least, there weren’t enough for him to win Liu Yan at auction.
He was extremely distraught for the moment.
Kang Si Ran seemed to have gotten some hints about what was going on and after a moment of silence, he asked in a low voice, “Alchemist Yang, do you have any relationship with that Artifact Spirit?”
Yang Kai nodded and explained, “Since Shopkeeper Kang has noticed already, I won’t hide it from you. Her name is Liu Yan, she was originally my Artifact Spirit!”
“Oh? She was Alchemist Yang’s Artifact Spirit?” Even though Kang Si Ran had long ago guessed, he was still greatly shocked when he heard Yang Kai’s confirmation.
“She is not just an Artifact Spirit though! To me, she is a friend as well!”
“A friend…” Kang Si Ran looked at Yang Kai with surprise, unable to wrap his head around his words; after all, could someone actually regard their Artifact Spirit as a friend? He found the whole concept hard to imagine.
Confounded, Kang Si Ran didn’t ask any more questions about it and instead just said, “So it seems Alchemist Yang wants to participate in this auction?”
“Yes, but I don’t have many Source Crystals on hand,” Yang Kai furrowed his brow, wondering whether he should take out something to leverage for more.
[Perhaps… I can take out a piece of Heavy Earth? I don’t need to take out much of it, just a thumbnail-sized piece should be enough to pay for this auction.]
[But once the Heavy Earth appears, it will cause a lot of trouble.]
“Haha, since this Artifact Spirit has such a relationship with Alchemist Yang, Alchemist Yang should bid for it without restraint. Don’t worry about Source Crystals, this old master can pay for them on your behalf. Alchemist Yang can pay me back when he has enough Source Crystals of his own,” Kang Si Ran generously offered.
Yang Kai turned to Kang Si Ran and asked with a frown, “But Shopkeeper Kang, don’t you need those to bid for the Dao Source Fruit?”
Kang Si Ran waved his hand and smiled. “At first, this old master indeed had some plans for the Dao Source Fruit, but now, this old master does not expect to win it with the few Source Crystals he has on him. I had not expected so many Dao Source Realm masters to appear at this auction, and their wealth is undoubtedly far superior to this old master’s. Since Alchemist Yang is in such urgent need, this old master will offer his assistance. As for the Dao Source Fruit… heh heh, we’ll just have to go and explore that cave mansion. Who knows, there might even be a Dao Source Pill inside!”
“Shopkeeper Kang, how many Source Crystals do you have?” Yang Kai asked in a solemn tone.
Kang Si Ran raised his palm and stretched out his fingers, “I don’t have more than this, I hope it will be enough to help Alchemist Yang.”
“Excellent! Many thanks, Brother Kang, I will not forget this kindness,” Yang Kai earnestly thanked.
Kang Si Ran’s generosity had touched Yang Kai’s heart and he secretly decided that if Kang Si Ran didn’t get the Dao Source Fruit this time, or find a Dao Source Pill in the cave mansion they were planning to explore soon, he would give Kang Si Ran a Dao Source Pill when he refined them in the future to repay today’s favour.
Having been in contact with Kang Si Ran these days, Yang Kai felt that he was a good man and someone worth making friends with.
With Kang Si Ran’s assistance, Yang Kai confidence had been greatly boosted; after all, the earlier Dao Source Grade Mid-Rank Alchemy Furnace only sold for 6 million Source Crystals, and obviously, Liu Yan’s value was not higher than that of the Black Jade Furnace. Even if she was an Artifact Spirit that had gained sentience, she was still only at the Third-Order Origin King level, so the assistance she could provide for real masters was limited.
However, there was still something else to worry about.
Just as Yang Kai was considering this, on the stage, Drunkard continued to speak, “This Artifact Spirit seems to have had many fortuitous encounters and not only possesses rich, pure Fire Attribute energy, but it can also control Thunder Attribute energy. Everyone should not underestimate this Artifact Spirit; an ordinary Third-Order Origin King would certainly not be its opponent in a one-on-one situation, only a Dao Source Realm master could possible subdue it, so even if some friends out there don’t cultivate Fire Attribute Secret Arts, obtaining this Artifact Spirit will still be of great use as it could act as a powerful assistant!”
Yang Kai’s face turned even blacker when heard Drunkard singing Liu Yan’s praises, cursing in his heart as he wished he could rush up to the stage and sew Drunkard’s mouth shut.
The more he praised Liu Yan, the more enthusiastic the bidders would be and the worse things would be for Yang Kai.
“And, last but not least, this Artifact Spirit… heh heh, also has another form,” A meaningful grin suddenly appeared on Drunkard’s face as he gazed out across the crowd before forming another seal, causing the chain-like seals around Liu Yan to tighten again. Liu Yan cried out in pain as she was forced to transform into a charming and graceful woman wearing fiery-red robes.
“Si…”
“She can take on a human form!?”
“What kind of chance did this Artifact Spirit encounter!”
“Good good, her body is almost completely corporeal, this has gone far beyond the range of a mere Artifact Spirit. I wonder just what it would feel like to touch her?”
When the many cultivators saw Liu Yan show her human form, they couldn’t sit still and started shouting and clamouring over one another.
Liu Yan, who stood on the stage, had an extremely cold look on her face, her expression saying she would not let anyone approach within a thousand kilometres of her, but this coldness only added to her beauty, and many male cultivators began howling like wolves under the gaze of her phoenix eyes.
What’s more, all of Liu Yan’s beautiful curves were particularly emphasized now that she was bound by the chain-like seals, causing obscene thoughts to surface in many men’s hearts.
Yang Kai face-palmed and heaved a heavy sigh.
Kang Si Ran, who happened to be taking a sip of tea just now, couldn’t help spitting it out awkwardly before he hurriedly wiped his mouth and turned an odd look to Yang Kai, “Brother Yang… this old master now understands what you meant when you said she was your ‘friend’.”
“Brother Kang, it’s not what you think…” Yang Kai tried to defend himself, helplessly.
“We are both men, I understand,” Kang Si Ran grinned meaningfully.
Yang Kai just rolled his eyes and closed his mouth as any argument he made was useless.
“Everyone, as you’ve seen, this Artifact Spirit is not only a very powerful companion, but even just walking next to her will bring you great prestige and face. To be honest, the first time this old master saw her beauty, he was quite tempted to keep her for himself. Unfortunately, this old master is already too old for such things. If that were not the case, I would be competing with you as well,” Drunkard laughed, “Good, enough nonsense. A Fire Attribute Artifact Spirit, the starting bid is 1 million Source Crystals and each raise cannot be less than 50,000. Everyone, please begin!”
The starting bid of Liu Yan was the same as that of the Dao Source Grade Mid-Rank Alchemy Furnace, causing Yang Kai to frown as he was struck with a bad premonition.
Sure enough, just as Drunkard finished speaking, everyone started to call their bids one after another.
Just ten breaths later, the bids had broken through the 2 million mark.
“3 million!” Suddenly, a clear voice came from a private room in A Block, dumbfounding everyone and forcing the cultivators who were just about to increase their own bid to fall silent.
A direct increase of 1 million had happened once before, and from this same person no less.
“It’s that Senior!” Someone couldn’t help but cry out loud when he recognized that the voice belonged to the Dao Source Realm master who had won the Black Jade Furnace.
“Wow, this Senior is really rich, he just bought the Black Jade Furnace for 6 million and now he’s bidding for this Artifact Spirit again.”
“What do you know? If he can obtain both, they will complement each other perfectly! By integrating this Artifact Spirit into the Black Jade Furnace, he might be able to raise it to a Dao Source Grade High-Rank artifact. It might even be able to touch the level of an Emperor Artifact.”
“So that’s how it is! It seems this Senior is determined to win this Fire Attribute Artifact Spirit.”
“Heh heh, then let’s see how good this Senior’s financial resources are; after all, there are many people interested in this Artifact Spirit.”
When he heard the voice calling 3 million, Yang Kai couldn’t help feeling a headache coming on.
He naturally knew who the owner of the voice was and why the other party was interested in Liu Yan. Naturally, it was all because this man had just won the Black Jade Furnace. It was just as the cultivators in the hall were discussing, this man probably wanted to integrate Liu Yan into that Alchemy Furnace to improve its grade.
The other party was clearly quite wealthy, and was also very powerful, so as soon as he called his bid, many people who were preparing to call their own bid shut their mouths, causing the auction hall to sink into dead silence for a moment, with no one seemingly willing to compete.
Yang Kai was left with no choice but to make a move seeing this and loudly shouted, “4 million!”
It was only Liu Yan, he couldn’t give up! Even if meant going bankrupt, he would not hesitate for an instant.
Just as Yang Kai’s voice echoed through the hall, the cold expression on Liu Yan’s face, which had remained like ice the entire time, couldn’t help shivering slightly and whether consciously or unconsciously, she glanced towards room B9 before turning her gaze away, the corners of her lips curling upwards ever so slightly.
She knew in her heart that Yang Kai would not let her fall into somebody else’s hands.
“Apparently there’s another fierce expert here.”
“Haha, things have become interesting now, I wonder who will be the final winner.”
“It will depend on who has more Source Crystals.”
Yang Kai raised the bid from 3 million to 4 million in one breath, matching the previous up-bid of 1 million Source Crystals. This way, his momentum wouldn’t be inferior to the other party. In the A Block private room, a lean man who looked like he was in his forties with a slightly rugged physique couldn’t help frowning for a moment, releasing his Divine Sense towards B9.
Although there were barriers around these private rooms to isolate the general Divine Sense investigation, as these had only been set up recently, they weren’t that powerful, and the lean man’s Divine Sense instantly broke through them to press down on Yang Kai and Kang Si Ran.
Kang Si Ran immediately let out a grunt, his face turning pale as he felt like he was being suffocated.
Yang Kai felt the same, but as soon as he circulated his Spiritual Energy, he recovered unharmed.
[A Second-Order Dao Source Realm!] Yang Kai’s heart sank, clearly inferring the other party’s strength from the intensity of his Divine Sense.
“Brother Han!” As the host of the auction, Drunkard naturally could not let a powerful master suppress other competitors using force or status, so he immediately shouted, “Please stop!”
He directly called out the surname of the lean man, clearly indicating he knew his identity from the start.
Upon hearing this, the lean man surnamed Han let out a sneer and said, “This Han meant no harm, he just wanted to take a look at his competition. Vice City Lord doesn’t need to pay it any mind.”
Drunkard furrowed his brow and said in a calm manner, “If that is the case, that would be best. Brother Han is an honoured guest, so you know the rules of the auction.”
“You don’t need to remind me,” The man surnamed Han let out a cold snort, clearly quite unhappy.
Drunkard nodded solemnly before speaking, “Then, let us continue with the auction. The friend in room B9 has bid 4 million, will Brother Han raise his bid?”
After Drunkard finished speaking, before the man surnamed Han could even make a sound, a loud laugh suddenly reverberated from another A Block private room. “This Young Lord bids 4.5 million!”
This laughter was filled with arrogance and his tone gave off an aloof, disdainful impression, causing anyone who heard it to instinctually feel disgusted. Even Drunkard up on the stage furrowed his brow upon hearing this voice.
The man surnamed Han’s face turned even grimmer as the Divine Sense he had just withdrawn swept towards this new competitor.
The man surnamed Han was a Second-Order Dao Source Realm master, a man who could stand shoulder to shoulder with City Lord Duan Yuan Shan, so even if he was warned by Drunkard just now, he still didn’t care about it. Obviously, he wanted to repeat the same threat he just used to put a little pressure on the bidder in the next room, forcing him to retreat.
Swiftly, the powerful Divine Sense of a Second-Order Dao Source Realm master broke through the barrier of the private room.
But what the man surnamed Han didn’t expect was that before he could exert any kind of pressure, a burst of Spiritual Energy that was in no way inferior to his own immediately surged out of the room, blocking his Divine Sense.
The man surnamed Han’s pupils instantly constricted. but he was still too late to withdraw his Divine Sense so he could only grit his teeth and meet his opponent head-on.
An invisible clash happened inside the auction hall as the Divine Sense of the man surnamed Han was pushed back, causing him and the other master to let out stifled grunts.
This collision of Spiritual Energy had ended in a draw.
“Second-Order Dao Source Realm!” The man surnamed Han’s face turned black as he now understood why the man who had just placed a bid, sounded so arrogant. It was because he had the protection of a true master. Obviously whoever was in this room did not have a small background.
The man surnamed Han couldn’t help looking gloomy.
“Haha, this Young Lord had already bid 4.5 million, is there anyone willing to offer more? If not, then this Artifact Spirit will belong to this Young Lord,” the man who made the last bid didn’t seem to care about the contest between the two Dao Source Realm masters and began shouting arrogantly.
Inside that private room, a middle-aged man slightly furrowed his brow as he gently rebuked, “Young Palace Master, this Fire Attribute Artifact Spirit isn’t worth 4.5 million Source Crystals. Buying it for that much will only result in a loss. What’s more, you do not cultivate a Fire Attribute Secret Art and you don’t own any powerful Fire Attribute Artifacts, so why do you want to buy it? If this matter came to be known by the Palace Master, I’m afraid…”
“You only know shit!” Opposite the middle-aged man was a handsome young man holding a folding fan. He was dressed like a Young Lord and when he heard the middle-aged man’s rebuke, he just pursed his lips and said, “This Young Lord indeed doesn’t cultivate a Fire Attribute Secret Art, nor does this Young Lord have a Fire Attribute artifact, but… don’t you think that this Artifact Spirit is very beautiful? Besides, this Young Lord is curious about one more thing, what will she feel like? Would she feel any different from a human? If that’s the case, heh heh, no matter how many Source Crystals are spent, this Young Lord is willing.”
The middle-aged man momentarily frowned upon hearing this, but he knew he couldn’t interfere much in the end. All he could do was shake his head and smile wryly as he knew this Young Lord of his was obsessed with women, especially the cold, mature beauties. In other words, this Artifact Spirit’s figure was perfectly in line with his Young Lord’s tastes.
“5 million!” Yang Kai in room B9 raised the bid without a change in his expression.
“Bastard!”
As soon as Yang Kai made his bid, the Young Lord quickly stood up and shouted, completely discordant with the occasion, “Do you dare to try to snatch something that this Young Lord is interested in? Are you trying to oppose my Flying Saint Palace? This Young Lord bids 5.1 million!”
Everyone immediately understood his identity when he said this.
The bidder was impressively the Young Palace Master of Flying Saint Palace, Ning Yuan Cheng!
Yang Kai was also taken aback. [No wonder I found this guy’s voice a little familiar, so it’s that Ning Yuan Cheng.]
Yang Kai had dealt with this arrogant young master more than once. The first time was when he helped Mo Xiao Qi escape from Ning Yuan Cheng’s encirclement and the second was in the Five Colored Treasure Pagoda. But as his mind was completely preoccupied with Liu Yan, Yang Kai didn’t pay any attention to him and as such had failed to recognize his voice immediately.
[In that case, the Divine Sense that clashed with that man surnamed Han must be Ning Yuan Chen’s guard, Liu Yi Zhi.]
“What thing is Flying Saint Palace? If your father Ning Bo Yang was here, this Han might give him some face and give up on this Artifact Spirit, but you… hmph, you’re not worthy! 5.2 million!” The man surnamed Han shouted from his private room with a sneer.
“And who might Your Excellency be?” Ning Yuan Cheng’s face turned gloomy as he interrogated.
The man surnamed Han simply cackled, “Go back and ask your father, he will tell you who I am.”
“Damn you, how dare you look down on this Young Lord!?” Ning Yuan Cheng’s face turned livid in anger.
“Young Palace Master, this is someone else’s territory and that man surnamed Han is not someone to be taken lightly, we should… give way,” Liu Yi Zhi persuaded.
“Give way!? Why should I!? This Young Lord cannot swallow this insult. So, he dares to look down on this Young Lord? Good, we will see who has more Source Crystals then, he must be seeking death to try competing with this Young Lord!” Ning Yuan Cheng appeared to have lost his mind and immediately lashed out, “5.5 million!”
“5.6 million!” The man surnamed Han calmly raised his bid.
“6 million!”
“6.1 million!”
…..
Unlike before, Yang Kai couldn’t even find the chance to intervene in the later bids, and when the price soared past 6 million, he knew that he had no hope.
Kang Si Ran only had 5 million Source Crystals, and Yang Kai only had a few hundred thousand, so in total he had less than 6 million. Unless he really took out some Heavy Earth as leverage, he didn’t have enough.
However, the Heavy Earth was far too precious and would only attract endless trouble if he brought it out now, so upon realizing he had no hope of winning this bidding war, Yang Kai simply fell silent.
Kang Si Ran snuck a glance at Yang Kai and couldn’t help but sigh as he tried to comfort, “Brother Yang, please accommodate change.”
Yang Kai gently nodded but didn’t speak anymore.
At this point, anyone could tell that the current competition had become something more than just trying to secure interests. If the man surnamed Han was bidding to use Liu Yan for his Black Jade Furnace, then Ning Yuan Chen was bidding to not lose his face.
And even if the man surnamed Han had amazing financial resources, he had just spent 6 million Source Crystals to buy the Black Jade Furnace, so he might not have too many left now.
When the bids rose to 7 million, the man surnamed Han’s voice sank and his face turned gloomy.
Finally, when Ning Yuan Chen shouted 7.5 million, the man surnamed Han finally fell silent.
“Ha, before you try to rob something from this Young Lord, you should consider your own worth first! This Young Lord has never missed anything he has set his eyes upon!” Ning Yuan Cheng loudly mocked.
“Young Lord, it’s best to be lenient whenever possible,” the nearby Liu Yi Zhi suggested in a whispering voice.
“And why should I? That man didn’t put this Young Lord in his eyes, so must this Young Lord kneel down and lick his feet? Nonsense!” Ning Yuan Cheng flicked open his fan and began fanning himself triumphantly.
Liu Yi Zhi sighed in resignation, knowing it would be useless to say anything more.
“Flying Saint Palace’s Young Palace Master has bid 7.5 million, does anyone have a higher bid? 7.5 million going once, going twice, going thrice, and sold. The Fire Attribute Artifact Spirit now belongs to Young Palace Master Ning, please send someone backstage and pay the Source Crystals and collect your item.” A smile appeared on Drunkard’s wrinkled face. As he was hosting the auction, he would naturally get greater benefits for selling items for better prices.
After he finished speaking, a serious look appeared on Drunkard’s face as he solemnly said, “We have arrived at the finale of the auction and at the item all of you have been waiting for. En, this old man will say nothing more and will simply present it.”
As he spoke, a maid immediately carried out a jade tray from the back.
This was the final item, the Dao Source Fruit that had been contributed by Heavenly Martial Holy Land to this time’s opening of the Five-Coloured Treasure Pagoda. For a moment, everyone’s eyes fixed onto the tray.
Many cultivators had never seen a Dao Source Fruit before, so even if they knew there was no chance for them to obtain it here, they still wished to satisfy their curiosity by taking a good look at it, perhaps giving them something to boast about in the future.
Many people came to this auction just for this Dao Source Fruit, and all of the Dao Source Realm masters in A Block private rooms had purposefully not made any bids before to save their resources, not even participating in the auction for the Black Jade Furnace or Liu Yan.
These masters came for a single purpose, the Dao Source Fruit!
On the off-chance that they could obtain this Dao Source Fruit and refine it into Dao Source Pills, they may be able to obtain five to six pills if they were lucky. In other words, they would be able to create five to six Dao Source Realm masters for their force, a massive temptation for any Sect or family.
This last auction was doomed to be a fierce competition between the big forces present.
As for Yang Kai, his mind was no longer on the auction at all.
The Dao Source Fruit might be attractive to others, but as far as he was concerned, it wasn’t even worth a glance; after all, he already had a Dao Source Fruit in his possession. More importantly, he didn’t have the financial resources to partake in this auction.
At this moment, Yang Kai’s focus was on silently sensing Liu Yan’s position.
Although there was only a subtle connection between Liu Yan and him because of the seals around the bowl she was trapped in, he could still sense her general position, allowing himself to remain calm.
Since he couldn’t compete for Liu Yan openly because of his meagre wealth, he could only choose to snatch her.
Fortunately, Ning Yuan Cheng eventually won the bid for Liu Yan, so Yang Kai would not feel the least bit burdened after robbing him. He had some grievances to settle with Ning Yuan Cheng anyway, and had even gotten into a fight with him at the entrance to the second layer of the Five Colored Treasure Pagoda.
Yang Kai didn’t care about the other members of Flying Saint Palace’s delegation, but the Second-Order Dao Source Realm Liu Yi Zhi was a bit tricky to deal with.
A Second-Order Dao Source Realm master wasn’t someone Yang Kai could face on his own currently. Fortunately, he had his two Blood Beasts, the Monster Insect Queen and the Blue Flame Thunder Wolf, one of which had the strength of a Second-Order Dao Source Realm master, while the other had strength on par with a First-Order Dao Source Realm cultivator. As such, it shouldn’t be too difficult for him to tie down Liu Yi Zhi if they worked together.
As long as Liu Yi Zhi was taken out of the picture, Yang Kai could easily snatch Liu Yan from Ning Yuan Cheng, who was clearly just an embroidered pillow, impressive looking on the surface, but soft and weak on the inside.
Having made up his mind, Yang Kai now had to plan carefully to limit any outside variables that could interfere with his mission.
While Yang Kai’s mind was elsewhere, the auction hall was already in full swing because of the Dao Source Fruit.
Even Kang Si Ran joined the bidding, but with his limited resources, he could only make two bids before the price soared past the point he could afford, forcing him to give up.
After someone shouted 8 million, Kang Si Ran slumped down on his chair and heaved a long sigh.
However, Yang Kai could not afford to care about this at the moment as he was focused on sensing Liu Yan’s aura which was already inside the private room of Flying Saint Palace. Apparently, the deal had already been settled with the City Lord’s Mansion; however, Ning Yuan Cheng didn’t seem to be that anxious to leave and instead stayed where he was to spectate the fierce struggle for the Dao Source Fruit.
The bidding for the Dao Source Fruit was extraordinarily fierce. At the beginning, Origin King Realm cultivators could participate, but in the later stage, only Dao Source masters were eligible to bid.
While they were calling their bids, they were fighting openly and covertly, clashing with each other with Divine Senses all over the auction house. From time to time, a stifled groan would be heard from some private room, obviously the result of someone suffering a loss.
And the host of the auction, Drunkard, seemed to have already expected it and didn’t care one bit. As for the City Lord’s Mansion, no one stepped out to stop the chaos, simply allowing them to fight amongst themselves.
With the rising bids being called out one by one, the atmosphere of the auction hall grew more and more intense, making the cultivators sitting in the lower hall flabbergasted.
Yang Kai also gained some insights from this mess, learning about how deep the heritages of these masters backed by their powerful families and Sects really were.
The auction lasted for more than an hour, and the Dao Source Fruit was eventually won by the Dao Source Realm master in the A Block private rooms for the steep price of 11 million.
Throughout the Star Boundary, most second and third-class Sects would find it difficult to spend 11 million Source Crystals all at once, but if they could create a few Dao Source Realm masters in exchange, raising the overall strength of their force, it was well worth the price.
Finally, the auction had come to an end.
Yang Kai and Kang Si Ran left the auction house together, with many other cultivators also leaving in groups of twos or threes, excitedly chatting about what they had seen just now.
“Brother Yang, I will go back for a few days to make preparations before we set off. I hope that place… will not disappoint me,” Kang Si Ran whispered to Yang.
Yang Kai naturally knew what place he was referring to exactly and promptly nodded, “Good! Then I will wait for Brother Kang’s message.”
“I will take my leave then, goodbye,” Kang Si Ran cupped his fists before he turned around and left.
After he had left, Yang Kai also turned around and headed off.
After a while, he arrived at a certain street and casually found a tavern to enter. Sitting down next to a window, he ordered some wine and food and began enjoying himself.
The reason why he didn’t return to his rented secluded home was that he wanted to track Liu Yan. It wasn’t easy to make a move inside Maplewood City, so he could only wait for the Flying Saint Palace group to leave the city.
The Flying Saint Palace could also be considered a great force in the Southern Territory, and naturally because of the appearance of Luan Feng last time and the opening of the Five Colored Treasure Pagoda as well as the later auction fair, the Flying Saint Palace delegation had remained inside Maplewood City for some time.
However, according to Yang Kai’s calculations, they should not be staying for too much longer, so he waited patiently for the right opportunity.
But Yang Kai didn’t expect he would have to wait two whole days.
During this time, the Flying Saint Palace group had been staying inside their inn; never leaving. Yang Kai could still vaguely perceive Liu Yan’s aura and wasn’t worried about losing sight of her or worried about being discovered by the Second-Order Dao Source Realm master, Liu Yi Zhi.
Yang Kai reckoned that the people from Flying Saint Palace were staying in Maplewood City because Ning Yuan Cheng wanted to subdue Liu Yan.
His guess wasn’t wrong.
At this moment, in a room on the upper floor of the inn, Ning Yuan Cheng was angrily staring at the bowl in front of him as he formed some seals, causing a strange flaming red bird to immediately emerge from the bowl.
Liu Yi Zhi was standing by Ning Yuan Cheng’s side, seemingly never having left that spot.
“Slut!” Ning Yuan Cheng seemed to be fuming for some reason and was now lashing out in anger at Liu Yan, “Hurry up and show your human form, don’t pretend to be ignorant! Don’t think for a moment that this Young Lord doesn’t know that your intelligence is high and you can understand all of my words.”
Liu Yan, who had been trapped under many seals, just kept flapping her wings while quietly hovering mid-air, not making a single cry or trying to cause any trouble.
And just when Ning Yuan Cheng showed an opening though, she swiftly opened her beak and shot out a ball of thunder fire towards him.
This scene had apparently happened many times so Ning Yuan Cheng wasn’t surprised by it. He didn’t even dodge as Liu Yi Zhi, who had been guarding him, simply waved his hand at the thunder fireball and erased it.
“Heh heh, your temper is fiery! Excellent, this Young Lord likes that about you, but since you are reluctant to show your human form, don’t blame this Young Lord for being ruthless. Deacon Liu, get ready, we are returning to the Saint Palace!”
The nearby Liu Yi Zhi was overjoyed after hearing this and immediately confirmed, “Young Palace Master, are we going back?”
“En, I have tried for two days, but I still can’t make this bitch submit, so there’s no reason to remain here any longer. Let’s return to the Saint Palace first where I can seek assistance from Lord Father. At that time, I’d like to see how she refuses to bow to me,” Ning Yuan Cheng let out a cold snort before he formed some new seals and forced Liu Yan back into the bowl.
After half an hour, the team from Flying Saint Palace checked out of the inn and walked towards the city gate.
Yang Kai, who had been meditating in a room in the same inn, suddenly opened his eyes and breathed a sigh of relief, “They’re finally leaving.”
If Flying Saint Palace didn’t leave, he would really be troubled; after all, he had promised Kang Si Ran that he would go with him to explore that cave mansion soon, so he really didn’t want to draw out this conflict any longer.
While it wouldn’t be a big deal to explain to Kang Si Ran that he needed a few more days, doing so would still break the trust between them.
At this moment, the Flying Saint Palace disciples were walking towards the city gate to leave Maplewood City as Yang Kai had expected.
He didn’t immediately follow them, however, and instead waited for a while before also leaving his room and making his way towards the same city gate.
Sometime later, on a plain millions of kilometres away from Maplewood City, Yang Kai hurriedly flew forward.
Because of his subtle connection with Liu Yan, he had a clear idea about the location of Flying Saint Palace’s group so he wasn’t worried about losing them.
However, he didn’t have a suitable flight type artifact on hand, so he was also unable to catch up with the opposite party, making him a little impatient.
While rushing forward at full speed, Yang Kai suddenly felt a powerful and overbearing Divine Sense sweep past him. This sudden situation made Yang Kai’s expression change and he forced himself to stop.
That Divine Sense was devoid of murderous intent, but it was still extremely cold, and after sweeping over Yang Kai, it casually withdrew.
Yang Kai stood in his place, a little confused, only a moment later realizing something and muttering under his breath, “There’s someone else chasing after Flying Saint Palace? This feeling… it’s that man surnamed Han.”
During the previous auction, a man surnamed Han had used his Divine Sense to pressure Kang Si Ran and Yang Kai. This memory was still fresh in Yang Kai’s mind so he was immediately able to identify the other party.
It was just that he hadn’t expected that someone else would be eyeing Flying Saint Palace’s group, just like he was.
If it weren’t for the fact that the other party had confidence in his strength and didn’t attach any importance to a mere Origin King, Yang Kai might not have noticed him.
Once he attacked the Flying Saint Palace delegation, this man surnamed Han might have taken advantage of and used him.
Thinking so, Yang Kai couldn’t help breaking out into a cold sweat.
Fortunately, the man surnamed Han didn’t have such plans, otherwise, things would have become really troublesome.
The man surnamed Han wanted to use his Divine Sense to intimidate Yang Kai, apparently, and force him to retreat from these muddy waters, and if it were any other Origin King, this tactic might really have worked, but Yang Kai had a reason he needed to persist.
After a while, Yang Kai continued his pursuit; however, this time, he was no longer as anxious and instead just pressed forward in a steady manner.
In any case, the man surnamed Han was going to confront Flying Saint Palace, so Yang Kai wasn’t in a rush to make the first move. It would be best for him to act once both sides were mutually wounded, or better yet, killed one another.
Presumably, the man surnamed Han was chasing after Flying Saint Palace’s group for Liu Yan. During the auction, his finances were weaker than Ning Yuan Chen’s, so he could only rob them to get what he wanted now.
He just happened to have the same plan as Yang Kai.
With the man surnamed Han as the vanguard, Yang Kai became far more relaxed and while continuing the chase, he began to strategize about his next move. It would be better if he could prevent both sides from discovering him while approaching as close as possible.
But after thinking about it for a long time, he couldn’t come up with a good strategy, causing him to be a bit depressed. All he could do now was act according to the circumstances.
After another half a day, when it was beginning to get dark, Yang Kai, who was still flying, suddenly raised his eyes to look into the distance as his expression changed.
Flickering lights could be seen in that direction, and if one listened carefully, they could vaguely hear intermittent explosions coinciding with those flashes as well as intense bursts of Spiritual Energy.
“He finally made his move!” Yang Kai was ecstatic and hurriedly used his Nihility Secret Technique before continuing his approach.
In addition to having a miraculous effect of avoiding fatal attacks, Yang Kai’s Nihility Secret Technique could also conceal his aura and appearance. This Secret Technique was derived from his comprehension of the Dao of Space and was far superior to ordinary concealment technique from big sects.
Unless there was a cultivator with a cultivation a whole Great Realm higher than Yang Kai, it would be impossible for them to detect his existence unless they performed a thorough search.
After flying forward for half an hour, Yang Kai had finally arrived at the location of the fight.
Under the moonlight, a flying ship was suspended mid-air and vague figures could be seen on the deck all looking towards a certain direction.
One of the figures was, impressively, Flying Saint Palace’s Young Palace Master, Ning Yuan Cheng. As for the others, they were naturally the disciples of Flying Saint Palace.
In the sky about a thousand meters away from the ship, two figures were entangled with each other, apparently fighting in close quarters.
Yang Kai looked closely and found that the two figures were the man surnamed Han and Liu Yi Zhi.
The fight between them was intense but steady as both of them were in the same realm, so the one who persevered longer and wore down his opponent would be the winner.
Judging from how they were confronting one another though, it didn’t seem like either side was holding back. Obviously, both of these men had experienced many battles, and by the looks of it, the fight would continue for some time.
After watching for a while, Yang Kai turned his gaze towards Flying Saint Palace’s ship artifact.
At this moment, Ning Yuan Cheng was standing on the deck with a leisurely look on his face, seemingly not worried at all that Liu Yi Zhi would be defeated. He gently fanned himself with his folding fan and would sometimes point towards the battlefield.
Naturally, the Flying Saint Palace disciples repeatedly nodded to his comments and orders.
Additionally, there was a rippling green light shield around the ship, enveloping it in a protective layer.
Obviously, this was the defensive barrier of the ship.
Yang Kai slightly furrowed his brow.
Now that the two Second-Order Dao Source Realm masters were busy fighting each other, it was a good opportunity to make his move, but the ship’s barrier also seemed pretty sturdy, so Yang Kai wasn’t sure he could break through it in one go, much less do so quietly. Yang Kai reckoned he would expose himself as long as he approached the ship.
After considering it for a long time, he decided to wait for an opportunity to present itself.
Reaching this conclusion, he turned his attention back to the battlefield of two Dao Source Realm masters.
Even after so long, Flying Saint Palace’s Liu Yi Zhi and the man surnamed Han were still fighting furiously with one another, neither showing weakness, but Yang Kai could subtly tell that something wasn’t right.
If the man surnamed Han didn’t have any confidence to attack and defeat Flying Saint Palace’s group, he would not have recklessly shown himself here, otherwise not only would he fail to obtain what he wanted, he would also offend Flying Saint Palace. Anyone with a little bit of brains wouldn’t do this.
Since the man surnamed Han chose to make a move, he must have a card up his sleeve.
Yang Kai was taken aback after this thought crossed his mind and immediately rejoiced that he had not acted recklessly just now.
“Who is Your Excellency? Why not state your name? What’re your intentions acting so secretively here?” In the sky, the Dao Source Grade sabre in Liu Yi Zhi’s hand flashed as it slashed towards the man surnamed Han.
The man surnamed Han floated back into the distance, borrowing the momentum of their recent clash while leisurely flicking his own sword before pointing back at Liu Yi Zhi and sneering, “You can’t recognize me because of your inexperience, yet you actually want to find fault with that? How ridiculous.”
Liu Yi Zhi furrowed his brow and shouted in a solemn tone, “I know that Your Excellency is surnamed Han, but Heaven knows how many people are surnamed Han in this world? I don’t care where Your Excellency is from, if you withdraw, this Liu will not pursue today’s matter. Continue to antagonize this Liu, however, and you will become an enemy of my Flying Saint Palace and this Liu will no longer show any mercy.”
“Flying Saint Palace is it?” The man surnamed Han snickered sarcastically, “Oh, I’m so scared! Do you think a trivial Flying Saint Palace can make this Han have reservations? Not to mention Flying Saint Palace, even if it was Star Soul Palace, why would I care? Star Soul Palace has been hunting this master down for more than a few years now, but isn’t this master still alive and kicking?”
“Huh?” Liu Yi Zhi muttered in surprise as he stared at the man surnamed Han in shock, startled greatly by this remark.
Star Soul Palace was the real overlord of the Southern Territory, and none dared to challenge its authority or power, but judging from this man’s remarks, he actually seemed to be a fugitive from Star Soul Palace, yet somehow he was still alive, and living quite comfortably at that.
“You… you couldn’t be…” Suddenly, a name flashed across Liu Yi Zhi’s mind, one he had heard about over a decade ago, shocking him to his core. Pointing at the man before him, he shouted, “I know who you are! You’re Han Leng, the one who was banished by Star Soul Palace!”
Over a decade ago, a disciple of an Elder-level Emperor Realm master of Star Soul Palace committed a huge mistake. Originally, he should have been executed according to the rules of Star Soul Palace, but somehow, it seemed he got wind of his impending sentence, killed several of his fellow disciples, stole some kind of precious treasure from Star Soul Palace, and escaped. Star Soul Palace had been searching for him ever since.
Back then, this matter had provoked many lively discussions in the Southern Territory as many Star Soul Palace disciples had been sent out to hunt down this traitor. They wanted to capture him alive and return him to Star Soul Palace to face justice, but unfortunately, no one succeeded and many had lost their lives to Hang Leng instead.
This matter had left a stain on Star Soul Palace, but the other Sects and families dared not discuss it in public, only whispering about it behind closed doors.
Over the past decade, Star Soul Palace had never ended its pursuit of this traitor, but unfortunately they also never managed to capture him.
Later, there were even rumours that this traitor was the illegitimate son of that Emperor Realm Elder, and that Elder had personally released him back then. Of course, no one knew whether this news was true or false.
Liu Yi Zhi, as a part of the upper echelons of Flying Saint Palace, naturally knew of such secrets and also knew that the traitor’s name was Han Leng.
At first, Liu Yi Zhi hadn’t associated this man with Hang Leng, but after hearing the latter’s words just now, he immediately drew this conclusion.
“Are you really that traitor Han Leng of Star Soul Palace?”
“So what if I am?” Han Leng opposite Liu Yi Zhi admitted without shying away, chuckling as he wore a complacent grin on his face, like he had prevailed in his schemes, “Now, it’s too late for you already!”
Liu Yi Zhi’s heart clenched when he heard this and instinctually shouted, “Shit!”
Just as he said this, he turned around and tried to fly towards the ship, looking quite frantic as if something terrible was about to happen.
But right then, Han Leng quickly formed some hand seals with a serious look on his face and in the next moment, a bright shining moon actually appeared in the sky, blinding everyone’s eyes, making it almost impossible for anyone to see anything around them.
Suddenly, a beam of white light shot down from the bright moon and poured directly into Han Leng.
In the next moment, rays of moonlight radiated in all directions with Han Leng as the centre.
In just three breaths, the area within a range of several dozen kilometres was shrouded in an inexplicable force, forming an isolated region. Within several dozen kilometres of Han Leng, one could only see bright moons of all sizes filling the sky; round moons, waning moons, crescent moons, but no stars.
At that moment, it had already become another world.
“Heavenly Lunar Cycle Grand Array!” Liu Yi Zi’s face suddenly turned incomparably grave as he confirmed the reason for this change.
“Heh heh heh!” Han Leng’s figure had already disappeared. At this moment, his voice was radiating from all directions, making it difficult to locate him. “That’s right! Since you recognized this Spirit Array, you can die satisfied.”
“When did you set it up?” Liu Yi Zhi asked with an ashen face.
“Having known that you are from Flying Saint Palace, your route was easy to figure out, so how hard could it be to arrange an Array in advance? You can only blame your Young Palace Master for not placing anyone in his eyes, as if no one would dare provoke your Flying Saint Palace,” Han Leng’s voice continued to drift from everyone.
On the deck of the nearby ship, Ning Yuan Cheng’s face also became extremely ugly.
Although he appeared extremely safe on the deck of the ship, it was already surrounded by the Heavenly Lunar Cycle Grand Array at this moment, and judging by Liu Yi Zi’s expression, this Han Leng seemed to be an extremely dangerous enemy and this Spirit Array was somehow extraordinary.
Having considered all this, he suddenly pointed at the Flying Saint Palace disciples on the deck and ordered, “Go and quickly help Deacon Liu, this Young Lord will coordinate the battle from here!”
There were more than a dozen Origin Kings with him on the ship, most of them Second or Third-Order, so their combined force wasn’t weak at all.
These disciples didn’t hesitate for a single moment after hearing his order and used their Movement Skills to fly up from the ship, heading toward Liu Yi Zhi.
“Don’t come out!” Liu Yi Zhi subconsciously shouted, but it was too late.
The moment these disciples flew out of the ship, countless beams of silvery moonlight that seemed gentle and harmless at first glance shot out from the various moons.
However, the Flying Saint Palace disciples had an extremely rich combat experience and would not simply let these beams of moonlight hit them before understanding the nature of this Spirit Array, so they hurriedly dodged these beams, one after another.
One of the Second-Order Origin Kings was too late to react though and half of his body was struck by a moonlight beam.
Immediately, the left half of the Second-Order Origin King’s body melted away without any sound or sign.
The protective Saint Qi around his body didn’t play any role at all.
Seemingly only barely feeling a thing, the Second-Order Origin King turned his head to look at himself, but what he saw next crushed his soul…
He immediately screamed as he plummeted straight to the ground, but before he landed, he had already stopped breathing.
Such a strange scene had naturally caught everyone’s eyes, and almost everyone gasped at the sight of this as a chill running down their spines.
“You… haa…” Liu Yi Zhi sighed heavily. Although he was cursing Ning Yuan Chen in his heart, he didn’t voice out his thoughts. Rather he quickly adjusted himself and shouted, “Since you’ve come out already, follow me to break this Array! The Heavenly Lunar Cycle Grand Array is indeed amazing, but the one who arranged it doesn’t seem too skilled. As long as we work together, we can carve our way out.”
The Origin Kings panicked when they saw their companion die so tragically, but after being pacified by Liu Yi Zhi, they immediately steadied themselves as they steeled themselves and gathered towards Liu Yi Zhi.
Han Leng’s sneers immediately echoed from every direction as the countless silver moons shook under his control. One after another, beams of moonlight shot towards the Flying Saint Place cultivators from all directions, all while Han Leng’s position remained hidden.
“Block!” Liu Yi Zhi shouted fiercely as he took the lead to brandish the sabre in his hand. A blade of light immediately left the sabre, growing to several dozen meters before flying towards the front. The others didn’t dare to tarry and also hastily cast their respective Secret Techniques and brandished their artifacts.
In a flash, colourful flashes of light glimmered as they crashed into the oncoming silver beams, one after another.
However, the stalemate only lasted for a moment before the silver beams broke through the Flying Saint Palace’s group’s defence and struck towards them.
Liu Yi Zhi’s pupils constricted as he hurriedly shouted at the top of his voice, “Scatter!”
Some people with quick reactions immediately dodged to the side, but those who reacted slower weren’t lucky enough to escape.
Just like this, the Flying Saint Palace disciples, who had just gathered around, were immediately sent running.
Before they could gather again, the Heavenly Lunar Cycle Grand Array was triggered once more as countless silver beams of moonlight shouted.
This time, the Flying Saint Palace cultivators weren’t so lucky. Many had just stabilized their footing and hadn’t had the time to catch their breath, so three of them were unable to avoid the moonlight beams and were struck head-on.
These moonlight beams shot out by the Heavenly Lunar Cycle Grand Array were incredibly lethal, with extreme corrosive and penetrating ability. Just like how the Flying Saint Palace disciple tragically died before, all those who were struck by these moonlight beams screamed miserably one after another as they watched parts of their body melt, their auras ceasing to exist shortly after.
And all the Saint Qi protection around their bodies didn’t work at all. Even the defensive artifacts of these cultivators were melted in half.
“Deacon Liu, save me!” One person didn’t immediately die, but the moonlight beam had left a large hole in his abdomen that one could clearly see his five viscera, six organs through. This man struggled to fly toward Liu Yi Zhi, shouting for help.
The corrosive force around the wound on his abdomen was like maggots on rotting bone, unable to be dispelled and quickly corroding the other intact body parts. As this disciple flew towards Liu Yi Zhi, the wound on his abdomen continued to expand and soon even his bones were exposed.
Suddenly, a slap landed on this person’s head, causing it to burst.
The Flying Saint Palace disciples in the vicinity, who were still alive, went silent for a moment as they turned looks of horror towards Liu Yi Zhi.
“He couldn’t be saved!” Liu Yi Zhi shouted in fury, “Rather than let him suffer, it’s better to give him a quick and painless death!”
“Hahaha!” Han Leng’s laughter suddenly echoed from everywhere, “Is everyone from Flying Saint Palace so cruel? You’ve opened this Han’s eyes today.”
Having been ridiculed by him, Liu Yi Zhi immediately grew angry out of shame and lashed out in anger, “If your surname is Han, I dare you to show your figure and fight fairly against this Liu! Cowering behind a Spirit Array, how can that be considered your own skill!?”
“Ridiculous! How ridiculous! If this Han taking advantage of this Spirit Array can’t be called my skill, can your act of using many to bully the few be called skill?” Han Leng rebuked in contempt.
Liu Yi Zhi’s provocations had no effect, leaving him with no other choice. Liu Yi Zhi turned to the surviving Flying Saint Palace disciples and shouted, “Why are you just standing there doing nothing! If you want to survive, attack this Spirit Array with your full strength!”
Nobody dared to be negligent after hearing this and quickly displayed their most powerful attacks, aimlessly bombarding the surrounding space.
Although Liu Yi Zhi’s brutality had scared them just now, they knew that he was right. Surrounded by this Heavenly Lunar Cycle Grand Array, they could only continue attacking if they wanted to survive.
“A bunch of clowns!” After ridiculing everyone, Han Leng’s figure suddenly appeared somewhere mid-air. Forming a series of hand seals, he had the silver moons shoot untold beams of moonlight towards a certain spot, condense together, causing a massive sense of oppression to those down below.
“Go!” The huge beam of moonlight immediately shot in the direction of a certain Flying Saint Palace disciple with the wave of Han Leng’s hand. The speed of this beam was much faster than before and was impossible to guard against.
That disciple didn’t even have the chance to make an evasive action before he was directly enveloped by that beam of moonlight and vanished from the face of this world.
Liu Yi Zhi seemed to have been waiting for this very moment though, and as soon as Han Leng’s figure was exposed, Liu Yi Zhi spat out a mouthful of Blood Essence onto his sabre, causing it to vibrate slightly. In the next instant, his figure disappeared from its place and reappeared again before Han Leng, slashing down at him with his sabre.
Under Liu Yi Zhi’s anticipating gaze, Han Leng’s figure was cut into two.
A look of joy immediately appeared on Liu Yi Zhi’s face, but soon after, he realized there was something wrong.
Although Han Leng’s body was split into two, no blood flowed out. Soon after, Han Leng’s severed figure distorted before it disappeared altogether.
What he hit was Han Leng’s phantom, while Han Leng had clearly hidden again long ago.
Liu Yi Zhi furrowed his brow, finding the situation very difficult to deal with. In terms of cultivation, Han Leng and he were on par with each other and their combat power was almost equal, so it was reasonable to say that it was impossible for Han Leng to have such an obvious advantage. However, with the assistance of the Heavenly Lunar Cycle Grand Array, Liu Yi Zhi couldn’t grasp Han Leng’s location at all and was forced to defend passively, causing him to grow increasingly anxious.
The huge beam of moonlight didn’t disappear after its first kill and instead kept flying back and forth within the range of the array, melting away one Flying Saint Palace disciple after another.
In just a short span of a dozen or so breaths, only two Origin Kings remained.
The two Origin Kings both looked at each other and noticed the intention to escape in each other’s eyes. They knew that if they didn’t make a run for it, they would definitely die.
And so, their figures bolted straight towards the ship.
With a flash of moonlight, one of them was struck by the large beam and disintegrated before he could even scream. The last man managed to escape to the front of the ship where he cried out, “Young Palace Master, please let your subordinate in.”
On the deck of the ship, Ning Yuan Chen stood there with a panicked look on his face, turning a deaf ear to the cries of that disciple and instead angrily lashing out at him “Get away from here, don’t lead that thing here!”
“Young Palace Master, you…” The disciple looked at Ning Yuan Cheng as desperation filled his face, but before he could finish his words, the beam of moonlight struck him from behind, piercing a hole straight through his chest.
*Honglong…*
A thunderous clap resounded through the sky.
The thick moonlight beam’s remaining power hit the protective screen of the ship, causing a sizzling noise to ring out as if something was being melted. The light shield around the ship was also flickering.
Ning Yuan Cheng couldn’t help but stumble a few steps back before falling down on his butt.
Luckily, the grade of this ship wasn’t low, seemingly reaching the Dao Source Grade, so its defence was quite good.
“So that’s how it is, I’ve finally caught you!” The moment the moonlight beam disappeared, Liu Yi Zhi suddenly appeared before the ship and slashed the sabre.
Suddenly, a figure appeared in front of him. It was none other than Han Leng, his face somewhat pale and there was a fresh cut on his robes. Apparently, he had been hit by Liu Yi Zhi’s attack just now.
Facing each other before the ship, Han Leng’s face was gloomy while Liu Yi Zhi looked solemn.
“It seems you noticed some clues,” Han Leng’s face was a little pale, seemingly having become exhausted from maintaining the operation of the Spirit Array.
“Indeed,” Liu Yi Zhi lifted his sabre, “This Liu had heard of the Heavenly Lunar Cycle Grand Array long ago, but after seeing it today, I realize that it is just an auxiliary Spirit Array. You have been hiding in the moonlight this whole time; this Liu had almost failed to notice this!”
Han Leng broke into laughter, “Deacon Liu really has a sharp eye, this Han had been trying to hide his whereabouts, but I hadn’t thought I would still be discovered by you.”
“Since I have found this flaw, today this place will be your burial ground!” Liu Yi Zhi pointed the sabre at Han Leng as his voice grew colder.
However, Han Leng just grinned wider as he said, “That will depend on whether you have the ability or not.”
Saying so, he formed a few hand seals as the countless silver moons started vibrating again.
“Are you still trying the same old trick?” Liu Yi Zhi fiercely shouted as he slashed the sabre in his hand all around him, sending out arcs of sabre Qi one after another. Principle Strength began to vibrate in the surrounding, causing the silver moons to distort and shatter, “The Heavenly Lunar Cycle Grand Array is just so-so!”
“Is that so?” A strange look appeared on Han Leng’s face before his entire figure blossomed with a dazzling radiance, like he had turned into a brilliant full moon.
“What!?” Liu Yi Zhi turned pale with fear as he instinctively felt a lethal threat. Hurriedly, he summoned a shield-like artifact before him, one that rotated rapidly as it expanded to the size of a tabletop, shielding Liu Yi Zhi’s entire figure behind it.
Right then, Han Leng seemed to have finished his preparation and a piercing blade of moonlight flew straight out towards Liu Yi Zhi like an arrow flying off the bowstring.
Not only that, the silver moons in the surrounding, which had been de-stabilized, also shot beams of moonlight under Han Leng’s control, pouring into the sword of light.
The light sword grew larger and in just a few short breaths, it became several dozen metres long.
A terrifying pressure immediately came bearing down from the sky, not only causing Ning Yuan Cheng, who had just fallen on his backside, to turn pale, but also causing Liu Yi Zhi, who was desperately urging his shield artifact, to feel a deathly threat.
Only now did he realize that he had vastly underestimated Han Leng and the Heavenly Lunar Cycle Grand Array.
The Heavenly Lunar Cycle Grand Array was a Spirit Array that originated from Star Soul Palace, and as the overlord of the Southern Territory, it was an outstanding masterpiece. Liu Yi Zhi might have seen through some of its intricacies, but he couldn’t see through them all. By underestimating this Spirit Array, he had brought about his own defeat.
“Young Palace Master, quickly escape!” Liu Yi Zhi gritted his teeth and shouted before biting the tip of his tongue and spewing his Blood Essence forward.
The shield artifact guarding him suddenly started glowing brightly, its defensive strength seemingly increasing another level. At the same time, the sabre in his hand buzzed violently while even Liu Yi Zhi’s aura began to inflate and grow chaotic.
“Self-destruct?” Han Leng’s cry of shock sounded from the Heaven-shaking light sword, a hint of fear apparent in his voice.
Not all artifacts in this world could self-destruct, but those that could would release massive amounts of destruction when they did. However, if someone really did this, not to mention that he would lose the artifact, the owner of the artifact would definitely suffer severe backlash.
The long-sword artifact in Liu Yi Zhi’s hand was a Dao Source Grade Low-Rank artifact, and the force of its self-destruction would definitely not be low, so Han Lend didn’t dare to take it head-on.
“Don’t even think about it!” Han Leng’s face distorted as he hid inside the moonlight sword, pressing his attack even harder, seemingly wanting to take Liu Yi Zhi’s life before the artifact could self-destruct.
A dazzling brilliance suddenly covered the entire world as a deafening thunderclap shook Heaven and Earth.
The surrounding World Energy fluctuated while even the local World Principles became disordered.
A black hole had suddenly appeared in Liu Yi Zhi’s location.
The power of that artifact’s self-destruct had actually shattered space, proof of how terrifying the explosion was.
An endless suction force appeared from this tear in space, swallowing everything around it before it fiercely constricted and disappeared under the restorative power of the local World Principles.
Many of the silver moons in the sky had gone dim as Han Leng’s final blow had seemingly drained most of the Heavenly Lunar Cycle Grand Array’s remaining power.
Han Leng’s figure was also revealed.
At this moment, his face was extremely hideous, his body covered in blood and his left arm twisted in an unnatural angle, a ghastly sight to behold.
The clash between the final blows of two Second-Order Dao Source Realms had left Han Leng with serious injuries, and after stabilizing his stance, Han Leng coughed a mouthful of purple-black blood, his fierce aura suddenly dropping noticeably.
As for Liu Yi Zhi, his figure was nowhere to be found and not even a bit of his aura could be felt within a range of a thousand metres. Only the shield artifact he had summoned was left, tattered and falling from the sky, its surface dull and dim, seemingly having lost its spirituality.
This shield-like defensive artifact had been completely destroyed.
If even his defensive artifact was destroyed like this, Liu Yi Zhi’s end could be imagined.
“Damn it!” Han Leng’s face turned ashen as he ground his teeth and cursed, coughing up another mouthful of blood while breathing heavily.
Only now did Ning Yuan Cheng, who had been hiding in the ship and watching the battle, finally react. He got up in a hurry and started forming hand seals while trembling in panic, turning the ship around and trying to escape.
Even Liu Yi Zhi had lost to Han Leng, so how could Ning Yuan Cheng have the guts to stay here any longer? At this moment, all he could think of was getting farther away from here as quickly as possible.
But how could Han Leng let him do this? Just as the ship started moving, Han Leng let out a cold snort and braced himself, then his figure distorted and once again disappeared.
Immediately afterward, the remaining dim silver moons glowed brighter for a moment before condensing a large beam of moonlight one last time and firing it straight at the ship.
Obviously, Han Leng was planning on killing Ning Yuan Chen, otherwise, once word of this matter got out, Flying Saint Palace would not let him go.
The moonlight beam was extremely fast and struck the defensive shield of the ship in the next instant. The force of this beam striking the ship wasn’t small either, causing Ning Yuan Cheng on the deck to be thrown off his feat.
*Cilala…*
Suddenly, a harsh sizzling noise rang out as the powerful corrosive force of the moonlight beam rapidly drained the power of the ship’s shield. Han Leng’s figure was revealed at this moment, as well, as he emerged from the moonlight beam, his sword shining brightly due to the power he borrowed from the array to try to shatter the ship’s shield in one blow.
“Han… Senior Han, do you really need to kill me? You can just let me go, if you do, I swear I won’t speak a word about what happened today.” Although Ning Yuan Chen was a Third-Order Origin King, before the attacking Han Leng, who was like a tiger descending from the mountain, he began begging for mercy before even thinking about counterattacking.
Hang Leng said nothing, his eyes becoming colder and colder, scaring the life out of Ning Yuan Cheng who only begged more pitifully.
*Kacha…*
Suddenly, a cracking sound reached Ning Yuan Cheng’s ears, sounding like the toll of a death knell to him. His face turned pale and his eyes immediately focused on a frightening scene before him. There was now a crack in the defensive shield of the ship, indicating it was on the brink of collapse.
*Kachacha…*
The cracks rapidly expanded and soon, they formed a spider-web like pattern across its entire surface.
Finally, with a thunderous shout from Han Leng, the ship’s defensive shield shattered and at the same time, the world of silver moons covering the surrounding area also disappeared.
The Heavenly Lunar Cycle Array had finally exhausted all of its energy and was automatically dispelled.
The moonlight beam too had disappeared, leaving just Han Leng’s sword light which shot straight toward Ning Yuan Cheng in a fearsome manner. By the time he pulled the long sword in his hand back, Han Leng was already standing not too far away behind Ning Yuan Cheng.
Ning Yuan Cheng instinctively took a defensive stance, feeling the threat to his life, but that was all he did.
A moment later, a little red dot appeared on Ning Yuan Cheng’s forehead before he collapsed onto the deck of the skip with a dull thud.
And with no one controlling Flying Saint Palace’s flying ship, it also fell down from the sky, crashing in a cloud of dust.
Not far away, the hidden Yang Kai, who had been watching the battle from the beginning with indifference, narrowed his eyes as he stared towards Han Leng’s back.
[He eliminated so many cultivators from Flying Saint Palace alone. He might have relied on the power of the Spirit Array, but his personal strength should not be underestimated. Even so, after such an intense battle, he must be thoroughly exhausted. He probably can’t even display half of his usual strength right now.]
Yang Kai felt that if he made a move now, he would have a ninety percent chance of succeeding. This was a typical example of a fisherman reaping the benefits of a fight between snipe and clam.
However, Yang Kai was still wary that Han Leng had some final card left in his hand, like how Liu Yi Zhi self-destructed his own artifact just now. If that was the case, he would have to pay a big price if wanted to win.
While Yang Kai was preoccupied with his thoughts, Han Leng’s figure had already flown up from the ship. He seemed to have searched Ning Yuan Cheng’s corpse and was now holding a Space Ring in his hand. Not long after, a round bowl appeared in his palm with a flash of light.
Examining it for a moment, Hang Leng wore a satisfied smile before storing the bowl back into the Space Ring.
Seeing this, Yang Kai immediately understood that the purpose of Han Leng’s trip was the same as his own: it was all for Liu Yan, who was sealed in that bowl.
But even after having dealt with everything, Han Leng still didn’t immediately leave. Rather he raised his eyes, looked squarely in Yang Kai’s direction, and said in a cold voice, “Kid, you’ve been watching for quite some time now, haven’t you seen enough?”
Yang Kai furrowed his brow and didn’t immediately show himself.
Seeing this, Han Leng coldly smiled and continued, “What’s wrong? Does this Han have to invite you to come out personally?”
As he spoke, the long sword in his hand gleamed slightly.
Yang Kai looked a little astonished, knowing the other party wasn’t deliberately acting mysterious and really knew he was here.
With there being no point in continuing to hide, Yang Kai dispersed his Nihility Secret Technique and revealed himself.
Han Leng raised his brow and praised liberally, “What a marvellous Concealment Technique, fascinating!”
Yang Kai, looking at him, pursed his lips into a smile and said, “Senior Han, you flatter me. No matter how marvellous my Concealment Technique is, didn’t you still see through it? What I don’t understand is how Senior Han managed this?”
“It seems that you are very confident in your technique,” Han Leng swept his eyes over Yang Kai, relaxing completely after noticing he was just a Third-Order Origin King and nonchalantly saying, “Truthfully, I am likely unable to see through your technique with just my ability, but… since you were inside the Heavenly Lunar Cycle Grand Array…”
Yang Kai was struck with realization and nodded, “So, that’s how it is!”
Han Leng, looking at Yang Kai, indifferently asked, “Kid, why are you hiding here? You wouldn’t be thinking of being the oriole stalking the mantis hunting the cicada, would you?”
Yang Kai chuckled and said without hesitation, “I did have this idea, but if Senior Han can give me that bowl, I will leave immediately.”
“So, you want that Fire Attribute Artifact Spirit?” Han Leng’s face sank as if he had thought of something before nodding, “So you were the other one bidding at the auction.”
“Indeed! Unfortunately, my finances are lacking and I could only choose this method instead.”
“Do you think you can snatch something from this Han’s grasp? Do you not know how to write ‘death’?” Han Leng smiled in disdain.
“Since I dare to come here, I naturally have confidence in my ability. What’s more, Senior Han has just fought an intense battle and is completely exhausted, it would not be a wise decision to become my enemy at this moment.”
Listening to Yang Kai talk in such a leisurely manner, Han Leng’s eyes twitched slightly.
[What right does a Third-Order Origin King have to dare act so presumptuous in front of me? But what he said also makes sense; since he dares to come, he must be depending on something, and whatever he is depending on is definitely making him unafraid of me.] Considering all this, Han Leng’s mood couldn’t help but sink.
He didn’t want to fight another battle at this point, as although the injuries he had suffered weren’t fatal, they weren’t light either. More importantly though, he did not have much Source Qi left.
“Good good, it’s been a long time since someone dared to be so presumptuous in front of this Han. Kid, I’ll remember this, and I hope you don’t die young,” Han Leng looked at Yang Kai for a moment before he suddenly started speaking with a sneer.
Yang Kai smiled lightly and replied, “Senior Han, it would also not be a wise decision to try to flee as, unfortunately for you, I’m quite good at tracking others. You won’t be able to escape from me.”
Saying so, Space Force pulsed from Yang Kai’s figure as it disappeared from its place.
In the next moment, he appeared on the opposite side of Han Leng as if he had been standing there all along.
Even someone as experienced and knowledgeable as Han Leng couldn’t help but be taken aback at this moment, calling out in shock, “What kind of Movement Skill was that?”
[The speed of his mysterious Movement Skill is indeed better than mine. It seems he’s not idly boasting about his speed and tracking skills. If this kid used this Movement Skill to continuously attack and harass me, I’ll never be able to rest and recover.]
Han Leng’s face blackened at once.
Yang Kai’s grin grew wider, but just as he was about to apply more pressure, his eyes widened in shock as he stared behind Han Leng’s back with a look of pure disbelief and shouted, “Behind you!”
Han Leng couldn’t help but sneer, “You dare to play such paltry tricks before this Han…”
He thought that Yang Kai was deliberately trying to divert his attention and then sneak attack him.
This kind of trick was so naive that even a child wouldn’t be fooled by it, so how could a battle-hardened veteran cultivator? If he really believed Yang Kai and looked behind himself, Han Leng was sure he would be attacked by Yang Kai the next moment.
But as soon as he said this, a sense of crisis struck him.
There really seemed to be some strange movements behind him.
Han Leng was struck with panic and quickly mobilized his defensive Source Qi while at the same time kicking the air to dodge.
But he had reacted too late.
Behind him, an extremely sharp, cyan-coloured spike appeared and shot out towards his back.
The speed of this spike was extremely fast, so fast that it seemed to split space apart as it advanced.
Han Leng’s defensive Source Qi couldn’t stop the spike at all and it swiftly pierced right through him, leaving a small puncture wound on his forehead. The fact that the spike pierced through his entire head proved how powerful this blow was.
Han Leng was quite strong though, so he didn’t die immediately even after suffering this fatal injury. Turning around to see who had attacked him though, he couldn’t help calling out in alarm, “How is this possible? That’s impossible!”
He believed that it was Liu Yi Zhi, who had sneak attacked him from the back; after all, Liu Yi Zhi had disappeared after the final blow and judging from that, Liu Yi Zhi was vaporized, or had seized the opportunity to hide.
After Han Leng was sneak attacked, he thought that Liu Yi Zhi had simply been hiding because of this.
But when he saw one who performed the sneak attack, only then did he realize that he couldn’t have been more wrong.
The sneak attacker standing behind him and looking at him with a sly smile wasn’t Liu Yi Zi, but Ning Yuan Cheng, the one he had killed with his own hands!
He found this scene completely unbelievable. Ning Yuan Cheng was only a Third-Order Origin King, and after stabbing him with his sword, Han Leng had searched Ning Yuan Cheng’s corpse, so Han Leng was certain the other party was dead.
How could the dead rise?
But when Han Leng noticed certain changes in Ning Yuan Cheng’s appearance, he was struck with realization and muttered to himself, “So it’s like that…”
After having spoken these words, his head slumped to one side as he stopped breathing.
At the same time, the nearby Yang Kai’s felt his skin crawl and his fists clenched as he called out in alarm, “Wood Spirit!”
From where he stood, he could almost clearly see what just happened.
While he was talking to Han Leng, Ning Yuan Cheng, who was supposedly dead, strangely and silently stood up, opened his mouth, and shot a green wooden thorn from it which then pierced through Han Leng’s head.
The reason why Han Leng was so easily killed was partly due to his exhausted state and partly because of Yang Kai’s warning.
Han Leng mistakenly thought that Yang Kai was setting a trap for him, so he never thought that there was really fatal danger lurking behind him, and by the time he did notice, it was already too late.
How could a dead cultivator spit out a green wooden thorn? Yang Kai had seen something similar inside the Five Colored Treasure Pagoda, as well as in Maplewood City, so he recognized it at a glance.
Surprisingly, it was the ancient Wood Spirit that had caused chaos in Maplewood City before!
On the day, when the Wood Spirit disaster struck Maplewood City, six Emperor Realm masters had personally taken action and because of this, thousands of cultivators had lost their lives in Maplewood City. After the turmoil, the City Lord’s Mansion had issued a statement saying the Wood Spirit disaster had been dealt with, making everyone feel at ease.
But now it seemed that this was just a method the City Lord’s Mansion had used to calm the public, while the Wood Spirit was not completely wiped out and had instead found a way to infect some cultivators.
It was just that this Wood Spirit had concealed itself extremely well, not only escaping the notice of those six Emperors, but even Ning Yuan Cheng and Liu Yi Zhi, who had been guarding him closely.
If it weren’t for Ning Yuan Cheng’s sudden death this time, the Wood Spirit Seed definitely would not have been exposed. If the host died, the Wood Spirit Seed would naturally not have any place to hide.
Everything was just a coincidence!
Yang Kai had already figured everything out in a blink of the eye, but his heart couldn’t help sinking as he did.
During those few days in Maplewood City, he had also participated in the hunt for Wood Spirit Clones and deeply understood how difficult it was to deal with these things. Moreover, at that time, he had teamed up with a dozen or even several dozen cultivators, but many had still been wounded during those fights. Now, he had to deal with one all alone.
While various thoughts were running through Yang Kai’s mind, a weird gurgling noise could be heard coming from Ning Yuan Cheng, and along with this noise, Han Leng’s body quickly started shrivelling up.
This was one of the Wood Spirit’s innate abilities, draining the vitality of cultivators to strengthen itself.
Originally, Ning Yuan Cheng was emitting the aura of a Third-Order Origin King, but as he continued to swallow Han Leng’s essence, his aura rapidly climbed and soon reached the peak of the Third-Order Origin King Realm, touching upon the Dao Source Realm!
Yang Kai’s pupils couldn’t help but shrink as he knew it would be too late if he didn’t take action now, shouting furiously, “Don’t even think about it!”
As he spoke, a flame sword suddenly appeared in his hand as he channelled his Fire Sword Qi from his Five Elements Indestructible Sword Qi.
His figure distorted as he used the Space Force and appeared before Ning Yuan Cheng, immediately swinging down his sword hard!
With a deafening explosion, the air grew extremely hot!
The Wood Spirit was a Wood Attribute creature so Fire Attribute energy was its nemesis. This was what Mo Xiao Qi had told Yang Kai once and Yang Kai had confirmed this multiple times while hunting down Wood Spirit Clones in Maplewood City.
Against Wood Spirit Clones, Fire Attribute energy was more effective than Space Force.
This attack went straight at Ning Yuan Chen’s head, and if it hit its target, it would definitely split Ning Yuan Cheng in two.
But how could the Wood Spirit Clone let Yang Kai succeed so easily? Ning Yuan Cheng’s mouth was still wide open as he constantly devoured the vitality via the green spike pierced through Han Leng’s head, but as the flame sword descended upon him, his eyes flashed a bright gleam and he swung his arms out. The two arms distorted and crackled as they transformed into two thick and long vines, one sweeping towards Yang Kai’s waist while the other defended against the flame sword.
*Huchichi…*
The Fire Sword Qi could only leave a deep cut on one of the vines, unable to slice through it completely, but this still drew a cry of pain from Ning Yuan Cheng.
Simultaneously, the other vine was already upon Yang Kai.
Yang Kai’s pupils shrank as he didn’t dare to remain in place, immediately retreating.
The vine only struck air!
The cut left by Yang Kai’s flame sword on the other vine burned brightly for a moment, but soon a burst of green light erupted and the flames were extinguished, restoring the vine to its original state instantly!
“How is that possible?” Yang Kai called out in shock as he stabilized his footing.
He had killed quite a few Wood Spirit Clones in Maplewood City, and although the vitality of these Wood Spirit Clones was extremely tenacious and they were quite difficult to kill, Yang Kai had never encountered one with such astonishing restorative ability.
Yang Kai hadn’t held back any of his strength in his last attack, so from his previous experiences, he was certain the wound he inflicted would have been serious and difficult to repair.
But to his shock and dismay, the Wood Spirit Clone was practically uninjured.
Yang Kai couldn’t help but become vigilant seeing this and vaguely felt that the Wood Spirit Clone in front of him was somehow different.
Right when Yang Kai’s attack ended in vain, Han Leng’s corpse was sucked dry and Ning Yuan Cheng finally withdrew the wooden spike back into his mouth, a look of contentment appearing on his twisted face.
“First-Order Dao Source Realm!” Yang Kai’s expression turned cold as he sensed the aura emanating from Ning Yuan Cheng.
On the opposite side, Ning Yuan Cheng glared at Yang Kai with hatred, as if blaming Yang Kai for ruining his good deed. Ning Yuan Cheng’s figure shook as the clothes on his body were ripped into pieces and green vines suddenly exploded from his figure, the tips of these vines seemingly as sharp as swords.
In an instant, Ning Yuan Cheng’s entire figure had changed greatly.
He couldn’t even be described as humanoid anymore! Now, he was just a Wood Spirit Clone, nothing more. Only on the upper part of the trunk did some traces of Ning Yuan Cheng’s facial features remain while the rest of his figure was simply countless dancing vines.
Some of the vines stabbed toward Yang Kai like whips falling from the Heavens while other vines swept towards the dead bodies of the Flying Saint Palace disciples, piercing them and devouring their physical essence, a terrifying and imposing sight to behold.
Immediately, slurping noises could be heard coming from all around as the corpses of the many fallen cultivators started withering at a speed visible to the naked eye.
“In your dreams!” Yang Kai’s face turned fierce at the sight of this as he hurriedly gathered Fire Sword Qi into his hands and slashed outwards.
*Chi chi chi chi…*
Scorching hot Fire Sword Qi blades flew through the air and pierced the corpses of the Flying Saint Palace disciples, the flame burning their corpses into ashes in a flash.
A Dao Source Realm Wood Spirit Clone was already difficult enough to deal with, so how could Yang Kai possibly give it an opportunity to strengthen itself further?
When the Wood Spirit Clone saw this, it turned around and faced Yang Kai. On its trunk, Ning Yuan Cheng’s face twisted letting out a piercing scream as if it was extremely angry. Immediately, its body shook as countless roots shot into the ground and dug in.
Immediately after, the Wood Spirit Clone shook as countless vines madly started attacking Yang Kai, like arrows raining down from the sky.
Yang Kai grit his teeth as he used his Space Force to dodge this attack and released his Monster Insect Queen and Blue Flame Thunder Wolf with a wave of his hand.
“Kill!” Yang Kai fiercely ordered as he appeared before the Wood Spirit in a flash and swung his flame sword again, bringing a billowing wave of heat down upon the Wood Spirit.
At the same time, the Monster Insect Queen swung its blue and purple twin swords in a cross shape while spreading out an icy cold domain filled with gently falling snowflakes.
Clear Sky Snowfall!
The snowflakes danced through the air as they slowly fell, but each one of them was incomparably sharp. As these tiny flakes fell on the vines of the Wood Spirit, small wounds started to appear on its vines, drawing green blood from it while their frigid Ice Attribute energy seeped into the wounds, greatly hindering the vines’ healing ability.
The Monster Insect Queen took this opportunity approach while brandishing its swords to unleash a storm of slashes towards the Wood Spirit, coordinating its assault with Yang Kai’s movements.
The Blue Flame Thunder Wolf on the other hand gained some distance and opened its jaws to fire a barrage of blue flame balls at the Wood Spirit, setting off a series of loud explosions everywhere.
In a flash, Yang Kai and the two Blood Beast had suppressed the Wood Spirit Clone to the point that it couldn’t mount any counterattack and was only able to passively defend itself.
This scene wasn’t surprising. Even though this Wood Spirit Clone had advanced to the First-Order Dao Source Realm after devouring Han Leng’s physical essence, the Monster Insect Queen could display strength equal to a Second-Order Dao Source Realm master, while the Blue Flame Thunder Wolf wasn’t weak either and used Fire Attribute energy attacks, which was the bane of the Wood Spirit.
Coupled with Yang Kai, it would be strange if the Wood Spirit Clone wasn’t suppressed.
Under the cooperation of one man and two Blood Beasts, the countless vines of the Wood Spirit were cut to pieces rapidly, scattering vines and green blood across the ground that continued to wriggle, as if they were still alive.
However, after these cut-off vines bled out all their green blood, they swiftly shrivelled up and withered into dust that was swept away by the wind.
The Wood Spirit screamed again and again, pushing its own energy in anger and re-growing its vines constantly, making it seem like a futile effort to even try to kill it.
Yang Kai couldn’t help but be in awe a little at the sight of this.
He always felt that this Wood Spirit Clone was a little different from the ones he had dealt with before, and because it was seemingly more difficult to handle, he became more vigilant. Wrapping his Fire Sword Qi around his entire body, Yang Kai made sure the Wood Spirit didn’t have a chance to infect him as well.
A quarter of an hour later, the fight raged on as Yang Kai and the two Blood Beasts seemed to have the upper hand, but still failed to give any fatal injuries to the Wood Spirit, locking the two sides in a kind of stalemate.
Suddenly, the Blue Flame Thunder Wolf that had been using its Fire Attribute attacks to suppressed the Wood Spirit, seemed suddenly lose strength and paused its barrage.
*Chi Chi Chi Chi…*
With piercing noises, roots suddenly sprang out from below ground and bound the Blue Flame Thunder Wolf.
These roots were naturally the ones the Wood Spirit had stuck into the soil before.
The Blue Flame Thunder Wolf whimpered as it struggled hard but was unable to free itself.
Taking advantage of this opportunity, a vine stabbed straight into the Blue Flame Thunder Wolf and in the next instant, a familiar sucking sound rang out as the vine began to devour the physical essence of the Blue Flame Thunder Wolf.
The Blue Flame Thunder Wolf was originally an Eleventh-Order Monster Beast, possessing strength on part with a First-Order Dao Source Realm cultivator, and even after being killed and refined into a Blood Beast, its physical essence had not been lost. Rather, its vitality had become stronger because it was being supported by Yang Kai’s Golden Blood Thread.
Swallowing the Blue Flame Thunder Wolf’s vitality rapidly made up for the damage the Wood Spirit had suffered until now, and a clear look of joy and surprise filled the distorted facial features on its trunk.
Yang Kai’s heart sank when he saw this and immediately shouted, “Return!”
With his shout, the Blue Flame Thunder Wolf that had been tied down by the roots shook and turned back into a Golden Blood Thread that rapidly flew over to Yang Kai. As Yang Kai secretly checked its condition, his face immediately turned ugly when he realized that about one-third of the vitality in this Golden Blood Thread had disappeared in that short moment.
In other words, one-third of the Blue Flame Thunder Wolf’s vitality had been devoured. If he wanted to supplement it, Yang Kai would have to use his own Golden Blood.
On the other side, the Wood Spirit became enraged after failing to swallow the Blue Flame Thunder Wolf.
It no longer cared about Yang Kai and instead turned its attention to the Monster Insect Queen.
Having gained huge benefits after swallowing the Blue Flame Thunder Wolf’s vitality just now, it naturally wanted to repeat its trick.
The ground under the Monster Insect Queen suddenly split as untold roots flew out like snakes, trying to trap the Monster Insect Queen.
But how could it be that easy to tie down the Monster Insect Queen? The blue and purple dual swords glowed faintly as bitter cold Sword Qi waves flew out in all directions. Ice Principles swirled through the air around the Monster Insect Queen’s body, greatly reducing the speed of these roots, resulting in them not only failing to trap the Monster Insect Queen but also suffering serious damage in the process.
Yang Kai regained his confidence at the sight of this.
If the two Blood Beasts couldn’t be used in this battle, it would definitely become much harder for him, but now it seemed that the Monster Insect Queen’s performance was much better than Yang Kai had expected.
The Monster Insect Queen was born from the fusion of a Sentient Sword Intent and a Blood Beast, so the strength it could unleash in combat was far superior to the Blue Flame Thunder Wolf’s.
Yang Kai was about to charge in again, teaming up with the Monster Insect Queen to besiege the Wood Spirit, when his brow suddenly rose as he sensed a kind of anxious call.
This summon came from the sealed Liu Yan!
Even though Liu Yan was sealed inside that strange bowl, she seemed to have sensed the battle outside and was now stimulating the Soul Mark Yang Kai had left in her Divine Sense many decades ago.
Startled for a moment, Yang Kai quickly slapped his forehead as he scolded himself for being an idiot.
He had only been thinking of teaming up with his two Blood Beasts to fight just now and had forgotten about Liu Yan’s existence. Liu Yan was a Fire Attribute Artifact Spirit, a pure amalgamation of Fire Attribute Energy, so even if her cultivation wasn’t as high as the two Blood Beasts, her role in this particular battle might be even stronger than them.
As long as Liu Yan came out, what would there be to fear about a trivial Wood Spirit?
Thinking so, Yang Kai immediately focused his gaze on Han Leng’s corpse, which lay near the Wood Spirit.
He gave an order to the Monster Insect Queen and had it suppress the Wood Spirit on its own while Yang Kai directly soared over to Han Leng’s corpse, reached down, and picked up the two Space Rings.
Of the two Space Rings, one belonged to Han Leng and the other to Ning Yuan Cheng. The round bowl in which Liu Yan was sealed was stored in the latter’s Space Ring.
After having acquired them, Yang Kai immediately withdrew.
Right at that moment, the Wood Spirit seemed to notice Yang Kai’s movements and sent out countless vine whips at him, as well as a faint streak of green light which struck his body and disappearing in a flash.
Yang Kai was shocked as he quickly blocked the attacking vines while withdrawing, a confused look appearing on his face once he reached a safe distance.
He had clearly seen that faint beam shooting out from the Wood Spirit but he couldn’t see where it went.
He quickly scanned his own body with his Divine Sense but he couldn’t find anything strange, causing his expression to turn unsightly.
He carefully scanned himself again but was still unable to find anything. Short on time though, Yang Kai grit his teeth and ignored this anomaly temporarily and took out the bowl sealing Liu Yan from Ning Yuan Cheng’s Space Ring.
As he poured his Divine Sense into the bowl, he immediately sensed Liu Yan.
“Master!” Liu Yan’s voice reached him, “It’s good to see you again, I knew you wouldn’t abandon me.”
Yang Kai chuckled and said, “Of course I wouldn’t abandon you, but now isn’t the time to reminisce about. I’ll find a way to unlock this seal quickly, as there’s an enemy here I need your help dealing with.”
“En!” After replying, there were no other movements from Liu Yan’s side.
Yang Kai flew to the distance and meticulously checked the seals on the round bowl.
This bowl was clearly a special kind of sealing artifact, one that wasn’t of much other use or of great value. It was mainly used to seal energy bodies like Liu Yan’s and after being trapped inside, Liu Yan clearly couldn’t unlock the barrier. Fortunately, it seemed that unlocking these seals from the outside was relatively straightforward.
As Yang Kai’s Divine Sense was far stronger than an ordinary Origin King’s, it only took the time it takes to finish a cup of tea for him to find some clues.
Pouring his Divine Sense into the bowl, Yang Kai swiftly unlocked one seal after another.
When the last seal broke, Liu Yan’s joyous shout came from the bowl, “I’m free!”
Liu Yan swiftly turned into a fiery beam of light and flew out of the bowl with a loud, joyous cry.
With her advent, the temperature in the surrounding air rose dramatically.
Liu Yan spread her wings and her enormous body seemed to cover half of the sky, her eyes burning with intense flames as she stared down towards the Wood Spirit which was engaged in battle with the Monster Insect Queen.
Immediately, a sharp, crisp cry escaped from her mouth as she swooped down like a meteor falling from the sky.
At this moment, the Wood Spirit was locked in combat with the Monster Insect Queen. Despite being a Minor Realm higher in cultivation, and having mastered Ice Principles, the Monster Insect Queen was barely holding her ground against the Wood Spirit. Without Yang Kai’s help, she was now locked into a stalemate.
This made it quite clear just how strong the Wood Spirit was.
When Liu Yan, wrapped in her intense flames, swooped down from the sky, however, the hideous face on the Wood Spirit’s trunk finally showed a look of fear and panic. It had not even shown this kind of look when it was up against Yang Kai and two Blood Beasts.
Countless vines shot straight out at the oncoming Liu Yan from the ground, each one like a powerful spear throw with extraordinary strength.
But Liu Yan didn’t care to pay these vines any mind, simply opening her beak and spewing out a jet of crimson flames wrapped in arcs of purple lightning.
Almost all of the vines were reduced to ashes by its scorching flames while the few that made it through simply passed through Liu Yan’s body without causing any damage to her.
It could be said that she was the ultimate nemesis for this Wood Spirit! All the Wood Spirit’s abilities had no effect on her while her abilities greatly restrained it.
Not only that, the power of thunder and lightning mastered by Liu Yan travelled back along the Wood Spirit’s vines, causing it to freeze up in shock.
Most of Liu Yan’s flames were refined by devouring the Sun’s True Essence, while her lightning came from the sentient Heavenly Thunder Fire she had devoured in the past. In terms of ferocity of flames, while Liu Yan’s might not be comparable to the Luan Feng’s World Extinguishing Black Flame, it was definitely quite extraordinary.
How could Wood Spirit resist?
After Liu Yan’s body of flame passed through the Wood Spirit, more than half of its vines were burned to coke and its originally hideous and distorted face filled with panic.
It didn’t dare to remain and immediately uprooted itself, using its roots like tentacles as it scampered across the ground towards the distance.
It had actually decided to flee.
Yang Kai had been waiting for this very moment, so how could he let the Wood Spirit escape now?
With the help of his Space Secret Technique, he appeared right in front of the Wood Spirit and stared at it with a cold look in his eyes. Then, he spread his hands and brought them together, creating an enormous Moon Blade.
Just when Yang Kai was about to release the Moon Blade to give the Wood Spirit the final blow, the Wood Spirit let out a scream, and right then, Yang Kai felt a sudden burst of sharp pain from his arm, causing his wrist to momentarily shake and disrupt the Moon Blade’s launch.
Immediately after, loud slicing noise rang. Even though the huge Moon Blade was formed using Space Force and wasn’t exactly a counter to the Wood Spirit, its might could not be taken lightly. Yang Kai’s aim might have been disrupted at the last moment, causing him to miss the Wood Spirit’s vitals, but the Moon Blade still left a huge gaping cut on its body.
The cut was clean and some green blood gushed out from the wound like a fountain.
It was then that Liu Yan swooped in, transformed into a giant ball of flame, and engulfed the entire Wood Spirit.
The nearby Moon Inspect Queen brought its dual swords together and made a slashing motion that created a giant Sword Wave that cut straight into Liu Yan and the Wood Spirit.
The Wood Spirit immediately let out a sharp and piercing scream.
Yang Kai, on the other hand, backed off several dozen metres as he hurriedly tore off his clothes and stared at his right arm, calling out in shock in the next moment, “Wood Spirit Seed!”
At this moment, there was a light green rice grain-sized thing embedded in the skin of his right arm and Yang Kai could feel his vitality uncontrollably flowing towards it.
As more and more of Yang Kai’s vitality flowed into it, this little seed actually showing signs of breaking out of its shell.
Yang Kai immediately understood what it was. Obviously, this Wood Spirit Seed had penetrated his flesh along with that faint green beam of light from before.
No wonder even the six Emperors were unable to completely eradicate the Wood Spirit, it was actually able to conceal one of its seeds this well. Yang Kai couldn’t even find it after carefully inspecting his body twice. If it wasn’t for the Wood Spirit trying to interfere with his attack just now to save itself and escape, perhaps this Wood Spirit Seed would not have activated.
And it was exactly because of the activation of this Wood Spirit Speed that Yang Kai’s Moon Blade lost its accuracy.
As for what happened to the cultivators parasitized by the Wood Spirit Seeds in Maplewood City, Yang Kai couldn’t be any clearer. All this thing needed was a short time to devour a cultivator’s vitality and essence before it took over that cultivator’s body and turned them into a Wood Spirit Clone without any will of its own.
Naturally, Yang Kai didn’t want to follow in those people’s footsteps.
Seeing the Wood Spirit Seed devouring more and more of his vitality, Yang Kai grit his teeth and formed a minute Space Blade on his fingers before slicing into the flesh around where the Wood Spirit Seed was embedded and tearing it out, trying to stifle his pained groan in the process.
Blood streamed down his arm.
Having been separated from his body, the small piece of flesh that Yang Kai had just torn out was devoured by the Wood Spirit Seed in a very short time. The next moment, the Wood Spirit Seed also turned into a small seedling that shot out some thin vines that tried to invade Yang Kai again.
Yang Kai let out a cold snort and immediately summoned his Sealed World Bead before slipping inside it.
Inside the Small Sealed World, Yang Kai held the Wood Spirit’s Seedling as he released flames from his palm, completely wrapping it up.
Accompanied by a sharp and piercing screech, the incomplete Wood Spirit Clone was burnt to ashes.
After doing all this, Yang Kai took out a healing pill from his Space Ring and swallowed it before sitting down cross-legged and beginning another careful examination of his body, using the Small Sealed World’s Principles to dramatically boost his senses.
He was truly wary of these Wood Spirit Seeds.
He was unable to find any hidden Wood Spirit Seeds with his Divine Sense earlier, but things were completely different inside the Sealed World Bead. Here, he could use the World Principles to perform a much more intensive examination than his Diving Sense could perform alone.
After checking a few times, Yang Kai was finally sure that there weren’t any more and he finally relaxed.
After this brief period, the wound on Yang Kai’s arm had almost recovered. His Golden Blood had extraordinary restorative properties and coupled with his powerful physique, this kind of minor injury was nothing to him.
After heaving a sigh of relief, Yang Kai stood up and left the Sealed World Bead.
After returning back to the plains again, Yang Kai looked around and found the surroundings at peace, lacking any sounds of fighting.
Not too far away, Liu Yan, who had already taken her human form, gently jumped to Yang Kai’s side as a smile finally appeared beautiful face that was usually as cold as ice. Standing next to him, she happily shouted, “Master!”
Yang Kai nodded and asked, glancing at the ashes on the ground, “Is it dead?”
Liu Yan nodded, “Yes!”
While speaking, she turned her eyes towards the Monster Insect Queen and calmly said, “Master, your new helper is pretty good, she’s even fiercer than me.”
Yang Kai glanced at her and seemed to notice something in her gaze, causing a smile to appear on his lips as he said, “Although it’s quite good, its room for growth is very limited. In the future, it will reach the Third-Order Dao Source Realm at best, but you are different. You have gained sentience and you can actively strengthen yourself, so you will definitely be stronger in the future.”
“Yes, Master,” Liu Yan responded, lowering her head, but she couldn’t hide the corners of her lips rising into a small arc.
Yang Kai beckoned to the Monster Insect Queen, which swiftly flew over to him. Yang Kai then had it return to his Sealed World Bead.
Glancing around, Yang Kai saw that this stretch of wilderness had become a wasteland. In just half a day, two Second-Order Dao Source Realm masters and dozens of Origin Kings had lost their lives here, causing Yang Kai to sigh slightly.
“Check if there are any Space Rings remaining,” after giving the order, Yang Kai started searching with Liu Yan.
Not long after, eight Space Rings lay in Yang Kai’s hands. These Space Rings belonged to Flying Saint Palace’s disciples, and Yang Kai didn’t pay much attention to them as he knew there wouldn’t be much of value in them.
Yang Kai had already collected Ning Yuan Cheng and Han Leng’s Space Rings, but as for Liu Yi Zhi’s, it was likely destroyed in the previous fight so there was no point searching for it, causing Yang Kai some slight disappointment.
After all, the Space Ring of a Second-Order Dao Source Realm master should have a lot of treasures in it.
“Master, what do you think we should do with this?” Liu Yan asked, looking at the ship on the ground with a curious look in her beautiful eyes.
After being separated from Yang Kai in the Starlight Channel, she didn’t have the time to appreciate various wonders of the Star Boundary. She knew very little about this ship, only that it was a kind of flight-type artifact.
“Of course, we’re going to keep it,” Yang Kai grinned, walking up to the ship and circling it a few times as a satisfied look appeared on his face.
Yang Kai had personally learned how fast this thing could fly as he had been unable to catch up to it despite his best efforts just a day ago. In the subsequent battle, the defensive shield of the ship had even withstood the attacks of the Heavenly Lunar Cycle Grand Array for a time, obviously indicating that its defensive strength was also quite good.
This was absolutely a Dao Source Grade flight-type artifact!
Yang Kai currently lacked a flight-type artifact for travelling, so how could he let go of such a treasure after encountering it? It might belong to Flying Saint Palace, and if anyone saw Yang Kai using it, they might link him to Ning Yuan Cheng’s death, but as long as Yang Kai was careful and didn’t use it in front of outsiders, everything would be alright.
The ship was too big, however, and Yang Kai couldn’t refine it immediately to make it shrink, so he could only expend a large amount of his Spiritual Energy to put it into the Sealed World Bead, for now, and deal with in the future.
“Let’s go!” Yang Kai summoned Liu Yan and began returning to Maplewood City. Now that the matter of Liu Yan had been settled, he could accompany Kang Si Ran to explore the hidden cave mansion without any worries.
But right then, a gust of wind blew over and Yang Kai, who was about to turn around and leave, couldn’t help but pause, looking suspiciously in a certain direction.
“What’s wrong?” Liu Yan asked, surprised.
Yang Kai didn’t answer and instead just stared intently for a time before suddenly soaring over to where the Wood Spirit Clone was killed.
Originally, only the ashes of the Wood Spirit Clone were left here; however, under the last gust of wind, something glimmering in the ashes had caught Yang Kai’s attention.
Kneeling down, he swept away the rest of the ashes and discovered something.
Yang Kai instantly retreated as a vigilant look appeared on his face. In that moment, he almost instinctually released a Moon Blade.
Liu Yan slowly came over and stood beside him, sweeping her gaze towards the ashes before a gasp leaked from her lips, “A seed?”
She glanced at Yang Kai and, getting his nod, she stepped forward and reached out her fingers to pick this seed up.
Upon closer examination, the pair confirmed it was indeed a seed, one the size of a grain of rice, obviously something left behind after the Wood Spirit was burnt to ashes.
Since it could survive Liu Yan’s intense flames though, this seed was clearly not ordinary.
Obviously, it was a Wood Spirit Seed!
And the reason why Yang Kai showed such vigilance was all because of this. He had suffered a small loss just now and had even been forced to cut out a piece of his flesh to resolve a similar Wood Spirit Seed crisis.
Once bitten by a snake, one would be afraid of ropes for ten years.
But the strange thing was that this Wood Spirit Seed seemed completely different from the Wood Spirit Seed which had implanted itself in Yang Kai’s arm. It wasn’t green, but instead, the left side glimmered gold while the right released a dazzling silver, looking extremely unusual.
“Is there anything amiss with it?” Yang Kai asked vigilantly.
Liu Yan nodded and said, “There is indeed a problem, it still has a faint Soul fluctuation. It seems to still be alive.”
“I see,” Yang Kai ground his teeth.
If he hadn’t instantly backed away just now and had picked up the Wood Spirit Seed instead, he might have been parasitized again. Just from the looks of it, this Wood Spirit Seed was extraordinary, and if it had taken root in his body, he probably wouldn’t have been able to deal with it by just cutting out a piece of flesh.
Fortunately, he had Liu Yan, who was the nemesis of this Wood Spirit and didn’t fear its peculiar abilities.
“Good good! This little thing actually dares try to trick me!” Yang Kai coldly smiled and beckoned Liu Yan, “Come with me!”
Saying so, he quickly brought Liu Yan into the Sealed World Bead.
In the Sealed World Bead, Yang Kai sat in a cross-legged position, looking as tranquil as an ancient well.
In front of him was his Purple Origin Furnace, with its lid closed and an intense heat coming from it.
From time to time, knocking sounds could be heard coming from inside the Purple Origin Furnace, as if something was struggling inside it, trying to escape. At this moment, Yang Kai was pouring his Qi into the Purple Origin Furnace, trying to suppress whatever was struggling inside.
As time went by, the Purple Origin Furnace turned extremely red, so hot that it began distorting the surrounding space.
Meanwhile, the struggle inside the furnace was also growing weaker and weaker.
After an entire day, the furnace finally calmed down. Yang Kai called for Liu Yan before opening the Purple Origin Furnace with the wave of his hand. Immediately, Liu Yan turned into a fiery beam and shot out from the furnace before assuming her human form before him.
“Master,” Liu Yan greeted Yang Kai and handed him the gold and silver coloured Wood Spirit Seed before adding, “Master, you may rest assured, this thing could not be any deader.”
“Good job.” Yang Kai nodded with satisfaction, taking the peculiar Wood Spirit Seed and pouring his Divine Sense into it, confirming that Liu Yan was indeed right. The faint Soul wisp hidden inside the Wood Spirit Seed had completely disappeared.
Obviously, the Soul wisp belonged to the Wood Spirit, and unless it was completely destroyed, the Wood Spirit would continue to live on.
But after being thrown by Yang Kai into the Purple Origin Furnace and refined by Liu Yan for a full day and night, how could the residual Soul of the Wood Spirit survive? It had long been wiped out by the scorching heat.
At this moment, the seed in Yang Kai’s hand could no longer be regarded as the Wood Spirit’s seed, but the original seed before the Wood Spirit grew from.
Yang Kai had no idea what the Wood Spirit’s actual body was before it gained sentience; after all, he had never seen a seed like this before.
But since it could stand being burned by the joint effort of Liu Yan’s and his flames for an entire day and night without getting damaged, it was far from ordinary.
If this seed was planted, it might gain sentience again after tens of thousands of years, becoming another Wood Spirit, but that one would have nothing to do with the previous one.
“What are you going to do with this thing?” Asked Liu Yan, glancing at Yang Kai.
“I don’t know. What do you suggest?” Yang Kai looked up at her.
Liu Yan also shook her head, “Master, that is up to you; however, I feel that the two energies flowing in this seed would bring you a great advantage.”
“Oh? Why do you say that?” Yang Kai asked in surprise.
“I just have a feeling, that’s all. If you really want me to explain it, I can’t describe it exactly,” Liu Yan smiled.
Yang Kai gently nodded before returning his gaze to the peculiar Wood Spirit Seed and pondering. Suddenly, his eyes lit up as if he had come up with a good idea.
The next moment, his figure flickered as he directly arrived at the medicine garden of the Small Sealed World. Then, he looked for a good spot, dug up a little bit of earth, and planted the Wood Spirit Seed in his hand.
He had no idea what this Wood Spirit Seed was or what its uses were, but since that was the case, he could just grow it himself to investigate.
And in this world, what place would be more suitable for planting the Wood Spirit Seed than the medicine garden inside the Sealed World Bead?
This was a medicine garden with a vast amount of Heavy Earth buried beneath it and five Earth Vein Crystals supplying rich amounts of World Energy. In this place, the growth period of the Wood Spirit Seed would be greatly shortened and in just a few years, Yang Kai would be able to figure out what it was.
After carefully re-checking, Yang Kai clapped and smiled in satisfaction. The next moment, his figure distorted again as he reappeared before Liu Yan.
“It’s done! Let’s return to Maplewood City. Accompany me, I need to ask you some questions,” Yang Kai said, looking at Liu Yan.
“Yes.” Liu Yan nodded before she turned into a fiery beam and shot straight into Yang Kai’s body, disappearing right after.
Yang Kai then left the Sealed World Bead, determined his bearings, and swiftly headed towards Maplewood City.
…..
Somewhere about ten thousand kilometres away from Maplewood City, Flying Saint Palace.
Surrounded by mountains and rising clouds, Flying Saint Palace was a majestic sight to behold.
And on a certain peak, an old man with a naked chest and white hair was sitting cross-legged, facing east. This old man’s eyes were closed as he inhaled and exhaled slowly. Every time he breathed out, his breath seemed to transform into birds and beasts that would walk or run away, disappearing into the depths of the forest in the blink of an eye. He was clearly cultivating some strange, profound Secret Art.
Suddenly, the old man opened his eyes and a gleam appeared in their depths, causing anyone who saw it to shudder.
“Hmph, this old master said not to disturb him unless it was something of critical importance. Tell me, what is the matter this time? If it turns out to be something trivial, it will be your head!” The old man suddenly stated in a cold tone without even turning his head.
Several dozen metres behind him, a middle-aged man in black robes immediately froze as drops of cold sweat trickled down his forehead. Promptly cupping his fists, he reported in a trembling voice, “Reporting to the Palace Master, Young Palace Master’s life crystal has shattered!”
Judging by the middle-aged man’s words, this old man happened to be Flying Saint Palace’s Palace Master, Ning Bo Yang.
“Yuan Chen’s life crystal shattered?” Ning Bo Yang’s expression turned colder upon hearing this, the temperature on the mountain top dropping sharply.
“Yes,” the middle-aged man replied in a heavy voice, not daring to lift his head.
“Hmph, that rascal’s life was destined to be short from the start. Since his crystal has shattered, that’s all there is to it,” Ning Bo Yan indifferently said.
“Ah?” The middle-aged man was stunned, not having expected someone to show such an indifferent attitude even after knowing that his son had died.
[Could it be… that the Young Palace Master wasn’t really his son?] The middle-aged man couldn’t help wondering.
“Since Yuan Cheng is dead, let Yuan Shu be the Young Palace Master, see to it yourselves and stop disturbing this old master,” ordered Ning Bo Yang.
The middle-aged man didn’t dare to be neglectful and hurriedly nodded, “Yes, I will obey Palace Master’s orders.”
“However… Yuan Cheng might have been a fool, but he was still my son, the Young Palace Master of the Flying Saint Palace! Someone daring to defecate on my Flying Saint Palace’s head is utterly unacceptable. Find out who is responsible and bring me his head!”
“Yes!” The middle-aged bowed respectfully.
“You may go,” Ning Bo Yang waved.
The middle-aged man immediately backed away without saying another word.
…
In Star Soul Palace, the true overlord of the Star Boundary’s Southern Territory, a similar scene was taking place.
In a secret room, a short old man was listening to the report from a beautiful woman in front of him, and after listening to it, he furrowed his brow and asked, “Did that little bastard’s life crystal really shatter?”
“Reporting to Honoured Master, Junior Brother Han’s life crystal has indeed broken,” the beautiful woman respectfully replied.
“That evil boy was as slippery as a loach, even evading this old master’s personal pursuit, so how did he die?” The old man let out a cold snort, “Waste!”
“Honoured Master, please restrain your anger, Junior Brother Han is already dead, and no matter who killed him, it can be regarded as cleaning house on behalf of Honored Master,” the beautiful woman comforted.
“Cleaning house?” The old man let out a cold snort and snapped, “This old master does not need anyone to intervene in his affairs!”
“Disciple has made a mistake, please forgive me, Honoured Master!” The beautiful woman’s face turned pale as she heard this shout.
“Go and investigate who did it, and… while this old master cares nothing for his other possessions, your Junior Brother Han had a token on him, make sure you retrieve it and bring it back to me!” The old man commanded.
“A token?” The beautiful woman was stunned, asking curiously, “May I ask Honoured Master what kind of token it is?”
The old man calmly glanced at her and said, “If you really see it, you will know what it is, explaining anymore is useless!”
“Yes, Disciple will deal with this as quickly as possible. Honoured Master need only wait for good news.” The beautiful woman hurriedly left the secret room, not daring to ask anymore.
After the beautiful woman left, an uncertain and pondering look appeared on the short old man’s face before he suddenly cursed, “Little bastard, you’re lucky that you didn’t die at this old master’s hand!”
…..
“So, after you exited the starlight passage, you fell into the Black Blood Swamp?” Yang Kai asked while making a beeline toward Maplewood City.
The Black Blood Swamp was not too far from Maplewood City, just a hundred thousand kilometres or so away, so Yang Kai had naturally heard of it before.
“En,” Liu Yan’s voice sounded in his head, “I also know that my existence can easily arouse others’ greed, so I’ve been hiding there and didn’t dare to show myself easily.”
“What happened next?” Yang Kai asked.
“Later, I fought with many Monster Beasts in the swamp. Some wanted to devour me, but I managed to escape each time, though at one point, when I was fighting with a certain Monster Beast, I was discovered by a passing master. That man had a Second-Order Dao Source Realm cultivation and not only easily killed the Monster Beast I was fighting, but also captured me. He then sealed me in that bowl.” Liu Yan still seemed to be a little shaken as she recalled her recent encounters, “Fortunately, that man’s Secret Art was Water Attributed, the opposite of my essence, so he brought me to an auction being held in Maplewood City instead of keeping me for himself.”
“It sounds like all sorts of chances and coincidences lead you here,” Yang Kai smiled.
Indeed many chances and coincidences played a part in helping him meet with Liu Yan again. If he didn’t come to Maplewood City after escaping from the Blue Feather Sect, he would have definitely missed Liu Yan.
And once someone like Liu Yan was captured, she would not necessarily survive for long. She would definitely be integrated into an artifact or swallowed and absorbed by a cultivator to enhance their own strength.
“In any case, it’s a blessing to be reunited with Master now. By the way, Master, what about Xiao Xiao?” Liu Yan suddenly asked. She and Xiao Xiao were both Yang Kai’s helpers, his left and right arms so to speak. She had spent many years together with Xiao Xiao, so she was quite attached to him and cared about his situation.
Yang Kai wore a sad look as he shook his head, “There’s still no news.”
“I hope he is safe and sound,” Liu Yan’s tone also fell.
In their native Star Field, they were nearly invincible existences, but after coming to the Star Realm, Liu Yan discovered that there were many powerful people here who she could not currently hope to match, and since even she had been captured by others, it was obvious Xiao Xiao may also be in danger.
When Yang Kai returned to Maplewood City, the sky was already dark.
He walked into the city with ease and went straight to his secluded home.
He opened the secluded home barrier and walked right in.
Before he could take two steps though, he heard a cheerful voice call out, “Sir, you’re back!”
Yang Kai couldn’t help but freeze in shock for a moment, but after turning to see who it was, he finally remembered that another person was living here now: The little girl from the Zhang Family, Zhang Ruo Xi!
Yang Kai had spent most of his life travelling alone, so now that someone was suddenly accompanying him, he was having a hard time adapting. Furthermore, he had been busy with Liu Yan these few days, so he had almost forgotten about Zhang Ruo Xi.
After regaining his wits, Yang Kai gently nodded to her.
“Sir has been working hard these days,” Zhang Ruo Xi lowered her head and said in a low voice.
Her voice was so small that, had the secluded home not been extremely quiet, Yang Kai might not have heard her.
Yang Kai took a careful look at her and discovered that she looked a little nervous, her two hands pinching her clothes as she fidgeted slightly.
“Master, who is this little girl? She seems to be afraid of you,” Liu Yan’s voice rang in Yang Kai’s head as she continued in a teasing tone, “Her strength doesn’t seem too high… Master wouldn’t happen to have kidnapped her, would you? But… en, this little girl is pretty good, she has quite a nice figure for her age, tsk tsk…”
Before Liu Yan could continue any further, Yang Kai directly threw her into the Sealed World Bead and cut off contact with her.
Inside the Small Sealed World, Liu Yan stood stunned for a moment before snorting, “A guilty conscience makes a man become a coward!”
After having said this, she searched for the location of the Sun’s True Essence before transforming into her Firebird form and flying over to it, preparing to absorb more of its Sun’s True Fire to strengthen herself.
Inside the secluded home, Yang Kai looked at Zhang Ruo Xi nervously fidgetting and asked, “Have you been waiting here?”
Had she not been waiting here, it would have been impossible for her to appear the moment he entered the secluded home.
“No! Ruo Xi just happened to be walking nearby,” Zhang Ruo Xi replied, lowering her head.
Obviously, Yang Kai didn’t believe her, but looking around and seeing that the secluded home had been cleaned up spotlessly, he couldn’t help smiling and saying, “Sit down, I have something to tell you.”
Zhang Ruo Xi hurriedly waved her hands and respectfully rejected, “No need Sir, Ruo Xi will continue standing.”
Yang Kai heaved a sigh, reached out, and pulled her stiff body over to a chair before pushing her into it, making her sit, and only then walking around the table to sit on the opposite side.
After sorting out his thoughts, Yang Kai spoke, “Ruo Xi… I can call you Ruo Xi, right?”
Zhang Ruo Xi slowly nodded her head without speaking a word.
Yang Kai smiled and tried to speak in as gentle a tone as possible, “If you don’t want to speak, that’s fine. It’s like this, I brought you out of the Zhang Family not to make you repay me, nor because I want you to serve me. The connection between the Zhang Family and myself was all because of the agreement I made with your great grandfather, Zhang Gao Xuan. So, now that that agreement has been fulfilled, neither the Zhang Family nor I owe each other anything.”
“Ruo Xi will always remember the great benevolence Sir has shown to the Zhang Family and will surely repay Sir in this life!” Zhang Ruo Xi stated in a soft voice, but firm, unyielding tone.
Yang Kai nodded and said, “If that is what you wish. En, now I want to tell you the reason I brought you out from the Zhang Family is that I might need your help with something in the future.”
Zhang Ruo Xi still had her head lowered as she stated, “Ruo Xi will surely work hard to fulfil Sir’s orders and expectations. Since Sir has brought me out of the Zhang Family, I am no longer a member of the Zhang Family, so whatever Sir needs of me, I will do it, as long as it makes Sir happy.”
Yang Kai rubbed his forehead, feeling like he was talking to a brick wall, making him extremely helpless. In the end, he could only say, “I don’t know how else to explain this to you. In any case, you don’t need to address me as Sir, nor do you need to think of yourself as a servant or maid. I’m not much older than you, so just call me Big Brother Yang from now on.”
“How could that be acceptable!” Zhan Ruo Xi raised her head and waved her hands frantically. When she found that Yang Kai was looking at her though, she quickly lowered her head and said, “That is absolutely impossible, Ruo Xi cannot be so rude to Sir!”
“You blockhead…” Yang Kai was exasperated.
Zhang Ruo Xi appeared to be in a state of nervous panic, thinking that Yang Kai was angry with her, so she quickly got up in order to kneel down.
Yang Kai saw her intent and swiftly reached out to make her sit back down.
“Forget it, I won’t pester you about these things; however, now that you will be staying by my side and I will be in need of your help in the future, I will not treat you badly. First, take this.” Saying so, Yang Kai took out a jade bottle from his Space Ring, opened it, and took out a single pill with Pill Veins.
“What’s this?” Zhang Ruo Xi curiously gazed at the pill.
“Poison! Do you dare to take it?” Yang Kai said in a serious manner. Once he spoke those words though, he realized he had suddenly reverted to some bad habits he’d picked up over the years and felt somewhat disgusted with himself.
Zhang Ruo Xi, on the other hand, just stated with a smile on her face, “Sir is lying to me.”
Yang Kai looked a little embarrassed but didn’t try to justify himself, instead just saying, “Take this thing and go find yourself a room to cultivate in. I’m going out for a few days, so just stay here obediently and don’t go running around.”
“Is Sir going out again?” Zhang Ruo raised her head, looking at Yang Kai as she pursed her lips and asked, “Should Rou Xi accompany you?”
“No need, just take care of yourself,” Yang Kai got up and smiled before heading straight to the room he usually cultivated in.
After Yang Kai left, Zhang Ruo Xi checked the pill again, but even after examining it for a while, she was still unable to find anything special about it. Bringing it close, she sniffed it lightly, only to have her nose filled with a rich fragrance that caused her beautiful eyes to brighten. Heaven knows what crossed her mind at that moment, but after her face turned slightly red, she popped the pill into her mouth and swallowed.
Just as the pill entered her stomach, it immediately melted into a stream of heat that rushed out towards every nook and corner of her body.
Zhang Ruo Xi’s expression changed when she felt this and, not daring to act careless, she hurriedly rushed toward the smallest bedroom in the secluded home, sat down cross-legged, and started circulating her Secret Art.
Naturally, the pill she had taken was the Marrow Washing Pill that Yang Kai had spent several hundred thousand Source Crystals to buy. With the help of this pill, Zhang Ruo Xi’s aptitude would fully blossom and the time she required to cultivate to the Origin King Realm would be greatly reduced.
She was quite young, but she still had some worldly knowledge, so she understood that a pill with Pill Veins was unimaginably valuable. Perhaps the Zhang Family couldn’t even buy such a pill if they sold out all of its assets.
Naturally, she was very grateful for Yang Kai’s generosity.
Inside Yang Kai’s room, after he confirmed that Zhang Ruo Xi had taken the Marrow Washing Pill and entered a meditative state, he activated all the barriers in his room to seal it off.
Next, he took out nearly ten Space Rings and began to sort out his harvest.
After half an hour, Yang Kai happily looked at the haul lying in front of him.
From these ten Space Rings, he had acquired over 8 million Source Crystals alone, almost 6 million of which had belonged to Han Leng.
After giving it a thought, Yang Kai didn’t find this surprising. At the auction, Han Leng had bid about 6 million when he was competing with Ning Yuan Cheng for Liu Yan, so him not having this many Source Crystals would have been more surprising.
Yang Kai was simply ecstatic after obtaining so many Source Crystals.
He had toiled so hard yet he could only gather a million Source Crystals over the past few months, and during the auction, he had spent a couple hundred thousand to buy that Washing Marrow Pill. Now though, he actually had over 8 million.
By the looks of it, Yang Kai wouldn’t need to worry about Source Crystals for a long time.
Naturally, there were many pills as well, but these pills were of no use to Yang Kai. As an Alchemist, he didn’t even put these low-grade pills in his eyes. At best, they could be sold for some Source Crystals.
There were many artifacts as well. Besides the flying ship that was lying in his Sealed World Bead, Yang Kai had harvested three other Dao Source Grade artifacts.
One of them was the long sword that Han Leng had used before, and even though it was just Dao Source Grade Low-Rank, it still satisfied Yang Kai greatly.
The other one was an Artifact Armour that Ning Yuan Cheng possessed, refined from some material Yang Kai couldn’t identify. This was similarly a Dao Source Grade Low-Rank artifact, but because it was a defensive artifact, its value was naturally much higher than the long sword.
The third and final artifact was, naturally, the Black Jade Furnace which had just been bought by Han Leng at the auction, a genuine Dao Source Grade Mid-Rank Alchemy Furnace. It had many interesting functions and Han Leng had spent a huge sum to win it, but it had now landed in Yang Kai’s hands basically for free.
Besides these three Dao Source Grade artifacts, there was also an assortment of Origin King Grade artifacts.
Finally, there were some materials such as herbs for Alchemy and ores for Artifact Refining that Yang Kai neatly sorted.
What caught Yang Kai’s attention the most out of everything though was a small token.
[If I remember it correctly, this should have come from Han Leng’s Space Ring.]
The token wasn’t very big, only about the size of a palm, and seemed to be made of some kind of golden metal. Engraved on the front side of this token was a distinct and lifelike True Dragon while on its back was the ancient character for ‘Dragon’, engraved in majestic and imposing calligraphy.
Yang Kai released his Divine Sense and also used his Qi power to carefully inspect this token, but soon realized he couldn’t distinguish what material it was refined from. Searching through the information he possessed, he also couldn’t recall anything about such a token.
However, since it was kept inside the Space Ring of a master like Han Leng, the origin of this token was probably quite extraordinary.
Yang Kai decisively threw it into the Sealed World Bead and decided to study it slowly in the future.
After storing away the pills and artifacts, Yang Kai released his Divine Sense to check up on Zhang Ruo Xi who was using the Marrow Washing Pill to improve her physique. After confirming that everything was proceeding smoothly, he slowly stood up.
After half a day, in the black market of Maplewood City, Yang Kai managed to clean out his inventory.
The black market of Maplewood City was never short of items of less than reputable origin, and buyers here never asked any questions, so although he needed to sell them cheaper than he would in official stores, Yang Kai also didn’t need to worry about security or secrecy.
Yang Kai also didn’t sell everything in just one store, but went around to several different locations to launder his goods.
During the entire process, he had disguised himself and used his Divine Sense to shield his appearance, so presumably, with the level of cultivators in Maplewood City, no one was able to see his true appearance.
After Yang Kai returned from the black market, the number of Source Crystals in his hand had already crossed the ten million mark, making him suddenly feel like a rich man.
Two days later, when Yang Kai was refining the Dao Source Grade artifacts that he just got his hands on in the secluded home, his expression suddenly changed. Taking out a communication artifact from his Space Ring, he poured his Divine Sense into it and immediately after, a smile appeared on his face and he hurriedly stood up.
Soon after, he left the secluded home and headed straight towards the city gates.
After half an hour, Yang Kai descended into a small forest about 30,000 kilometres away from Maplewood City.
Before he could look around, a familiar figure appeared in front of him and said with a grin while cupping his fist, “Brother Yang, you’ve come quite fast!”
“Sorry to keep you waiting, Brother Kang,” Yang Kai smiled back at the opposite party and cupped his fist in courtesy.
The person in front of him was naturally Kang Si Ran. After Yang Kai had received his message, he immediately understood that everything was prepared; however, the two didn’t set off from Maplewood City together and instead moved separately and converged here.
Kang Si Ran was also a cautious person, which suited Yang Kai’s taste.
“It’s alright, I also just arrived here. Brother Yang, you came before I could even catch my breath,” Kang Si Ran said with a smile. “Since Brother Yang is here, let’s set off immediately.”
Saying so, he opened his mouth and spat out a long shuttle-like artifact, one that rapidly grew to more than ten metres long.
Kang Si Ran formed a few seals before sending a stream of Source Qi into the shuttle, opening a hatch in its side.
When Yang Kai saw this, he immediately understood that this was a flight-type artifact. Stepping inside together with Kang Si Ran, the pair soon shot off into the distance.
“Sorry Brother Yang, my flight-type artifact is only of Origin King Grade Mid-Rank and not very fast; however, travelling this way can still save us some effort,” Kang Si Ran said while piloting his shuttle.
Yang Kai nodded and said, “It’s more than enough, but I wonder how long it will take to reach our destination?”
“About three days or so,” Kang Si Ran answered. “Which is just right for me to discuss the situation there with Brother Yang.”
Yang Kai nodded, “I was just about to ask about this.”
Over the next three days, the two remained inside the artifact, chatting, and after Kang Si Ran gave Yang Kai the run down of the situation, Yang Kai finally came to know the location of the Wondrous Pill Great Emperor’s Third Disciple, Gong Sun Mu’s hidden cave mansion: A place called Yuan Furnace Mountain.
From a distance, this mountain looked like a giant furnace, hence its name.
Yuan Furnace Mountain was situated inside Raging Fire Temple’s range of influence. In his early days, Kang Si Ran had quietly gone to explore this mountain by himself, but unfortunately, he wasn’t strong enough at the time to penetrate very far and could only break through the cave mansion’s outer barriers. In the end, he had to leave in low spirits, completely opposite to how happily he had arrived.
By his calculations, even if Gong Sun Mu’s cave mansion barriers had degraded over the years, it could not be broken by an ordinary Origin King. It would take at least a Dao Source Realm master to crack it.
Therefore, he had no choice but to invite Yang Kai with him, otherwise he would be powerless to do anything due to his current limited strength.
The reason why he invited Yang Kai was that Gong Sun Mu was proficient in the Alchemic Dao, and his hidden cave mansion would naturally be quite attractive to Yang Kai. He wasn’t worried that Yang Kai would reject this offer, and after having been in contact with Yang Kai for a few months, Kang Si Ran felt he was trustworthy.
Otherwise, how could Kang Si Ran rashly invite others to collaborate for such a big matter?
Even friends and relatives would stab each other in the back before such huge benefits.
“Brother Kang, since Yuan Furnace Mountain is inside Raging Fire Temple’s sphere of influence, we must be careful when we arrive there, lest we be discovered by Raging Fire Temple’s disciples,” Yang Kai couldn’t help but furrow his brow after listening to this point.
Although his stay in Maplewood City wasn’t long, he still knew a bit about Raging Fire Temple.
Originally, among the great forces in the vicinity of Maplewood City, only Raging Fire Temple could compete with the City Lord’s Mansion because the strongest master in Maplewood City, City Lord Duan Yuan Shan, and Temple Master Luo of Raging Fire Temple, both had Second-Order Dao Source Realm cultivations.
However, Temple Master Luo was burned to death by the Ancient Divine Spirit Luan Feng’s World Extinguishing Black Flame at Clear Jade Mountain.
As such, today’s Raging Fire Temple was greatly weakened.
“Brother Yang, you don’t need to worry about that,” Kang Si Ran smiled. “I asked a friend to inquire about it before coming here and Raging Fire Temple is currently mired in internal conflicts, so how could they care about us?”
“Why do you say that?” Yang Kai was stunned.
Kang Si Ran explained, “Brother Yang, you should have heard that the original Temple Master Luo of Raging Fire Temple fell at Clear Jade Mountain, right?”
Yang Kai nodded, thinking that he hadn’t just heard about it, but seen it with his own eyes. If at that time he had not hidden in the Sealed World Bead, he would have been buried along with Temple Master Luo as well.
“After Temple Master Luo’s fall, Raging Fire Temple became like a handful of loose sand. The two Vice Temple Masters are now busy fighting with each other for power.”
“Is this news reliable?” Yang Kai furrowed his brow.
“Of course it’s reliable,” Kang Si Ran slightly smiled. “Not to mention that they are fighting to seize power, Yuan Furnace Mountain is located at the outer edge of Raging Fire Temple’s territory. When I explored it in my early years, I didn’t even see a shadow of a Raging Fire Temple’s disciple, so Brother Yang does not need to worry too much about this. As long as we don’t act too overtly, we should not need to worry about being detected.”
“That’s good to hear.” Yang Kai nodded with satisfaction.
Afterwards, the two didn’t talk much about this and just casually chatted.
Both of them were Third-Order Origin Kings and were preparing to attack the bottleneck of the Dao Source Realm, so they had many common topics to discuss. Along the way, they exchanged their cultivation experiences and comprehensions of the Dao Source Realm and Principle Strength, causing time to pass by quickly.
During this period, the two of them alternately piloted the shuttle so that both could restore their strength while not losing time.
After three days, a furnace-shaped mountain caught the eyes of the duo.
“That’s Yuan Furnace Mountain?” Yang Kai asked, raising his head.
“En,” Kang Si Ran looked at it with a burning-hot gaze, as if he was deeply yearning for the mountain ahead.
He had failed to obtain the Dao Source Fruit in the Five Colored Treasure Pagoda and failed to win it at the auction due to insufficient wealth, so now, all his hopes of advancing to the Dao Source Realm laid on Gong Sun Mu’s cave mansion. Naturally, he very much hoped that a Dao Source Pill was stored somewhere in this secluded home.
Suddenly, Kang Si Ran frowned as he focused his gaze ahead.
At the same time, Yang Kai doubtfully asked, “Something’s not right, Shopkeeper Kang. Things here seem quite lively compared to what you had expected.”
With Yang Kai’s eyesight, he could easily spot the figures of many people moving around even if he was a few hundred kilometres away. From time to time, one or two streaks of light would fly off or land, making for a rather active scene.
Kang Si Ran’s face couldn’t help but turn ashen as he stood suddenly.
At that moment, a streak of light flew straight towards them from up ahead.
Kang Si Ran’s face changed as he hurriedly controlled his flight artifact to stop.
Soon after, the streak of light arrived in front of the shuttle and dissipated, revealing a man who seemed to be in his thirties and had a cultivation at the Second-Order Origin King Realm. On this man’s robes was a flame-shaped emblem over his chest which was quite eye-catching.
“A Raging Fire Temple disciple!” Kang Si Ran was shocked as he turned to Yang Kai.
Yang Kai slowly shook his head, indicating for him to remain calm and not make any rash moves.
At this moment, the Raging Fire Temple disciple in front shouted, “This place is the domain of my Raging Fire Temple. Friends inside this shuttle, please show yourselves.”
Kang Si Ran frowned, pondered for a moment, then signalled to Yang Kai before exiting the shuttle.
The opposite Raging Fire Temple’s disciple scanned the pair with his Divine Sense and found that both Kang Si Ran and Yang Kai’s cultivations were higher than his own by a Minor Realm, but despite this, he didn’t panic and simply cupped fists and said, “May I ask these two friends if you’ve come here to explore Yuan Furnace Mountain?”
Kang Si Ran’s heart clenched at that moment as he almost believed that his secret operation had been exposed, for a moment he didn’t know how to answer.
Fortunately, Yang Kai immediately took over the conversation and said, “Indeed.”
“Since you have come for the matter regarding Yuan Furnace Mountain, please follow me.” The Raging Fire Temple disciple didn’t look surprised after hearing this and, contrary to expectations, didn’t try to expel them and instead for them to follow him back to Yuan Furnace Mountain.
Kang Si Ran and Yang Kai looked at each other with clear confusion.
However, now that things had come to this, they could only take one step at a time.
Afterwards, Kang Si Ran put away his shuttle artifact and closely followed the Raging Fire Temple disciple with Yang Kai, flying towards Yuan Furnace Mountain.
A short distance of three hundred kilometres was covered in a short time.
Before the trio landed on the ground, a reverberating rumble was heard coming from Yuan Furnace Mountain as if a muffled clap of thunder was echoing inside the mountain.
Kang Si Ran and Yang Kai’s expressions both changed as they subconsciously protected themselves with the Qi.
The Raging Fire Temple disciple who was leading the way, however, didn’t seem the least bit disturbed, not stopping his pace as he simply looked up with interest.
Yang Kai followed this man’s gaze.
The muffled claps of thunder continued echoing from bottom to top, as if something was about to rush out of Yuan Furnace Mountain.
After a moment, a deafening explosion was accompanied by the thunderclap.
Immediately after, a five coloured glow erupted from the peak of the mountain! This glow spread outward into the surroundings in ripples before it slowly dissipated.
At the same time, Yang Kai couldn’t help but take a deep breath, as a look of surprise soon appeared on his face.
“Such a pleasant fragrance! What is it?” Kang Si Ran looked confused as he too took a deep breath. At this moment, the air was filled with a strange fragrance that made one feel calm and refreshed.
His words were naturally heard by the Raging Fire Temple disciple who was leading the way, causing him to look back at Kang Si Ran and ask, “Didn’t you two come here because you were attracted by this phenomena?”
Yang Kai shifted his eyes slightly but quickly replied, “That’s right, but we didn’t know what this was so we simply decided to come and take a closer look.”
“Heh heh, I also have no idea what exactly is causing this phenomena, I only heard from Temple Master Zong and Temple Master Lian that some kind of wondrous treasure is about to be born.”
“Temple Master Zong and Temple Master Lian?” Yang Kai couldn’t help feeling confused after hearing this.
“They used to be the two Vice Palace Masters of Raging Fire Temple, Zong Qing and Lian Yu Ming,” the nearby Kang Si Ran explained in a low voice.
Yang Kai nodded in understanding as he gazed over quickly towards two Dao Source Realm masters standing not too far away, thinking that these two should be Zong Qing and Lian Yu Ming.
The two Vice Temple Masters of Raging Fire Temple were First-Order Dao Source Realm cultivators and had similar strength. Both of them wore the same Raging Fire Temple robes as well, so Yang Kai was fairly certain of his guess.
Yang Kai suddenly recalled Zong Zi Jin, a youth he met at the Soaring Dragon Altar when he was exploring the Five Colored Treasure Pagoda. Zong Zi Jin had a Third-Order Origin King cultivator and was from Raging Fire Temple, so by the looks of it, Zhong Zi Jin was very likely related to Zong Qing, possibly even the latter’s son.
After a while, the strange phenomenon faded and along with it, the wonderful fragrance as well.
The Raging Fire Temple disciple leading Yang Kai and Kang Si Ran beckoned to the two to land nearby. Once on the ground, this disciple cupped his fist to the two Dao Source Realm masters and stated, “Reporting to the two Temple Masters, these two were also attracted by the Yuan Furnace Mountain’s phenomenon.”
Having heard his report, the taller one of the two Dao Source Realm masters nodded lightly before sweeping Yang Kai and Kang Si Ran with his Divine Sense and said in an indifferent tone, “Since they’ve come here, arrange a place for them to wait with the others.”
“Yes,” the Raging Fire Temple disciple acknowledged before guiding Yang Kai and Kang Si Ran to a certain spot to the side and saying. “You two, wait over there, when we need you, we’ll notify you.”
“Wait a moment,” Yang Kai hurriedly stopped him.
“What?” The Raging Fire Temple disciple seemed rather impatient.
Yang Kai smiled and leaned forward and quietly started stuffing a few Source Crystals into his sleeve while whispering, “Friend, I want to ask you about the current situation. If it’s convenient, can you explain a bit to me?”
The Raging Fire Temple disciple felt the number of Source Crystals being stuffed into his sleeve and smiled with satisfaction, “What else could this be? To be honest, even I have no idea what’s going inside Yuan Furnace Mountain, all I know is that the cave mansion of some fallen master has appeared. If it weren’t for this phenomenon, I’m afraid no one would have noticed it. After these strange eruptions began, our two Temple Masters rushed over along with many elite disciples from the temple to explore this cave mansion.”
“A fallen master’s cave mansion?” Yang Kai pretended to be extremely surprised, his eyes widening as he asked, “Since you’ve discovered such a cave mansion, why hasn’t your Raging Fire Temple tried to explore it alone? Why are they not only allowing outside cultivators to come, but are even welcoming us to stay?”
Upon hearing this, the Raging Fire Temple disciple looked left and right before whispering quietly, “If we could explore it alone, why would we allow others to interfere? The two Temple Masters have already tried, but they couldn’t break open the cave mansion’s protective barriers with just their own strength. The barrier of the cave mansion seems to have been arranged by an Emperor Realm Master and still remains very strong despite years of neglect. Even with all of our Raging Fire Temple’s elites working together, we cannot break that barrier, so we can only depend on external forces.”
After hearing this, Yang Kai showed a look of understanding and nodded, “So that’s how it is.”
To the side, Kang Si Ran furrowed his brow. Obviously, he was also surprised by this development; after all, he had come to quietly explore this cave mansion many years prior and, although he felt that the barrier was strong, it should have still been manageable for a Dao Source Realm master, but he also knew that now was not the time to ask questions.
“From what you say, it seems that your noble Temple intends to break open the barrier with the help of outsiders like us?” A pondering Yang Kai asked.
“Indeed. There is strength in numbers.”
Yang Kai grinned meaningfully, “Obtaining help from outsiders is one thing, but how will the treasures inside be distributed if we manage to break the barrier?”
The Raging Fire Temple disciple shook his head and said, “I have no idea about that, that’s something for the Temple Masters to worry about. That’s all I know. Friends, please remain here.”
Having said this, the disciple left without giving Yang Kai a chance to ask anything more.
After he left, Yang Kai finally glanced at Kang Si Ran and the two tacitly made their way to a more remote spot before both their expressions grew ugly.
“Who would have thought that things would turn out like this?” Kang Si Ran tightly frowned, “If I knew this would have happened, I would have proposed coming sooner to investigate. Haa… now that this phenomenon is so visible, I’m afraid that everyone in the vicinity will come rushing over.”
“It wouldn’t matter if we came earlier or later. Since even two Dao Source Realm masters couldn’t break in, I’m afraid that just the two of us would have been helpless. This situation might be disadvantageous, but that doesn’t mean we don’t have an edge.”
“Brother Yang, why do you say this?” Kang Si Ran looked at him curiously.
Yang Kai grinned and said, “Shopkeeper Kang has something that no one else has, this is our advantage.”
After hearing this, Kang Si Ran pondered for a moment before nodding and agreeing, “Good! What I have is still quite valuable.”
What they were referring to was naturally the map of the cave mansion. In the past, what the descendant of Gong Sun Mu’s servant gave Kang Si Ran was not just the specific location of the cave mansion but also a map of its interior.
With this thing in hand, no matter how many people went in, Yang Kai and Kang Si Ran weren’t afraid of losing the initiative.
Furthermore, according to the information Yang Kai got after inquiring, Raging Fire Temple only knew that there was a cave mansion inside Yuan Furnace Mountain, as for whose cave mansion it was or what was inside it, they had no idea.
In light of this, Kang Si Ran finally calmed down, exchanging a knowing glance with Yang Kai before both of them closed their eyes and sat down cross-legged, entering a calm, meditative state.
Over time, more and more cultivators were attracted to Yuan Furnace Mountain by the strange phenomenon; however, the strengths of these cultivators were mixed, with many of them being just Origin Returning Realm and a dozen or so Origin Kings mixed in.
With the addition of the cultivators that had gathered before, the number of people at the base of Yuan Furnace Mountain had already crossed seventy.
After two days, the two Dao Source Realm masters of Raging Fire Temple looked at each other before Zong Qing gently nodded and said, “I think that we have the right amount of people. Let’s start!”
Lian Yu Ming also nodded in agreement and said, “An undue delay might bring about trouble.”
Just as he said this, the two stood up at the same time.
As soon as the two of them made a move, the cultivators gathered here opened their eyes and looked towards them one after another.
Zong Qing looked at everyone before speaking, “Friends who have been attracted here by this strange incident, I thank you for remaining patient for so long. This one is Raging Fire Temple’s Vice Palace Master, Zong Qing. Many of you might recognize me.”
“We have indeed heard of Vice Temple Master Zong; however, Vice Temple Master Zong, may I ask why have you gathered us here and what exactly is inside Yuan Furnace Mountain that is causing all this commotion?” an impatient cultivator immediately inquired.
Hearing this, Zong Qing slightly smiled and said, “Friend has asked an excellent question. This Zong was just about to explain to everyone. As for what exactly is inside Yuan Furnace Mountain, truthfully, this Zong does not know. All that is known is that there is an abandoned cave mansion here. Furthermore, it seems to be a cave mansion of an Emperor Realm master!”
“An Emperor’s cave mansion?”
“There was actually something like that inside Yuan Furnace Mountain!?”
“This place is completely desolate, I’ve even passed by it many times in the past! Why didn’t I think of exploring it before? Haa… what a loss!”
In an instant, everyone broke into a clamour, with some showing extreme frustration while others were filled with excitement.
Zong Qing continued with a smile, “My Raging Fire Temple attempted to explore this cave mansion already and broke through the first two barriers protecting it, but we were unable to break the last barrier and were thus unable to enter. Because of this, we can only depend on all the friends gathered here now. As long as all of you are willing to cooperate with my Raging Fire Temple, the last barrier will surely be broken and everyone will be able to explore the cave mansion before us!”
“So, the first barrier has already been broken,” Kang Si Ran muttered under his breath. He had been sceptical as to why Raging Fire Temple hadn’t broken the barrier even with two Dao Source Realm masters at its disposal, but now it seemed that there was more than one barrier to be broken, and the last one was particularly strong.
Finally, everything made sense to him. Kang Si Ran’s previous information wasn’t wrong, but because his strength was lacking, he simply didn’t know about the additional barriers protecting the cave mansion.
If it weren’t for the appearance of this strange phenomenon, with just his and Yang Kai’s strength, they might have been able to break the first two barriers, but would have been stopped by the third.
In light of these facts, Kang Si Ran finally found a little comfort.
“Everyone must be wondering what is stored inside this Emperor Realm master’s cave mansion, and judging by this phenomenon, this Zong can guarantee that there is definitely an extraordinary treasure inside, most likely some kind of extremely precious herb that is about to mature!”
The phenomenon, a five coloured brilliance that was accompanied by an attractive, refreshing fragrance, was quite obviously not something an artifact would produce. Only when a rare and miraculous spirit grass or medicine was about to mature would such a phenomenon occur.
“Temple Master Zong, I would like to know: If the barrier does break, how will the things inside be distributed? This is your Raging Fire Temple’s territory, so if you wish to monopolize everything inside this cave mansion, we will not be able to fight back,” suddenly, a sharp voice rose from the crowd, drifting from place to place, making it hard to figure out just who had spoken.
Once this topic was brought to light, everyone immediately calmed down as well and turned their gazes towards Zong Qing. Obviously, everyone was very concerned about this.
Zong Qing, on the other hand, wasn’t the slightest bit angered by this question and just smiled as he announced, “This Zong can understand your worries, but this Zong can also guarantee that if friends cooperate here to break this barrier, any treasure inside will belong to the one who finds it. This Zong and Brother Lian would absolutely not attack you.”
Lian Yu Ming, who was standing beside him and had been silent all the while, nodded at this moment.
“Vice Temple Master Zong, words alone are no proof, how are we supposed to believe you? Even if Vice Temple Master Lian and you really attacked us, could we still resist?” the sharp voice rose again.
Zong Qing lightly smiled as he swept his gaze across the crowd, soon locking onto a thin man trying to look inconspicuous and declared, “If friend is unwilling to believe Brother Lian and this Zong, you can always leave. We are not forcing you to remain.”
In the crowd, the face of the thin man, who was being stared at by Zong Qing, turned ugly.
However, despite his whereabouts being exposed, he stood his ground and simply cupped his fists, “Vice Temple Master Zong, please forgive me, it was just a slip of the tongue. Since the two Temple Masters have given their word, naturally I will believe you.”
In this situation, there really was no other choice. Zong Qing had already explained everything and given his word, and there was no way for the rest of the crowd to force him to swear an oath, not that they would believe that either, even if he did. More importantly, if they wanted to enter the cave mansion, they only had one choice, so agreeing to Zong Qing’s terms was inevitable.
The thin man had promptly judged the situation and hurriedly compromised.
Upon hearing him say so, Zong Qing smiled with satisfaction and nodded, “If any friend here has any doubts about this arrangement, speak now. This Zong will address your concerns one by one.”
Everyone remained silent.
Zong Qing nodded with satisfaction, “Good, it seems that everyone is ready to proceed. In that case, we should not delay. Before we move out though, let me forewarn you, if anyone dares to hide their strength while trying to fish in troubled waters, when we break this barrier, don’t blame this Zong for being ruthless.”
Everyone didn’t even dare to breathe loudly.
At this time, Lian Yu Ming, who had been standing next to Zong Qing all the while, spoke, “Now this old master will explain to you the characteristics of the barrier, so we can properly cooperate; be sure to listen carefully. This cave mansion was definitely left behind by an Emperor Realm master. The barriers outside it are divided into three layers. The first and second barriers aren’t difficult to break and my Raging Fire Temple is already quite familiar with the process. The real difficulty is the third barrier which requires a great deal of strength to break. If the amount of strength used is insufficient, it will not break, and if it remains unbroken for long enough, it and the other two barriers will quickly repair themselves. My Raging Fire Temple has been stuck at this third barrier for some time now. In the following action, my Raging Fire Temple’s disciples will break the repaired first and second barriers, while our external friends, Brother Zong, and I will jointly break the third. Does anyone have any objections?”
“We naturally don’t have any objection; however, Vice Temple Master Lian, what method will we be using to break the barrier? Is it enough for everyone to just attack it?” Someone among the crowd asked, raising the issue everyone cared about.
Lian Yu Ming nodded his acknowledgement when he heard this and said, “The barrier has a reflective property, so attacking it will only result in backlash, as such, scattered attacks will not work. Instead, we will be using a special artifact in this old master’s possession.”
Saying so, he summoned a dagger roughly two fingers long into his palm. The dagger was jet-black and its edge had a strange gleam to it. Just from one glance, it was quite apparent that it was a high-quality artifact.
“A Dao Source Grade artifact?” Someone cried out in shock as looks of admiration appeared on the faces of the crowd.
All the cultivators here were basically in the Origin Returning Realm or Origin King Realm, and most had never even seen a Dao Source Grade artifact before, so when they saw this dagger, they were naturally surprised.
“Good, this old master’s dagger isn’t just an ordinary Dao Source Grade artifact, but a Mid-Rank one that possesses a special ability. The greater the amount of energy infused into it, the more damage it can do. Even when this old master pours his full strength into this dagger, he is unable to bring out its full strength. Later, after Brother Zong and I, and everyone else will pour their Qi into this dagger. Once this dagger is saturated, leave the rest to this old master,” Lian Yu Ming said with a complacent yet smug look on his face as if he was very satisfied with his artifact.
“Vice Temple Master Lian has such a peculiar artifact! With it, it won’t be a problem to break the barrier then,” a cultivator in the crowd cheered.
“If there is a problem, it will be because individuals in the crowd held back their strength,” Lian Yu Ming put away the dagger with a flip of his wrist before shouting loudly, “If there are no other questions, we will take a quarter-hour break before executing the plan!”
After saying this, he closed his eyes to adjust his breathing.
Seeing this, everyone hurriedly sat down cross-legged to restore themselves to their peak state.
Zong Qing, on the other hand, didn’t close his eyes and instead began issuing instructions to the Raging Fire Temple disciples, making no attempt to hide his voice.
Seeing Zong Qing tell the Raging Fire Temple disciples the timing to break the barrier, everyone also felt reassured.
“Brother Yang, you must be careful later, I feel that something is off. Raging Fire Temple is never this hospitable,” Kang Si Ran suddenly sent a voice transmission straight into Yang Kai’s ears.
Yang Kai nodded without showing any visible change in his expression.
None of the cultivators present were fools, so naturally many had concerns and doubts in this regard; however, at present, no one would risk offending Raging Fire Temple by bringing these issues up. All everyone could do was secretly put their guards up and act according to the situation.
After fifteen minutes, Lian Yu Ming and Zong Qing gathered again as the former suddenly shouted, “It’s time, follow this old master.”
Saying so, he flew up.
Others hurriedly followed after him seeing this.
Soon after, everyone arrived halfway up Yuan Furnace Mountain and hovered above a stone platform. This platform was in no way small and could easily accommodate several dozen people and on the cliffside on this plateau, there was a flat stone wall.
After arriving here, Lian Yu Ming and Zong Qing had everyone else stop while they flew over to the stone wall and began inspecting it carefully.
“Is that the entrance?” Yang Kai secretly asked Kang Si Ran.
Kang Si Ran nodded without making it obvious or speaking a word.
After a while, the two Vice Temple Masters of Raging Fire Temple flew over and stood before everyone again where Zong Qing spoke, “Everyone, Brother Lian and this Zong have just checked and confirmed that the barrier has already been repaired. Please act according to how we just discussed. If we can really break this barrier in one fell swoop, we will gain access to this Emperor Realm master’s cave mansion where his Emperor Grade Secret Arts, pills, artifacts, and more lie waiting! All our efforts will not be in vain!”
Many people appeared to be tempted by his words, their blood beginning to boil.
Zong Qing’s face suddenly turned serious as he shouted, “Raging Fire Temple disciples, move out!”
As he issued the order, the dozens of elite Raging Fire Temple disciples split into two groups and began to assume two formations centred around the strongest cultivators in each while forming a series of hand seals.
Yang Kai caught sight of Zong Zi Jin’s figure among these people as he was one of the centre figures.
With the circulation of Raging Fire Temple disciples’ Qi, a surprising scene appeared before everyone.
The energy of these people seemed to become linked together and it became increasingly difficult to distinguish one aura from another. As for the auras of the two Raging Fire Temple disciples at the centre of each group, they both shot up from the Third-Order Origin King Realm to the Dao Source Realm.
Obviously, this was a Secret Technique Raging Fire Temple possessed to link together a group of individuals to dramatically boost the strength of a single person temporarily.
After a while, the leader of one of the groups let out a shout before a sharp sword suddenly appeared in his hand and he started pouring his energy into it. Moments later, he directly thrust this sword forward.
The sword struck the first barrier, which started shining brightly, blocking the thrust.
However, as the man continued pressing forward, the barrier was quickly split apart.
Immediately after, the second Raging Fire Temple group with Zong Zi Jin at its centre followed up. After having received everyone’s Qi, a bright flash appeared in Zong Zi Jin’s hand and he used some unknown artifact to shoot out a brilliant ball of light.
That ball of light passed through the broken first barrier and soon struck the second.
Judging from the intensity of the light on impact, the second barrier was much denser than the first, but it still couldn’t stop the Raging Fire Temple’s cultivators.
Not long after, the second barrier was also broken.
At this moment, the awaiting Lian Yu Ming shouted, “Begin!”
Just as his voice fell, he summoned his dagger artifact and began weaving a complex series of seals at an astonishing speed.
Zong Qing, who was beside him, instantly started pouring his own energy into the dagger without a moment of hesitation.
The next moment, the several dozen foreign cultivators also used their own techniques to pour their Qi into the dagger.
The dagger started humming as more and more Qi was poured into it and surprisingly, it also began to change shape, going from only two fingers in length to nearly a metre, from pitch black to multi-coloured.
Lian Yu Ming’s arms started fiercely shaking as a strained look appeared on his face, like he was struggling to control this immense energy.
He only persisted for less than ten breaths, though, before he shouted with no other alternative, “Go!”
As he pointed his hand, the metre-long danger whistled through the air, passing through the first and second barriers before striking something solid.
*Hong…*
The dagger shook slightly and Lian Yu Ming’s figure trembled along with all the other cultivators who had poured their energy into it. All of them seemed to have felt a powerful recoil at this moment, causing many people’s expressions to slightly change.
In front of the dagger, an even thicker barrier than the first two flickered, holding the dagger back, making it unable to advance at all.
Lian Yu Ming’s face couldn’t help turning ugly at this sight as he constantly formed more seals, but in the end, he was still unable to break the third barrier.
It was a deadlock.
What made the situation even worse was when Zong Zi Jin suddenly shouted, “Father, the second barrier has begun to repair itself!”
As he spoke, the second barrier that he was responsible for breaking was flashing with white light as it began to fill in its various cracks at an extremely fast rate. Zong Ji Jin and the other Raging Fire Temple disciples were forced to push in even more energy just to maintain the status quo.
Zong Qing’s face immediately darkened at this sight and he promptly shouted, “Everyone, our success or failure depends on this moment! If we cannot break the third barrier now, we will never be able to enter this cave mansion! Are you still going to keep holding back even now? Do none of you want to see what wondrous treasures there are hiding here?”
As soon as Zong Qing said this, everyone’s face turned grim, but more than that, some people looked embarrassed. Obviously, as Zong Qing had said, not all cultivators were using their full strength when cooperating with the two Dao Source Realms; they were all hoping for others to make the effort while they sat back and enjoyed the fruit of others’ labour.
If the third barrier was broken in one fell swoop, it was safe to assume that no one would blame them. But now that the breaking of the third barrier had reached a stalemate, some people were left in an embarrassing situation.
Zong Qing said again, “This Zong has no idea what’s going on in your mind, but this Zong wants to see what kind of treasures are inside!”
Just as his voice fell, his body erupted with energy as he poured his energy even more fiercely into the dagger.
Someone in the crowd couldn’t help but shout, “Since even Vice Temple Master Zong is being so sincere, how can we hide anymore? If we don’t do it now, when will we!?”
While speaking, he no longer hid anymore and poured every bit of his Saint Qi into the dagger.
The rest of the people glanced at each other with a determined look in their eyes. They too started to rouse their energy.
In a short time, the already huge dagger had grown a lot bigger. Obviously, it had received a lot more energy.
After such an increase, Lian Yu Ming faintly felt that he couldn’t bear it anymore. His expression couldn’t help but change. He exclaimed aloud, “Great, with your help, this Old Master will risk everything to break this barrier!”
He opened his mouth and spewed a mouthful of Blood Essence that turned into mist and enveloped the dagger.
Very soon, the mist of blood was completely absorbed by the dagger as a glowing layer of crimson appeared along with its colourful sheen. At first, the dagger seemed uncontrollable, but it actually settled down again.
Lian Yu Ming let out a furious cry as the dagger and the third barrier clashed with each other with an earth-shattering sound, causing even the World Energy to become chaotic.
*CRACK…*
Finally, a soft sound which everyone was waiting for was heard. Everyone couldn’t help but smile happily.
Because an opening had finally appeared on that rock-hard third barrier.
Lian Yu Ming changed the seals again as he urged his Mid-Rank Dao Source Grade artifact to fiercely slash forward.
The third barrier instantly shattered to pieces with a clattering noise. It broke like a mirror. Much to everyone’s surprise, it broke just like that.
The instant the third barrier broke, the first and second barrier burst like a bubble and disappeared all of a sudden.
“We did it!” someone cried in joy.
But many more people were already in motion, ready to rush ahead.
But right then, Lian Yu Ming and Zong Qing suddenly withdrew 30 or so metres. At the same time, the Raging Fire Temple disciples followed suit, backing away together.
Upon seeing this, Yang Kai couldn’t help but chuckle. Without a warning, he grabbed Kang Si Ran, who was about to rush forward, and flew back several dozen feet.
The next moment, swishing sounds were heard as something suddenly shot out.
Suddenly, dazzling beams of light shot out from the wall of stone in the front, raining down on the crowd.
“What’s this!”
“Damn it, quickly hide!”
Screams and shouts quickly resounded on the mountain. When those unsuspecting cultivators noticed that something was wrong, they evaded left and right, again and again.
But the beams shooting out of the wall of stone were simply too fast. Before they could mount any kind of reaction, the beams were already upon them.
The next moment, miserable cries rang, one after another.
The cultivators in the sky fell down like dumplings, bleeding buckets. And the stronger ones even burst into mists of blood; not even their bones were left.
Most of the several dozen cultivators fell in an instant. And none of the Origin Returning Realm masters had survived. Even the surviving Origin King Realm masters were injured. Some of the seriously injured ones were missing their arms and legs. It was a ghastly sight.
Far away, Yang Kai’s face turned ashen. Kang Si Ran’s face was even paler; fear could be clearly seen on his face.
Had Yang Kai not noticed everything quickly and pulled him back, he might have been seriously injured if not dead already.
“As I thought. After the barrier broke, there were other traps!” Zong Qing’s words suddenly echoed from one side.
Lian Yu Ming gently nodded his agreement. “Fortunately, we were ready for it, otherwise…”
While speaking, he turned his head and looked around. All the surviving cultivators were filled with righteous indignation when they noticed his gaze. Their faces distorted with anger.
But no one dared to say anything.
They all knew it would be useless to say anything now. Even though the Raging Fire Temple was unkind to them, why would people not try to outwit the other? Why would they not scheme against each other? How could they blame others when they themselves hadn’t taken preventive measures? They could only blame themselves for not able to see it miles away.
What’s more, no one among the Raging Fire Temple had been injured. More importantly, they still had the two Dao Source Realm masters, who hadn’t taken the initiative to attack them. But if they point fingers at them now, they might really kill them.
No one would do such a stupid thing.
“Huh!?” Zong Qing suddenly let out a soft exclamation as he turned his head and glanced at Yang Kai and Kang Si Ran, who were standing several dozen feet away. He seemed surprised that the two were safe and sound.
However, he didn’t care about it too much. Instead, he said to the Raging Fire Temple disciples, “The barrier is broken, let’s go in.”
While speaking, he took the lead and rushed towards the entrance that had appeared on the stone wall.
The rest of the Raging Fire Temple disciples closely followed after him. After a short while, all the people of the Raging Fire Temple had left.
Only now did everyone let their tongues loose; all kinds of curses and swears rang everywhere. However, these cultivators could only satisfy themselves like this. Having suffered serious injuries, no one had any courage left to explore the cave mansion! Not to mention, no one could say whether there were even more horrifying barriers inside. And then there were also those shameless guys of the Raging Fire Temple, they weren’t that easy to provoke. If they entered in their current shape, there was a 90% likelihood that they would die.
As such, many people immediately flew away after cursing for a while, looking for a place to heal their injuries.
Yang Kai and Kang Si Ran looked at each other, their faces growing incomparably ugly.
Even though they already knew that the Raging Fire Temple people weren’t that easy to reason with, who would have thought that they would murder with a borrowed knife and directly cull away their potential rivals.
Among the foreign cultivators, only Yang Kai and Kang Si Ran were still in one piece. And if they went in and ran into the Raging Fire Temple team, they both had a pretty clear idea how things would end for them then.
Just when the two were hesitating, the opening on the stone wall started rumbling. The two were shocked when they heard the rumble. They looked up and saw that the opening was closing at a subtle speed.
“This opening won’t last for a long time!?” Yang Kai’s expression changed. He quickly asked, “Brother Kan, are we going in or not?”
Kang Si Ran’s face changed. He was still hesitating. But when he saw that the hole was about to be completely closed, he grit his teeth and said, “Brother Yang, you should go back, I will go in alone!”
Obviously, he didn’t want to drag Yang Kai with him.
Having said this, he flew straight towards the stone wall.
A moment later, his figure appeared inside the Yuan Furnace Mountain. When he looked back, the entrance was already closed.
Kang Si Ran turned his head as if he sensed something. The next moment, he saw a smiling Yang Kai looking at him.
He didn’t even realize that Yang Kai had come in with him. He couldn’t help but say in surprise, “Brother Yang, you…”
“There is plenty of time for whatever you want to say later, let’s solve the immediate problem first.” Yang Kai chuckled as he turned and stared at the front.
In front of them were two Third-Order Origin King Realm Raging Fire Temple disciples, coldly staring at them. They looked displeased and angry.
The figure on the left was tall and, maybe because he cultivated Fire Attribute Secret Art, his skin and even his hair were red. The figure on the right was short and chubby, with a big belly. He was staring at Yang Kai and Kang Si Ran with a smile on his face. His face was plump and when he narrowed his small eyes, his eyeballs couldn’t be seen.
Kang Si Ran couldn’t help but furrow his brow at the sight of this. Naturally, they knew that these two Raging Fire Temple disciples were left to guard the opening, preventing anyone from entering this place.
Having thought all this, he cupped his fists and asked, “Friends, what’s the meaning of this?”
The tall cultivator on the left didn’t answer but the fat cultivator smiled and said, “Aren’t you two clear what it means? Everyone is smart here, so I won’t speak nonsense anymore. Now that the entrance is closed, it seems that no one else will come in. What do you two think? Should my fellow brother and I compete with you or should we sit down and talk to kill time?”
Kang Si Ran’s expression changed. He rebuked in a low voice, “Your Excellency, you mean to say that you won’t let us pass?”
The obese cultivator cupped his fists and said, “It’s two Vice Temple Masters’ order. This one doesn’t dare to disobey it. Friends, please don’t make it difficult for us. Anyway, we just worked together to break the barrier just now, didn’t we?”
“When all hares are killed, the hounds are stewed and eaten. The Raging Fire Temple’s means are really praiseworthy,” Kang Si Ran’s face turned livid in anger as he quickly asked. “And what if this Kang insists on passing through?”
The obese cultivator’s face turned ashen. He narrowed his small eyes as they flickered with cold gleam. His tone also grew colder, “If that’s the case, then don’t blame my fellow brother and me for being merciless.”
“Wait a minute!” Right then, Yang Kai suddenly reached out and shouted.
The obese cultivator immediately turned his gaze at Yang Kai. Originally, he believed that Yang Kai wanted to say something but the next moment, he saw a beam shooting toward him like a bow fired from an arrow.
The obese cultivator’s expression changed. He took a deep breath as his already fat body suddenly grew fatter. His entire figure had doubled in size.
He then opened his mouth and threw a ball of fire, which in turn transformed into a Fire Dragon and greeted the oncoming beam.
While the two made their moves, Kang Si Ran and the tall man also reacted. Kang Si Ran didn’t say anything and suddenly summoned a club-shaped artifact. After he poured his Source Qi into it, the club-shaped artifact immediately shot straight toward the tall and robust man, leaving a purple trail.
The tall man was taken aback by this sight but he didn’t panic. A long sabre appeared in his hand with a flick of wrist before he shouted, “The Saber Rules the Jianghu!”
He swung the sabre diagonally. It started to radiate scorching hot energy before a peerless beam shot out from the blade, greeting the oncoming artifact.
BAM BOOM BAM…
The four Third-Order Origin Kings hurriedly acted in the narrow tunnel, the resulting force from their clash gave the impression that it would blow the entire mountain apart.
The sabre technique displayed by the red-haired Raging Fire Temple disciple clashed with Kang Si Ran’s artifact with a deafening clap, bursting forth with a dazzling flash. Immediately after, extremely terrifying fluctuations spread into the surrounding.
At the same time, Yang Kai and the obese cultivators clashed as well. Yang Kai might have launched a sneak attack but the obese cultivator wasn’t any run-of-the-mill cultivator. Since he could participate in this operation and was even left behind by Zong Qing and Lian Yu Ming to guard the entrance, he was naturally an elite of the Raging Fire Temple whose combat skills were definitely higher.
After the obese cultivator took a deep breath and his body become fatter, Yang Kai was almost left with no room to escape when he suddenly breathed the Fire Dragon.
After a dazzling fiery red flash, Yang Kai’s figure seemed to have been melted away as he slowly disappeared.
The obese cultivator couldn’t help furrowing his brow. He instinctively felt that Yang Kai shouldn’t have been killed that easily. But as he looked around, he couldn’t find Yang Kai at all. This gave him a bad feeling.
Right then, a peculiar power suddenly appeared behind him. As soon as that power appeared, it enveloped him like a cage. In an instant, he felt that the space around him had suddenly become extremely murky. He felt as if he had fallen into a swamp. Furthermore, not only was this power affecting his mobility but was also affecting the circulation of his energy.
“Domain! How is this possible!?” the obese cultivator cried in shock.
He too was a Third-Order Origin King level cultivator. His own Domain had reached the grand accomplishment stage. Naturally, when he was confronting Yang Kai, he had spread his around his entire body, guarding himself against surprises.
But when the enemy’s Domain was cast, he suddenly felt his own Domain completely suppressed!
[How can the enemy’s Domain be so strong when he is in the same Third-Order Origin King Realm? Compared with him, my Domain is just simply a joke.]
[Furthermore… in his domain, there seems to be an extremely weird power, a power that can affect space.]
He was greatly shocked. He promptly bit the tip of his tongue and spewed a mouthful of blood essence. At the same time, he let out a crazed cry as he mobilized all the Source Qi in his body, trying to get free of the shackles and suppression of the Domain.
Suddenly, a cracking sound resounded in the narrow space. It was the sound of the obese cultivators’ bones grinding against each other. These sounds were particularly harsh.
Behind him, Yang Kai’s eyes grew colder seeing this. A long sword suddenly appeared in his hand. As he then poured his Source Qi in it, it let out a clear hum. Yang Kai was surrounded by a sword aura which suddenly turned in a whirlwind as the tip of sword shone, cutting straight toward the obese cultivator’s neck.
Suddenly, before the glow from the sword could even reach him, an inexplicable force enveloped the obese cultivator.
The obese cultivator couldn’t help but tremble. His squinted small eyes suddenly bulged wide and round as if he had seen a ghost in broad daylight. There was a look of incredulity on his face.
With a flash of light, Yang Kai reappeared before the fat cultivator, holding the sword in one hand. As he gently flicked the sword, a drop of blood trickled down the blade.
The obese cultivator was rooted on the spot, staring at Yang Kai in a daze. His throat made a little noise as if he wanted to say something. However, in the end, he could only utter one word, “Principle…”
Just as he said this, the obese cultivator’s body quickly deflated like a punctured balloon. At the same time, a bloody-red line appeared on his neck as a fountain of blood spurted out like a fountain before his head flew into the air.
The headless corpse of the obese cultivator fell back with a thump.
“You… you dare to kill my Senior Brother!?” the red-haired cultivator couldn’t help but cry in shock at the sight of this.
Compared to the death of his Senior Brother, he couldn’t believe the fact that Yang Kai killed him in such a short time. He was pretty clear about how strong his Senior Brother was. He was the elite of the elites of Raging Fire Temple. How could he be beheaded by a guy who was similarly a Third-Order Origin King in one or three moves?
As he shouted, he couldn’t help but gasp in shock as a chill ran down his spine.
Yang Kai raised his head and coldly said, “So what if I killed him? It’s your turn next!”
“Ah!?” The red-haired cultivator was startled and retreat in horror, again and again.
Yang Kai fiercely shouted, “Brother Kang, don’t show any mercy.”
Just as he said this, Yang Kai’s figure was already shrouded in a sword aura as he cut toward the red-haired cultivator. At the sight of this, Kang Si Ran also grit his teeth and attacked the red-haired cultivator with that artifact at full strength.
The red-haired cultivator might not be any weaker than the obese Senior Brother, but Yang Kai and Kang Si Ran weren’t that easy to deal with. And under their joint attacks, the red-haired cultivator was at their mercy. He was powerless to fight back. And because of the terrain, the red-haired cultivator couldn’t even escape.
After half the time it takes to drink a cup of tea, the red-haired cultivator too fell back on the ground, bleeding.
At this moment, Kang Si Ran saw Yang Kai in a new light. He sized him up and down with a gaze full of surprise.
Shopkeeper Kang might have been acquainted with Yang Kai for quite some time but it was the first he teamed up with Yang Kai in a real sense to fight against an enemy. Before today, Kang Si Ran had no idea that Yang Kai was so strong.
“Brother Yang, is the sword in your hand a Dao Source Grade artifact?” Kang Si Ran thoughtfully gazed at the weapon in Yang Kai’s hand.
Yang Kai pursed his lips into a smile and said, nodding, “That’s right.”
This long sword was exactly the one used by Han Leng before. After Han Leng’s death, it became Yang Kai’s trophy. Although Yang Kai himself hadn’t reached the Dao Source Realm, he had absorbed and refined many shattered Principle Fragments in the Fiver Colored Treasure Pagoda. So, he could make slight use of the power of some Principles. And coupled with this long sword and the Space Secret Technique, it was naturally a piece of cake to kill cultivators of the same realm.
“Brother Yang can actually use the Principles. It seems you are not far away from advancing to the next level. This Kang is envious,” Kang Si Ran sighed, again and again.
He was much older than Yang Kai. He had reached the Third-Order Origin King Realm far earlier than Yang Kai yet he had not touched the threshold of Principles. He had been stuck before the Dao Source Realm. So, when he compared himself with Yang Kai, he was in admiration, as well as frustration.
“Brother Kang, don’t be anxious. As long as you find the Dao Source Pill here, you won’t need to worry about it.” Yang Kai casually comforted.
Kang Si Ran’s eyes immediately lit up. He nodded and agreed, “You are right.”
Afterwards, the two picked up the Space Rings of the dead Raging Fire Temple cultivators, each of them taking one, before they continued venturing deeper.
What was Gong Sun Mu’s cave mansion like? Yang Kai and Kang Si Ran didn’t have time to investigate. After all, the obese cultivator and the red-haired cultivator had stopped them as soon as they came in.
At this moment, they finally got to check it out. There was a narrow corridor in front of them. The walls of the corridor were dotted with some strange rocks that were emitting light. So, the corridor wasn’t dim at all.
As the two were investigating carefully, they moved forward slowly. They didn’t encounter any danger nor did they run into anyone from the Raging Fire Temple.
They found tracks of Raging Fire Temple cultivators along the way, but they were nowhere to be found. Heaven knows where they had gone.
After about the time it takes an incense to burn, the two suddenly walked into a spacious stone room.
They immediately looked left and right just after stepping inside. But the next moment, Yang Kai couldn’t help but look shocked. Because they had run into a dead end. The situation inside the stone room was also quite clear at a glance. Apart from many stone furnaces carved from rocks, there was nothing else here.
There were a lot of stone furnaces, roughly about 30 at least.
What Yang Kai found weirder was that the Raging Fire Temple disciples weren’t here either.
“Brother Yang, what’s going on?” Kang Si Ran looked astonished.
Yang Kai shook his head as he carefully probed the stone room with his Divine Sense but didn’t find any signs of danger. He then said, “We didn’t find a fork in the road. The Raging Fire Temple disciples should be here. But they aren’t… is there a Transmission Array here!?”
Kang Si Ran found it reasonable as well. He then suggested, “Why don’t we look around?”
Yang Kai nodded in agreement and said, “Brother Kang, I will check this stone room, while you check the map to see if you can find a way out.”
“Okay,” Kang Si Ran replied. He then took out an old beast skin and started studying it, furrowing his brow.
Yang Kai then started carefully investigating every nook and cranny of the stone room.
The stone room wasn’t that big. After a while, he returned to the point where he started. He then scanned the stone furnaces, back and forth.
If there was anything suspicious in this stone room, that was these stone furnaces.
However, he had also used his Divine Sense to carefully check them out just now. There was nothing strange about these stone furnaces, and they weren’t made from some Artifact Refining material. It was just ordinary stone.
He then turned his head and glanced at Kang Si Ran. Seeing that he was still checking the beast skin parchment and still hadn’t found any clues, Yang Kai didn’t bother him. He just walked to a stone furnace and touched it.
The moment Yang Kai’s hand came in contact with the stone furnace, he heard a strange clicking sound before a hole suddenly appeared where Yang Kai was standing.
His body immediately started sinking. He was on the verge of falling down.
Yang Kai was slightly taken aback, but he didn’t panic. He immediately circulated his Source Qi, wanting to rise into the air.
But the next thing that happened gave Yang Kai a shock. Just when he was circulating his energy, a powerful suction came from underneath his feet. Before he could rise up, he was sucked into a black hole on the ground.
The next moment, Yang Kai’s expression changed for the worse. He only had the time to let out a cry before his entire figure fell straight down.
And the black hole that had just opened up closed itself right after, plunging him into the darkness.
“Brother Yang!” the nearby Kang Sir Ran was greatly shocked upon hearing the commotion. He hurriedly stood up and rushed toward Yang Kai. But he was too late. When he arrived at Yang Kai’s previous position, Yang Kai had long disappeared.
Staring at the place where Yang Kai disappeared, Kang Si Ran’s expression changed several times. Finally, he grit his teeth and reached out to touch the stone furnace Yang Kai had just touched.
But nothing happened! The ground didn’t crack open as he had expected. Kang Si Ran tried several times before he decided that continuing anymore would be fruitless.
As a last resort, he could only turn to one of the other stone furnaces. He started testing them one by one. Only when he touched the seventh furnace did the ground underneath his feet crack open, causing him to plummet like Yang Kai.
It was dark all around. Yang Kai felt his body free-falling constantly as if there was no end to this. When he looked up, he couldn’t find even a ray of light.
Yang Kai furrowed his brow slightly. He might have been a little taken aback by the situation he was in, but he wasn’t that alarmed.
What happened before in the stone room allowed him to understand one thing…
All those stone furnaces should be the triggers that activate on touch. That was why he couldn’t find any clues when he used his Divine Sense. Only when he touched the stone furnace was the trap in the stone room finally triggered.
In light of this, the Raging Fire Temple disciples should have fallen into this trap. That was the reason why the stone room above was empty.
[I wonder if Kang Si Ran would also follow me down. And would there be Raging Fire Temple cultivators below?]
He didn’t dare to be careless. He was silently circulating his Source Qi, ready to attack at a moment’s notice if he found something wrong.
Not long after, he saw a ray of light coming from below. Yang Kai hurriedly spread his Divine Sense to scan, and a strange look appeared on his face in the next moment.
Because there was another stone room below. However, it was a little different from his imagination. There weren’t any Raging Fire Temple cultivators in the stone room. It too was empty.
After a while, Yang Kai fell into this stone room and he promptly looked around. The stone room was completely empty; there was even a stone furnace this time.
Before Yang Kai could take a closer look, an unusual energy fluctuation suddenly appeared. Soon, a stone platform-like thing appeared out of nowhere in the centre of the room.
The stone platform slowly rose, causing lots of rumbles. While watching, Yang Kai kept his guard up all the while. The stone platform finally stabilized, but up till now, Yang Kai still didn’t notice any danger.
He furrowed his brow, slowly making his way toward the stone platform.
He came before the stone platform and went up the stairs, soon reaching the top of the stone platform.
“An Array!?” Yang Kai raised his brow. He looked at the mysterious pattern that had appeared on the flat surface of the stone platform, surprised. He could faintly sense a sliver of Space Force fluctuations originating from this pattern.
“A Transmission Array!?” Yang Kai was greatly taken by surprise. But in light of this, he was now sure that if this Array on the stone platform activated, it should teleport him to another place.
However, this Transmission Array was very different from what he had learned. So, Yang Kai didn’t dare to rush. He paid even closer attention to it, trying to see some clues from it.
As he looked carefully, Yang Kai found a line of small text under the Array, covered by the dust.
He cautiously reached out and brushed away the dust as the line of small text immediately emerged before his eyes.
“The Array can be activated by pouring Fire Attribute energy into the Array!” Yang Kai read, muttering to himself. He couldn’t help but frown.
[Clearly, this is a Transmission Array but why does it need Fire Attribute energy?] Yang Kai was a little confused. [And what’s the point of having such a special Array in this stone room!?]
Yang Kai couldn’t figure it out after thinking over it for a while. So, he stopped thinking about it.
He had a Fire Attribute type of energy. Whether it was the Conflagration Knowledge Sea or Fire Sword Qi, they were both categorised as Fire Attribute energy. However, he didn’t rush to activate the array and rather just stood there, waiting patiently.
He was waiting for Kang Si Ran, waiting for him to come down before moving together.
But to Yang Kai’s disappointment, even after waiting for half an hour, Kang Si Ran was nowhere to be seen.
[When I triggered the stone furnace’s trap, Kang Si Ran must have seen me fall. And judging by his personality, he would not ignore me for sure.] Yang Kai was sure that Kang Si Ran would certainly trigger the stone furnace mechanism.
However, Kang Si Ran was nowhere to be found. There was only one explanation to this: Kang Si Ran must have fallen into another stone room.
[There should be more than one stone room here. Otherwise, when I fell down, I should have seen at least one of the Raging Fire Temple disciples.]
[Maybe everyone who fell was separated so that they couldn’t work together.]
Of course, this was only Yang Kai’s conjecture based on the situation he was in. He couldn’t verify if it was true.
Since he couldn’t wait for Kang Si Ran, Yang Kai was left with no choice but to act alone. Considering all this, he no longer hesitated. He stretched his hand out toward the Array and mobilized the Fire Attribute energy in his body, infusing it into the Array.
A scorching hot aura immediately appeared in the stone room, causing the entire room to momentarily tremble. Suddenly, the Array lines on the stone platform lit up.
Seeing this, Yang Kai knew that there was no mistake. This Array indeed required Fire Attribute energy to start up. Then, he started pushing the Fire Attribute energy in his body even more madly.
*BAM BOOM BAM…* A series of rumbles resounded as the Array on the stone platform flickered with dazzling flashes, enveloping Yang Kai. And when the light dissipated, Yang Kai had disappeared.
“This…” Yang Kai turned his head and looked around. He found that where he was now was no different from the stone room he was before. Had he not felt that he had just teleported, Yang Kai would have thought that he had never moved.
“What the hell is this place!?” Yang Kai started frowning. He felt so confused.
In a normal cave mansion of a predecessor, there were many defensive and restriction-type Spirit Arrays. This was the norm, and there was no cultivator who didn’t arrange things like this in his or her cave mansion. However, the cave mansion before him was a little strange. Many stone rooms were exactly the same. The first stone room he just came through only required the infusion of the Array with Fire Attribute energy to safely pass. There wasn’t any difficulty or danger, whatsoever. [I wonder what’s special about this stone room.]
Just as he was puzzling over, familiar rumbles rang again. The next moment, Yang Kai noticed that another stone platform just like the previous one had appeared in the centre of the stone room.
He furrowed his brow. But all he could do was slowly ascend the stone platform with the mentality of taking things as they come.
Looking around, Yang Kai couldn’t help but let out a soft cry in surprise.
Because there wasn’t any Array on the stone platform this time around. Instead, many grooves had appeared.
There were different kinds of herbs in these grooves.
These herbs had been stored with a special technique, preserving them for thousands of years without decaying. More importantly, their medicinal properties were still intact; they appeared as if they had just been picked up.
Yang Kai took a look and found that most of these herbs were foreign. He could only recognize three out of ten; he couldn’t recognize the rest.
Afterwards, he shifted his attention to the bottom part of the stone platform. And as expected, there he saw another line of small text. After dusting off the dust, Yang Kai read aloud, staring at the line of small text, “Select fifteen poisonous herbs and the Spirit Array can be activated!”
“Select fifteen!?” Yang Kai was greatly shocked. He carefully counted all the herbs on the stone platform. He found that all the herbs added to be only twenty-five, that’s all. In other words, more than half of these herbs were poisonous.
[What does the owner of this cave mansion want? Why did he give such a difficult problem?] Yang Kai was left completely confused.
He shook his head. All he could do was immerse himself deep into his mind and intently look at the twenty-five herbs in front of him.
Although the text on the stone platform didn’t explain the consequences of choosing the wrong one, Yang Kai knew better not to test it out. Whether this cave mansion was left by Gong Sun Mu or not, it certainly belonged to an Emperor Realm master.
Yang Kai couldn’t speculate the means of an Emperor Realm master. Once he made the wrong choice, he might fall here.
He didn’t dare to play with his life. Thus, he became extremely serious.
“Hmm, this Heavenly Heart Orchid is poisonous. And so is this Filthy Shade Grass…” Yang Kai, after looking at them for a while, he first took the herbs he recognized from the groove and set them aside.
He was very cautious throughout the process, but since he didn’t trigger any restriction, it seemed that he had chosen the right one.
However, he didn’t recognize the rest of the herbs. On the one hand, it was because of his superficial knowledge of the Star Boundary’s products, and on the other, it was also related to how foreign these herbs were to him.
Even the native Alchemists of the Star Boundary would not dare to say that they knew all these herbs, if they were here.
However, as an Alchemist, Yang Kai had studied the nature of herbs. The Alchemical properties of every herb had their own rules and characteristics. So, even if he didn’t recognize most of the herbs, it didn’t prevent him from judging whether these herbs were toxic or not.
He leaned closer to the herbs and carefully sniffed them. Very soon, Yang Kai had selected several more poisonous herbs from them.
The toxicity of these herbs was very subtle. Most people couldn’t judge by their smell. Only an Alchemist, someone who dealt with herbs all the time, or people who had studied herbs, could judge them.
After tossing around a bit more, Yang Kai chose eight more. However, there were still more than half of the fifteen herbs left to choose from.
Unfortunately, the toxicity of the rest of the herbs couldn’t be judged by their smell.
Yang Kai thought for a while before he came to the conclusion that he could only taste them himself and judge them by the reaction from his tongue and body.
He hesitated no longer after having come to this conclusion. He reached out and tore a very small piece from the petal of a light blue flower. He then put it in his mouth and started chewing.
The next moment, Yang Kai’s expression changed as he suddenly turned pale. While chewing the small piece of petal, an extremely cold sensation suddenly numbed his mouth. It almost froze his tongue.
A panicked Yang Kai hurriedly circulated his Source Qi and immediately dispelled it.
“Although it’s very strong, this one is not poisonous!” After a while, Yang Kai looked at the light blue flower with a look of fear. He had no idea what kind of herb would contain this kind of terrifying coldness.
Since he had made the confirmation, he could only cast his gaze on another herb.
Following suit, he tore a small piece and stuffed it into his mouth. The next moment, Yang Kai sat cross-legged as his face turned black and blue alternatively. His facial features were extremely distorted as if he was suffering extremely cruel torture.
After the time it takes for an entire incense to burn, he opened his mouth and spurted a stream of black blood. His aura had also fallen a lot.
“What a fearsome poison!” Yang Kai’s face was filled with lingering fear. He had just chewed just a very tiny piece of it and yet he was poisoned. If he had taken the entire herb, he would have surely died at once.
Even though the herbs inside the grooves of the stone platform tasted horrendous and their toxicity was so terrifying that they even made Yang Kai’s tongue numb…
If he wanted to leave this forsaken place, he could only complete the requirements as described in the small text on the stone platform. Yang Kai could only grit his teeth and continue to taste test the unfamiliar herbs.
It took him almost half a day to taste test all the herbs he couldn’t recognize and be sure whether they were poisonous or not.
He went through all kinds of pain and torture, and had it not been for Yang Kai’s sturdy physique and strong recovery, he might have lost his life.
Even so, he failed to pick the fifteen herbs.
“How come there are only thirteen?” Yang Kai tightly frowned standing before the stone platform. He looked rather confused.
Since the owner of this cave mansion left such a test for intruders to solve, he would surely not deliberately play tricks. In other words, fifteen of these twenty-five herbs were indeed poisonous.
But Yang Kai had used all three methods, looked, smelled, and tasted, but he could only ascertain that thirteen herbs were poisonous. He couldn’t find the remaining two.
[What’s wrong here?] His eyes swept across the grooves of the stone platform, one by one, but he couldn’t find the remaining two from them.
Just as Yang Kai was at a loss before the stone platform, all the cultivators who had entered this cave mansion were facing the same dilemma.
From the get-go, all the Raging Fire Temple cultivators cultivated Fire Attribute Secret Art. So, the first stone room wasn’t that difficult for them at all. Just like Yang Kai, they infused their Fire Attribute Energy into the stone platform and were transmitted to the second stone room immediately after.
Even Kang Si Ran had easily passed the first stone room’s test.
But now, everyone was stumped by the second stone room’s test.
In a certain stone room, a Raging Fire Temple disciple looked at the twenty-five herbs and scratched his head.
He wasn’t an Alchemist. He didn’t even know what these herbs were, let alone how to distinguish between the toxic and non-toxic ones. He waited and watched for a long time before selecting a few certain toxic herbs from among them. However, he couldn’t distinguish anymore.
Seeing the time slipping by, the Raging Fire Temple disciple grit his teeth and took out a herb from the groove.
And the moment he took out this herb, the entire stone room suddenly hummed before the stone platform in front of him sank at an extremely fast speed. It disappeared in the blink of an eye.
The cultivator was struck with panic. He hurriedly flew back and circulated his Source Qi, preparing for the unexpected.
Suddenly, *WENG WENG WENG…* noises rang from the stone room. The next moment, specks of light flashed in the room. The specks of light were dense and were just about everywhere. By a rough count, there were hundreds of them. At first glance, they looked like the eyes of fearsome monsters, giving the onlookers the chills.
In the next moment, these flickering lights shook a little as they bombarded the cultivator together, giving off fearsome energy fluctuations all of a sudden.
Seeing this, a look of despair immediately took over the Raging Fire Temple cultivator’s face. All he could do was let out a scream before he was drowned by the countless beams of light.
After a moment, when the light finally dissipated, the Raging Fire Temple disciple was nowhere to be found. All that remained was a pool of red blood and some tattered pieces of clothes where he had stood as proof of his existence.
This was not the only Raging Fire Temple disciple to suffer this kind of misfortune. All the cultivators who chose the wrong herbs had triggered the restriction in the room and were killed on the spot within a breath. Not even their bones were left.
In another stone room, Kang Si Ran solemnly took out a herb from the groove in front of the stone platform. After waiting for a while, when he realized that he was still very much safe and sound, he couldn’t help but heave a sigh of relief.
He might not be an Alchemist, but as the shopkeeper of the Spirit Pill Plaza and a native cultivator of the Star Boundary, his knowledge and experience of herbs was much better than that of Yang Kai. After all, he too could be considered as someone who dealt with the herbs every day.
Therefore, although the test in the second stone room was a little difficult for him, it was not without hope.
In another stone room, the Raging Fire Temple’s Vice Temple Master, Lian Yu Ming looked at the twenty-five herbs on the stone platform before him. He quickly selected about ten herbs and started pondering. He then chose a few more, making the count thirteen. Furthermore, the herbs he had chosen were exactly the same as the herbs Yang Kai had chosen after so much painstaking effort.
Only the final two remained.
Lian Yu Ming’s gaze alternated between the remaining herbs with lightning-fast speed as he searched his memories for the knowledge of herbs he had. After the time it takes for an incense to burn, a smile suddenly appeared on his face as he took out two kinds of herbs from the remaining herbs in the grooves.
And when he took out the last two herbs, the place where he stood suddenly lit up as a Transmission Array slowly emerged, teleporting him to another place and the stone platform in the stone room slowly sank at the same time.
…
In the stone room, Yang Kai still had a worried look on his face. Once again, he carefully checked the remaining herbs but he was still unable to determine which two were poisonous.
Just as he was at a loss, he suddenly seemed to have been struck with a realization as his eyes shone with an intelligent gleam.
Immediately, he hurriedly tore a piece of the remaining herbs, one after another, and carefully ground and mixed them in pairs.
After a short while, when he was grinding two herbs with his hands and mixing their paste, a pungent and spicy smell suddenly permeated from his fingertips. This pungent smell immediately made him dizzy as a scorching-hot feeling spread from his fingertips.
Yang Kai immediately circulated the Profound Art and dispelled the discomforting feeling. His face immediately lit up with joy as he burst into laughter and spoke, “That’s it!”
In this world, some herbs were non-toxic in nature, but when they were mixed with some special herbs, they might become highly toxic. This common-sense wasn’t just applicable in the Alchemy World but also in the lives of ordinary people, who hadn’t even cultivated.
Yang Kai hadn’t thought of it at first, but now this situation had proved that his notion was correct.
He decisively took out two reactive herbs from the groove and set them aside.
A Transmission Array suddenly appeared underneath his feet and his eyes were blinded by a dazzling flash of light before the feeling of being teleported struck him again.
After he regained his footing, he turned his head and looked around. Suddenly, a weird look appeared on his face as he nodded and said, “As I had expected!”
He was still in a stone room, one that was no different from the stone rooms he had been in before. There was also a stone platform in the middle.
At this point, Yang Kai had faintly guessed the role of this place from the various clues he noticed.
Suppressing the joy in his heart, he stepped forward and came to the stone desk.
He focused his gaze and found that there were a total of three identical herbs placed on the stone desk. Judging by the aura they were emanating, their grade shouldn’t be that high. It should be about the level of Origin Grade.
He stretched his hand out and brushed away the dust on the stone desk. Yang Kai read the small text on the stone desk and immediately understood the purpose of this stone room.
It was to actually refine the medicinal liquid.
As long as the purity reached a certain level, the Transmission Array in the stone room could be activated.
Refining medicinal liquid was nothing to Yang Kai. He had refined medicinal liquid hundreds of thousands of times in Alchemy so far. Furthermore, he also had the unique Conflagration Knowledge Sea, which made his job of refining medicinal liquid and removing all kinds of impurities from it easier.
And extracting the medicinal liquid from an Origin Grade herb was a piece of cake for him.
At this point, he no longer hesitated and prompted his Conflagration Knowledge Sea, wrapping the herb inside.
After a while, the herb was reduced into a drop of green liquid as its impurities continued to burn away, making the green liquid clearer and more brilliant.
Because he had already guessed some things from the various tests here, Yang Kai spared no effort to extract the medicinal liquid and did a perfect job.
When he had refined all three herbs into the medicinal liquid, he placed them in the groove of the stone platform again. Immediately after, the familiar Transmission Array appeared again.
…
Over the course of the next few days, Yang Kai spent all his time in stone rooms. Each stone room gave a different test. Some required him to draw the Spirit Array used during refining pills, some required him to refine pills, some required a mastery of heat… the tests were numerous and strange.
But the purpose of all the tests couldn’t be separated from Alchemy.
At this point, Yang Kai was completely sure that his previous conjecture was right.
This was definitely Gong Sun Mu’s test to check the mastery of later generations’ Alchemy techniques. He was an Alchemy Grandmaster, so it wasn’t surprising that he would be testing in this aspect.
As an Alchemy Grandmaster of his generation, he naturally hoped that his relics could be obtained by someone who was also an Alchemist, instead of some insignificant people. All those tests could completely determine whether a person was a qualified Alchemist or not.
Perhaps, Gong Sun Mu also wanted to find a successor for himself.
…
In the stone room, Yang Kai put his newly refined pill into the groove of the stone platform. After a while, the familiar feeling of transmission struck him as he disappeared again after a flash of dazzling light.
When Yang Kai finally regained his senses, he couldn’t help but smile happily after looking at the surroundings around him.
Because the place where he was now wasn’t the unvarying stone room, but a tunnel.
The tunnel was abnormally dry. There was even a faint fiery radiance and a strange bubbling noise. The hot aura in the tunnel gave the feeling of falling into magma.
Yang Kai pushed his energy to defend himself as he walked towards the place where the fiery light was coming from.
After a while, he entered a stone cavern.
Heaven knows how deep under the ground this stone cavern was, but it didn’t appear to be man-made. It seemed to have been formed naturally.
There was a bright red fiery glow in the front. Yang Kai narrowed his eyes and found that the source of the fiery glow was actually a stream of magma! The magma had gathered into a pool. From time to time, one or two bubbles would emerge from below and burst, splashing the magma around.
The stone cavern was very large and there were some other things besides the magma pool.
Before Yang Kai could take a careful look, Liu Yan’s voice suddenly rang in his ear, “Master!”
Having heard her shout, he promptly let Liu Yan out with a thought.
Liu Yan didn’t take the human form but maintained her Firebird form, quietly hovering before Yang Kai. Her eyes were completely glued on the magma pool in front. There was actually a sliver of longing in her gaze.
“Is there something down there that’s useful to you?” Yang Kai immediately asked, noticing this.
Liu Yan promptly voiced out her desire, “There seems to be something there, and it’s not small. I will go check it out.”
As she spoke, she spread her wings and flew straight to the magma pool and plunged inside.
“Be careful,” Yang Kai in the back hurriedly exhorted, but Liu Yan had already disappeared.
He couldn’t help but shake his head. Only then did he finally begin looking around.
The stone cavern might be big but it was empty. So, the surrounding situation was clear at a glance.
Very soon, Yang Kai’s attention was drawn to a certain place.
There, a humanoid figure seemed to be sitting cross-legged. Yang Kai furrowed his brow and immediately spread his Divine Sense. After a bit of scanning, he finally confirmed that the humanoid figure was just a skeleton. It had not even a bit of vitality and aura. Obviously, it should have died a long time ago.
[If I’m right, this should be Gong Sun Mu’s corpse.]
[An Alchemy Grandmaster of his generation, the third disciple of one of Ten Great Emperors, Wondrous Pill Great Emperor. He was supposed to be an outstanding master who had everyone in the Star Boundary at his beck and call. But then, he had met a tragic end in an insignificant place like the Yuan Furnace Mountain.] Yang Kai couldn’t help but sigh again and again. He had no idea how Gong Sun Mu offended the Wondrous Pill Great Emperor so much that the Wondrous Pill Great Emperor expelled him. His end was so bleak and lonesome that he had no one to even collect his body.
Having set his mind, Yang Kai walked to the skeleton and cupped his fists and bowed slightly.
In any case, Gong Sun Mu was an elder, and most important of all, an Alchemy Grandmaster. Even if he died here, he deserved this bow from Yang Kai.
After standing straight, Yang Kai’s gaze was immediately attracted by what was in front of Gong Sun Mu.
Gong Sun Mu must have stayed here until he died. There was a small pot-like object not too far from him. This small pot looked like a wok used by ordinary people for cooking but it was much smaller in size. And underneath the small pot was the Earth Fire which was burning below the pot. It was drawn using an Array.
What Yang Kai cared about wasn’t this pot but the thing inside the pot.
Surprisingly, a pot of thick medicinal soup was boiling in this pot. There wasn’t much of it; it was only about a bowl, covering just the bottom of the pot.
From time to time, a bubble would appear in the medicinal soup. And whenever it burst, it would emit a colourful glow. At the same time, a strange fragrance would permeate the cave.
Yang Kai’s expression changed as he smelled this fragrance.
He was very familiar with this fragrance because it happened to be the very same fragrance he smelled outside the Yuan Furnace Mountain.
Back then, outside the Yuan Furnace Mountain, many cultivators were lured over by the appearance of a phenomenon. Whether the sudden colourful glow and the wonderful fragrance filling the world, everything was very similar to the scene before him.
A pondering look immediately appeared on Yang Kai’s face.
[In that case, the phenomenon of the Yuan Furnace Mountain isn’t because some precious treasure is about to mature but because of this pot of medicinal soup.]
Yang Kai immediately became interested in this pot of medicinal soup. Even though he was eighty percent sure that this thick medicinal soup was not poisonous and could even bring great benefits to the cultivator, he did not dare to take it rashly before he properly understood the thing.
He looked around and soon found a jade slip before Gong Sun Mu’s skeleton.
The jade slip seemed to have been placed by Gong Sun Mu himself before he died. From one glance, it was extremely clear that he had prepared it for the later generations to read.
Yang Kai first checked it with his Divine Sense. Only after he was sure that there was no danger, did he finally reach out to pick the jade slip.
The moment he grabbed the jade slip, things suddenly changed.
Gong Sun Mu, who should have been dead for years and had been reduced to nothing but a skeleton, suddenly moved. Immediately after, his eye sockets flickered with a pair of green glowing orbs that suddenly flew out and gathered into a ball of light that shot straight at Yang Kai.
Yang Kai was taken aback. He quickly jumped back, and at the same time, circulated the energy in his body to defend himself.
But what horrified him was that the ball of light actually ignored his defensive energy and went straight into his chest, disappearing in a flash.
In an instant, Yang Kai was frightened out of his senses and he broke into a cold sweat. He quickly scanned his body with his Divine Sense, but strangely found that he hadn’t suffered any injuries. There seemed to be nothing wrong with his body.
And after doing this, Gong Sun Mu’s skeleton crumbled down on the ground, as if it had exhausted its last strength. The bones were incomparably fragile, many of them broke apart.
After a short while, everything returned to normal. Yang Kai, holding the jade slip in his hand, stood rooted in his place with an ugly look on his face.
Just now, he had definitely triggered some kind of seal laid by Gong Sun Mu. And since he couldn’t detect it with his Divine Sense, so this seal was obviously very well hidden. He couldn’t dispel it either.
After pondering for a long time, Yang Kai, gritting his teeth, sat down and poured his Divine Sense into the jade slip, reading it carefully.
He felt that since Gong Sun Mu had intentionally left this jade slip, he must have left some clues that might help him know what happened just now.
As his Divine Sense scanned through the jade slip, the content of the jade slip immediately became clear to him.
“I, Gong Sun Mu, the third disciple of the Wondrous Pill Great Emperor, met the Great Emperor in my young and ignorant days, when I used to beg for a living. The Great Emperor didn’t look down upon me and even took me as his disciple, teaching me the Alchemic Dao…”
As expected, the jade slip was really left by Gong Sun Mu, so this cave mansion indeed belonged to him. The information in the jade slip was very complicated. At first, it just had a memory of Gong Sun Mu. He was a very unfortunate person. When he was young, he tasted the cold bitterness of the world, almost starving to death. At the same time, he was also a very lucky guy. He actually caught the notice of the Wondrous Pill Great Emperor. He was then taken as a Low-Ranked Disciple, staying by the Great Emperor’s side while cultivating and learning Alchemy skills.
“My aptitude was far better than my two Senior Brothers and the Great Emperor loved it very much. He taught me everything without hiding anything. My Alchemy skills quickly surpassed the two Senior Brothers, and as I rose to fame at a young age, I grew proud and arrogant. I was out of control. When my Senior Brothers tried to mediate, I ridiculed them, creating discord between brothers…”
“At the age of three hundred, I advanced to the Emperor Realm and became an Emperor Grade Alchemist as well. I became renowned in the Star Boundary, but that wasn’t enough for me. I want to surpass the Honored Master in Alchemic Dao. So, I started researching the way of the Human Pill, eventually hurting my life and Heaven… First Senior Brother informed the Honored Master, and he was furious. He stopped me from researching it, but I couldn’t accept it. I agreed on the surface but continued as before in private. I was beyond control…”
“At the age of three hundred fifty, my secret was exposed by the First Senior Brother again. I attacked Senior Brother in my anger, heavily injuring him. The Honored Master couldn’t take it anymore and expelled me from his tutelage. I then found Yuan Furnace Mountain and lived here in seclusion…”
Almost all of Gong Sun Mu’s life was recorded in the jade slip. According to his own statement, his aptitude was almost comparable to the Wondrous Pill Great Emperor. Unfortunately, he seemed to be a little eager for success. In order to surpass the Wondrous Pill Great Emperor, he studied the way of the Human Pill.
As for what the way of the Human Pill was, Gong Sun Mu didn’t say. But judging by the meaning in between the lines, Yang Kai felt that it should be a very cruel Alchemy technique.
Obviously, the reason why he was kicked out of the tutelage had a lot to do with the way of the Human Pill. Of course, a part of the reason was that he attacked his Senior Brother, even severely injuring him.
After he was kicked out, Gong Sun Mu settled down in Yuan Furnace Mountain. After this life-changing experience, his temperament seemed to have changed a little, and he realized his mistake.
He wanted to return to the Wondrous Pill Great Emperor many times but he never met the Wondrous Pill Great Emperor. Finally, he died alone in this cave mansion.
Apart from this, the jade slip also had Gong Sun Mu’s own understanding of the Alchemic Way. It could be said that this jade slip itself was Gong Sun Mu’s notes of Alchemy, which was of great value to any Alchemist.
It had all kinds of pill recipes, Spirit Arrays used during refining pills, Pill Condensing Techniques… it had all kinds of stuff. Every Alchemist would go crazy for its contents.
However, Gong Sun Mu also stated in the jade slip that everything was the crystallization of his own life’s wisdom. It had nothing to do with anything taught by the Wondrous Pill Great Emperor.
Without the permission of the Wondrous Pill Great Emperor, he didn’t dare to leave that knowledge in the jade slip.
“I don’t know who you are, but since you have passed many of my tests and got this jade slip, it means that you are an Alchemist as well. Now, you can be considered as my successor. And since the jade slip is in your hands, it means that you should have also been hit by my Withered Soul Seal. The Withered Soul Seal will not harm you within the next hundred years, but after a hundred years, it will swallow your Soul. There are only two ways to remove this seal: One is to have cultivation better than mine, and the other is to find my Honored Master and ask him to take action. I hope that you can meet my Honored Master in a hundred years, hand him this jade slip, and ask him to take me back under his tutelage!”
“As compensation, you can take the Ten Thousand Medicinal Treasures Soup for which I have worked so hard on for the rest of my life. You will realize its many benefits in the future!”
After this, there was nothing more mentioned in the jade slip.
After having read it completely, Yang Kai heaved a long and deep sigh, squeezing the jade slip. He was finally free from the worries.
At the very least, he now knew exactly what he was just hit with.
Obviously, the Withered Soul Seal should be a seal laid by Gong Sun Mu before his death. As long as anyone took the jade slip, the Withered Soul Seal would be activated, penetrating into the body of the person who took the jade slip.
This seal was harmless for a hundred years but it would swallow the Soul after that.
A century wasn’t a short period, so Yang Kai wasn’t worried about anything for the time being.
As long as his cultivation exceeded Gong Sun Mu’s within a century, he could remove this Withered Soul Seal. Although Yang Kai had no idea about Gong Sun Mu’s cultivation before his death, he should be in the Emperor Realm for sure.
Yang Kai was confident in reaching the Emperor Realm in a century. What he was afraid of was that Gong Sun Mu might be a Third-Order Emperor. In that case, he would need to become a Great Emperor, and only then could he remove the Withered Soul Seal on his own.
After thinking for a while, Yang Kai solemnly put away the jade slip.
He had a free and easy disposition. So, knowing that it would be useless to mess around with the Withered Soul Seal, he stopped paying attention to it.
He turned his gaze back to the little pot of thick medicinal soup.
According to the information left in the jade slip, the small pot of medicinal soul was the Ten Thousand Medicinal Treasures Soup that Gong Sun Mu spent the remaining half of his life brewing. What ingredients were used to brew this Ten Thousand Medicinal Treasures Soup and what its miraculous effects were, Yang Kai had no idea.
But since it was compensation for the Withered Soul Seal, obviously, it would be quite beneficial to take it.
Furthermore, Gong Sun Mu’s cave mansion had existed for a couple millennia and it had been a very long time since he was alive. In other words, this pot of medicinal soup had been brewing for one or two millennia at the very least!
It was thanks to the Earth Fire drawn by the Array that it could continue to boil. Or else, it would have been reduced to nothing but a waste a long time ago.
The Yuan Furnace Mountain had always been incomparably desolate. No cultivator paid attention to it, which should be Gong Sun Mu’s handiwork. It wasn’t difficult for an Emperor Realm master to cause the people to misunderstand it as a barren mountain with a bit of disguise and some tricks to prevent the Yuan Furnace Mountain’s World Energy from leaking.
The cultivators were finally drawn to this place because of the sudden appearance of intermittent colourful glow and the strange fragrance.
And that phenomenon was obviously caused by this pot of soup.
When a Heaven-defying precious treasure was about to mature, or an extremely high-level artifact or pill was about to be refined, it would trigger a Heavenly Manifestation!
The manifestation at the Yuan Furnace Mountain was obviously due to the successful brewing of this medicinal soup.
Now that it had successfully brewed and was of great benefit to him, Yang Kai had no reason to let it go.
He sat cross-legged before the small pot and used a bit of his energy to cut off the supply of Earth Fire drawn by the Array. Immediately after, he reached out and picked up the small pot, bringing the pot of Ten Thousand Medicinal Treasures Soup before himself.
Observing it this closely, Yang Kai found that the medicinal soup was extremely thick and yet crystal clear; it didn’t have the slightest bit of impurities. He could clearly see the bottom of the pot. Meanwhile, colourful bubbles continued to rise from the bottom, making for quite the magical sight.
As the strong aroma entered his nose, Yang Kai felt refreshed.
He had no words to describe the scent at the tip of his nose. Even the charming fragrance of the purest and holiest virgin body couldn’t match this scent and Yang Kai had never smelled anything that could leave such a lasting pleasant flavour.
Along his journey to the Third-Order Origin King Realm, Yang Kai had not had a desire to taste something for a long while. And with his strength and physique, he didn’t need to eat anything. But after this aroma entered his nose, his rare appetite was stirred, as if he hadn’t eaten for many days. He couldn’t wait to swallow this pot of soup.
Gritting his teeth, Yang Kai brought the small pot to his mouth and started drinking.
Strangely enough, the pot of Ten Thousand Medicinal Treasures Soul seemed incomparably hot, but when it entered the mouth, it wasn’t. On the contrary, its temperature was just perfect. Furthermore, its fragrance filled his entire mouth and it was far more delicious than anything Yang Kai had ever eaten.
There was only one bowl of Ten Thousand Medicinal Treasures Soup. As such, he raised his head up and downed it in one go, not leaving a single drop behind.
After a while, Yang Kai let out a loud burp, spurting a colourful glow.
Before he could relish the taste of the Ten Thousands Medicinal Treasure Soup, his stomach suddenly became extremely hot as streams of heat quickly flowed through his limbs and bones like it was tangible, giving rise to an itching sensation.
Yang Kai’s face immediately changed. He hurriedly threw that small pot into the Space Ring and closed his eyes, regulating his breathing while silently circulating his cultivation technique.
And after just ten breaths of Yang Kai taking the small pot of Ten Thousand Medicinal Treasures Soup from its place, the entire Yuan Furnace Mountain suddenly started quaking with deafening rumbles. The ground started shaking, rocks rolled down the mountain, and the peak fell to one side as the entire Yuan Furnace Mountain suddenly split into countless pieces and quickly sank down.
Inside the mountain, in the countless identical stone rooms, all the cultivators who were still alive had a change in their expression.
Just when they were wondering what the Hell was going on, all the Transmission Arrays in the stone room were activated. In an instant, all the surviving cultivators disappeared from their positions.
In the next moment, figures mysteriously appeared one after another about a dozen kilometres away from the Yuan Furnace Mountain. Everyone looked confused.
“Brother Lian, you were sent out too?” hurriedly shouted Raging Fire Temple Vice Temple Master Zong Qing as he looked around and noticed a frowning Lian Yu Ming.
Hearing the shout, Lian Yu Ming immediately turned his head to look at Zong Qing. He was surprised to find Zong Qing too. He nodded and replied, “Yes! It seems that you were also teleported out!?”
“That’s right!” Zong Qing solemnly looked at the shaking Yuan Furnace Mountain and doubtfully asked, “What happened there? Why is everyone teleported out?”
Lian Yu Ming thought for a while before asking, “Brother Zong, did you come across stone rooms after you entered?”
“Yes! And all kinds of weird tests as well. They seemed to be related to Alchemy. By the way, Brother Lian, you are proficient in Alchemy, those tests shouldn’t be difficult for you.”
Lian Yu Ming slowly shook his head in response and replied, “This old master had only passed the fifth stone room. I have no idea what we would gain after passing all the tests, but judging by the tests, this cave mansion should belong to an Alchemist.”
Hearing this, Zong Qing pondered for a moment and agreed, nodding, “Brother Lian has a point. If that’s the case, you can ask the other disciples if they have gained anything or not.”
While talking, Zong Qing looked around. And when he noticed that only a half of his elite disciples were left, his expression finally changed.
Right then, he focused his gaze on a nearby figure and asked in surprise, “It’s you!?”
Not too far away, a helpless look appeared on Kang Si Ran’s face.
He too was sent out when the commotion of the Yuan Furnace Mountain started. And now, he happened to be caught in the middle of many Raging Fire Temple disciples. He didn’t dare to act rashly so as to prevent other people from misunderstanding. At this moment, he was noticed by Zong Qing. He was left with no choice but to cup his first and introduce himself, “Maplewood City Spirit Pill Plaza, Shopkeeper Kang Si Ran greets the two Vice Temple Masters.”
“Spirit Pill Plaza!?” Lian Yu Ming’s pupil constricted after hearing this. “Violet Source Chamber of Commerce’s Spirit Pill Plaza!?”
“That’s right,” Kang Si Ran nodded and at the same time, he was finally relieved. He was really helpless this time and had no choice but to reveal his identity and origin. After all, his fists weren’t bigger than the opposite party. All he could do was use the awe and prestige of Violet Source Chamber of Commerce to deter the opposite party.
As expected, after having come to know Kang Si Ran’s background, Zong Qing and Lian Yu gazed at each other before withdrawing their previous hostility. The former then said, “This Zong has heard of Spirit Pill Plaza. So Your Excellency is Spirit Pill Plaza’s Shopkeeper Kang. I’m sorry for not recognizing you.”
“Vice Temple Master Zong, you are being too polite,” Kang Si Ran replied calmly.
“Shopkeeper Kang, do you know what happened inside the Yuan Furnace Mountain?” Zong Qing asked in a deep voice.
Kang Si Ran shook his head and replied, “This Kang is at a loss too.”
“If I remember it correctly, Shopkeeper Kang had a friend with him. Where is he now?” Lian Yu Ming asked, immersed in his thoughts.
Hearing this, Kang Si Ran’s expression darkened. He glanced in the direction of the Yuan Furnace Mountain and sighed, “Since Brother Yang has failed to appear here, he has obviously encountered something unexpected inside. I see that your noble Temple seems to be short of many disciples, this Yuan Furnace Mountain’s tests aren’t that simple.”
He really believed that Yang Kai had fallen inside the Yuan Furnace Mountain. After all, even two Dao Source Realm masters like Zong Qing and Lian Yu Ming were teleported out. It was natural to imagine the fate of those who were not teleported out like this.
For a moment, Kang Si Ran could help but feel a little sad. On the one hand, it was because he couldn’t find the much needed Dao Source Pill in the Yuan Furnace Mountain, and on the other, it was because of Yang Kai’s death.
Zong Qing and Lian Yu Ming gazed at each other before lightly nodding their acknowledgement.
As they didn’t notice any pretence in Kang Si Ran’s expression, they have no intention of pestering him. Zong Qin said, “In that case, please restrain your grief, Shopkeeper Kang. Please go back. In any case, the Yuan Furnace Mountain is within the domain of my Raging Fire Temple. We will be doing another search.”
How could Kang Si Ran not notice such an obvious order to leave? After a long sigh, he cupped his fists to Zong Qing and Lian Yu Ming before turning around and flying in the direction of Maplewood City.
After a while, the entire Yuan Furnace Mountain completely collapsed with an earth-shattering crash.
After everything returned to calm, Zong Qing and Lian Yu Ming led the remaining Raging Fire Temple disciples to search the ruins of the Yuan Furnace Mountain. But unfortunately, even after flipping the entire collapsed mountain for two months, they couldn’t find anything.
All they found were the corpses of a few disciples that had died tragically!
Two months later, the Raging Fire Temple disciples had no choice but to leave.
…
Heaven knows how many feet deep underground, Yang Kai was continuously roaring like a wounded beast in the stone cavern. If anyone heard his screams, they might immediately flee in fright.
The efficacy of the Ten Thousand Medicinal Treasures Soup was extremely strong and continuous. After he drank it, it transformed into streams of pure energy that surged to every nook and cranny of Yang Kai’s body.
After his meridians and physique were eroded by its efficacy, they continuously grew tougher and stronger. The meridians widened and the physique remoulded. Yang Kai’s entire body was violently shaking. Every inch of his body, his skin, and even his internal organs and marrow, was stinging, as if tens of thousands of ants were gnawing his body. He was feeling as if he was suffering the most painful torture in the world!
Bit by bit, his skin began to crack as Golden Blood flowed out, which slowly solidified into a blood clot.
The outer surface of the blood clot was covered by the Golden Blood that flowed out again.
Gradually, Yang Kai’s entire figure was covered in a golden blood cocoon. His figure couldn’t be seen from outside. Only his strong heartbeat, which sounded much like war drums, could be heard.
Heaven knows how long this lasted. One second, it seemed countless years, but then it seemed just a moment in another.
And with the passage of time, Yang Kai’s roars coming from the blood cocoon gradually weakened before disappearing altogether, as if he had grown accustomed to this painful transformation.
In a flash, half a year had gone by…
The stone cavern remained calm and uneventful over this half-year, and not a single sound was made.
Today, cracking noises started coming from the blood cocoon around Yang Kai all of a sudden. It sounded much like the popping of bones. They were extremely crisp and numerous. Followed by these sounds, a crack suddenly appeared in the blood cocoon.
Immediately afterwards, more and more cracks started to appear on the blood cocoon, giving it a shattered-mirror-kind of look.
Finally, the blood cocoon burst apart into countless pieces with a loud bang as Yang Kai’s stalwart figure emerged in the centre. His upper body was naked and his black hair was flying along with the wind. His white skin was so white and tender that it was better than a newborn’s.
Yang Kai slowly opened his eyes. The gleam in his eyes might be withdrawn but there was a radiant look on his face.
He tilted his head as a weird expression appeared on his face.
At this moment, he was having a very different and strange feeling. He felt that he had gained a new life.
He lowered his head to take a look at his body and was immediately shocked.
He had been running about over the years, going through winds and rains. He went through all kinds of hardships that not only created his staunch character, but also forged him into an outstanding figure. But now, just a pot of Ten Thousand Treasure Soup had made his skin whiter and more tender than a woman’s. He was rather surprised by this.
He got up and exercised a bit, feeling lighter and stronger than before. When he slightly clenched his fist, endless strength continuously gushed out from his body.
He made a simple jab but it immediately resulted in a sonic boom, causing ripples in the air that were visible to the naked eyes.
Yang Kai beamed with joy at the sight of this. He immediately knew that his physical body had gained a significant upgrade. As he scanned himself with Divine Sense, he suddenly realized that his five viscera and six organs had actually changed. They looked like they had been carved from jade and gold while giving an unbreakable feeling.
[It wasn’t like this before.]
Obviously, all of this was because of the Ten Thousand Treasures Soup! The Ten Thousand Treasures Soup seemed to be able to develop the physical potential of the cultivator and temper the cultivator’s physical quality, supplementing his already powerful body. His strength had grown to a whole new level and had become even more outstanding.
But things didn’t just stop there. Yang Kai could clearly feel a large amount of Ten Thousand Medicinal Treasures Soup’s efficacy still remaining in his bones and physique. It was stored inside his body to silently transform his body over time.
Yang Kai was very satisfied with this. [So this is the effect of a medicine soup that had been brewed for over one or two millennia. It is far more effective than taking any pill.]
[With my current physique, it’s definitely possible to refine the Dragon Artifact.]
Yang Kai thought as he checked his own strength again.
This check immediately gave him a big surprise.
He found that all the Saint Qi in his body had been transformed into Source Qi. He couldn’t find even the slightest bit of Saint Qi!
Source Qi was a higher-grade energy than Saint Qi. It was the very foundation of Dao Source Realm cultivators to communicate with the World Principles and mobilize the power of Heaven and Earth. It was basically impossible for a cultivator to advance to the Dao Source Realm without the Source Qi.
Yang Kai’s perception of Principles was already good enough. The reason why he couldn’t advance to the Dao Source Realm was that the Saint Qi in his body had not been completely transformed.
According to his previous calculations, it would have taken him one or two years to convert all his Saint Qi into Source Qi, even if he continued taking Source Condensing Pills. But now, these conditions have been fulfilled in advance.
Naturally, all the credit went to the Ten Thousand Medicinal Treasures Soup.
Yang Kai was inevitably a little ecstatic by this discovery. He was now ready to advance to the Dao Source Realm anytime.
However, advancing to the Dao Source Realm was a very important thing, and this place wasn’t suitable for World Energy baptism. So, Yang Kai had no plans to advance here. He still needed to find a suitable location.
Having thought of this, Yang Kai decided to leave.
He looked around a bit but there was nothing worthy of his attention in the stone cavern. However, Liu Yan had still not returned after she charged into the magma pool. He had no idea about the advantages she might have gained underneath.
As he came to the side of the magma pool and checked, he surprisingly discovered that the temperature of the magma pool seemed to have significantly dropped. It seemed as if someone had sucked away all the internal heat.
Yang Kai tried to communicate with Liu Yan but he didn’t get any response.
However, this only made Yang Kai relieved and joyful. He knew that the reason why Liu Yan couldn’t sense his summon was definitely because she had found her own opportunity.
Considering all this, he simply stopped paying attention to Liu Yan and started looking for an exit.
The stone cavern wasn’t that big, and there was only one passage connected to it. He quickly found a Transmission Array at the other end of the passage. After activating the Spirit Array, he instantly disappeared from the stone cavern.
In a barren ridge somewhere around a hundred miles away from the Yuan Furnace Mountain, Yang Kai’s figure emerged out of thin air.
He promptly spread his Divine Sense, and after making sure that the surroundings were safe, he looked around to get his bearing before his figure shot toward the horizon, leaving a streak of light.
Yang Kai wasn’t planning on returning to Maplewood City. Currently, the most important thing for him was to advance to the Dao Source Realm. Thus, he needed to find a quiet and solitary place.
A few days later, he landed on a barren mountain. After looking around at the surroundings, he lightly nodded, extremely satisfied.
Although it was barren, and the World Energy was also scarce here, it was spacious and deserted; very few people would visit this place.
Unlike other cultivators, who had friends, relatives, and Sects to back them up, he didn’t have anyone to guard him during his advancement. Thus, he had no choice but to use such a place.
The lack of World Energy was nothing. One only needed to place some Source Crystals around himself to get the World Energy needed for advancement.
However, just in case, he still spent two days carefully scouting the area of two thousand kilometres. He beheaded some Monster Beasts that had settled here before finally returning.
Advancing by a Great Realm was very important to any cultivator. It was different from when one broke through by a small realm. Once one failed to advance, they could very likely damage their Martial Dao foundation; the cultivator might never recover from it. In severe cases, he or she might get killed under the World Energy baptism.
Naturally, Yang Kai would be careful.
Afterwards, he let the two Blood Beasts, the Queen Monster Insect and Blue Flame Thunder Wolf, out, ordering them to keep a close watch in two opposite directions. [I think with two Blood Beasts keeping guard, there should not be any major problems.]
After doing all this, he finally started to calm himself.
He didn’t try to immediately attack the bottleneck of the Dao Source Realm. Rather, he took out the Black Jade Furnace and the jade slip left behind by Gong Sun Mu. On one side, he was refining the Black Jade Furnace, leaving his Soul and life Brand in it, and on the other, he was going through the Alchemy knowledge in the jade slip.
A long time ago, Yang Kai had tried to stabilize his mind and prepare to break through using Alchemy. This method had been tried and tested time and time again. So, it would still come true this time as well.
Time slowly passed and Yang Kai seemed to have completely forgotten his original intention of coming here. He was completely absorbed in the world of Alchemy knowledge.
The Alchemy information left in the jade slip might be incomprehensible to others, but as someone who once triggered the Grand Alchemic Dao Tone and had seen a glimpse of Alchemic Dao ultimate knowledge, it was very easy for Yang Kai to understand.
He had memorized various pill recipes and the names of herbs in one month.
In addition, the Black Jade Furnace was successfully refined, succeeding the Purple Origin Furnace as Yang Kai’s Alchemy Furnace.
Today, Yang Kai suddenly placed the Black Jade Furnace before him and poured the Conflagrated Knowledge Sea into the furnace.
Suddenly, a scorching heatwave spread from the furnace.
The next moment, a bunch of high-quality herbs flew out from his Space Ring with a flick of his finger, flying into the Black Jade Furnace in an orderly manner. Under the scorching heat of his pure Conflagrated Knowledge Sea, they were slowly reduced into medicinal liquid before congealing into a ball.
After a while, he put in new herbs.
The temperature inside the Black Jade Furnace kept on changing. From time to time, a bit of medicinal fragrance would leak out of it.
Yang Kai looked as calm as an old dried-up well; he wasn’t the slightest bit nervous or impatient. Even his actions when dropping the herbs were slow and steady, but the change in temperature of the furnace was instant. One by one, the Spirit Arrays required for refining the pills rose and fell inside the Black Jade Furnace as he engraved them with his Conflagrated Knowledge Sea, producing a magical effect on the medicinal liquid.
Three hours later, a wooden box appeared in Yang Kai’s palm with a flip of his wrist.
Under the push from his Source Qi, the wooden box opened by itself, revealing a longan sized spirit fruit.
Amazingly, it was the Dao Source Fruit that the Zhang Family patriarch had given him back then!
In this world, only one kind of pill could be refined from the Dao Source Fruit: The Dao Source Pill that could make all the Third-Order Origin King cultivator lust over it!
If the Origin King Realm masters knew that Yang Kai was rashly trying to refine the Dao Source Fruit as an Origin King Grade Alchemist, perhaps all of them would want to kill him. The Dao Source Pill wasn’t an ordinary pill. Its main ingredient was extremely rare. Out of the entire Southern Territory and Heavenly Martial Holy Land, there were only a handful of trees that could bear the Dao Source Fruit. Furthermore, the Heavenly Martial Holy Land used it for themselves. They would not sell them outside. So, one could imagine the rarity of this pill.
And all the Alchemists who dared to refine the Dao Source Fruit into Dao Source Pills were all Dao Source Grade Alchemists! No Origin King Grade Alchemist would ever dare to play with this kind of spirit fruit.
But Yang Kai did.
If he succeeded, he would definitely be able to break through his Alchemy bottleneck and advance to the Dao Source Grade in one fell swoop. If he failed, the priceless Dao Source Fruit would be reduced to ashes.
As he took out the Dao Source Fruit, Yang Kai’s face that had been maintaining an indifferent expression finally turned a little solemn. But he still threw the Dao Source Fruit into the Black Jade Furnace without a moment of hesitation.
Immediately afterwards, he shut the furnace lid tightly and started making hand seals with a solemn look on his face.
As he kept changing the hand seals, the medicinal liquid in the Black Jade Furnace kept tossing and turning amidst gurgling sounds.
Meanwhile, invisible Spirit Arrays rose and shattered in the Black Jade Furnace, one after another, continuously.
Beads of sweat started to appear on Yang Kai’s forehead as if refining the pill this time was extremely hard for him.
This situation lasted for a whole five hours. Having been concentrating for this long, Yang Kai had expended a lot of his mental energy. He looked slightly haggard and pale.
After five hours, he finally made the last hand seal and took a long, deep breath. He then quickly took out a few recovery-type pills and threw them into his mouth.
The pill furnace was still humming as several different types of medicinal liquids merged inside and incredible changes were taking place.
At a certain moment, a strange sound rang from inside the Black Jade Furnace, followed by a strong medicinal fragrance that permeated into the surroundings.
As a bit of fragrance drifted into Yang Kai’s nose and made its way into Yang Kai’s body, his Martial Dao bottleneck that had reached a critical juncture showed a slight sign of loosening. The calm Source Qi in his body madly started flowing.
Right then, Yang Kai opened his eyes and smacked the Black Jade Furnace, causing its lid to instantly fly up.
Immediately after, he quickly displayed the Nine Heavens Profound Pill Method that he had developed from the Grand Alchemic Dao Tone. His hands kept forming seals in succession as he continuously poured his energy into the Black Jade Furnace.
After a short while, the noises coming from the furnace became more and more obvious. It sounded like something was rolling inside the furnace.
Later, as Yang Kai withdrew his Pill Condensing Technique, streaks of light suddenly shot out of the Black Jade Furnace.
Yang Kai had been waiting for this moment. He immediately reached out, catching the several streaking things in his palm.
He didn’t have time to take a closer look at the result of his Alchemy. All he knew was that there were a total of six pills.
He promptly placed the newly-refined Dao Source Pills into the jade bottle that he had prepared in advance. Immediately after, he waved his hand as a large number of Source Crystals flew out of his Space Ring and fell on the ground, piling up in circles around him.
Some time ago, Yang Kai had killed many powerful enemies. He had gained no less than ten million Source Crystals from them, but for the sake of his own advancement, he threw out all ten million of them.
After all, the World Energy here was pretty scarce, and to meet the necessary requirement for his own advancement, he could only use these Source Crystals.
As soon as the Source Crystals appeared, a muffled thunder-like sound resounded above Yang Kai’s head. Suddenly, the World Energy became turbulent as the power of Principles started to circle around Yang Kai.
After a short while, a large black cloud appeared over Yang Kai’s head. The cloud started slowly rotating and taking a funnel shape.
Sand and rocks started to fly around everywhere as the sky went dark.
Seemingly under the effect of some mysterious force, the Source Crystals thrown around Yang Kai suddenly burst apart with crackling explosions. They instantly transformed into streams of pure energy that filled the surroundings before converging in the sky.
On the top of Yang Kai’s head, the black funnel vortex was growing at a speed visible to the naked eyes. It was quite a shocking sight.
The originally scarce World Energy in the surrounding grew extremely dense after being supplemented by the Source Crystals. And the place where Yang Kai was sitting was soon shrouded by a white mist. The white mist wasn’t real mist but a scene caused by the dense World Energy.
Yang Kai didn’t seem to be aware of this. He was still sitting cross-legged on the ground with his eyes closed. He looked extremely calm and at peace.
He was communicating with his Origin Essence Crystal in his consciousness and feeling the Heavenly Way Martial Dao. Meanwhile, the Star Source of Shadowed Star in his body happened to be regularly pulsating at this moment, as if it was being affected by something. With the blessing of this Star Source, Yang Kai could feel the power of the World Principles around him even more clearly.
He had absorbed many shattered Principle Fragments on the third level of the Five Colored Treasure Pagoda, and at this moment, they were getting incisively sublimated so that Yang Kai could brand his own perception and sublimate his realm.
With time, the black funnel in the sky grew larger and larger, almost covering the entire sky.
Even though Yang Kai had chosen a desolate land for his advancement and had even spent a few days clearing the Monster Beasts within a range of a thousand kilometres, some accidents were bound to happen.
His advancement had caused such a huge commotion that he could still be noticed from a few thousand kilometres away.
When the black funnel that had covered a small part of the sky took shape, many cultivators in the distance had noticed this scene. Naturally, their curiosity was piqued and they rushed to the place where Yang Kai was advancing to check what was going on.
After these cultivators figured out that someone was advancing by a Great Realm and was about to welcome the World Energy baptism, most of the cultivators stopped, spectating from a few hundred kilometres away.
The cultivation of these cultivators wasn’t that high. After all, the overall strength of the cultivators in the vicinity of Maplewood City wasn’t that good. Most of them were Origin King or Origin Returning Realm masters, while there were even weaker ones as well.
Sensing how strong and violent the energy in the sky was, how would they dare step forward? After having come to join in the fun, they gathered around and started discussing, pointing in Yang Kai’s direction.
Among the crowd, there was a weak little girl in her twenties. She was only in the Second-Order Origin Returning Realm. Furthermore, she seemed to be suffering from some chronic disease and she was wearing a lot of clothes despite the warm weather. There were several Origin King Realm cultivators around her, guarding her. While the girl’s pretty eyes were focused into the distance, she suddenly started coughing.
The Origin King Realm masters around her immediately looked at her with concern but everyone seemed to be accustomed to this scene. So, they didn’t look too panicked. After the girl’s breath stabilized, they finally withdrew their gazes.
After a short while, a First-Order Origin King cultivator hastily flew over from the distance and arrived before the girl in a few flickers.
“Young Lady, I am back,” the cultivator quickly said.
“Did you find out who is advancing?” the girl asked in a gentle voice, parting her lips.
The cultivator shook his head and reported, “I’m sorry Young Lady. The World Energy there is too violent, and as that person is at a critical juncture of his advancement, I didn’t dare to get too close. So, I couldn’t see who it was. But according to my observation, this person should be breaking through to the Dao Source Realm!”
“As I’ve expected, he is indeed breaking through to the Dao Source Realm!” The girl in purple seemed to have expected it. She gently nodded. Her eyes suddenly lit up as she spoke, “Since that person decided to break through to the Dao Source Realm here, it means that he or she doesn’t have friends or relatives, or a Sect to back him. Obviously, that person is a lone master. He or she can be roped in!”
The Origin King Realm cultivators around the girl in purple slightly nodded in agreement after hearing this.
If one had the backing of a Sect or had friends or relatives, who would be willing to break through a Great Realm in this wilderness? Only a lone wolf would be forced to do this.
“That being said, Young Lady, with all due respect, this person might not be able to successfully break through,” another solemn-looking middle-aged man looked toward them and said with a serious look on his face.
“Why do you think so?” The girl in purple turned her gaze at him.
The middle-aged man wryly smiled. “The movement caused by him is just too great. It’s not something a peak Origin King Realm cultivator can bear. I should not say this, but if he is unable to bear the baptism of the World Energy, he simply has no hope of surviving. He will die for sure!”
All the other Origin King Realm repeatedly nodded their agreement after hearing this. They looked at the enormous black funnel in the sky with a look of fear. Obviously, if they were to take the baptism of such energy, it was absolutely impossible for them to succeed.
The girl in purple furrowed her black brows. “So to say, this person has very little hope of succeeding?”
The middle-aged man said, “Of course, that’s just my opinion. If, and only if, he really survived this catastrophe and crossed this juncture, his future achievements will be probably beyond our imagination.”
The girl in purple nodded after hearing this. She pondered for a while and said, “Anyway, let’s just protect him first. If he really advances, he will definitely remember our favour. At that time, we can try to recruit him. Now that the geniuses of my Qin Family are declining, we can only rely on just Old Ancestor’s support. We are hitting rock bottom, but if we can get this person’s help, my Qin Family can finally take a breath.”
Hearing this, the Origin King Realm cultivators nodded together and said, “If that’s what Young Lady wants, then Young Lady’s wish is our command.”
Just as this group of people were about to disperse and protect Yang Kai, the previous middle-aged man furrowed his brow and he suspiciously gazed toward a direction and shouted, “Dammit, someone is going to interfere with him!”
“Who is it?” The girl in purple was taken aback when she heard this. She looked along with the middle-aged man’s gaze and saw a streak of light shooting toward Yang Kai’s location. Not only were they not hiding their figures, but also had no intentions of hiding their goal. Each and every one was displaying an aggressive stance and malicious intention.
By a rough count, there were at least a dozen people in that streak of light. And the leading figure in that light was particularly bright.
The girl in purple hesitated for a while before she stomped her feet and said, “Come with me, let’s see if we can negotiate with them or not!”
While speaking, her tender figure flew toward that side with a jolt.
The middle-aged man was greatly shocked. He hurriedly chased after her with others.
Not far away, among the group of cultivators rushing toward Yang Kai, someone soon discovered the Qin Family group’s movement. They immediately shouted to the front, “Honored Master, someone is coming toward us.”
At the forefront, an almost bald old man with a short and fat stature suddenly stopped after hearing this. His pair of triangular eyes focused into the distance before quickly locking on to the Qin Family group. He then let out a cold snort and rebuked, “Several Origin King Realm cubs want to ruin this old master’s good deed? I have to hand it to their courage!”
“Honored Master, do you want us to…” the man made a gesture of beheading while he spoke this.
A grim smile immediately appeared on the old man’s face as he said, “Let’s see what they want to say first. Since they dare to come here, they probably have something to rely on. This old master wants to see what is making them this courageous.”
“Honored Master is wise!” that middle-aged man immediately flattered.
After a short while, the Qin Family group, led by the girl in the purple, arrived before the old man and the others.
The girl seemed to have expended a lot of her energy for this rush. She immediately broke into a fit of cough and couldn’t speak a word.
The middle-aged man and the others, who were closely following after her, gathered around the girl like the stars around the moon. And when the middle-aged man noticed the leading short and fat old man and his iconic bald head, he cried in shock as his face turned pale as if he was facing an enemy, “Ghost Hand Shen Tu!”
As soon as he shouted ‘Ghost Hand Shen Tu,’ the Qin Family cultivators turned pale. They unconsciously tried to explain themselves while they started mobilizing the energy in their body to be ready to make a move at a moment’s notice.
A trace of panic also appeared in the pretty eyes of the girl in purple as well.
She might be young but she was extremely knowledgeable and experienced. Not to mention, every cultivator in the vicinity of Maplewood City was aware of Ghost Hand Shen Tu.
Ghost Hand Shen Tu was a First-Order Dao Source Realm cultivator. Heaven knows what evil arts he was cultivating, but he was extremely vicious and committed outrageous crimes around Maplewood City all year round. Relying on his powerful Dao Source Realm cultivation, he robbed and killed the weaker cultivators.
For many cultivators, the four words ‘Ghost Hand Shen Tu’ were tantamount to a disaster. Once they encountered this guy, it meant that their death wasn’t far from them.
Furthermore, this guy was not alone. Heaven knows where he got a bunch of powerful subordinates but each and every one of them was an Origin King Realm master. Most weren’t their match; all they could do was stretch their necks out to be beheaded.
And this guy wasn’t just vicious but was also extremely clever. The City Lord’s Mansion had sent a team of masters, led by City Lord Duan Yuan Shan, to encircle and catch this guy many times, but it was all in vain; they couldn’t catch him. They could only inflict serious injuries to him but ultimately let him escape.
Since then, Ghost Hand Shen Tu seemed to have become honest and law-abiding for a while. But well-informed people knew that he was far from being law-abiding. However, he was no longer as unscrupulous as before. Now, his targets were people with no background and support. He no longer antagonized the members of families in Maplewood City and the disciples of the nearby Sects.
So to say, the masters of those families and sects were too lazy to care about him, and City Lord’s Mansion couldn’t focus their forces on Ghost Hand Shen Tu forever. Besides, he was as cunning as a fox. All these reasons helped him run scot-free up until now.
It was just a coincidence that Yang Kai’s choice of location for his advancement wasn’t too far from Shen Tu and his men’s turf. So, just as Yang Kai’s advancement caused the commotion, they immediately came to check.
So after figuring out that Yang Kai was a cultivator with no backing and was on the verge of breaking through, how could this group sit still? Naturally, they immediately moved out, preparing for a big fight.
But here, they ran into a group of people from the Qin Family.
Hearing the shocked cry of that middle-aged man, the bald old man sneered. “So, you know all about this old master, and yet you dare to come here. Are you looking to die?”
Just as he said this, the Origin King Realm cultivators by his side stared at the Qin Family’s group with a malicious gaze. By the looks of their stances, it looked as if they would promptly attack them with just an order from Ghost Hand Shen Tu.
The middle-aged man’s expression changed slightly. He gulped loud in terror. He had no idea how to answer for a while.
The girl in purple seemed to have regained her energy after catching her breath for a while. She smiled and spoke in a gentle voice, “So, it is the famous Senior Shen Tu. Junior had eyes but failed to see and rushed to Senior. I hope that Senior will not blame us!”
“Oh!?” Shen Tu narrowed his triangular eyes, glancing at the girl in purple. He let out a burst of weird laughter as he said, “Wow, you can still remain so calm in front of this old master, I have to hand it to your courage. Which family are you from?”
Shen Tu had been wandering around Maplewood City all year round. Naturally, he could tell at a glance that the girl in purple was someone with a background, otherwise, she would not have such etiquette. Had it not for this reason, why would he talk to the girl in purple? With his personality, he would have already killed her.
“Junior’s surname is Qin!” the purple-robed girl gently replied.
“Qin!” Shen Tu curled his lips as he indifferently continued, “This old master had heard that there is a little girl in Maplewood City’s Qin Family who is young and ill, but is very clever and quick-witted. Even Qin Zhao Yang, that old fart dotes upon her. For this reason, he even went to the depths of the Black Blood Swamp to find a Pure Yang Fruit to extend her life. Could that be you?”
The girl in purple coughed a little before nodding. “Senior is quite knowledgeable and experienced. This Junior is indeed Qin Yu, who could only survive thanks to Old Ancestor’s pity.”
“Haha…” Shen Tu broke into a peal of weird laughter, “Little Girl, you are really outstanding. You can face this old master with no change in your expression. No wonder that old fart, Qin Zhao Yang dotes upon you. But little girl, what can this old master do for you?”
Qin Yu furrowed her black brow and pondered for a moment before replying, “Senior, since you have asked, this Junior will be honest with you. Senior, are you going to bother that person?”
Shen Tu narrowed his eyes and said in neither rude nor polite manner, “So what?”
Qin Yu asked, “Senior, can you let that person go?”
Shen Tu pursed his lips and said, “Give me a reason.”
“That person is my Qin Family’s Honored Guest. So…” Qin Yu replied in a low voice, “So, I hope that Senior can show mercy. My Qin Family will definitely thank you for this someday.”
“Your Qin Family’s Honored Guest!?” Shen Tu pursed his lips into a playful smile as he said, “Little girl, you might be smart but don’t treat others as fools! If this person was really the Honored Guest of your Qin Family, why would he choose to break through here? If he really is your Qin Family Honored Guest, wouldn’t that old fart, Qin Zhao Yang, be personally protecting him? Do you really think this old master is such a fool?”
Even after having been exposed to her face, Qin Yu still didn’t look even the slightest bit embarrassed. Rather, she smiled and said, “Senior’s eyes are as bright as a torch. Junior’s little trick can’t fool you. However… Although that person isn’t my Qin Family’s Honored Guest now, it doesn’t mean that he will not be in the future. Can I beg Senior to raise his high hand in mercy…”
Before Qin Yu could finish herself, Shen Tu interrupted her by raising his hand.
Shen Tu looked at her coldly. His triangular eyes radiated a chilling aura as he said, “Little Girl, this old master will not haggle over this because of Qin Zhao Yang’s face. But if you dare to pester again, don’t blame this old master for not showing mercy.”
While speaking, he reached out as he shot a large amount of energy straight at Qin Yu.
Qin Yu’s expression changed as she hurriedly retreated.
Seeing this, the vigilant Origin King Realm masters gathered around her and rushed forward to block the wave of energy for her. They immediately let out muffled groans as several people backed away a fair distance before they could regain their footing.
When they finally turned their gazes ahead, Shen Tu had already flown away with his group of men.
Fear could still be seen lingering on the middle-aged man’s and others’ faces. The middle-aged man looked back at Qin Yu and said, “Young Lady, you didn’t get hurt, did you?”
Qin Yu shook his head and said, “Thanks to everyone’s protection, I am alright. But unfortunately, that person…”
She gazed into the distance with a gloomy look on her face.
The middle-aged man immediately tried to comfort her, “In fact, you don’t need to feel sorry for him. That person might not be able to survive the World Energy baptism. There is no difference between dying a bit earlier or dying a bit later. Young Lady has tried her best. Next time, it would be best if you don’t try to provoke the Ghost Hand Shen Tu. He let us go because of our Old Ancestor, but we might not be lucky next time.”
“I see! I have caused everyone trouble,” Qin Yu gently nodded.
In the distance, Yang Kai appeared to be completely oblivious to this. He was still immersed in comprehending his own Martial Dao Heavenly Way, immersed in his attempt to break through the barrier of the Dao Source Realm.
*Swish Swish Swish…*
A series of swishing sounds rang as Shen Tun, leading a dozen or so Origin King Realm, appeared next to Yang Kai.
When he sensed the violent energy fluctuations and looked up at the huge black funnel in the sky, Shen Tu’s expression couldn’t help but slightly change.
He too had gone through this before. But back when he was advancing to the Dao Source Realm, even if he had caused such a big commotion, it couldn’t even be compared to one-tenth of this! Even if he was asked to go through this level of World Energy baptism now, he wasn’t that sure that he would be able to safely go through with it.
“Honored Master, it’s very terrifying here. Let’s just do it and get out of here.” A nearby Origin King Realm cultivator seemed to have been overwhelmed by the mighty pressure of Heaven and Earth. He was trembling and his forehead was drenched in a cold sweat.
The others also didn’t look relaxed. When they stepped in here, they felt that something was wrong here. The Principles lingering around here were so dense and chaotic that they were finding it difficult to circulate their energy.
Shen Tu nodded his agreement and immediately rushed to the cross-legged Yang Kai on the ground and said, “Kid, if you want to assign blame, blame your bad luck, why do you have to choose this kind of place for your advancement? Be careful in your next life.”
After having said his piece, he raised his hand and fiercely smacked it down.
Seeing him making a move, the other Origin King Realm cultivation immediately displayed their Martial Skills one after another, launching their attacks at Yang Kai.
But before their aura from their attacks could even touch Yang Kai, a dazzling light suddenly appeared about ten metres away from Yang Kai’s body. The light seemed to be oval-shaped and enveloped Yang Kai’s entire figure.
*Bang Bang Bang…’
All the attacks fell on this light screen, creating ripples after ripples. But all of these attacks couldn’t crack this shield.
Everyone was stunned at the sight of this.
Right then, Yang Kai slowly opened his eyes and indifferently gazed at everyone before saying, “Why do some people always think that they have lived too long and are eager to die? Why?”
Every Origin King Realm cultivator, who was being stared at by him, had their hearts gripped with a chill. They felt as if something bad was about to happen.
Just as everyone was in a daze, Yang Kai raised his hand.
Suddenly, Moon Blades flew out in succession, swishing through the air.
“Dammit, quickly hide!” someone shouted.
But the Moon Blades were so fast that they didn’t give these people the time to react and struck them.
Although some cultivators instinctively activated their defensive skills, these defensive skills couldn’t even stand the power of the paper-thin Moon Blade.
The pitch-black Moon Blades instantly cut through the cultivators as they let out muffled groans.
Surprisingly, no blood splattered, but when the cultivators looked around, their faces turned pale in horror.
Because they saw crescent-shaped holes in different places of the bodies of the companion next to them. The wounds were completely flat. Heaven knows where the parts of their bodies that should have been there went. They couldn’t find any pieces of flesh or broken bones anywhere. It seemed as if everything had been exiled into the void.
And through these wounds, the squirming internal organs left a horrifying image in their eyes.
The intense visual impact caused the several cultivators to scream in horror.
*Squish Squish Squish…*
Finally, the blood squished out of their wounds. In an instant, several cultivators around Yang Kai fell down on the ground with a look of incredulity on their faces. The gushing blood was mixed in with broken internal organs. The sight was too ghastly and bloody to look at.
Shen Tu and the others barged in with an aggressive bearing. They believed that Yang Kai would be powerless to fight back, owing to his advancement, but how could they have known that more than half of the Origin King Realm cultivators would die when they finally went against the opposite party? This kind of accident had naturally made the remaining people lose their wits.
But Yang Kai wasn’t done yet. Immediately after the Moon Blades, a large number of five-coloured lights shot over. Just the fearsome Qi emanating from the oncoming attacks had already sent chills down the spine of the surviving cultivators as they broke into a cold sweat.
“Sword Qi!” Shen Tu’s expression changed. At a glance, he could immediately tell that these colourful streaking glows were hiding extremely sharp Sword Qi inside them. Furthermore, they were actually filled with the five elements. Under the mutual restraint and promotion of five elements, metal, wood, water, fire, and earth, they seemed to be harmonizing with each other, strengthening each other’s might.
His expression suddenly became solemn. He promptly let out a war cry as his short and fat figure grew bigger all of a sudden. Immediately after, a dark aura suddenly started to spread from his fat body, enveloping him inside.
Countless black tentacles grew out of his body, waving around him. He was counterattacking the oncoming Sword Qis with his own attacks.
A series of shock waves spread into the surrounding area as the tentacles extending from Shen Tu’s body were torn apart by countless Sword Qis. At the same time, those fierce Sword Qis were also blocked by him and couldn’t kill anyone.
All the Origin King Realm masters who had been saved gratefully looked at him. One of them even tried to kiss Shen Tu’s ass even when his heart was pounding in fear.
“Kid, you actually dare to attack this old master when you are advancing. I think you have grown tired of living. If that’s the case, let me take your life,” Shen Tu screamed as a small shield with a ghost head suddenly appeared in his hand. The small shield didn’t look that big but the ghost head on it was quite vivid and lifelike. It had fangs and its face was blue. It was extremely hideous and terrifying.
He then poured his Source Qi into the ghastly shield. Suddenly, the small shield transformed into a real ghost head and grew into the size of a house all of a sudden, flying straight at Yang Kai.
While rushing at Yang Kai, the ghost head opened and closed its mouth, shooting balls of silver ghost fire, one after another. The balls of fire shot straight at Yang Kai like arrows. They seemed extremely powerful.
Yang Kai’s pupils involuntarily shrank at the sight of this but he still remained cross-legged.
In the blink of an eye, the silver balls of ghost fire were already upon Yang Kai. In the next moment, they landed right on Yang Kai’s body, wreaking havoc at Yang Kai’s position.
“Hm!?” Shen Tu was taken aback. His eyes were filled with surprise. He hadn’t expected Yang Kai to be killed this easily. He had a pretty good idea of how powerful his artifact was. From the get-go, its attacks were very strong and mysterious, and coupled with the Secret Technique he was cultivating, not to mention an Origin King Realm master, even a First-Order Dao Source Realm cultivator would be burned by the ghost fire, and would have a layer of his or her skin and flesh burn if not end up dead.
However, Yang Kai was just a Third-Order Origin King and was just on the cusp of breaking through. How could he still be alive after having suffered so many ghost fire attacks?
Having thought like this, Shen Tu lightly nodded, believing that he had succeeded.
And seeing Yang Kai swallowed by the ghost fire, the surviving Origin King Realm experts let out a series of sneers, seemingly mocking Yang Kai’s overconfidence.
But their laughter hadn’t even stopped before a figure appeared out of thin air right where Yang Kai was.
It was none other than Yang Kai!
By the looks of his appearance and state, he didn’t seem to have been burnt by the Ghost Fire at all, and he hadn’t even moved an inch from his position.
No one knew how he avoided those Ghost Fire attacks.
Everyone’s laughter abruptly stopped.
Shen Tu’s eyes bulged in shock as a look of incredulity took over his face.
Right then, Yang Kai’s left eye suddenly flickered with a golden speck of light as the Demon Eye of Annihilation slowly emerged. The golden speck of light seemed tangible. It quickly took the shape of a lotus flower in Yang Kai’s left eye.
Shen Tu’s heart was suddenly gripped with a chill at the sight of this lotus flower. He instinctively knew that something was wrong, but somehow or other, he was unable to look away. The lotus flower seemed to have a mysterious allure, which drew in his complete attention.
The lotus slightly trembled before it disappeared from Yang Kai’s left eye. Instead, a budding lotus was slowly blooming in Shen Tu’s Knowledge Sea. The nutrient for this bloom was his Soul energy.
Shen Tu let out a miserable scream. He felt like his mind was being pierced by tens of thousands of needles. This pain went deep into the soul, and he was almost unable to stand it.
When Shen Tu started screaming, the remaining Origin King Realm masters jumped back in fright. They immediately focused their gazes at Shen Tu to see what was going on.
And right then, sounds of something ripping through space rang as untold Moon Blades, thicker than before, shot straight at them.
They might have learned the lesson from the actions of those people before, but how could they still not be clear about how fearsome the Moon Blades were. Immediately, a series of miserable screams rang. But just as they were about to scatter…
“Solidify!” Yang Kai shouted aloud. Immediately after, the power of Principles suddenly started undulating as the space within a thousand metres of him seemed to have heard some kind of order, it instantly surrendered to him and turned extremely solid in the next moment.
Those Origin King Realm masters became as slow as turtles all of a sudden.
*Pu Pu Pu…*
The Moon Blades easily went through their bodies, dividing them into halves. Everyone had a crescent-shaped gap in their bodies, and the parts they were missing were exiled into the endless void.
The mutilated corpses slid down on the ground. Everyone’s eyes were bulging as they died dissatisfied.
“So these are Space Principles?” After everything went smoothly, Yang Kai seemed to be immersed in thoughts. He forgot that there was still a powerful enemy he had not dealt with and fell straight into a kind of mystical epiphany. His mind was filled with inspiration as the true meaning of Space Principles poured into his mind in a flash.
His figure jolted. He was momentarily stunned. His eyes were gleaming brightly. Various ideas flashed in his mind at lightning-fast speed as he comprehended the Space Principles.
*Kacha…*
One after another, the spatial cracks started to appear and disappear around him as they continued to improve under the supplement of World Principles…
Where he was sitting, the space seemed no longer stable and vision had already started to distort…
“Ahhh~!” A wailing scream suddenly rang nearby. It was Shen Tu, whose tossing and turning after having been struck by the Blossoming Lotus Secret Technique started to slow down.
As expected from a Dao Source Realm master. Although he was struck by Yang Kai’s Blossoming Lotus Secret Technique and his Soul’s energy was mostly drained, he woke up at the last minute, avoiding a tragic death.
Even so, his foundation was severely damaged.
So much of his Soul energy had been drained that his Soul was damaged. Such an injury could not be restored with ordinary elixirs. Shen Tu would need to find some top-grade pill that could repair the Soul, or cultivate some special Secret Art. Even then, it would take him several dozen to over a hundred years before he could finally recover from the damage to his Soul.
Somehow enduring the pain in his mind, he immediately looked around, but his heart involuntarily started pounding in the next moment.
He found that all the Origin King Realm cultivators he had brought were completely dead. Not a single cultivator was alive.
And the murderer was still sitting cross-legged in his original place. His eyes were gleaming with a radiant glow as if he had caught in some epiphany. Some incredible changes were taking place in the space around him. Spatial cracks were slithering around like snakes, covering an area of several dozen feet around Yang Kai.
“Dao of Space!” Shen Tu’s pupils shrank as he cried out in horror.
This might probably be the best moment for him to make a sneak attack because Yang Kai was already immersed in his epiphany. He couldn’t react! But Shen Tu wasn’t sure that he could rush through that strange space. Each of those space cracks was sharper than the best blade in the world. They weren’t something he could block with his physique, so if he really launched a sneak attack, he might be cut into pieces by the countless space cracks around Yang Kai.
“It’s actually the Dao of Space! This kid…” At this moment, Shen Tu finally understood what kind of enemy he had provoked. Beads of cold sweat trickled down his forehead. He cast a final glare of hatred at Yang Kai before he turned around and flew toward the outside, wanting to escape from here.
He didn’t want to stay here any longer. He just wanted to escape as far as possible.
But before he could even reach thirty metres away, crystal snowflakes suddenly appeared in the sky. The snowflakes strangely appeared beautiful. They were completely white and flawless.
The surrounding temperature started to plummet.
Shen Tu started shivering for no reason as an aura of death blew on his face.
As a veteran in battle, Shen Tun instantly realized that things were far from good. He promptly let out a war cry as thick black Qi gushed out of his body again, wrapping him and resisting the chill invading his body.
After doing all this, Shen Tu finally got a clear sight of the initiator of all this. It was a huge Monster Insect that was two feet tall and whose entire body was white and crystal clear.
Shen Tu had no idea when this Monster Insect appeared in front of him. It seemed to have been here all the while, but he somehow failed to notice it.
The Monster Insect was exuding a daunting ice-cold aura.
The strangest thing about this beast was that there were actually two long swords on the two pincers on the front of this Monster Insect, one blue and one purple. They were crossed horizontally in front of the Monster Insect, posing an extremely strange posture. It gave the appearance of a mighty human swordsman, the bearing of a master.
“What the heck is this?” Shen Tu couldn’t help but cry in shock. His eyes were bulging wide.
What he had seen today had gone beyond everything he had seen and known his entire life.
First, he encountered an Origin King Realm who was proficient in Dao of Space. Well, that was still fine and okay. Although it was difficult to cultivate the Dao of Space, some people in the Star Boundary had succeeded in doing so. Only, they weren’t as horrifying as that kid.
And now, a powerful insect had appeared in front of his eyes. What Shen Tu found it harder to accept was that the Monster Insect also knew how to use artifacts. And it was a twin-sword-type artifact!
[That artifact should be of High-Rank Origin King Grade!?]
Shen Tu was completely shocked.
While he was reeling from the shock, the Monster Insect in front of him suddenly started rotating the two long swords on its pliers.
Purple and blue lights flickered as the surrounding temperature started to drop. The snowflakes in the sky grew even larger.
With a flash of white light, an icy-cold Domain suddenly spread through the surroundings.
At this moment, Queen Monster Insect disappeared in front of Shen Tu and appeared directly behind him, still maintaining that weird posture as if it had never moved.
Shen Tu stood there in a daze. His lips moved as if he wanted to say something but couldn’t.
Right then, a piece of snowflake fell on the top of his head.
Next, Shen Tu’s body, with the point where the snowflake fell as the centre, suddenly split into two with a soft pop. Red blood immediately gushed out from his split body as his internal organs fell on the ground.
Ghost Hand Shen Tu, who had been terrorizing Maplewood City for so many years, had died in such a mysterious way.
And in the next moment, Queen Monster Insect’s disappeared into thin air with a slight jolt of its figure. No one knew where it went or where it was hidden!
All the snow falling from the sky melted away as the ice-cold Domain covering the surroundings disappeared into a puff of smoke.
The crowd of onlookers in the distance broke into an uproar at the sight of this.
Everyone’s eyes were bulging wide with shock after witnessing everything from the distance.
Even though they were unable to make out the details clearly and couldn’t tell what exactly happened, they had clearly seen the death of dozens of Origin King Realm cultivators and Shen Tu’s fall.
Such a strong visual impact gave them the feeling of seeing a ghost in broad daylight. No one could believe what they had seen. Some people kept rubbing their eyes as if they wanted to see more clearly.
“Shen Tu… is dead!?”
After a long time, someone murmured this sentence. It sounded like he wasn’t sure.
“Shen Tu really died, killed by that man.”
“No no no, Shen Tu wasn’t killed by that man but by another master.”
“That’s right. A strong Master seems to be protecting him.”
“Fortunately, I didn’t go attack that man, or else…”
Many onlooking cultivators secretly rejoiced. They felt like they had escaped a disaster.
After realizing that Yang Kai wasn’t advancing here alone but was secretly guarded by a master, how could these onlooking cultivators dare to stay there? After discussing for a while, they all retreated by several dozen kilometres, watching everything from a farther distance, fearing that they would annoy the master who was secretly guarding.
On the other side, the Qin Family group was also dumbfounded.
When Shen Tu and the others passed by with an aggressive momentum, no one had ever thought that their entire team would be wiped out at the end.
“Did you see who killed Shen Tu?” Qin Yu asked, a little excited. Her beautiful eyes bloomed with a strange glow as she focused her gaze in the direction where Queen Monster Insect disappeared.
Shen Tu was a First-Order Dao Source Realm master. Anyone who could kill him after just one encounter should at least be a Second-Order Dao Source Realm.
If she could draw this person into the Qin Family, the Qin Family’s strength could instantly rise to the level of the City Lord’s Mansion. In the future, the Qin Family would have a powerful protector.
But unfortunately, Queen Monster Insect was too fast in her attack and even faster in her disappearance. Qin Yu didn’t get the time to see it clearly.
Hearing her question, the Qin Family cultivators looked at each other before they all shook their heads.
The middle-aged man said, “Young Lady, although I didn’t see it clearly, that person seemed to be using twin sword artifacts. Is there a master in the vicinity of Maplewood City using this kind of artifact?”
“Twin swords!” Qin Yu appeared to be immersed in her thoughts before she shook her head and said, “I have never heard of anyone using twin swords. It’s extremely difficult to use them, and if there is a master proficient in twin swords near Maplewood City, I would have definitely heard of him. It seems that this person should be from outside.”
After hearing this, the Qin Family cultivators secretly nodded in agreement.
“It’s not just the protector who is powerful, but the person advancing is definitely extraordinary,” Qin Yu pursed her red lips. Her pretty eyes shone with brilliance as she gazed in Yang Kai’s direction; she seemed to want to see it clearly. Unfortunately, she couldn’t see Yang Kai’s appearance clearly owing to the dense World Energy surrounding him.
The middle-aged man nodded and said after hearing this, “Yeah! This person was able to kill more than a dozen Origin King Realms at a critical juncture of his breakthrough. Obviously, he is quite extraordinary. Moreover… the thing that’s puzzling me the most is why Shen Tu suddenly ran away.”
Qin Yu’s expression changed as she said, “Shen Tu is cruel and ruthless. He would only escape if he had suffered a great loss at that person’s hand!”
“Young Lady, that’s not possible, right? This person is only a Third-Order Origin King, he still hasn’t advanced to the Dao Source Realm, while Shen Tu is a Dao Source Realm master!” The middle-aged man looked shocked.
“Then have you seen any Third-Order Origin King cause such a big commotion while breaking through by a Great Realm? Look there, even space looks like it’s collapsing a little.” Qin Yu pointed in a direction.
The middle-aged man laughed in embarrassment. “I am only a Third-Order Origin King, how would I get the chance to see anyone break through to the Dao Source Realm? But, even without seeing, I don’t think anyone would be able to cause such a huge scene.”
“That’s right. The stronger one is, the greater the baptism created!” Qin Yu’s eyes rolled as she chuckled and said, “I am getting more and more interested in this person. If I can recruit him..”
The middle-aged man, seeing his Young Lady excited, knew that she was really interested in soliciting him. He then reminded, “Then we will have to wait for him to be finished with his breakthrough..”
Qin Yu gently nodded, muttering to herself, “He should succeed.”
At this moment, a clap of thunder suddenly resounded in the sky. It was extremely loud and deafening as if the entire world was about to split apart.
The next moment, the black funnel spinning in the sky suddenly started to come down as if it was attracted by some power.
And the centre of the black funnel happened to be pointed at the place where Yang Kai was.
*Hong Hong Hong…*
The sky shook and the earth quaked as the huge black hole quickly connected with Yang Kai. The next moment, an unimaginable amount of energy of Heaven and Earth flowed down the funnel, crazily pouring into Yang Kai’s body.
“Impossible!” Qin Yu’s pretty face turned pale at the sight of this.
The expressions of the Origin King Realm cultivators gathered around her also changed.
The middle-aged man shook his head with disappointment as he stated, “How Heaven-defying is this guy to make the Heavenly Way do this much to stop him? It seems that he won’t survive.”
When cultivators break through a Great Realm, they would trigger the World Energy baptism. However, every cultivator’s baptism had a regular pattern, which gave the cultivator room to breathe and restore. Never had there been anyone like Yang Kai, who would have the World Energy directly connected to their bodies when he or she advanced.
This way, the funnel-shaped Heaven and Earth energy would be continuously poured into Yang Kai’s body. It would be impossible for him to have a chance to breathe!
How could a Third-Order Origin King take this?
This was not baptism but pure destruction!
Even if a Dao Source Realm tried this, he too might be crushed into nothing in face of this.
The earth seemed to quake more and more severely. Even the cultivators, who were watching from afar, could feel how violent World Energy was. It was not something a human could resist. Each and everyone’s face turned pale.
Suddenly, fierce gales started to blow over from a distance. In an instant, the area within a hundred kilometres had dust and pieces of rocks flying everywhere, covering the entire sky.
Qin Family cultivators surrounded Qin Yu and mobilized their defensive skills to protect against the oncoming pieces of rocks and wood.
Suddenly, someone’s roar resounded amidst the howling winds in the distance. It sounded much like the howl of a wounded beast. Everyone was startled by this.
Naturally, this howl belonged to Yang Kai who was in the middle of that berserk energy.
The moment Heaven and Earth energy baptism fell on his body, Yang Kai realized that he was in big trouble this time.
His clothes were destroyed in the blink of an eye as untold amounts of energy poured on the top of his head, into his body from the acupuncture points, and flowed into every nook and cranny of his body.
His firm and strong body only persisted for less than ten breaths before his skin cracked. His meridians swelled and started aching. He felt as if his entire body would blow up any moment.
The Golden Blood spread around his body, making his entire body shine.
It immediately displayed its strong restorative properties. The cracked skin and torn muscles started to repair themselves but they would often crack again just as they were repaired.
Just when he wanted to burn his pure Golden Blood to maintain his blood and vitality, he suddenly felt a gentle energy emerging from his flesh, blood, and meridians. As soon as this energy appeared, it quickly started repairing his broken body as well. At the same time, his unstable vitality suddenly started rising.
The pressure was greatly reduced!
Yang Kai smiled happily. He hurriedly held on to the slightest bit of clarity he had regained as he opened his mind and body to accept the berserk World Energy while also checking the condition of his body.
The situation of his body was much better than he had imagined. All this was due to the gentle energy that had appeared out of nowhere.
Soon, Yang Kai figured out what this energy was.
Surprisingly, it was the leftover efficacy of the Ten Thousand Medicinal Treasures Soup that he had taken before!
He might have entered a retreat for half a year in the stone cavern after taking the Ten Thousand Medicinal Treasures Soul and focused all his time and effort on absorbing the medicinal efficacy, making his physique have a qualitative change, but the medicinal efficacy of the Ten Thousand Medicinal Treasures Soup was just too much for him, so he was not able to absorb it completely. The remaining medicinal efficacy was stored in his flesh and bones.
Only now did it emerge autonomously, becoming one of Yang Kai’s assets to help him in advancement.
After getting the gist of the matter, Yang Kai finally calmed down.
When the medicinal efficacy of the Ten Thousand Medicinal Treasures Soup continuously emerged from his flesh and bones, Yang Kai didn’t find the pressure that big anymore. His body was no longer hurting, his meridians were no longer aching, and his bones were no longer creaking. Now, filled with joy, he carefully circulated his own strength as he attacked the Dao Source Realm bottleneck.
Over time, under the World Energy baptism, whether it was his physical body or the energy in his body, it seemed to have gone through a peculiar sublimation, becoming stronger and purer.
Especially the Source Qi in his body, it had grown a lot purer. It would have taken him a fair number of years in bitter cultivation to achieve this.
This pleasant surprise made him ecstatic!
Half a day later, there was a cracking sound from the depths of his Soul, as if some barrier in his body had collapsed. Yang Kai suddenly opened his mouth and let out a long cry. The roar was loud and reverberating as thunder; immediately resounding throughout the sky.
And during this roar, the bottleneck that had been stopping Yang Kai from advancing seemed to have been broken through, allowing Yang Kai’s already strong aura to suddenly rise to another level!
He had smoothly broken through to the Dao Source Realm!
A cry suddenly spread across the wild from the top of the barren hill.
Everyone could make out the joy and excitement from this cry.
The middle-aged man of the Qin Family stood rooted on the spot for a long time, confused and shocked. Finally, he murmured with difficulty, “He actually succeeded!?”
He simply couldn’t believe his eyes.
After all, the turmoil caused by the person who was advancing was simply too much. It wasn’t something a Third-Order Origin King Realm cultivation could bear. But at this moment, that person really succeeded and broke through to the Dao Source Realm.
The shock the middle-aged man experienced was far greater than he would feel if he suddenly broke through to the Dao Source Realm.
The nearby Qin Yu was also shocked. Although she faintly felt that the person would not fail that easily, when the other party’s advancement really went smoothly, she found it a little hard to accept. Her pretty eyes narrowed slightly as if she wanted to pierce through the barriers of space and see the appearance of the person advancing.
In the distance, Yang Kai quickly suppressed the joy he was feeling after having successfully advanced and continued to receive the World Energy baptism.
The baptism a cultivator would go through when he or she broke through by a Great Realm was very rare. Besides cleansing a cultivator’s body and Soul, it could also help the cultivator’s body and Soul reach a higher level. What’s more, the energy had the charm of Heavenly Way Martial Dao in it. If the cultivator could glimpse one or two things from it, he or she would have gained a lifetime of benefits.
Furthermore, the realm Yang Kai broke through to was the Dao Source Realm. He might have the opportunity to catch a glimpse at the Principles from the baptism.
Naturally, Yang Kai wanted to glimpse at Space Principles.
He had already mastered it. What he needed was to comprehend these Principles even more thoroughly.
As Yang Kai stopped howling, the World Energy continued to madly pour into him. Yang Kai continued sitting cross-legged in his place. His face was as tranquil as a dried-up ancient well.
Unimaginable amounts of World Energy poured into his body, solidifying the foundation of his Dao Source Realm while also tempering his body and Source Qi. Taking advantage of the sliver of mystique Martial Dao attached to the energy, Yang Kai was soon immersed in comprehending the Space Principles.
Time slowly trickled down…
After half a day, the black funnel in the sky finally disappeared and the dark, hazy sky was clear again.
Even so, many cultivators spectating from the distance still couldn’t catch a glimpse of Yang Kai’s face as the Space within a range of a couple thousand metres of him was extremely distorted. It seemed to have been disturbed by some force.
Those cultivators believed it to be because of the huge movements caused by his breakthrough. All of them were tongue-tied.
However, after realizing that there was nothing more to watch, and nothing to gain, they left one after another.
But the Qin Family group remained as they continued to watch from a distance.
In a flash, more than ten days had passed. Yang Kai, who had been sitting cross-legged all the while, finally opened his eyes, which flickered with an electric glow from the huge harvest he gained.
Immediately after, he flicked his hand as his eyes regained their clarity.
Suddenly, the chaotic space within several thousand metres of him calmed down; nothing strange could be found.
Yang Kai pursed his lips into a smile at the sight of this.
At the same time, the face of Qin Yu, who had been paying rapt attention to this side all the while, suddenly grew solemn. She opened and closed her pretty eyes as her pupils instantly turned purple. Incomprehensible purple rhymes flowed in her eyes as if she was casting some Secret Technique.
Her purple pupils added a touch of coquettishness to her slender figure.
As she stared into the distance, faint purple beams suddenly shot out from her eyes, shuttling through the void.
Yang Kai, in the distance, seemed to have sensed something. He turned his head and looked in Qin Yu’s direction. Suddenly, the Demon Eye of Annihilation appeared in his left eye and a golden beam filled with endless majesty shot out.
The two gazes clashed with each other in the air and Yang Kai couldn’t help but let out a soft exclamation. He instantly retracted the Demon Eye of Annihilation as his eyes became peaceful again.
On the other side, Qin Yu screamed in shock. Her tender body uncontrollably retreated several steps back as her face suddenly grew pale.
“Young Lady!” The Qin Family’s middle-aged man was struck with panic. He immediately flashed to Qin Yu’s side and reached out to support her. He then asked, concerned, “Young Lady, are you okay?”
He hadn’t noticed Qin Yu’s movements just now, all he thought was that her old illness had relapsed.
Qin Yu’s forehead was drenched in a cold sweat. Meanwhile, her purple pupils slowly disappeared. She shook her head and replied, “I’m alright.”
She continued to gaze in Yang Kai’s direction, but she was surprised to find that no one was there.
Heaven knows when Yang Kai had disappeared.
“It’s him!?” Qin Yu murmured to herself. Apparently, when she had just used the Secret Technique, she had caught sight of Yang Kai’s appearance.
Suddenly, she recalled that she had met with this man on the first floor of the Five Colored Treasure Pagoda. Furthermore, she had also told him how to find the entrance to the second floor.
“Who!?” the middle-aged man asked, astounded.
Qin Yu, on the other hand, smiled before she shook her head and said, “It’s nothing.”
After a pause, she said again, “Let’s go back.”
The middle-aged man furrowed his brow. He vaguely found his Young Lady’s behaviour a little weird, but he couldn’t ask too many questions. All he could do was escort Qin Yu back to Maplewood City with the others.
A hundred kilometres away from the barren hill where Yang Kai had advanced, Yang Kai’s figure blurred into existence.
He stood there quietly, waiting for a while. Soon, the Queen Monster Insect and the Blue Flame Thunder Wolf caught up to him from behind. Yang Kai glanced at them before he put them away. Then, he determined his bearing and disappeared from this place.
Only a sliver of faint Space Force fluctuation remained where he stood.
After two days, Yang Kai returned to the Yuan Furnace Mountain.
The current Yuan Furnace Mountain was in ruins. The mountain had collapsed and its rubble was lying everywhere. Furthermore, there were signs of someone digging.
[This should be the handiwork of Raging Fire Temple disciples.] Yang Kai didn’t care about this. He hovered in the sky and silently sensed for a moment.
He could sense that Liu Yan was still lying in a peculiar slumber somewhere underground, Heaven knows how deep. She seemed to be absorbing the scorching power in the underground magma pool
Compared to before, Liu Yan’s current aura was a lot stronger. She was even showing faint signs of being on the verge of breaking through to the Dao Source Realm.
Yang Kai looked happy after sensing this and immediately withdrew his Divine Sense, lest he disturbed Liu Yan.
He then looked around for a while before he found a secluded location and sat down cross-legged.
He was waiting for Liu Yan. After all, Liu Yan had been in the magma pool for a long time. She might return anytime.
After pondering for a bit, he summoned the Sealed World Bead and entered it with a flash.
Just as he stepped into the Small Sealed World, Yang Kai felt a little out of place.
This out of place feeling wasn’t from a change in the Small Sealed World but in himself.
Before he wasn’t strong enough and was unable to touch the Principles, so he didn’t notice it. But now that he had advanced to the Dao Source Realm and could mobilize the World Principles for his own use, Yang Kai immediately noticed that the Small Sealed World’s Principles were short of something.
He sensed it for a long time but was unable to find any clue and could only give up in light of this.
With a flash, he arrived next to his Embodiment.
Since coming to Maplewood City and teaching his Embodiment the Heaven Devouring Battle Law, Yang Kai had not paid attention to it anymore.
When he checked it out now, Yang Kai couldn’t help but be taken aback.
Because the original behemoth had shrunk several dozen times. The place where the Embodiment sat was filled with broken pieces of rocks and dust. Obviously, its enormous body had been significantly tempered through cultivating the Heaven Devouring Battle Law.
Although it had grown smaller, it was more solid and firm.
The Heaven Devouring Battle Law could devour the World Energy from everything in Heaven and Earth and use it to strengthen one’s own body, which perfectly complemented the inherent Divine Ability of the Stone Puppet Family.
The current Embodiment was only a few stories tall. And even then, it was still pretty big.
The various ores that Yang Kai had given it before had been devoured clean by it, eliminating all the waste and transforming the rest into a part of its strength.
Because it wasn’t a body of flesh and blood, Yang Kai was unable to sense the vitality of the Embodiment. He had no idea how much strength it could bring out. However… Yang Kai could tell that it would not be too weak.
While he was thinking this, the Embodiment seemed to have sensed it. It opened his eyes as a smile appeared on its silly face. It then asked in a muffled voice, “Want to give it a try?”
“Alright!” Yang Kai tilted his head as he beckoned to Embodiment.
The Embodiment gave a strange smile before it slowly got up.
As it stood up, many pieces of rocks and dust accumulated over its body fell down.
Because the Embodiment was a product of Yang Kai integrating his Soul Clone into the Stone Puppet, Yang Kai could clearly understand its thoughts and control its actions.
The Embodiment wasn’t just an individual, but also Yang Kai’s Soul Clone.
With a flash of thought, Yang Kai let the Embodiment freely make its move.
The next moment, the Embodiment strode forward, creating deafening rumbles. It quickly arrived before Yang Kai, bent its waist and suddenly sent a left uppercut completely parallel to the ground.
The punch hadn’t even made contact, but the wind from it made Yang Kai’s robe flap continuously.
In addition, the Fist Energy shooting out from the fist actually left a deep arc-shaped gully on the ground.
Yang Kai’s pupils shrunk at the sight of this. At first, he was only planning to use about 60% of his strength. But he immediately raised his strength to 100% as he also threw a punch to greet the oncoming punch.
*BOOM…*
The enormous and the small fists clashed with each other with a Heaven-shaking explosion.
A burst of energy suddenly spread outward with the point of contact of the two fists as the centre, like a round sharp blade, cutting the space in half.
The Embodiment grinned as a strange smile appeared on its face.
Yang Kai’s face, on the other hand, sank. The next moment, he felt an unmatched power coming from his right side. He immediately let out a muffled groan as he was sent flying. His figure disappeared in the blink of an eye.
Yang Kai completely lost in a competition of pure strength.
The Embodiment finally stood up, put his hand on his forehead as if he was looking into the distance, and frivolously whistled.
Suddenly, Yang Kai’s figure appeared with a flash.
He grimaced in pain, shaking his right fist. His right fist was completely mangled, even his bones were showing.
“How was it?” The Embodiment asked, laughing.
“Why are you asking when you already know the answer!?” Yang Kai couldn’t help but roll his eyes at it.
The birth of the Embodiment was a coincidence, and its strength was also an extremely lucky encounter.
Had the second puppet been born with sentience, he would not have thought of putting his Soul Clone into it, turning it into his own Embodiment, and had it not been for opportunity on the floating continent, his Embodiment would not have grown so quickly.
Because it had refined the entire floating continent, it could grow to this terrifying level in such a short time.
That one punch from Embodiment was equal to the power of a world.
Even though Yang Kai had a strong and robust physical body, how could he withstand the bombardment of a continent with a body of flesh and blood?
It wasn’t surprising to be sent flying and even get injured.
“You should find me a stick like Xiao Xiao’s!” The Embodiment pursed its lips into a smile.
If it had a Heaven Shaking Pillar-like artifact in its hands, the Embodiment could take ten enemies alone without using much of its strength! Furthermore, he could do it better than Xiao Xiao.
“Sure, if there is a chance!” After nodding his agreement, Yang Kai’s figure suddenly blurred as he arrived above the Embodiment and whipped a kick down with a turn of his body.
His leg was wrapped in extremely berserk Source Qi. Obviously, Yang Kai wasn’t showing any mercy.
The Embodiment didn’t panic or anything at the sight of this. It just horizontally raised its hand, defending from the above, while it used the other enormous hand to grab toward Yang Kai, through under its armpit.
Yang Kai’s pupils immediately shrunk as he shouted aloud, “Solidify!”
Just as his voice fell, the surrounding space came under the effect of the Principles with a hum, solidifying immediately.
The Embodiement’s movement slowed down a little as its vast body was suffering quite a bit of hindrance. Its enormous hands reaching out to Yang Kai was no longer as fast as before.
Its body sank as it let out a cry, “Break!”
Its giant-like body erupted with an explosive Qi.
*Crack…*
With a crisp cracking sound, the solidified space suddenly became loose.
It forcefully broke through the Space Principles suppression using brute force before it continued to grab at Yang Kai.
Yang Kai didn’t dare to go forward anymore. He pushed his feet as a deafening clap rang from underneath his feet. His figure instantly shot toward the back like an arrow fired from a bow. Immediately after, he brought his hands together as an enormous Moon Blade suddenly appeared, which he then fired straight at the embodiment without any scruples.
A pitch-black, machete-like, enormous Moon Blade cut straight toward the Embodiment’s arm.
The Embodiment’s pupil immediately shrank. It promptly switched from grabbing to punching, with the ferocity of a tiger.
Immediately, explosive fist energy flew out of the punch, crashing into the Moon Blade in the air before it could even land on the Embodiment’s fist. The next moment, a deafening clap rang as the Moon Blade disappeared, and so did the fist energy.
Before Yang Kai could regain his wits, the Embodiment stamped his feet as a pillar of soil shot out from the ground. The Embodiment reached out and as it grabbed it, the pillar of loose soil turning into a stick as hard as iron with a glimmer.
The Embodiment, grabbing the tens of meters long stick, hurled it straight toward Yang Kai. The stick cut through the air with a sharp boom. It gave the impression that it would pierce through space.
Yang Kai’s expression drastically changed. He didn’t dare to remain in his position. Space Force fluctuations emerged around him as he teleported to one side, causing the stick to hit the air.
“Heh heh heh!” The Embodiment seemed to have expected this already. There was no panic on its face, rather it broke into a peal of strange laughter as it bent down and placed its enormous hand on the ground. The next moment, the ground started rumbling and quaking.
Suddenly, Earth Dragons wagging their tails emerged just below Yang Kai, one after another. Each and every Earth Dragon was extremely vivid and life-like. Baring their fangs and claws, they swarmed at Yang Kai. By rough count, there were at least a dozen or so Earth Dragons. They had sealed Yang Kai’s all routes of escape.
“Dragon Transformation!” Yang Kai shouted as he prompted the Golden Divine Dragon Source in his body. His right arm suddenly doubled in size, covered in Dragon scales made from energy. His right hand resembled a Dragon’s claw.
He then turned around and charged straight into the thunder of Earth Dragons.
Very soon, deafening roars and explosions rang as the Earth Dragons collapsed, one after another. Soon after, Yang Kai’s figure shot from the dust-filled sky like a god descending from Heaven.
His body was surrounded by a colourful halo as Five Elements Sword Qis shot towards the Embodiment.
The Embodiment just curled its lips and stomped its foot on the ground at the sight of this. Suddenly, a wall of soil popped up from before him. Just like the stick before, a glimmer spread across the wall of soil before it became extremely hard.
*Chi chi chi…*
The Sword Qis struck the wall of soil, but they were unable to break through its defence and were blocked.
When the Sword Qi was finally exhausted, the Embodiment waved its hand as the wall of soil before him collapsed.
But before he could make any more moves, a strange smile suddenly appeared on Yang Kai’s face as his left eye glimmered with a golden glow.
“Dammit!” the Embodiment blurted out. It hurriedly tried to look away but it was too late. When it saw that golden light, his attention was sucked in right away by it. It was unable to think and it’s eyes lost their lustre.
After a short while, the golden light dissipated as the Embodiment finally regained its wits.
Yang Kai was standing before it with a depressed look on his face. The moment the pair of small and big eyes looked at each other, they couldn’t help but break into laughter.
After a long time, their laughter slowly stopped.
“Not a word about this to anyone,” Yang Kai solemnly exhorted.
The Embodiment nodded earnestly with an identical look on its face.
If the word got out that he was ultimately forced to use the Demon Eye of Annihilation to gain the upper hand against himself after having tried every possible means and ability, everyone would laugh at him.
But this way, Yang Kai was able to judge the Embodiment’s strength a little.
With his current means, he had no good way to deal with the Embodiment apart from using the Divine Sense to suppress it. The Embodiment’s Divine Sense was inferior to his, which it was a matter of course. It was originally his Soul Clone, so how could it compare with the main Soul?
Using the Soul to suppress it was tantamount to cheating…
He might as well order it to lie on the ground and let him beat it.
Yang Kai felt ashamed as these thoughts crossed his mind.
“Do you have any extra artifacts?” the Embodiment suddenly asked.
“I do.” Yang Kai nodded as he doubtfully looked at it. However, a notion flashed his mind as he understood why the Embodiment wanted the artifact. He immediately asked in surprise, “Can Heaven Devouring Battle Law also devour artifacts?”
The Embodiment replied, “I’m just guessing. Whether it can or not, I will know it after giving it a try.”
Yang Kai nodded after hearing this. He then searched through the Space Ring, found a few artifacts before throwing them at it.
These artifacts belonged to Shen Tu and his team. All the previous loot had been exchanged for Source Crystals at the black market of Maplewood City.
After receiving the artifacts, the Embodiment immediately sat down on the ground with the artifacts in its palm. Right then, he reported in a muffled voice, “The seed you had planted seems to have sprouted.”
Yang Kai was stunned, but he soon understood what the Embodiment was talking about and a joyous look appeared on his face before his figure disappeared from his place.
And when he reappeared again, he was in the vicinity of the medicine garden.
There were only two things in the entire medicine garden. One was the Immortal Tree that Yang Kai had obtained in his home Star Field in the past, and the other was the gold and silver-coloured Wood Spirit Seed that Yang Kai planted in the corner that day.
Yang Kai had tried to refine the Immortal Tree but ultimately failed. Finally, all he could do was plant it in the Small Sealed World’s medicine garden.
However, the Small Sealed World had gained a lot of vitality because of the Immortal Tree.
In the past, Yang Kai had asked Yang Yan about how to refine the Immortal Tree and gain the immortal and indestructible body.
However, Yang Yan didn’t tell him clearly. This made him very helpless.
Later, he acquired the Wood Spirit Seed after killing the Wood Spirit. Because this seed was so peculiar that even Liu Yan couldn’t burn it, Yang Kai had decided to keep it.
It had only been about a year since he killed the Wood Spirit. And to his surprise, the Wood Spirit Seed had already taken the root in the medicine garden and had grown into a three-centimetre-tall seedling.
Just like the seed, the seedling had both silver and gold colour, each occupying half. It looked very strange. It was completely different from the Wood Spirit’s original body. Yang Kai had no idea why this was the case.
Yang Kai stared at the three-centimetre-tall seedling in a daze.
He didn’t recognize it, so he had never even heard or read about it. But he could feel a strange energy in the seedling that was still very weak, but if the seedling continued to grow, it would definitely become stronger.
This three-centimetre-tall seedling should not be underestimated.
Even after being planted in the medicine garden of the Small Sealed World for nearly a year, it had only grown by this much.
The medicine garden in the Small Sealed World had Heavy Earth, five Earth Vein Crystals and the vitality brought by the Immortal Tree. Being planted in here for a day was equivalent to a hundred days outside.
In other words, if it was planted elsewhere, even if the Wood Spirit Seed could survive, it would take at least a hundred years to grow three centimetres tall.
Having thought this, Yang Kai became even more interested in the gold and silver seedling.
The harder it was for it to grow, the higher its value would be. Just take the Immortal Tree, for instance. It had survived countless eras but was only three meters tall.
After confirming that the Wood Spirit Seed was still alive, Yang Kai didn’t pay much attention to it. Yang Kai would have to observe and investigate what its uses were later.
Next, he refined the long sword artifact used by Han Leng and the Flying Saint Palace’s ship in the Small Sealed World.
The long sword artifact was a Low-Rank Dao Source Grade artifact. It just so happened that it was perfect for him at the moment. It could increase his strength a bit. And if supplemented by the Five Elements Indestructible Sword Qi, it could even turn into his ace in the hole. As for the ship, it was naturally a means of transportation.
In a flash, over a month had gone by.
Yang Kai left the Small Sealed World and checked Liu Yan’s situation again, but discovered that she was still in deep slumber. He had no idea what time she would wake up.
Yang Kai furrowed his brow. After thinking for a moment, he summoned the ship and flew toward Maplewood City.
He was unable to determine when Liu Yan would come out and it would be a waste of time if he continued to wait here.
In any case, Liu Yan knew that he was in Maplewood City. After exiting, she could join him in Maplewood City. Now, he needed to rush back to the cave mansion in Maplewood City to prepare to refine the Dragon Bone Sword into his body.
Yang Kai was finally back at Maplewood City after a few days.
Yang Kai didn’t have the time to go and inform Kang Si Ran about his safety after entering the city gate. Rather, he hurried back to the cave mansion he had rented before.
Yang Kai took out the token and poured his Source Qi into it, trying to deactivate the cave mansion’s barrier.
But what left him in a great shock was that the cave mansion’s barrier didn’t respond at all. It was as if his token was useless.
This made him furrow his brow, but very soon, he recalled a matter.
When he arrived at Maplewood City, he had rented the cave mansion for about a year, and counting the days, this one-year period seemed to have been over two months ago already.
Once the deadline passed, the right to use the cave mansion would naturally be withdrawn.
Yang Kai’s heart started pounding as he realized that something was wrong.
He didn’t care about the ending of the cave mansion’s lease. It wasn’t a big deal as he could go to the City Lord’s Mansion to register and rent another one, it was just a matter of Source Crystals.
He also hadn’t kept anything valuable in the cave mansion, so he wasn’t worried too much about it either.
However, before he left, the little girl of the Zhang Family was still in the cave mansion.
Back when he left with Kang Si Ran for the Yuan Furnace Mountain to explore Gong Sun Mu’s cave mansion, such a long delay had never crossed his mind. He believed that they would return relatively quickly. He didn’t even explain anything to Zhang Ruo Xi before leaving. He only told her that he was going out on a trip and left her here alone.
Now, the lease of the cave mansion had already expired. His right to use the cave mansion had been withdrawn. But what about Zhang Ruo Xi?
Yang Kai looked left and right, but he couldn’t find that delicate figure. He couldn’t help but be anxious.
When he left, Zhang Ruo Xi was only a First-Order Saint King. In Maplewood City, where snakes and vipers crept among the dragons, she had no power to protect herself. If she was targeted by someone with malicious intentions, the consequences would be disastrous.
“She could have gone back to the Zhang Family herself!?” Yang Kai murmured to himself.
If he was in Zhang Ruo Xi’s place, he would have returned to the Zhang Family first if the right to use the cave mansion was withdrawn and he was expelled from the cave mansion. In that case, he wouldn’t be worried about anything. The Zhang Family might not be strong, but they still had two Origin King Realm masters.
Just when Yang Kai was in a hopeless tangle, the barrier next to him suddenly fluctuated.
Yang Kai was stunned. He turned his head to look and discovered that the cave mansion’s door had actually opened as a pretty young woman came out. The young woman seemed to be in her thirties. She suspiciously asked, looking at Yang Kai with extreme vigilance, “Who are you?”
Yang Kai hastily cupped his fists and introduced himself, “This one’s Yang Kai. This cave mansion’s previous owner.”
The young woman furrowed her brow and stated, “I am renting this cave mansion now. There was nothing inside when I came in.”
“I know. I’m not here to find something.” Yang Kai smiled. He tried his best to be gentle.
“You are not here for anything?” The young woman, on the other hand, grew even more suspicious at the sight of this. “Then what are you doing here?”
“I’m looking for someone, a young girl to be exact,” Yang Kai hurriedly explained himself. “She should have been here but I can’t find her. Madam, have you seen her?”
Hearing that Yang Kai was looking for someone, the young woman furrowed her black brow. Her expression changed ever so slightly, but she hurriedly shook her head and replied, “I have not seen her.”
While speaking, she retracted her head and closed the door at the same time.
“Wait!” Seeing this, Yang Kai immediately understood that she must know something. Or else, why would she retreat like this? He immediately reached out and blocked the door.
The young woman’s expression worsened drastically. She screamed, “What do you want? Don’t forget, this is Maplewood City!”
Yang Kai let out a cold snort as he teleported into the cave mansion right away before closing the doors. He then stared at her coldly as a fearsome aura suddenly erupted from him, pressing down on the young woman right away.
“Dao Source Realm!” Sensing Yang Kai’s fearsome aura, the young woman’s face suddenly turned pale as she blurted out in despair. The look in her eyes when she was looking at Yang Kai finally changed.
The level of cultivators in Maplewood City wasn’t generally that high. There weren’t that many Dao Source Realm masters, but they all had a great background that ordinary cultivators could never provoke.
So, as soon as she noticed Yang Kai’s cultivation realm, the young woman was a little flustered.
She was only a First-Order Origin King, that’s all. How could she resist the pressure of a Dao Source Realm master? She might be somehow holding on but her body softened all of a sudden. She could only stop herself from falling after taking the support of the wall next to her.
She nibbled on her red lips and begged, looking at Yang Kai pleadingly, “Little Brother, you and I have no grievances. I have never offended you. Please don’t make it difficult for me…”
“I’m not making it difficult for you.” Yang Kai, maintaining a cold look, indifferently stated, “I only have a few questions. You have to answer them truthfully. If you dare to deceive me, I will make things so hard for you that you will beg me to kill you! You should know that I can indeed make it happen!”
The young woman nibbled her lips and gently nodded after hearing this.
“Very well. Then tell me, have you seen that little girl?” Yang Kai focused his pair of eyes on the opposite party, making sure that he wouldn’t miss the slightest change in her expression.
The young woman pondered for a moment before she nodded with difficulty. “I don’t know if that little girl I saw is the one you are looking for, but I have indeed seen a little girl at the cave mansion’s door…”
“Tell me, what was her age, cultivation, and characteristic features?” Yang Kai hurriedly asked.
“She was sixteen or seventeen years old. As for her cultivation, she was at the peak of the Second-Order Saint King Realm and was on the verge of breaking through to the Third-Order Saint King Realm. She looked a little weak. She was slender and spoke very softly. Her hair was black and straight…”
“Yes, that’s her.” Yang Kai’s eyes lit up immediately. He was sure that the girl this young woman had seen was Zhang Ruo Xi. What he didn’t expect was Zhang Ruo Xi’s cultivation to advance from the First-Order Saint King Realm to the peak of the Second-Order Saint King, just on the cusp of breaking through to the Third-Order, in just a year.
[I guess, her aptitude isn’t that bad. Of course, some part of the credit definitely belongs to the Marrow Washing Pill.]
“You said that you saw her at the gates of the cave mansion? What was she doing at the gates?” Yang Kai asked again, frowning.
The young woman replied, “She was standing at the entrance…”
“Standing!?” Yang Kai was confused.
“That’s right. She was just standing there. When I rented this cave mansion two months ago, I found her at the entrance of the cave mansion. I didn’t care much about it. Later, when I found her standing all the time there, I became curious. I asked her and she told me that she was waiting for Sir Yang… Little Brother, you wouldn’t happen to be that Sir Yang?”
While asking, the young woman timidly looked up at Yang Kai. And she was shocked to find Yang Kai dumbstruck.
At this moment, Yang Kai’s heart was crazily pounding.
He couldn’t help but imagine the scene where a sixteen, seventeen-year-old girl was standing quietly by the entrance of this cave mansion in Maplewood-like bustling city. She stood still there, withstanding the sun and winds, gazing left and right at the passing by figures but never found the familiar figure she was waiting for…
In a bustling city, she was like an abandoned kid, lonely, hesitant, and at a loss.
When the night fell and the cold wind blew, she would curl on the ground, shivering…
And when the sun rose again, she would open her eyes and continue to wait.
An inexplicable heaviness burdened Yang Kai’s heart.
“I found her pitiful. I even invited her to come in and sit down but she didn’t agree. She told me that she would stand there and wait… Sir Yang, Little Brother, I really didn’t do anything to her. Don’t make it harder for me.” The young woman looked at Yang Kai with trepidation. She was afraid that Yang Kai would vent his anger on her.
“Since you haven’t done anything to her, why didn’t you tell me the truth in the first place? You wanted to seal the cave mansion instead when you heard me asking about her whereabouts! Obviously, you have a guilty conscience!” Yang Kai coldly gazed at the young woman as his eyes flickered with intense murderous intent.
The young woman seemed to have sensed it. She was struck with panic. She hurriedly waved her hands and justified herself, “No, no, no, it’s not what you think… I really haven’t harmed her.”
“So tell me, where is she now? By the look on your face, you seem to know something,” Yang Kai’s voice grew colder.
The young woman shook her head.
Yang Kai let out a chuckle. “I guess you are afraid of something!”
“Little Brother, please don’t force me. Please let me go. As long as you don’t force me to do anything, I will do anything you want me to do,” the young woman begged for forgiveness. While speaking, her expression turned a little coquettish as her pair of pretty eyes suddenly turned shiny.
Yang Kai remained indifferent and unmoved. A strange power suddenly lingered around his fingertips as he asked with impatience in his voice, “Speak or die!”
While speaking, he slowly poked towards the young woman’s forehead.
Realizing Yang Kai to be iron-hearted, the young woman finally panicked and promptly answered, “Go to Jiang Family… perhaps you can find her there!”
“Jiang Family!?” Yang Kai’s fingers stopped just three centimetres away from the young woman’s forehead as the energy around the fingertips suddenly dissipated. He looked at the young woman and asked as if he was thinking something, “No wonder you were so afraid. So, it’s the Jiang Family! However… what does the Jiang Family want with her?”
“I don’t know!” The young woman shook her head. “One month ago, several men came and talked to her. Then, she left with those men. I was curious, so I secretly followed after them. I discovered them going into the Jiang Family, but I don’t know anything else. Even if you kill me, it will be useless!”
“She went with them on her own?” Yang Kai furrowed his brow.
“Yes!” The young woman nodded.
“Alright, madam, thank you for telling me everything. Goodbye.” Yang Kai cupped his fist and rushed out with a flash.
After Yang Kai left, the young woman finally slumped on the ground like a puddle of mud. Her clothes were completely drenched in sweat.
She wasn’t from any Sect or family and was only able to cultivate the First-Order Origin King Realm by her own efforts and various opportunities. She had never come in contact with a Dao Source Realm master, so after having been threatened at such close quarters by Yang Kai, she was frightened to death.
Fortunately, Yang Kai was reasonable. He really hadn’t done anything to her. If he had, she would be absolutely powerless to resist.
After a long time, the young woman finally regained her wits. She fiercely stood up and hurriedly rushed into the cave mansion and started packing up her things.
After a short while, the young woman left the cave mansion, made a beeline to the city gates, and very soon, left Maplewood City.
She didn’t dare to remain in Maplewood City anymore. If the Jiang Family men tracked her down, she would be in big trouble. [As far as I know, the Jiang Family men weren’t as reasonable as that Sir Yang.]
Yang Kai hadn’t had any dealings with the Jiang Family of Maplewood City. But he had heard of them many times. He knew that they were quite powerful in Maplewood City. Apparently, the Jiang Family had a Dao Source Realm Old Ancestor.
There were many families in Maplewood City. However, there were only a few families with Dao Source Realm masters. The Jiang Family had one, the Qin Family also had one…
Yang Kai had seen Jiang Chue He at the Soaring Dragon Altar on the first floor of the Five Colored Treasure Pagoda. He was the leader of the new generation of the Jiang Family and was a Third-Order Origin King. As long as he encountered an adequate opportunity, he could advance to the Dao Source Realm.
The Jiang Family had been in Maplewood City for hundreds of thousands of years, so their relationship with the various families, and even the City Lord’s Mansion, was very complicated.
Yang Kai might not have an idea why Jiang Family’s men took Zhou Ruo Xi away but a Saint King Realm girl was definitely little to no use to the Jiang Family. [I’m afraid some playboy of the Jiang Family may have taken a liking to Zhang Ruo Xi’s beauty and wanted to do something indecent to her. If that’s the case, I’m afraid it will be too late.]
After all, it had already been a month since the Jiang Family men took Zhang Ruo Xi away. Anything could happen during this one month.
But Yang Kai was more concerned about why Zhang Ruo Xi left with the Jiang Family members on her own, without any resistance. However, upon giving it a second thought, he realized that Zhang Ruo Xi was young and had never left the Zhang Family. She had a simple mind and might have been deceived.
Just a few coaxing words might be sufficient to deal with a little girl like her. It was quite easy to make her obey.
While feeling secretly anxious, Yang Kai was also a little frustrated with himself for not even being able to take care of a little girl.
[Since I am going to the Jiang Family to find Zhang Ruo Xi, I can’t go in an open and aboveboard manner. If I touched any nerve of the Jiang Family and they decided to silence Zhang Ruo Xi, it would be too late to regret.]
So, Yang Kai decided to scout the Jiang Family first.
If Zhang Ruo Xi was really at the Jiang Family, he should somehow be able to find her with his powerful Divine Sense.
After having come to a decision, Yang Kai didn’t have the time to wait until dark. He rushed straight toward the Jiang Family’s location.
To the east of Maplewood City was a huge residential area covering an area of about several dozen acres. It was surrounded by tall red walls with blue tiles. People who had been in Maplewood City all year round knew that this was the base of the Jiang Family in Maplewood City.
Generally, important members of the Jiang Family lived here.
Yang Kai arrived next to the outer walls and spread his Divine Sense. He sensed for a moment and was surprised to find that the outer walls were full of restrictions and traps.
However, these kinds of restrictions were nothing for him. Since they had been discovered by him, naturally, he won’t trigger them.
Just as Yang Kai was preparing to jump over the wall to sneak in, his expression slightly changed all of sudden. He promptly turned around and used the Nihility Secret Technique to hide at one side.
After a while, a graceful figure suddenly rushed over from not too far away and landed right where Yang Kai was standing before. She looked around for a while before she scratched her head and muttered to herself, confused, “It should be here, where did it go? That’s strange!”
Yang Kai was dumbstruck after hearing this. He couldn’t help but take a closer look at the figure. Immediately, he blurted out in surprise, “Xiao Qi!?”
To his surprise, the person who discovered him was the mysterious Mo Xiao Qi!
The two had not seen each other for over a year since they parted in the Five Colored Treasure Pagoda. Now, just when Yang Kai had returned to Maplewood City, he was discovered by her.
Since it was an acquaintance, Yang Kat naturally didn’t need to hide. He dispersed the Nihility Secret Technique and reappeared. Mo Xiao Qi immediately spotted him. She walked over with a smile and happily said, “Brother Yang, it’s really you. I thought I was mistaken! Where have you been over these six months? Why were you not in Maplewood City?”
She showered him with a lot of questions, not even giving Yang Kai a chance to answer.
Yang Kai gave a wry smile and replied, “I went out for something a little while ago. I just returned today.”
“Oh!” Mo Xiao Qi nodded upon hearing this. A smile immediately appeared on her lips as she stated, “I thought that Big Brother Yang left without saying goodbye. I felt hurt for a long time.”
Yang Kai smiled and said, “I will tell you if I’m going to leave. By the way, how did you find me?”
Mo Xiao Qi stuck her fragrant tongue out as she answered, a little embarrassed, “Do you remember that Sound Bead I gave you… I had put a tracking Brand on it. As long as it’s not too far away, I can find it.”
Realization suddenly dawned upon Yang Kai. He took out that bead from the Space Ring, checked it. And after having failed to find anything important, he put it back.
Suddenly, Mo Xiao Qi looked around and lowered her voice, “This is the Jiang Family’s base. Big Brother Yang, are you planning to sneak in?”
Yang Kai nodded his agreement.
Mo Xiao Qi’s pretty eyes lit up as she asked in a suppressed voice, “Why do you want to sneak in? Has someone in the Jiang Family offended you? Would you like me to help?”
She looked pretty excited as if she had found something extremely interesting.
Yang Kai heaved a sigh and briefly explained to her about Zhang Ruo Xi. Mo Xiao Qi was filled with righteous indignation after hearing this. She immediately proclaimed, “Jiang Family members’ reputation has never been good. And this time, they actually laid their hands on Sister Ruo Xi. How disgusting!”
“Currently, I’m not sure why the Jiang Family took Ruo Xi away.” Yang Kai tightly frowned. “Therefore, I have to secretly check them out.”
“I’ll help you! But Big Brother Yang, you should have told me that there was still someone in your cave mansion. If you had told me earlier, I would have taken Sister Ruo Xi with me.” Mo Xiao Qi glared at Yang Kai. She was blaming him a little.
Yang Kai forced a cough and explained himself, embarrassed, “I didn’t know that I would be away for so long! Hai, let’s not talk about this. Let me tell you what Ruo Xi looks like. After going in, you should pay attention to it.”
Mo Xiao Qi nodded repeatedly. She listened with rapt attention, memorizing Zhang Ruo Xi’s appearance.
A sixteen, seventeen-year-old girl at the peak of Second-Order Saint King Realm were pretty obvious features. If Zhang Ruo Xi was really in the Jiang Family, it should not be that hard to find her.
“Be careful, the Jiang Family has a Dao Source Realm master presiding over the base. You can’t let yourself be discovered by him,” exhorted Yang Kai.
Mo Xiao Qi immediately smiled and said, “Don’t worry. The Old Ancestor of the Jiang Family doesn’t live in Maplewood City. He retreats in a manor outside year-round.”
Yang Kai was assured after hearing this.
As long as the Jiang Family didn’t have their Dao Source Realm master, it should be impossible for anyone to find him and Mo Xiao Qi. Even though Mo Xiao Qi was just a Third-Order Origin King, she acted very secretly and her concealing Secret Technique was also outstanding. So, he wasn’t worried about her getting discovered.
Afterwards, they agreed on a meeting time before splitting up.
Since it was confirmed by Mo Xiao Qi that the Jiang Family Old Ancestor wasn’t here, Yang Kai acted more boldly. After sneaking into the Jiang Family, he let his Divine Sense lose, scanning every nook and corner of the Jiang Family’s base.
However, Yang Kai’s expression became more solemn with the passage of time.
He had failed to find any sign of Zhang Ruo Xi.
After two hours, when the sky turned dark, Yang Kai and Mo Xiao Qi met again in a small alley not far away from the Jiang Family’s wall.
When he glanced at Mo Xiao Qi, Mo Xiao Qi slowly shook her head.
Yang Kai’s face darkened as a deep furrow appeared on his brow.
“Big Brother Yang, what should we do now? Sister Ruo Xi will be alright, right?” Mo Xiao Qi also started to worry. Now, they had neither seen Ruo Xi alive nor her corpse. This was the worst situation. Although she had never met Zhang Ruo Xi, he was worried because of her natural kindness.
“I sure hope so.” The gloomy look on Yang Kai’s face was a little scary. Next, he pondered for a moment before proposing, “Since this didn’t work out, we can only do a frontal investigation. I hope that the Jiang Family will not do anything to bring their own destruction!”
Mo Xiao Qi deeply glanced at Yang Kai after hearing this. She then nodded and said, “I will come with you.”
Yang Kai had no objection.
After a while, the two came to the front gate of the Jiang Family together.
The two Jiang Family guards at the entrance were about to stop them when one of them noticed Yang Kai and Mo Xiao Qi’s deep cultivation. He didn’t dare to be neglectful. He politely cupped his fist and asked, “May I ask the two why you have come to our Jiang Family at such late hours?”
Yang Kai returned the courtesy and answered, “May I trouble you to report to Patriarch Jiang that Spirit Pill Plaza Alchemist Yang Kai is asking to meet him.”
“An Alchemist from the Spirit Pill Plaza!?” That guard was surprised after hearing this. He swept his eyes over at Yang Kai and finally said with a serious look on his face, “Please wait a minute, I will go and inform the Patriarch!”
The Spirit Pill Plaza was well-known in Maplewood City. After all, it was set up here by the Violet Source Chamber of Commerce, and the Alchemists who could work for the Spirit Pill Plaza and refine pill were at least of Origin King Grade.
How could a gate guard be neglectful when such a figure had suddenly visited the Jiang Family? He immediately rushed in. Obviously, to report the Jiang Family Patriarch.
Yang Kai had no choice but to borrow the fame of Spirig Pill Plaza Alchemist.
After all, his name was worth nothing in Maplewood City. Only by using Alchemist identity could he make the Jiang Family take him seriously and be a little afraid of him. Which in turn would allow him to inquire about Rou Xi’s whereabouts safely and easily.
Mo Xiao Qi and he only had to wait outside for half the time it takes to drink a cup of tea. Suddenly, a burst of laughter resounded from the Jiang Family Manor. His voice could be heard even before he had arrived, “Spirit Pill Plaza’s Alchemist Yang has graced my Jiang Family with his presence. You have brought light to my Jiang Family. This old master, Jiang Lin welcomes Alchemist Yang!”
Just as the last word fell, a fifty-year-old or so elderly man with a ruddy complexion walked out and cupped his fists, greeting with an amiable look on his face.
Naturally, this man was the current patriarch of the Jiang Family, Jiang Lin. Jiang Lin was wearing a cyan robe and had an air of majesty around him. The gleam in his eyes converged, making him less conspicuous.
But the Source Qi in his body was extremely pure. Yang Kai secretly nodded in acknowledgement and realized that the rumours about Jiang Family Patriarch being on the verge of advancing to the Dao Source Realm were true.
There were some other Third-Order Origin King cultivators following behind Jiang Lin. All of them were old. Obviously, they should be the elder-level figures of the Jiang Family. Surprisingly, Jiang Chu He’s figure was also among the crowd.
When Jiang Chu He noticed Yang Kai, he couldn’t help but freeze for a moment as a look of astonishment took over his face.
Obviously, he had never expected that Yang Kai would be the
Spirit Pill Plaza Alchemist.
After all, he had met Yang Kai at the Soaring Dragon Altar in the past.
Jiang Family Patriarch, Jiang Lin and many Elders came to greet Yang Kai, giving Yang Kai enough face. Yang Kai cupped his fists and stated in neither humble or pushy manner, “I’m really sorry for visiting and disturbing Patriarch Jiang and everyone at this late hour. I hope that you won’t blame me.”
“What are you saying!? Alchemist Yang, you are more than welcome to my Jiang Family. It’s a blessing to my Jiang Family, You haven’t disturbed us!” Jiang Lin was so overly enthusiastic he broke into laughter while speaking. He then leaned closer to Yang Kai and proposed, gesturing, “Alchemist Yang, let’s talk inside.”
Yang Kai gently nodded. He then winked at Mo Xiao Qi before heading straight to the inner region of Jiang Family, led by Jiang Lin.
After a short while, everyone came to the Jiang Family’s guest hall, where the guests and the host took their seats. The servants had long been notified to prepare tea, which was presented to them.
Under Jiang Lin’s warm reception, Yang Kai took a few sips of tea and absent-mindedly gave a few praises.
Jiang Lin seemed unaware. He chuckled and stated, “I have long heard of renowned Spirit Pill Plaza’s Alchemist Yang, but never had the chance to meet. I never thought that Alchemist Yang would come to my Jiang Family in person. This Jiang is really taken aback and pleasantly surprised.”
A sliver of amazement appeared on Yang Kai’s face as he asked, “Patriarch Jiang has heard of me?”
He thought that Jiang Lin was doing lip service before. He had never expected for Jiang Lin to actually know him.
Jiang Lin smiled and explained, “Everyone with a little status in Maplewood City already knows about Alchemist Yang. Let me tell you, my Jiang Family had purchased a lot of Source Condensing Pill that you refined. Many of our disciples had benefited from this. And I have also heard about Alchemist Yang using his own power to save the Spirit Pill Plaza from closing down.”
Yang Kai was struck with realization after hearing this.
Even though Yang Kai hadn’t shown his face much during his time in the Spirit Pill Plaza, some things that happened in the Spirit Pill Plaza couldn’t be hidden from these local snakes. So, it wasn’t surprising for them to know about Yang Kai.
“Maplewood City doesn’t have many Alchemists, and the Alchemists who can refine the Source Condensing Pill are even fewer. Even if Alchemist Yang doesn’t want to be famous, someone has already spread your name,” Jiang Lin laughter. Suddenly, he changed the topic and inquired, “However, I heard that Alchemist Yang has now left the Spirit Pill Place, and is no longer refining pills for the Spirit Pill Plaza! I wonder if it’s true or false…”
Yang Kai had no intention of hiding it. He nodded, agreeing, “Yes! I had an agreement with Shopkeeper Kang, that I would only refine pills for the Spirit Pill Plaza for two months. Now, that agreement is already over.”
“Really!?” Jiang Lin was overjoyed.
Not only Jiang Lin was overjoyed, but even the Jiang Family elders sitting by the side also had a change in their expression. Each and every one of them looked at Yang Kai with an ardent gaze as if they were looking at some peerless beauty. They couldn’t wait to swallow him in one bite.
Seeing this, Yang Kai furrowed his brow and said, “Alchemy has never been my prime focus and I have no intention of pursuing it further.”
“So it’s like that…” How could someone as experienced as Jiang Lin not tell what Yang Kai was implying? He lamented, a little disappointed, “If that’s Alchemist Yang’s wish, it would really be a pity. Hmm, I wonder why Alchemist Yang has come to my Jiang Family? If my Jiang Family can help you in any way, I will definitely not refuse.”
Even though Yang Kai had proclaimed that, Yang Kai was still an Origin King Grade Alchemist, after all. It wasn’t bad for the Jiang Family to be in the good graces of someone like him, so how could Jiang Lin miss such a good opportunity? And he knew that since Yang Kai was here at Jiang Family, there had to be something he needed from Jiang Family.
Yang Kai pondered for a moment and answered, “Since Patriarch Jiang had mentioned this, I’ll get straight to the point. I have come to your noble family mainly because I’m looking for someone.”
“Looking for someone!?” Jiang Lin furrowed his brow. The other Elders looked confused as well. They could not help but wonder who Yang Kai was looking for in the Jiang Family.
Jiang Lin asked, “I wonder who Alchemist Yang is looking for?”
“A sixteen or seventeen-year-old girl. She should be at the peak of the Second-Order Saint King Realm…” Yang Kai briefly described Ruo Xi’s appearance and some distinguishing features.
When he was talking, a ruddy ole man sitting on the left side suddenly had his eyelids twitch before returning to normal the next moment.
Yang Kai’s Divine Sense had instantly caught this minute detail. His brow instantly twitched as he glanced at him thoughtfully. That Elder immediately lowered his eyes; his expression remained unchanged.
After hearing Yang Kai’s details, Jiang Lin inquisitively looked at Everyone and asked, “Is there someone like her in our Jiang Family?”
An old man sitting under Jiang Lin immediately got up, cupped his fists, and answered, “Reporting to Patriarch, our Jiang Family may have a girl like her but I don’t know if it’s the same person Alchemist Yang is looking for.”
“Okay! Bring that girl here for Alchemist Yang to take a look. If it’s the girl Alchemist Yang is looking for, my Jiang Family naturally will not be able to keep her,” Jiang Lin happily spoke.
“No need,” Before Yang Kai could say anything, Mo Xiao Qi, who had been quietly sitting all the while, waved off her hand and stated. “The girl we are looking for isn’t here.”
Jiang Lin couldn’t help but furrow his brow. He looked at Mo Xiao Qi and then at Yang Kai before suspiciously asking, “Alchemist Yang, what’s the meaning of this? Since you have come to my Jiang Family to find someone, and yet now, you are saying she isn’t in my Jiang Family? This Jiang is really confused.”
A Jiang Family Elder’s expression changed as if he seemed to have thought of something. The next moment, he shouted in a deep voice. “Could it be that you are so sure because you have secretly investigated my Jiang Family?”
Everyone’s face darkened after hearing this. They looked at Yang Kai and Mo Xiao Qi, looking a little displeased.
Yang Kai, on the other hand, remained calm and at peace as he justified, “Everyone, please don’t misunderstand. I have placed a restriction on that girl. As long as she isn’t too far away from me, I can sense that restriction. That’s why we are so sure.”
“So that’s how it is!” Jiang Lin nodded as realization dawned upon him. He immediately asked again, “Since that’s that case, why has Alchemist Yang come to my Jiang Family to look for her.”
“It’s like this…” Yang Kai took a deep breath as he straightened his words. “Someone has seen that girl enter your Jiang Family’s compound, enter the Jiang Family Manor. Therefore, this Yang had taken the liberty to come and disturb everyone, but I don’t know why she isn’t here. If anyone knows about her whereabouts, please tell me if possible. This Yang will be grateful!”
“Someone saw her? Who was it?” The Jiang Family Elder, who had spoken before, furiously asked back.
“I really can’t answer this!” Yang Kai shook his head. He was unable to tell them about the young woman. [And if I’m right, she might have already left Maplewood City.]
“That’s pure slander!” That Jiang Family Elder angrily flung his sleeve, “If my Jiang Family really had her, why would we hide her? My Jiang Family won’t do anything shameful.”
“No one said that you want to do something shameful,” Mo Xiao Qi curled her lips upon hearing this.
“You…” that Jiang Family immediately blew his top.
“Alright!” Jiang Lin too furrowed his brow. He waved off his hand and glared at that Elder. Then, he turned to Yang Kai and asked, “Alchemist Yang, why are you taking it seriously when you haven’t seen that girl enter my Jiang Family without your own eyes? Isn’t that just hearsay? Besides, you even have the restriction on that girl. So, you should know better than anyone whether she is in Jiang Family Manor or not.”
Yang Kai nodded, “I know. This matter might have offended everyone a little but that little girl is very important to me.”
“So be it, Alchemist Yang! Anyway, since this matter has already involved my Jiang Family, this Jiang can’t sit idly by. My Jiang Family has some power in Maplewood City. We can investigate a little for you. It would naturally be best if we can find that little girl and clear our name. What does Alchemist Yang think?”
Having said this, Jiang Lin gazed at Yang Kai with shine in his eyes.
Yang Kai narrowed his eyes for a while before lightly nodding and agreed, “Then I shall trouble Patriarch Jiang. If Jiang Family can bring that little girl to this Yang safe and sound, this Yang promises to refine pills for Jiang Family for an entire month! Hmm, I forgot to tell Patriarch Jiang that this Yang is now a High-Rank Origin King Grade Alchemist. If I’m lucky, it won’t be difficult to refine a Dao Source Grade pill.”
After having refined the Dao Source Pill that day, Yang Kai became a Dao Source Grade Alchemist.
However, even in the Star Boundary, Dao Source Grade Alchemists were extremely rare. Of course, Yang Kai won’t tell just anyone about being a High-Rank Origin King Grade Alchemist.
As expected, all the Jiang Family members looked at him with excitement just as he reported this.
“High-Rank Origin King Grade Alchemist!?”
“Refine pills for one month!?”
Even Jiang Lin’s gaze started to grow hotter. Even though he knew that all the Alchemists working for Spirit Pill Plaza were at least an Origin King Grade Alchemist, he had never imagined Yang Kai to actually be a High-Rank Origin King Grade Alchemist!
Such an Alchemist was extremely attractive to any family. And if he could enter his good graces and tie a friendship, it would be greatly beneficial to the future development of any family.
And if he advanced to Dao Source Grade, Jiang Family wouldn’t be able to afford him.
In a flash, Jiang Ling and many of the Jiang Family Elder’s breathing became rapid.
“But if that girl is harmed in any way, heh heh heh… Whoever has laid hands on her, I will make it so difficult for his family that even fowls and dogs would not be at peace!”
When these words fell, the expression of all the Jiang Family members suddenly turned cold and stern.
Jiang Lin’s face twitched a few times before he finally smiled and assured, “If the person who took that little girl came to know that she has such a relationship with Alchemist Yang, he will definitely not dare to be impolite to her and would treat her as his guest of honour.”
“I hope so!” Yang Kai nodded lightly. After having said this, he stood up, cupped his fists, and took his leave, “This Yang apologizes for disturbing everyone. This Yang will take his leave, everyone doesn’t need to send me off!”
After bidding his goodbye, he signalled Mo Xiao Qi before the two quickly left under the watchful eyes of the Jiang Family group.
The next moment, the atmosphere inside the guest hall became a bit solemn. No one uttered a single word for a long time after Yang Kai left. All the high-level figures of the Jiang Family were hesitatingly looking at each other. As their eyes met, some unknown messages were exchanged through the air.
After a long time, someone angrily shouted, “He is too arrogant. How dare he come to my Jiang Family and act wantonly!?” The speaker was none other than Jiang Chu He, the leader of the new generation.
When he met Yang Kai at the Soaring Dragon Altar on the first floor of the Five Colored Treasure Pagoda in the past, both of them were cultivators who had come in for experience and toughening. He had never expected that, when they met again today, the opposite party would have turned into an Alchemy Grandmaster whom even Patriarch and Elders dared not neglect.
He couldn’t partake in the discussion just now. The difference in their status made him very uncomfortable!
Furthermore, when the opposite party came to the Jiang Family, he had not even spared a glance at him from the beginning to the end. Clearly, the opposite party was despising him!
“That’s right! In the end, he even dared to threaten us. That was really hateful,” the Elder who had spoken earlier spoke with a gloomy look on his face.
Jiang Lin let out a cold snort and indifferently ordered, “This is not the right place to talk. All of you, follow me.”
After saying this, he stood up and left right away.
Others also hurriedly followed after him.
After a while, everyone was gathered in a secret room of the Jiang Family. Jiang Lin glanced at everyone and asked, “Elders, is the girl Alchemist Yang looking for is in that place?”
Hearing this, one of them sighed and said, “Since she is at the peak of Second-Order Saint King, she is most likely there. Patriarch, you should also know that the people we have been searching for recently are mainly at that level of cultivation. Alchemist Yang’s friend must have been taken there.”
Another Elder stood up and confirmed, cupping his fists, “I have some impressions of that little girl…”
“Huh!?” Hearing this, Jiang Lin glanced at that Elder and asked, “So she has really been sent there!?”
“Yes,” That Elder gently nodded. “Two of our disciples found that little girl all alone in the city. She had been standing somewhere for an entire month. So, it was concluded that she had no friends or relatives. After a little inquiry, we indeed confirmed that she had no background or backing in Maplewood City. She was then brought to the Jiang Family, and this old master sent her into the mine along with others.”
After a pause, the Elder continued, having a headache, “It never occurred to this old master that the girl would be an acquaintance of Alchemist Yang. Now, it seems that the person she had been waiting for all the while should be Alchemist Yang. If I had known this, I would have never sent her to the mine.”
“Since she is indeed with us, what should we do now?” Some people were very dissatisfied.
“It’s impossible for us to hand her over. The ore produced by that mine is very rare and unique. That mine is the only hope of our Jiang Family’s rise. Any word about the mine cannot be leaked. If you really brought her back, the news about the mine will no longer be hidden, and if the City Lord’s Mansion got the word of it… our Jiang Family will be in danger!”
“Since we can’t bring her back, we can only…” another person suggested in a cold voice.
Everyone turned their gaze toward Jiang Lin!
Jiang Lin was also having a terrible headache. After all, Yang Kai had proclaimed that if the Jiang Family could send Zhang Ruo Xi back safely, he would refine pills for the Jiang Family for an entire month!
Now that he had to give up on such a good deal, Jiang Lin was also feeling extremely distressed.
“Patriarch, don’t hesitate. Yang Kai himself has stated that he had placed a restriction on the girl. As long as the girl is not too far away from him, he can sense it. If Yang Kai came to sense that girl’s location, the mine’s secret would be exposed. Compared to the mine, a High-Rank Origin King Grade Alchemist refining pills for one month is nothing. Not to mention, this matter is related to the interests of the City Lord’s Mansion. If the City Lord’s Mansion really came to know about it, our Jiang Family have no place to stand in Maplewood City!”
“That’s right, Patriarch! You can’t hesitate anymore!”
Against everyone’s persuasion, Jiang Lin could only sigh in resignation. Obviously, he had made his decision. He turned his gaze to another Elder and ordered, “Fifth Elder, I will leave this matter to you. Finish it cleanly!”
Fifth Elder promptly cupped his fists and said, “When I do things, you don’t need to worry about anything!”
“All of you can go now,” Jiang Lin waved his hand. “No one can go anywhere near the mine for now, and tell everyone there to be careful too, lest they are noticed by Yang Kai!”
“Yes!” Everyone promptly agreed.
…
After leaving the Jiang Family, Yang Kai had a deep and profound look on his face.
Mo Xiao Qi said, “I think that there was something wrong with the Jiang Family members. Sister Ruo Xi might really be with them.”
“You might be right,” Yang Kai recalled the change in the expression of one of the Jiang Family Elders during the conversation. He had already come to a conclusion. “However, the problem is that she is not in the Jiang Family. Where is she? Why are the Jiang Family members hiding her?”
Yang Kai was really confused.
While he was thinking, Mo Xiao Qi suddenly clapped her hands as if she had thought of something. She suddenly asked, “By the way, Big Brother Yang, do you have anything that has been used by Sister Ruo Xi?”
“Something used by her?” Yang Kai furrowed his brow. “What do you want to do?”
“If you have something used by her, I may have a way to track her whereabouts.”
“Really!?” Yang Kai looked overjoyed.
“Yeah, but I need something with her aura. It would be best if it’s something used by her once, such as clothes or a piece of her hair.” Mo Xiao Qi tilted her head and said.
“I don’t have anything like that, but…”
“But what!?”
“I know a place which should have something,” Yang Kai raised the corner of his lips as beckoned to her. “Come with me!”
Just as he finished speaking, Source Qi wrapped around Mo Xiao Qi as they shot toward a certain direction as swiftly as wind.
Just as Yang Kai used his Source Qi to move, Mo Xiao Qi was immediately able to sense it a little. She looked at Yang Kai in shock and asked, “Big Brother Yang, have you advanced to the Dao Source Realm?”
She hadn’t paid attention to Yang Kai’s change before. Besides, Yang Kai had deliberately hidden his aura, so Mo Xiao Qi didn’t realize that Yang Kai had advanced.
Yang Kai answered with a nod, “I encountered some opportunity when I went out a while ago and was lucky enough to break through.”
“Big Brother Yang, you are so damn cool!” Mo Xiao Qi exclaimed with sincere admiration.
Yang Kai shook his head and stated, “Dao Source Realm is nothing. You will be able to break through soon.”
Mo Xiao Qi chuckled upon hearing this. She seemed pretty confident.
After a short while, Yang Kai brought Mo Xiao Qi to a manor three hundred kilometres away from Maplewood City.
Surprisingly, it was the Zhang Family’s residence.
Yang Kai didn’t have anything used by Zhang Ruo Xi but the Zhang Family definitely had it.
He asked Mo Xiao Qi to wait outside as he sneaked into the Zhang Mansion alone.
He didn’t alarm the old woman and that beautiful woman of the Zhang Family. After all, it involved Zhang Ruo Xi. Yang Kai didn’t want them to worry.
He spread his Divine Sense and found that the Zhang Family was completely peaceful. Although there were many restrictions and Arrays laid in the manor, how could the means of a small family as the Zhang Family block Yang Kai? Besides, his Divine Sense was a lot stronger than before advancing to the Dao Source Realm.
He easily avoided many restrictions and arrived at Zhang Ruo Xi’s boudoir.
He looked around a bit and noticed that the boudoir was spotless. It was as clean as new. Obviously, it was because someone must have been cleaning it frequently.
And lying on the fragrant bed was a pile of neatly folded clothes.
[These should be worn by Zhang Ruo Xi before.]
Yang Kai didn’t take a closer look and just casually grabbed them and stuffed it into his Space Ring. Afterwards, he quickly left the Zhang Family residence.
After a short while, he went back outside, handed the clothes he had just taken to Mo Xiao Qi, and asked, “Is this okay?”
Mo Xiao Qi took them and picked up the one at the top, spreading it apart with a flick of her hand.
The next moment, Mo Xiao Qi’s pretty face couldn’t help but turn red all over as she glared at Yang Kai.
Yang Kai too had a dumbfounded look on his face. He immediately withdrew his gaze from that piece of cloth and explained himself, embarrassed, “I just took it without looking.”
Only now did he realize that it was a piece of tight-fitting corsage. It was pink, small, and exquisite. Looking at the other clothes in Mo Xiao Qi’s hands, they were all undergarments.
For a moment, Yang Kai’s face too couldn’t help but turn red, feeling awkward.
Mo Xiao Qi shyly stomped her feet and put away the rest of the clothes. She then turned around, facing her back at Yang Kai, and patted a cloth bag on her waist.
The next moment, the Heaven Escaping Bat, Xiao Fu, that Yang Kai had seen before suddenly appeared followed by strange squeaks.
The small bat circled around Mo Xiao Qi before standing stably on Mo Xiao Qi’s shoulder.
Mo Xiao Qi, on the other hand, had a serious look on her face. She formed a few hand seals and mumbled something. Heaven knows what she was mumbling.
After a while, she bit the tip of her finger, drew a weird Spirit Array on Zhang Ruo Xi’s corsage before she put the blood-stained finger on Xiao Fu’s forehead.
*Chi Chi!*
Suddenly, the Spirit Array on the corsage streaked across the air, flying straight into the Heaven Escaping Bat’s forehead, disappearing into nothing instantly.
The next moment, the Heaven Escaping Bat started sniffing. It then spread its wings and flew into the air, dexterously danced in the air before it flew straight toward a certain direction.
“Follow it!” Mo Xiao Qi tenderly shouted. She put away that little corsage and hurriedly chased after it.
Seeing this, Yang Kai hurriedly followed after them without a moment of hesitation.
There was a barren mountain about two thousand kilometres away from Maplewood City.
The barren mountain looked extremely desolate. Not even a single grass was growing on it. Furthermore, the World Energy here was extremely thin.
It wasn’t inhabited by any cultivator. There was only a small village here. All the people living in this small village were ordinary people who couldn’t cultivate.
However, because of the desolation of the barren mountain, there were no wild beasts or Monster Beasts here. Furthermore, it was close to Maplewood City. So, even ordinary people could live and work here.
In some hidden cave on the barren mountain, two First-Order King cultivators happened to be sitting in a meditative state.
Suddenly, one of the men in white robes appeared to have sensed something. He hurriedly opened his eyes as a communication artifact appeared in his palm with a flick of his hand. He promptly poured his Divine Sense into and couldn’t help but exclaim in surprise after reading the message.
“What are the orders from the family!?” the other person also opened his eyes and asked.
The man in the white robe answered as a weird look appeared on his face, “Fifth Elder has sent a message. He wants us to deal with the little girl who was brought a month ago.”
“Little girl!?” The other man frowned and doubtfully asked, “Why did the family transmit this kind of order? Was there anything weird about that little girl?”
“I have no idea, and the Fifth Elder didn’t say anything.” The man in white shook his head.
“Since it’s Fifth Elder’s command, then you should go and finish it as soon as possible. I will keep watch here for the time being,” the other man exhorted.
After a brief discussion, the man in white immediately went inside the cave and stood on an Array. Then, he took out a few Source Crystals and placed them inside the grooves around the Array before forming a hand seal, starting up the Array.
The next moment, the man in white soon disappeared followed by a thrum and faint Space Force fluctuations.
Seeing this, the other Jiang Family cultivator, who was guarding this place, withdrew his gaze and closed his eyes again, meditating.
After about the time it takes for an incense to burn, a small beast suddenly landed on a small mound three kilometres away from the cave. And hot on its tail, Mo Xiao Qi and Yang Kai’s figures appeared.
The little beast lightly sniffed toward the front and immediately after, started squeaking.
Mo Xiao Qi furrowed her black brow before she turned to Yang Kai and said with some hesitation, “Big Brother Yang, Xiao Fu said that Ruo Xi’a aura has disappeared in that cave.”
Hearing this, Yang Kai’s face turned cold. He promptly spread his Divine Sense to that side.
After a short white, he cried in surprise, “Space Array!?”
“There is a Space Array in there?” Mo Xiao Qi looked at Yang Kai in surprise, hearing this.
Yang Kai nodded and answered, “There is! Furthermore, it seems to have been used just recently. There are some Space Force fluctuations lingering around it. Also, there is a First-Order Origin King cultivator on the lookout inside the cave… I guess we are at the right place.”
“So, shall we break in?” Mo Xiao Qi inquired.
“Of course!” Yang Kai nodded his agreement. But right then, his expression suddenly changed as he shouted, “Dammit, Ruo Xi might be in danger!”
It suddenly struck him that he had just inquired with the Jiang Family about Ruo Qi. And someone here has used the Space Array. It was quite likely that it had something to do with the Jiang Family. Perhaps the upper echelon of the Jiang Family had sent a message to silence Zhang Ruo Xi.
Thinking of this, Yang Kai suddenly became anxious. He didn’t care about hiding anymore. With a jolt, his figure instantly shot towards the cave.
The Jiang Family cultivator inside the cave was extremely sensitive. The moment Yang Kai made a move, he sensed it and opened his eyes, and when he saw a streak of light shooting over at an astonishing speed, his expression couldn’t help but drastically change.
He promptly circulated his Saint Qi and stood up, looking ahead with an ugly look on his face.
And when Yang Kai’s aura came bearing down on him, the Jiang Family cultivator’s face immediately turned pale. He cried in horror, “Dao Source Realm!”
He was just a First-Order Origin King cultivator who had just formed his own Domain. How could he stand against a Dao Source Realm master?
Just as he cried out, Yang Kai had already arrived before him and lightly smacked his palm on his chest. The man suddenly felt a tremendous force assailing him as he was sent flying, spewing blood. By the time he crashed on the ground, he was already unconscious!
Yang Kai hadn’t killed him. After all, he still had to figure out the connection between Zhang Ruo Xi and the Jiang Family so he couldn’t bear to kill someone rashly.
However, the opposite party would remain unconscious for several days under his palm strike, which would be enough for him to find out everything clearly.
After landing, Yang Kai immediately cast his gaze on the Space Array inside the cave.
Mo Xiao Qi had also arrived by now.
After a while, Yang Kai couldn’t help exclaim in surprise.
“Big Brother, what did you find?” asked Mo Xiao Qi.
“This Array wasn’t set up by the Jiang Family, and neither was it arranged recently. It seemed to be quite old.” Yang Kai furrowed his brow.
The Space Array inside the cave was old and blotched. Obviously, it was laid a long time ago. However, as it was hidden inside this barren mountain’s cave, it was unlikely to be discovered.
Heaven knows how the Jiang Family came to learn about this place and where it led to.
“Is there any secret here?” Mo Xiao Qi immediately became interested. Her pair of beautiful eyes glimmered with a strange gleam as she kept looking at the Array.
“Let’s check it out later.” Yang Kai was worried about Zhang Ruo Xi’s safety and had no intention of careful investigation. Next, he arrived on the Array with a flicker as Mo Xiao Qi nodded and stepped on it as well.
Yang Kai immediately prompted the Space Force in his body and poured it into the Array.
In the next moment, the Array started humming as the two disappeared with a flash of light.
Suddenly, Yang Kai and Mo Xiao Qi appeared in a dark and humid area deep under the ground; how deep, no one knew.
However, before they could check their surroundings, they heard someone shouting, “Who are you? You actually dared to break into my Jiang Family’s secret land!”
Immediately after the shout, two violent attacks flew toward Yang Kai and Mo Xiao Qi from left and right, without any explanation. And judging by the fluctuations caused when they attacked, these two were actually Third-Order Origin King cultivators!
Yang Kai’s gaze turned colder as he shouted aloud, without even looking at the oncoming attacks, “Solidify!”
The next moment, the Space Principles fluctuated as the surrounding space suddenly solidified as if it had received some kind of order.
The next moment, the two attacks that were just about to strike Yang Kai and Mo Xiao Qi strangely disappeared into thin air as two figures appeared, left and right.
The two seemed to have never expected their attacks to be dealt with in such an unbelievable way. Both of them were stupefied for a while.
However, the man on the left immediately reacted as he cried in shock, “Principles! Dao Source Realm master!”
While speaking, his feet kicked the ground as his figure flew toward the rear. Surprisingly, he immediately thought of fleeing after seeing things turn bad.
But how could Yang Kai let his wish come true? Immediately, a Golden Blood Thread flew out from his fingertip with the flick of his wrist, directly tying up that man.
That man started sweating buckets, sensing the sharp aura emanating from the Golden Blood Thread. How could he dare to make any strange movements? He was more afraid of inadvertently getting cut into several pieces. He stood straight and looked at Yang Kai in horror.
The other man also stood in his place with a dumbfounded look on his face.
After all, Mo Xiao Qi was standing before him with a sharp dagger in her hand. The dagger was radiating a cold glow and happened to be pointed at his chest.
Obviously, in the momentary lapse in the man’s concentration, Mo Xiao Qi had already subdued him with lightning-fast means!
Yang Kai glanced over the two with a cold look on his face.
The man on the left asked in a trembling voice, “Who are you? Why do you break into my Jiang Family’s private land and attack us!”
“You don’t need to know who I am! And I’m here to find someone. If you obediently cooperate, perhaps I will let you live!” Yang Kai’s tone turned colder, staring at him.
“To find someone!” That man immediately furrowed his brow after hearing this. He nervously looked at Yang Kai and asked with difficulty as a drop of sweat trickled down his forehead, “I wonder who is Your Excellency looking for?”
“Is there a girl named Zhang Ruo Xi here?” asked Yang Kai.
The two Origin King Realm cultivators of the Jiang Family looked at each other before the man who had spoken earlier, justified himself with a bitter smile, “We are just ordered to guard the entrance. We have no idea about the name of those people…”
“Big Brother Yang, you don’t need to ask anything. Xiao Fu has smelled Sister Ruo Xi’s aura, she is here!” Suddenly, Mo Xiao Qi interrupted in excitement.
Yang Kai quickly looked over and noticed the Heaven Escaping Bat squeaking around toward a direction with glittering eyes, as if it had really found something.
“I’ll leave the things here to you, let me borrow Xiao Fu!” Having finished speaking, Yang Kai poked a few times toward the two Third-Order Origin King cultivators, pouring his Source Qi into their bodies. Immediately, the two let out a muffled groan as blood trickled down the corner of their lips.
Having done this, Yang Kai beckoned to the bat as the little beast immediately flew ahead.
“Big Brother Yan, be careful. There is something strange about this place!” Mo Xiao Qi exhorted from behind.
Yang Kai nodded his acknowledgement but he didn’t slow down.
While flying along the way, Yang Kai had the time to carefully inspect the surroundings.
He was inside an underground mine. The mine had numerous branches and forked roads. From time to time, he could hear clanking noises coming from the other end of the fork. Apparently, someone appeared to be mining something.
However, the places Yang Kai passed by had been mined already, leaving only pieces of rocks behind.
Following the little beast, Yang Kai soon entered a forked road.
Yang Kai immediately sensed the aura of many living beings inside that forked road.
After a short while, Yang Kai saw many people knocking on the walls of the dimly lit mine tunnel as broken pieces of rocks fell on the ground.
What surprised Yang Kai was the fact that everyone in here had the cultivation of Saint King Realm or lower. There wasn’t a single Origin Returning Realm Master.
All of them had their hands and feet cuffed with special bracelets and anklets, which would rattle every time they moved. They were simply unable to hide their whereabouts.
Perhaps they noticed something, all the people mining the ore turned their heads together, looking at Yang Kai.
A desolate feeling gripped Yang Kai’s heart, noticing their listless gazes. Heaven knows how long they have been kept here, let alone how long they had been mining here. Each of these cultivators appeared extremely exhausted and haggard. Only a few among them retained a little of their spirits.
There were even a few decomposing corpses lying on the ground nearby, filling the air of an already poorly circulated mine with a foul smell.
Yang Kai promptly halted his footsteps and asked, looking around, “Which one of you is the leader? Stand out and speak up!”
All those cultivators hesitatingly looked at each other after hearing this. A look of fear appeared in the eyes of most of them. They seemed to be afraid of standing out.
After a long time, a young-looking cultivator stood up. He appeared to be no older than thirty years. His tattered clothes were unable to hide his robust body. Although his aura seemed a little weaker, it was a lot better than the others.
The man, standing not too far away from Yang Kai, cupped his fists and introduced himself, “This one is Zhou Kang. May I ask what instruction Senior has for me!”
Yang Kai seemed to be about the same age as him, but his cultivation was much higher than him. So naturally, he believed Yang Kai to be an old monster, who had lived for hundreds of years. He didn’t think that there was anything wrong in addressing Yang Kai as a Senior.
“Who are you guys, why are you all here?” Yang Kai asked in a deep voice.
Zhou Kang couldn’t help but gaze at Yang Kai in surprise after hearing this. Suddenly, he appeared to have thought of something as he exclaimed in excitement, “Senior isn’t a member of the Jiang Family?”
“Jiang Family!?” Yang Kai coldly snorted. “No, I came here to find someone.”
“Senior is really not a member of the Jiang Family!?” Zhou Kang’s voice suddenly rose a little as if he couldn’t believe it. All of a sudden, the other cultivators turned their gazes at Yang Kai as their faces beamed with joy. Their dull and listless eyes immediately started shining brightly as if they saw hope in the darkness.
“What would I get for deceiving you?” Yang Kai impatiently shouted.
“I believe you, Senior!” Zhou Land didn’t dare to suspect anymore and shouted, “Senior, since you aren’t a Jiang Family member, I beg Senior to save us from this sea of suffering.”
“Senior, please save us!”
“Free us, please!”
Suddenly, cries of help rang everywhere. All the handcuffed people pleadingly looked at Yang Kai.
Zhou Kang explained, “To tell Senior the truth, most of us are loose cultivators with no friends or families. People related to some small families have also been caught by the Jiang Family and brought here for mining. We would be punished if we resisted even a bit. Some of my brothers have even died. We can’t take it anymore. It’s really unbearable!”
“What are you mining here?” Yang Kai furrowed his brow.
“It’s this. Senior, please take a look!” Zhou Kan hurriedly took out something from the nearby basket and respectfully handed it to Yang Kai.
As Yang Kai took it and checked it out, he immediately cried in surprise, “Pure Heart Jade!?”
He recognized it at once. It was an extremely rare jade that could help the cultivator cleanse his heart and Soul. It had a special effect. If a cultivator in retreat was cultivating the Secret Art or was about to break through, and was wearing a piece of this jade, it had a great chance of offsetting the danger of the heart demon.
And if it was worn year-round, it had some hidden benefits as well.
Because of these reasons, this jade was very expensive. Just a thumbnail-sized piece cost 2000 – 3000 Source Crystals. And the piece Zhou Kang had picked up had the size of a palm. It was at least worth 10,000 Source Crystals!
Not to mention that the basket was filled with more Pure Heart Jade!
[This is actually a Pure Heart Jade mine!]
[No wonder the Jiang Family were trying to be so secretive and didn’t want to be discovered. If the other great forces came to learn about this, the Jiang Family alone would not be able to block them. As for the City Lord’s Mansion, they would certainly intervene to have a share!]
However, some labour was definitely needed to mine this kind of thing, and the Jiang Family didn’t have enough, so they could only target others!
And these cultivators of Saint King Realm and lower realms, with no friends and families, or backing, were the best candidates.
Even though Maplewood City couldn’t be considered big in the entire Southern Territory and the overall realm of the cultivators wasn’t that high, many people come and go every day, like carps moving down the stream. No one would notice a few Saint King and lower realm cultivators going missing from time to time.
People like Zhou Kang were captured as labour for mining.
Obviously, the same was true for Zhang Ruo Xi!
Yang Kai understood the crux of the matter in a short time. He finally realized why the Jiang Family didn’t want to disclose the whereabouts of Zhang Ruo Xi, instead pretending to be ignorant and remaining unmoved even when he gave them the right conditions.
[So, they were afraid of exposing the secret of this mine!]
Having understood this, Yang Kai’s eyes flickered with a cold gleam.
“Senior…” Zhou Kang gingerly looked at Yang Kai. He had no idea what was going on in Yang Kai’s mind.
“Leave the things and go.” Yang Kai waved his hand.
“Huh!?” Zhou Kang was taken aback, a little confused.
Right then, Yang Kai raised his hand as golden light flickered in the mine. One after another, Golden Blood Threats shot out Yang Kai’s fingertips, cutting the handcuffs and anklets binding the hands and feet of Zhou Kang and the others into two.
“I said you can leave, or do you want to stay here?” Yang Kai glanced at Zhou Kang. Not waiting for any response from him, he collected all the mined Pure Heart Jade on the ground into his Space Ring before flying toward the front right away.
Suddenly, cheers of joy and excitement rang not long after Yang Kai left. Seeing the cuffs on their wrists and ankles cut off, why would those cultivators doubt Yang Kai? The impatient prisoners were already running toward the exit.
“By the way, Senior, don’t go too deep. There is something weird about the innermost region!” Zhou Kang was also overjoyed. But he suddenly shouted a warning at Yang Kai as if he had thought of something.
But Yang Kai could not be found. Heaven knows how deep he had already gone!
“Senior should have heard it, right?” Zhou Kang tilted his head, thinking. But soon, he threw it to the back of his mind. It had already been two years since he was captured by the Jiang Family. He originally believed that he would be unable to escape this place in his life and would ultimately die here. Thankfully, a noble man had come out of nowhere today to help them and he could see the sun again.
An excited Zhou Kang dashed straight toward the exit, shouting in joy all the while.
In a short while, the entire mine was seething. Countless cultivators who had been brought here to mine rushed out in desperation, venting their joy of regaining freedom.
Meanwhile, Yang Kai followed the little bat to the depth of the mine. Along the way, he freed all the miners he encountered and took all the mined Pure Heart Jade into his Space Ring at the same time.
At the same time, somewhere in the depths of the mine, a delicate figure was rushing inward.
Clattering noises could be heard every time she moved, which happened to be the sound made by the clashing of cuffs on her wrists and ankles.
Her small figure was dressed in miserable rags and tatters while her hair was a mess and even her face covered in black dust, making it hard to discern her original appearance. However, from her panicking eyes and face that kept looking back, a bit of Zhang Ruo Xi’s image could still be discerned.
Surviving in the mine had not been easy. For the month since she was brought to this mine, Zhang Ruo Xi had been exposed to darkness and fear that she had never experienced in her teenage life.
Not to mention the harsh requirements set by the Jiang Family; she was required to mine a certain amount every day, or else she would be punished. What’s more, every miner here wasn’t that good to provoke. Having been captured and tortured here, these miners’ temperament had completely changed. When they saw a weak and lonely little girl, many would naturally be interested in her.
Fortunately, Zhang Ruo Xi’s cultivation had reached the peak of the Second-Order Saint King Realm. Otherwise, it would be impossible for her to gain a foothold here. If that was not the case, she might have been gnawed to the point that not even a single bone remained.
After she had given a beating to a few ignorant fools who were coveting her beauty and wanted to take advantage of her, no one dared to cause trouble for her anymore.
And in order to avoid similar trouble, she had deliberately made herself unsightly. As expected, no one was interested in her anymore. She had gained peace for a while.
However, the daily mining was extremely difficult. The Pure Heart Jade was embedded deep in the rocks and it took a lot of effort to mine it.
In just one month, her hands and feet had lost a few layers of skin. Her figure, which was already lean, had grown thinner, and after every day of tiresome mining, she would go to sleep in tears and pain before waking up again to continue enduring the painful life.
Since childhood, she had been spoiled in the Zhang Family. She was the apple of Zhang Family Matriarch’s eye. How could Zhang Ruo Xi have ever thought that she would have to live in such a dark place?
She missed her great grandmother, her grandmother, and everyone in the Zhang Family.
Every now and then, another face would flash before her eyes.
Naturally, it was her Sir Yang, who had the grace of giving a new lease to her Zhang Family and had not returned since he left half a year ago!
She didn’t have much contact with Sir. Although she had been with him for a while, Sir had never asked her for anything; hadn’t even asked her to serve him. All she was asked was to stay in the cave mansion and focus on cultivation. Sir even gifted her a precious pill.
She could tell that Sir was a good man and cared for her a lot.
Therefore, she did her best to cultivate and never slacked off, because Sir had said that he might need her help in the future. She wanted to improve her cultivation as much as possible to repay Sir’s kindness.
But now…
“Sir… where are you?” Zhang Ruo Xi cried in her heart as she staggered around in the mine tunnels. She was using her familiarity with the mine to escape from her pursuer.
At the most dangerous juncture of her life, there was only one person in her mind. She was hoping that he would descend before her like a god and shelter her from the oncoming storm, providing her with absolute safety.
But she knew that it was impossible. The mine was so hidden that no one would be able to discover it.
“You are so dead! Escape! Just try to escape! Once I catch you, you will taste a world of torture!” a devil-like roar came from behind.
Zhang Ruo Xi’s tender body fiercely trembled. Her heart was gripped with panic. She found her feet a little harder to move as if they were cast from lead.
Her shoes had already been lost during the escape. She just kept running through the cold and wet mine, even when her feet started bleeding from the sharp rocks. Her feet had already gone numb to the pain. Zhang Ruo Xi mechanically moved her feet toward a nearby tunnel.
When she tumbled and got up again, her eyes suddenly blurred; she almost passed out.
She immediately bit the tip of her tongue and the sharp pain jolted Zhang Ruo Xi’s mind awake. After instantly determining her bearing, she grit her teeth as she rushed toward a direction.
All the miners dared not go deeper in that direction.
Several miners had once run in that direction but they never came back. Since then, no one dared to step there.
Unfortunately, that dead zone had become her only hope of escape.
Zhang Ruo Xi’s rapid breathing could be heard loud and clear in the silent mine tunnel. She could even hear her pounding heart. Her heart was pounding like a drum as if it would break out of her body.
After escaping for a long time, Zhang Ruo Xi’s figure suddenly came to a stop as she stared forward in a daze. A sliver of despair could be found on her face.
To her dismay, she had come to a dead end. There was no way ahead!
And at this time, sounds of footsteps also came from behind.
Every step sounded like the whispers of the God of Death. Zhang Ruo Xi turned pale, and her pretty eyes seemed to have been blocked by darkness. They were full of despair. She was unable to see even a ray of light.
Under Zhang Ruo Xi’s horrified gaze, the figure of the Jiang Family’s man in white slowly emerged from the darkness.
But at this moment, the face of this First-Order Origin King looked a little hideous.
Anyone in his place would not be in a good mood after someone had evaded him this long and almost been able to escape from him despite the great disparity in their strength.
When he saw the dead-end ahead, the man in white let out a weird laugh. He suddenly became happy and wasn’t as anxious as before. Instead, he approached Zhang Ruo Xi in neither a slow nor fast manner, step by step, and spoke, “Cheap slut, go on! Run, let me see where you can run off to now!”
Zhang Ruo Xi’s figure was pressing dead against the cave wall, her eyes filled with terror. Watching the man in white’s figure approaching bit by bit, she was constantly trembling and shaking her head.
Not only had her delicate appearance failed to receive any pity from him, it had also stimulated the unknown dark side of the man in white. He suddenly looked excited and couldn’t help but lick his lips as if a delicacy was served before him.
The man in white’s sharp gaze travelled along Zhang Ruo Xi’s petite yet growing figure. His eyes flickered with an obscene gleam as he let out an even creepier and perverted laugh.
“Don’t… don’t come closer!” Zhang Ruo Xi vigorously shook her head as she curled into a ball and begged bitterly.
But the man in white remained unmoved. He quickly closed in the short distance of some hundred meters.
And when he arrived before her, the man in white reached out and grabbed toward Zhang Ruo Xi.
Right at this moment, the weak and pleading look in Zhang Ruo Xi’s eyes disappeared in a flash, replaced with determination and courage instead. Saint Qi fluctuations spread from her body as she poured her energy into a dagger-like weapon she had taken out at some unknown point. She then lifted her hand and plunged it straight toward the man in white’s chest.
If their strength had been on the same level, Zhang Ruo Xi’s attack might have had more than 50% chance of succeeding.
But the gap in their cultivation was simply too big. Even if Zhang Ruo Xi’s timing was completely perfect, the moment Saint Qi fluctuations emerged from her body, the man in white had promptly activated his Domain.
And the might of Domain wasn’t something a Second-Order Saint King girl could resist.
So, that dagger was completely imprisoned by an invisible force after reaching three centimetres away from the man in white’s chest. No matter how much Zhang Ruo Xi pushed, she couldn’t push it even a centimetre forward.
Zhang Ruo Xi was really desperate right now. She raised her head and looked at the approaching face.
At this moment, the face that should have been handsome had a devil-like hideous and mocking look on it.
Immediately, the man in white grabbed Zhang Ruo Xi by her hair and slammed her head against the cave wall.
*BAM…*
Zhang Ruo Xi felt her brain completely shaken up. Her head was in a tremendous amount of pain. Stars were circling around her eyes.
“Cheap slut, you really have guts! To think you actually dare to attack me!” the man in white hideously smiled, “Very well, I was originally planning to give you quick death, but now, don’t blame this King for being ruthless.”
While speaking, he reached out and grabbed Zhang Ruo Xi by her neck. He directly lifted her up in the air and slowly started squeezing.
Zhang Ruo Xi groaned and gasped for breath as she wildly thrashed her feet, struggling hard. But she couldn’t get free from the man in white’s grip no matter what she did. Slowly, her breathing became difficult, her long eyelashes quickly blinked as her vision slowly started to fade.
Through her fading vision, Zhang Ruo Xi thought saw a figure rushing toward her from a distance. With the help of the dim light in the mine tunnel, she identified it as Sir Yang that she had been thinking about all the while!
[Sir looks anxious, but why are his facial features distorted? He looks extremely terrifying as if he is extremely angry.]
[Great Grandma once said that a person would sometimes hallucinate before they die. It seems this is my own hallucination.]
Thinking like this, her body quickly lost strength as Zhang Ruo Xi slowly closed her eyes.
But right then, a dazzling golden beam suddenly shot over from the distance, instantly dispelling the darkness in the mine.
The next moment, the big hand squeezing her neck suddenly loosened with a muffled groan and Zhang Ruo Xi immediately fell toward the ground.
And before her feet even touched the ground, Zhang Ruo Xi clenched the dagger hard and actually fiercely thrust it forward. Even she had no idea where she got the strength to do it.
To her surprise, the dagger in her hand actually went into the man in white’s chest very smoothly. After she pulled the dagger out, blood immediately splashed all over her face. The warmth and the stickiness of the blood immediately made her hair stand on end.
She was stupefied for a moment but suppressed the fear in her heart and raised the dagger again before stabbing it into the man in white, again and again.
*Squish Squish Squish…*
Every time, she pushed the dagger all the way to the hilt and the blood splashing from the wounds soon turned into a bloody figure.
Zhang Ruo Xi only regained her wits when the man in white fell back on the ground with bulging eyes and a look of disbelief on his face. She kept staring at his corpse in a daze. She didn’t recover from the shock for a long time.
What she couldn’t figure out was how she could stab someone so strong to death…
“Ruo Xi…” an echoing shout came from not too far away.
Zhang Ruo Xi’s figure immediately shook. She looked up and found Yang Kai standing ten meters away from her, quietly staring at her with a guilty look on his face.
“Sir!?” Zhang Ruo Xi involuntarily cried in a tender voice. She could hardly believe her eyes.
Fearing that the figure in front of her was an illusion, she hurriedly rubbed her eyes. However, she forgot the fact that her hands were dyed in blood. When she rubbed her eyes, her entire vision turned red as blood, which was extremely horrifying.
Only at this moment did she seem to finally regain her wits. She looked down at her bloody hands and threw the dagger away. Her tender body started violently shuddering; her emotions in turmoil.
Seeing this, Yang Kai arrived before Zhang Ruo Xi and grabbed her by her wrist and asked in a low voice, “Ruo Xi, are you alright?”
Zhang Ruo Xi slowly raised her head. Her pretty eyes that used to be pure and clear were covered in blood at this moment. After confirming that the person standing before her was indeed Yang Kai and not a hallucination before death, tears kept pouring out of her eyes, falling down on the ground like the pearls from a broken necklace.
All her grievances immediately broke out. Her shoulders shook as she choked up on her own voice, “Mis…ter, Ruo Xi killed… killed someone… I killed… someone… Sir, save me!”
Yang Kai quietly gazed at her, slightly furrowing his brow.
He could naturally tell that Zhang Ruo Xi seemed to have suffered a huge shock at this moment.
And this shock didn’t come from being chased by the man in white, and neither was it because of escaping from the clutches of death, but rather because someone had died in her hands!
Even if that person wasn’t anyone decent, and even wanted to take her life, Zhang Ruo Xi still couldn’t bear it when she stabbed this man to death.
After giving it a bit of thought, everything became clear to Yang Kai.
Zhang Ruo Xi was just a sixteen, seventeen-year-old girl. She was just a budding teenager, and had been spoiled by the Zhang Family since childhood. Even though she cultivated, she had never fought a real life-and-death battle, much less killed anyone with her own hands.
To a young girl like her, everyone’s life was extremely precious.
And today, a life was lost under her dagger. Naturally, she couldn’t take it in a short time.
Yang Kai recalled the first time he killed someone. He felt extremely uncomfortable that time. That restlessness and panic lasted for a long time before it slowly disappeared, and when he killed more people over the years, he didn’t feel anything at all.
But Zhang Ruo Xi was different. This man in white should be the first person she killed!
Considering all this, Yang Kai heaved a sigh before hugging Zhang Ruo Xi. He lightly patted her back and comforted, “You didn’t kill that guy. He died by my hands. He had already stopped breathing by the time you stabbed him.”
Zhang Ruo Xi’s trembling body finally calmed down a little after hearing this. She raised her head and timidly asked, “Really!?”
“Really, look.” As Yang Kai spoke, he stretched out his hand as a Golden Blood Threat shot out of the corpse on the ground and circled around his fingertip. “This is what killed him.”
“I didn’t kill him!?” Zhang Ruo Xi blankly stared at the Golden Blood Thread. The panic in her beautiful eyes finally dissipated. She looked as if a heavy burden had been lifted off her shoulders.
“You didn’t kill him. Take a good rest now, and by the time you wake up, everything will be over.” While gently comforting her, Yang Kai pushed his Source Qi into Zhang Ruo Xi’s body, calming her chaotic Saint Qi.
Perhaps it was because she finally put down the burden in her heart or maybe because she was just too tired, Zhang Ruo Xi really fell asleep in Yang Kai’s arms. She closed her pretty eyes as a gentle snoring sound came from her nose.
After seeing that she was really asleep, Yang Kai finally heaved a sigh of relief and carried her up like a princess.
*Swish…*
Suddenly, the sound of something or someone travelling at high speed came from nearby. Yang Kai narrowed his eyes as he released his Divine Sense to check. After discovering that it was Mo Xiao Qi, he calmly stood in his place.
After a short while, Mo Xiao Qi appeared not too far away from Yang Kai while the Heaven Escaping Bat let out squeaks as it rested on Mo Xiao Qi’s shoulder.
Mo Xiao Qi looked at Yang Kai, then looked at the bloody corpse on the ground, before finally focusing her gaze on Zhang Ruo Xi, who was held in Yang Kai’s arms, and asking, “Is this Sister Ruo Xi?”
“Mhmm.” Yang Kai nodded.
“Is she okay?”
“I just arrived at the nick of time. Nothing happened, she was just tired and fell asleep.”
“That’s good to hear,” Mo Xiao Qi patted her well-rounded chest as she sighed in relief. But soon, she ground her teeth, “These Jiang Family men are really hateful. Big Brother Yang, I’ve already found out what’s going on here. They actually captured and forced the loose cultivators to mine for them. They are simply assholes!”
“I have a rough idea about it too!” Yang Kai’s eyes flickered with a cold gleam. His face turned colder as he let out a foreboding laugh, “Jiang Family, you actually tried to silence the witness. You just wait.”
Zhang Ruo Xi’s horrendous experience made Yang Kai really angry out of shame.
He was a Dao Source Realm master, but because of momentary negligence, he had failed to take care of a little girl, which in turn led to her capture, where she was forced to mine here.
When he had gone to the Jiang Family to inquire about her, the upper echelons of the Jiang Family lied right to his face.
And if things ended just there, everything would have been fine, but the Jiang Family actually tried to silence the witness.
How could Yang Kai tolerate this? He had already made a decision to go to the Jiang Family and flip their whole estate after leaving this place. He would not even let their fowls and dogs be in peace!
“What about the Jiang Family members guarding the entrance?” Yang Kai asked in a deep voice as a cold gleam flickered in his eyes.
“They are still over there,” replied Mo Xiao Qi. “Furthermore, there aren’t just two. I ran across a few more Jiang Family members along the way. I knocked them all out. As for the people caught by them, they have already been sent out through the Space Array.”
Yang Kai nodded lightly. “After they escaped, the Jiang Family would not be able to keep this matter under wraps. It would be just perfect for me to go to the Jiang Family and raise a fuss. This way, even City Lord’s Mansion would not easily be able to intervene.”
“Then, shall we go back?” asked Mo Xiao Qi.
Yang Kai nodded his agreement.
After properly deliberating over the matter, the two were ready to return to Maplewood City, but right then, things suddenly changed.
They suddenly felt a tremor from the ground underneath their feet, causing Mo Xiao Qi and Yang Kai’s expression to change.
At the same time, a cracking sound came not too far away from them.
Yang Kai furrowed his brow, gazing along in the direction of the source of the sound. Suddenly, he noticed that the wall in front was covered in red lines. These lines looked extremely complicated and mysterious. They gave the impression of some kind of a seal.
The lines kept squirming. And along with their squirms, more and more bloody red was being sucked in.
Only now did Yang Kai notice that this red was actually the colour of blood, and the source of it was the corpse of the white-robed Jiang Family man lying on the ground!
At this moment, the seal pattern on the wall was madly sucking the blood flowing out of the man in white. And as the blood continued to pour in, the bloody red seal pattern squirmed faster and faster.
“What’s this!?” Yang Kai’s expression drastically changed as he doubtfully gazed at the front.
Mo Xiao Qi’s expression too grew solemn. She tightly furrowed her black brow, staring straight at that seal. She was unable to recognize what kind of seal it was for a while.
But at this moment, the seal seemed as if it had swallowed enough blood. In a flash, the lines converged at the centre of the wall into a hideous and terrifying human face.
The face’s mouth was wide open as a jet black aura suddenly spurted out from inside the wall.
Yang Kai’s pupil immediately constricted. His instincts were ringing warning signs. He hurriedly pulled Mo Xiao Qi, backing away with her.
The pitch-black aura kept pouring out of the seal, and very soon, it had flooded the mine tunnel. Yang Kai could clearly feel the violent and bloody aura in that black Qi.
More importantly, the black Qi also gave him a familiar feeling.
The next moment, the black Qi divided into untold wisps of black Qi, continuously wandering around like a swarm of pitch-black snakes.
One of the wisps of black Qi drilled into the mouth and nose of the long-dead man in white lying on the ground, disappearing soon after.
But the next moment, something happened that left Yang Kai dumbfounded.
The man in white, whose upper body was riddled with holes, suddenly opened his eyes. But at this moment, his eyes weren’t black and white but showed a peculiar pitch-black colour. It looked extremely terrifying.
At the same time, dark lines suddenly appeared on the man in white’s face, arms, and on the exposed part of his body.
“Demon Crests!?” Yang Kai blurted out in surprise.
He was way too familiar with these lines. Back on Tong Xuan Realm, he had saved the clansmen of the Ancient Demon Clan. He had also once cultivated this kind of Secret Technique; it could brand Demon Crests of all kinds of shapes and sizes on its user body.
When he had used the Demon Transformation Secret Technique back in the past, his own transformation was remarkably similar to the one before his eyes.
“Demon Qi!?” Mo Xiao Qi also seemed to have felt it the same time Yang Kai said it.
Just as the two spoke, the man in white abruptly stood up. His dark eyes swept around before finally locking on to Yang Kai. Immediately, it let out a fierce scream as it lunged at Yang Kai with a ferocious look on his face; he didn’t appear to be afraid of death.
Yang Kai let out a cold snort. Immediately after, while holding Zhang Ruo Xi with one arm, he flicked his fingers of the other at the oncoming man in white, shooting Golden Blood Threads at him.
The sharp Golden Blood Threads immediately pierced through the man in white. And with another wave of Yang Kai’s hand, they cut his body into several pieces, leaving gory pieces of flesh lying on the ground. But strangely, no blood flowed out of these pieces.
However, Yang Kai didn’t look the slightest bit happy after having done this. On the contrary, there was a deep frown on his brow.
Because he sensed that after the man in white had been demonized, he had actually grown a lot stronger. He might have been able to easily deal with him, it remained true that he was much stronger than when he was alive.
*Chi Chi Chi…*
At this moment, the pitch-black Qi flooding the mine tunnels had been completely divided into black snakes. And were now madly shooting straight at Yang Kai and Mo Xiao Qi, like a cat that had smelled the fish.
“Dammit, let’s quickly get out of here!” Yang Kai’s expression worsened as he promptly shouted. At the same time, he stretched his hand toward the front and shouted, “Exile!”
Under the influence of the Space Principles, a black hole about the size of a round table suddenly emerged out of thin air. There was only chaos and Nihility inside the black hole. The pitch-black snakes rushed straight inside before disappearing into nothing.
But many more black snakes continued to take their places.
Not to mention, more pitch-black Qi continued to gush out of the mouth on the wall.
The Space Secret Technique only lasted for three breaths before it shattered into pieces. The pitch-black, snake-like things broke through Yang Kai’s blockade and quickly chased after him at an astonishing speed.
Yang Kai didn’t need to look back to know that the situation was far from good. He didn’t even have the time to deal with these weird things. He pushed his Source Qi before wrapping it around Mo Xiao Qi and desperately rushing toward the exit.
After backtracking, the two quickly arrived at the location where they were previously teleported to.
The two pale Jiang Family Origin King Realm cultivators, who were lying on the ground, helplessly watched Yang Kai and Mo Xiao Qi step on the Space Array. One of them opened his mouth as if he had something to say, but he couldn’t speak a single word.
Heaven knows what method Mo Xiao Qi had used to keep them in their places.
“Big Brother Yang, it’s almost here!” Mo Xiao Qi looked back and saw that the countless jet-black snake-like things were less than three hundred metres from them. Her pretty face immediately turned pale.
Yang Kai, on the other hand, kept a straight face as he quickly poured his Space Force into the Array.
The next moment, the Array hummed and flashed with a bright light. And when the light finally dissipated, the two had already disappeared.
The jet-black snake-like things arrived at the Array but only hit the air!
But the two Origin King Realm cultivators of the Jiang Family were wrapped in those weird things as they swept by.
Immediately, extremely tragic wails came from inside the black Qi. They sounded beyond tragic, as if they were suffering inhumane torture inside.
After a while, the screams abruptly stopped as the two stood back up together. Although there had been no change in their appearances, their auras were completely different from before. They were exuding an extremely dark and violent aura. After having been wrapped by the black energy, Demon Crests appeared on their cheeks and arms in succession as their eyeballs turned pitch black…
The two looked at each other before pursing their lips into hideous smiles. One of them raised his head and let out a howl toward the sky. His howl was filled with endless joy and excitement, as if he had gotten free after tens of thousands of years of imprisonment.
These two were not the only cultivators who encountered this incident.
Many Jiang Family cultivators in the mine, who had been knocked out by Mo Xiao Qi, had also encountered the same thing. Also, there were some miners who hadn’t had the time to escape. Everyone’s aura completely changed in a very short time after being wrapped in the black Qi. All of them seemed to have lost their original sentience.
Soon, the entire mine was flooded with that pitch-black aura…
A bright flash of light lit up the cave of the barren mountain as Yang Kai and Mo Xiao Qi appeared on the Space Array; fear was clearly visible on their faces.
However, the Jiang Family cultivator, who was knocked out by Yang Kai and should have been lying by the Array, was strangely nowhere to be found.
Yang Kai couldn’t help but furrow his brow after noticing this. He promptly scanned with his Divine Sense as a look of surprise appeared on his face.
“Big Brother Yang, what’s wrong?” Mo Xiao Qi doubtfully looked at him.
“Many people are waiting outside to welcome us.” Yang Kai coldly smiled.
Mo Xiao Qi furrowed her black brow and released her Divine Sense after hearing this. She was immediately struck with a realization.
“Let’s go out and take a look.” Yang Kai beckoned her before flying out of the cave and hovering in the air without a trace of fear.
He gazed around and found himself surrounded with very familiar faces; all of them were the members of the Jiang Family he had met not too long ago.
He could only guess how word got out so soon. The Jiang Family had dispatched all its experts here.
Just ahead, Jiang Family Patriarch, Jiang Lin, and various other high-level members of the Jiang Family were coldly glaring at Yang Kai.
More importantly, there was an old man in black standing before Jiang Lin, carrying his hands behind his back. Not even a little bit of aura could be felt from him. He seemed like an ordinary man but he was surrounded by an inexplicable majesty.
Some of the Jiang Family cultivators kept looking at the old man. Their gazes were filled with awe and worship.
Even Jiang Lin, who was standing behind the old man, appeared extremely respectful.
Yang Kai’s expression immediately changed. He took a careful look at the old man. He immediately knew that he must be the Dao Source Realm master of the Jiang Family, the Old Ancestor of the Jiang Family, Jiang Tai Sheng.
After all, there were only that many Dao Source Realm masters in Maplewood City. All the cultivators of Maplewood City knew about every Dao Source Realm master living in the city.
At this moment, Jiang Tai Sheng indifferently looked at Yang Kai, then turned his gaze at Zhang Ruo Xi in Yang Kai’s arm before withdrawing his gaze the next moment.
As far as he was concerned, no one deserved his attention.
Seeing this, Yang Kai let out playful chuckles.
“Alchemist Yang!” Jiang Lin suddenly stepped forward, coldly glaring at Yang Kai. His tone was awful. “This Jiang has to hand it to you, you actually found this place. I’ve underestimated you.”
Yang Kai let out a cold snort, “If you didn’t want anyone to know, then don’t do it in the first place.”
Jiang Lin’s eyes flickered with a cold gleam. He looked pretty angry. He took a look at Jiang Tai Sheng, and seeing him having the same stoic expression, he immediately took a deep breath and shouted, “Alchemist Yang, this Jiang still thinks of you as a genius and doesn’t want to ruthlessly kill you. If you sign this Soul Contract in front of my Jiang Family members here, we might not need to take your life!”
While speaking, he suddenly took out an ancient beast skin parchment.
As Yang Kai focused his gaze on it, he found that it was surprisingly similar to the one taken out by Kang Si Ran back in the past. Not just in shape and size, even the aura it was emanating was almost exactly the same.
Yang Kai immediately understood that this was the real Soul Contract. It came straight from the Serene Soul Palace.
A Soul Contract was something created by one of the Ten Great Emperors, Serene Soul Great Emperor. It had always been manufactured by the disciples of the Serene Soul Palace. Once a cultivator brands his or her Soul Imprint on the Soul Contract, the Soul Contract will impose a miraculous effect on the cultivator. It would force the cultivator to fulfill the agreement on the contract. If one violated it, he or she would suffer a Soul-crushing pain. It might be to the point that even their Soul might be destroyed.
In the past, Kang Si Ran was forced to use a Soul Contract to prevent Yang Kai from divulging the Soul Condensing Pill recipe, and it had left him in quite a bit of distress for many days. After all, this thing was extremely precious; each one was extremely valuable.
Yang Kai didn’t know where the Jiang Family got it from but they had actually taken such a treasure out now.
“Soul Contract!?” A shadow of a smile appeared on Yang Kai’s face. “Patriarch Jiang, I’ll have to hand it to you for this. But this is a very precious treasure, wouldn’t it be wasteful to use it on this Yang!?”
Jiang Lin answered, maintaining a straight face, “What’s a Soul Contract worth before Alchemist Yang!?”
Yang Kai looked at him in a calm and composed manner and asked, “But what I want to know is what’s written on this Soul Contract.”
“Wouldn’t Alchemist Yang be clear what’s written on it?” Jiang Lin slightly smiled. “I just hope that Alchemist Yang will become a part of my Jiang Family and refine pills for my Jiang Family, that’s all.”
“I’m afraid I can’t agree to this!” Yang Kai slowly shook his head.
Jiang Lin’s face sank as he shouted in a fierce voice, “Yang Kai, you wouldn’t want to drink a loss after refusing a toast, would you? Today, you have to sign this Soul Contract. You will have to agree even if you don’t want to, you have no say in it!”
An Origin King Grade Alchemist was extremely valuable to a family like the Jiang Family. If the Jiang Family didn’t want to capture Yang Kai alive, why would the Jiang Family disturb a Dao Source Realm master like Jiang Tai Sheng? Furthermore, almost all of the Jiang Family’s elites have been mobilized just to force Yang Kai to leave his Soul Imprint on the Soul Contract.
As long as Yang Kai was controlled, the Jiang Family would not only gain an Origin King Grade Alchemist but they would not have to worry about him revealing the secret of the mine.
Listening to Jiang Lin brag without any shame, Yang Kai couldn’t help but burst into laughter. “What a joke! It’s my body, I can do whatever I want to. Your Jiang Family can’t stop me!”
Jiang Lin was immediately infuriated!
Just as he was about to say something, the stoic and silent Jiang Tai Sheng suddenly opened his eyes, calmly looking at Yang Kai. The next moment, he raised his hand, stopping Jiang Lin’s attempt to speak.
Next, he calmly stated, “Young Man, you might be a little capable, but you have no idea how high the sky is and how deep the earth goes! Today, this old master has given you a lot of face by coming here personally. I heard that you are an Origin King Grade Alchemist and can even refine Source Condensing Pills of extraordinary quality. This old master loves geniuses, so don’t force this old master’s hand. Just obediently leave your Soul Imprint on this Soul Contract, and this old master will treat what happened today like it never happened. As for the little girl in your arms and the one next to you, this old master can spare them but the premise is that they have to marry into my Jiang Family as concubines!”
“What!? You want me to marry into your Jiang Family as concubines!?” Before Yang Kai could say anything, Mo Xiao Qi, who had been standing indifferently by his side all the while as if she was watching a good show, suddenly stepped forward. She angrily glared at Jiang Tai Sheng and tenderly shouted, “You dirty old thing, how can you speak such shameless words!”
“Impudence!”
“How bold!”
The group of Jiang Family cultivators yelled at Mo Xiao Qi, one after another. They looked enraged as if Mo Xiao Qi had said something that shouldn’t be said.
Yang Kai chuckled as he held Zhang Ruo Xi in his embrace with one arm while he put the other on his ear as if he was trying to hear something. He then tilted his head and asked Mo Xiao Qi, “Xiao Qi, why am I hearing some mad dogs barking?”
“Um…” Hearing this, Mo Xiao Qi glanced at him first before solemnly nodding her head and adding, “Yeah! And they’re barking is really loud.”
Jiang Tai Sheng immediately narrowed his eyes after hearing this. His eyes flickered with a cold gleam as he quickly said, “Very well, you two juniors are really courageous. This old master hasn’t heard anyone talk to me like this in many years. You were given a path to the Heavens but you refused to take it…”
“What’s the point of putting on airs and playing cheap tricks!” Yang Kai impatiently interrupted him before he could finish, “Is being a Dao Source Realm master something to be proud of?”
As he said this, Yang Kai’s figure suddenly became blurry.
Before Jiang Family members could react to it, Yang Kai had mysteriously appeared not too far away from Jiang Lin.
“Ah!?” Jiang Lin was horrified. His body involuntarily retreated, but before he could do anything else, Yang Kai had already stretched out his hand towards him.
Jiang Lin was struck with panic. He instinctively circulated his Source Qi and fiercely punched forward.
The energy in the void immediately gathered around as a tiger roar rang out. In the next moment, an enormous tiger phantom emerged out of nowhere, opening its bloody mouth and biting toward the front.
However, this attack only struck the air. Yang Kai, who should have been in the front, had already disappeared from where he stood.
A surprised Jiang Lin looked around before he finally realized that Yang Kai had already returned to his previous position as if he had never moved.
In a flash, drops of cold sweat trickled down Jiang Lin’s forehead. The other members of the Jiang Family had also turned pale.
“Xiao Qi, check if this is real or not!?” Yang Kai handed something to Mo Xiao Qi, who took it and started carefully inspecting it.
“Ah!? My Soul Contract!” Only now did Jiang Lin finally realize that the Soul Contract in his hand had been snatched by Yang Kai at some point. He stared at his empty hands in amazement. He then looked up ahead not far away from him and his heart immediately hit rock bottom…
“Dao Source Realm!?” Jiang Tai Sheng’s pupils immediately shrank as he shouted.
Yang Kai hadn’t used any energy, and Jiang Tai Sheng hadn’t bothered to investigate Yang Kai’s exact strength. He thought that Yang Kai was just in the Origin King Realm, but when Yang Kai just made a move, Jiang Tai Sheng finally realized.
After discovering this, Jiang Tai Sheng’s face couldn’t help but turn ugly.
After all, he was just a First-Order Dao Source Realm master. If Yang Kai’s cultivation was equal to his, he would not have any advantage at all.
This was completely different from what he had thought. He thought that he would be going to easily capture two juniors, and he had never placed any importance on Yang Kai and Mo Xiao Qi.
Only now did he finally realize that he couldn’t be farther from the truth!
As another First-Order Dao Source Realm cultivator, Yang Kai had every right to talk with him on equal terms.
Furthermore, judging by Yang Kai’s speed, if he wanted to kill the other members of the Jiang Family, he could have done it with ease.
“Yeah, this is indeed the Soul Contract from the Serene Soul Place, Big Brother Yang. This is a treasure that you should keep it safe. It might come in handy in the future,” Mo Xiao Qi returned the Soul Contract to Yang Kai after having checked it.
Yang Kai took it back and stuffed it into his Space Ring, maintaining a straight face.
“This old master was disrespectful. So Your Excellency is also a Dao Source Realm cultivator. No wonder you have so much confidence!” Jiang Tai Sheng no longer looked as at ease as he was before. Rather he had a slightly serious look on his face and the corner of his lips were twitching.
Yang Kai immediately sneered and rebuked, “Wow, you’re changing your tune pretty fast.”
“How shameless!” Mo Xiao Qi also spat in disgust.
Jiang Tai Sheng’s previous and current behaviour was completely different. It really made Mo Xiao Qi look down on him.
Jiang Tai Sheng let out a cold snort and stated, “But Your Excellency, even if you are a Dao Source Realm master, you will have to give this old master an explanation for today, otherwise Your Excellency can forget leaving this place unscathed.”
“Explanation!?” Yang Kai’s face and voice turned colder as he rebuked, “It should be your Jiang Family that should give me an explanation, not the other way around! This Yang’s friend was caught by your Jiang Family to mine here for no reason, and was tortured as well. This Yang even went to your Jiang Family to inquire about her. If your Jiang Family had just tried to keep it under wraps, it would have been alright, but you actually tried to silence her. If I had not arrived on time, my friend would not have survived! And you still want an explanation!?”
“This…” Jiang Tai Sheng was rendered speechless after hearing this. He hadn’t expected Yang Kai’s words to be so sharp; he didn’t know how to respond to this for a while.
“Alchemist Yang!” As the Patriarch of the Jiang Family, Jiang Lin couldn’t stand back. He cupped his fist and tried to justify himself, “Alchemist Yang, please calm down. It… it was just a misunderstanding!”
He was already pressured to this extent by Yang Kai alone. How could he dare to belittle Yang Kai anymore? He didn’t dare to talk disrespectfully as he had before. Rather he wryly spoke bearing smiles, “It’s really a misunderstanding!”
“Misunderstanding!?” Yang Kai glared at him as a smile appeared on his lips. He might look like he was smiling but his smile carried no smiling intention. On the contrary, it gave everyone the chills. “You captured my friend and now you say that it was just a misunderstanding!? Patriarch Jiang, do you think I am a three-year-old kid?”
Jiang Lin looked troubled as he quickly justified himself, “Alchemist Yang, we had no idea that this little girl was your friend. If we had known this, we would have treated her as our most revered guest. We would have never taken her to the mine. But she could be considered to be safe now. Can’t we let the matter rest in light of this? That Soul Contract can be regarded as my Jiang Family’s apology… Hmm, besides this, my Jiang Family will send another gift to Alchemist Yang’s mansion after a few days.”
“Ha, if you can’t do it the hard way, you want to buy me!?” Yang Kai sneered. “Can you stoop any lower?”
Jiang Lin’s face turned stiff. He was extremely infuriated, but he didn’t dare to truly show his anger because of the gap in their cultivation.
Jiang Tai Sheng, on the other hand, blew his top. He immediately lashed out in anger, “Junior, my Jiang Family has already given you enough face, don’t go too far in bullying others!”
“What if I’m going too far!? Come and bite me then!” Yang Kai disdainfully looked at him.
“I’ll admit, you are really irritating me!” Jiang Tai Sheng felt the blood in his chest in turmoil. He almost coughed a mouthful of blood in anger. He viciously looked at Yang Kai and shouted, “Kid, even if you are First-Order Dao Source Realm, this old master would like to learn a bit from you!”
“If you want to fight, just say so, why do you need to beautify it!?” Yang Kai lashed out in anger as the Source Qi in his body started madly moving.
“This old master advanced to the Dao Source Realm more than a century ago, why would this old master be placed in the same category as an ignorant little brat like you!?” Jiang Tian Sheng self-complacently shouted.
“Old Thing, isn’t your aptitude horrendous? You haven’t been able to break through after a century!” Yang Kai was filled with disdain.
Jiang Tai Sheng blew his top. The Source Qi in his body also started rising. He didn’t want to reason with Yang Kai anymore, lest he was angered to death. In the next moment, he tapped the ground just a bit before he suddenly disappeared from his place as a soft puff rang from where he stood just before.
Obviously, the air exploded because of his extremely fast speed.
The next moment, he suddenly appeared before Yang Kai out of thin air and shouted with a dark and gloomy look on his face, “This old master will let you experience the strength of a master who has been in the Dao Source Realm for over a century!”
As he spoke, he pushed his palm toward Yang Kai in a very light and easy manner.
The palm was surrounded by Principles. Jiang Tai Sheng hadn’t even finished his move, yet Yang Kai was already surrounded by a violent storm.
Mo Xiao Qi, who was standing not far from Yang Kai, turned pale. Her chest heaved up and down; she was having trouble breathing.
Although Mo Xiao Qi’s origins were mysterious and extraordinary, and she was pretty strong, at the end of the day, she hadn’t reached the Dao Source Realm. She was having a difficult time bearing the pressure of Jiang Tai Sheng’s Principles.
However, she had also seen the world. She wasn’t someone whose hands and feet could be tied by simple Principles. She let out a tender cry as she pushed the energy in her body, forcefully breaking free from the oppression of the Principles and escaping into the distance with a flicker of her body.
And right at this moment, an enormous and transparent palm of energy suddenly appeared before Jiang Tai Sheng’s palm, pushing toward Yang Kai with an unstoppable momentum.
An intense gale blew on Yang Kai’s face, causing his clothes to continuously flap and Zhang Ruo Xi’s hair, who was in his arm, to dance in the air…
“You dare to show paltry tricks before me!” Yang Kai let out a cold snort. Before his opponent’s Principles could press down on him, he similarly mobilized the Space Principles, forming a strong invisible shield around his body and blocking the suppression of the opposite party’s Principles.
Then, he raised his hand as a similar enormous palm of energy formed before him, greeting Jiang Tai Sheng’s palm.
The two enormous palms of energy crashed into each other after a breath.
A deafening explosion echoed as the World Energy suddenly became chaotic and the fragments of Principles flew in every direction…
A faint mocking smile hung on Yang Kai’s face, whereas Jiang Tai Sheng’s pupils constricted and a look of horror appeared on his old face as he mumbled to himself, “How is this possible!?”
Just as his voice fell, his energy palm fell apart all of a sudden, while Yang Kai’s palm kept pressing on, with no reduction in its momentum.
Jiang Tai Sheng’s expression drastically changed. He knew that this could only be possible if the opposite party’s Source Qi was purer and more vigorous than his.
After all, this move was formed by directly mobilizing the Source Qi in one’s body. It was a pure confrontation of quality and quantity of the Source Qi!
Judging by Yang Kai’s young age and thinking that Yang Kai had advanced to the Dao Source Realm not too long ago, he thought that Yang Kai’s realm could not be as stable as his own. Yang Kai could never be his opponent, a veteran master who had been in Dao Source Realm for over a century. However, he found that he was wrong after this confrontation.
Seeing the oncoming giant palm, how could Jiang Tai Sheng dare to stand still in his position. He hurriedly twisted his body and dodged, escaping several dozen metres away. There was an unsightly look on his face as he looked at Yang Kai.
Yang Kai, on the other hand, didn’t take this opportunity to chase after him. Rather, he stood in place, looking at Jiang Tai Sheng with mockery. That mocking sneer pierced straight into Jiang Tai Sheng’s heart like a sharp knife, making him feel uncomfortable.
“Dammit!” Jiang Tai Sheng shouted. Having shown such unsightly performance under the gazes of so many members of the Jiang Family, his old face couldn’t take it. He grit his teeth and stretched his hand out, grasping in the void. Suddenly, a broadsword with a tiger head on the hilt suddenly appeared in his hand.
Impressively, that broadsword was a Dao Source Grade artifact. Its blade was thick and had many complicated patterns engraved on it. The tiger head on the hilt was extremely vivid and lifelike. It appeared extraordinary.
Obviously, since he couldn’t beat Yang Kai in Source Qi, his next hope was to rely on the artifact.
This artifact was the founding treasure of the Jiang Family, a Dao Source Grade artifact that only he could use, and has always been by his side.
The next moment, he madly poured the Source Qi into the broadsword. He stared at Yang Kai with a hideous look on his face like he wanted to kill Yang Kai as soon as possible.
With an earth-shattering roar, a phantom of a tiger suddenly flew out of the sword. And as Jiang Tai Sheng kept pouring his Source Qi, the phantom of the tiger grew more and more tangible. After a moment, it looked like a real Monster Beast.
Surprisingly, it was exuding the aura of an Eleventh-Order Monster Beast!
The giant tiger was 5-6 metre tall. It raised its head and roared at the sky. It was exuding an extraordinary momentum. Right then, Jiang Tai Sheng raised the artifact in his hand high and fiercely swung it down as he shouted, “Go!”
The giant tiger immediately pounced straight at Yang Kai as swiftly and fiercely as a bolt of lightning. Its scarlet pupils were staring straight at Yang Kai.
Yang Kai let out a cold snort at the sight of this. Surprisingly, he didn’t avoid or even think of taking out his artifact. He charged straight at the oncoming giant tiger head-on.
“Overconfident!” At the sight of this, Jiang Tai Sheng fiercely shouted as he closely followed behind the giant tiger with the broadsword. His body, wrapped in sabre aura, left a dazzling streak of light.
After a moment, the giant tiger arrived before Yang Kai and bit at him. Even its fangs and teeth were distinctly visible.
Yang Kai tightened his hold on Zhang Ruo Xi while he punched with his free hand. His hand left turned blurry as it left untold afterimages, raining punches on the giant tiger.
*Bang Bang Bang…*
A strong and rhythmic sound rang as the giant tiger whimpered and wailed like a living creature before its figure distorted. In just three breaths, its figure collapsed all of a sudden.
The faces of the Jiang Family members, who were paying close attention to this battle of Dao Source Realm masters, suddenly turned gloomy.
But the next moment, Jiang Tai Sheng, who was surrounded by saber aura, arrived before Yang Kai. Suddenly, the saber aura around Jiang Tai Sheng grew bigger as it transformed into a 20 metres long blade, slashing down on Yang Kai.
Yang Kai immediately avoided this terrifying blow with a twist of his body.
The sabre of light left a five-metre or so deep gully on the ground as sand and pieces of rock flew into the air.
Before Jiang Tai Sheng could make any other move, Yang Kai fiercely punched straight at the saber of light.
Immediately, a crisp clang and muffled grunt followed as Jiang Tai Sheng’s figure appeared several tens of metres away. However, Jiang Tai Sheng’s facial features were extremely distorted at this moment and he was holding the broadsword horizontally before him.
What’s more, a vague depression had appeared on the broadsword. Judging by its shape, it appeared as if it was left by a punch.
“Your physique…” Jiang Tai Sheng looked at Yang Kai with a look of incredulity. His eyeballs were violently shaking in horror.
To his surprise, the opposite party had left his Dao Source Grade artifact in such a shape with just a punch. Its spirituality appeared to have been a little damaged. [What a terrifying physical body!]
[Is this guy even human?]
Taking advantage of his momentary loss of wits, Yang Kai fiercely flicked his five fingers at him, raining jet-black Moon Blades at him, one after another.
Jiang Tai Sheng’s face turned pale as he shouted in horror, “Space Force!?”
After seeing the jet-black Moon Blades formed from pure Space Force shooting over, how could he dare to remain still? He hurriedly escaped using every means possible.
But those Moon Blades followed closely behind him like maggots on rotting bones. Furthermore, they were so fast that he felt a little tired and exhausted from running.
“Hahaha, Jiang Family old dog, where are you running? You think you can escape!? Today, I won’t rest until I have flipped your entire Jiang Family!” Yang Kai broke into laughter and shouted. He looked extremely at ease.
At the sight of this, the faces of the Jiang Family members on the sideline started to change.
The Old Ancestor, whom they had been relying on, was fleeing like a stray dog after just two bouts with Yang Kai. Worse yet, their Old Ancestor was left with no room to retaliate! They immediately realized that they were in really big trouble this time.
“Patriarch!” an Elder of the Jiang Family quickly said, “We have to attack as well and help Old Ancestor!”
“Yes!” the others also agreed, “The Old Ancestor doesn’t seem to be this guy’s opponent.”
Jiang Lin’s face sank. He scanned the battlefield before suddenly focusing his gaze on the other side. He then proposed in a cold voice, “Rather than risking our lives to help Old Ancestor, it’s better to deal with her!”
Everyone was stunned. They immediately followed Jiang Lin’s gaze and saw an idly standing Mo Xiao Qi. She was leisurely watching the battle as if she wasn’t worried about Yang Kai’s safety at all.
“Yes! Yang Kai came with that girl, so they must have a close relationship. As long as we catch her, we will have him in our grasp!” Jiang Chu He’s eyes lit up. His gaze traveled along Mo Xiao Qi’s beautiful figure. However, when his gaze fell on the crescent-shaped birthmark on Mo Xiao Qi’s face, he couldn’t help but let out a sigh filled with emotions.
The gazes of Jiang Family members gathered together as they suddenly rushed toward Mo Xiao Qi.
In the blink of an eye, more than a dozen Origin King Realm masters had surrounded Mo Xiao Qi, leaving no room for escape.
“What do you want!?” Mo Xiao Qi furrowed her brow and looked around unhappily.
“Heh heh heh!” Jiang Chu He let out a sinister laughter. “Girl, do you really have no idea what we want to do? Be wise and obediently cooperate. Don’t force us to make a move, or you might get injured.”
Mo Xiao Qi, hearing this, was suddenly stunned. She contemptuously looked at the Jiang Family members and asked, “Do you want to bully with numbers?”
Jiang Lin’s old face was filled with embarrassment. He lightly coughed, “We have no other choice. Don’t blame us, Little Girl!”
“Patriarch, is there a point in talking with her, let’s just attack. If she dares to resist, she should not blame us,” a Jiang Family Elder fiercely shouted.
“You guys are too shameless. I am just a little girl,” Mo Xiao Qi tenderly shouted as a resentful look appeared on her face.
“There are no girls or women on the battlefield. If you want to blame someone, blame Yang Kai!” Jiang Chu He seemed to have a lot of resentments toward Yang Kai. So much so that his distorted thoughts had been transferred to Mo Xiao Qi, thereby leading to showing no trace of politeness to Mo Xiao Qi.
“Do you really want to make a move on me?” Mo Xiao Qi looked furious. She looked at Jiang Chu He, nibbling her lips.
“Ha, you think that this Young Master is joking with you?” Jiang Chu He coldly laughed.
Right then, he flipped his wrist as an Origin King Grade long sword appeared in his hand. The sword shook as he thrust it toward Mo Xiao Qi.
In an instant, as the sword swished through the air, Sword Qi shot out from the tip of the sword straight at Mo Xiao Qi, almost covering the entirety of her.
A playful expression appeared on Mo Xiao Qi’s pretty face. Surprisingly, she stood in her place with no intention of dodging. Instead, she glared at Jiang Chu He as she summoned something in neither a hurried nor slow manner and poured her Source Qi into it.
With a puff sound, the summoned artifact suddenly grew in size and directly enveloped Mo Xiao Qi inside, leaving not even the slightest gap.
This artifact was spherical in shape and was pale blue in colour. Its surface was shimmering like a water screen and was as transparent as a cicada’s wings.
From the outside, Mo Xiao Qi seemed to be inside a water ball.
This artifact was none other than the Weak Water Bead that Mo Xiao Qi had once used on the Clear Jade Mountain!
Just the fact that the Weak Water Body could even imprison a Luan Feng youngling was proof of its strength, and at this moment, Mo Xiao Qi was using it dynamically. The Weak Water Bead that was used to imprison had turned into a defensive artifact in her hand.
Obviously, it was quite effective as well.
Jiang Lin’s pupils shrank the moment this artifact appeared. He fiercely shouted, “a Dao Source Grade artifact!”
The moment he said this, the gazes of the Jiang Family Elders and Deacons turned hot.
“Clang…” The tip of Jiang Chu He’s long sword struck the water screen but to everyone’s surprise, this attack did not have the slightest effect. The water screen sunk bit by bit, giving the impression that the sword would pierce through any moment. But the next moment, it instantly bounced the sword back.
But that was not all. Even Jiang Chu He suffered from the recoil.
The leader of the Jiang Family’s next generation was caught off guard. To his and everyone’s surprise, he was completely unable to resolve it, and an involuntary cry of surprise escaped his mouth as he backed away a few steps. His face had gone a little pale before a look of shock appeared on it.
Fortunately, he hadn’t used his full strength. Otherwise, he would have been the one hurt instead.
“I’m afraid the origins of this little girl are extraordinary. Everyone, don’t hold back anymore and quickly end this!” Jiang Lin exhorted everyone with a low shout.
If she was an ordinary Origin King Realm master, how would she be able to summon a Dao Source Grade artifact at a moment’s notice? Furthermore, it was a defensive artifact. It should be brought to notice that of so many Origin King Realm masters of the Jiang Family, none of them had a Dao Source Grade artifact.
Only those with an extraordinary background and prospective futures could get one or two Dao Source Grade artifacts as a gift from their elders.
Before Jiang Chu He had made a move, Jiang Lin was still conscious about his status. He didn’t want to attack together, lest others say that he was bullying weak cultivators. But seeing that things weren’t looking good, how could he hesitate anymore?
Having said this, he formed hand seals with one hand and pointed the other forward.
Immediately, a streak of light shot out from the tip of his finger with a soft swish, striking the water screen of the Weak Water Bread in the blink of an eye.
At the same time, other Elder and Deacons of the Jiang Family also attacked, one after another.
In a flash, all kinds of Martial Skill and artifacts emerged, striking toward Mo Xiao Qi.
Unfortunately…
All the attacks failed and were bounced back. The Weak Water Bead enveloping Mo Xiao Qi continuously deformed, resolving those attacks one by one, and surprisingly bouncing them back.
The crowd of Jiang Family Origin King Realm cultivators immediately turned pale as they hurriedly dodged left and right.
Mo Xiao Qi’s pretty face, who was hiding inside the water screen of the Weak Water Bead, turned cold in anger as she tenderly shouted, “So you like to bully others with numbers, huh!? How shameless! I will take you all on!”
Sister Xiao Qi looked like a kid who had been bullied. As soon as she said this, she reached out and patted the small bags hanging around her waist.
No one had any idea about what was inside these bulging bags. Even when the Jiang Family members had noticed them before, they had not cared about it.
But at this moment, everyone’s eyes almost popped out in shock at the sight of what was happening.
Followed by Mo Xiao Qi’s actions, Monster Beasts of all shapes and sizes jumped out of the bags like gods descending from the Heavens. The first one to appear was a roughly seven-metre long, aloof Silver Maned Liger.
As soon as it appeared, it majestically roared at the sky before baring its fangs at the Jiang Family members. The horrified Jiang Family members immediately backed away.
At a glance, the sovereignty of a peak Tenth-Order Monster Beast was evident to everyone!
After that, a Heaven Escaping Bat appeared, followed by a Fire Qilin. Very soon, another several tens of metres long figure with two horns on its forehead appeared. It was a giant, pitch-black flood dragon that somewhat resembled a real Dragon.
The giant flood dragon coiled around Mo Xiao Qi with its head and chest raised straight. It then opened its mouth and hissed its red tongue. The colour of this black flood dragon’s pupils happened to be light blue. It was extremely weird.
“Blue Eyes Black Scale Flood Dragon!?” Immediately, some knowledgeable Jiang Family Elder cried in panic.
*Deng Deng Deng Deng…* The crowd of Jiang Family cultivators immediately backed away. Everyone looked at each other in shock before staring at the incomparably powerful and rare Monster Beasts before their eyes with incredulity!
Not to mention the small Heaven Escaping Bat, even the Silver Maned Liger, Red Fire Qilin and Blue Eyes Black Scale Flood Dragon had appeared before them. All of these Monster Beasts were almost extinct! It was basically impossible for an ordinary cultivator to see them outside.
The reason why these Monster Beasts were about to go extinct was that they all carried the bloodline of some Ancient Variant Beast! These bloodlines were extremely difficult to inherit, and with the passage of time, these Monster Beast with the Ancient Variant Beast bloodlines became rarer and rarer with every generation. Finally, they were on the verge of extinction.
And the reason why the Jiang Family Elder recognized the Blue Eyes Black Scale Flood Dragon was because he wanted to cultivate a Secret Technique that required the Blood Essence of a Black Flood Dragon in the past. Therefore, he had inquired about them many times. Unfortunately, he couldn’t find the trace of the Black Flood Dragon even after spending over a decade searching. Finally, he had to give up on cultivating that Secret Technique.
He had never expected that a Blue Eyes Black Scale Flood Dragon would suddenly appear before him after so many years!
And each of these Monster Beasts was extremely difficult to provoke because of the bloodlines of the Ancient Variant Beasts. More often than not, they were able to display strength beyond their realm, and if they resorted to the natural Divine Ability they inherited, fighting someone more than one realm stronger than them was a piece of cake for them.
In other words, the true strength of these Monster Beasts should be taken as a level higher to judge it accurately.
Moreover…
“The peak of Tenth-Order!? All of them are peak Tenth-Order Monster Beasts!?”
“What Monster Beasts are these!?”
“Where did they pop out from?”
“Who the hell is this little girl?”
The Jiang Family cultivators cried in shock. The soles of their feet were almost cramped.
Originally, they thought that Mo Xiao Qi was alone and they believed her to be an easy target because of her Origin King Realm Cultivation. They were planning on taking her down to restrict Yang Kai, but how could they have known that they would poke a hornet’s nest!
Jiang Lin’s face had gone even paler. As the current Patriarch of the Jiang Family, he clearly knew that he had provoked someone he shouldn’t have this time.
Originally, he knew that Mo Xiao Qi had some background, but when he saw her summon four peak Tenth-Order Monster Beasts with a wave of her hand, he immediately understood that Mo Xiao Qi didn’t have just some background, but an extremely strong one! And it wasn’t something that a small family like the Jiang Family could provoke.
As the Patriarch, he was naturally more worried than the others.
Furthermore, looking at the small bags hanging on Mo Xiao Qi’s waist, he vaguely recalled something but he couldn’t put his finger on it.
While the Jiang Family cultivators were still in shock, Mo Xiao Qi harrumphed and ground her teeth in anger as she ordered, “Xiao Yin, Xiao Hong, Xiao Hei, teach these shameless people a good lesson. They actually dared to bully me!”
[Xiao Yin, Xiao Hong, Xiao Hei…]
All the Jiang Family members were shocked after hearing this. Beads of cold sweat immediately trickled down their foreheads.
Much to their shock and dismay, three peak Tenth-Order Monster Beasts carrying the Ancient Variant Beasts’ bloodline were actually given such simple and ridiculous names…
*Roar…*
*Huhu…*
*Si Si…*
The three Monster Beasts appeared to have understood Mo Xiao Qi’s instructions and thereby responded with strange noises.
The Silver Maner Liger roared as it leapt into the crowd of Jiang Family cultivators; its several tens of metres long humongous body showed extraordinary agility. It then lifted its front paws and made a powerful horizontal sweep.
This sweep immediately gave rise to a powerful gale, almost causing Heaven and Earth to lose their colour.
How dare the Jiang Family members take it head-on!? They cried in shock and promptly dodged, one after another.
Meanwhile, the Red Fire Qilin opened its mouth and shot red-hot balls of fire toward them like a storm. Every fireball was the size of a plate and carried extremely heat.
When these fireballs hit the ground, they caused it to melt.
The Jiang Family members were struck with terror at the sight of this. They immediately backed away into the distance, extremely afraid of letting the flames make the slightest bit of contact with their bodies.
Next, the Blue Eyes Black Scale Flood Dragon also attacked. A pitch-black aura spread over the surface of its body before it transformed into a mass of black clouds and shot straight toward the battlefield, covering three Jiang Family Origin King Realm cultivators in it.
The next moment, sounds of fighting and strange hisses came from inside the black cloud.
Mo Xiao Qi, on the other hand, calmly stood inside the water screen of the Weak Water Bead, holding the little bat in her arms and slowly caressing its hair. Looking at the chaotic battlefield, she murmured to herself, “It seems we don’t have the upper hand… Should I summon Xiao Bai, Xiao Huang, Xiao Qing, Xiao Lu, and the others?”
Jiang Family cultivators, “…”
Though the three peak Tenth-Order Monster Beasts were extraordinary, the number of Jiang Family Origin King Realm masters was also great. Many of them were Third-Order Origin Kings, so the two sides were evenly matched.
After hearing Mo Xiao Qi’s remark, Jiang Family cultivators’ hearts skipped a beat. They couldn’t help but look at each other, and some even had their eyes tear up.
Just three Monster Beasts had tied their hands and feet. If Xiao Bai, Xiao Huang, Xiao Qing, Xiao Lu, or whatever made an appearance too, the Jiang Family would have no power to fight back.
Right then, Jiang Lin seemed to have suddenly remembered something. While dodging the Red Fire Qilin’s attack, he looked at the small cloth bags hanging by Mo Xiao Qi’s waist in amazement and cried in shock, “Spirit Beast Pouch! You are from the Spirit Beast Island!?”
Only now did he finally remember the origin of those small cloth bags.
One should not underestimate these small bags even a little. They were unique products of the Spirit Beast Island! Only the masters of the Spirit Beast Island could create this equipment that could house Monster Beasts through a secret method.
Furthermore, these Spirit Beast Pouches were never sold to outsiders, so others couldn’t get even one of them. On the other hand, Mo Xiao had a lot of them hanging on her waist. If she had nothing to do with the Spirit Beast Island, how could she have that many Spirit Beast Pouches?
And the Spirit Beast Island was famous in the entire Star Boundary. It might not be as huge as the Star Soul Palace or Serene Soul Palace, or have many disciples, but it too was one of the great forces to be reckoned with!
How could it not be? The Spirit Beast Island’s owner, Island Master to be precise, was one of the Ten Great Emperors who were hidden dragons that showed only their tails and not their face: The Martial Beast Great Emperor.
Rumour had it that there were many Monster Beasts on the Spirit Beast Island that were rarely found in the outside world. Even Ancient Divine Spirits had settled there, along with countless birds and beasts.
That meant, even though the Spirit Beast Island was just an island and the Martial Beast Great Emperor didn’t publicly recruit disciples, Spirit Beast Island’s deterrence in the Star Boundary wasn’t in any way inferior to the Star Soul Palace, which also had one of the Ten Great Emperors presiding.
However, the Spirit Beast Island was located in the boundless sea of the distant Eastern Territory. It was hundreds of millions of kilometres away from the Southern Territory, which was why Jiang Lin didn’t connect Mo Xiao Qi to Spirit Beast Island at first.
But as the Patriarch, after seeing so many mystical means shown by Mo Xiao Qi, how could he not guess correctly?
“Miss, how are you related to the Martial Beast Great Emperor?” Jiang Lin, making some breathing room while in the midst of heated combat, asked when he didn’t get a reply from Mo Xiao Qi.
After all, as far as he knew, the Spirit Beast Island didn’t take disciples. Everyone leaving on the Spirit Beast Island had some relation one way or another with the Martial Beast Great Emperor. If Mo Xiao Qi really came from the Spirit Beast Island, she must be related to Martial Beast Great Emperor or one of his few disciples.
How could the Jiang Family provoke someone like that? They could only serve her like she was their aunt.
Mo Xiao Qi, on the other hand, just stood inside the water screen of the Weak Water Bead, hugging Xiao Fu with one hand and caressing it with the other. Hearing this, she just raised her eyes, looking at the sky with indifference.
Meanwhile, the Jiang Family members turned pale after hearing this, a chill running down everyone’s spine. How could they have any thoughts of dealing with the attacks of those Monster Beasts?
The balance was immediately broken because of this.
First, one of the Jiang Family Elders was hit by the Red Fire Qilin’s fireball in his momentary loss of his senses. He let out a miserable scream before he melted into nothing the next moment. Then, a Jiang Family Deacon was flattened into nothing by a smack of Silver Maned Liger. The ground was immediately dyed red. It was too ghastly to even look at.
And the next moment, another figure flew out of the dark clouds that the Black Eyes Black Scale Flood Dragon had transformed into.
Before the figure even touched the ground, it was already devoid of any aura. And when it crashed on the ground, its head lifelessly tilted to one side as it lay there on the ground forever.
In the blink of an eye, three Jiang Family Origin Kings had lost their lives!
Seeing this, Jiang Lin’s eyes turned red. He immediately cast away all the fear and worry in his heart and angrily shouted, “Girl, no matter what your relationship with the Martial Beast Great Emperor is, since we have already fallen out, then it’s either you die or we die!”
Once he said this, the rest of the Jiang Family members were shocked.
Everyone knew that they were left with no choice but to do this out of desperation. Not to mention that a bloody feud had already been forged, a background like that of Mo Xiao Qi wasn’t something they could provoke. If they couldn’t kill Mo Xiao Qi right here, the Jiang Family could forget about making a foothold in the entire Star Boundary after today.
Mo Xiao Qi didn’t even need to personally make a move. She just had to let the word get out, and from then on, countless masters would fight to bring the Jiang Family members’ heads to her.
After all, there weren’t that many opportunities to curry favour with the Spirit Beast Island!
After stabilizing their mood, the Jiang Family members regrouped and retreated, having lost the momentum!
But at this point, the battle of the Dao Source Realm master seemed to have reached an end.
Followed by a painful scream, Jiang Tai Sheng and Yang Kai separated from each other in the air.
Yang Kai looked completely at ease, whereas Jiang Tai Sheng’s face had lost all its blood. A sliver of blood trickled down the corner of his mouth as if he had suffered a serious injury!
He was a century-old Dao Source Realm master, but after fighting Yang Kai for just the time it takes to finish half a cup of tea, he had already fallen leeward.
He stared at Yang Kai with extreme hatred and incredulity. It never occurred to him that he wouldn’t be an opponent of Yang Kai.
And when he looked back, Jiang Tai Sheng’s face immediately sank!
How could he not tell that his descendants were in trouble and he couldn’t count on them?
[I’m afraid the Jiang Family’s hundreds of years of foundation will be ruined today!]
As this thought flashed in his head, Jiang Tai Sheng’s face immediately turned ashen. He angrily glared at Yang Kai and fiercely shouted, “Junior, even if this old master dies today, I will take you down with me!”
Having said this, he immediately pushed the Source Qi in his body as his pale old face regained its complexion. At the same time, he bit the tip of his tongue and spewed a mouthful of Blood Essence!
Yang Kai’s face immediately sank. He realized that the opposite party was really planning on putting his life on the line.
Although he was confident that he could kill Jiang Tai Shen, his opponent was still a Dao Source Realm master. If he really decided to put his life on the line, he really could not be underestimated. Not to mention, his one arm was preoccupied with holding Zhang Ruo Xi. So, Yang Kai promptly took a defensive stance, lest the old guy really used to some technique that could very well kill him.
But the next moment, a blood mist enveloped Jiang Tai Sheng; not even a bit of his figure could be seen.
Immediately afterwards, the bloody mist flickered as it disappeared from its place. It transformed into a rainbow streak as it quickly fled away from Yang Kai in the opposite direction!
“What…” Yang Kai was left gawking, dumbstruck. He was even stunned for a while.
He had never thought that all of it was just Jiang Tai Sheng’s bluff and bluster. All his proclamation of dragging Yang Kai with him was just a front to cover his escape.
“That wily old fox!” Yang Kai cursed angrily. His eyes were filled with disdain. At the same time, he hurriedly prompted his Space Force, mobilizing the Space Principles, as he directed it at the distant streak of light covered blood and shouted, “Bind!”
That streaking rainbow stopped for a moment before it broke through the lock of Principles the next moment, fleeing toward the distance even faster.
After all, Jiang Tai Sheng too was a Dao Source Realm master. How could Yang Kai’s Principles trap him for long?
After getting rid of the Space Principles’ binding, he plunged straight toward the barren mountain cave and soon disappeared.
“That old thing!” Yang Kai immediately understood Jiang Tai Sheng. It was apparent to Jiang Tai Sheng that he wasn’t Yang Kai’s opponent. Besides, he had also suffered some injuries. Therefore, he didn’t plan on relying on speed to escape. If he really did so, he would not be able to escape from Yang Kai’s pursuit for sure.
Yang Kai understood the Dao of Space. He held an absolute advantage in tracking and escaping.
Therefore, Jiang Tai Sheng put his hopes on the Space Array in the cave. As long as he teleported away from here, Yang Kai would not be able to catch him no matter how great his skill was.
Jiang Tai Sheng’s plan was pretty good and he even succeeded in it. After he entered the cave, his aura had disappeared the next moment. Only faint Space Force fluctuations were left.
These fluctuations were naturally due to Jiang Tai Sheng using the Space Array.
On another note, the Jiang Family members were devastated at the sight of this.
They tried their best in this battle of life and death. Because they wanted to help their Old Ancestor, three of them had even lost their lives.
But to their dismay, their Old Ancestor had abandoned them at this critical juncture without a moment of hesitation. He ran away without giving so much as a warning.
They didn’t have much confidence in defeating Mo Xiao Qi. Not to mention, there was no one to stop Yang Kai, a Dao Source Realm master. If the Jiang Family members remained here, they would undoubtedly be seeking their own doom.
Therefore, Jiang Lin decisively shouted, “Let’s go!”
Everyone hurriedly withdrew, madly fleeing toward the cave on the barren mountain!
They had the same plan as Jiang Tai Sheng. Since they couldn’t escape from Yang Kai, they could only rely on the Space Array. As long as they could escape from this place, they could survive this calamity.
And to their surprise, Yang Kai didn’t appear to have any intention of stopping them. He hovered in the air with a calm look on his face, watching them flee.
However, there was a playful smile on his face, ringing warning bells in Jiang Lin’s mind.
However, the other Jiang Family members were overjoyed. They rushed to the small cave, pushing their way in.
A Jiang Family Elder quickly threw the Source Crystals into the grooves around the Space Array. After having arranged everything in order, he immediately mobilized his energy, trying to activate the Array.
However…
Nothing happened!
The Jiang Family members burned with anxiety as they waited. But the Space Array that should have been up and running remained still. It didn’t make so much as a hum, let alone transmit everyone.
“What’s wrong?” Jiang Chu He asked, pale and terrified.
“The Array… isn’t responding!” that Elder replied as the blood drained from his face.
“How could it not respond? Let me try!” Jiang Chu He took the matter in his hand. He immediately poured his energy into the Array just like that Elder.
But the result was still the same. The Space Array seemed to have stopped working.
Suddenly, a figure appeared at the entrance of the cave, weirdly laughing as it made its way in, step by step.
The Jiang Family members immediately turned pale. They turned their heads, looking at Yang Kai, who was slowly approaching like the God of Death. Goosebumps exploded all over their bodies.
Everyone suddenly realized that they had made a wrong choice, causing them to be caught in a jar like a turtle.
“Great, great, since everyone is stuck here, it saves me the trouble of chasing you.” Yang Kai stood not too far away from the Jiang Family members, looking at everyone with a shadow of a smile on his face, completely calm and composed contrary to the situation at hand. He then said, “Your Old Ancestor doesn’t seem to be very kind.”
The moment he said this, Jiang Lin felt as if he was struck by an invisible hammer right in the chest. His face flushed red as he opened his mouth and spurted an arrow of blood. He immediately looked at the sky and cried out, “I hate…”
Other Jiang Family members’ faces turned ashen as well. A complex and embarrassed look blanketed everyone’s face.
At this point, how could everyone not understand that the reason that the Space Array wasn’t working was that their Old Ancestor had destroyed the Space Array on the other side?
The Array in the cave and the mine were connected with each other. It was only when both were intact that one could be transmitted to the other side.
But as soon as Jiang Tai Sheng teleported to the other side, a problem occurred with the Array on the other side. Obviously, he had done something.
It wasn’t difficult to understand why he would do this: It was because he wanted to hinder Yang Kai from pursuing him. But by doing this, he had ruined the rest of the Jiang Family members’ escape route.
How could everyone not be devastated when their Old Ancestor fled for his life, ignoring the lives of his clansmen?
Desperate, Jiang Lin looked at Yang Kai dispiritedly and said, “Alchemist Yang, since things have already reached this point, if you want to kill us, then do so. Do as you please!”
He still could be considered to have some backbone. He didn’t seem to have the intention of begging for mercy. On the contrary, he was requesting to be killed. It might be that his heart was already broken by his Old Ancestor’s conduct. He had already given up on continuing to live.
He might have such thoughts, but not the rest of the Jiang Family members.
After hearing Jiang Ling speak, the expression of a few Jiang Family Elders couldn’t help but momentarily change. The new generation leader of the Jiang Family, Jiang Chu He looked even more terrified. He hurriedly stepped forward and anxiously pleaded, gazing at Yang Kai with a flattering look on his face, “Alchemist Yang, this Jiang had eyes but failed to see and has offended Alchemist Yang. I ask Sir Alchemist Yang to be magnanimous and not care about someone like me. This Jiang has already seen his errors and repented. From now on, this Jiang will correct his ways. I would like to follow Alchemist Yang and serve him like a dog!”
“Oh!?” Yang Kai raised his brow, appearing to be a little interested.
“You filthy swine…” Jiang Lin, who had already suffered a mental blow, became dejected and dispirited again. After having been annoyed by Jiang Chu He again, his mood had grown even worse. He almost fainted. But he forcefully roused his spirit and angrily lashed out, tremblingly pointing at Jiang Chu He’s back, “You cowardly rat, you are a disgrace to Jiang Family!”
Jiang Chu He immediately turned back and lashed back, “Old fart, shut your trap! Even though the Old Ancestor has abandoned us, I don’t want to seek my own doom! I, Jiang Chu He, am still very young and have a prospective future. I don’t want to die without rhyme or reason! If you are still sensible, quickly offer yourself to Alchemist Yang. Alchemist Yang is kind and magnamious, he might just spare your lives.”
“Well said!” Yang Kai smiled lightly and, approvingly looking at Jiang Chu He, stated, “A wise man will submit to the circumstances, not bad!”
Jiang Chu He hurriedly turned around, and putting on a flattering look on his face, slightly bowed and responded with a flattering smile, “Alchemist Yang, you flatter me!”
“However, I really hate people who cling to life and fear death!” Yang Kai’s face grew colder all of a sudden.
Jiang Chu He’s smile immediately turned stiff.
“Okay, enough with this nonsense. I hadn’t planned on killing all of you, down to the last man. I just wanted to punish the culprit. But now that a blood feud has already been forged… all of you go in peace!” While speaking, Yang Kai’s face gradually grew colder as a killing intent swept everyone. He slowly stretched his hand out, pushing it toward the Jiang Family members.
The Jiang Family Origin Kings immediately turned pale. They instinctively wanted to resist but they suddenly realized they were completely unable to move no matter how hard they tried; the space around them seemed to have been frozen at some point. And not only that, but the energy in their meridians was also moving sluggishly. They were unable to circulate it.
[Principles!]
Everyone’s face instantly turned ashen as they helplessly watched Yang Kai’s palm move ever closer to closing. An aura of death swept over everyone.
But right then, something strange happened!
The ground started violently rumbling and quaking all of a sudden. After a few moments, cracking sounds came from everywhere. They were extremely loud; it sounded as if the world was about to end.
Yang Kai’s expression immediately changed. He promptly spread his Divine Sense and when he noticed the changes around him, his figure instantly disappeared from where he stood, appearing by Mo Xiao Qi’s side the next moment. He didn’t even have the time to deal with the Jiang Family members.
Xiao Qi had already taken her Monster Beasts back in the Spirit Beast Pouches and happened to be floating in the air with a serious look on her face.
After seeing Yang Kai appear, she anxiously cried, “Big Brother Yang, it seems that…”
“I know, let’s go!” Yang Kai cut her off, pushed his Source Qi, wrapping her in and quickly fleeing into the distance.
Meanwhile, the Jiang Family members inside the cave were a little taken aback after having barely escaped with their lives.
Someone shouted something was wrong and everyone fled from the cave, one after another.
And when they arrived outside, each and everyone was dumbstruck by the sight before them.
The ground within a thousand kilometres of them was violently rising and falling like waves, as if something was erupting from underground. And along with the violent ups and downs of the ground, a series of sharp ravines suddenly appeared before everyone, spanning endlessly.
More importantly, pitch-black auras were slowly rising from these ravines.
Soon after, these further branched into black snakes-like things, wafting in every direction.
The world was quickly flooded by these.
In their momentary loss of wits, the Jiang Family members were surrounded by this pitch-black aura.
“What is this!?” a Jiang Family Elder cried in shock. He was getting a disturbing feeling from this black aura. That feeling seemed to provoke all kinds of negative emotions buried deep in his heart. In the blink of an eye, his eyes turned red as his breathing became short.
“Demon Qi!”
“Dammit!”
“Run!”
The Jiang Family members screamed. They promptly circulated their energy, trying to cast every escaping technique in their arsenal. However, it was already too late! Those black snake-like things immediately swarmed toward them, like they were alive, tightly surrounding everyone at once.
The defensive Source Qi of the Jiang Family cultivators couldn’t stop the erosion of these black auras. In just a short while, it was riddled with holes as black auras made their way in, seeping into their bodies through their mouths, noses, eyes, and ears.
In just a short while, heart-rending screams drowned every sound. The Jiang Family members seemed to be suffering unimaginable torture and pain.
But after a while, these screams abruptly stopped.
In the world shrouded in black Qi, the Jiang Family cultivators stood back up. But at this moment, their aura was completely different from before. Everyone was surrounded by black mist and had an inexplicable evil smile hanging on their faces, their eyes reddish black. It looked extremely horrifying.
*Hong Hong Hong…*
At a certain place, the ground suddenly blew up by a violent force as a huge hole appeared on the ground. The next moment, a vigorous figure jumped out of that hole.
The figure landed on the ground and exercised its hands and feet a little as crisp, popping noises rang from it. The figure cracked its neck again as it broke into a peal of evil laughter.
If Yang Kai was still here, he would have surely recognized this figure as it was none other than the Jiang Family Old Ancestor, Jiang Tai Sheng, who had just fled like a stray dog.
However, in this short period, Jiang Tai Sheng’s injuries seemed to have healed. Not only that, the aura radiating from him was stronger than before, as if he had made huge advancement.
And this wasn’t just limited to him. It was the same for all the Jiang Family members.
After everyone had been infected by the black Qi, they had changed. Their aura and strength had made tremendous progress.
Jiang Tai Sheng stood for a while before swooshing sounds suddenly came from behind him. One after another, figures jumped out of the hole and neatly stood behind him. They didn’t utter a single word. It was extremely strange and eerie.
All of these figures were Jiang Family cultivators and mine slaves who had been demonized in the mine earlier.
Jiang Tai Sheng looked around as an extremely satisfied look appeared on his face. The next moment, he looked up and howled.
His howl went straight to the sky. Meanwhile, the pitch-black Demon Qi appeared to be summoned in some way as it gathered and formed a black tornado, rising toward the sky as if it would pierce through the sky.
In the distance, Yang Kai and Mo Xiao Qi, who were fleeing at full speed, looked back after hearing this howl. Their expressions couldn’t help but change.
“Dammit!” Yang Kai cried in shock. “Who knows what the Jiang Family has done this time. I’m afraid Maplewood City is going to be destroyed!”
“If my guess is right, it should be the Demon Qi of an Ancient Great Demon!” Mo Xiao Qi replied.
“Ancient Great Demon!?” Yang Kai furrowed his brow.
“Mhmm. In Ancient Times, humans, monsters, demons, and other races were all prosperous. They all ruled the Star Boundary, but with the change of times, races were replaced, one after another. Finally, our human race became the ruler of the Star Boundary and has ruled it to this day because of our huge population and many masters, suppressing other races. However, that doesn’t mean that the other races have been destroyed. They have been living in some hidden places in the Star Boundary, thriving in their own territory, but they rarely show up. Today’s Demon Race is one of them, but they are completely different from the Ancient Great Demons. Only the pure Demon Qi of an Ancient Great Demon can demonize other living beings and transform them into members of the Demon Race!”
“There is something like this in the world!?” Yang Kai asked in surprise.
“An Ancient Great Demon’s Demon Qi or an Ancient Great Demon’s body was sealed in that mine… Ahh! How did the Jiang Family discover this place? And even broke the seal!?” Mo Xiao Qi’s pretty face distorted in anger.
“I guess that the Pure Heart Jade in the mine didn’t naturally come into being, but was there because of the seal!” Yang Kai was absorbed in his thoughts.
The greatest effect of the Pure Heart Jade was to purify the heart, so it was a natural bane to the evil Demon Qi. Perhaps… a long, long time ago, some ancient master might have used a huge amount of Pure Heart Jade to lay a seal underground. Unfortunately, years of mining by the people sent by the Jiang Family must have broken this seal, finally liberating the Demon Qi.
“I hope it’s the former. If it’s the latter…” Mo Xiao Qi stopped talking.
“What will happen?” asked Yang Kai.
Mo Xiao Qi looked at him with a grave look in her eyes and replied, “It would mean that the Ancient Great Demon has a good chance of resurrecting. If that’s the case, I’m afraid that the Ten Great Emperors would have to personally make a move. Only they would be able to eradicate it.”
Yang Kai’s face suddenly turned gloomy after hearing this.
“The Demon Qi has dispersed!” Mo Xiao Qi seemed to have noticed something at the moment and tenderly shouted.
Yang Kai calmly took a look back and noticed that it was indeed as Mo Xiao Qi had said. The vast Demon Qi covering thousands of kilometres of area disappeared in all directions as if it was controlled by someone. The billowing Demon Qi scattered away with unstoppable momentum, scattered about in a mess.
There was a village at the foot of the barren mountain near the mine.
But as the Demon Qi swept by it, painful screams were heard coming from the village, one after another.
And when the Demon Qi disappeared, figures wrapped in black aura stood up from every corner of the village, one after another.
Immediately after, all of them stared at the fleeing Yang Kai and Mo Xiao Qi before pursuing after them.
These ordinary people, who had never cultivated, sported physical strength that wasn’t in any way inferior to wild beasts. Although they might not be able to catch up with Yang Kai, they still showed no signs of letting up.
“Sir…” Right then, a weak cry came from Zhang Ruo Xi, who was in Yang Kai’s arms.
“Are you awake!?” Yang Kai looked down and saw Zhang Ruo Xi looking right at him. After her rest, her pretty face that was previously pale seemed to have regained a little of its complexion. Yang Kai hurriedly pushed his Source Qi, coursing it through her body. After confirming that she was in no serious trouble, he was finally relieved.
“Sir, please save my Zhang Family,” begged Zhang Ruo Xi. “They don’t know anything about the situation here, and if they aren’t informed…”
Yang Kai furrowed his brow after hearing this. But soon, he agreed with a nod, “Alright, I will take a trip to the Zhang Family!”
“Thank you, Sir!” Zhang Ruo Xi gratefully thanked Yang Kai.
“Big Brother Zhang, I think it will be better if we move separately!” Mo Xiao Qi suddenly proposed. “You go to that Zhang Family, while I go to Maplewood City to inform Sir City Lord to take precautions. Otherwise, when the Demon Qi invades Maplewood City, it will be too late.”
“I guess you are right.” Yang Kai nodded his agreement. He was thinking the same. And now that Mo Xiao Qi herself had proposed it, it couldn’t be any better. “You better be careful. I will rush back to Maplewood City as soon as possible. Then, we will get far away from here!”
“Mhmm,” Mo Xiao Qi repeatedly nodded before she circulated her energy as she shot straight toward Maplewood City, leaving a long trail behind her.
Yang Kai immediately sped up after she left.
After the time it takes for half an incense stick to burn, Yang Kai had arrived at the Zhang Family manor.
At this moment, the sun had just started rising. However, the orphans and widows of the Zhang Family were already up. Signs of activity could be seen in the manor.
When Yank Kai arrived, the only two men of the Zhang Family, the fat and thin cultivators, happened to be sparring in an open space. Both of them had similar cultivation, they were on par with each other. While they were locked in a heated battle, a flash of light blinded their eyes as a figure suddenly appeared.
The fat and thin cultivators were greatly taken aback. They immediately stepped back and shouted, “Who are you?”
But the next moment, a happy look appeared on the fat cultivator’s face. He looked pleasantly surprised as he stated, “Well, it’s our saviour!”
“And Ruo Xi too!” The thin cultivator seeing Zhang Ruo Xi, who was being gently put down by Yang Kai, greeted with enthusiasm.
Since Yang Kai saved the Zhang Family from extermination, the Zhang Family had been grateful to Yang Kai. And seeing him here, they were naturally filled with joy.
“Second Brother, Third Brother…” Zhang Ruo Xi’s pretty face flushed red. She seemed a little apologetic and hurriedly greeted them.
“You can chat with each other first, I will go talk to your grandmother!” After dropping this sentence, his figure flickered before he disappeared all of sudden.
“He seems to be in a hurry. What’s up?” The fat cultivator instinctively noticed something wrong. He worriedly looked at Zhang Ruo Xi and asked, “Is there something wrong?”
“It’s like this.” Zhang Ruo Xi also knew that it wasn’t time to reminisce. So, she quickly recounted the things about the mine.
The fat and thin cultivator turned pale after hearing this.
At this moment, they heard the Zhang Family’s Matriarch’s voice and their expression turned grave. After excusing themselves, they hurried toward the manor.
After the time it takes to enjoy half the cup of tea, a beautiful boat suddenly rose from the Zhang Family manor and shot toward Maplewood City.
The Zhang Family was few in number. They only had a dozen or so people, that’s all. Except for the fat and thin cultivators, everyone else was a woman. Moreover, their cultivation realms were completely different. In order to speed things up, Yang Kai could only summon the boat artifact and flew them toward Maplewood City together.
Fortunately, there weren’t that many of them. Otherwise, things would have taken longer. Furthermore, it was great that the Zhang Family’s Matriarch did not doubt Yang Kai either. After learning about the seriousness of the matter, she decisively followed Yang Kai and left Zhang Family’s centuries-old home without a moment of hesitation.
The old woman already had one foot in the grave. Naturally, she knew that as long as her family could live, they would always have the chance to make a comeback, but if no one was left alive, their family would really be over.
As long as her family was safe and sound, who cared about a centuries-old home?
The distance of three hundred kilometres was covered in a moment.
At the city gate, the expression of the cultivators guarding the gate suddenly changed when they saw a ship flying over. One of the First-Order Origin Kings took a deep breath and shouted at the top of his voice, “Who is it? Any use of flight-type artifacts in Maplewood City is banned. Please disembark as soon as possible!”
But they didn’t get any response from the ship.
Seeing the ship coming closer and closer, a serious look appeared on all the guards’ faces. Just when they were preparing to attack the ship to defend Maplewood City, an overwhelming pressure suddenly came from the ship.
“Dao Source Realm!” The First-Order Origin King was shocked and his knees almost touched the ground. As for the others, their cultivation was far worse than his, so they fared even worse.
In their momentary lapse in concentration, the ship had rushed straight into Maplewood City at an extremely fast speed.
“Who is so bold that he actually dares to use a flight-type artifact in the city so imposingly!”
“Are they tired of living?”
“Where are the people of the City Lord’s Mansion? Why don’t they teach him a lesson?”
“What a joke!? There is a Dao Source Realm master on the ship. Apart from the two Vice City Lord and Sir City Lord, who can stop him?”
For a moment, the cultivators in the city began to whisper with each other, looking at the sky.
In normal times, Yang Kai would not be so ostentatious. But now they were pressed for time. And he had the orphans and widows of the Zhang Family with him. He had no choice.
Bad news travels fast. Soon, the news about someone ignoring the rules of Maplewood City and driving a flight-type artifact straight into the city reached the ears of every major family in the city. Everyone was amazed by this.
At this moment, Yang Kai had already flown the ship to the Spirit Pill Plaza.
Naturally, he came here to inform Kang Si Ran.
In the entire Maplewood City, he was only close to Kang Si Ran and Mo Xiao Qi. Now that Maplewood City was facing a disaster, it was natural to notify the other party.
“Just stay here and don’t move. I have already turned on the ship’s defences. I will be back in a second.” After having talked with the Zhang Family, he hurriedly got out of the ship.
Meanwhile, Kang Si Ran also happened to have noticed the movements outside and walked out of the Spirit Pill Plaza.
The moment he saw Yang Kai, Kang Si Ran’s eyes almost popped out of their sockets. He pointed at Yang Kai and cried in surprise, “Brother… Brother Yang, you…”
He thought that he was seeing a ghost!
After all, when the Yuan Furnace Mountain collapsed, there was no sign of Yang Kai. Later, he also inquired about Yang Kai’s whereabouts. He knew that the Raging Fire Temple had searched the collapsed Yuan Furnace Mountain for two months, but they found nothing.
And he still hadn’t heard of Yang Kai even after six months.
Kang Si Ran took it as Yang Kai having died at the Yuan Furnace Mountain.
But now, Yang Kai had magically appeared in front of him. How could Kang Si Ran not be surprised!
But soon, a relieved expression appeared on Kang Si Ran’s face as if his heart was free from some burden. He walked up to Yang Kai in hurried steps, tightly grabbed his arm with one hand and ruthlessly patted Yang Kai’s shoulder with the other. Meanwhile, he sized up Yang Kai from top to bottom as he spoke, “Good! Good! Heaven is really just. It helps the good. Brother Yang, now I can finally rest easy!”
Speaking of which, Kang Si Ran was feeling quite guilty these days because he took Yang Kai to the Yuan Furnace Mountain. But after the accident at the Yuan Furnace Mountain, he returned safe and sound while Yang Kai died there.
During these six months, Kang Si Ran was riddled with guilt whenever he recalled it. He felt that he had harmed Yang Kai and often couldn’t sleep and couldn’t cultivate in peace either.
But now, the source of his nightmares and guilt that had been troubling him all day had come back unscathed. He naturally felt lighter.
Yang Kai brow twitched. He immediately understood the change in Kang Si Ran’s psyche. But he couldn’t explain much either.
“Brother Yang, you…” Kang Si Ran looked askance at the exquisite ship floating above the Spirit Pill Plaza. He had no idea why Yang Kai was causing trouble like this.
“Brother Kang, we are in big trouble,” Yang Kai stated in a low voice and with a grim look on his face.
“What’s happened?” Kang Si Ran’s face immediately changed. He had caught a clue from Yang Kai’s grim look and asked anxiously.
“It’s like this…” Yang Kai quickly explained what happened in the mine, and added, “Brother Kang, quickly pack your things and leave Maplewood City with me!”
“How is this possible? How can there be an Ancient Great Demon’s pure Demon Qi in the vicinity of Maplewood City?” Kang Si Ran lost his wits. He simply couldn’t believe what he was hearing.
Had it not been Yang Kai, he would have taken it as nothing more than a joke and laughed it off. But this news came straight from Yang Kai. He couldn’t help but give it a thought.
“We don’t have the time to think.” Yang Kai worriedly looked back, gazing at the sky outside the city. As if he sensed it, his expression slightly changed as he hurriedly shouted, “Brother Kan, I’ll take a trip to the City Lord’s Mansion. I will be back soon, and we will leave at once!”
Immediately after, he utilized his Space Force and teleported inside the city.
As Kang Si Ran was beside himself, he didn’t think much about it. He immediately turned around and rushed straight into the Spirit Pill Plaza.
The next moment, the entire Spirit Pill Plaza broke into hysteria.
The City Lord’s Mansion was located right at the centre of Maplewood City. Yang Kai had gone in there with Kang Si Ran to participate in the auction last time, so he was familiar with the path.
He was going to the City Lord’s Mansion not to inform anyone, but to find Mo Xiao Qi.
Judging by the amount of time that passed, Mo Xiao Qi should have already explained the situation to the people of City Lord’s Mansion. But she was still nowhere to be found.
Yang Kai had no choice but to go there himself and bring Mo Xiao Qi with him.
Along the way, he took out the Sound Bead given to him by Mo Xiao Qi before, and pouring his Divine Sense into it, sent a message.
Unfortunately, Mo Xiao Qi wasn’t responding.
Yang Kai furrowed his brow. He put away the Sound Bead and increased his speed.
After a short while, he arrived at the City Lord’s Mansion. He unscrupulously swept the entire compound with his Divine Sense and found Mo Xiao Qi’s whereabouts at once.
Mo Xiao Qi happened to be in a side hall of the City Lord’s Mansion. There seemed to be a First-Order Dao Source Realm cultivator with her. However, Yang Kai was not familiar with his aura. He had no idea who it was.
The Space Force fluctuated around Yang Kai and he appeared in the side hall straight away.
Yang Kai looked around and immediately noticed an old man with grey-white skin standing before Mo Xiao Qi. She was reporting something in an agitated manner. But the old man just stood there with his hands behind his back. He appeared indifferent to it.
The old man instantly noticed Yang Kai as soon as he appeared and quickly looked at him. Two beams suddenly shot out from his dull eyes and fell on Yang Kai. The next moment, he looked surprised.
Because the old man realized that Yang Kai was actually a Dao Source Realm master completely unfamiliar to him!
This was rare in Maplewood City.
“Big Brother Yang!” Mo Xiao Qi, on the other hand, was overjoyed and immediately greeted as if she had found a saviour.
“Are you done?” Yang Kai hurriedly asked.
Mo Xiao Qi looked infuriated after hearing this. She pointed at the grey-skinned old man and stated, stamping her feet, “Vice City Lord Zhuang didn’t believe what I said at all. I’m arguing with him.”
“He doesn’t believe you!?” Yang Kai frowned.
But hearing what Mo Xiao Qi said, Yang Kai also came to know who this grey-skinned old man was.
Maplewood City Vice Lord, Zhuang Pan! He too was in the First-Order Dao Source Realm.
Maplewood City had a City Lord and two Vice City Lords. The City Lord was naturally Duan Yuan Shan, who was in the Second-Order Dao Source Realm. And of the two Vice City Lords, one of them hosted the auction, the Drunkard. He was unreasonable and had a strange temper. And the other one was Zhuang Pan before him.
Even though he and Drunkard were only in the First-Order Dao Source Realm, he had been immersed in the same realm for many years. And it was very possible that he would make a breakthrough anytime.
Today, he might’ve been on duty in the City Lord’s Mansion. So, after Mo Xiao Qi came here, she didn’t have to spend much effort to meet him. Unfortunately, Zhuang Pan didn’t believe Mo Xiao Qi. No matter what Mo Xiao Qi said and how severe the situation she described it to be, he remained completely indifferent! Instead, he looked askance at Mo Xiao Qi, suspecting if she was planning something.
This was really making Mo Xiao Qi worried.
She voluntarily came to the City Lord’s Mansion to inform about the leaking Demon Qi out of kindness. She couldn’t bear to see so many cultivators in Maplewood City to be infected by the Demon Qi. She didn’t have any selfish intentions but Zhuang Pan’s attitude had made her cheek a little hot. She felt wronged.
“Friend, how should I call you? I haven’t seen you before!” Against Yang Kai, Zhuang Pan’s expression finally became more solemn. After all, Yang Kai’s cultivation wasn’t something he could ignore.
“Yang Kai, greetings Vice City Lord Zhuang!” Yang Kai cupped his fist at him. And before he could say anything, Yang Kai continued, “What my friend just said wasn’t a lie, she is speaking the truth. I have seen it with my own eyes. The City Lord’s Mansion needs to make preparations. I ask Vice City Lord Zhuang to quickly discuss it with Sir City Lord about countermeasures. If you delay, I’m afraid it will be too late. I have already said everything. Let’s go!”
Having finished his piece, Yang Kai, without giving any face to Zhuang Pan, pulled Mo Xiao Qi to leave.
Seeing this, Zhuang Pan’s face immediately fell. He looked very displeased.
And right then, a First-Order Origin King suddenly ran in. He appeared to be in panic. He immediately shouted the moment he came in, “Reporting to Sir Vice City Lord, a ship just now ignored the city’s rule of no flying and forced their way in. A Dao Source Realm master was aboard, so we were unable to stop it. I ask Sir Vice City Lord to take charge!”
“Ship!? Dao Source Realm!?” Zhuang Pan’s pupils involuntarily shrank after hearing this. He immediately turned his gaze at the departing back of Yang Kai and fiercely shouted, “Friend, wait a moment!?”
Just as he said this, he vigorously circulated his Source Qi and arrived behind Yang Kai like a ghost with a flicker. Immediately after, he reached out to smack Yang Kai’s shoulder.
Sensing the movement behind him, Yang Kai promptly pushed away Mo Xiao Qi, and turning around, stretched his hand out to receive Zhuang Pan’s oncoming palm.
*BANG…* Followed by a deafening bang, the World Energy undulated as a violent gale of wind ravaged the hall.
Yang Kai stood still as a mountain but Zhuang Pan, on the other hand, was forced to take a step back. His face looked gloomier than before.
“What do you want to do?” Yang Kai straightened his body and angrily glared at Zhuang Pan. His eyes flickered with a cold gleam.
Zhuang Pan was agitated. Nonetheless, he was a Dao Source Realm master. He took a deep breath and calmed himself before he quickly replied, “Friend, as the Vice City Lord of Maplewood City, this Zhuang has the right to govern the affairs of the city. I think you have heard what this guard just reported. This Zhuang would like to know…”
“That ship indeed belongs to me,” Yang Kai didn’t wait for him to finish and promptly replied.
“Friend, you sure have guts!” Zhuang Pan blew his top after hearing this. “No flying is allowed inside Maplewood City, or any flight-type artifact, for that matter. Nobody can break this rule. Friend, since you have ignored the City Lord’s Mansion’s directive, this Zhuang Pan has no choice but to ask you to give me an explanation.”
Before Yang Kai could respond, the nearby Mo Xiao Qi angrily stamped her foot and rebuked, “You are really interesting. The leaking Demon Qi is about to reach Maplewood City but you want to look at Big Brother Yang’s ship? Do you really not care about millions of lives in Maplewood City?”
Zhuang Pan narrowed his eyes as he coldly snorted and countered, “Whether this matter is true or false remains to be seen. How can this Zhuang believe you just because you say so? But this friend has indeed broken the rules of Maplewood City. I’m afraid he can’t leave just like this? If you want to leave, you have to get this Zhuang’s permission first.”
“Who cares about the rules in the face of impending doom?” Yang Kai angrily laughed. “Xiao Qi, you don’t need to waste your words on him. We have already given them the news. It’s their choice to believe it or not. When the residents of Maplewood City are annihilated, he would be haunted by millions of ghosts day and night. Let’s go!”
Mo Xiao Qi nodded. She glared at Zhuang Pan before chasing after Yang Kai.
“This King said, if Your Excellency wants to leave, you will have to get this King’s permission first!” Zhuang Pan angrily shouted. Suddenly, a small pagoda-like artifact appeared in his hand. He immediately poured his Source Qi into it as the pagoda slowly started rotating and flew toward Yang Kai and Mo Xiao Qi.
While flying, the pagoda suddenly grew bigger, reaching the height of several hundred meters all of a sudden. Its bottom, which was completely dark and surrounded by Principles, instantly pressed down on Yang Kai and Mo Xiao Qi.
Judging by its momentum, it seemed that they were going to be completely suppressed by this pagoda.
“Dao Source Grade artifact!” Yang Kai’s pupils, sensing the powerful energy radiating from the pagoda, involuntarily shrunk. He immediately blew his top.
He grit his teeth and took out a light blue ball before pouring his Source Qi into it.
That light blue ball wasn’t that big, just the size of a longan. But as Yang Kai poured his Source Qi into it, a flickering electric arc suddenly appeared inside the ball, causing the hairs to stand at their roots’ end.
Mo Xiao Qi suddenly started at the ball in astonishment. A soft cry of surprise even escaped from her mouth. She seemed to have been extremely surprised.
At this time, that pulsating electric arc in the ball shot outside, swimming like a fish. It shot straight toward the pressing tall pagoda, leaving crackling noises.
Zhuang Pan couldn’t help but sneer at the sight of this. His eyes were filled with disdain and contempt. He immediately formed a few hand seals as that big and tall pagoda grew bigger the next moment.
*Kacha…*
The electric arc struck the tall pagoda and disappeared into it in the next moment. The tall pagoda didn’t launch any counters!
Zhuang Pan broke into laughter and teased, “Friend, your move has really… opened my eyes!”
However, Yang Kai stood calmly in his place, responding with just a sneer.
Seeing his weird reaction, Zhuang Pan’s heart suddenly started pounding. A bad feeling rose in his heart.
Before he could grasp what just Yang Kai did, crackling noises suddenly came from inside the pressing tall pagoda. The next moment, the tall pagoda was surrounded by dancing dense and dazzling lightning arcs. Meanwhile, the glow emanating from the pagoda had dimmed.
The moment that lightning arc flashed, Zhuang Pan looked as if he was struck by lightning. He instantly turned pale as he spurted a mouthful of blood and his aura took a huge dive while he blurted out in shock, “How is this possible?”
At that moment, Zhuang Pan realized that his pagoda’s spirituality was greatly damaged!
His pagoda was a Low-Rank Dao Source Grade artifact. He had nurtured it for many years with his blood, sweat and tears, even weaving his Divine Sense to make use of his secret technique to apply to the artifact. In other words, it was closely connected to him. Although refining it with that secret method could greatly enhance the power of the pagoda, correspondingly, once the pagoda was damaged, the master would also receive different degrees of backlash!
And at this moment, he had received a huge backlash…
His Source Qi was in turmoil and out of his control. He was unable to suppress it and spurted a mouthful of blood.
*Kacha…*
The lightning was still lingering around the pagoda. And it took a long time for it to slowly dissipate.
The pagoda didn’t seem to have suffered any damage on the surface, but its spirituality had fallen greatly. Zhuang Pan could sense that the pagoda had suffered a lot of internal damage and its inside was riddled with cracks. If he wanted to repair it, he would need some special materials and a lot of time too.
Due to this, Zhuang Pan’s blood and energy was in turmoil again. Blood kept flowing out of his mouth.
“Sir Vice City Lord!” The guard, who had come in to report before, shouted in shock after seeing this.
Zhuang Pan placed his hands on his chest. His face was extremely pale. His aura was unstable. He looked at the nearby Yang Kai with an ugly look on his face, his eyes were filled with horror and disbelief.
He really couldn’t figure out what the grade of that bead-like artifact was. To his surprise, it could shoot such a powerful attack that even his Dao Source Grade artifact couldn’t take!
[If I was struck by that bolt, would I still be alive?!]
If he knew that the bead was an Emperor Artifact, he would be shocked speechless.
In any case, Zhuang Pan was a Dao Source Realm master and Yang Kai didn’t want to waste time on him. Therefore, he took the Annihilation Thunder Bead and attacked right away.
In the past, when he got the Annihilation Thunder Bead, Yang Kai was just an Origin Returning Realm master. Although he could activate the Annihilation Thunder Bead, he couldn’t bring out its full power because of his insufficient cultivation.
Since then, he had used it many times, and every time he used it the power of the Annihilation Thunder Bead he could bring out increased along with the increase in his cultivation.
Now, he was a Dao Source Realm master and was able to mobilize World Principles. Even if he couldn’t bring out the full power of the Emperor Artifact, it wasn’t something that the Dao Source Grade Artifact could contend against.
In just one clash, it was clear which was stronger and which was weaker.
“Vice City Lord Zhuang, please behave yourself! If you dare to stop me again, don’t blame this Yang for being merciless!” Yang Kai glared at Zhuang Pan and angrily shouted.
Zhuang Pan’s face turned ashen. His lips parted but he dared not even say a word.
Naturally, he could tell that Yang Kai wasn’t bluffing, but he would really act out on it. In other words, if he stopped him, he might really lose his life here.
“Hahaha, dear Friend, why are you so angry?” Suddenly, a loud laugh came from outside. Following this, a fat and thin cultivator suddenly came in.
At the same time, a strong aroma of wine permeated through the hall.
Yang Kai couldn’t help but furrow his brow. He took a side glance at the visitors.
He recognized both of them. The short and fat man was the Vice City Lord with horrendous conduct, Drunkard. As soon as he entered the hall, he took a quick look around before his pupils shrank.
But soon, he calmed down. He took the huge battle gourd from his waist and took a swig as if he was taking it to calm his nerves.
The thinner cultivator was the City Lord of Maplewood City, Duan Yuan Shan!
He was also the only Second-Order Dao Source Realm master in Maplewood City.
Yang Kai had seen Duan Yuan Shan many times. Naturally, he was no stranger to him.
At this moment, Duan Yuan Shan was intently looking at Yang Kai with interest. He broke into a laugh and asked, “When did my Maplewood City have another Dao Source Realm cultivator? What a pleasant surprise!”
He didn’t appear to be looking to pursue Yang Kai’s case of hurting Zhuang Pan at all. Rather he looked very happy.
It wasn’t difficult to understand why the two of them would suddenly appear here. After all, this was still the City Lord’s Mansion. Duan Yuan Shan and Drunkard usually lived here. The clash between Yang Kai and Zhuang Pan’s artifact generated powerful energy fluctuations. How could they not notice these fluctuations?
So, they both rushed in here.
“Greeting Sir City Lord, Sir Vice City Lord!” Yang Kai frowned and cupped his fists to the two.
Drunkard pursed his lips as he wiped the wine trickling down the corner of his mouth. He casually cupped his fist in return but didn’t say anything. Instead, he found a place next to a pillar in the hall and lazily sat down, swigging from the bottle gourd.
Duan Yuan Shan, on the other hand, chuckled. “Dear Friend, how polite of you. Hmm, I wonder how to call you my dear Friend?”
“This one’s Yang Kai!”
“So it’s Brother Yang!” Duan Yuan Shan looked askance. “From what this City Lord remembers, there isn’t any major family surname Yang in Maplewood City!”
“I’m just a loose cultivator, that’s all. I came to Maplewood City more than a year ago!”
“So that’s how it is!” Duan Yuan Shan looked a little surprised. He immediately asked, “I wonder why Brother Yang and Brother Zhuang were fighting!? Everyone is Dao Source Realm master. How about we sit down and talk it out. There is no point in being so agitated?”
“City Lord, this person is really arrogant. He ignored the city rules and flew a ship straight into the city. This Zhuang just wanted to ask but he didn’t want to cooperate. I ask the City Lord to investigate it!” Before Yang Kai could answer, Zhuang Pan stole the initiative to answer. Everything he said was in line with the truth, he didn’t slander or embellish the facts.
“Is that right!?” Duan Yuan Shan furrowed his brow before turning his gaze at Yang Kai.
“Yes, that is indeed right!” Yang Kai nodded his agreement.
Zhuang Pan immediately sneered. “Sir City Lord, Maplewood City’s rules are set by you personally. This guy has no respect for the rules and wantonly breaking them. May I ask how to deal with this!”
He had just suffered a loss in Yang Kai’s hands. Even the pagoda’s spirituality had fallen, so he naturally hated Yang Kai very much. And now, since Duan Yuan Shan and Drunkard were here, if he could really pin the crime on him, Yang Kai would truly suffer the consequence of going against him.
That was what he would like to see!
“If Sir City Lord still wants to punish this Yang after learning why, then this Yang Kai would not object!” Before Duan Yuan Shan could deliver any judgement, Yang Kai threw a sentence with a sneer.
“What happened!?” Duan Yuan Shan immediately became a little suspicious after seeing his serious expression.
“About 2 thousand kilometres from here, the seal of an Ancient Great Demon broke and pure Demon Qi has started leaking. I’m afraid it won’t be long before it reaches Maplewood City,” Yang Kai promptly replied.
“What!?” Duan Yuan Shan blurted out in surprise after hearing this. “Ancient Great Demon’s seal is broken!? The leaking of pure Demon Qi!?”
The nearby Drunkard, who had been leaning on the stone pillar, drinking, and looked completely drunk, was also stunned by this news. He immediately became sober and stared, wide-eyed at Yang Kai. Wine was spilling from the corner of his mouth but he didn’t seem to care.
“What a load of crap!” Zhuang Pan immediately shouted angrily. “Sir City Lord, don’t believe in his nonsense, he…”
Duan Yuan Shan raised his hand to stop him from speaking. He looked straight at Yang Kai and asked with a serious look on his face, “Is that really true? Where did Brother Yang get this news? And what’s the proof?”
“I saw it with my own eyes! I fled all the way back to Maplewood City,” Yang Kai glanced at Zhuang Pan and sneered. He pointed at Mo Xiao Qi and continued, “My friend was concerned about the safety of the few millions of souls residing in Maplewood City and wanted to warn the City Lord’s Mansion so that everyone can prepare, but Vice City Lord Zhuang remained unmoved. He didn’t even want to send anyone to verify it, and because of this one’s ship hurriedly flying into Maplewood City, breaking some goddamn rules, he kept arguing and even fought. Heh heh, as for proof… you can go and check it out yourself! 2,000 kilometres isn’t that far!”
“I’ll go check it out!” The nearby Drunkard didn’t dare to drag on after hearing this. He hung the bottle gourd on his waist and stood right up before flying out, leaving a long trail.
“I have said everything I have to say. Sir City Lord, this one will take his leave now.” Having finished his piece, Yang Kai signalled Mo Xiao Qi with his eyes. Mo Xiao Qi instantly understood his intention and hurriedly walked toward the exit.
“You can’t leave! We still haven’t verified…” Zhuang Pan tried to act strong and shouted aloud.
“If you dare to stop me, I will kill you!” Yang Kai immediately threw this sentence without even turning back. The next moment, he and Mo Xiao Qi disappeared from the hall.
“Sir City Lord, this person is simply too arrogant and domineering!” Zhuang Pan didn’t dare to stop Yang Kai. So, he could only pin his hopes on Duan Yuan Shan. He was expecting him to stop Yang Kai.
The latter immediately glanced at him and indifferently stated, “If what this guy said is true… Maplewood City will be in grave danger!”
Zhuang Pan was struck by a lightning bolt after hearing this. He couldn’t speak anymore.
Even though Duan Yuan Dhan didn’t say anything, he could see the dissatisfaction and blame in Sir City Lord’s eyes. He knew that he was extremely angry and anxious at this moment.
[But… how can you even think that the news about the breaking of an Ancient Great Demon seal and the leaking of pure Demon Qi to be real!?]
After a while, Duan Yuan Shan suddenly took out a communication artifact and poured his Divine Sense into it. Obviously, Drunkard had sent a message back!
Zhuang Pan’s face was filled with expectation. He was secretly praying that Yang Kai and Mo Xiao Qi were making things up. If that’s the case, he would have a legitimate reason to find trouble with Yang Kai.
And Duan Yuan Shan would definitely not let Yang Kai go after having been lied to like this.
However…
Under Zhuang Pan’s nervous and expectant gaze, Duan Yuan Shan’s face suddenly turned pale and slightly trembled.
“Sir City Lord…” Zhuang Pan nervously shouted.
“Relay my order, activate all the defensive Arrays at any cost. And we must increase the power of the Spirit Array to maximum!” Duan Yuan Shan suddenly shouted as his voice spread throughout the City Lord’s Mansion!
“Impossible!?” Zhuan Pan immediately turned pale and slumped down on the ground.
Duan Yuan Shan angrily glared at him. With a shake of his figure, his figure disappeared from the hall. After a while, countless instructions were orderly transmitted from his communication artifact, passing it to those under him.
After a while, a humming sound came from the walls of Maplewood City as various defensive Arrays that had not been activated for many years activated today, one after another.
Maplewood City…
Followed by a deafening sound and quaking of the ground, a colourful screen of light appeared out of nowhere, surrounding the entire city in a dome.
These defensive Arrays were painstakingly created and arranged by the past City Lords and masters of major families living in Maplewood City, to guard against the foreign enemies. However, these defensive Arrays had never been activated.
Because Maplewood City hadn’t encountered any powerful enemy invasion so far. Even the cultivators, who had been living in Maplewood City for a long time, had almost forgotten about these defensive Arrays.
But today, all the Spirit Arrays were activated, one after another.
“What is going on? Why are these Spirit Arrays activated?”
“Something big must have happened. A foreign enemy wouldn’t happen to be invading, right?”
“Could an Emperor Realm master be attacking?”
For a while, many cultivators in the city were surprised and confused. Everyone broke into lively discussions. Some even looked toward the City Lord’s Mansion, wondering what the City Lord’s Mansion had to say about it.
At this moment, an anxious shout came from outside the city, “Everyone, quickly enter the city! No delays are allowed!”
This sentence was repeated over and over again. The speaker sounded anxious. Furthermore, the speaker seemed to have imbued his energy into it. His voice was heard throughout Maplewood City.
“It’s Vice City Lord Drunkard!”
After some cultivators recognized the owner of the voice, everyone was stunned. They immediately rushed to the city wall and looked around. After a short while, the wall was jam-packed with cultivators.
The next moment, cries of surprise rang everywhere.
“Look, Sir Vice City Lord seems to be being chased by something!”
“Wa-what the hell is that? It’s all black!”
“Even Sir Vice City Lord is not its opponent!?”
While everyone was clamouring, Drunkard had already arrived before Maplewood City. Seeing him arrive, the cultivator responsible for controlling the Spirit Array barrier immediately opened a gap in front of him. Drunkard’s figure immediately flew inside.
After he entered, the gap was quickly closed again. The barrier looked as good as before.
At the same time, the billowing black Qi that was hot on Drunkard’s tails had also reached the walls. It didn’t slow down and crashed straight into the screen of light.
*Bang…*
A deafening crash instantly resounded across the city. The brightly glowing screen of light shook a little and dimmed all of a sudden, almost shattering. This couldn’t escape from the eyes of the nearby cultivators. Everyone was scared, their faces turning pale as they backed away.
The cultivators maintaining the Array hurriedly mobilized their own energy, pouring more of their energy into the array. Finally, they somehow stabilized the trembling screen of light.
*Swish swish swish…*
Streaks of light immediately shot toward this side from every nook and corner of the city. Obviously, all the cultivators in Maplewood City had noticed the commotion here.
City Lord Duan Yuan Shan was first to appear. The moment he landed on the walls, he stared ahead with a serious look on his face. The corner of his eyelids, twitching.
Several cultivators emanating the aura of Dao Source Realm appeared on either side of him, one by one. And after noticing what was happening before them, everyone’s face turned pale.
“City Lord Duan, what are these things?” One of the grey-haired old men asked.
This old man was a First-Order Dao Source Realm cultivator. He was none other than Qin Family’s Old Ancestor, Qin Zhao Yang! He was the oldest looking cultivator among the ten Dao Source Realm cultivators present here. He looked as if he didn’t have much time left; old age spots could be seen on his face.
This was extremely rare for a Dao Source Realm cultivator. Only those cultivators, whose lifespan was about to reach the limit, would show these signs.
“Yes, City Lord Duan, since you ordered the activation of the defensive Arrays in advance, you should have gotten some news about this, right?” Du Family’s Old Ancestor, Du Li Shen also asked.
Other Dao Source Realm masters of other families also looked to Duan Yuan Shan, hoping to get an explanation from him.
“Demon Qi! Pure Demon Qi of an Ancient Great Demon!” Duan Yuan Shan replied with a serious look on his face. “From what I know, it happened to have leaked 2 thousand kilometres away!”
“Ancient Great Demon’s pure Demon Qi!?” The crowd of Dao Source Realm masters’ expression drastically changed after hearing this.
“This City Lord just got the news. Don’t ask me where this Demon Qi came from, this City Lord doesn’t have a clue. I only know that if we can’t work together, Maplewood City will be destroyed today!”
The crowd of Dao Source Realm masters looked shocked after hearing this.
Duan Yuan Shan looked around. “Everyone, you all are leaders of your respective families. Most of your clansmen are still inside the city. I think you don’t want to see them infected by the Demon Qi and lose their sanity, do you?”
“Of course not!” Qin Zhao Yang was the first to express his position, “But how will we defend against it? I ask Sir City Lord to please share!”
“Yeah! This is the first time we have encountered pure Demon Qi of an Ancient Great Demon. We don’t know what the best way is to get rid of it,” Liang Peng Le of the Liang Family stated with a grim look hanging on his face.
“Well…” Duan Yuan Shan was rendered speechless for a while. Although he was a Second-Order Dao Source Realm master and his cultivation was higher than the others, he was against the pure Demon Qi of an Ancient Great Demon. Just like everyone else, he was encountering it for the first time. How would he have any idea how to get rid of it effectively?
“Brother Duan, we might as well strengthen our defences first. We can slowly research it later!” Drunkard was showing no signs of being drunk. He was wide awake now.
“Exactly!” Duan Yuan Shan’s eyes lit up. He added, “Everyone, please take care of a section of the city wall and help others defend the Spirit Array. I will go look for someone, I might get some answers from him!”
While speaking, Duan Yuan Shan gave an eye signal to Drunkard. Drunkard immediately understood and summoned everyone to come forward before they started studying.
After a while, the Dao Source Realm cultivators had settled on their section to defend before quickly dispersing.
Meanwhile, Drunkard’s expression momentarily changed as if he recalled something. He hurriedly flew toward the City Lord’s Mansion.
The shocking thing happening outside the city had already reached the ears of many cultivators. The word got spread from one to ten, then from ten to a hundred, and so on. Very soon, every cultivator in the entire Maplewood City knew about it. Some hot-blooded cultivators immediately obeyed the call and went to the city wall to assist in the defence.
In a flash, the walls of Maplewood City were jam-packed.
Meanwhile, Yang Kai and Mo Xiao Qi were back at the Spirit Pill Plaza. Yang Kai immediately spread his Divine Sense and knew that Kang Si Ran and the members of the Spirit Pill Plaza were already ready. They had even boarded the ship.
He signalled Mo Xiao Qi before Mo Xiao Qi embarked the ship the next moment.
Just when he was about to enter the ship, he suddenly looked toward a direction, immersed in his thoughts.
In that direction, an unremarkable middle-aged man among the crowd of onlookers was calmly gazing at Yang Kai. When their gazes met, the middle-aged man smiled slightly. His smile appeared quite weird.
Yang Kai couldn’t help but furrow his brow.
The middle-aged man was a complete stranger. He was sure that he had never seen this guy. However… to his surprise, this man was a Third-Order Dao Source Realm cultivator. He found this a little unbelievable.
Masters of this level rarely appeared in Maplewood City. Apart from the Luan Feng’s appearance on Clear Jade Mountain last time, which had attracted countless powerful cultivators to investigate, the entire Maplewood City might not have a single Third-Order Dao Source Realm master pass by in a year.
But today, he found one in the crowd. And he seemed to be interested in Yang Kai, which puzzled him.
However, he didn’t give it much of a thought. Instead, he quickly embarked on the ship before controlling the ship to fly off.
After the ship left, the middle-aged man coldly smiled as he muttered to himself in a voice that only he could hear, “Wow, it’s really a case of wearing the iron shoes in fruitless search only to find it by coincidence. Who would have thought that after finding no clues after half a year, I would see the Young Palace Master’s ship here! Since you obtained it, you should know something!”
Surprisingly, this middle-aged man was the master sent by the Flying Saint Palace Master six months ago to investigate who murdered Ning Yuan Cheng!
Following clues, he easily found out that the place where he was seen last time was the auction fair in Maplewood City. So naturally, he rushed all the way to Maplewood City.
However, he didn’t find any useful information even after investigating for six months.
By some lucky coincidence, he managed to see Ning Yuan Cheng’s ship artifact in the city!
He didn’t believe that Yang Kai had the ability to kill Ning Yuan Cheng. After all, Ning Yuan Chen was guarded by a Second-Order Dao Source Realm master, Liu Yi Zhi. And in his opinion, Yang Kai simply didn’t have that kind of ability. But he believed that since Yang Kai could get Ning Yuan Cheng’s ship, he definitely knew something.
Therefore, he was paying attention to Yang Kai.
There were many eyes in the city. It was inconvenient for him to make a move here. He decided to follow him first.
Yang Kai flew the ship to the city walls. But when he saw the situation outside, his heart immediately hit rock bottom!
Because at this moment, the boundless Ancient Demon Qi had already surrounded the entire Maplewood City, leaving not even the slightest bit of gap. Looking from high above, it looked as if the city walls of Maplewood City were built from pitch-black materials.
The pitch-black city wall kept squirming and moving around several dozen kilometres around Maplewood City. Anyone who rushed into it would be in grave danger.
Even though the ship artifact’s grade wasn’t low and it also had some defensive barriers, if Yang Kai hastily rushed in, everyone else besides him would definitely be infected.
“Brother Yang…” Kang Si Ran had obviously noticed the situation. He immediately turned pale. “How did this happen?”
“Ah, it’s too late!” Mo Xiao Qi nibbled her cherry red lips. She looked frustrated. At the same time, she was cursing Zhuang Pan in her heart.
Had they not wasted so much time on Zhuang Pan, maybe they still had the chance to leave here before the Demon Qi surrounded the city. But now, it was too late.
Inside the ship, everyone turned their gazes to Yang Kai.
At this point, Yang Kai’s cultivation was highest, and he had already become everyone’s pillar.
Even though there was a grim look on Yang Kai’s face, he wasn’t in a panic.
Because even if he had nowhere to go, he could send everyone into the Small Sealed World and break through the blockade of Demon Qi alone.
He was eighty percent confident that he could safely escape from it using Space Force.
But this way, he would be unable to hide his big secret, the Sealed World Bead. The members of the Zhang Family were still good. After all, they regarded Yang Kai as their saviour. If Yang Kai asked them to keep the matter about the Sealed World Bead a secret, they would definitely swear an oath and keep a tight lid on it.
As for Spirit Pill Plaza’s waiters and Alchemists, it was hard to say.
Yang Kai didn’t have much friendship with them. If the secret of Sealed World Bead was exposed by them, it would draw countless coveting masters.
The Sealed World Bead was an Emperor Artifact and was a portable Self-Contained World. In the entire Star Boundary, there were few to no other such artifacts.
There were still some Self-Contained World-type Artifacts in the Star Boundary, such as the Five Colored Treasure Pagoda that Yang Kai had gone in last time. Naturally, it was the founding artifact of Star Soul Palace.
However, the biggest difference between the Five Colored Treasure Pagoda and the Sealed World Bead was that the former could not be carried wherever the user pleased. It could only be placed inside the Star Soul Palace.
The Sealed World Bead was extremely important to Yang Kai. He didn’t dare to expose it unless absolutely necessary.
“It seems, it’s impossible to charge through!” Yang Kai muttered to himself. But suddenly his expression changed as he asked, “There should be a Space Array in Maplewood City, right?”
In his home Star Field, most of the major cities had Space Arrays. Not to mention, he was now in the vast Star Boundary. Although Maplewood City wasn’t that big, it still should have a Space Array.
“Yeah! But it’s inside the City Lord’s Mansion!” Kang Si Ran replied with a nod.
“Alright, let’s go to the City Lord’s Mansion!” Yang Kai proposed and immediately controlled the ship to fly toward the City Lord’s Mansion.
Looking down, the entire Maplewood City was in chaos. When the word about pure Demon Qi of Ancient Great Demon surrounding the city got out, many cultivators living in the city naturally panicked. They were afraid that the defensive Array of the city would break and they would end up dead.
And the first route to escape that crossed everyone’s mind was naturally to teleport through the Space Array!
So at this moment, the cultivators were rushing toward the City Lord’s Mansion. No one could tell how many of them were there.
After realizing this, Yang Kai’s face turned ashen. He pushed the ship to fly faster.
After a while, the ship arrived above the City Lord’s Mansion.
But before he could make the ship land, he suddenly sensed energy fluctuations belonging to a Dao Source Realm master from a certain palace. Immediately after, a deafening crash resounded as that palace instantly collapsed, creating a cloud of dust. All of a sudden, there was nothing left of the beautiful palace.
Many cultivators flew from inside the rubble, cursing again and again. All of them looked pretty angry.
Seeing this, Yang Kai’s pupil shrank at once. He was having a bad feeling. He immediately turned to Kang Si Ran and asked, “Brother Kang, that… that wouldn’t be the place where the Transmission Array was, right?”
Kang Si Ran nodded with a frustrated look on his face.
Yang Kai’s corners of mouth started twitching as he focused his gaze at an unkempt figure floating in the air.
This figure had a short stature and was wearing ragged clothes. Its hair was a horrible mess. The figure looked no different than a beggar. But this figure exuded a powerful aura that only Dao Source Realm master could possess. And more importantly, a big green bottle gourd was hanging on his waist.
Obviously, it was none other than Drunkard himself!
At this moment, he was the only Dao Source Realm master here. Apparently, what just happened was his handiwork.
On the ground, countless cultivators were glaring at Drunkard in anger. They looked as if they couldn’t wait to wipe him off the face of this world!
“Sir Vice City Lord, why did you destroy the Transmission Array? I always used to admire you, but who would have thought that you would be so vicious at this critical point!”
“Yeah! Drunkard, why did you destroy my escape route!”
“The Space Array is destroyed. It’s over… We can’t escape anymore…”
“Drunkard, if you don’t give us an explanation, you can forget leaving this place alive!”
“Drunkard, only one of us can remain in this world!”
Angry shouts and questions flew straight toward the hovering Drunkard like the sharpest knife. Some of the agitated cultivators had already started attacking. They summoned their artifacts and cast their Martial Skills as they launched their attacks straight at Drunkard.
Meanwhile, Drunkard just stood right in his place. No matter how he was condemned by the public, he remained absolutely still. Even in the face of those oncoming attacks, he didn’t bat an eye. He just mobilized his Source Qi to defend himself. He had no intention of retaliating.
“Ladies and gentlemen!” Drunkard looked around as his eyes flickered with a cold gleam. His voice was low but it was loud and clear, “This Old Man understands what’s going in everyone’s mind and knows what everyone is thinking! But today, our Maplewood City is surrounded by Demon Qi. A disaster is imminent and it might strike at any moment!”
“You freaking old fart, since you know it, why did you destroy the Space Array? You really must have some kind of sinister intent! Just how evil are you?!” A furious roar suddenly came from the crowd.
Drunkard immediately focused his gaze there as his expression turned apologetic. Then, he continued, “This old man had no choice but to do this! Our Maplewood City has a few hundred thousand cultivators. If we can work together, we might be able to survive this disaster. But if everyone left through the Space Array, the city would be destroyed. By then, everyone in the city will be eradicated. The entire city will be wailing. It would be turned into hell!”
“This Old Man has spent his entire life in Maplewood City. All this Old Man’s relatives and friends are here, and so are your friends and relatives! This Old Man doesn’t want to see them infected and lose their sanity. Would you like to see this? If you want to escape with your lives, who will guard your friends and relatives?”
As he said this, Drunkard’s eyes flickered with a majestic aura as he looked about at everyone.
The angry voices coming from the crowd slowly grew weaker and weaker. Many heads were hung in shame as they started ruminating.
“Our Maplewood City is just a drop in the ocean in the Star Boundary! It’s not even well-known in the Southern Territory! Hardly anyone knows it! But I am proud of my Maplewood City’s sons and daughters! This Old Man has lived most of his life here, witnessed the prosperity of Maplewood City for hundreds of years. This Old Man loves this city and doesn’t want to see the city destroyed!”
“Everyone, don’t worry. We have already sent some messengers to the other cities through the Transmission Array. They will pass the news to Star Soul Palace and other prominent Sects. I believe that masters will come to our rescue and save our Maplewood City soon!”
“But before that, this Old Man begs everyone to join me in protecting the city! Let’s fend off the foreign enemies together! This Old Man assures you that I will do my best to protect the city and safeguard everyone’s safety. Even if my blood is spilled, I will have no complaints!”
“Ladies and gentlemen, please help me!”
Having said this, Drunkard looked at everyone with an earnest and sincere look in his eyes.
The entire crowd was completely quiet. They were no longer clamouring like before.
“Count this City Lord in too! This City Lord swears on his heart demon: If the city exists, everyone exists, if it’s destroyed, everyone dies!” Duan Yuan Shan’s voice came from the distance. After a while, he appeared beside Drunkard in a flash.
Drunkard was startled, smiling at Duan Yuan Shan.
“Old Drunk, nicely done.” Duan Yuan Shan whispered quietly. He looked extremely thankful.
Drunkard shook his head.
At this moment, someone among the crowd suddenly shouted aloud, “Let’s follow Sir City Lord and Sir Vice City Lord, follow their orders. If the city exists, everyone exists, if it’s destroyed, everyone dies!”
“If the city exists, everyone exists, if it’s destroyed, everyone dies!”
“If the city exists, everyone exists, if it’s destroyed, everyone dies!”
More and more cultivators joined the shouting. Gradually, their shouts shook the entire city. Their voices resounded throughout the city, reaching Heaven!
Everyone’s heart was united!
Everyone’s will was united like a fortress!
Drunkard looked down at the crowd in relief and deeply bowed to everyone!
Whether everyone was supporting him sincerely or because they were forced to help, as long as they were willing to do their part in defending Maplewood City, they deserved his gratitude.
“Thank you, everyone. We have no way out. If we want to survive, we have to resist the Demon Qi. I invite everyone to go to the city wall and support the fellow cultivators in the city!” Drunkard’s voice was heard loud and clear across the city.
Just as he said this, everyone below started moving. They immediately cast various movement techniques or summoned flight-type artifacts as they dispersed in every direction.
“Old Drunk, I’ll leave the things here to you. I’ll have to meet someone,” having finished speaking, Duan Yuan Shan turned his gaze at a nearby ship. He then arrived before the ship with a flicker, cupped his fist, and asked, “Brother Yang, can we meet?”
“City Lord Yuan, please come in,” Yang Kai’s voice came from inside the ship.
Hearing this, Duan Yuan Shan smiled lightly before he stepped on the ship.
Heading inside the cabin, Duan Yuan Shan met Yang Kai who had an indifferent look on his face.
“Brother Yang!” Duan Yuan Shan cupped his fists again before a grim look took over his face as he stated the purpose of his visit, “Please forgive this Duan for coming uninvited, but this Duan wants to ask Brother Yang about the Ancient Demon Qi!”
“I know.” Yang Kai nodded. He didn’t mean to hide anything. He briefly narrated everything that happened in the mine.
Having heard everything, Duan Yuan Shan tightly furrowed his brow before he asked again, “So, according to Brother Yang, all of this is because of the Jiang Family?”
“Yeah!” Yang Kai nodded.
“No wonder I didn’t see that oldie, Jiang Tai Sheng!” Duan Yuan Shan looked furious. He immediately asked again, “Since Brother Yang has come in contact with Ancient Demon Qi, do you know how to resist it?”
Yang Kai shook his head. “I don’t have a clue. All I know is that after that Ancient Demon Qi invades someone’s body, it will cause the victim’s temperament to change. And… anyone who has recently died would come back to life after being invaded by it!”
“How is this possible?” Duan Yuan Shan’s expression changed.
“I don’t know. Perhaps there is something mystical about the Ancient Demon Qi.”
While the two were talking, Mo Xiao Qi suddenly interjected, “Actually, there is no special way to deal with the Ancient Demon Qi. It can only be dispersed with strength. If it was just an ordinary Demon Qi, there are things to restrain it, but the pure Demon Qi from an Ancient Great Demon is very hard to suppress. However…”
“However, what!?” Duan Yuan Shan immediately turned to Mo Xiao Qi. His face was filled with questions.
“In the mine, since Pure Heart Jade was used as a sealing medium, then Pure Heart Jade should be able to resist the invasion of the Demon Qi. If the cultivators of the city wore some Pure Heart Jade, it might have some restraining effect.”
“Pure Heart Jade!?” Duan Yuan Shan raised his brows. This was giving him a headache. “Pure Heart Jade is very rare. There are some in the City Lord’s Mansion’s storehouse, but there are very few of them!”
A smile immediately bloomed on Mo Xiao Qi’s face. She took out a few rings and handed them to Duan Yuan Shan. “Sir City Lord, take a look at these.”
Duan Yuan Shan took them suspiciously. But as he scanned them with his Divine Sense, he immediately cried with a pleasant surprise, “So much Pure Heart Jade!?”
The rings Mo Xiao Qi handed to Duan Yuan Shan were filled with Pure Heart Jade. They were countless!
This made Duan Yuan Shan overjoyed.
“Miss, are these all from that mine?” Duan Yuan Shan asked after a moment of thought.
Mo Xiao Qi nodded. “I defeated a few Jiang Family cultivators in the mine and snatched their Space Rings. These are all they had.”
“This Duan will humbly accept Miss’ graciousness!” While speaking, Duan Yuan Shan immediately stood up and deeply bowed to Mo Xiao Qi.
Mo Xiao Qi hurriedly waved off and apologetically said, “City Lord Duan, don’t be so serious. Actually, these are nothing.”
Duan Yuan Shan shook his head and quickly responded, “In any case, my Maplewood City has noted down Miss’ graciousness. If we survive this catastrophe, Miss will be the honoured guest of my Maplewood City!”
The Pure Heart Jade was more or less useful to every cultivator. It was quite valuable. And this much Pure Heart Jade was a huge fortune.
Had it been any other ordinary cultivator, it was quite unlikely that they would offer these many Pure Heart even if they knew that Maplewood City was in danger. However, Mo Xiao Qi took them out without so much as batting her eyes.
Duan Yuan Shan was extremely grateful for this.
“All these Pure Heart Jade can be considered to have been bought by my Maplewood City’s City Lord’s Mansion. In the future, my City Lord’s Mansion will convert them into corresponding Source Crystals and pay you, Miss,” Duan Yuan Shan added.
“It’s really alright!” Mo Xiao Qi really had no idea what to say.
Yang Kai’s expression flickered as he stated, “City Lord Duan, I also have some Pure Heart Jade here. If they are not enough, just tell me!”
Duan Yuan Shan’s eyes lit up after hearing this. He broke into laughter, “After Brother Yang and Miss’ help, my Maplewood City has nothing to worry about! Please let this Duan thank Brother Yang for your generosity in advance. If they really fall short, I will come to Brother Yang. Well, this Duan would now like to distribute these Pure Heart Jade. I wonder if Brother Yang would like to go with this Duan to the city wall… to defend against the foreign enemies?”
Yang Kai didn’t answer immediately. Rather, he glanced around at the others before answering, “I can come but let me drop them off first.”
“But of course! This Duan will go first!” Duan Yuan Shan was in glee after hearing this. He had gotten another Dao Source Realm master’s help. It would be beneficial for the entire Maplewood City. He naturally thanked Yang Kai’s cardinal principles and righteousness.
After bidding goodbye, his figure immediately went out of the ship and flew straight toward the city wall.
After Duan Yuan Shan left, Yang Kai turned his gaze at Mo Xiao Qi and stated, “Xiao Qi, my cave mansion has been taken back by the City Lord’s Mansion. Can I leave them in your cave mansion?”
“Sure,” Mo Xiao Qi readily agreed.
Yang Kai nodded, and following her guidance, piloted the ship to her secluded mansion.
After a while, a crowd arrived at Mo Xiao Qi’s cave mansion.
Under Yang Kai’s arrangement, the Zhang Family and the waiters and two Alchemists of the Spirit Pill Plaza entered the cave mansion.
“Please rest here. If something changes in Maplewood City again, I will come to you in advance and take you out of here,” after saying this, Yang Kai looked at Zhang Ruo Xi and ordered, “Ruo Xi, take care of your Zhang Family.”
“Yes! Sir, please be careful!” Zhang Ruo Xi looked at Yang Kai with a worried look.
“Xiao Qi, do you have a secret room here?” asked Yang Kai.
“Yes, come with me.” Although Mo Xiao Qi didn’t know what Yang Kai wanted to do, she still promptly led the way.
“Brother Kang, you are coming with us as well!” Yang Kai shouted at Kang Si Ran.
Even though Kang Si Ran was suspicious, he followed after them without asking any questions.
The cave mansion rented by Mo Xiao Qi was the best in Maplewood City, whether it was in the density of the World Energy or the size of the cave mansion. The cave mansion Yang Kai had rented before was a far cry from this.
The cave mansion had five-six secret rooms for a retreat.
After arriving before the secret room, Yang Kai gave an eye signal to Mo Xiao Qi, who astutely withdrew.
“Brother Yang, why did you bring me here?” Kang Si Ran was at a loss. He had no idea why Yang Kai brought him to a secret room in this moment of crisis. [Shouldn’t I be coordinating with the cultivators outside to defend against the Demon Qi?]
“Brother Kang, take a look at this.” While speaking, Yang Kai threw him a jade bottle.
Kang Si Ran sceptically took it. Next, he opened its lid and flipped it upside down as a pill rolled down from the jade bottle.
The next moment, Kang Si Ran seemed to have been struck by lightning. His eyes immediately lit up as he suspiciously looked at the pill on his hand. There was a look of incredulity on his face. He studied the pill with widened eyes for a while. And when he had finally determined what it was, he couldn’t help but blurt out in shock, “A Dao Source Pill!?”
As the shopkeeper of the Spirit Pill Plaza, countless pills had been traded by his hands. So, Kang Si Ran was deeply knowledgeable about them. Although he had never seen the Dao Source Pill, how could he not tell what the Dao Source Pill looked like and how it smelled?
The pill in his hand was precisely the very Dao Source Pill from legends.
The only difference was that this Dao Source Pill had lines on it like the meridians of a human body. Delicate patterns that looked like they had been carved by Heaven and Earth itself dotted the pill.
“Dao Source Pill with Pill Veins?” Kang Si Ran’s voice became sharper and louder. His hands were trembling uncontrollably.
“I got this from the Yuan Furnace Mountain. As Brother Kang had expected, a Dao Source Pill refined by Gong Sun Mu himself was indeed left by him in his cave mansion. Unfortunately, too much time has passed. Only, this one was left. The others have been reduced to waste!” Yang Kai explained, looking regretful.
Of course, all of this was nonsense.
This Dao Source Pill with Pill Veins was refined by him personally before he broke through to the Dao Source Realm. After successfully refining it, he didn’t have the time to check his own handiwork as he was immediately absorbed in his advancement.
After having successfully advanced, he had the time to check it while he was waiting for Liu Yan near the Yuan Furnace Mountain.
At that time, he had refined six pills at once, five of which were ordinary Dao Source Pills. Only this one gave birth to Pill Veins!
Fortunately, there was this one. Otherwise, he would not be able to explain the origin of the Dao Source Pill.
After all, only a pill that had given birth to Pill Veins could withstand the erosion of time without losing its medicinal properties.
As such, he could tell Kang Si Ran that this Dao Source Pill came from the Yuan Furnace Mountain and was personally refined by Gong Sun Mu himself. It was within rhyme and reason.
“Brother Yang, this…” Although Kang Si Ran was excited and was unable to calm himself, he didn’t have the slightest bit of greed in his heart. Rather, he looked at Yang Kai and stated, gritting his teeth, “This thing is extremely expensive. This Kang can’t take it!”
Yang Kai chuckled, “Brother Kang, you are treating me like an outsider by saying this. If it weren’t for you, I would never have gone to Yuan Furnace Mountain. Not to mention, didn’t you and I discuss it before that if we find a Dao Source Pill inside, it will be yours and the rest of the things regarding Alchemy would belong to me? Let me put it this way, I didn’t just find this Dao Source Pill inside the Yuan Furnace Mountain, I got something useful as well. I even got to advance to the Dao Source Realm thanks to the opportunity inside!”
Yang Kai wasn’t lying. Had he not taken the Ten Thousand Medicinal Treasures Soup underground the Yuan Furnace Mountain, the Source Qi in his body would not have converted so quickly, and if his Source Qi had not been completely converted, he would not have been able to break through to the Dao Source Realm.
“Be that as it may, I didn’t help you at all. If this Dao Source Pill was auctioned, it would be worth tens of millions of Source Crystals, or even more. This Kang doesn’t deserve to receive such an expensive item!” Kang Si Ran kept shaking his head in refusal. He even put the Dao Source Pill back into the jade bottle with a flip of his hand and stuffed it into Yang Kai’s hands.
Even though his eyes were filled with unwillingness, his movements weren’t the least bit tardy. Even his voice was loud and clear. Obviously, he wasn’t being hypocritical but he genuinely thought so.
In the last auction fair, the Dao Source Fruit was auctioned for more than 10 million Source Crystals in the finale. Although a furnace of Dao Source Pill could be refined with a Dao Source Fruit and one could even get several pills if he or she was blessed by lady luck, it also had corresponding risks. The Alchemist might fail and all of it could be for nought.
And Yang Kai had taken out a Dao Source Pill with Pill Veins! Its effectiveness would be exceptional!
In terms of value, it was definitely several times more valuable than the Dao Source Fruit!
In other words, if a peak Third-Order Origin King took this Dao Source Pill, there was a 70% chance of him being promoted to the Dao Source Realm!
“Brother Kang, do you really not want it!?” Yang Kai looked at Kang Si Ran with a playful smile.
Kang Si Ran resolutely shook his head. But his eyes never left Yang Kai’s hand. Finally, he steeled his heart and turned his head away. If the eyes don’t see anything, the heart will not grieve.
“In that case…” Yang Kai spoke very slowly. Next, he opened the jade bottle and tossed the Dao Source Pill in his hand.
“What do you want to do?” Kang Si Ran vigilantly looked at Yang Kai.
“I want to eat it like a fried bean. This pill smells so good, it’s obviously very tasty,” while speaking, Yang Kai really tossed the pill in his hand. The Dao Source Pill immediately flew into the air. It made a parabolic arc as it flew toward his opened mouth.
“Stop it!” Kang Si Ran was struck with panic. He immediately reached out as the Dao Source Pill flew back into his hand before it could enter Yang Kai’s mouth. He lashed out, infuriated, “Damn you, damn you, Brother Yang! You are really wasting Heaven’s gift. It’s intolerable by Heaven and Earth!”
“You don’t want it anyway,” Yang Kai shrugged his shoulders with an indifferent look hanging on his face.
“Then, can’t you…” while speaking, Kang Si Ran sighed in resignation. “Forget it, since Brother Yang is treating me like this, if this Kang still acts all coy and shy, that would be really low. This Kang accepts this Dao Source Pill. This Kang will forever remember Brother Yang’s kindness. I will definitely repay you in the future. Brother Yang, please accept this Kang’s bow!”
Having said this, he straightened his clothes before he deeply bowed to Yang Kai with an earnest look on his face.
Yang Kai grinned meaningfully and nodded, accepting his bow straight-on, “That’s better.”
Suddenly, he turned serious and stated, “Brother Kang, you retreat in here and refine its medicinal efficacies. If my estimate is right, Maplewood City would not have any trouble hanging on for the next seven to eight days. These days will be enough for your advancement. I will be waiting outside for Brother Kang’s good news!”
“Either I will succeed or die trying! This Kang will live up to Brother Yang’s expectations!” Kang Si Ran quickly replied.
Kang Si Ran had remained stagnant in the Third-Order Origin King Realm for a good couple of hundred years already. If not for the aid from the Dao Source Pill, he couldn’t improve his cultivation at all. Yang Kai’s Dao Source Pill with Pill Veins could be said to be the perfect gift at a time when he needed it the most.
With Kang Si Ran’s help, Yang Kai was able to obtain great benefits at the bottom of the Yuan Furnace Mountain. Furthermore, he was also willing to lend him a few hundred thousand Source Crystals to use during the auction fair. Recalling how favourable he had been treated, Yang Kai did not hesitate one bit to give that Dao Source Pill to Kang Si Ran.
[If I am shown kindness and respect, I will return it tenfold.] Yang Kai had never been stingy in his life.
Although Mo Xiao Qi was also at a peak Third-Order Origin King, and might be able to promote her cultivation to the next stage within a short period of time through the aid of the Dao Source Pill, her situation was different from Kang Si Ran.
Mo Xiao Qi was young, yet already possessed this level of cultivation. Furthermore, she had a mysterious background, an extraordinary one in fact. Without even talking about her not needing the Dao Source Pill at all, it was exceedingly likely that she possessed the strength to obtain one if needed.
Although using the Dao Source Pill to obtain a cultivation breakthrough would not have too much of an effect on a cultivator, it might have an impact on a cultivator’s future cultivation progress.
Therefore, no cultivator would use pills to assist in their cultivation breakthroughs unless they were faced with insurmountable situations. This was the reason why Yang Kai did not consume a Dao Source Pill to break through into the Dao Source Realm.
By the time Yang Kai had left the cave mansion, not only was he accompanied by Mo Xiao Qi, he was also accompanied by the old woman and beautiful lady from the Zhang Family.
The latter two were not willing to wait for their deaths within the cave mansion, as, after all, there were other heirs of their family present here. If the city was to really be broken into, their Zhang Family would inevitably face complete destruction. Therefore, regardless of how Yang Kai tried to persuade them, the old woman and beautiful woman of the Zhang Family still decided to head out to face their enemies, contributing their strength to defend their city.
Exasperated, Yang Kai had no other choice but to take a step back.
Fortunately, although the two did not possess powerful cultivations, they were both First-Order Origin Kings, which wasn’t too shabby. Therefore, it would not be too much of a problem if they were to aid the city guards in reinforcing the Spirit Array by the city walls.
A beam of light encased the 4 of them as they flew rapidly within Maplewood City. Within a short period of time, they arrived at a section of the city walls.
As far as their eyes could see, a stretch of pitch black darkness filled everything outside of the city walls. Endless waves of Demon Qi surged about, appearing as though it was alive, sending shivers racking through anyone who saw it. Time to time, one would even be able to hear bouts of what seemed like cries and howls, sounds that seem to draw out painful memories in the depths of people’s hearts, forcing every cultivator to circulate their strength to resist them.
On the city wall, Duan Yuan Shan was in charge of distributing Pure Heart Jades. Any cultivator that had headed to the city walls to defend the city would be able to obtain a Pure Heart Jade as a contingency measure.
Upon seeing Yang Kai arriving, a delighted expression appeared on Duan Yuan Shan’s face as he promptly said his greetings: “Over here, Brother Yang!’
In a blink, Yang Kai brought Mo Xiao Qi and the two Zhang Family ladies right before Duan Yuan Shan. Looking at the scenery outside, they discovered that the Demon Qi was truly ferocious. However, from the looks of it now, Maplewood City did not seem to have much trouble, if any. There were quite a few cultivators present in every section of the city wall. Some were maintaining the defensive Spirit Array, while others were displaying their Martial Skills, unleashing ferocious attacks at the squirming Demon Qi.
“Sir City Lord, please do tell us if you need any help at all.” Yang Kai cupped his fists and said.
“Since you’ve said it, Brother Yang, I’ll be frank. Right at this moment, there aren’t many Dao Source Realm Masters present within the city. If we count in Brother Yang, we still aren’t able to hit ten. Every one of them has been allocated to a section of a city wall to take charge of defence. From the looks of it now, we still are able to hold on for a while. However, we also can’t drop our guard. Brother Yang, you don’t have any special mission. You can go about handling your matters, and while doing that, see around if there’s any place that needs assistance and provide your help. How about that?” asked Duan Yuan Shan with a solemn expression.
“Alright!” Yang Kai nodded his head.
Duan Yuan Shan quickly pulled out a communication artifact. Handling it to Yang Kai, he said: “Take this, Brother Yang. If anyone needs help, they’ll definitely use this to communicate. When that happens, I beseech for Brother Yang to respond at the first instant!”
Taking it, Yang Kai did not store it in his Space Ring, opting to keep it within his robes.
Turning his head, he looked at Mo Xiao Qi and the two Zhang Family ladies, and said: “For now, please stay here and listen to City Lord Duan’s commands. I’ll go and look around.”
As he said those words, he transformed into a streak of light, cruising about along the city walls.
Along the city walls, countless Maplewood City cultivators were rallying together and fighting bravely. The majority of them had cultivations of Origin King Realm, and they would either fight alone, or come together in groups of three to five. Upon exhausting their strength, they would retreat back up the city walls where there would naturally be others to take their place.
After doing an investigation, Yang Kai realized that the situation wasn’t too bad at all.
After experiencing the initial bout of panic and bewilderment, the cultivators present in Maplewood City had already calmed their minds down. Instead of continuing to think of how to flee and escape from the city, they had truly united their wills together to defend against the Demon Qi.
Brilliant rays of light stemming from various Martial Skills rumbled towards the Demon Qi. Although they were quickly destroyed by the latter, with his acute Divine Sense, Yang Kai could naturally sense that the Demon Qi was also being worn down in the process.
A single person might be utterly inadequate, but 100 people, 1000 people, 10000 people, 100 thousand people… if all of them did the same thing, the effect would be entirely different.
Every time, when the Demon Qi seemed to rush forwards, it would be met by powerful Secret Techniques or Martial Skills, dispelling the seemingly unstoppable Demon Qi.
With a casual test, Yang Kai discovered that indeed, this was a foolproof simple method to deal with the Demon Qi surrounding the city.
However, the Demon Qi possessed exceedingly powerful corrosive properties. Therefore, most cultivators simply did not dare to brandish their artifacts, choosing to only rely on their Secret Techniques and Martial Skills to unleash attacks.
At this moment, Maplewood City seemed to give off a well-fortified feeling. This feeling brought forth great delight in the hearts of the cultivators on the city walls, with their morale gaining an extremely large boost. At the same time, there was an inevitable surge of contempt for the Demonic Qi, as though this was the worse it could get.
Time slowly passed.
It had been a day since Maplewood City had been encircled by Demon Qi, and, in fact, there had yet to be a fatality or people injured at all.
This unusual development turned the vigilance-meter in Yang Kai’s heart into overdrive. After all, while he was in the mine, he had personally experienced the terror brought by the Ancient Demon Qi. Although he did not engage in a head-on confrontation against it, just the berserk intent radiating from the Demon Qi could not be underestimated.
Messages coming from the various Dao Source Realm Masters were transmitted through the communication artifact. Therefore, despite everyone being at different places, all of them were able to gain a clear understanding of the situations present at each other’s locations.
As dawn broke on the next day, something seemed to happen to the Demon Qi that surrounded Maplewood City, as it proceeded to gradually retreat a couple dozen metres, leaving an empty circular zone between it and the city walls.
Upon seeing this, the cultivators on the city walls instantly let off earth-shattering cheers of jubilation.
Believing that they had managed to successfully fight the Demon Qi back, they could not help to start congratulating each other and celebrating their victory.
In fact, a few of the Dao Source Realm masters had also assumed this to be true.
“Don’t let your guard down!” Duan Yuan Shan’s voice rang out from the communication artifact, his tone sounding solemn.
At a certain part of the city wall, Yang Kai stood in the air, narrowing his eyes as he looked ahead. Despite being a Dao Source Realm Master, which granted him extraordinary visual prowess, with the darkest time of the day being before daybreak, coupled with the surging Demon Qi, he was unable to see too far into the distance.
All of a sudden, minute vibrations started to shake the earth, as a series of muffled rumbling noises seemed to ring on in the far distance, travelling at an exceedingly fast speed towards the city.
In the beginning, these vibrations were very minute, to the point that they were barely noticeable. However, they grew more and more apparent as time passed.
The cheers coming from the cultivators on the city walls came to a grinding halt. After exchanging glances with each other, slivers of unease started to surface in their hearts.
Yang Kai took a deep breath and closed his eyes. Upon opening them, a golden radiance had impressively covered his left eye, with that pupil also turning into a shocking vertical shape.
Demon Eye of Annihilation, piercing through all illusions!
Within his left eye, he could see through the Demon Qi with ease, allowing him to see into its depths…
In the next instant, his expression suddenly changed as he roared towards the nearby cultivators: “Hurry up and increase the strength of the Spirit Array!”
At the same time, his Divine Sense surged, rushing into the communication artifact to transmit messages to the other Dao Source Realm masters: “There’s a large number of demonized Monster Beasts and Human cultivators in our vicinity! Everyone be careful!”
Within his field of view, he could see strong and powerful figures currently heading over to his direction from within the endless surging Demon Qi. Not only were there Monster Beasts present among those figures, but also Humans.
These Monster Beasts were all strange and grotesquely shaped. God knows where they popped out from, but their entire bodies radiated vicious and evil auras that blotted their surroundings.
As for those humans, after being corrupted by the Demon Qi, their auras had also been warped, with their vitality turning extremely vigorous.
Regardless of whether they were Monster Beasts or Humans, or their varying realms of cultivation, their numbers were incredibly terrifying. Rushing over from all directions, with seemingly endless numbers, they appeared to have already surrounded the entirety of Maplewood City.
Upon hearing Yang Kai’s roar, the nearby cultivators did not hesitate one bit as they hurriedly channelled their strength into the defensive Spirit Array.
With a resounding hum, the Spirit Array’s radiance instantly grew brighter by a few degrees.
The reason why these cultivators were doing what they were told to do was completely due to Yang Kai displaying the might of a Dao Source Realm Master a day ago. To them, there wasn’t any reason to doubt the words of a Dao Source Realm Master.
In the next instant, Duan Yuan Shan’s orders came ringing out from the communication artifact.
In a split second, the defensive Spirit Array surrounding the entire Maplewood City was tuned up to its most powerful state, its sparkling radiance so bright that it seemed as though daybreak had descended upon the vicinity of the city walls.
HONG LONG LONG…
The Demon Qi, which had been forced back several dozen metres, started to surge forward once again, roaring like a tsunami as it swirled up into giant waves that blotted the skies, rumbling right towards the city walls.
Sparks started to appear in massive quantities.
The Demon Qi was being blocked by the defensive light screen, continuously corroding its power, which caused bone-jarring sounds to ring out.
God knows how many times the cultivators on the city walls experienced this situation, which naturally made them react by channelling their power without restraint into the Spirit Array.
However, just at this instant, figure after figure suddenly started to rely on the protection of the endless Demon Qi as they rushed from within.
Vicious, demonized Monster Beasts with jet black eyes and humans shrouded in swirling black fog swept out before the Maplewood City cultivators in a spectre-like fashion.
Bang Bang Bang… collision sounds continued to ring out.
After making contact, those demonized Monster Beasts unleashed their unique Divine Abilities, resulting in rainbow coloured rays of beast techniques blossoming in the air. Furthermore, these demons still possessed the abilities of their previous life, with some even able to summon their artifacts to launch ferocious attacks at the defensive light barrier.
Like a ball, sunken depressions continued to appear on the defensive barrier. Despite it being like a balloon and rebounding, the brilliant radiance of the defensive Spirit Array was rapidly turning dim.
Everyone turned pale in fright!
At the section of the city wall where Yang Kai was located, the cultivators were also stunned by what they were witnessing. Fortunately, due to Yang Kai’s earlier warning, everyone had some level of mental preparation. After the initial shock had passed, everyone immediately unleashed their Secret Techniques and Martial Skills with even greater ferocity, sending them rumbling towards the Demon Qi; but the Demon Qi consumed it all, leaving no trace behind.
Yang Kai flicked all of his fingers, shooting bolt after bolt of Gold Blood Thread. Under the perfect control of his Divine Sense, they whipped around like thrashing dragons, leaving behind stretches of golden brilliance within the Demon Qi.
Maplewood City defensive Spirit Array was unidirectional – when activated, it would block attacks from outside the city, while defensive attacks from within the city could pass through the Spirit Array freely.
The vast majority of cities had similar protective arrays, while some used a bidirectional Spirit Array. However, the bidirectional arrays would only be activated under the direst of circumstances.
Once they were activated, it meant that the city was clinging to the last line of defence. The cultivators within the cities would be unable to launch counterattacks against enemies outside of the arrays, and they would only be able to wait for their impending death.
“Chi Chi Chi Chi…” As golden rays of light sparkled about, the Monster Beasts and Demons that were lunging ferociously at the city walls were sliced apart, turning into countless pieces of meat and bloody clumps, raining down from the sky.
In an instant, an area of about a couple dozen metres before Yang Kai had become devoid of any living creature.
These Monster Beasts and humans who were corrupted by the Ancient Great Demon’s Demon Qi all possessed a high level of strength. Their fleshly bodies had been greatly enhanced, and not only were they ruthless, but they were even capable of utilizing the skills and techniques they possessed prior to their corruption. If any one of them engaged in a one-on-one duel with a cultivator at the same cultivation realm, they would win every single time.
However… Yang Kai was in the Dao Source Realm!
These demonized Monster Beasts and humans did not have powerful cultivation realms before their corruption, the highest being was at the Origin King Realm. Therefore, they were as weak as tofu before the berserk dance of the Golden Blood Threads.
Seeing this, the nearby cultivators had a massive surge in morale, and each of them proceeded to unleash their special skills, launching ferocious attacks towards the enemies. For a brief moment, the section of the city wall Yang Kai was responsible for seemed to be holding strong, providing the cultivators with a huge confidence boost.
Yet, a solemn shade blanketed Yang Kai’s face after he cast his sight into the distance. The demonized Monster Beasts and humans were simply too great in number, like endless waves stretching into the distance. Shrouded in jet-black Demon Qi, they took advantage of the surging waves of Demon Qi to unleash their attacks.
It just took a momentary lapse in concentration for the defensive Spirit Array to be weakened significantly, causing it to turn dim.
While waving his ten fingers, Yang Kai came to a sudden realization.
He suddenly understood why it was only the Demon Qi that had surrounded the city yesterday, yet in the next day, countless demons and Monster Beasts had appeared.
This was clearly the result of the Ancient Demon Qi that had propagated earlier. It had demonized the various living creatures in the surroundings of Maplewood City, hence, there was not a single trace of any Monster Beasts or demons on the first day.
From the look of it, no living creature in the vicinity of Maplewood City could have survived this, and it was not known just how far the Demon Qi had spread.
Just as he was focusing on defending against the demonized living creatures, the communication artifact in his chest pocket suddenly vibrated. Immediately, his expression changed as he hastily pulled it out to check the message he had received.
“The situation at the southwest corner has changed! Hurry and reinforce it, Brother Yang!”
City Lord Duan Yuan Shan’s command rang out from within the communication artifact!
Returning the communication artifact to his pocket, Yang Kai turned to look southwest. Unfortunately, his objective was too far away, and he was unable to make anything out. The only thing he could make out was the incomparably dense Demon Qi, as well as traces of furious roars ringing from that direction.
Just as he was surveying the situation, a figure suddenly flashed to his side. Upon appearing, the person spoke out in haste: “Go over there, Brother Yang! This old man will take charge of this section of the wall!”
The person who said those words was, impressively, the Maplewood City’s Vice Lord, Drunkard!
Having said that, Drunkard suddenly pulled out the large green gourd that had been hanging on his waist, before taking a fierce gulp of wine. While doing so, he formed seals with his hands, and his face abruptly turned red.
In the next instant, his cheeks bulged out, before he spit at the enemies fiercely.
An endless stream of intense flames spewed out from his mouth. Surging forth, the intense flames were filled with unimaginable heat. Any Demons or Monster Beasts that it came into contact with would cry out miserably as they retreated. Nevertheless, they were unable to extinguish the flames that had landed on their bodies. Despite their struggling, all of them were reduced into piles of ashes within three breaths.
The nausea-inducing smell of burnt flesh began to perfuse through the air.
Not yet done, Drunkard proceeded to wave his head about slightly, causing the flames spewing out from his mouth to follow suit. He kept it up until an intense wall of flames 300 metres wide was formed before the city walls.
A fiery glow covered the skies, casting its radiance everywhere, as though it wanted to burn the entire sky into a fiery red shade.
All of the surrounding demons retreated in succession, no longer willing to even come close at all.
Bringing his exhalation of flames to a stop, a slight shiver racked through Drunkard’s body. It seemed that this move was a taxing one that he wasn’t able to use easily.
Seeing this, Yang Kai nodded towards Drunkard and disappeared with a flicker.
The southeast corner was quite a distance away from his current location. However, for Yang Kai, who possessed a Spatial Secret Technique, it didn’t take long at all.
Yang Kai unleashed his Space Techniques without any restraint, arriving in the southeastern corner in a few flashes.
Right as he arrived, Yang Kai’s eyes immediately narrowed after taking in what was around him!
At this moment, there was a hole several dozen metres wide in the defensive Spirit Array. Just like a cat that had smelt fish, the surging Demon Qi came drilling in through the hole, and there were even quite a few demonic figures present within the incoming Demon Qi, unleashing attacks at the nearby cultivators as they breached the city walls.
There were several dozen corpses strewn across the ground, while slivers of Demon Qi were slithering into their noses and mouths!
Standing at the entrance of the hole was an old man with a head full of white, a jade sceptre in his hand. Waving it around, mysterious beams of light radiated out from the sceptre, turning the demonic beings rushing through the hole into dust.
This old man was radiating the aura of a Dao Source Realm Master! He was unleashing his Source Qi without restraint, causing his robes to flutter about in its might. On the city walls, countless cultivators stood united as they defended against the invading Demon Qi and demonic creatures. The entire situation was utterly chaotic!
Right after he arrived, Yang Kai immediately summoned his Dao Source Grade Low-Rank sword. Activating his Five Element Indestructible Sword Qi, sword flowers blossomed on his long sword as he sent a stab downwards!
Chi Chi Chi Chi…
Rainbow coloured beams of sword Qi rained down from the sky, enveloping a gigantic region.
All of the demonic creatures that were within this region were either sliced in two or suffered serious injuries, leaving them roaring furiously in anger.
Moreover, the greater portion of the Sword Qi swept towards the complete corpses present on the ground.
Pu pu pu…
As the Sword Qi scattered away, explosive sounds rang out from the corpses, before all of them exploded into dust!
The countless cultivators who had witnessed this sight were dumbfounded by what they saw. In the next instant, all of them shot furious glares at Yang Kai!
After all, among the corpses lying on the ground, there were family members, friends, and compatriots who had fought alongside them.
They had been killed by demonic creatures, and nothing could be done about it; but denying the chance to have their bodies remain in one piece after their death? Even more incorrigible was that it was one of their own that had destroyed all traces of the bodies! How could anyone ignore this?
“If you all don’t wish for more demonic creatures to be born, destroy all of the corpses! This Demon Qi not only corrupts living, but it doesn’t even let the dead in peace!” Noticing their misunderstanding, Yang Kai hastily shouted in response.
Hearing his words, some of them seemed to understand, but the majority still had doubts within their hearts.
After all, how could the dead come back to life? No matter how incomparably mysterious the Ancient Demon Qi was, how could it let the dead live again?
However, their doubts did not last long, as a corpse suddenly rose. Shrouded in Demon Qi, its eyes snapped open, no longer having any white; the colour had been fully replaced by an abstruse, scarlet-black shade.
“This Sir is indeed correct! Hurry up and destroy the remaining bodies!” Some people shouted out loudly.
Now, who would dare to hesitate? Everyone proceeded to take action, destroying all of the bodies in their vicinity.
As for those newly resurrected Demons, their heads were chopped off by Yang Kai before they could even examine the world after death, falling right back onto the ground.
Turning around, Yang Kai swept his sword out once again, radiance blossoming and Sword Qi shooting out without restraint.
Ching….
Sword Qi swept out, ripping the greater half of the demonic creatures present into ten thousand pieces!
“I’ll leave the rest to you guys!” With a shout, Yang Kai took to the air and headed towards the old man.
The source of the danger in the southeast corner was ultimately the broken defensive Spirit Array. If the hole wasn’t patched, endless amounts of Demon Qi and demonic creatures would continue to pour through.
Not far away, there were already Array Masters hard at work. However, they still required a bit more time to repair the array.
It was utterly impossible to rely solely on the old man to block up the hole. From time to time, the demonic creatures that were able to slip through his attacks would make it to the city, causing chaos to the cultivators below.
Furthermore, from his expression, it appeared as though the old man was somewhat unable to continue sustaining the constant activation of the sceptre artifact in his hand. The burden of using it was immense, causing his expression to turn slightly pale as a result.
“I’m here to help you, old sir!” With a flash, Yang Kai appeared by the side of the old man. Right as he finished saying those words, he shook the long sword in his hand. A shimmer glazed over the long sword, before countless rays of Sword Qi shot out from its tip, flying towards the gap.
In an instant, the demonic creatures and Demon Qi gathering around the hole suffered serious injuries, forcing them to pull back.
Seeing this, a look of delight appeared on the old man’s face as he hastily opened his mouth: “This Qin thanks you, little brother!”
Indeed, just like an arrow at the end of its flight, he had exhausted his strength heavily through his solitary actions of defending at this place. If Yang Kai had come any later, he might really have lost his life from over-exhaustion.
The old man took a step back and let Yang Kai take the lead.
Seeing this, Yang Kai did not back down. Noticing the Demon Qi and demonic creatures he had pushed back starting to regain ground, a cold look appeared on his face as he extended his hand out to the front.
Space Force started to surge, before a jet-black hole suddenly appeared within the hole, fitting perfectly within the empty space.
Space Secret Technique, Exile!
All of the Demon Qi and demonic creatures that intruded were devoured completely by the black hole, with not a single one of them left behind.
Although the black hole was only able to exist for 10 breaths before dissipating away, this peculiar Secret Technique caused a sliver of terror to surface within all of the demonic creatures, and for a moment, none of them dared to proceed forward.
Taking in this spectacle, a blank expression appeared on the old man’s face as he stared at Yang Kai’s figure in shock.
During the past two days of defending against the Demon Qi invasion, he found that Yang Kai was Maplewood City’s newest Dao Source Realm Master. Nevertheless, he never expected Yang Kai to be this powerful.
He could clearly sense the Space Force fluctuations radiating from the Secret Technique Yang Kai had just unleashed. Didn’t this mean that Yang Kai was already able to harness Space Force?
He could no longer be treated as an ordinary Dao Source Realm cultivator.
Originally, the old man didn’t care much about Yang Kai, assuming that he was just a young and newly promoted master. However, after witnessing this Secret Technique, the old man had no choice but to regard Yang Kai in a new light.
Right at this moment, a shout rang out from below them. “Two sirs, there’s… there’s a slight problem with the Spirit Array repairs.”
The old man frowned. Looking down, he immediately shouted back in response. “What’s the problem?”
“It’s like this, Senior Qin…” The Array Master wore an awkward expression as he quickly continued, “If we want to close that hole, there cannot be powerful energies in the area that would interfere with the repair!”
“What do you mean?” The old man replied with a frown; although he was a Dao Source Realm Master, he didn’t have a good understanding of Spirit Arrays. Naturally, he didn’t know what the Array Master was trying to imply.
“In other words, if you two sirs are to continue fighting against those demonic creatures where the hole is, it will be impossible for us to repair the Spirit Array!” A look of unease appeared on the Array Master’s face.
“Useless!” The old man roared out in anger, “Are you trying to say that it’s simply impossible to repair the Spirit Array?”
Feeling the anger radiating from the old man, the Array Master’s eyes shrunk in fear before he replied weakly, “That isn’t the case. As long as you two sirs can shift the battlefield to another location, it will not hinder the repairs.”
“Where to?” The old man asked in a deep voice.
The Array Master’s face scrunched up in embarrassment. “You two sirs might have to go outside the Spirit Array…”
Before he could finish his sentence, old man Qin had already roared out in fury. “Bullshit! If that’s the case, isn’t it just a death sentence?”
The reason Maplewood City was still relatively unscathed was that the attacks launched by the Demoni Qi yesterday were relatively weak, and the Spirit Array was sufficient to hold those attacks off.
If he really left the protection of the Spirit Array to engage in combat against the Demon Qi and demonic creatures, it wouldn’t take long for him to get corrupted by the Demon Qi, transforming into a demon with his consciousness lost forever.
“Please calm down, senior Qin. It’s all due to my inadequate skills.” The Array Master also knew that his suggestion was ridiculous for anyone to accomplish. However, just as the cultivation realms of the cultivators in Maplewood City were rather mediocre, the might of the Array Masters were simply ordinary.
If they wanted to repair the damage, they couldn’t get disrupted by any powerful sources of energy near the area of repairs.
If Yang Kai and old man Qin were to engage in endless combat against the demonic creatures, they would be utterly incapable of doing anything.
“I’ll go, Old Sir Qin!” Yang Kai suddenly spoke up.
“You will?” Upon hearing this, old man Qin turned around to look at Yang Kai.
Yang Kai replied with a smile. “Since we need to shift the battlefield in order for the Spirit Array to get repaired, there’s no other way.”
A sliver of worry flashed across old man Qin’s face as said worriedly, “Are you sure about this, Little Brother? If you head out of the Spirit Array’s protective radius, you’ll be entering enemy lines alone. The Demon Qi can’t be easily defended against. If anything untoward were to happen…”
“I can’t guarantee anything, but I’ll know when I try,” Yang Kai smiled faintly. “If we don’t take care of this now, the city will get invaded the moment we become exhausted and run out of strength.”
After hearing Yang Kai’s reply, old man Qin also knew that there was truly no other way but to head out of the hole. Clenching his teeth, he quickly said, “Since that’s the case, let this old man go along with you, Little Brother. Hmph, as the saying goes, how can men be brave if they don’t dare to go into the tiger’s den? This old man really wants to see whether the Demon Qi will erode his consciousness!”
Yang Kai failed to stifle his laughter as he replied, “If old sir Qin were to head out there, how would the people below deal with any small fry that manages to get past?”
“About that…” Old man Qing gawked in speechlessness.
With a stern expression, Yang Kai gave his reply. “I’ll take the lead, while old sir Qin will stand guard in the rear.”
Knowing that Yang Kai wouldn’t back down from his words, old man Qin sighed and said, “Then you must be very careful, Little Brother. If you feel that your strength is waning… just retreat back into the city.”
Yang Kai nodded his head.
“If we succeed in doing this, I will definitely give a report to the City Lord, and make sure he acknowledges your contribution!” Old man Qin quickly said.
Declining to comment, Yang Kai flickered away towards the hole.
At once, old man Qin stepped up while roaring out loudly, “Repair the Spirit Array with the greatest speed you can muster! If you can’t complete the repairs on the Spirit Array within a quarter-hour, this old man will throw all of you Array Masters outside!”
Miserable expressions immediately appeared on the few Array Masters below. Nevertheless, they didn’t dare to utter any retort as they hastily started to repair the Spirit Array.
Right as Yang Kai exited the city, he felt that he had entered another world; a world without light, engulfed in endless darkness. The jet-black Qi that flowed all around his body possessed terrifying corrosive properties, and also seemed to contain some mysterious components.
The instant Yang Kai appeared outside, the Demon Qi and demonic creatures were like beasts that had spotted fresh meat, as all of them rushed towards him.
In a second, the space before Old Man Qin was emptied. It seemed as if the Demon Qi and demonic creatures were no longer flooding through the hole.
Witnessing this, delight, as well as a sliver of anxiety, surfaced in his heart.
He was delighted that the Array Masters would be able to repair the Spirit Array in peace, allowing them to complete the repairs in the shortest possible time.
He was worried about whether Yang Kai could endure until the repairs were complete. If Yang Kai were to suffer from misfortune before that, not only would their repair attempt end in failure, there would be an additional Dao Source Realm Master among the ranks of the demonic creatures.
If that were to happen… Maplewood City’s situation would become even worse!
Just as Old Man Qin was waiting anxiously, a few streaks of light suddenly came streaking over from not far away.
Not long after that, the streaks of lights descended before Old Man Qin, dissipating away to reveal a few figures.
“Yu’er, why did you come here?” Upon seeing a delicate-looking girl standing among the new figures, his expression changed drastically. “It’s dangerous here. Hurry up and go back.”
That delicate-looking girl was precisely Qin Yu, whom Yang Kai had met once before. Furthermore, within Maplewood City, the only Dao Source Realm Master surnamed Qin was the Qin Family’s old ancestor, Qin Zhao Yang.
Nevertheless, despite hearing this, Qin Yu didn’t make a move. Instead, she replied: “We received news that the situation here was critical. Therefore, we hurried here as reinforcements…”
As she continued to speak, Qin Yu turned to look at her surroundings, only to discover in astonishment that everything in her vicinity was currently under control. Other than the hole in the Spirit Array, there wasn’t a single trace of demonic creatures.
The Demon Qi and demonic creatures outside the Spirit Array even seemed to be ignoring the hole in the Spirit Array, and seemed to be surging around, congregating towards some location outside the city instead.
“Over there…” A dark look appeared on Qin Yu’s face. “What is going on over there?
Qin Zhao Yang sighed in reply. “There’s a young man who rushed out to attract the attention of the Demon Qi and demonic creatures. If not for his actions, how would this area be so peaceful now?”
“There’s someone who rushed out?” Looks of astonishment appeared on the faces of other Qin Family members present.
After all, although they had yet to personally witness the terrifying might of the Demonic Qi, just the sight of it was enough to cause all the hair on their bodies to stand on their ends. Who would dare to rush out into the Demonic Qi?
The courage to face such a terror head-on would mean that the person simply had no regard for their life.
Just the thought of this caused feelings of respect for the unknown person to surface in their hearts, as they silently admired the person’s decision.
“Yu’er, since you’re here, then so be it. Help this old master observe the situation over there!” All of a sudden, Qing Zhao Yang seemed to have recalled something, prompting him to speak to Qin Yu.
“Okay!” Qin Yu nodded, before closing her eyes. After reopening them, a silver glow radiated from her eyes. Within her pupils, silvery currents were flashing about, while a mysterious power beamed out from within, piercing through the void before her.
Due to an incurable disease that plagued her body, Qin Yu was frequently not well. Furthermore, displaying this Secret Technique seemed to put an immense burden on her. Tremors started to rack through the body, beads of sweat seeped out of her forehead, while her originally pale face gradually grew even paler.
“So, how’s the situation?”
“Ah…” Right after gazing into the void, Qin Yu could not help but let out a soft yelp.
Very quickly, a sliver of delight flashed across her face as she said out in astonishment, “It’s him?”
Right after she said those words, Qin Yu’s tender body trembled as she closed her eyes abruptly. Like a fish out of water, she proceeded to gasp deeply for air.
Seeing this, a look of fear flashed across Qin Zhao Yang’s face. With a series of finger movements, he made successive taps on the pressure points on Qin Yu’s body. At the same time, he retrieved a Spirit Pill from his Space Ring and shot it straight into her mouth.
He did not chase her for a reply, just waiting for Qin Yu to sit down and adjust her breathing.
After a short while, Qin Yu opened her eyes, looked towards Qin Zhao Yang excitedly. “Old ancestor, was that person named Yang?”
“You recognize him?” Qin Yu’s reaction caused Qin Zhao Yang’s expression to change as he asked her in pensiveness.
“It’s really him!” Qin Yu smiled and replied in a low voice, “Old Ancestor, do you remember the last time Yu’er returned, I had asked for our family to look out for a particular person?”
“I remember hearing about this matter.” Qin Zhao Yang nodded, before asking curiously. “Are you saying that this is the person you were looking for?”
“Indeed!” Qin Yu nodded in response. “Old Ancestor, this person is extraordinary! If it’s possible, you have to try your best to pull him to our side, and get him employed by our Qin Family!”
“This old man can already tell that he is extraordinary…” Qin Zhao Yang’s mouth twitched as he gave a bitter smile in response. If this man was just an ordinary cultivator, would he dare to rush out of the city by himself? “So, how did you come to know about him?”
Qin Yu continued, “That’s because Yu’er was observing him from a distance when he was promoting his cultivation into the Dao Source Realm! When that person was promoting his cultivation realm, the resulting Heavenly Manifestation was exceedingly terrifying, and the spectacle was simply unlike any ordinary cultivator promoting into the Dao Source Realm. Furthermore… at the critical moment of his promotion, he even had enough strength to spare, and dealt heavy injuries to Ghost Hand Shen Tu!”
“What?” Qin Zhao Yang exclaimed in shock, “Are you sure about this?”
How would Qin Zhao Yong not know someone as infamous as Ghost Hand Shen Tu? Having been a Dao Source Realm Master in Maplewood City for so long, he had crossed paths with Shen Tu several times over the years, and had even fought twice due to differences in opinions.
Despite holding Shen Tu in contempt due to his prior actions, Qin Zhao Yong begrudgingly acknowledged Shen Tu’s strength, treating Shen Tu as his number one foe. When they fought, he could only maintain a slight advantage and was unable to properly finish Shen Tu off. Both times, he couldn’t prevent Shen Tu from escaping.
However, from what Qin Yu had mentioned, Yang Kai was actually able to deal a heavy blow against Shen Tu during the critical moment of his promotion to the Dao Source Realm!
In other words, at that time, Yang Kai had yet to reach the Dao Source Realm and was merely a Peak Third-Order Origin King.
Qing Zhao Yang was utterly incapable of imagining the strength required to injure Shen Tu under such circumstances.
Didn’t this also mean that, at that time, Yang Kai was already out of his league?
Now that Yang Kai had ascended to the Dao Source Realm, his cultivation realm had taken a huge step forward, and his strength might have more than doubled!
Reaching this conclusion, Qin Zhao Yang suddenly felt his breathing turn heavy. Earlier on, he had tried his best to convince himself of Yang Kai’s strength, but he was actually underestimating Yang Kai!
“What about Shen Tu?” Qin Zhao Yang asked impatiently.
Shen Tu had had some past grievances against the Qin Family, and if they could track him down while he was still recovering from serious injuries, it was a golden opportunity to exterminate the root of the problem.
With a bitter smile, Qin Yu replied, “I was just about to tell you about this matter, Old Ancestor! Shen Tu is dead!”
“Dead?” Qin Zhao Yang’s eyes contracted in shock. “Didn’t you say that he only suffered serious injuries? How did it go from serious injuries to death?”
“During his promotion… that sir had another Dao Source Realm protecting him from the shadows. After suffering serious injuries and being forced to retreat, Shen Tu was killed by that protector in a single strike! However, it’s a pity… I was unable to see exactly who that protector was, nor the level of their strength.”
“Eh?” A look of excitement filled Qin Zhao Yang’s face. “Are you telling me that a hidden master is backing Little Brother Yang?”
Qin Yu nodded her head and replied in excitement. “Yes, Old Ancestor. That person is a loose cultivator. If we’re able to pull him into our Qin Family, we will definitely receive a great boost in strength. Furthermore, with another powerful master behind him, our Qin Family will definitely benefit if we’re able to establish a good relationship with him!”
A gleam flashed across Qin Zhao Yang’s eyes. “I understand what you’re implying. However, that matter can only proceed after the danger before us is settled.”
“Yu’er understands. However, please pay attention to this, Old Ancestor. Please be careful to never offend that person,” Qin Yu reminded her Old Ancestor in a solemn voice. A peculiar gleam sparkled within her beautiful eyes, before she quickly added, “Perhaps, the revival of our Qin Family will fall on his shoulders.”
Hearing her words, an intense tremble shook through Qin Zhao Yang’s face as he said with rapt attention, “Did you see something else, Yu’er?”
Qin Yu shook her head and replied, “My Fated Fortune Heavenly Pupil only allowed me to see his absolutely insane fortune and opportunities. His future is definitely not limited to Maplewood City.”
Qin Zhao Yang’s expression changed. “Your words give this old man some assurance.”
After finishing their conversation, the two looked outside the city, though they were unable to see anything through the darkness. The only thing they could make out was the constantly surging Demon Qi, still appearing to be gathering towards a certain location. Within the patch of jet-black Demon Qi, various roars of demonic creatures continued to ring out, making everyone’s hair stand on end.
“Where the hell did all of these damn things come from?”
Outside of the city, a deep frown had covered Yang Kai’s face. Before he had exited the city, he wasn’t able to notice this. However, upon leaving the city and entering this endlessly dark world, he was gradually able to discover the seemingly endless amount of demonic creatures within the Demon Qi.
Furthermore, just like a speck of radiance within the jet black world, he attracted countless demonic creatures to encircle and attack him.
Under the pressure from his Dao of Space, the surrounding region became incomparably dense. Regardless of how high their cultivation level was, any demonic creature that came within 20 feet from him was rendered immobile.
As all-encompassing golden light sparkled about, all of the demonic creatures were sliced into bits by the Golden Blood Threads.
Nevertheless, despite Yang Kai’s incomparably valiant display, the demonic creatures still continued to rush towards him like berserkers without the fear of death. After a moment of work, a hill of corpses had already formed beneath his feet.
Although the Source Qi protecting his body was able to resist the Demon Qi’s corrosion, he could tell how exceedingly strong its corrosive properties were from the intense hissing sounds ringing out all around him. If this continued on, it would be severely taxing on Yang Kai’s strength.
“Come out!”
After fighting for a moment, Yang Kai’s forehead wrinkled. With a low roar, the Queen Monster Insect and Blue Flame Thunder Wolf both graced the battlefield, standing by his side.
Upon their appearance, the two great Blood Beasts immediately moved in accordance with Yang Kai’s commands.
Flashes of light blossomed from the Queen Monster Insect’s twin violet swords, as an ice-cold Domain expanded out. In an instant, a bitter cold engulfed a one thousand metre radius. Snowflakes started fluttering down from the sky, and as they fluttered by the bodies of the surrounding demonic creatures, miserable shrieks rang out as they were sliced into halves.
Take big gulps and exhaling heavily, balls of fire and bolts of lightning shot out from the Blue Flame Thunder Wolf’s mouth. Although the might of its attacks weren’t comparable to the Queen Monster Insect, it was still able to hold its own.
*Chi Chi Chi…*
The blood radiance blossoming from the two great Blood Beasts was so dense, they appeared to be corporeal. Stained with a weak golden-red brilliance, they continued to reject the advancement of the seemingly unstoppable Demon Qi.
For a moment, the current situation seemed to stabilise.
With no other person present, Yang Kai was free to unleash all of his abilities without restraint. With Space Force surrounding his body, various kinds of Space Force Secret Techniques were launched by him. With the cooperation from the two great Blood Beasts, the countless demonic creatures present were utterly incapable of coming any nearer than ten metres from him!
Fortunately, considering the average cultivation realms of the cultivators in the vicinity of Maplewood City, despite the strength boost after being corroded by the Demon Qi into demonic creatures, they did not become substantially stronger.
If not for that, how could Yang Kai be able to accomplish this feat as easily?
After fighting for quite a while, Yang Kai started to become affected by the bloodlust. No longer carrying about conserving his energy, Moon Blade after Moon Blade flew out in all directions, creating neat paths in their wake.
Just at this moment, appearing to have sensed something, the Queen Monster Insect waved its twin swords, sending its frost Dao powers shooting to a certain location.
Right there, a ghostly figure that was approaching them stealthily was forced to make an appearance by the incoming attack.
This new figure seemed to appear somewhat different from other demonic creatures, as the evil aura surrounding its body was incomparably large as compared to the others. Furthermore, it was surrounded by a dense clump of Demon Qi, and had also used some kind of Secret Technique to obscure Yang Kai’s senses.
If not for the Queen Monster Insect detecting it, Yang Kai might have only been able to detect it after it had closed in on him.
“A Jiang Family member?” Nevertheless, Yang Kai reacted exceedingly quickly in response. Right as the Queen Monster Insect made its move, he had already cast his gaze towards the location of its attack. Upon focusing his gaze, he was astonished to discover that it was actually an elder of the Jiang Family, someone whom Yang Kai had fought with previously.
However, Yang Kai didn’t know his opponent’s name.
This Jiang Family Elder’s cultivation was previously at the Third-Order Origin King realm, but right now, it had increased in might, with the current energy fluctuations radiating from his body already reaching the Dao Source Realm in strength. However, the strange thing was that he was still in the Third-Order Origin King realm!
Thinking about that, Yang Kai immediately realized that this was the contribution from the Demon Qi.
After being corrupted by the Demon Qi, despite the loss of consciousness, one’s strength would increase as a result.
After turning into a demon, this Jiang Family Elder’s strength had greatly increased. Nevertheless, the Demon Qi wasn’t omnipotent and thus was unable to truly promote him into a Dao Source Realm cultivator. It was able to increase the quality of the Source Qi within his body but was unable to lead any quantitative change.
“Courting death!” Yang Kai had a deep-seated hatred for the Jiang Family evildoers that had caused the crisis that Maplewood City was currently facing. If not for their wanton harvesting of that mine, he would not have been swept into all of these troubles.
If not, he could very well be focusing his mind on his cultivation in his cave mansion.
Sensing the murderous intent rising from Yang Kai, the Queen Monster Insect didn’t hesitate one bit to wave its twin swords. Two different coloured flashes of light crisscrossed as they shot towards the Jiang Family Elder.
The sound of a body being sliced into bits rang out.
Despite gaining strength from being corrupted by Demon Qi, how would the Jiang Family elder be a match for the Queen Monster Insect?
As the flashes of light shot over, the Jiang Family Elder’s body was sliced into four parts.
Before he died, there was unexpectedly not even a shred of terror in his eyes. On the contrary, roars continued to ring out from his mouth, as though he had turned into a raving lunatic.
“Whoosh…” right at this instant, a figure wielding a sword suddenly appeared behind Yang Kai. The sword was completely black in colour, with a jet black aura radiating from its entire blade. With a flash, the sword pieced towards the back of Yang Kai’s head.
As this figure surfaced, the Blue Flame Thunder Wolf opened its mouth to shoot out a brazier-sized fireball right at it.
However, this person unexpectedly did not evade or dodge, choosing to meet the fireball head-on. The jet black Demon Qi that surrounded it scattered apart, accompanied by a wave of a charred smell.
However, after enduring that attack head-on, his long sword was successful in piercing Yang Kai’s head.
“Ha ha ha ha!” Managing to land his strike, the person could not hold back and started to chuckle heartily, his deranged laughter filled within unconcealable nefarious intent.
“You sound so happy, Brother Chu He!”
An indifferent sounding voice rang out from an unknown position behind his back.
Turning pale in fright, this demon hastily turned its head around, only to discover Yang Kai, whom he thought he had just killed, was already standing behind him and was staring at him with a look of ridicule.
As for the figure whose head he had just stabbed with his sword, it started to slowly dissipate away. That was merely an afterimage.
Seeing the demon look over, Yang Kai could not help but chuckle. “What made you so happy for you to laugh like that, Brother Chu He? Can you share the happiness with me?”
After the earlier incident where the Jiang Family Elder had concealed his figure and almost managed to unleash a sneak attack, how would Yang Kai relax his vigilance? Therefore, he had naturally managed to discover Jiang Chu He’s movements the instant the latter took action. With Yang Kai’s skills, evading a sneak attack like this did not pose any difficulty for him at all.
At this moment, Jiang Chu He was radiating an aura even more powerful than the Jiang Family Elder. He was not able to break through into the Dao Source Realm, was unable to utilize the power of a domain. However, all of his other abilities were on par with a Dao Source Realm master.
Faced with such ridicule from Yang Kai, Jiang Chu He was completely blinded by rage; all of a sudden, with a low roar, his expression grew ruthless, while surging Demon Qi gushed out from his body. At this moment, his originally black pupils grew even more jet black, to the point that they seemed to be able to suck in the souls of people who dared to look at them.
Within the surging Demon Qi, the demonized Jiang Chu He flew into a rage, opening his mouth wide to take a deep breath.
Like a whale gulping water, the surging and squirming Demon Qi rushed madly into his mouth before being swallowed into his body.
Jiang Chu He’s stomach appeared to have transformed into a bottomless abyss…
As he continued to swallow more and more Demon Qi, the aura radiating from Jiang Chu He’s body grew increasingly dangerous. At the same time, the Demon Crests that were present across his body started to radiate with a black twilight, appearing as though they were gathering some kind of mighty force, causing unease to surface in Yang Kai’s heart.
“Deal with him!”
Yang Kai shouted. He knew that he could not allow Jiang Chu He to continue uninterrupted. If he did, something bad might really happen! Upon his command, his two great Blood Beasts transformed into two rays of light, flanking Jiang Chu He.
As for Yang Kai, he proceeded to clad himself with his Sword Qi, merging with the long sword in his hand as he stabbed at Jiang Chu He.
Faced with such an all-out attack, Jiang Chu He did not show even the slightest hint of fear. On the contrary, he opened his mouth wide, letting off a ferocious roar of anger that rang out and shook his surroundings.
As his roar rang out, a jet-black pillar of light shot out from his mouth. Coalescing into a surging jet-black flood dragon, it brandished its fangs and claws as it rushed to meet the incoming Yang Kai.
Seeing this, Yang Kai could not help but narrow his eyes. His long sword blossomed with radiance, transforming into a twisting gale, sweeping the jet-black flood dragon into his sword intent.
On the other side, Jiang Chu He sent a rumbling punch right at the head of the approaching Blue Flame Thunder Wolf. The Blood Beast, despite possessing a strength that rivalled a First-Order Dao Source Realm, let out a miserable whimper as its gigantic body was sent flying away.
Before it could land on the ground, it was entangled by countless strands of Demon Qi, making it utterly incapable of freeing itself. The aura of Blood Qi that surrounded its body continued to be corroded by the Demon Qi, ear-piercing hissing sounds ringing out. Within a short moment, a large hole had been formed, which Demon Qi immediately drilled right into, before entering the Blue Flame Thunder Wolf’s nose.
At the same time, purple and green flashes of light shot over, a Domain of ice and frost descended as the Queen Monster Insect made its move. Combining its twin purple and green swords, they impressively blossomed with dazzling brilliance, momentarily scattering all of the surrounding Demon Qi before congealing a gigantic Sword Qi and sending it chopping down.
Seemingly knowing that this was not a strike he could contend against, Jiang Chu He disappeared from his original location.
*Hong…*
Right as he disappeared, the Sword Qi struck the ground, creating a deep gouge in the earth and sending dirt and dust in all directions.
On the other side, Yang Kai managed to chop that jet-black flood dragon in pieces after much difficulty. Turning around, he saw the Blue Flame Thunder Wolf’s predicament, causing unease to fill his heart. With a hasty flash, he appeared by the side of his Blood Beast, and with a grab, sent it into his Sealed World Bead.
If he had left his Blue Flame Thunder Wolf any longer, it wouldn’t take long for it to become demonized.
Even with him and his two Great Blood Beasts taking action, he had still lost one of them to Jiang Chu He in an instant. This turn of events made Yang Kai angry out of shame, and also let him thoroughly realise exactly how terrifying a demon’s strength was post-demonification.
Before Jiang Chu He was demonized, Yang Kai could kill a fellow like him with a snap of his fingers.
The difference in strength between the Dao Source realm and Origin King Realm could not be scoffed at.
Silence ensued within the Demon Qi.
After evading the Queen Monster Insect’s attack, Jiang Chu He appeared to have merged with the surrounding Demon Qi, disappearing without a trace.
Obviously, he had used this to his advantage earlier, allowing him to get near Yang Kai in the first place.
With no trace of its enemy, the Queen Monster Insect stood silently at its original location, its entire body enveloped by a lustrous white aura of light. This lustrous aura of light radiated with extreme cold, a clear transformation of the Clearly Sky Snowfall’s sword intent.
“Hmph! Do you think you can hide from me?”
Yang Kai gave a cold snort, and after briefly closing his eyes, his Demon Eye of Annihilation had already appeared.
Scanning his surroundings, he quickly spotted the faint outline of a human figure within a stretch of Demon Qi, hiding and not moving an inch.
If not for the Demon Eye of Annihilation’s ability to see through the void, it would have been impossible for him to discover that human figure, no matter how strong his Divine Sense was.
Not only that, there were even more human figures present not far away from him, concealing themselves with the aid of the Demon Qi as they crept silently towards him.
The auras radiating from these few figures weren’t much weaker than the aura radiating from Jiang Chu He. In fact, there were two of them that were even more formidable than Jiang Chu He.
Shock immediately filled Yang Kai’s heart, as he knew that he had stayed too long outside of the city. This had led him to attract even more demons, and these impressively strong demons were obviously demonized Jiang Family members.
That was because one of the figures was extremely similar to the figure of the Jiang Family’s Patriarch, Jiang Lin; they were basically identical to each other.
“Little brother Yang, hurry up and return to the city! The repairs on the great array are about to be complete!”
Just at this moment, Qin Zhao Yang’s roaring voice suddenly rang out from far behind him.
Yang Kai smiled happily, as he knew that he had accomplished his mission. However, he still felt somewhat unwilling to leave just like that.
Seeing even more demons closing in on him, he clenched his teeth and gave an order to the Queen Monster Insect.
In the next instant, the Queen Monster Insect displayed its most powerful Sword Dao Secret Technique.
Cleary Sky Snowfall!
The domain of ice and frost accompanied the movements of the twin purple and green swords as they suddenly descended on a certain location. In an instant, bone-chilling cold immediately enveloped that entire area. In the air, the ice principles lingered on, acting like a poison as it seeped out in all directions.
Unable to react in time, the demons that were creeping up slowly within the Demon Qi were all struck by this move.
Roars began to ring out in succession, as figure after figure revealed themselves. These demons proceeded to execute the Secret Techniques and Divine Abilities they possessed when they were alive, to dispel the ice and frost energies that had struck them.
Taking advantage of this, Yang Kai turned into a flash of light, reappearing right before Jiang Chu He.
“Solidify!”
With a roar, Yang Kai directed his Space Principles, his will locking the entire stretch of the world up.
Jiang Chu He’s figure immediately appeared. However, at this moment, there seemed to be a flustered look appearing on his malevolent-looking face. As he struggled with all his might, the Demon Crests that covered his skin started to move and sparkle, and all of his veins bulged and swelled, creating an extremely shocking sight.
Nevertheless, he couldn’t escape from the bindings created by Space Principles. In the end, he was merely a demonized Third-Order Origin King cultivator, and thus was utterly incapable of breaking free of the constraints created by the strength of the World Principles!
“Slash!” Lifting the long sword in his hand, Yang Kai proceeded to slash down fiercely.
A will to survive burst forth from Jiang Chu He’s jet-black eyes. Mustering energy from an unknown source, he actually managed to forcefully shift his head slightly to the side.
The sword Qi flashed across, cleaving off an arm, and sending jet black blood gushing out from the stump.
Jiang Chu He cried out in pain!
Yang Kai was surprised to see this series of outcomes, as he never expected that his strike wouldn’t achieve its intended effect. Nevertheless, as he thought about it, he came up with an even better idea.
In the next instant, he roared out once again. “Bind!”
Hearing his command, the surrounding space squashed down fiercely towards Jiang Chu He. As though he was being crushed, cracking sounds rang out from the bones across his entire body, while blood flowed out from his nose and ears. Nevertheless, he still continued to struggle and did not show even the slightest hint of wanting to beg for mercy. In fact, he did not even attempt to flee! Instead, he continued to roar at Yang Kai like a frenzied wild beast.
Forming seals with his hands, Yang Kai’s hands turned illusionary, before he smashed them towards Jiang Chu He.
Wave after wave of Source Qi gushed into Jiang Chu He’s body, suppressing every single flow of energy in his body.
Within a few breaths, Jiang Chu He was utterly incapable of mustering any energy to resist, as his entire cultivation was sealed within his body.
Extending his hand, Yang Kai grabbed and hoisted him up.
At the same time, he gave an order to the Queen Monster Insect.
Receiving his command, the Queen Monster Insect transformed into a beam light, shooting towards Yang Kai, who immediately sent it into his Sealed World Bead.
After that, with a flash, Yang Kai rushed towards the city walls.
Seeing Yang Kai appear in the distance, a look of delight appeared on Qin Zhao Yang’s face as he shouted out. “Little brother Yang, hurry up and get back!”
Yang Kai nodded his head. However, right as he was about to head into the city through the hole present in the Spirit Array, his expression suddenly changed as he turned to look behind him.
“What are you doing, Little Brother?” A blank look appeared on Qin Zhao Yang’s face, unable to understand why Yang Kai would come to a stop at such a critical moment.
“Did you hear that, Old Sir Qin?” Yang Kai asked in doubt.
Qin Zhao Yang gawked, before pricking his ears to carefully listen to the surrounding sounds. As he did so, his expression changed. “Is there someone calling for help?”
Indeed, there was someone not far outside of the city that was calling for help. From the shouts, it appeared to be a man, and one that wasn’t young!
Conflicted emotions flashed across Qin Zhao Yang’s face, before he quickly said, “Don’t worry about it, Little Brother. Regardless of who he is, he might already be in a disastrous state. You should hurry back as quickly as possible.”
Yang Kai nodded in agreement.
The dangers of the Demon Qi had far exceeded his expectations. If there really was someone who had recklessly rushed out into it, it wouldn’t take long before that person’s consciousness would be devoured and turned into a demon.
Even with his current level of strength, he did not dare to stay too long within the Demon Qi.
“Sir, please wait! Sir, help!”
All of a sudden, that strange call for help rang out once again from behind him. Furthermore, from the location the sound was coming from, it seemed to be nearer than the last cry for help.
This instantly piqued Yang Kai’s curiosity, as he did not know exactly what kind of person could actually protect their body within that surging Demon Qi and the countless demonic creatures within the Demon Qi. Furthermore, that person seemed to be able to accurately determine which location to run towards.
A person that was able to accomplish those feats would clearly not be any ordinary cultivator.
“Please wait, Old Sir Qin. I’ll take a look first.”
Saying those words, Yang Kai tossed Jiang Chu He into the city.
In a somewhat absent-minded state, right as Qin Zhao Yang noticed Jiang Chu He’s malevolent expression and bared teeth flying towards him, he was instantly shocked. Without giving a second thought, he sent a palm rumbling forward.
*Hong…*
A gigantic bang rang out, accompanied by the sounds of countless bones shattering. Jiang Chu He immediately vomited out black blood, while his aura immediately withered away.
Nevertheless, despite taking Qin Zhao Yang’s palm strike in the face, Jiang Chu He did not immediately die. Instead, he collapsed onto the ground, groans escaping from his mouth.
“Demon… Demon!”
Noticing him, the surrounding cultivators cried out in surprise and shock.
Qin Yu’s beautiful eyes sparkled as she started to size Jiang Chu He up in curiosity.
This was the first time she was this close to a living and breathing demon!
“Jiang, Jiang Chu He?” Qin Yu’s beautiful eyes suddenly snapped wide open, a look of inconceivable shock appearing on her face as she stared at the struggling demon being suppressed on the ground.
She realised that this demon was, in fact, the Jiang Family’s new generational talent, Jiang Chu He!
As one of the descendants hailing from the various aristocratic families in Maplewood City, Qin Yu had had a number of interactions with Jiang Chu He, and thus was naturally able to recognise him. However, never in her wildest thoughts did she imagine that one of the demons who had taken over the outside of Maplewood City would actually be a person she knew.
The Jiang Family’s wanton mining had caused the seal in the mine to break, causing the pure Demon Qi from the Ancient Great Demon to seep out. Only a handful of Dao Source Realm Masters within Maplewood City knew about this, leaving it as a mystery for all the other cultivators.
It wasn’t because Duan Yuan Shan was worried about creating chaos that he had not disseminated this information, but that he hadn’t had the time and opportunity to do so.
“How could it be him?” Qin Yu was completely incapable of wrapping her head around what she was seeing.
“Oh my god! Isn’t that Young Master Jiang?”
“Is that really Young Master Jiang? I had a drink of flower wine with him at the Drunken Moon Winehouse just half a month ago! How could he…”
After recognizing Jiang Chu He from his appearance, expressions of shock appeared on the faces of the surrounding cultivators.
One of the cultivators even revealed a pained look on his face, as he had indeed had a drink with Jiang Chu He at the greatest winehouse in Maplewood City, beautiful women in their arms as they drank delicious flower wine and had a great and happy chat.
Within half a month, the majestic and graceful Jiang Young Master had unexpectedly turned into such a monster! He couldn’t help but sigh sorrowfully in regret.
“Hold him down properly! What are you all scared of? Little Brother Yang has already suppressed his cultivation, he’s just a useless person!” Qin Zhao Yang shouted out from the side, his voice brimming with a stern and oppressive pressure.
Hearing this, the surrounding cultivators unconsciously twitched their mouths in response.
Everyone had clearly seen Qin Zhao Yang instinctively unleashing a palm strike earlier that destroyed all of Jiang Chu He’s bones.
Nevertheless, no one dared to go against him at this moment as they started to surround Jiang Chu He. Unleashing various techniques, they bound him up, all while sizing him up with great curiosity.
Jiang Chu He seemed to have lost all conscious thought; not even the slightest shred of recognition appeared on his face despite coming face-to-face with several familiar faces. On the contrary, he continued to roar out, sending terrifying roars ringing out from his throat.
Outside of the city, Yang Kai continued to act like a mountain, standing right in front of the last hole. Unleashing his Five Elements Indestructible Sword Qi, he blocked wave after wave of countless demonic creatures.
Utilising his Demon Eye of Annihilation to look ahead, the only thing he saw was a lone and miserable figure currently charging about wildly within the endless surging Demon Qi. Unleashing an unknown secret technique that was unexpectedly able to resist the Demon Qi’s corrosion, the figure fled madly towards Yang Kai’s position.
“Ah, great sir! You really are my saviour! Many thanks, many thanks great sir! This one will forever remember great sir’s benevolence! This one will definitely bow three times in the morning, and burn an incense in the evening to pray for this great sir to live to a hundred years old!”
As he flew rapidly towards Yang Kai, he continued to blabber incessantly!
This spiked Yang Kai’s curiosity greatly; this person’s movement skills were exceedingly deft and nimble. Although he was breaking through all of those demonic creatures by himself, he was unexpectedly doing so with ease, and not a single one of the demonic creatures managed to land an attack on him. He even had the time to give thanks to Yang Kai.
A frown appeared on Yang Kai’s face as he replied in anger, “A hundred years old isn’t a long lifespan for me! Are you trying to curse me to an early demise!”
“It’s just a saying, it’s just a saying…” The man seemed to notice his faux pas. However, by then, he had already arrived several dozen metres from Yang Kai.
“Shut up and hurry inside!” Yang Kai said impatiently, as he could see that the hole behind him was about to close up. Right after saying those words, he gave up caring about that person and turned around, rushing through the hole into the city.
“Wait for me, sir!” With a strange shout, that person abruptly accelerated, and in a brief instant, rushed up to Yang Kai’s side and into the city.
Without any more targets to attack, the countless demonic creatures and Demon Qi continued to gush into the city.
Nevertheless, how would the Array Masters waiting silently for their opportunity let them do as they wish? Dazzling flashes of light blossomed from their hands, transforming into streams of energy that flowed into the Spirit Array and the hole shrank rapidly, soon completely repaired!
Hong Hong Hong…
Demonic creatures continued to unleash attacks at the Spirit Array, while Demon Qi continued to surge forth. Nevertheless, everyone breathed a light sigh of relief. As long as the defensive Spirit Array was undamaged, they did not have to worry too much.
“You few, hurry up and strengthen the weak links here! Make sure that the demonic creatures never break the Spirit Array again!” Qin Zhao Yang roared at the few Array Masters present with a stern tone.
Accepting the command, the few Array Masters hastily grasped the Array Plates in their hands tightly.
“We’re really lucky to have you around this time, Little Brother Yang. Without you, Maplewood City might have…” A look of fear flashed past Qin Zhao Yang’s face as he cupped his hands towards Yang Kai in gratitude.
With the viciousness of the Demon Qi and demonic creatures outside of the city, he did not dare to belittle the earlier hole at all. If the Spirit Array hadn’t been able to be repaired, the endless Demon Qi that engulfed the city would definitely invade inwards. Among the tens of thousands of cultivators in Maplewood City, just how few would be able to defend against that?
He could almost visualise the terrible spectacle of despair that would envelop Maplewood City! If that really happened, he would be the sinner of Maplewood City, as protecting the city was his responsibility after all.
“There’s no need to be that modest, Old Sir Qin! It’s within my abilities!” Yang Kai waved his hand in response, and he took those remarks lightly. Instead, he started sizing up the person who had rushed into the city alongside him.
After an instant, a look of shock appeared on his face as he growled, “It’s you, you old swindler!”
Earlier, when he was outside of the city, Yang Kai did not pay much attention to that person’s face. Only now did he realize that the fellow who had rushed through all of the demonic creatures with boldness and bravery, turned out to be that wretched old swindler!
While in the black market, this old fellow had swindled a few thousand Source Crystals from Mo Xiao Qi. After that, before the opening of the Five Coloured Treasure Pagoda, he had gone all over the place to peddle his Nine Revolutions Life Restoring Pill, which he claimed to be his ancestor’s and had some miraculous power to help people regrow their flesh, bones and even bring people back to life! And from the looks of it, his business had been great!
Never in his wildest dreams did Yang Kai imagine that this old swindler had such an outstanding side to him.
Not just any Origin King Realm cultivator could travel through Demon Qi as they wished. Although the old swindler appeared to be gasping for air, at the very least, he had managed to live another day.
Just this fact alone would raise the old swindler to a level that ordinary people could only dream to reach!
“There’s no need to say such horrible words, this sir…” After hearing Yang Kai’s way of addressing him, a rather embarrassed look appeared on the old swindler’s face. With a cheeky smile, he continued, “This old master is merely scraping by, I’ve never swindled anyone before.”
“Oh really?” Yang Kai grinned meaningfully as he shot a deep look at the old swindler.
A righteous look appeared on the old swindler’s face as he replied, “This old master has always treated buying and selling as fair business with reasonable prices. I definitely wouldn’t force others to buy and sell. It’s merely that some people have misunderstood this old master, that’s all, claiming that this old master is a swindler. That’s absolutely slander! This old master’s a businessman, where honesty is of the utmost importance!”
“It’s you, you old thing! Exactly what the hell is that Golden Rod Pill that you sold me last time…” All of a sudden, a cultivator stood out from the crowd. Looking at the old swindler with a face brimming with anger, he seemed to have suffered some kind of great loss.
“That thing didn’t work?” A look of surprise appeared on the old swindler’s face as he looked at that person, before replying in a baffled tone, “Of course. That pill was refined by this old master using my ancestor’s formula. Its efficacy is absolutely extraordinary. This brother, are you sure you followed the instructions properly?”
That cultivator asked with a strange look on his face, “Other than eating, what other way can the pill be used?”
The old swindler patted his leg and cried out in lament, “You idiot! How can you eat that Golden Rod Pill! You’re supposed to grind it to powder, before applying it on…your…!”
Right as he said those words, everyone’s eyes instantly snapped wide open, their eyeballs almost popping out of their sockets.
“Apply what? Apply on where?” Curious, Qin Yu asked with an innocent look on her face.
Qin Zhao Yang could not help but cough lightly in response. Nevertheless, unsure of whether to give a reply to her or not, an exceedingly embarrassed look appeared on his face.
Shooting his gaze towards Qin Yu, the old swindler waved his hands and said, “Don’t ask so many questions, little lass!”
Hearing his response, Qin Yu pouted her lips in anger.
Turning his attention back to the earlier cultivator, a vulgar look appeared on the old swindler’s face as he whispered, “Brother, don’t tell me you’ve really consumed it.”
That cultivator’s face turned red, though he did not give a reply.
Seeing this, the old swindler clapped his hands and continued with a wide grin, “Indeed, you’ve consumed it! Haha, you’re in luck, brother! Although you can consume that Golden Rod Pill, if you really did so, your golden rod will not turn limp for a full 49 days… Oh, let me calculate, the last time I saw you was…”
“Bastard!” That cultivator immediately turned angry with shame. Rushing up, he instantly unleashed a punch at the old swindler while shouting, “An eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth! Any brothers with grievances against this old fellow, let’s have a go at him!”
As his words rang out, several dozen people immediately rushed out from the crowd!
A wave of bangs rang out, mixed with the old swindler’s shrieks and cries for help. Just like a young girl who had been passed around by a dozen men, tears streamed from his eyes as an incomparably miserable look filled his face.
As the crowd looked over towards the first cultivator to have started the beating, looks of understanding proceeded to flash across their faces. So this was the reason why this brother of theirs had been wearing an extra-large set of robes for the past few days! Furthermore, he would frequently bend his waist forwards! Originally, they had assumed that he had suffered some kind of injury. So this was the hidden trouble he was facing!
That cultivator’s face turned beet red as he noticed the crowd’s gaze bearing down on him, causing him to bolt away hastily.
“Sigh…” At this moment, Qin Zhao Yang gave a light cough, before glancing at Yang Kai with concern. “Did you get injured, Little Brother Yang?”
“I’m alright!” Yang Kai replied while shaking his head.
“That’s good to hear,” Qin Zhao Yang seemed to breathe a sigh of relief. “The City Lord’s Mansion has already been notified of this matter. Your hard work was a major factor in allowing us to repair Spirit Array. City Lord Duan has said that when this demonic tribulation is over, he’ll confer you the position of 3rd Vice City Lord of Maplewood City, though he doesn’t know if Little Brother Yang will accept it or not!”
“Vice City Lord?” Yang Kai raised his eyebrows in surprise, before giving a spiteful laugh. “It’s an honour to be held in such high regard by City Lord Duan. However, I’m not interested in being a Vice City Lord!”
“Haha, Little Brother Yang’s afraid of being bound by fetters, right? Although the position of Vice City Lord seems impressive, in reality, many responsibilities come along with it. Little Brother Yang’s choice is the intelligent one!” Qin Zhao Yang gave a hearty chuckle. For some unknown reason, his expression became much more relaxed. “ Rather than some Vice City Lord post, this old master feels that Little Brother Yang would be more unfettered by choosing an aristocratic family and becoming a Great Foreign Elder!”
Yang Kai smiled, though he did not give any reply. Instead, he turned towards the old swindler. In a flash, he appeared beside the man. Extending his leg, Yang Kai kicked him. “Don’t act dead. Hurry and stand up.”
“Sir, I’ve just suffered a miserable beating. I beg of you to uphold justice and punish those evildoers!” Lying on the ground, the old swindler wore a look of misery as he gazed at Yang Kai, tears streaming from his eyes and mucus flowing from his nose as he started to complain. “Sir, if you’re unable to teach them a lesson, this old master will not stand up.”
“Then you can continue talking while lying down then.”
A look of speechlessness immediately appeared on the old swindler’s face.
Squatting down, Yang Kai cast a deep gaze at the man as he asked in a deep voice, “Let me ask you. How did you end up outside in the Demon Qi?”
Walking over, Qin Zhao Yang grinned as he looked towards the old swindler. “This Qin is also very curious about this matter.”
Being stared at by two great Dao Source Realm Masters caused an involuntary tremble to run through the old swindler as he hastily answered, “These two sirs, is there some kind of misunderstanding? I’m here to ask for reinforcements from Maplewood City.”
“Reinforcements?” Yang Kai raised his eyebrows, while a pensive look appeared on Qin Zhao Yang.”
“I came from Forest City.” The old swindler replied.
Yang Kai could not help but frown.
“Forest City is 3000 kilometres away from Maplewood City. It is a smaller city than Maplewood city, and the average realms of its cultivators are lower.” Qin Zhao Yang added before his expression suddenly changed as he continued in a solemn voice, “Could it be that Forest City has already…”
“Forest City is in danger, two sirs!” An anxious look appeared on the old swindler’s face. Nevertheless, after looking to his left and right, he sighed and said, “From the looks of it, Maplewood City is also in danger. What can we do?”
“What’s the current situation in Forest City?” Qin Zhao Yang asked as an ugly look set in on his face.
“Extremely bad. It is surrounded by Demon Qi and demonic creatures, just like Maplewood City, and you sirs should know what kind of city Forest City is. It probably can’t hold on much longer. Furthermore… there seems to be a Demon over at Forest City that has probably reached the Dao Source Realm!”
“Jiang Tai Sheng!” Yang Kai’s eyes narrowed.
“The Jiang Family’s old ancestor?” Qin Zhao Yang’s expression changed drastically.
Yang Kai nodded his head and said: “That’s why I didn’t spot any traces of Jiang Tai Sheng at all. When I headed out just now, I kept a constant guard against this person in fear that he would suddenly appear to launch a sneak attack against me, yet he did not appear at all. So he was not in Maplewood City, but had headed to Forest City. Obviously, he is trying to use the Demon Qi to create more Demons.”
“That is a possibility. Furthermore, the chances of that happening are extremely high!” Qin Zhao Yang’s face turned ashen in shock. “Although Forest City isn’t large, there’s still a few hundred thousand people present in it. If all of them were to be corroded into Demons…”
After saying this, a scene surfaced within his mind, causing an involuntary shiver down his spine.
“Did you all request for help from any place other than Maplewood City?” Yang Kai questioned.
The old swindler nodded his head and replied, “Of course we did. However, Maplewood City is the closest city to us. Furthermore, this old master is extremely familiar with Maplewood City, so I volunteered to come here. If I had known that I’d get into trouble, I wouldn’t have come over here.”
“It’s all due to your actions!” Yang Kai shot a dark look at him.
The old swindler gave an embarrassed smile. “I’m just lucky, just lucky. Furthermore, if not for sir attracting such a large number of demonic creatures, it would have been impossible for me to enter the city safely.”
With a smile, Yang Kai nodded slightly, before shouting out, “Make sure to take good care of this old swindler, better not let him run away!”
As he said those words, he suddenly extended his hand to touch the old swindler’s body. The power of domain circulated, entering the old swindler’s body and sealing his cultivation.
The old swindler was dumbstruck by this series of events!
Even Qin Zhao Yang seemed to not expect Yang Kai’s sudden hostility, causing him to be stunned for a moment.
A flash of radiance surfaced within Qin Yu’s beautiful eyes as she stared at Yang Kai in astonishment, not knowing what he was planning to do.
“Sir, you…” The old swindler stared at Yang Kai with his wide open eyes, while misery and pity set onto his face.
“Take him away!” Noticing the surrounding cultivators just standing around, Yang Kai promptly shouted out with a stern tone.
It was only after his shout that two guards from the City Lord’s Mansion stepped forward. Holding the old swindler by his arms, they proceeded to fly off in the direction of the City Lord’s Mansion. It seemed that they were planning on locking him up in the prison there.
“This is a misunderstanding, Sir! I’m only here to ask for reinforcements! I’m on your side! Sir, you can’t treat me like this!” The old swindler started to cry and weep, as he gradually disappeared into the distance!
“Little Brother Yang, you aren’t going to lock that person up just because he frequently swindles others, right? Or is there a deeper reason for this?” Qin Zhao Yang shot a pensive look at Yang Kai as he asked.
Qin Yu was also brimming with curiosity towards this matter.
“Of course not.” Yang Kai shook his head. “However, with only a Third-Order Origin King cultivation realm, this person was actually able to pass through the Demon Qi blockade safely. There’s some kind of secret hidden in his body, and I’m very interested in that.”
“Does Little Brother Yang want to extract this secret from him?” Qin Zhao Yang’s eyes lit up.
Origin King Realm cultivators weren’t lacking in Maplewood City at all. If all of them had the ability to travel through the Demon Qi with ease, there would have been no need to be as terrified as they were. Everyone would have been able to head out of the city and kill every single one of those demonic creatures.
“That old thing seems to be crafty and cunning, so it might not be an easy task to discover his secrets. Besides, even if he reveals it to us, not everyone might be able to use it… in any case, we’ve done everything we can do.” Yang Kai replied in an indifferent tone.
“That’s right!” Qin Zhao Yang nodded his head, agreeing with Yang Kai’s words. Pointing towards Jiang Chu He, whose cultivation had been suppressed but was still roaring away endlessly, he asked, ”Little Brother, how should we deal with this person?”
Yang Kai turned his head to look at Jiang Chu He. “I captured this fellow to try and extract some information about the outside. However, with his condition right now…”
He could not help but to let out a bitter laugh.
Jiang Chu He already seemed to have lost all conscious thought. How could Yang Kai gather any information from him? The only method would be for someone to risk the possibility of a backlash and use a soul searching type of Secret Technique on him.
However, to utilise such a Secret Technique, it would require the user to have a cultivation realm much higher than the target. If not, the risk of suffering a backlash from Jiang Chu He’s rage-filled demonic consciousness would be extremely high.
Even within Maplewood City, the highest cultivation realm anyone else had was the Second-Order Dao Source Realm; it was simply unsuitable for this task.
Although Yang Kai’s Divine Sense could rival a Third-Order Dao Source Realm Master, he did not know any Soul Searching Arts. Even if he were to forcefully utilise one, he might not necessarily obtain any useful information
“If that’s the case, perhaps my humble self might be able to offer some assistance.” Qin Yu suddenly spoke up.
“You?” Yang Kai looked towards Qin Yu with a stunned and confused look. He was afraid that he might have heard wrongly, as from what he could see, Qin Yu’s Second-Order Origin Returning Realm was present right before him.
“Yu’er!” However, as though some great enemy had appeared, Qin Zhao Yang’s expression changed drastically as he roared out sternly. “Stop fooling around!”
With a smile, Qin Yu replied, “ Old Ancestor, Yu’er isn’t fooling around. Of course, with Yu’er’s cultivation, I naturally can’t deal with Jiang… use my Secret Technique on this demon. However, with the aid of the Spirit Array, Old Ancestor and Senior Yang, we might be able to give it a try!”
Yang Kai’s brows twitched after hearing her reply. Taking a deep look at Qin Yu, he said, “Our first meeting was in the Five Coloured Treasure Pagoda. At that time, this one had already felt that Sister Qin was an extraordinary person. Now, it seems like that is indeed the truth!”
“Thanks for the praise, Senior Yang,” Qin Yu smiled gently. “This humble girl’s too weak and fragile, so how can I stand up to your praise? As for Sir, you’ve managed to reach the Dao Source Realm at such a young age and have an immeasurably long future ahead of you. You truly fill this humble girl with admiration for you.”
“Old Sir Qin,” Yang Kai asked as he turned towards Qin Zhao Yang. “Do the ladies in your family always speak like that?”
Qin Zhao Yang laughed and replied, “Little Brother Yang, if you’re interested, you can come to my Qin Family to choose a few. There are quite a few unmarried girls in my Qin Family, so there is bound to be one that will catch your eye, Little Brother.”
Yang Kai’s face turned black, “You really know how to joke, Old Sir Qin.”
Qin Zhao Yang smiled. “This old master isn’t joking.”
Yang Kai gave a light cough to change the subject. Looking at Qin Yu, he said, “Sister Qin, you have to know that there is a sizable disparity between your cultivation realm and Jiang Chu He’s. If you don’t have the confidence, don’t dive recklessly into danger. If not, it would not be good if something untowards happened to you.”
“Many thanks, Senior Yang, for your concern. This little girl is naturally acting within one’s reaches,” Qin Yu nodded gently with a tranquil and calm look on her face. “This little girl still has some level of confidence.”
“That’s good to hear.” Yang Kai nodded and no longer attempted to dissuade her.
No one dared to play a joke with their own lives. Since Qin Yu said that she was confident, she definitely had her reasons.
“What about you, Old Sir Qin?” Yang Kai asked as he turned towards Qin Zhao Yang.
A solemn look hung on Qin Zhao Yang’s face. After remaining silent for quite a while, he raised his head and looked at Qin Yu. “Yu’er, there’s really no need for you to do this. After all, this tribulation is something that the entire Maplewood City must face. If worse comes to worst, we can beseech City Lord Sir to take the risk and use the Soul Searching arts!”
Qin Yu replied, “As of right now, Sir City Lord is responsible for the entire city’s safety. If something really happens to him, the entire Maplewood City will be finished. That’s not the case for Yu’er. Even if something happens to me, it will not affect the general situation! Old Ancestor, the absolute majority of our Qin Family is in the city. If the city falls, our Qin Family will definitely fall! I wish to do something for our family!”
“You… sigh…” A look of speechlessness washed over Qin Zhao Yang’s face, as he did not know how to persuade her to back down.
On the contrary, Yang Kai’s expression changed to one of surprise as he looked at Qin Yu. He did not expect that a little girl like her would actually be able to take the big picture into consideration.
“However, before we start anything, this little girl still has something to ask Senior Yang.” All of a sudden, a smile appeared on Qin Yu’s face as she turned her head towards Yang Kai.
“What is it?”
Qin Yu’s lips twitched, though no sound rang out.
Yang Kai raised his eyebrows, thought silently for a moment, before gently nodding his head.
A look of delight replaced her smile as Qin Yu clapped her hands. “If that’s the case, then Yu’er has about an 80% chance to succeed. Furthermore, I only need Senior Yang’s help. Old Ancestor, you can stay here and continue defending the city.”
“You don’t need this old master?” Qin Zhao Yang asked in surprise.
Qin Yu smiled and replied, “Senior Yang’s is extraordinary after all.”
Heaving a sigh, Qin Zhao Yang said, “Since that’s the case, then this old master has nothing much left to say. However, since this matter concerns the entire Maplewood City, this old master will still have to inform Sir City Lord before proceeding. Furthermore… we have to inform City Lord Duan about the matter of Forest City, so you all need to wait a short moment.”
As he said those words, he took out his communication artifact. Sending his Divine Sense into it, he proceeded to inform all the Dao Source Realm Masters about the matters of the Forest City and Jiang Chu He, and more importantly, pass the information to Duan Yuan Shan.
After a short moment, Yang Kai and Qin Zhao Yang’s communication artifacts rang simultaneously.
Sending his Divine Sense into his artifact, Yang Kai immediately received Duan Yuan Shan’s message. “I’ll leave this to you two!”
Raising his eyes, Yang Kai looked at the helpless expression appearing on Qin Zhao Yang’s face.
“Since the City Lord has spoken, you two can begin.” Although Qin Zhao Yang was still filled with anxiety, he couldn’t argue against their decision any further. Therefore, the only thing he could do was to keep his worries in his heart and look ahead, thinking about how he could use the situation to squeeze out more benefits from the City Lord!
After all, Qin Yu was a descendant whom he held with exceedingly high importance. Having the Fated Fortune Heavenly Pupil allowed her to utilise the Soul Search Secret Technique despite her Second-Order Origin Return Realm cultivation, but the risk was high.
“Brother Yang, I entrust Yu’er to your care,” Qin Zhao Yang said in a sincere and solemn tone, as though he was about to marry Qin Yu off to Yang Kai.
Cupping his fist, Yang Kai replied, “Rest assured, Old Sir Qin. I will definitely do my utmost to collaborate with Sister Qin!”
“Senior Yang, please follow me,” Qin Yu waved her hand, flying in a certain direction.
Extending his hand, Yang Kai hoisted Jiang Chu He up before following behind Qin Yu.
The few Origin King Realm cultivators that were in charge of Qin Yu’s safety also followed suit.
Earlier, Jiang Chu He had one of his arms severed by Yang Kai outside of the city. However, instead of blood, a jet-black aura was surging out from the severed stump; it was an extremely weird sight to behold.
After a short flight, the group arrived at the Qin Family’s main residence.
With the current crisis that had befallen Maplewood City, all of the Qin Family’s cultivators at the Origin Returning Realm and higher had already left for the city walls to aid in the defence. Therefore, the majority of the Qin Family members left in the residence either had low cultivation realms or were young.
Upon seeing Qin Yu return, each one of them started to gather impatiently around her, clamouring about as they continued to shoot question after question about the current situation on the outside.
Qin Yu didn’t have the patience to deal with them right now. Summoning the aura of an Elder Sister, she reprimanded all of them, causing them to no longer dare to talk back to her.
However, they gathered around once again after seeing Jiang Chu He, who was being carried by Yang Kai, staring in curiosity.
“ARGGGGH!” All of a sudden, Jiang Chu He roared out. Opening his mouth wide, he radiated pure madness, scaring those Qin Family descendants away. Some scaredy-cats even started to cry as they ran and hid in their rooms.
“I apologize for their disgraceful actions, Senior Yang,” Qin Yu took the lead, walking ahead without looking back.
Yang Kai did not reply as he followed closely behind her.
After a moment, the two of them arrived at the Qin Family’s hidden chamber. Multiple restrictions were layered around the hidden chamber, while the World Energy present within was substantially more dense than other places. Clearly, this was a place for important members of the Qin Family to retreat to.
After arriving, Qin Yu made some seals with her hands, activating the restrictions in the chamber. After that, she turned around to give orders to the few Origin King Realm protectors guarding her. “You few stand guard outside. Before I leave, no one is allowed to enter!”
“Yes!” The guards answered in unison before spreading out to stand guard in the surroundings.
Within the hidden chamber, Qin Yu activated the restrictions once again, before taking some items out from her Space Ring and arranging them within the hidden chamber.
Holding onto Jiang Chu He, Yang Kai stood by the side. After observing for a while, he asked out of curiosity, “So, Sister Qin is proficient in the Dao of Spirit Arrays?”
He discovered that Qin Yu was currently arranging an exceedingly mysterious formation. Although he did not know what use this formation had, he obviously knew that it was related to the Secret Technique she was going to execute.
Furthermore, from the deft movements she made when arranging the formation, Qin Yu’s proficiency in Spirit Arrays was clearly established.
Continuing to arrange the formation, Qin Yu smiled. “Due to this little girl’s incurable disease, I’m unable to go out as frequently as other people. Therefore, I could only spend time at home researching more obscure stuff. I’m not a master of Spirit Arrays, it is just something I’ve done research in.”
“Don’t be so modest, Sister Qin,” Yang Kai narrowed his eyes. “From what I can see, your achievements in the Dao of Spirit Arrays might have already reached a rather high realm.”
Qin Yu gave a smile and replied, “This Spirit Array will not only strengthen the Secret Technique I’m going to display, but it can also allow the strength of Senior Yang’s Divine Sense to temporarily be grafted onto my body. With this, I’m able to display the Soul Searching Technique with the utmost confidence.
“Grafting my Divine Sense?” Yang Kai’s expression changed slightly, “There is such a mysterious Spirit Array in the universe?”
One had to know that it was exceedingly hard for cultivators to cultivate their Divine Sense, and thus much harder for it to reach the same realm as their cultivation. If not for obtaining a precious treasure, the Soul Warming Lotus, early in his life, he would not be able to reach such a realm in his short lifespan.
He would have undoubtedly needed to spend a large amount of time to temper his Divine Sense.
The Soul Warming Lotus’ benefits allowed him to save a large amount of effort.
However, the formation that Qin Yu was arranging was actually able to allow a cultivator to graft their Divine Sense to another cultivator! This was somewhat unimaginable.
If such a Spirit Array could be used in combat, it would definitely allow one to fight across cultivation realms! With a Divine Sense pressure radiating, one could easily defeat their opponent despite the disparity in cultivation realms.
“Although this formation is miraculous, it isn’t as magical as what Senior Yang thinks. This was a half-complete formation I discovered from an ancient book, which I then restored using my own knowledge. When the Spirit Array is active, it cannot receive powerful interference from the outside, as it will fail. Therefore, it is only suitable for some special scenarios, like the one we are facing now, but it’s totally unsuitable for use in combat.” As though she knew what Yang Kai was thinking, Qin Yu gave a reply in a calm manner.
“Restored by yourself…” In his mind, Yang Kai felt that Qin Yu was basically a genius, and raised his evaluation of her to an even greater height. She wasn’t just extremely proficient in the Dao of Spirit Arrays, she had already become an expert!
“That’s right. Will this Divine Sense grafting reveal my secrets?” Yang Kai continued his questions with some worry in his voice.
There were quite a few secrets he was concealing within his body. Although his observations of Qin Yu made him have a pretty good impression of her, in the end, Yang Kai was not very familiar with her, and thus, naturally did not wish for her to know his secrets.
“There is a possibility!” Hearing his question, Qin Yu’s actions came to a slight halt as she replied.
“Oh?” Yang Kai’s face turned black, as thoughts of wanting to pull out immediately appeared in his mind.
Qin Yu hastily added, “But rest assured, Senior Yang. Although there’s a risk of one’s secrets being revealed, that would happen for the side with the weaker Divine Sense… Sir’s Divine Sense is much stronger, so I will not be able to pry into Sir’s secrets after the Divine Sense graft. On the contrary, you sir…”
Having said this much, her face turned slightly flushed.
After all, she was a lady while Yang Kai was a man. Some of her secrets that Yang Kai might involuntarily discover might place him in an awkward and apologetic position.
Yang Kai hastily replied: “You don’t have to worry, Sister Qin. This Yang will definitely adhere strictly to myself and not pry into anything else.
He said those words with a resounding voice and a stern look.
Qin Yu didn’t say anything as she continued to focus on arranging the formation.
After a while, the formation within the hidden chamber was finished.
Looking at it, Yang Kai discovered that this Spirit Array Formation was incomparably mysterious, and it seemed like he had never encountered such a formation before. He couldn’t help but develop a huge curiosity for it, memorising these formation lines for potential future use.
Leaping forward, Qin Yu placed herself in the middle of the Spirit Array. Making a seal with her hands, she slowly sat down. “Sir, please place yourself and the demon at the two extreme positions.”
Nodding, Yang Kai extended his hand to pat on Jiang Chu He’s back, sending his Source Qi into the latter’s body. At the same time, he unleashed his Space Force, transforming it into invisible bindings that chained Jiang Chu He to a specific position in the formation.
After that, Yang Kai appeared at the opposing position with a flash.
Although his cultivation realm and movements had been sealed, Jiang Chu He was still acting extremely unruly, roaring continuously as the Demon Crests on his body squirmed and wriggled, while Demon Qi surged out from him. Nevertheless, no matter how hard he struggled, he was still unable to move even an inch.
Seeing that, Qin Yu managed to calm down. She proceeded to form seal after seal with her hands, her slender hands appearing just like a butterfly fluttering in the air.
Following her movements, waves of mysterious power started to propagate out from her in all directions. Invisible and incorporeal, they were unfathomable.
A faint fluorescence started to radiate from the formation. As though they had been granted life, all of the lines that created the Spirit Array started to flow like living creatures.
“Formation Open!” All of a sudden, Qin Yu shouted.
As her voice rang out, a hum rang out from the formation, before it promptly started to spin rapidly.
In an instant, radiance blossomed throughout the hidden chamber, so bright that it would make people squeeze their eyes shut. While that happened, an invisible power travelled in a rope-like manner and pierced through Yang Kai’s body.
An indescribably strange feeling immediately rose up within Yang Kai’s body.
He felt as though he was connected with Qin Yu as one being, able to clearly feel every inhalation and exhalation she made, feel the blood circulating within her body, the beats of her heart, the contraction of her pores, and was even able to vaguely sense the changes happening to her state of mind.
Qin Yu revealed a sliver of an exceedingly uncomfortable expression, while her face turned slightly flushed. Opening her mouth, she shouted out: “Sir, please display your ocular technique and suppress that person’s soul!”
She knew that Yang Kai had that kind of Secret Technique in his arsenal, and that was precisely what she had asked him earlier.
After all, during that day when Yang Kai was promoting his cultivation, she had used her Fated Fortune Heavenly Pupil from a far distance to observe the spectacle. In the end, she managed to get countered by Yang Kai’s Demon Eye of Annihilation, which led to her making such a guess.
After asking about it today, she had indeed hit the bullseye.
With the suppression from Yang Kai’s ocular technique, she basically did not need Qin Zhao Yang’s help at all, as Yang Kai alone was sufficient.
Hearing Qin Yu’s shout, Yang Kai immediately executed his Demon Eye of Annihilation.
In an instant, golden light blossomed from his left eye, revealing its awe-inspiring might as it shot right at Jiang Chu He.
At the instant it made contact with the suppressed Jiang Chu He, he immediately cried out as though he had suffered a serious blow. Right in the next moment, his body entered combat mode, and as though he was experiencing a nightmare, his sinister expression grew even more malevolent.
After a moment, Jiang Chu He’s eyes turned unfocused, causing him to stare ahead with blank eyes, while a string of saliva flowed out from the corner of his mouth, as though he had lost consciousness.
Despite being transformed into a demon, Jiang Chu He was being suppressed by the Divine Sense comparable to that of a Third-Order Dao Source Realm Master, and his strength paled in comparison. As a result, it took only a few breaths for the Demon Eye of Annihilation to completely suppress his soul.
Seeing this, Qin Yu smiled happily. Closing her eyes, she took a deep breath before promptly reopening them.
Silver light sparkled within her eyes, causing the entire hidden chamber to be suffused with a silvery-white glow.
As the Spirit Array hummed, Yang Kai’s Divine Sense flowed along with the strength of the Spirit Array without any impedance and grafted onto Qin Yu’s body, before circulating into Jiang Chu He’s Knowledge Sea.
In the next instant, darkness appeared before Qin Yu and Yang Kai’s eyes as they simultaneously entered a secret world.
They were enveloped in darkness, and within it, something seemed to be concealed.
[This should be Jiang Chu He’s Knowledge Sea!]
Yang Kai’s brow twitched, as he immediately made some conjectures.
Nevertheless, he was in an extremely strange state right now. Although his Divine Sense had been grafted onto Qin Yu’s body, allowing her to display her Secret Technique to take a look into Jiang Chu He’s Knowledge Sea, he had zero control of the situation.
Yang Kai had no choice but to be dragged along with Qin Yu’s path of exploration, being led around by her will, heading deeper as they continued their investigation.
This was a rather unique feeling, which made Yang Kai slightly uncomfortable; at the same time, he was brimming with curiosity.
Rays of mysterious light blossomed from Qin Yu’s Soul Avatar, dispersing the surrounding darkness and revealing the surging sea beneath.
Impressively, the seawater appeared jet-black, just like a black hole that caused people to tremble upon looking at it.
All of a sudden, unfamiliar images started to flash across Yang Kai’s Knowledge Sea.
Taking a detailed look at it, Yang Kai realized that all of these images were the memories and experiences of Jiang Chu He’s life. As they continued to flash by, despite their discontinuity, he was able to observe a great part of Jiang Chu He’s life experiences.
While he was analysing those pictures, Qin Yu had already displayed her soul searching technique on Jiang Chu He.
The information gathered from these pictures was largely useless, so Yang Kai and Qin Yu did not focus on them.
After a long while, a peculiar image suddenly appeared before Yang Kai’s eyes.
This was an image of an exceedingly abstruse formation pattern. Within the formation, the jet-black lines of the formation were just like Demon Crests, squirming constantly as they crisscrossed with one another. This formation appeared intricate, and was carved on a stone wall. As those lines wriggled about, he could faintly hear hints of what seemed like berserk roars ringing out from the stone wall.
Great waves of shock rocked Yang Kai when those roars rang into his ears, instantly causing him to feel uneasy.
At the same time, the images that were flowing into his Knowledge Sea spontaneously dissipated, appearing as though they were about to collapse.
This gave Yang Kai a shock, as he knew that it was Qin Yu that was enduring this impact, and seemed unable to endure it. Immediately, he unleashed his will, and with his Divine Sense grafted onto her acting as a bridge, attempted to restore Qin Yu’s consciousness.
The dissipating images started to stabilise.
However, all of the earlier images had already disappeared, replaced by another scene.
This was a scene of a world-shaking war.
A gigantic creature enveloped in jet-black Demon Qi stood over 300 meters tall. Possessing an awe-inspiring figure, it was strong and sturdy. Standing tall on the earth, it roared towards the heavens.
Its roar shook its surroundings, causing the clouds in the sky to crumble apart and dissipate away.
Within the swirling Demon Qi, the true face of the gigantic creature could faintly be seen.
It had an ugly and malevolent expression, while a gigantic eyeball occupied half of its face. That gigantic eyeball was jet-black in colour. Looking at it, one would have the misconception that it was a bottomless pit. Rays of jet-black twilight radiated from the gigantic pupil, brimming with Heaven-destroying, earth-shattering might, shooting through the void and shattering space apart.
Even the slightest contact against that jet-black eye with his consciousness caused Yang Kai to feel immeasurable pain radiating through his Knowledge Sea, surging unstably to the point that it was at risk of collapsing.
This frightened him so much that he hastily turned his gaze away.
“Black Eye Great Demon!”
For some inexplicable reason, this name surfaced within his Knowledge Sea, alongside intense terror and shock.
This feeling did not come from Yang Kai, but from Qin Yu’s current emotional state. Being able to recognize that giant demon was all due to Qin Yu. However, with both of them being connected by Yang Kai’s Divine Sense, her thoughts were being transmitted to Yang Kai with clarity, allowing him to gain some information.
Right at this instant, figures appeared around the gigantic Black Eye Great Demon. Every single one of these people radiated exceedingly powerful lifeforce and astonishingly strong auras.
Every single one of these cultivators were, impressively, Emperor Realm masters.
From what he could see, he estimated that there were more than a hundred people present.
There were several dozen masters that radiated auras that were even more terrifying than the Star Soul Palace’s Silver Star Envoy, Xiao Yu Yang!
According to the rumours, Xiao Yu Yang was already a Second-Order Emperor. Therefore, these several dozen cultivators that were even stronger than him would naturally be Third-Order Emperors!
Every single one of them was surrounded by a scholarly air, but no one would dare to belittle them.
However, at this moment, these over one hundred Emperor Realms appeared just like a horde of mosquitoes that had gathered around the gigantic Black Eye Great Demon. Secret Technique after Secret Technique, Emperor Artifact after Emperor Artifact caused dazzling flashes of light to blossom out as they shot towards the Black Eye Great Demon.
A roar rang out of the Black Eye Great Demon, vibrating the heavens and shaking the earth.
Other than the hundred-plus Emperor Realm Masters, there were even 20 gigantic Warships present in the Black Eye Great Demon’s vicinity!
Each of these Warships spanned over several dozen metres in length. Pillar-like rays of pure white light shot from these Warships, rumbling towards the Black Eye Great Demon.
The heavens and earth turned dim, as the sun and the moon lost their radiance.
The Black Eye Great Demon’s movement seemed to be somewhat restricted. Although it would shift its body from time to time, it was still unable to dodge the innumerable attacks headed its way. As those attacks landed on its body, the Demon Qi that surrounded its body was sent into a frenzied surge, as it roared continuously in pain.
Mysterious black rays of light continued to shoot out from its gigantic black eye. Furthermore, it held a gigantic Wolf Fang Mace in its hand, and as it waved it around, it appeared as though it was even capable of knocking down the stars hanging in the sky.
Human figures continued to drop from the air, while fires continued to erupt from Warships as they were smashed into halves.
Yang Kai and Qin Yu were dumbstruck, utterly incapable of believing what they saw, their hearts unable to calm down even after a long while.
The scene changed once again!
As he took a clear look at the scene before him, Yang Kai’s eyes could not help but contract.
The scene before his eyes was the desolation in the aftermath of the battle. The land within ten thousand kilometres had all been turned into wastelands, peppered with the scars of the battle.
The gigantic body of the Black Eye Great Demon lay on the ground, with the Wolf Fang Mace by his side. Jet-black blood flowed out from the wounds that covered its entire body. There were even some wounds that penetrated deep into its body, revealing multiple bones within, causing people to tremble at the sight of it.
The Black Eye Great Demon had been killed!
Although they did not see the entire process of the fight, Yang Kai could imagine exactly how difficult it had been.
Scanning his gaze about, he could see corpse after corpse of Emperor Realm Masters strewn across the ground. Of the over hundred Emperor Realm Masters, not even a fifth of them remained. Among those, every single one had injuries on their bodies, and they wore expressions of pain and misery on their faces. As for the 20 Warships, all of them had been sunk and turned into wrecks. Strewn across the battlefield, they continued to give off green smoke, narrating the misery and sorrow from ancient times.
The scene changed once again.
The gigantic corpse of the Black Eye Great Demon was thrown into the mouth of a ten-thousand-year-old volcano. However, despite the terrifying heat coming from the magma setting it ablaze, it did not suffer even the slightest damage.
The corpse was retrieved from the volcano by a master. Gathering other masters in the world, they carved a formation and tempered it with their combined strength.
A dozen Emperor Realm masters sat cross-legged around this exceedingly profound formation with the Black Eye Great Demon’s corpse placed in the centre. With every movement of the dozen Emperor Realm Masters, astonishing bolts of lightning would descend from the sky and strike the corpse.
Ghastly white flames surfaced within the formation and continued to burn at the corpse.
The Black Eye Great Demon’s corpse finally started to slowly disintegrate, eventually leaving a small remnant behind. This little bit was transferred into a specially constructed artifact by a master, buried deep into the ground, and sealed by a Spirit Array.
As time passed, the world transformed, while the containment artifact and the object it held slept quietly, not known by anyone.
Over time, the strength of the seal slowly weakened, allowing Demon Qi to seep out from the containment artifact and into the outside world.
……
Within the hidden chamber, an unknown amount of time passed before a tremor suddenly shook through Qin Yu’s entire body. In an instant, her face turned deathly pale as she spurted a mouthful of blood out before opening her beautiful eyes.
At the same time, Yang Kai had also opened his mouth. Taking a deep breath, he suppressed the churning lifeforce in his chest.
Seeing Qin Yu’s abnormal condition, he quickly arrived next to her. Extending his hand, he tapped on the various major acupressure points across her body, finally allowing her condition to stabilise.
“Many thanks, Sir!” Qin Yu opened her mouth to express her gratitude. However, she was still unable to stop her body from trembling.
The two of them exchanged glances, each of them noticing the fear and terror in the other’s eyes.
That was because every scene that they had witnessed earlier had clearly been the experiences of that Ancient Demon when it lived. The Ancient Demon Qi had inherited the will of the Black Eye Great Demon and invaded Jiang Chu He’s body, thereby allowing Qin Yu and Yang Kai to see everything clearly.
Despite it not being the entire picture, it was enough for both of them to unravel the truth behind some matters.
“This is a very thorny problem.” Yang Kai mumbled. “We have to inform City Lord Duan first.”
Right as he was preparing to retrieve his communication artifact, a furious bellow suddenly rang out from his side.
Shocked, Yang Kai turned his head towards Jiang Chu He, only to see that Demon Qi was unexpectedly gushing out from his entire body, as though he was risking his life to break free from his restrictions. However, despite being demonised, his strength was still insufficient. This caused the energies in his body to rampage about, and he was utterly incapable of suppressing them.
A dangerous aura immediately radiated out.
“Run!” Seeing this, how could Yang Kai not know what was going to happen next? He enveloped Qin Yu in his own Source Qi, and displayed his Spacial Secret Technique, disappearing from the hidden chamber with a flash.
When he reappeared, he and Qin Yu were already in the courtyard outside.
Right as he stabilized his footing, a giant bang rang out from beneath as the ground shook violently. In the next instant, rocketing energies exploded underground, accompanied by the sounds of flesh and bones exploding apart.
Jet-black Demon Qi transformed into snakes and travelled in all directions!
The few Qin Family Origin King Realm cultivators standing guard outside of the hidden chamber were utterly clueless to what had happened. By the time they could react, they were already too late to do anything. Right as the snake-like Demon Qi was about to invade their bodies, a roar suddenly rang out from behind them. “Solidify!”
The surrounding space suddenly became incredibly dense, making it almost impossible for those few Qin Family cultivators to even raise their hands.
In an instant, the Demon Qi heading towards them was locked in mid-air, unable to move even an inch forward.
Golden Blood Threads flashed about, transforming into rays of golden light that smashed all of the Demon Qi apart, saving them from their dangerous predicament.
After their close brush with death, the Qin Family guards had turned pale with fright and shock.
Walking over from the side, Yang Kai sent his Divine Sense around the bodies of those people. Only after making sure that they did not show signs of being invaded by Demon Qi did he calm his heart.
However, looking around him, a large hole several dozen metres wide had appeared over where the hidden chamber used to be. Clearly, this was the result of Jiang Chu He’s self-destruction.
“Many thanks for saving our lives, Sir,” After pulling themselves together, all of the guards cupped their hands towards Yang Kai in gratitude.
Waving his hands, Yang Kai did not say anything back to them. Instead, he turned towards Qin Yu. “Sister Qin, follow me to see City Lord Duan. We need to tell him about what we’ve discovered.”
Qin Yu nodded her head silently.
Extending his hand, Yang Kai pulled her to his side, before flying out of the residence.
Although the Secret Technique Qin Yu displayed had allowed Yang Kai’s Divine Sense to be grafted onto her, letting him observe quite a bit from Qin Yu’s perspective, he wasn’t able to gather more details than her. Therefore, it was still better for Qin Yu to brief Duan Yuan Shan personally.
On the way, Yang Kai sent his Divine Sense into his communication artifact and confirmed Duan Yuan Shan’s current location.
It didn’t take long before the two noticed the City Lord of Maplewood City on the city walls.
“Thank you for your efforts, Brother Yang!” Duan Yuan Shan had a stressed look on his face. After seeing Yang Kai and Qin Yu approaching, he cupped his hands towards Yang Kai, before turning his gaze towards Qin Yu, “I’ve heard from Brother Yang that you’ve discovered something?”
Qin Yu nodded her head and replied, “That’s right, City Lord. Thanks to Senior Yang capturing a live Demon, Yu’er was able to do a Soul Search and I’ve indeed discovered something.”
Duan Yuan Shan’s eyes lit up. “Speak!”
Qin Yu immediately explained everything she had managed to uncover when she was in Jiang Chu He’s Knowledge Sea.
After she was done, Duan Yuan Shan’s face turned somewhat pale as he exclaimed in shock, “So according to what you said, that mine’s actually where the remnants of the Ancient Great Demon were buried?”
Qin Yu shook her head. “I’m also not sure about that, as the scenes that appeared within Jiang Chu He’s Knowledge Sea were not linked up, so we don’t know exactly what was sealed ten thousand feet beneath the surface. However, from what we can see of the current situation, it’s extremely likely that it is indeed the remnants of that demon’s corpse!”
If it was the remnants of the demon corpse, it would naturally be able to produce that much Ancient Demon Qi.
However, if even those great powerhouses from ancient times were unable to completely eradicate the demon corpse, with the cultivation standard of Maplewood City’s cultivators, what could they do about it?
With the seal having been broken, if the demon corpse remnants weren’t moved away, Maplewood City would turn into a living purgatory. However, who could actually carry that out? Furthermore, who would dare to touch them? The Ten Great Emperors were the only ones who could achieve that.
Considering all of these, a wave of terror shook through Duan Yuan Shan’s heart. Looking towards Yang Kai, he said, “What are your thoughts on this, Brother Yang?”
Yang Kai shook his head. “I didn’t see anything else!”
What he meant was that Qin Yu had already described everything that he had seen.
“City Lord Sir…” All of a sudden, Qin Yu shouted out. “Perhaps, I might have a way that could slightly alleviate the current situation.”
“Oh?” Hearing her words, Duan Yuan Shan hastily turned to look at Qin Yu. “What way?”
Although Qin Yu only had a Second-Order Origin Returning Realm cultivation realm, being the Maplewood City City Lord, as well as the strongest person of this city, Duan Yuan Shan had some knowledge regarding the details of Qin Yu’s strength. He knew that he could not discount this little girl. If not for her congenital weakness, she would definitely become an extraordinary figure.
If she said that she had a way, it might just work.
“Add another seal below! Before this, I made a detailed investigation. Although that seal has grown weaker after countless years, it isn’t completely useless. A corner of the seal has just suffered some damage due to the Jiang Family’s wanton mining. As long as we can repair the damage, we can stop the Demon Qi from seeping out. When that happens, the demonic creatures and Demon Qi on the outside would be left stranded with nowhere to go. Water without a source will always be eliminated one day.”
“You can repair it?” Duan Yuan Shan asked doubtfully.
Qin Yu hesitated for a moment, but she still replied: “I can give it a try!”
“How confident are you?”
“Sixty percent!”
Duan Yuan Shan fell silent, seemingly unsure of how to proceed.
“City Lord Sir, although I don’t have full confidence in repairing that seal, the damage that it has will only become worse if we leave it as it is. I’m afraid that it wouldn’t take long for even more Demon Qi to seep out. At that time, there will be absolutely no way for Maplewood City to maintain its defence. Therefore, we need to repair that seal no matter what!” Qin Yu’s beautiful eyes glimmered as she stared at Duan Yuan Shan, a change from her usual delicate image.
“From what you’ve said, this matter absolutely needs to be done?” Duan Yuan Shan asked solemnly.
Qin Yu nodded her head.
Giving a long sigh, Duan Yuan Shan continued, “Even if that’s the case, how will we be able to get to the location of the seal safely? How can we defend against the countless demonic creatures and the corrosion of the Demon Qi? Although this city lord has a Second-Order Dao Source Realm cultivation, I don’t have the confidence to last that long in the Demon Qi. What if…”
Yang Kai nodded his head, before adding on, “The Demon Qi has extremely strong corrosive properties. Most Dao Source Realm masters can’t endure more than half an hour against it. With City Lord Sir’s strength, an hour will be the limit!”
Having fought outside of the city, he had a deep impression after a head-on confrontation with the Demon Qi. Therefore, his words on this matter were highly credible.
“Furthermore, you need to be there for the repair of the Spirit Array. With your cultivation, heading into the Demon Qi…” Yang Kai tilted his head as he looked at Qin Yu, unable to finish his sentence.
Nevertheless, his meaning was clear.
With her Second-Order Origin Realm cultivation, just making contact with the Demon Qi would cause her to become a Demon.
Yet, Qin Yu replied with a smile. “Since I’m the one that proposed this idea, I naturally have a way to deal with that.”
“What way?” Both Yang Kai and Duan Yuan looked at her with doubt.
“By relying on a Spirit Array!” Qin Yu gave a faint smile. “Although I definitely can’t move about myself, if I rely on the strength of the Spirit Array and connect the strengths of a number of Dao Source Realm masters, I might be able to travel as I please among the Demon Qi!”
“Really?” Yang Kai’s eyes lit up.
Duan Yuan Shan looked pensively at Qin Yu, before chuckling and saying. “You shouldn’t keep people in suspense, great niece. Tell your Uncle Duan about how great that Spirit Array is. If it’s really possible, Uncle Duan will definitely reward you for your contributions!”
“Uncle Duan…” A sullen look appeared on Yang Kai’s face as he looked at Duan Yuan Shan.
He suddenly realized that this City Lord Duan was an exceedingly shameless person! In accordance with his generational status, he was on the same level as Qin Zhao Yang. Qin Zhao Yang was Qin Yu’s grandfather, so Duan Yuan Shan would naturally be a figure in the same generation as her grandfather.
Him calling himself Uncle Duan and her as niece was a plain attempt to establish a relationship. If this actually happened, he might have to call Qin Zhao Yang uncle in the future. “I’m not sure if Uncle Duan has heard of the Seven Points Black Tortoise Array?” Qin Yu asked with a faint smile, her beautiful eyes gleaming with elegance.
“The Seven Points Black Tortoise Array?” A frown appeared on Duan Yuan Shan’s face as he sunk into thought.
All of a sudden, his expression changed greatly as he exclaimed, “The Spirit Array that was the secret inheritance of one of the Eastern Territory’s Great Sects, The Black Tortoise Sect from twenty thousand years ago?”
An incredulous look appeared on his face, with his eyeballs almost popping out of their sockets. From the looks of his reaction, it seemed as though this Seven Points Black Tortoise Array was something extraordinary.
Yang Kai was brimming with curiosity as he continued to listen to their conversation. He could not help but to look towards Qin Yu, wanting to know the details.
Qin Yu clapped her hands in excitement. “Uncle Duan is indeed extremely knowledgeable. This Seven Points Black Tortoise Array is indeed the secret inheritance of one of the Eastern Territory’s Great Sects, The Black Tortoise Sect, from twenty thousand years ago.
Duan Yuan Shan quickly added, “According to rumours, the naming of the Black Tortoise Sect offended the Divine Spirit, the Black Tortoise. Enraged, the Black Tortoise raised endless waves that surged through the East Sea, battering against the Black Tortoise Sect headquarters. After the battle, the Black Tortoise Sect suffered innumerable losses and casualties, but an extraordinary genius from that sect comprehended a powerful Secret Technique from the might of the Black Tortoise and created a Spirit Array, which was named the Seven Points Black Tortoise Array! A hundred years later, the Black Tortoise came back and launched an attack, the Black Tortoise Sect relied on this exact Spirit array to counter it. After paying a substantial price, they managed to chase the Black Tortoise back and deal a serious blow to it!”
Duan Yuan Shan took a deep breath, before continuing with a look of fear on his face, “Although this matter occurred twenty thousand years ago, there aren’t many sects that were able to survive after being targeted by a Divine Spirit. Furthermore, with the great fame of the Black Tortoise Sect, it would be strange if this City Lord didn’t know about them.”
“Uncle Duan is really knowledgeable,” Qin Yu covered her mouth as she gave a delightful laugh, her smile appearing like a blossoming flower.
Duan Yuan Shan laughed bitterly in response. “No matter how much I know, I still won’t match up to you.”
As the two of them bantered, Yang Kai was dumbstruck as he looked from the side.
The Divine Spirit, the Black Tortoise! That was a first-class existence that rivalled the True Dragon and Heavenly Phoenix since ancient times! It was one of the strongest living creatures in the world. Apart from existences like a True Dragon or Heavenly Phoenix, who else would be able to rival it?
However, the Black Tortoise Sect had actually managed to rely on a Spirit Array to force the Black Tortoise to retreat. Just from that, one could see the might of the Seven Points Black Tortoise Array.
Nevertheless, the Black Tortoise Sect was really unlucky, as they were targeted by a Divine Spirit just due to the name of their sect. No one could be blamed but the sect creator, for not putting much consideration into the naming of the sect, and actually daring to use the Black Tortoise’s name.
“So what happened to the Black Tortoise Sect?” Yang Kai asked in curiosity.
Duan Yuan Shan shot an odd look at Yang Kai and replied: “After being targeted by a Divine Spirit, how would they have any good ending at all? It was said that when the Divine Spirit, the Black Tortoise came to attack the sect for the third time, it brought along a group of offspring. Although the Black Tortoise Sect had its extraordinary Spirit Array, how would it be able to defend against a coordinated attack from a group of Divine Spirits? They were destroyed.”
“How disastrous!” Yang Kai exclaimed.
“Hmph! They have only themselves to blame for their outcome!” Duan Yuan Shan didn’t seem concerned, “After them, no other sect dared to use the names of Divine Spirits for the sect names anymore.” Turning to look at Qin Yu, he shot her a meaningful grin and said, “However, although the sect has been destroyed, it is said that several of its disciples managed to escape with their lives, carrying with them quite a few of the sect’s Secret Techniques with them, one of which being the Seven Points Black Tortoise Array!”
Hearing this, Qin Yu replied in annoyance. “Why do you need to say in such a roundabout manner, Uncle Duan? Our Qin Family’s ancestor was indeed a disciple from the Black Tortoise Sect, therefore, the Seven Points Black Tortoise Array was passed down from our ancestor. However, when our ancestor had learned it, it wasn’t a complete Spirit Array. When the Black Tortoise Sect was teaching its disciples this Spirit Array, they only taught each of them a part of it. It required seven people to combine their strength, with each person in charge of their portion of the array.”
After hearing her words, Duan Yuan Shan’s expression turned blank in shock. Looking at Qin Yu, he said, “Doesn’t this mean that you don’t possess the complete Seven Points Black Tortoise Array?”
He could not help but reveal a sliver of disappointment on his face; after all, without an extraordinary Spirit Array like that, there was simply no one among the Dao Source Realm, other than those who gave no regard about their lives, who would dare intrude into the Demon Qi’s domain.
“I have an Array, but it isn’t quite the same as the original.” Qin Yu replied with a faint smile.
“What do you mean?” asked Duan Yuan Shan.
“My Qin Family’s ancestor can be considered as a rather extraordinary genius. Although he had only managed to learn a seventh of the original Spirit Array, through the frequent practice with his fellow sect brothers, he had managed to gain a certain amount of knowledge regarding the other sections of the Array. After the decimation of the Black Tortoise Sect, my ancestor fled to the Southern Territory. Spending a lot of effort in the latter half of his life, he managed to rely on his abilities and knowledge of the Spirit Array to restore the Seven Points Black Tortoise Array to its complete form. However, my ancestor also mentioned that with his abilities, the Seven Points Black Tortoise Spirit Array that he restored was just an inferior product, and could never match up to the original version.
“What realm… did your Qin Family ancestor reach?” Duan Yuan Shan asked.
“Second-Order Emperor!” Qin Yu replied pridefully.
Duan Yuan Shan instantly sucked in a mouthful of cold air.
The Second-Order Emperor realm! Even within a great sect like the Black Tortoise Sect, he would have been considered an elite, and might even have held a position of responsibility such as a deacon.
However, despite having a powerful Second-Order Emperor cultivation realm, he was still unable to restore the Seven Points Black Tortoise Spirit Array to its original version, showing just how profoundly strong this Spirit Array was.
“Although this isn’t the original version of the Seven Points Black Tortoise Spirit Array, I feel that it should be more than adequate for the situation we are facing. Furthermore… it’s easier to master, and if you only focus on the defence and ignore the minor details, it should be more than enough.”
Hearing her words, Duan Yuan Shuan took a deep breath. “If that’s the case, I will need to inform Brother Qin before we proceed.”
In any case, Qin Zhao Yang was the head of the Qin Family. If they really needed to use the Seven Points Black Tortoise Spirit Array, they would require his permission before they could use it. After all, this Spirit Array was probably the Qin Family’s greatest treasure.
If not for the desperate situation they were in, who would be willing to share a Spirit Array like this with the masses?
“Please rest assured, Uncle Duan. I’ve already informed Old Ancestor about this matter. He’s on his way here!” Qin Yu replied.
As she said those words, she seemed to sense something as she turned her head with a faint smile. “He’s here.”
With a solemn look on his face, Qin Zhao Yang flew over from the distance. Landing before Yang Kai and Duan Yuan Shan, he cupped his hands towards them.
Sparing the small talk, Duan Yuan Shan cut straight to the issue. “Brother Qin, there’s no need for me to talk anymore about the current situation; I believe that Yu’er has already told you everything. At this moment, we need to utilise your Qin Family’s Seven Points Black Tortoise Spirit Array. Will you accede?”
“Since this matter concerns the survival of Maplewood City, it’s obviously not possible for our Qin Family to stay out of this. I agree with the matter,” Qin Zhao Yang quickly replied.
“Eh?” Duan Yuan Shan gawked in surprise to Qin Yuan Shan’s reply while a look of astonishment appeared on his face, as if he wasn’t expecting Qin Zhao Yang to reply in such a straightforward manner. All of the negotiation tactics he had prepared were now in vain.
Having quite a few interactions with Qin Zhao Yang, Duan Yuan Shan knew that he wasn’t some narrow-minded person. Nevertheless, he was also not an easy person to deal with, especially when it concerned the treasure of the Qin Family.
He had originally expected Qin Zhao Yang to come up with some excuse to avoid responsibility.
After thinking for a moment, Duan Yuan Shan gave a bitter laugh. “Brother Qin, if you have any requests, please do tell. If it isn’t too overboard, this Duan will definitely accept.”
Qin Zhao Yang grinned meaningfully and replied, “Are you treating me as an outsider, City Lord Duan? Everyone’s living together in Maplewood City. Since Maplewood City’s in trouble, our Qin Family is naturally duty-bound to provide assistance…”
“If you continue with your nonsense, there’s nothing further to discuss.”
“Since City Lord Sir’s this sincere, this old man is going to make a slightly difficult request,” A look of helplessness appeared on Qin Zhao Yang’s face, as though he was feeling the grief and misery a girl being forced into prostitution. Seeing this, Duan Yuan Shan suddenly felt the urge to give Qin Zhao Yong a good beating.
“After this disaster, this old master wants to take over all of the Jiang Family’s businesses!” Qin Zhao Yang quickly replied with a stern look on his face.
Duan Yuan Shan abruptly narrowed his eyes, “Isn’t your appetite too big, Brother Qin? Aren’t you afraid of becoming bloated?”
Other than the City Lord’s Mansion, which possessed the greatest authority and might, the Jiang Family’s forces were the most numerous among the aristocratic families in Maplewood City. Furthermore, they were also the strongest aristocratic family in Maplewood City.
With the entirety of the Jiang Family’s top forces being completely decimated by their own actions and turning into demons, all of their businesses and resources have naturally become ownerless things.
At this moment, with Maplewood City being surrounded by Demon Qi and demonic creatures, the patriarchs and old ancestors of the other aristocratic families did not have the mental capacity to spare a thought about fighting over the Jiang Family’s valuables, as they were putting in all of their effort to defend against the demonic onslaught. However, once that danger was over, they might really start to fight over it.
Anyone who was able to obtain such a large family business would be able to increase their strength within a short amount of time.
There is no such thing as an eternal enemy or friend in this world, only eternal benefits!
The businesses left behind by the Jiang Family were also coveted by the City Lord’s Mansion.
However, right now, Qin Zhao Yang was planning to devour all of them. Even though he was already prepared for Qin Zhao Yang to claim a lion’s share, Duan Yuan Shan was somewhat unable to accept this.
Without talking about his personal reluctance to agree to this request, even the various aristocratic families present in Maplewood City would not bend over and accept this.
Hearing that, Qin Zhao Yang laughed. “So what if my appetite is too big? Isn’t City Lord Duan going to protect our Qin Family from the fallout?”
“You’re even planning to get the City Lord’s Mansion involved in this?” A look of misery instantly appeared on Duan Yuan Shan’s face.
Qin Zhao Yang chuckled in response. “What are you talking about, City Lord Duan? Our Qin Family is in decline right now, so I just wish to rely on the City Lord’s Mansion’s might and fame, that’s all. In any case, without City Lord Duan’s permission, our Qin Family also won’t be able to devour these riches.”
“You old fart…” Duan Yuan Shan cursed.
“How could you say that? Being the lord of a city, don’t you understand the virtue of respecting the old and cherishing the young?” Qin Zhao Yang rolled his eyes, before turning towards Yang Kai, “Little brother Yang, Sir City Lord scolded me just now, and you’ve heard it loud and clear. This old master’s very angry, so angry that my life’s shortened by ten years! I’ll make sure to pursue this matter with him!”
“You two continue chatting! I’ll take my leave first!” Seeing this, Yang Kai hastily made his exit.
These two were tearing at each other’s faces right now, and he did not want to get caught up in the mess. He was merely a passing traveller in Maplewood City…
“Haha, I’m just joking, I’m just joking…” Qin Zhao Yang grabbed Yang Kai’s arm. “Please don’t be so hasty to leave. If we really want to form the Seven Points Black Tortoise Array, we need little brother’s help to do so!”
“I’m also needed?” Yang Kai frowned.
Qin Zhao Yang smiled. “Just a moment ago, Yu’er should have mentioned it, that the Seven Points Black Tortoise Spirit Array requires seven people to act together in order to unleash the might of the Divine Spirit, Black Tortoise. There aren’t enough Dao Source Realm masters in Maplewood City, so little brother’s assistance is naturally required.”
Yang Kai gave it a thought before nodding. “ Okay, count me in.”
He was also extremely interested in the Seven Points Black Tortoise Spirit Array. If he could learn such an extraordinary Spirit Array, he would come out of this situation with a net gain.
Seeing Yang Kai agree, a look of delight flashed across Qin Zhao Yang’s face. Looking back at Duan Yuan Shan, he said, “City Lord Sir, there’s no problem over at this Qin’s side. However, what’s the progress in your considerations?”
A solemn look appeared on Duan Yuan Shan’s face as he quickly replied. “Brother Qin, although my City Lord’s Mansion is the number one force in Maplewood City, you should know that those few old fellows aren’t good to provoke. Your suggestion is going to piss off a lot of people…”
“Sir City Lord’s capabilities are matchless, you possess strength that towers over the masses, and have powerful connections. How can you be afraid of those few old fellows?” Qin Zhao Yang laughed in response, before shaking his head and continuing, “This old master doesn’t believe that you can’t achieve it!”
Duan Yuan Shan’s eyes narrowed before he growled, “Fine, I’ll do as you say!”
“My pleasure,” Qin Zhao Yang chuckled heartily. “Since that’s the case, I’ll need City Lord Sir to find seven people and let this old master and Yu’er teach them the formations for the Seven Points Black Tortoise Spirit Array.”
“I’ll give you an answer after an hour!” Duan Yuan Shan quickly replied.
Qin Zhao Yang nodded and turned to shoot a look at Yang Kai, before flying off with them.
Not long after, the three of them returned to the section of the city walls that Qin Zhao Yang was in charge of defending.
A solemn look suddenly appeared on Qin Zhao Yang’s face as he handed a jade slip to Yang Kai. “Little brother Yang, please destroy this immediately after looking through and comprehending the information present within. You can consult Yu’er on anything that you’re not sure about. Although her cultivation realm is far inferior to yours, she might be able to give an explanation or two on the Dao of Spirit Arrays.”
Yang Kai’s expression immediately changed. Receiving the jade slip, he replied, “I’ve already had first-hand experience of Sister Qin’s proficiency in Spirit Array techniques.”
After saying that, he sent his Divine Sense into the jade slip. After a cursory sweep across the information, his expression changed slightly, before he raised his head to send a look of doubt towards Qin Zhao Yang. “Old Sir Qin, this is…”
The Seven Points Black Tortoise Spirit Array required seven people to join hands in order to properly execute it. In the past, for the sake of preventing this secret Spirit Array from being shared openly with the public, the Black Tortoise Sect had only taught each disciple a portion of the Spirit Array’s formations. Only when seven people collaborated would they be able to form the complete Spirit Array.
Yang Kai had assumed that Qin Zhao Yang had given him one of the seven portions. However, after the cursory look, he discovered that the information recorded in the jade slip was actually the formation method of the complete Seven Points Black Tortoise Spirit Array.
Obviously, this wasn’t the original version of the Spirit Array, but the one the Qin Family’s old ancestor had comprehended.
Even so, this was still one of the best Spirit Arrays.
However, Yang Kai wasn’t able to understand why Qin Zhao Yang would do such a thing.
With a smile, Qin Zhao Yang said, “You don’t have to think too much about it, Little Brother Yang. Currently, with Maplewood City facing a disaster. If we aren’t able to survive this, Maplewood City will be finished, and my Qin Family will definitely be wiped out. When that happens, the Seven Points Black Tortoise Array might get lost in the rivers of time. I’ve handed it to you in the hope that you might be able to preserve it. After all, this is something that my Qin Family’s old ancestor spent half his life to comprehend. This old master isn’t willing to let it get buried along with our Qin Family.”
“If this city can’t hold on anymore, I might not be able to escape either.” Yang Kai quickly said.
“Don’t be modest, little brother.” Qin Zhao Yang gave an ambiguous laugh. “With your capabilities, you should be able to escape Maplewood City whenever you wish. Although I don’t know why you have chosen to stay, since you’re willing to stay and defend this city, you definitely have your reasons for doing so. This old master has handed you this thing, and I only have one request.”
Yang Kai’s expression changed as he asked, “What request?”
“If Little Brother Yang really wants to leave Maplewood City, please take Yu’er along with you and ensure her safety!” Qin Zhao Yang’s expression turned into a solemn one, while his voice contained an earnest plea.
Earlier, when he was defending against the invasion of demonic creatures alongside Yang Kai at the city walls, Qin Zhao Yang had personally seen Yang Kai display his Spatial Secret Technique, creating a black hole that devoured countless demonic creatures.
Therefore, he had come to the conclusion that Yang Kai was a master in Space Force.
Qin Zhao Yang wasn’t exactly sure how powerful cultivators that were proficient in Space Force were. The only thing he was sure about was that such cultivators had a natural superiority in escape and pursuit situations that were hard to rival.
He felt that with Yang Kai’s accomplishment in Space Force, it should not be difficult for Yang Kai to leave Maplewood City if he really wanted to.
Therefore, the exchange of the complete Seven Points Black Tortoise Spirit Array for the promise of protecting Qin Yu wasn’t disadvantageous for him.
“Okay!”
Yang Kai nodded his head in agreement, before turning to shoot a look at Qin Yu standing by the side. “If I’m not dead, Qin Yu will definitely be safe!”
He had the confidence to make this declaration; after all, he had the trump card in the form of his Sealed World Bead.
Qin Zhao Yang gave a hearty laugh. “With your words, Old Brother, this Qin can rest assured. Just stay here and focus on comprehending the formation method. Leave the defence of the city walls to this old master.”
Yang Kai nodded, before finding a slightly quieter place to sit down. Sending his consciousness into the jade slip, he started to comprehend the information in detail.
Time continued to tick by.
Yang Kai had immersed himself completely in the mysteries of the Seven Points Black Tortoise Spirit Array.
He discovered that what Qin Yu had said was right. This Spirit Array was patched up by her Qin Family’s old ancestor with his own comprehensions and was inferior to the original version. However, it was far easier to master, so it didn’t take long for him to attain some comprehension of his own.
Yang Kai only had cursory achievements in the Dao of Spirit Arrays. However, the Seven Points Black Tortoise Spirit Array was unlike those that were usually used for defence or offence. This Spirit Array’s basis was focused on the cultivators. When they worked together to execute it, the completed Seven Points Black Tortoise Spirit Array could even rival a portion of the might that the Divine Spirit Black Tortoise’s Divine Ability could unleash.
On the other side, there were Dao Source Realm masters constantly flying over, receiving jade slips from Qin Yu before heading off to find their own corners to comprehend the information given to them.
Qin Yu obviously did not give these people the complete version of the Spirit Array formation method. Instead, they received one of the seven portions.
After a day, Yang Kai’s expression suddenly changed. Retrieving his communication artifact, he sent his Divine Sense in and immediately read the message that he had received.
It was a message from City Lord Duan Yuan Shan for everyone to gather.
Raising his head, Yang Kai shot a look at Qin Zhao Yang, who nodded back lightly at him.
Right at the same time, a rotund figure descended from the sky. With a large green bottle gourd hanging at his waist, who would it be other than Drunkard?
Standing on the city walls, Drunkard waved his hands at Qin Zhao Yang. “Go.”
Qin Zhao Yang smiled and replied: “I’ll have to trouble Vice City Lord City Sir to take care of this section’s defences then.”
Raising his eye towards Qin Zhao Yang, the Drunkard said, “Old fellow, you better be careful when you head outside. Make sure to not perish out there.”
Qin Zhao Yang’s mouth twitched in response, though he did not do anything in response other than to shoot a look at Yang Kai, before bringing Qin Yu as they flew to the gathering point.
After a short moment, they landed in another part of the city.
There were already four others gathered at this place, and all of them were Dao Source Realm masters.
Of the four, two of them were Maplewood City’s City Lord Duan Yuan Shan and Vice City Lord Zhuang Pan respectively, but Yang Kai didn’t recognise the other two people.
One of them was a pale-faced old man, while the other was a beautiful woman with an alluring figure.
Yang Kai made a sweeping glance, though shock surfaced within him as his eyes gaze landed on the beautiful woman, as he discovered that she was actually a Third-Order Dao Source Realm master! She was even stronger than Duan Yuan Shan! Furthermore, the aura radiating from her body was restrained, resulting in the energies in her body being only faintly discernible, which made it hard for people to judge her strength.
[When were there so many Third-Order Dao Source Realms in Maplewood City?]
Yang Kai’s heart was filled with suspicion. Just a few days ago, he had run into a master, a man he had met at the entrance of the Spirit Pill Plaza; he never expected to meet another master so soon after.
Although he did not know exactly where these two hailed from, they were definitely not local cultivators from Maplewood City.
Seeing Yang Kai looking over, the beautiful woman gave a sweet smile, causing her to radiate an air of seduction. Her moist, elegant peach-like eyes seemed to tell a story, containing a soul-stirringly fascinating glint.
A surge of vigilance rose in Yang Kai’s heart as he quietly turned his gaze away.
“Brother Yang, Brother Qin, you’ve arrived.” Seeing the two arrive, Duan Yuan Shan cupped his fists to greet them.
On the contrary, Vice City Lord Zhuang Pan gave a cold snort, appearing to have a big problem with Yang Kai and disliked the latter.
Yang Kai was not concerned with his reaction, as he had quarrelled with Zhuang Pan the last time he had visited the City Lord’s Mansion. In fact, they even started a fight where Yang Kai destroyed the spirituality of his artifact, so it was natural that he would not express pleasure at Yang Kai’s arrival.
“City Lord Duan, this madame is …” Landing, Qin Zhao Yang looked doubtfully at the beautiful woman.
Qin Yu was in charge of handing over the Seven Points Black Tortoise Array to the Dao Source Realm Masters, and Qin Zhao Yang did not get involved in that matter. Therefore, he had not met this beautiful woman, and furthermore, knew that it was impossible for Maplewood City to have any Third-Order Dao Source Realm masters, prompting him to voice his query.
“This Mistress, Hua Qing Si, greets the two of you.” Not waiting for Duan Yuan Shan, the beautiful woman took the initiative to reply.
“So it is Lady Hua.” Qin Zhao Yang frowned in response, while a hint of a weird feeling flashed across his face. The woman had only introduced herself with her name, and no one knew if it was her real name or just an alias, thus he had no way of speculating about her origins.
Duan Yuan Shan smiled. “Lady Hua’s not a cultivator for our Maplewood City. She had just so happened to be doing some business here when the Demon Qi invasion began. After hearing that we’re heading outside to repair the seal, she volunteered to provide assistance. This Duan can’t thank Lady Hua enough for her righteous act.”
Hua Qin Si covered her mouth to give a lovable giggle. “You’re too modest, City Lord Duan. As of now, if anyone in Maplewood City suffers, everyone will suffer. This mistress is just doing it for my own survival. There’s no need to talk about righteousness at all.”
“This person should be Brother Yang, right? Old Master Du Li Shen, we’ve interacted briefly before.” Seemingly noticing Yang Kai’s pensive look, the pale-faced old man stood up and gave a self-introduction.
“So, it is old Sir Du, nice to meet you!” Yang Kai returned the greeting in a neutral tone.
He recognized this Du Li Shen, as he was the old ancestor of the Maplewood City’s Du Family and possessed the same First-Order Dao Source Realm cultivation as Qin Zhao Yang. Although the two of them had not exchanged greetings before, they had engaged in simple conversations through their communication artifacts during the defence of Maplewood City, so Yang Kai was not unfamiliar with him.
On the hand, after seeing that Du Li Shen was attempting to form a connection with Yang Kai, Qin Zhao Yang hastily changed the subject and asked, “City Lord Duan, we’re still one person short. Don’t tell me that you’re planning to let Yu’er be one of the seven we need? Yu’er’s role in this is only to repair the seal.”
There were only four Dao Source Realm masters gathered here. After including himself and Yang Kai, they only had six here.
Duan Yuan Shan smiled in response. “Just wait a while longer, that person should be arriving quite soon.”
Just as his words rang out, a streak of light came shooting rapidly towards their direction. From the looks of it, that person seemed to be coming over from the City Lord’s Mansion.
After a short while, a flash appeared above the group, before a figure appeared.
Raising his head, Yang Kai could not help but frown in response.
That was because he discovered that the last person was actually the Third-Order Dao Source Realm middle-aged male that he had bumped into a few days ago at the entrance of the Spirit Pill Plaza!
Arriving at the gathering place, the middle-aged man swept his gaze below, before coming to a slight rest on Yang Kai before saying in an indifferent tone. “This King is late.”
His haughty stance incited displeasure in the crowd. Nevertheless, due to his astonishing cultivation realm, no one dared to outwardly reveal any of their displeasure.
The only exception was Hua Qing Si, who pursed her lips and let out a giggle, causing what seemed to be a lovely scene of flowers blossoming to appear.
Noticing her actions, the middle-aged male’s gaze turned chilly as he focused his eyes onto Hua Qing Si. However, upon noticing that her cultivation realm was not inferior to his own, he could not help but reveal a strange look on his face, as though he didn’t expect there to actually be a Third-Order Master other than himself present in this small Maplewood City.
Being unable to see through Hua Qing Si’s origins despite looking at her for a moment, the middle-aged man could only give a cold snort in response.
“You’ve arrived right on time, Brother Fu.” Duan Yuan Shan greeted the middle-aged male. From the looks of it, the appearance of two people stronger than him had caused him to feel somewhat uncomfortable.
The critical point was that these two had spontaneously come forward in the name of wanting to assist in the repairing of the seal. Therefore, he wasn’t able to reject them without good reason.
“City Lord Sir, when we leave, the defensive strength of Maplewood City would decline substantially. Would that be a problem for the people remaining here?” Qin Zhao Yang asked in concern. In any case, the core of his Qin Family’s businesses was in Maplewood City, therefore their losses would be great if the city was destroyed.
“With Drunkard and the old ancestors of the other families present, there shouldn’t be a problem for a short while. However, we still need to get this done as quickly as we can.” Duan Yuan Shan quickly replied. “Since everyone’s arrived, we should get going.”
After saying those words, Duan Yuan Shan waved his hand and took the lead to fly off.
The other people quickly followed behind.
As they arrived at the city walls, there were people already waiting for them.
“Open the array!” Looking deeply at the surging Demon Qi and an endless number of demonic creatures scuttling about, Duan Yuan Shan gave a loud roar.
Hearing his words, the nearby Array Masters quickly controlled the Array Plate in their hands.
Under their control, an opening slowly formed on the golden liquid-like Spirit Array.
When the opening grew large enough for a person to pass through, Duan Yuan Shan took the lead and rushed through, shouting out as he did so. “Let’s go!”
Xiu Xiu Xiu…
With everyone being at the Dao Source Realm, they would naturally not be lacking in their sense of timing. Streaks of light flashed about, and all seven of them were outside of the city.
Qin Yu followed closely behind Yang Kai and Qin Zhao Yang, not daring to be apart from them by more than half a step.
After the eight people had left, the Array Masters on the city walls quickly closed up the Spirit Array.
Outside of the city, Demon Qi surged about, creating berserk winds that howled about. One could even hear faint cries and howls ringing about, causing people’s hairs to stand on their ends and rocking the core of their life force.
Qin Yu’s face turned slightly pale, while tremors shook through her tender body.
Despite Yang Kai and Qin Zhao Yang joining hands to protect her, with her Second-Order Origin Returning cultivation realm, she was still somewhat unable to endure being in such a place.
“Form up!” At the front, Duan Yuan Shan shouted out.
In the next instant, everyone started to move, shifting themselves to various positions, all while forming seals with their hands.
With the change of their hand seals, a mysterious and invisible connection gradually formed between the seven Dao Source Realm cultivators, linking them together.
The Source Qi radiating from everyone started to surge and expand, before fusing with others’ Source Qi. When that happened, an extraordinary aura suddenly came into existence, before expanding out furiously, driving all of the Demon Qi away from their vicinity, creating an empty void around where they were standing.
The Source Qi within the bodies of the seven Dao Source Realm masters surged uncontrollably and gushed out from their bodies like broken dams, the speed of outflow causing great changes to their expressions.
Qin Zhao Yang roared out in a stern voice. “Fret not! This is what will happen before the completion of the formation! Everyone, please make sure to work together!”
After hearing his words, everyone quickly calmed themselves down and continued to form their hand seals.
Source Qi visible to the naked eye surged out like tidal waves, before gradually gathering and merging together. After a short while, an embryonic form of a fierce gigantic creature started to condense.
The creature possessed the head of a dragon, a tortoiseshell, and the tail of a snake, and appeared incomparably mighty and powerful. This was the Divine Spirit, Black Tortoise!
An all-powerful pressure suddenly burst forth, causing shock and astonishment to form in the hearts of the seven people who formed the Spirit Array.
At this instant, the Divine Spirit Black Tortoise condensed from the Source Qi of the seven people appeared remarkably alive, turning its head about and wagging its tail, just like an actual living creature would do. Nevertheless, regardless of its size or strength, it was substantially inferior to the real Black Tortoise, though it was still a gigantic creature.
Among the seven people, Duan Yuan Shan took the position of the dragon head, the middle-aged man took the position of the snake tail, while the other four took the positions of the limbs. As for Yang Kai, he took the centremost position, with Qin Yu by his side.
This arrangement was naturally due to Qin Zhao Yang’s deliberate actions.
If one was to look from afar, one would notice that the seven Dao Source Realm masters appeared to be concealing their bodies within a semi-corporeal Black Tortoise Divine Spirit.
As the formation of the Seven Points Black Tortoise Spirit Array reached its completion, the Source Qi surging out from everyone’s body finally slowed down.
Delighted looks appeared on the seven people’s faces, though they did not make any reckless moves. On the contrary, all of them closed their eyes and quietly sensed the miraculous properties of this extraordinary Spirit Array.
Demon Qi came surging from all directions, enveloping the seven people and quickly submerging the translucent figure of the Black Tortoise. Countless demonic creatures came attacking from all directions, using the concealment of the Demon Qi to launch attacks that came in like tidal waves hitting a shore.
In an instant, the Black Tortoise’s figure could no longer be seen.
Feelings of worry and anxiety surfaced within countless pairs of eyes on top of the city walls, in fear that those seven Dao Source Realm masters would lose their lives just like that.
All of a sudden, a low roar rang out from the area the Demon Qi had surrounded. This roar sounded like a dragon or a beast, resounding across the heavens and earth.
As the roar rang out, a might that seemed to be able to destroy the heavens and shatter the earth suddenly erupted from that location.
In an instant, all of the Demon Qi present in that area was purged, while all of the demonic creatures were sent flying back, before exploding into clouds of blood mist in the air.
The figure of the Divine Spirit appeared once again, while the eight people present within it were completely unharmed.
Duan Yuan Shan chuckled heartily. “With the aid of this miraculous array, what can’t we achieve? Let’s go!”
After experiencing how profound this Seven Points Black Tortoise Spirit Array was, he had gained a large boost in confidence.
As he said those words, he took the lead and rushed forward. The other people followed blindly behind him, maintaining the revolution of the Spirit Array and their relative positions to one another.
As they headed along, any demonic creature that came forth to obstruct them would incite the Divine Spirit projection to wave its humongous palm. With a single palm sweeping out, not a single demonic creature could stand in its way, all of them being sent flying and turning into piles of mush.
The mine wasn’t too far away from Maplewood City, with the distance being about two thousand kilometres. However, if these seven Dao Source Realm masters were to attempt to fly over by themselves, only a few of them might be able to arrive at the mine unscathed.
However, at this moment, by relying on the might of the Spirit Array to combine their Source Qi into one and transform it into a Divine Spirit projection, their journey was basically them bashing through dry weeds and smashing through rotten logs, with nothing that could even obstruct them at all.
The exceedingly corrosive Demoni Qi could not even affect them at all, as it was obstructed by the Divine Spirit projection.
“This Spirit Array is excellent,” As everyone advanced without any pressure at all, Hua Qing Si, who was positioned at the left foreleg of the Black Tortoise projection, suddenly smiled and commented. Directing her beautiful eyes to the left side, she said: “Old Sir Qin, do you have any plans on selling this to the public? If you’re willing, this mistress can…”
“You don’t need to say anymore, Lady Hua. This Qin’s ancestor spent his blood, sweat and tears, and the latter half of his life to complete this Spirit Array. This Qin will not sell it to the public,” Before Hua Qing Si could finish her sentence, Qin Zhao Yang had already interrupted with a gloomy look appearing on his face.
“Don’t be so firm, Old Sir Qin. There is nothing in this world that does not have a price. After this matter, this mistress will find the time to have a private chat with you,” Hua Qing Si smiled as she replied. Clearly, she did not plan to give up easily. As she said those words, her eyes sparkled with a seductive glint. Despite being old and withered, Qin Zhao Yang could not stop his heart from pounding loudly, his blood from surging, and his throat from drying up before a gaze from her peach-like eyes,
[Enchantress!] He quietly cursed as he hastily defended his mental state. Taking a deep breath, he suppressed the surging Qi within his chest.
“This King is also very interested in this Spirit Array, Count me in, too.” The man with the surname of Fu suddenly opened his mouth and spoke with a tone that did not allow one to refute.
“This Sir, your words are unreasonable,” Hua Qing Si immediately felt displeased as she spat out. “This mistress is the one that raised this matter with Old Sir Qin. If you, sir, are interested, shouldn’t you allow this mistress and old sir Qin to finish our discussions before talking about it?
“So, a first-come-first-serve basis also applies in this?” The middle-aged man shot an emotionless look at Hua Qing Si and sneered. “Do you think this is like buying buns from the market?”
Hua Qing Si narrowed her beautiful eyes slightly, though she still continued to wear a faint and beautiful smile on her face as she replied, “This sir, isn’t this an obvious attempt by you to bully a weak girl like this mistress?”
A frown appeared on the middle-aged man’s face as he snorted coldly. “So?”
After exchanging words to and fro, sparks have already emerged between the two of them.
Duan Yuan Shan shouted out from the front, “Sir, madam, as of now, the most important thing to do is to repair that broken seal. We can discuss other matters after that task is accomplished. Can the two of you give me face and put this aside for the time being?”
Hua Qing Si smiled, but no longer said anything.
On the contrary, the middle-aged man continued to speak out in a cold and haughty manner. “Who are you to step in when this King is doing something? Do you believe that this king will leave this Spirit Array right now and make you all unable to return?”
As his words rang out, not only the face of Duan Yuan Shan, but even Qin Zhao Yang, Zhuang Pan and Du Li Shen turned ashen in response.
The Seven Points Black Tortoise Spirit Array required seven people to cooperate in order to display it. If the middle-aged man really left them here, with his powerful Third-Order Dao Source Realm cultivation, it might be possible for him to fight his way out of the encirclement. However, that would not be the case for the other people present.
At the very least, the few First-Order Dao Source Realm masters did not have the confidence to defend themselves against the corrosion of the Demon Qi for long, and they would eventually turn into one of the demonic creatures.
Although there was Qin Yu present with the possibility of her filling in the void, with her Second-Order Origin Return cultivation realm, how would she be able to assist the others to execute the Spirit Array? If that really happened, it would only take a few breaths before Qin Yu would be sucked dry of all of her energy within her body.
It could be said that if that middle-aged man left right now, at least half of the people present here would die.
“There’s no need to do that, sir.” Zhuang Pan was frightened to the point where his face turned pale. He did not come here of his own will, but was volunteered by Duan Yuan Shan. As his strength was inferior to that of Drunkard, Duan Yuan Shan needed the latter to take charge of Maplewood City, leaving him with no other choice but to follow along. After seeing how haughty and arrogant that middle-aged man was being, he was terrified to the bones, causing him to throw swear word after swear word towards Duan Yuan Shan in his heart, blaming Duan Yuan Shan for not recognizing the middle-aged man for who he really was – an idiot person that did not even have a single shred of morality at all.
“That’s right. Please don’t be so hasty, sir.” Du Li Shen also attempted to mediate the situation. “We can discuss this.”
As he said those words, he shot a fierce glare at Qin Zhao Yang, hinting at him to think of a way to defuse this situation.
Yang Kai continued to remain silent as he looked at Duan Yuan Shan with a somewhat astonished look.
The middle-aged man had flown over from the City Lord’s Mansion earlier, leading Yang Kai to assume that the man had some kind of relationship with Duan Yuan Shan, and that they were well-acquainted with each other. However, with what was happening now, it clearly wasn’t the case.
That middle-aged man didn’t give a damn about Duan Yuan Shan at all.
It could be said that he didn’t give a damn about anyone at all, as the behaviour he was showing indicated that he believed he was superior to everyone, and that he was the sole ruler in Heaven and Earth.
[Did this guy have a powerful background?] Yang Kai continued to mull it over. Only cultivators with extraordinary backgrounds would develop such a haughty and arrogant attitude.
“Discuss? This king never discusses with anyone,” The middle-aged man sneered at Qin Zhao Yan. “Old fellow, are you going to sell this Seven Points Black Tortoise Spirit Array or not? Hurry up and give an answer!”
His actions, which seemed to indicate that he would immediately leave if not given a satisfactory answer, made the others feel intense hatred towards him, but at the same time, they were incomparably anxious, as they turned towards Qin Zhao Yang to shoot pleading looks at him.
“Sir, what’s your opinion on this?” Unable to believe the development of this matter, Qin Zhao Yang wore an expression of bitterness and grief on his face.
On the other side, Duan Yuan Shan had reached the limit of his anger as he clenched his fists tightly.
It wasn’t because the man had not treated him, the City Lord, as someone of any importance at all. Instead, it was because he had added insult to injury at such a critical junction. If he had known that the middle-aged man had such rapacious designs, he would have never agreed to let him become a member of this Spirit Array.
If not for the dire situation, Duan Yuan Shan would have immediately flipped him off.
“This King’s patience is wearing thin. Let me ask you one last time. Are you selling it, or not?” The middle-aged man tossed out an ultimatum, leaving Qin Zhao Yang absolutely no room for respite.
“Old Qin…” Du Li Shen grew flustered as he stared anxiously at Qin Zhao Yang.
“Brother Qin, the present situation is of higher importance.” Zhuang Pan said in an attempt to persuade him. After saying that, he added, “It’s alright if it’s just us. However, without the protection of the Spirit Array, your Yu’er will…”
He gave an impression of being worried for Qin Yu, as though he was extremely concerned for her well-being.
A look of fury and indignation surfaced on Qin Zhao Yang’s face as, after all, he had taken the initiative to hand over his Qin Family’s heirloom Spirit Array, had personally participated in its formation, and had even brought his precious granddaughter Qin Yu into a dangerous place, all in the hopes of helping Maplewood City fend off the dangerous situation it was currently in. However, never in his wildest dreams did he expect his surge of hot-bloodedness would be drenched and doused in ice water in such a place.
How could he be willing to hand this Spirit Array over?
“Okay. I’ll sell this Seven Points Black Tortoise Spirit Array to you, brother Fu.” After remaining silent for a while, Qin Zhao Yang replied through clenched teeth, knowing that he was powerless to change the situation.
“Haha. A wise man will submit to the circumstances!” The middle-aged man chuckled heartily, “You’re not bad, old fellow.”
“I can sell the Spirit Array, but may I know what price you are going to offer for it?” Qin Zhao Yang asked as he clenched his teeth in anger.
Seemingly prepared for him to ask, the middle-aged man with the surname of Fu raised his finger. “One million!”
“You might as well just steal it?” Qin Zhao Yang roared in fury.
Everyone else also revealed inconceivable looks as they stared at the middle-aged man.
Although a million Source Crystals wasn’t a small amount, it was too low of a price for the Seven Points Black Tortoise Array. During the auction fair, a single Dao Source Fruit could fetch over a million Source Crystals, much less an extraordinary Spirit Array like this.
If such a Spirit Array was brought out to be auctioned, there would absolutely be many great sects fighting to get their hands on it, much less being able to fetch a few million Source Crystals. Therefore, Qin Zhao Yang was utterly incapable of accepting this price.
“A million, no more, no less!” Ignoring Qin Zhao Yang’s fury, the middle-aged man snorted coldly. “If you continue nagging, this offer will be gone.”
“Tsk tsk, this sir from the Flying Saint Palace is overbearing indeed. You’ve really opened this mistress’s eyes.” An alluring giggle suddenly rang out from Hua Qing Si.
“Flying Saint Palace?” Zhuang Pan exclaimed in astonishment, while Du Li Shen’s expression immediately changed.
Even Duan Yuan Shan had a shocked look plastered on his face. On one hand, it was due to him suddenly discovering the origin of this middle-aged man with the surname of Fu. On the other hand, it was naturally due to Hua Qing Si’s knowledge of such information. Although everyone had already guessed that the middle-aged man had an extraordinary background, no one knew exactly what it was. This was only revealed through Hua Qing Si’s information, and no one could tell how she managed to obtain that information!
After hearing those words, great waves of vigilance surged within Yang Kai’s heart as he sneakily shot a look at the middle-aged man, quietly feeling that this fellow’s intentions weren’t good at all.
Despite being forced to kill the Flying Saint Palace’s Young Master, who had been possessed by the Wood Spirit, it was still undeniable that he had killed the latter.
After that, he had seized Ning Yuan Cheng’s ship and refined it for his own use.
With this in mind, it was definitely not a coincidence that the middle-aged man had appeared in Maplewood City. He might very well be in pursuit of the culprit behind Ning Yuan Cheng’s death. Therefore, there was no way he didn’t notice that ship at the Spirit Pill Plaza a few days ago.
In fact, he might have already known that Yang Kai was the killer!
Yang Kai’s face turned slightly gloomy as he considered all of this.
After his origin was revealed by Hua Qing Si, the middle-aged man narrowed his eyes slightly, before focusing on the beautiful woman. “Your eyesight’s impressive, woman. Where do you hail from?”
Raising her hand to arrange her loose strands of hair back behind her ear, Hua Qing Si gave a faint smile and replied, “This mistress is just a lowly loose cultivator. What’s there to talk about where I hail from?”
“Hmph!”
Naturally, the middle-aged man did not believe Hua Qing Si’s nonsensical reply. As shock and doubt surfaced quietly in his heart, a faint sliver of dread finally flashed across his eyes.
A person who could see where he came from was obviously not an ordinary person. However, with his haughtiness and arrogance, he still did not treat Hua Qing Si as much at all.
“Have you made up your mind?” The middle-aged man turned back to Qin Zhao Yang.
Qin Zhao Yang sighed and replied, “Can the offer be raised?”
After all that had just happened, Qin Zhao Yong was already on the chopping board. Furthermore, he still had Qin Yu to consider. In the end, he had to weigh his options; since he had no other choice, he made an attempt to see if he could obtain more Source Crystals.
“What do you think?” The middle-aged man did not answer Qin Zhao Yang’s question.
Qin Zhao Yang’s expression sunk, causing him to appear as though he had aged for quite a bit, “Let’s agree to the price Sir has given.”
“Very good!” Extremely satisfied with the outcome, the middle-aged man extended his hand towards Qin Zhao Yang. “Hand the thing to this king, and this king will not renege from this king’s words.”
“Hold up!”
All of a sudden, a voice interrupted this trade.
Everyone turned towards the source of that voice, only to discover that it was impressively Yang Kai, who stood at the middle of the formation. Ever since Hua Qing Si and the middle-aged man started their conversation, until the man successfully forced Qin Zhao Yang to sell the Seven Points Black Tortoise Array, Yang Kai did not speak a single word at all, causing everyone to forget his existence. However, they never expected him to suddenly speak up at such a critical moment, causing blank looks to appear on everyone’s faces, being at a loss for what he wished to do.
A flash of splendour surfaced within Hua Qing Si’s beautiful eyes, as she started to size Yang Kai up with interest, a faint smile curling up at the corner of her mouth.
Compared to her, the middle-aged man narrowed his eyes, while a sliver of murderous intent obvious to anyone who saw it flashed across his eyes, as he said in a cold voice, “What do you want, brat?”
“Don’t be impatient, sir,” Yang Kai chuckled. “I’m not going to snatch your business away. However, after your stunt, I suddenly realized that the unity between us people is somewhat weak. If anyone just wants to casually leave, he or she can use such a threat to coerce the other people. This doesn’t seem too good, right?”
Duan Yuan Shan quickly added, “It’s this Duan’s failure to make adequate considerations.”
Originally, he had treated the sudden requests from the two Third-Order Dao Source Realm Masters taking the initiative to join this mission as a good thing. How would he ever expect that such a situation would occur? Compared to the middle-aged man, Hua Qing Si looked more reliable for the time being. However, if Hua Qing Si was just like the middle-aged man , it would be better for everyone to just rush back to the city than to get their consciousness wiped out and turned into demons.
“This isn’t City Lord Duan’s fault. It’s just that there aren’t many Dao Source Realms in Maplewood City in the first place. Having external aid is something that I’d naturally desire.” Yang Kai replied in a calm tone.
Hearing Yang Kai’s words, Duan Yuan Shan gave a long sigh, one that was filled with helplessness.
“For the sake of preventing such matters from occurring again, I feel that we should have a proper discussion about it. For example, we can’t have someone else pulling something like this again, right?” Yang Kai asked while looking at his surroundings.
“That’s right, that’s right. We indeed need to discuss it.” Du Li Shen promptly nodded his head in support.
The other people were still indifferent about the matter, as everyone knew one another and had family businesses in Maplewood City, which meant that they wouldn’t act too despicably and not give regard to the general situation at all. However, the rest were also not familiar with Hua Qing Si. What if she pulled the same stunt as the middle-aged man? If that really happened, this team would definitely break apart. With even returning back to the city becoming a problem for them, how would they have any room to think about repairing the seal?
Furthermore, with how despicable the middle-aged man was, what if he still pulled out after obtaining the Seven Points Black Tortoise Array? What could everyone else do then?
As such apprehensions started to surge within their minds, frowns appeared on a few people’s faces, as worry filled their hearts.
“What’s the matter? You won’t believe this king?” Seeing their reactions, the middle-aged man couldn’t help but reveal a gloomy expression on his face!
Huang Qin Shi pursed her lips and laughed, “Do you think you’re a trustworthy person, sir?”
The middle-aged male snorted coldly. “So, what are you trying to say, madam?”
He did not believe that Hua Qing Si, a Third-Order Dao Source Realm cultivator, would act just on her hotbloodedness to help these people repair the seal. She definitely had underlying reasons behind her actions.
“Aiya. This mistress isn’t harbouring any ill intentions at all. It’s just that one can’t act alone at this moment, that’s all.” Hua Qin Si giggled after giving her reply.
After being singled out by Hua Qing Si, a look of fury appeared on the middle-aged man’s face. Nevertheless, he did not dare to take action, leaving him no choice but to forcefully restrain himself.
“Everyone, there’s no need to argue. This Duan feels that there’s a reason behind little brother Yang’s words. How about this, why not make sure that they would not pull any requests like earlier and not leave their positions before we repair the seal and return to the city?” Duan Yuan Shan quickly interjected.
“You lot can rest assured. As long as this king obtains the complete array formation method, this king will naturally aid you all to repair the seal.” The middle-aged man said in a cold voice.
“Words have no value…” Zhuang Pan said weakly.
“Then what do you want? Are you trying to make this king swear upon my heart demon?” The middle-aged man’s gaze suddenly turned cold as he looked right at Zhuang Pan.
Zhuang Pan turned pale in fright and promptly gave a weak laugh, “It’s just a joke, sir.”
“Why not?” On the contrary, Yang Kai gave a faint smile, “If sir really wishes to work together with us as a team, it shouldn’t be a big problem for you sir to swear upon your heart demon. Unless… you have a guilty conscience, sir.”
“Impudence!” The middle-aged man roared in fury as he sent a scorchingly angry glare at Yang Kai, the flames of anger within his eyes seemingly wanting to set Yang Kai aflame.
However, Yang Kai remained unmoved and continued to stare right back at him.
Since he had guessed that the man had already treated him as Ning Yuan Chen’s killer, the man would definitely have a grudge against him. Therefore, Yang Kai wasn’t afraid of having some enmity with the man.
“What this little brother said is not wrong,” Surprisingly, Hua Qing Si was extremely supportive of Yang Kai. “It’s rare for this mistress to follow along in my moment of hotbloodedness and travel with people, so I really don’t want my mood to get spoiled by some people. Since everyone agrees on this, let’s all swear upon our heart demons.”
“Who would agree to it?” The middle-aged man asked out in shock.
“Everyone has agreed to it. It seems like you, sir, are the only one with a different opinion.” Yang Kai grinned as he looked at him, before suddenly revealing a look of shock. “Could it be that you, sir, are really planning to leave after obtaining the formation method? Sir, you can’t be that untrustworthy and harbour evil intentions at heart!”
“Lies! This King never said those words,” The middle-aged man had reached the limits of his anger.
“Then that means that you’ve agreed.” Yang Kai concluded. No longer caring about the latter, he looked around and said, “Since no one has any objections, let’s start.”
After saying those words, he started to swear upon his heart demon.
Exchanging glances with one another, the other people proceeded to do the same.
In fact, even Hua Qing Si did not act out of place and started to swear upon her heart demon.
After that… everyone turned to look at the middle-aged man.
At this moment an angry glow burst forth from the middle-aged man’s eyes. Staring fiercely at Yang Kai, he seemed to want to cleave Yang Kai to death as he growled between his clenched teeth. “Good, very good! This king will remember you.”
Yang Kai giggled in response. “I really apologize for making you, sir, remember me.”
“You’re courting death!” The middle-aged man replied with his hatred evident in his voice.
“Sir, is there any use in threatening me?” Yang Kai made an innocent face, “I didn’t do anything at all.”
“This sir, it’s your turn now.” Hua Qing Si interjected, grinning as she looked at the middle-aged man. “Unless you don’t wish to obtain the complete formation method, you have to swear upon your heart demon. If not, this mistress will have to properly thank you, sir, as this mistress is prepared to offer a better price for the trade.”
“Very good, all of you!” Suppressing the flames of anger in his heart, the middle-aged man had no choice but to clench his teeth and start his oath.
Although swearing upon one’s heart demon appeared to be a useless verbal promise, it was actually not completely useless, as no cultivator dared to recklessly disregard it. If one was to really face an oath backlash during a critical moment, it would be an exceedingly troublesome matter to deal with.
However, there are also quite a few secret techniques that could allow one to evade the backlash of a heart demon’s oath, so it could not be fully trusted most of the time.
These secret techniques required one to have an extremely powerful cultivation realm in order to execute them. Furthermore, they required extremely long preparation times. Therefore, despite the strength of the middle-aged man, he should not be able to dispel the heart demon’s oath for a while.
After swearing an oath on his heart demon, the middle-aged man extended his hand coldly towards Qin Zhao Yang.
“Where are the Source Crystals?” Qin Zhao Yang asked with a gloomy expression on his face.
The middle-aged man sneered. “It’s just a mere million Source Crystals. Are you afraid that this king can’t pay up?”
As he said those words, he immediately retrieved a Space Ring from his robes. After making some slight arrangements, he tossed it to Qin Zhao Yang.
Catching it, Qin Zhao Yang examined it in detail. After making sure that the amount was correct, he retrieved an empty jade slip, sent his Divine Sense into it and transferred the complete formation method for the Seven Points Black Tortoise Spirit Array.
After that, he tossed that jade slip to the middle-aged man.
The man suppressed the emotions surging out from his heart as he caught the jade slip. After checking its contents, a look of delight instantly appeared on his face, before he put it carefully with a hearty chuckle.
Clearly, he was extremely satisfied with the results of this trade, to the point that he seemed to have forgotten about the earlier unhappiness.
“Everyone, we should increase our speed. Otherwise, we will get surrounded,” All of a sudden, Yang Kai’s solemn voice gave everyone a wake-up call.
Sweeping their Divine Sense outwards, everyone discovered that it had only taken that short period of time when they were occupied with their conflict to be surrounded by a horde of countless demonic creatures like a tightly-knitted ball.
“Just a bunch of pitiful weaklings!” With a roar, Duan Yuan Shan suddenly formed seals with his hands.
As everyone was connected to the Spirit Array, Duan Yuan Shan’s movements made the others have no choice but to closely follow suit and take action.
The gigantic Divine Spirit projection suddenly opened its large mouth, before dense water elements from the surroundings converged in a berserk fashion. In the blink of an eye, a gigantic ball of water appeared before the dragon head.
As Duan Yuan Shan’s muffled roar rang out, it was as if someone took control of the Divine Spirit as it opened its mouth wide and spit.
The gigantic ball of water transformed into a beam of white light that travelled straight forward. Smashing everything in its path like rotten wood, its might couldn’t be obstructed, as countless demonic creatures were killed in an instant, disintegrating into nothingness.
A safe passage spanning over a thousand metres appeared before them.
Without saying a word, Duan Yuan Shan took the lead and rushed forwards, everyone following suit behind him.
The City Lord’s heart seemed to be filled with fury towards that middle-aged man. However, in their current situation, they couldn’t have a falling out with that man, so the only thing he could do was to let all of his anger out on those demonic creatures.
As the situation changed, the demonic creatures that had surrounded the group seemed to also become affected, lunging at them with total disregard for their lives as they continued to unleash various kinds of attacks at the Spirit Array.
If one was to observe from afar, they would see dense numbers of demonic creatures around the gigantic body of the Black Tortoise projection.
Nevertheless, this was still unable to stop the group’s advance.
After approximately half an hour, the group finally arrived at the original location of the mine.
Although everything within a thousand kilometres of here was filled with jet-black Demon Qi, there was a certain location where the Demon Qi was much denser. There was a black pillar of energy shooting straight up into the sky, connecting Heaven and Earth; it was a soul-stirring sight for anyone who laid eyes on it. Like an open tap, unimaginably pure Demon Qi gushed out from it continuously, spreading out in all directions.
There was no need to warn anyone in the group; when they saw that jet-black energy pillar that shot up towards the sky, all of them naturally knew that it was the origin, and should also be where the seal was located.
Taking the lead, Duan Yuan Shan rapidly flew towards it.
However, as they approached the location, everyone felt the rate at which Source Qi was flowing out of their bodies started to gradually increase. After a moment of shock, everyone proceeded to retrieve restorative Spirit Pills, consuming them to maintain the circulation of their bodies’ energies.
All of a sudden, Duan Yuan Shan’s advance came to a halt, frowning as he looked before him.
Less than ten feet away, several dozen powerful auras were standing quietly, as though they had been waiting for the group for a very long time.
Right at the instant when the group stopped in their tracks, these figures let off simultaneous roars, before rushing forwards in a storm-like manner.
The resulting berserk energies reached the Dao Source Realm level, with the only thing lacking being the mobilization of Principles.
“They’re Jiang Family members!” Yang Kai roared fiercely after narrowing his eyes to look before him.
“Die, you bastards!” Duan Yuan Shan changed his hand seals. In response, the Divine Spirit Black Tortoise projection raised its foreleg and swept out fiercely towards the front.
BANG…
The slap sent two figures flying, exploding into blood mist in midair, their bodies disintegrating into nothingness. Nevertheless, the other enemies managed to nimbly evade the attack.
The group of Jiang Family Origin King realm members had their strength increased by the Demon Qi. Nevertheless, despite reaching a level of strength that rivalled Dao Source Realms, how could they match up to the group which was already displaying their Spirit Array?
With the activation of the Seven Points Black Tortoise Spirit Array, the Source Qi from the seven Dao Source Realm masters were combined into one, and among them, two were Third-Order Dao Source Realm masters.
The palm strike from the Black Tortoise projection was equivalent to a simultaneous strike from seven people!
“It’s that brat, Jiang Lin!” Positioned on the left side of the Spirit Array, Du Li Shen’s gaze landed on a demon rushing forward, with jet-black eyes and a body covered in Demon Crests. Instantly, he recognised that demon, and it was shockingly the Jiang Family’s patriarch: Jiang Lin!
Clearly, Jiang Lin had already fully lost consciousness, as the miserable death of his family’s elders did not incite any fear in him. On the contrary, it stimulated his bloodlust, causing the Demon Qi around his body to surge as he unleashed various highly powerful Secret Techniques to strike the Spirit Array.
His frenzied state of madness frightened Du Li Shen, causing Du Li Shen’s speed of forming hand seals to subconsciously slow down.
Any slight mistake by anyone within the Spirit Array would affect the entire Array. Due to him slowing down, it had risked causing disruptions for the others.
This instantly incited the anger of the middle-aged man, who shot a fierce glare at Du Li Shen and roared, “Do you wish to die, old man! If you feel that you’ve lived too long, this king doesn’t mind fulfilling your wish!”
“It’s a mistake, it’s a mistake!” Sorrow and dejection filled Du Li Shen’s heart as he hastily gave a reply. Giving a shaky smile, he promptly suppressed the shock in his heart and proceeded to adjust his position and state of mind.
There were several dozen Origin King Realm masters that were turned into demons, each with the ability to fight against Dao Source Realm masters. Anywhere else, this would have been quite a powerful lineup. However, they might as well have been children when facing off against the Seven Points Black Tortoise Spirit Array.
With its gigantic frame, the Divine Spirit projection was invincible, sweeping everything before it. The reason behind the lack of technique in its actions was merely due to everyone commanding it to constantly wave its forelegs, smashing every demon that rushed over into mush and blood mists.
From the start to the end, the fight lasted a mere several dozen breaths, with the Jiang Family higher-ups being completely wiped out, leaving Jiang Lin as the only one left alive.
Unexpectedly, he did not initiate any attacks. Instead, he hid his body within the swirling Demon Qi, all while continuing to send roars out, commanding the endless demonic creatures in his surroundings in an attempt to obstruct the group’s progress.
Nevertheless, how could these demonic creatures of varying strength serve any purpose other than becoming cannon fodder?
Rivers of blood formed alongside piles of corpses.
After a full hour, the group finally arrived at the origin of the Demon Qi.
The ground had been smashed apart, and a pile of rubble stood where the mine entrance was, a result from the massive explosion of Demon Qi. This forced the group to dig a hole, all while fighting against demonic creatures, before finally jumping into the mineshaft.
Having previously seen the location of the seal, Yang Kai was naturally familiar with the directions. Through his lead, the group travelled through the twisting tunnel, spending yet another half an hour before reaching the location of the seal.
After cleaning the place up, they finally located the wall where the seal was located.
“Did we find it?” Duan Yuan Shan asked in delight.
“This should be it.” Upon seeing the wall covered with Demon Crests, Qin Yu, who had been protected in the centre of the group throughout the journey, nodded in response, eyes sparkling.
She had managed to catch a faint glimpse of the patterns from Jiang Chu He’s Knowledge Sea. Being an extremely ancient seal, she only had a smattering of understanding of it.
Fortunately, the damage to the seal was only limited to a corner, so repairing it was barely within her capabilities.
“Hurry up and take action!” The middle-aged man urged impatiently.
With a smile, Hua Qing Si said, “What are you afraid of, sir?”
Shooting her a look, the middle-aged man snorted. “It isn’t that this king is afraid, but these other trash are lacking in strength. If we get delayed here for too long, even though this king and you can endure, do you think they can?”
“What sir said makes a lot of sense.” Hua Qin Si giggled.
Upon hearing those words, displeased looks appeared on everyone’s faces!
For better or for worse, everyone here was a Dao Source Realm master. Although they couldn’t rule Maplewood City and the area ten thousand kilometres around it with absolute power, they were first-rate figures at the very least. Yet, at this moment, they had actually been treated like trash by the middle-aged man.
Feelings of unhappiness surfaced in everyone’s hearts, yet they felt too embarrassed to reveal it openly, so they were forced to silently curse the middle-aged man in their hearts.
“I need you all to temporarily disperse the Demon Qi here. If not, I will be unable to repair the seal!” Qin Yu suddenly spoke out.
The broken part of the seal was the source of the Demon Qi. It could be said that the Demon Qi coming out from there was incredibly pure, something that Qin Yu, with her Second-Order Origin Returning Realm cultivation, was utterly incapable of dealing with!
“Use the might of the Divine Spirit to suppress it!” Qin Zhao Yang roared out.
Flashes of understanding appeared in everyone’s minds as they proceeded to take action.
As they formed more and more hand seals, the group started to move. After a short while, the gigantic Divine Spirit projection pressed itself right on top of the seal.
The rate at which Demon Qi surged out instantly slowed down, as though it had encountered an obstruction, before finally being unable to flow out at all.
Nevertheless, exceedingly ugly expressions appeared on everyone’s faces.
That was due to their consumption of Source Qi. After using the strength of the Seven Points Black Tortoise Spirit Array to suppress the broken part of the seal, everyone discovered that Source Qi started to gush out from their bodies like a torrent from a broken dam, pouring out at a frenzied rate.
The speed of energy consumption was simply akin to unleashing Secret Techniques without any regard for their life, something that probably no one could handle.
The faces of the First-Order Dao Source Realm cultivators turned pale.
“Little Yu’er, approximately how long do you need to repair the seal?” Du Li Shen asked with a bitter expression on his face.
Continuing to focus on the seal, various kinds of precious materials used to repair seals appeared in Qin Yu’s hands. “It’ll take at least half an hour!”
“Half an hour…” The look on Du Li Shen’s face grew even more bitter.
“Our success or failure rests on this! Everyone, please do not drop your guard!” Duan Yuan Shan roared out loudly in an attempt to boost the group’s morale.
Hearing his words, everyone had no choice but to clench their teeth and summon their strength, all while constantly shoving various kinds of restorative Spirit Pills into their mouths.
“A bunch of trash!” Seeing this, a look of ridicule and disdain surfaced on the face of the middle-aged man, while showing the relaxed state he was in.
Being a powerful Third-Order Dao Source Realm master, the quantity and quality of the Source Qi was several dozen times greater than that of Du Li Shen and the other First-Order Dao Source Realm masters, therefore he naturally did not need to worry too much about the increase in Source Qi consumption.
“Sir, have you done a detailed analysis into this Seven Points Black Tortoise Array?” All of a sudden, Hua Qing Si asked a question out of nowhere while sporting a somewhat mocking smile on her pretty face.
“I’ve naturally analysed it. So, what about it?” The middle-aged man shot a displeased look at Hua Qing Si.
He looked down upon everyone else here, even the Maplewood City City Lord, Duan Yuan Shan. The only exception was Hua Qing Si; he somewhat dreaded her as, after all, her cultivation realm was not much different from his own.
Her sudden question subconsciously caused him to raise his guard.
“Looks like you, sir, did not analyse it properly,” Hua Qing Si smiled.
“What do you mean?” The middle-aged man asked in shock. For some unknown reason, he felt that he had overlooked some part of the array.
“If sir had analysed it properly, you should know that when the Seven Points Black Tortoise Spirit Array is fully deployed, the formation members’ Source Qi are fused together as one. In other words, the Spirit Array will consume the same amount of Source Qi from everyone. If anyone exhausts their Source Qi, the Spirit Array will collapse.”
“Exactly what are you trying to say?” The middle-aged man frowned.
“Can’t you understand such a simple concept, sir?” Hua Qing Si giggled as she looked at him. “The Spirit Array does not draw the same amount of Source Qi from each of us. Instead, it draws in the same ratio to maintain equilibrium… yes, the higher your cultivation, the more Source Qi it will pull from you, and the opposite is true. Therefore, everyone’s rate of Source Qi consumption is the same. I wonder if sir understands what I’m trying to say?”
“What?” The middle-aged man’s expression instantly changed upon hearing her words.
He hastily sent his Divine Sense for a detailed check and discovered that, as Hua Qing Si had just described, the rate of consumption for his and her Source Qi was much higher than the others. Duan Yuan Shan came in second place, and the rest of the Dao Source Realm cultivators basically had the same load.
This discovery instantly caused his face to turn incomparably gloomy and filled with unhappiness.
“Is that really the case? Lady Hua’s eyesight is sharp indeed,” After being reminded by Hua Qing Si, Du Li Shen and Zhuang Pan also noticed it. Exchanging glances, they could see the delight hidden in each other’s eyes.
After all, if this was the case, that truly meant that all seven people would suffer as one, and prosper as one. This Spirit Array bound everyone — weak or strong — together, and did not differentiate between people!
Therefore, they did not have to worry about their Source Qi being sucked dry, as the middle-aged man was still able to handle the current situation with ease.
“This king is being burdened by all you useless trash!” The middle-aged man shouted out, an expression of incomparable rage appearing on his face.
“This sir, please do not forget that you’ve already sworn on your heart demon,” Hua Qing Si added fuel to the flames, causing the middle-aged man’s mood to burn even hotter with anger.
Being dragged down by someone else would never fail to make anyone unhappy.
Raging with fury, he shot a furious glare at Qin Zhao Yang, as though he was placing all of the blame on him.
Qin Zhao Yang mumbled, “I thought that everyone understood the basis behind this Spirit Array’s operations…”
Hua Qing Si giggled and added, “Since this sir hails from the Flying Saint Palace, I would assume that you would definitely carry the pill famous in the Southern Territory, the Blood Burning Source Restoring Pill, right? I wonder if you sir would be willing to spare a single pill for each one of us.”
“You wretch… you even dare to target this king’s pills?” The middle-aged man’s anger had reached his boiling point, and his face started to twist, teetering on the brink of cursing out loud.
“Blood Burning Source Restoring Pill?” Zhuang Pan’s eyes immediately lit up upon hearing this name, as he shot a look of longing towards the middle-aged man.
A similar expression also appeared on Du Li Shen’s face.
It seemed as though that Blood Burning Source Restoring Pill would be extremely beneficial in this current situation.
A chilling glint flashed within Hua Qing Si’s eyes, though she quickly restrained it. Continuing to purse her lips and give an alluring smile, she said, “There’s no need to be so stingy, sir. Although the Flying Saint Palace’s Blood Burning Source Restoring Pill has some negative side effects, its efficacy is incomparably powerful, making it famous throughout the Southern Territory. Sir, with your powerful cultivation, you should hold an important position within the Flying Saint Palace. Could it be that you don’t even have a single Blood Burning Source Restoring Pill with you right now?”
“None!” The middle-aged man’s cheek twitched slightly as he immediately refuted her claim.
Hua Qing Si could not help but let off a puff, while a look of contempt appeared on her face.
“What is a Blood Burning Source Restoring Pill?” Yang Kai quietly whispered to the nearby Qin Zhao Yang.
“Haven’t you heard about it, Little Brother Yang?” Qin Zhao Yang shot a flabbergasted look at Yang Kai, appearing to be extremely shocked by his question.
Yang Kai made a blank look, before shaking his head slowly.
“The Blood Burning Source Restoring Pill is a unique product of the Flying Saint Palace, and it seems to have harsh requirements regarding the location where it is refined. Therefore, even Spirit Alchemists from powerful places like the Start Soul Palace aren’t able to refine this Spirit Pill. The greatest effect of this Spirit Pill is its ability to restore one’s Source Qi at an extremely rapid speed. Furthermore, it has a very powerful efficacy. However…”
“However?” Yang Kai gawked before asking.
“However, after consuming this Spirit Pill, one would expend a portion of their Blood Essence. This is its minor side effect. However, how can this blemish affect its true worth? Compared to its efficacy, would some Blood Essence matter at all? A Spirit Pill like this is sufficient to let anyone keep their life during critical moments. Nevertheless, due to the extremely low production rate of this Spirit Pill, it has an extremely shocking price. A single Spirit Pill is valued at several hundred thousand Source Crystals at the very least!”
“You know quite a lot, Old Thing!” Hearing Qin Zhao Yong’s words, the middle-aged man gave a haughty laugh, “That’s right, our palace’s Blood Burning Source Restoring Pill is indeed the hallmark of the Southern Territory. Even a great sect like the Star Soul Palace isn’t able to refine it. The only way to refine it would be to enter our palace’s restricted area. Since the number of Spirit Pills refined isn’t even able to satisfy the needs of our palace’s disciples, how can this king have any spare to give you all?”
“If you don’t want to, then don’t. What’s the use of talking so much?” Hua Qing Si snorted, “In any case, when everyone’s Source Qi dries up, everyone will die here, and this mistress won’t be left alone.”
“There’s no need to say something so demoralizing. We can definitely hold on through this crisis.” Zhuang Pan reassured himself as his face grew paler.
“That Blood Burning Source Restoring Pill… what does it look like?” asked Yang Kai.
Qin Zhao Yang replied, “It’s blood-red in colour, has a fishy smell, and it’s around the size of a broad bean…”
An odd look appeared on Yang Kai’s face as he retrieved a jade bottle from his Space Ring, before saying in a dazed tone, “Could this be it?”
“What?” Everyone was shocked by his words, prompting all of them to look his way.
Yang Kai leisurely removed the bottle stopper and removed a single Spirit Pill. It was just as Qin Zhao Yang had described, blood-red in colour with a faint fishy smell and the size of a broad bean…
“Blood Burning Source Restoring Pill!” The middle-aged man exclaimed in astonishment, before revealing a chilling glare at Yang Kai and roaring, “How do you have this pill?”
“Haha, so this is really the Blood Burning Source Restoring Pill, right?” Yang Kai gave a hearty chuckle, appearing as though he was also surprised by this discovery.
“Little brother Yang, how is it that you have…” Qin Zhao Yang’s expression changed drastically, turning deathly pale in an instant. As he asked the question in a trembling voice, he shot a fierce look at Yang Kai, signalling him to hurry up and put his Spirit Pills away.
The faces of Duan Yuan Shan and the rest also changed, as they proceeded to keep their silence.
“Little brat, this king is asking you a question. Where did you obtain those Spirit Pills from!” The middle-aged man’s face sank as he emphasized every single word in his question.
“I picked them up.” Yang Kai replied.
“Picked them up…” Everyone’s face turned black after hearing his response.
There were at least several dozen Blood Burning Source Restoring Pills in that jade bottle, with a total worth of a few million Source Crystals! How could something like this be casually picked up like that?
One had to know that very few Blood Burning Source Restoring Pills were ever circulated in the open market. Only important figures from the Flying Saint Palace would carry a few with them. Yang Kai’s sudden revelation of having so many Blood Burning Source Restoring Pills inevitably led the others into thinking that he had done something bad to some important figure from the Flying Saint Palace… for example, something cruel like killing them and repossessing their belongings.
This was the reason why Qin Zhao Yang had shot a fierce glare at Yang Kai.
A year ago, there was indeed an important figure from the Flying Saint Palace that had come to Maplewood City, and that person was precisely the Flying Saint Palace’s Young Master: Ning Yuan Cheng!
However, after the auction fair that year, Ning Yuan Cheng disappeared without a trace while the Flying Saint Palace had a new young master.
This wasn’t really a secret. Therefore, paired with the appearance of those Spirit Pills in Yang Kai’s hands, people couldn’t help but to have such thoughts.
“Bullshit!” With a fierce roar, the aura radiating from the middle-aged man suddenly turned dangerous. Glaring coldly at Yang Kai, he said, “Little brat, if you don’t give this king a proper explanation today, this king will make sure that you’ll regret being born in this world!”
“Sir, what a bad temper you have.” Yang Kai gave a faint smile in response, appearing as though he was not one bit afraid of the man, causing everyone looking at him to be shocked by his courage. “You became so overbearingly aggressive after I said that I picked up this bottle of Spirit Pills, as though I’ve killed your parents. Even if this bottle of Blood Burning Source Restoring Pills came out of your Flying Saint Palace, there isn’t a need to be like that, right?”
After saying that, he did not wait for the middle-aged man to give his reply before he continued, “However, it’s true that I picked this thing up, and I even obtained a ship artifact.”
The middle-aged man gawked in response to Yang Kai’s words and seemed to have recalled something, suddenly suppressing his fury, before replying in a cold voice. “Explain in detail how you came into possession of these items!
“Is there anything good to say?’ Yang Kai chuckled, “At that time, two people were fighting against each other, ending up with both losing their lives at the same time. I hid in a corner and watched the fight until it ended, before looting these things from the battlefield.
“Is that even possible?” Qin Zhao Yang’s eyeballs were about to pop out from their sockets.
A fight between a sandpiper and a clam resulted in the fisherman’s win; but in the end, this was just a quote from classical literature. It would be incredibly different to encounter such a scenario in the cultivation world.
“At that time, my cultivation was only at the Third-Order Origin King realm, but that was a fight between Dao Source Realm masters. How would I dare to get involved?” Yang Kai explained.
“Indeed, Little Brother Yang has just been promoted to the Dao Source Realm a short period of time ago. Last year, he was a Third-Order Origin King.” Qin Zhao Yang nodded his head and added.
A frown appeared on the middle-aged man’s face before a shade of understanding flashed across his face. He proceeded to speak out sternly, yet his earlier fury seemed to have abated. “Since it’s a fight, other than the person from my Flying Saint Palace, who was the other party?”
“There was only one other person, and he was called Han Leng!”
“Han Leng?” Everyone exclaimed in shock upon hearing that name.
A burst of radiance flashed across Hua Qing Si’s beautiful eyes, while she shot a complicated, yet pleasantly surprised look at Yang Kai.
“So, it’s the Star Soul Palace’s traitor!” The middle-aged man seemed to believe Yang Kai’s words.
“Does this mean that the two parties managed to form some grievances against each other during the auction fair?” Du Li Shen pondered with a pensive look.
Basically all of the Dao Source Realm masters present here had participated in the auction fair, where they had all witnessed Ning Yuan Cheng and Han Leng competing for the auctioned goods. After discovering this matter from Yang Kai, everyone immediately guessed what had resulted in the conflict.
All of their guesses were basically the same. However, never in their wildest dreams would they believe that the Wood Spirit had a part to play in this matter. If not for the Wood Spirit quietly anchoring itself in Ning Yuan Cheng’s body, Han Leng would never have been ambushed.
With Yang Kai’s level of strength, he would not be able to obtain any advantage if he were to fight against Han Leng, who was at the Second-Order Dao Source Realm and hailed from a powerful sect.
A plethora of expressions flashed through everyone’s faces as they secretly felt envious and shocked at Yang Kai’s luck.
“Little Brat, hand that bottle of Spirit Pills and that ship artifact over to me right now!” All of a sudden, the middle-aged man extended his hand in an overbearing fashion at Yang Kai, “Those items belong to my Flying Saint Palace, you ought to return them to their rightful owners!”
“Those words don’t sound reasonable, sir.”
Before Yang Kai could reply, Hua Qing Si suddenly interjected with a ridiculing laugh. “For ownerless items, finders keepers. Since this little brother managed to obtain these items by luck, then it is also his destiny to find them. Do you not care about your dignity by asking him to return them like that?”
After finishing her sentence, she turned to look at Yang Kai. “Little brother, don’t listen to him.”
Little brother…
Yang Kai’s mouth twitched at the way she had addressed him, while a look of discomfort appeared on his face.
“Do you really think that this king is afraid of you, cheap slut?” After being ridiculed by Hua Qing Si time and time again, the middle-aged man’s belly was already filled with anger. At this moment, he could no longer endure it, cursing out loud at her.
“A useless man scolding other people is truly an ugly sight to behold, tsk tsk…” The ridiculing look on Hua Qing Si’s face grew even more contemptuous.
“You…” The middle-aged man’s anger skyrocketed. If not for the oath he had made with his Heart Demon, he might have already started a fight with Hua Qing Si to keep his face.
Hua Qing Si continued to provoke him, “What narrow mindedness. Little brother, would it be possible for you to give this elder sister a Blood Burning Source Returning Pill?”
“Sure!” Yang Kai nodded his head. He had taken out the bottle of Spirit Pills for two reasons. First, he wanted to use this opportunity to try to clear his name and erase that middle-aged man’s suspicions towards him, and secondly, he wanted to distribute it to everyone.
After displaying the Spirit Array, everyone’s fate was tied together, so it was useless to act solely for personal benefits.
“There’s enough for everyone,” Yang Kai said, all while giving everyone a Blood Burning Source Restoring Pill. Only the middle-aged man did not receive anything!
Being a higher-up of the Flying Saint Palace, no one would believe that he didn’t have such a Spirit Pill with him. Since he treated the Spirit Pills so importantly and had no intention of sharing them, Yang Kai was not so stupid as to give him a Spirit Pill.
“You sure are magnanimous, Little Brother. You’re looking really pleasing to this elder sister’s eyes,” Keeping the Blood Burning Source Restoring Pill, Hua Qing Si’s beautiful eyes gleamed with an alluring splendour as she said those words. With a giggle, she looked towards Yang Kai, her peach-like eyes shining with a soul-stirring gleam. As her red lips wriggled, they shone with a gem-like lustre. “Since you’ve given me a Spirit Pill, this Elder Sister will make sure to protect you. If anyone wants to touch you, they have to first go past this elder sister!”
After saying those words, she intentionally swept her gaze towards the middle-aged man, a look that was filled with provocation!
Yang Kai grinned and replied, “Then I’ll have to thank you, Elder Sister!”
Hua Qing Si could not help but to toss some coquettish glances at him after seeing how collaborative he was. Yang Kai responded with a look as though he had been charmed by her. This caused Duan Yuan Shan and the others to feel extremely uncomfortable, resulting in them cursing the two. [Why didn’t such amazing things happen to me, too?]
“You two sure are brave!” The middle-aged man was so angry, steam could be seen rising from his head. With a chilling voice, he added, “This matter isn’t over.”
“Elder sister, he’s threatening me!” Yang Kai immediately called for help.
Hua Qing Si rolled her beautiful eyes and replied in an unconcerned manner. “He has yet to take any action. What’s there to be afraid of? You better not be too gutless, Little Brother!”
“Can… you all please quieten down a bit? It’s extremely distracting to my concentration.”
All of a sudden, Qin Yu, who was focusing all of her efforts on repairing the seal, spoke up with an extremely annoyed look on her face, while simultaneously shooting fierce glares at the few raucous people.
After hearing her words, everyone instantly shut up. Nevertheless, everyone could feel the rather weird atmosphere.
The seven people that formed this Spirit Array weren’t united in heart, foretelling that this matter wouldn’t go smoothly.
For a period of time, deathly silence filled the interior of the mine, with the only noises coming from the continuous whistles and roars from the surrounding Demon Qi and demonic creatures.
Qin Yu continued to repair the seal in silence.
Not long after, a frown suddenly appeared on Duan Yuan Shan’s face as he roared out, “There’s something coming!”
There wasn’t any look of surprise appearing on the faces of the middle-aged man and Hua Qing Si. Clearly, they had discovered it before Duan Yuan Shan. This was also the case for Yang Kai. With his Divine Sense being not one bit inferior to a Third-Order Dao Source Realm master, he had naturally discovered it before Duan Yuan Shan. In fact, he was even able to faintly sense some information that was not privy to the rest.
On the contrary, the faces of the few First-Order Dao Source Realm masters turned solemn upon hearing his words.
*Whoosh whoosh….*
Human and beast figures started to reveal themselves within the swirling Demon Qi. Clearly, they were demonized creatures.
Having spent a period of time within the mine, which was the source of the Demon Qi, it was naturally impossible for the group to not worry about the demonic creatures present.
After gathering together, they proceeded to launch all-out attacks without regard for their lives.
Nevertheless, having travelled all the way here, the seven people were much more proficient in operating the Seven Points Black Tortoise Spirit Array than before. Under their combined strength, they focused strictly on protecting the area of the seal, all while not sparing a single demonic creature that dared to approach them.
After a while, piles made from the corpses of innumerable demonic creatures appeared before the group, with the resulting bloody smell assailing everyone’s noses.
Although they managed to achieve remarkable results, everyone had a feeling of unease creep into their hearts. As a result of suppressing the origin of the Demon Qi, all while needing to fight against the onslaught of demonic creatures, the consumption rate of their Source Qi had increased by 30%.
They had yet to spend a stick of incense’s worth of time since arriving here, yet they had already consumed the greater half of the Source Qi within their bodies.
At this rate, it wouldn’t take too long before they would exhaust all of their Source Qi. When that happened, they would need to consume that Blood Burning Source Restoring Pill.
“Roar…”
All of a sudden, a furious roar rang out from a certain location. In the next moment, a dazzling burst of radiance surfaced over there, transforming into an astonishing giant axe that cleaved downwards from the air.
Before the giant axe had truly chopped down, everyone felt a surging pressure descending from the sky, causing the faces of the few First-Order Dao Source Realm masters to turn pale.
Even the expressions of the two Third-Order Dao Source Realm masters, the middle-aged man and Hua Qin Si, suddenly turned solemn.
“Giant Spirit Axe?” Duan Yuan Shan exclaimed, as though he had recognized that artifact. With a roar, he rapidly formed seals with his hands.
The Black Tortoise projection raised its head and roared, before lifting up its gigantic foreleg to meet the incoming giant axe.
*Bang…*
This time around, the ever so mighty and invincible Black Tortoise’s palm was unexpectedly only able to block the incoming giant axe. In fact, a giant gash appeared on its palm, looking dangerously close to being chopped off.
Duan Yuan Shan’s expression changed as he realized that he had underestimated the might of that Giant Spirit Axe, causing him to hastily increase the strength of the Spirit Array.
However, right at this moment, a figure appeared in a flash, as a person with jet-black abstruse eyes had appeared in a location not far away from the group in a spectre-like manner. Although he did not use any artifact, he waved his fists about, Demon Qi swirling around them as he sent a fierce punch forward.
“In your dreams!” With a furious roar, Duan Yuan Shan’s hand seal formation speed increased by a few notches. In return, the Black Tortoise projection opened its big mouth, before biting down on that figure.
Just like a house, its gigantic mouth devoured that person whole.
However, before people could feel any delight, the Black Tortoise’s giant mouth unexpectedly started to swell and shrink, as though some kind of berserk energies were erupting from within. In the next moment, with a bang, the devoured figure rushed out, and with a flash, retreated away. Reappearing right beside the Giant Spirit Axe wielding demon, it continued to let out roars from its mouth.
“Brother Cheng, Brother Zhou…” Duan Yuan Shan shot a complicated look at the two demons that had suddenly appeared, before letting out a sigh.“It has been three years. I never expected that you two would actually become like this in our next meeting.”
From his sighing expression, it was clear that he recognized the two people.
Qin Zhao Yang’s expression had also sunk as he quickly said, “They are the two City Lords of Forest City!”
“Forest City!” Yang Kai repeated those words, before sighing too. “From the looks of it, Forest City has already fallen.”
Previously, Old Swindler had said that he had come from Forest City to ask for reinforcements from Maplewood City. Now, since the two City Lords of Forest City had appeared before them, and had both turned into demons, anyone could imagine the situation at Forest City!
Although Forest City was smaller than Maplewood City, these two City Lords were both First-Order Dao Source Realm cultivators. Strengthened by Demon Qi, most First-Order Dao Source Realms were truly no match for them. This explained the powerful attacks they were able to unleash.
All of a sudden, Yang Kai roared out, “If they are here, that Jiang Tai Sheng must also be here! Everyone, please pay attention.”
“They’re just a few trivial First-Order Dao Source Realm demons, that’s all! Is there anything to be afraid of? Take a look at how this king deals with them.” With his belly already filled with anger, the middle-aged man was worrying about how to vent his anger. Therefore, it was natural for him to find a good place for him to blow all of his anger off.
He was interested in showing off his strength. After saying those words, a short spear about a foot long suddenly appeared in his hand, before Source Qi surged into it.
“Pay attention to conserve your Source Qi!” Seeing him about to take action, Duan Yuan Shan immediately let out a reminder.
Nevertheless, it was a pity that he was too late. The short spear radiated with a weak brilliance. With a flash it disappeared from his hand, creating a shockwave in the process.
Not far away, appearing to sense something, the demonized City Lord Cheng twisted his body.
In the next instant, a blood mist erupted from his shoulder, while the connected arm blew apart, revealing jet-black muscles and white body, an exceedingly striking sight for one to see.
As pain set in, the demonized City Lord Cheng roared out loudly, its roars seemingly transforming into invisible shockwaves that shook everyone’s Knowledge Seas. Fortunately, as the cultivation realms of everyone present here weren’t low, coupled with the protection of the Seven Points Black Tortoise Spirit Array, they only needed to spend some energy to suppress the tremors.
“It isn’t dead yet?” The middle-aged man was extremely surprised.
His short spear was a Mid-Rank Dao Source Grade artifact, and possessed incomparably powerful might. Originally, he had assumed that it would only take a flick of his hand to deal with a demon that had lost its consciousness. However, he never expected that it would actually shift its body and vitals in time, resulting in it only losing an arm.
“Looks like their combat abilities have increased by quite a bit after losing their consciousness.” Yang Kai said pensively. Even he could feel the danger behind the strike the middle-aged man had launched, and it clearly wasn’t easy to evade it at all.
Hearing his words, Hua Qing Si nodded her head in agreement.
Right at this moment, a shocking spectacle appeared before everyone.
Demon Qi started to churn at the stump of the demonised City Lord Chen. It proceeded to merge together with the wound. In the next instant, right before everyone’s eyes, the wound started to squirm, before rapidly growing out.
Before ten breaths were up, it had actually regrown its severed limb!
“How is this possible?” Everyone’s eyes snapped wide open, their jaws dropping down, not closing even after a very long time.
Something like regrowing limbs was the stuff of legends. Only a few precious spirit medicines that were virtually extinct in this world were capable of allowing one to achieve such a heaven-defying effect. It was even impossible for cultivators of the Emperor Realm to rely on their own strength to achieve a feat like regrowing their limbs.
However, such a spectacle had just happened right before everyone’s eyes.
And the person who managed to do so was just a First-Order Dao Source Realm cultivator.
Who wouldn’t be astonished?
The demonic creatures they had encountered previously were not very powerful, with all of them possessing cultivations below the Dao Source Realm. They were utterly no match for anyone in the group, exploding apart after a single attack. Therefore, no one had discovered this terrifying effect the endless Demon Qi had on demonic creatures.
However, with the aid of the Demon Qi, this demonised City Lord Cheng was actually able to regrow his severed limb in such an extremely short period of time. Everyone was shocked, all while quietly feeling that the situation had become somewhat thorny.
“Looks like we have to strike their vital points, or smash them into bits.” Duan Yuan Shan quickly said.
“This king wants to see how many times you can evade!” The failure of the middle-aged man’s attack caused him to become angry out of shame. With a twist of his wrist, the short spear appeared once again in his hand before he started to send in Source Qi as though his life depended on it.
The short spear shook slightly before two spears appeared, then four, then eight…
Each of the short spears appeared identical to each other, as though all of them were Mid-rank Dao Source Grade artifacts. It was unknown whether this was his own Divine Ability or the special ability of that artifact.
“Go!” With a roar, the eight short spears trembled slightly, before they suddenly disappeared before everyone’s eyes.
In the next instant, the figures of the two Forest City City Lords swayed violently. Right at the same moment, another figure came lunging over from the side. With his hands clasped together to form a seal, Demon Qi erupted forth, causing a mysterious energy to condense in the sky, before descending and enveloping the area in front of it.
*Whoosh whoosh whoosh…*
Sounds of objects breaking through the air broke the silence, while large patches of blood mist erupted around the bodies of the two City Lords, creating an exceedingly miserable sight.
When the eight short spears that disappeared earlier re-appeared in the middle-aged man’s hand, an even more gloomy expression replaced the already gloomy expression he had on his face.
Severe injuries were present on the two Forest City City Lords. One of them had been struck in the chest, leaving a gaping fist-size hole that was so deep that one could almost see right through him, and could even faintly make out the organs squirming within his body.
The other person had lost both of his feet, causing him to fall down to the ground, though he continued to struggle in an attempt to stand up.
Nevertheless, despite the terrifying injuries sustained, the attacks did not lead to any of their deaths. As Demon Qi started to churn, the spectacle identical to the limb regrowth scene appeared once again.
Not long after, two completely uninjured Forest City City Lords appeared before everyone.
At this moment, other than the two, there was an existence that appeared to be an old man beside them.
“Jiang Tai Sheng!” Duan Yuan Shan snorted coldly, showing his bitter hate towards the perpetrator of Maplewood City’s crisis.
Clearly, this demon was the Jiang Family’s old ancestor, Jiang Tai Sheng. Not only did he appear somewhat different from how he looked since Yang Kai had last seen him, he had now turned into a demon-like existence, with the aura he radiated being much stronger than before.
It was precisely due to him taking action to help the two Forest City City Lords to block quite a few of the attacks that allowed the two to survive. If not, with the capabilities of the middle-aged man, he would have been able to kill one of them at the very least.
“You few pieces of trash, you’ve succeeded in angering me! I’ll make sure you all pay the price for that!” Anger seemed to have overwhelmed the middle-aged man as he roared out. In the next instant, he suddenly mustered all of the Source Qi in his body, and with the twist of his palm, a Secret Technique in the shape of a fireball formed above his hand. As he poured more and more Source Qi in, the temperature of the fireball skyrocketed, alongside its brilliance.
“No!” Duan Yuan Shan immediately lost his voice upon seeing this.
Maintaining the Spirit Array as well as fighting had already greatly exhausted everyone’s energies. The earlier attack launched by the middle-aged man had more or less drained him dry. At this moment, how could Duan Yuan Shan allow the latter to unleash a Secret Technique with even greater energy consumption?
If he was by himself, there was no issue with him displaying that Secret Technique at all. However, at this moment, all seven people’s Source Qi were fused as one. Therefore, the energy used in that Secret Technique was provided by all seven people. This was far less safe and energy-efficient than relying on the Seven Points Black Tortoise Spirit Array.
“He’s gone mad. He can’t listen to reason,” Hua Qing Si’s expression changed slightly, before she gave a shout. “If you all don’t want the Spirit Array to collapse, hurry up and use your Blood Burning Source Restoring Pill!”
After saying those words, she immediately retrieved the Spirit Pill Yang Kai had given to her and shoved it straight down her throat.
Seeing this, everyone else did not hesitate anymore and proceeded to consume their Spirit Pills.
This was the first time that Yang Kai had consumed this type of Spirit Pill. As it entered his stomach, he felt a fiery sensation blossoming from there. At the same time, a portion of his precious Blood Essence suddenly burst into flames, catalyzed by the medicine into pure Source Qi that gushed into his empty meridians.
He could not help feeling surprised by this, as he realized that this Spirit Pill was indeed a very good thing.
There were quite a few Source Qi replenishing Spirit Pills present in the Star Boundary. However, none of them could compete with the Blood Burning Source Restoring Pill in terms of efficacy and speed.
The only side effect was the consumption of a portion of the user’s Blood Essence. This wasn’t really a serious problem, but neither was it a minor issue; generally speaking, the consumption of one’s Blood Essence would result in them becoming weaker.
At this instant, the seemingly berserk middle-aged man made a malevolent sneer, while the fireball in his hand had grown to be as dazzling as a miniature sun, with its scorching temperature causing extreme discomfort for everyone present.
Nevertheless, all of the Demon Qi that came close to it were burnt cleanly into nothingness, which was an unexpected surprise.
“Die, you trash!” Raising his hand, the middle-aged man tossed the miniature sun-like fireball forward.
Sensing the terrifying might contained within that fireball, the faces of Duan Yuan Shan and the others turned pale. Without any hesitation, he raised his hand to form a seal and shouted out fiercely, “Defend!”
Being led along, everyone else hastily cooperated with him.
The size of the Black Tortoise projection shrunk by quite a bit, while a tortoise shell-like projection with complicated patterns and motley drawings appeared in the air. In an instant, the Black Tortoise Projection appeared to turn corporeal, causing everyone within it to feel a sense of security enveloping them.
Before them, Jiang Tai Sheng and the other demons let off roars while radiating feelings of unease, as though they were aware that they were in big trouble. In the next instant, all of them opened their mouths wide and devoured all of the Demon Qi in their surroundings.
In a blink of an eye, the Demon Qi around them grew much denser than before.
As the small sun descended, it landed right into the middle of the 3 demons.
Dazzling brilliance blossomed, causing everyone to shut their eyes, leaving them unable to see the situation before them.
*Hong.*
An earth-shattering explosion rumbled out.
The heavens and earth became devoid of light, as sand and rocks flew in the air, berserk winds howled and the earth rumbled and cried.
The originally collapsed mine shaft was now destroyed into nothingness.
“Hahahaha! Let’s see if you all are dead or not!” As he roared with laughter, the middle-aged man retrieved a Blood Burning Source Restoring Pill, shoved it into his mouth and chewed on it, his expression so malevolent that one would assume that he had fully lost it.
As the light gradually disappeared, a giant hole spanning several dozen meters wide was present in the ground before them, surrounded by flames that were still burning strong.
They were able to faintly make out three figures within the giant hole.
The middle-aged man’s mad laughter came to an abrupt halt as he looked incredulously before him, a look of disbelief blanketing his face.
With the giant hole, all of the Demon Qi had already been purged clean, allowing everyone to have a clear view of what was inside.
Despite being in an incomparably miserable state, with no uninjured parts on their bodies, the 3 demons that should have been obliterated into nothingness did not perish.
On the contrary, they still continued to suck in the Demon Qi in their surroundings in a bid to repair their bodies.
Nevertheless, flames burnt on their bodies, causing the Demon Qi gushing towards them to be burnt by the scorching heat into black smoke.
“They’re unable to regrow their limbs! What are you all waiting for?” Seeing this sight, Duan Yuan Shan exclaimed in a pleasantly surprised voice. Taking the lead, he summoned his personal artifact, and disregarding the consumption of Source Qi, started to unleash a fierce attack on the demons.
Seeing this, the other people didn’t hesitate anymore as they unleashed Secret Techniques or summoned the might of their artifacts.
Within the giant pit, Jiang Tai Sheng and the other two demons let off loud roars and lunged out. Continuing to let the flames on their bodies burn on, they evaded the incoming Secret Techniques and artifact attacks as they rapidly closed in on the group, their jet-black eyes filled with gleams of madness.
“Are they trying to perish together with us? Hurry up and obstruct them!” Hua Qing Si’s pretty face changed, and with a twirl of her tender body, she shouted out, “Butterfly Dance!”
In an instant, she appeared to have metamorphosed into a dancing butterfly, fairy-like and absolutely beautiful to behold.
Gorgeous five-coloured butterflies suddenly started to shoot out from her body, flapping their wings as they flew forwards. Numbering over a hundred, they hid the skies and covered the earth as they did so.
After closing in on the demons, powerful energy fluctuations erupted from those dazzling butterflies, before they proceeded to self-destruct. Each explosion rivalled that of the self-destruction created by a Third-Order Origin King cultivator!
The successive explosions of over a hundred butterflies was a magnificent sight to behold.
The three demons, who already suffered quite significant injuries, ended up in an even more disastrous condition.
“Chop!” Qin Zhao Yang wielded a long blade in his hand, which transformed into an astonishing gigantic arc that chopped down from the skies.
The demonized City Lord Cheng, who had arrived within ten metres of the group, was cleaved into two halves. Falling down onto the ground, he finally perished.
Also knowing that this was the critical moment that decided their life or death, Zhuang Pan and Du Li Shen did not dare to hold back any bit of their strength, unleashing their strongest trump cards to obstruct Jiang Tai Sheng and the demonized City Lord Zhou.
A longsword appeared in Yang Kai’s hand, Five Elements Indestructible Sword Qi surging endlessly into it. Forming a loop, it shot towards the demonized City Lord Zhou, striking the latter so many times that he appeared just like a bee’s nest after that.
“Dragon Emperor Flash!” Clasping his hands together, Duan Yuan Shan made a furious push forward.
With a loud dragon’s roar, a dragon projection lunged forwards, smashing right into the demonized City Lord Zhou’s chest. It was the straw that broke the camel’s back, and City Lord Zhou’s already broken body exploded into quite a few bits before dropping down onto the ground.
“Where’s Jiang Tai Sheng?” All of a sudden, Qin Zhao Yang’s expression changed as he roared.
Among the confusion, he had suddenly discovered that Jiang Tai Sheng had gone missing.
Great waves of shock surged through everyone’s hearts as they hastily scanned their surroundings!
“Over there!” Yang Kai roared. Using his accomplishments in Space Force, he managed to capture Jiang Tai Sheng’s movements. The long sword in his hand trembled, shooting out and transforming into a beam of light.
Pu…
Jiang Tai Sheng’s figure was revealed in a weird manner, with a long sword pierced right through the location of his heart.
Nevertheless, the group could not feel any happiness from this, as Jiang Tai Sheng had already closed in on them. Although he had suffered a lethal injury, a cold smile surfaced at the corner of his mouth, as unstable energy fluctuations radiated out from his body.
In front of everyone’s eyes, Jiang Tai Sheng’s body expanded abruptly in size. Within the blink of an eye, he transformed into someone extremely obese, ripping all his robes clean off his body.
Extremely discomforting energy fluctuations radiated out from his body, causing everyone’s heart to jump.
The Seven Points Black Tortoise Spirit Array blossomed with radiance, faintly showing signs of reaching its limit.
“Hurry up and stop him!” How would Hua Qing Si have the mood to act flirtatious at this moment? As she shrieked, her beautiful eyes were filled with the glow of terror.
Although she was a Third-Order Dao Source Realm master, it was impossible for her to simply disregard the self-destruction of a First-Order Dao Source Realm master. Furthermore, Jiang Tai Sheng had been demonised!
A similar look of dread was also present on the middle-aged man’s face. A short blade surfaced within his hand, slashing right down at Jiang Tai Sheng, attempting to kill him before he self-destructed.
Duan Yuan Shan, Qin Zhao Yang, Du Li Shen and Yang Kai simultaneously unleashed their strength, sending multi-coloured energy attacks rumbling towards Jiang Tai Sheng.
However, right at this moment, something that no one could have expected actually occurred.
All of a sudden, with a loud scream, Zhuang Pan’s eyes trembled violently, before he fled with all his might.
He had actually been frightened past his limits! The only thought he had at that moment was to flee as far as possible, absolutely forgetting the heart demon oath he had made with the group, as well as the safety of the others.
Originally, the Seven Points Black Tortoise Spirit Array would still be able to defend and not get broken. However, with his actions, the gigantic Black Tortoise Projection started to warp and distort, teetering on the brink of collapse.
“Bastard!” Yuan Shan almost coughed out blood upon seeing the fleeing figure of Zhuang Pan.
“Hurry up and come back, Brother Zhuang!” Du Li Shen shouted out loudly. Nevertheless, having already fled, how could Zhuang Pan hear him?
Hong…
A gigantic sound rang out as the earth shook. A dark black hole had appeared abruptly at where Jiang Tai Sheng used to be. Not a single trace of light could be seen within it as it appeared incomparably deep, as though it was able to devour anything it came into contact with.
The black hole expanded outwards, carrying energy shockwaves that caused people’s skin to turn cold.
Pu pu pu…
Being at the front of the group, blood mist erupted from Duan Yuan Shan’s mouth, as the strength of his aura declined substantially.
In the next instant, the faces of the middle-aged man and Hua Qing Si turned pale, while blood dripped down from their noses and mouths. Fortunately, due to their powerful cultivations, as well as their reasonably powerful Secret Techniques, they were able to rely on them to stand their ground and block the greater portion of the damage.
Being the weakest members of the group, Qin Zhao Yang and Du Li Shen’s conditions were the most miserable, with Qin Zhao Yang being sent flying by the explosion, landing a great distance away, his condition unknown.
Du Li Shen lost half of his body from Jiang Tai Sheng’s self-destruction and died right where he stood.
On the other side, Yang Kai continued to protect Qin Yu, back facing towards the explosion while channelling his Source Qi to protect himself.
Being a weak Second-Order Origin Returning Realm cultivator, coupled with the heavy responsibility of repairing the seal, this mission would be a complete failure if Qin Yu were to lose her life to Jiang Tai Sheng’s self-destruction.
Therefore, his first thought was to ensure Qin Yu’s safety.
Right when the terrifying energy shockwave arrived, despite using his Space Force Secret Technique, Exile, to negate the bulk of the impact, it still felt as though a giant hammer had struck him. An intense, scorching pain racked his back, churning his insides, causing him to spurt out a mouthful of golden blood.
As the aftermath of the explosion died down, the scene before them was too miserable to take in.
Everyone was gasping for air, their faces filled with dread and fear.
The explosion from the self-destruction of a First-Order Dao Source Realm absolutely did not possess such might. Jiang Tai Sheng being able to achieve this feat was absolutely due to him being demonised.
“Yu’er, how’s the repair of the seal?” within the silence, Duan Yuan Shan suddenly turned his head around to ask Qin Yu.
At this moment, of the seven original Dao Source Realm masters, one had fled, one had died, and another’s condition was unknown. They could no longer execute the Seven Points Black Tortoise Spirit Array any further. If the seal had been completely repaired, the group would immediately head back to Maplewood City. If it just needed a little more time, Duan Yuan Shan felt that they could just push through and get it done. However, if the repairs were nowhere near completion, they had no choice but to leave immediately.
As his question rang out, everyone turned their gazes towards Qin Yu.
In the next instant, a blank look appeared on everyone’s faces, before being replaced by despair.
That was due to the substantial increase in damage to the seal on the stone wall compared to before. Clearly, this was the result of the self-destruction. Furthermore, a weak golden sparkling glow was radiating from the seal, travelling across the lines like golden earthworms, appearing to have come alive after devouring some kind of life force.
On top of that, a weird suction force had appeared on the stone wall, preventing people from turning their eyes away.
Shock filled everyone’s hearts as they hastily bit their tongues, using the pain and resulting instance of clarity to immediately close their eyes.
“We can’t stay here for long. Let’s hurry up and leave!” Knowing that the mission was a failure, Duan Yuan Shan immediately moved to Qin Zhao Yang’s side, extending his hand to check on his breathing. Upon discovering that Qin Zhao Yang was still alive, his eyes lit up in pleasant surprise as he helped him up.
The middle-aged man and Hua Qing Si exchanged glances, both of them seeing the intent to retreat present in each other’s eyes.
“Little Brother, let’s go!” Hua Qing Si shouted to Yang Kai, who was still standing still, revealing what seemed to be a look of great concern.
“There’s something amiss with Senior Yang.” Qin Yu said through her sobs.
Being protected by Yang Kai, she did not suffer any injuries at all. On the contrary, Yang Kai had faced that terrifying energy shockwave head-on, causing him to spurt a mouthful of golden blood onto the seal.
Qin Yu had seen it with great clarity; when Yang Kai’s mouthful of golden blood landed on the seal, something within it had changed, as it became full of vitality and a strange type of demonic energy erupted.
In fact, she could even faintly feel that at this moment, Yang Kai had some ambiguous connection with the seal.
“What happened?” Hua Qing Si was shocked by this development, prompting her to ask out.
“I’m also not sure.” Qin Yu shook her head as she continued to look at Yang Kai in a daze.
Duan Yuan Shan’s expression turned gloomy before he proceeded to move beside Yang Kai to observe his condition. In the next instant, his expression suddenly changed.
That was because he discovered that Yang Kai’s eyes were wide open, and golden blood was dripping from their corners. Yang Kai was staring deeply at the seal, as though he was being attracted by something. Furthermore, a look of struggling was present on his face, though no matter what he did, he seemed to be unable to extricate himself from it.
Jet-black Demon Qi suddenly gushed out from the seal, before climbing straight up Yang Kai’s body. Just like a black rope, it bound him tightly to the stone wall where the seal was.
The aura radiating from Yang Kai promptly turned demonic, while weird jet-black Demon Crests started to surface on his revealed skin.
“Demonization!” Duan Yuan Shan cried out in shock.
After noticing this spectacle, how would he not know that Yang Kai had already been corroded by the Demon Qi, and that it would not take much longer for him to become an existence exactly like what Jiang Tai Sheng had been?
As such, he no longer hesitated. Extending his hand, he pulled Qin Yu to his side, surrounded her and the unconscious Qin Zhao Yang with his Source Qi, before shouting to Hua Qing Si and the middle-aged man. “This Duan will take leave first.”
As he said those words, he shot off like a bolt of lighting towards Maplewood City.
The energy he had remaining in his body should be enough for him to rush back to Maplewood City. As long as he arrived back at the city, he could rely on the city’s defensive Spirit Array to defend against the Demon Qi.
“What about Senior Yang?” Qin Yu asked in panic.
It was more or less due to her that Yang Kai had ended up in his current situation. If not for Yang Kai protecting her, leaving his back exposed, he would not spit that mouthful of golden blood that just so happened to land on the seal.
Therefore, Qin Yu could not stay silent. Nevertheless, with her cultivation realm being too low, she was utterly incapable of doing anything at all.
“Don’t worry about him.” Duan Yuan Shan replied, before abruptly increasing his speed, disappearing in a blink of an eye.
On the other side, the middle-aged man and Hua Qing Si did not immediately retreat. With their powerful cultivation realms, they were not too afraid of the Demon Qi that had gathered in their surroundings. On the contrary, they were sending weird gazes at Yang Kai.
After an instant, the middle-aged man let off a cold laugh before speaking, “Little brat, since you’ve been corroded by Demon Qi, you’ll definitely become a Demon. Therefore, this king killing you will be considered an act of justice for the heavens.”
The short spear resurfaced in his hand. In the next instant, a shockwave erupted as it stabbed right towards Yang Kai’s head.
However, right at this moment, Hua Qing Si’s hands suddenly shook, before a coloured streamer-like artifact shot out. Twirling around the short spear, it did not let the spear advance an inch further.
“What are you doing? Don’t tell me that you’ve also been corroded by the Demon Qi?” Anger surged as he turned his head and shouted.
With a giggle, Hua Qing Si replied, “Sir, do I look like I’ve been corroded by Demon Qi?”
“Then why did you obstruct this king?”
“Just a moment ago, this little brother was risking his life alongside us, and in a blink of an eye, you, sir, wanted to kill him. Aren’t you a little bit too heartless?” Hua Qing Si looked at the middle-aged man in contempt, before speaking out in a ridiculing tone. “Your change of attitude is faster than flipping through a book.”
“What kind of friendship do I have with a brat like him?”
“You didn’t have one, but I do now,” Hua Qing Si giggled sweetly. “Earlier, I said that I’d protect him. Now, are you not giving this mistress any face by trying to kill him in front of me?”
“This King has to give you face? Who do you think you are?” The middle-aged man squinted and replied, “Hurry up and scram. If not, don’t blame this king for being discourteous.”
“Aiya, I’m so scared.” Hua Qing Si made a frightened look while patting her well-rounded chest, before bursting into a fit of giggles. “You’ve become angry just like that, sir? Anger isn’t good for the body, it makes people grow old faster.”
“You cheap slut… time and time again you’ve infuriated me! This king doesn’t wish to argue with you anymore. However, if you continue to court death, don’t blame this king for being merciless and killing you first!” The middle-aged man roared out. With a wave of his short spear, it transformed into eight copies of itself, howling as they shot towards Hua Qing Si.
Faced with such an attack, even Hua Qing Si did not dare to be any bit careless. Forming a seal with her hands, dots of starlight suddenly erupted from her tender body, causing her to appear just like a sea of stars. In the next instant, the beams of starlight condensed together to form several dozen arrows that floated before her.
Each arrow appeared to be held in invisible bows, and with a flash, clashed against the incoming spears.
“Star Chaser Arrow!” The middle-aged man’s expression changed drastically upon seeing this spectacle. As he controlled his artifact to resist her Secret Technique attack, he roared out, “Are you a member of the Star Soul Palace?”
“Hehehehe… so, what if I am?” Hua Qing Si giggled sweetly. While doing so, she clapped her hands, before forming a series of complicated hand seals. Patting down in the direction of the middle-aged man’s head, she shouted, “Star Descent!”
The starlight that blotted out the skies descended, appearing just like meteors, each of them brimming with unimaginable might, smashing down so powerfully that they left the middle-aged man crying out incessantly.
Star Chaser Arrow and Star Descent were both Secret Techniques of the Star Soul Palace. Hua Qing Si being able to execute them was an undeniable sign that she was a member of the Star Soul Palace.
After making this discovery, the bitterness the middle-aged man felt in his mouth was too much for him to cope with.
From the very beginning, he had displayed a haughty attitude and did not place anyone with any regard at all, and the basis of this was purely due to his powerful cultivation realm and the Flying Saint Palace which he hailed from.
Within the Southern Territory, despite not being a peak sect, they had an Emperor Realm master overseeing the sect, giving them a certain level of reputation.
If not, how would Ning Yuan Cheng and this middle-aged man behave so condescendingly and dare to strut around shamelessly within Maplewood City?
However, right at this moment, the middle-aged man had suddenly discovered that Hua Qing Si’s background was even more powerful than his, causing him to feel shocked, as well as becoming angry out of shame!
This was just like him showing off his wealth before a beggar, only for the beggar to casually pull out a few pieces of gold to smash his face, hitting him till his face had become swollen…
In an instant, the sense of superiority the middle-aged man had always had within him had abruptly vanished into thin air. Not only that, he was helpless to do anything about it.
His opponent was a member of the greatest sect in the Southern Territory, the Star Soul Palace! How would he dare to go against a person like that?
It would still be alright if he had lost. However, if he were to win… he did not dare to imagine the resulting scenario.
Therefore, a comical spectacle proceeded to occur. Faced against Hua Qing Si, who continued to unleash various kinds of Secret Techniques, the middle-aged male could only defend against them, as he basically did not dare not launch any counterattacks back at her.
Nevertheless, Hua Qing Si showed no signs of dropping the matter. Not only did she continue to display Secret Technique after Secret Technique, but she even pulled out her artifact, resulting in the middle-aged man being completely suppressed by her.
On the other side, Yang Kai continued to stand quietly in front of the seal, though he continued to curse out loudly in his heart.
Just as Qin Yu had discovered, when he had spit a mouthful of golden blood at the seal as a result of Jiang Tai Sheng’s self-destruction, he had formed an unknown connection with the seal.
He was able to clearly sense that there was a terrifying consciousness present behind the seal, and it was quietly looking right at him.
This caused his body to turn rigid, and totally incapable of moving.
This continued all the way even as the pure Ancient Demon Qi gushed into his body, and yet Yang Kai was utterly helpless to stop it, leaving him no choice but to watch everything unfold right before his eyes.
Yang Kai did not know exactly what was behind the seal. The only information he had was what he had discovered while in Jiang Chu He’s Knowledge Sea, which he guessed was a portion of the ancient demon’s body, though he did not know exactly which portion it was.
Nevertheless, since it was sealed here, it naturally meant that it was an existence that could not be eliminated. If those Emperor Realm masters from ancient times could deal with this threat once and for all, they wouldn’t have been forced to resort to sealing it.
Nevertheless, as countless years went by, the world above the seal transformed, and so did the Earth. This continued until it was damaged by the Jiang Family members.
As the Ancient Demon Qi gushed into his body, Yang Kai felt an uncomfortable feeling spread throughout his entire being, his consciousness becoming murky, while his mind grew muddled…
When the middle-aged man had taken action against him, Yang Kai had assumed that he was dead without a doubt. Never did he imagine that Hua Qing Si would step in at such a critical moment and save his life!
This caused him to celebrate his fortunate circumstances, but he still had some doubts, as he did not know why Hua Qing Si had done such a thing.
As time passed, more and more Demon Qi gushed into his body, causing Yang Kai’s entire body to disappear, being replaced by a clump of darkness that appeared just like a black hole that had devoured all the light.
All of a sudden, a loud sound rang within Yang Kai’s Knowledge Sea.
The sound seemed to be the manifestation of the shock present in the depths of his consciousness, yet also sounded like a summoning call coming from ancient times. The sound was deafening, making it hard to hear exactly what was being said. As that happened, blood dripped out of the seven apertures of his head.
Nevertheless, the golden blood did not drip down onto the ground. Appearing to be drawn by some kind of mysterious power, they flew towards the stone wall, before fusing with the seal.
All of a sudden, a tremor shook through Yang Kai’s body as he opened his eyes wide to stare straight before him.
Everything in his world and sight had completely vanished, appearing as though he had entered a black hole that was completely devoid of light. Endless darkness surrounded him, a scene that would induce despair and terror in anyone who encountered it.
Hanging in the middle of the jet-black heavens was a gigantic horizontal eye.
This sole eye, incomparably jet-black and abstruse, seemed to take up half of the sky. An extremely mysterious power seemed to be contained within, pulling in and forming a resonance with Yang Kai’s soul.
“Black Eye!” Huge waves of shock surged in Yang Kai’s heart, as he immediately realised that this was the jet-black solitary eye of the ancient demon.
While observing the scenes in Jiang Chu He’s consciousness, he had seen the sole eye of the ancient Black Eye Great Demon radiating with jet black twilight, handing a beating to those powerful Emperor Realm masters and leading to the destruction of many starships.
The might of the jet-black twilight was even more powerful than Emperor Artifacts!
[So, that’s what it was!]
At this instant, a flash of understanding struck Yang Kai, as he finally understood exactly what part of the ancient demon was sealed beneath this ground.
Clearly, it was that solitary black eye!
The solitary black eye of the ancient demon was formed by Heaven and Earth, and could not be destroyed through mankind’s power.
Those almighty figures had used all the means and methods they could think of, but were still unable to destroy that solitary black eye. Therefore, they had no choice but to seal it up.
Although he finally made this discovery, Yang Kai was utterly incapable of doing anything about it.
Despite being dead for countless years, that solitary black eye still contained a portion of the ancient demon’s consciousness. That consciousness was immensely powerful, and a First-Order Dao Source Realm cultivator was nothing compared to it.
Yang Kai could only view everything that was happening to him like a spectator with a front-row seat.
Under the Black Eye that hid the skies, Yang Kai was just as small, insignificant and weak as an ant.
All of a sudden, the solitary Black Eye seemed to have noticed Yang Kai’s existence, causing it to focus its gaze towards him.
In an instant, Yang Kai felt intense pain racking through his Knowledge Sea, while his soul felt like it was being ripped apart, causing him to roar out unbearably in pain.
Endless amounts of Demon Qi gushed out from the damaged seal and flowed incessantly into his body, causing it to crumble. Nevertheless, due to the effects of his golden blood and the Demon Qi, his body was reconstructed at an astonishingly rapid speed.
The pain he was experiencing was absolutely worse than what people who had undergone the legendary trial of a thousand cuts would have to endure.
Moreover, there was an even more shocking matter that caused Yang Kai’s heart to be filled with incomparable terror, which was that the solitary Black Eye floating in the sky was unexpectedly starting to move towards him.
Yang Kai could clearly feel the delighted emotions present within that Black Eye, appearing as though it had finally found something after countless years of searching.
In the next instant, the Black Eye proceeded to engulf Yang Kai, before turning incorporeal and gushing straight into his body.
When that happened, jet-black energy suddenly erupted out with Yang Kai as its point of origin. Rushing through the sky, it scattered the clouds and reached the heavens.
As if it had been summoned, the endless Demon Qi that had spread over an area of a few hundred thousand kilometres started to surge over, gathering frantically towards Yang Kai’s location.
Within the Demon Qi, countless demonic creatures proceeded to turn around and look towards Yang Kai’s direction.
Despite having lost their consciousness and not knowing the pain of life or death, looks of delight had actually appeared on their faces as they proceeded to prostrate on the ground, looks of ardent worship gleaming in their eyes.
It seemed as though the ruler they had waited for countless years had finally arrived, as though their invincible sovereign had finally awakened.
Five hundred kilometres away, Duan Yuan Shan was protecting Qin Yu and the unconscious Qin Zhao Yang as he fought a bloodsoaked battle against a group of demonic creatures.
It wasn’t difficult to deal with the demonic creatures, as they were far from being a match for Duan Yuan Shan with their weak cultivation realms. However, their numbers were still overwhelming, and it was virtually impossible to completely kill off all of them. Furthermore, he still needed to protect the two Qin Family members, leaving him stretched thin.
Seeing that his defences were about to be breached by the demonic creatures, Duan Yuan Shan no longer gave any regard to his own health, biting down on his tongue and igniting his Blood Essence in a fit of anger.
Right at this moment, a sharp whistling sound rang out from the distance, piercing through his eardrums. The Demon Qi started to surge and churn, while the demonic creatures proceeded to kneel down, giving no regard to Duan Yuan Shan and the two Qin Family members at all.
Seeing this, Duan Yuan Shan’s eyes narrowed. Although he did not know exactly what had happened, he knew that time waited for no man. Paying no heed to continuing his battle with the endless demonic creatures, he immediately brought the two Qin Family members and leapt into the sky, flying frantically towards Maplewood City.
Along the way, he noticed dense numbers of demonic creatures, all of them kneeling on the ground. There were even some demonised monster beasts that were prostrated on the ground, not moving an inch at all.
“What the hell is happening?” Doubt welled up within Duan Yuan Shan, prompting him to turn around to take a look. Nevertheless, a stretch of jet black darkness was the only thing he saw. However, he was able to clearly feel terrifying energy fluctuations radiating from the location of the seal.
In Maplewood City, the countless cultivators present on the various city walls were also dumbfounded by what they saw.
Just a moment ago, the demonic creatures were still frantically launching attacks at the defensive Spirit Array. However, in a single breath of time, all of them had unexpectedly stopped moving, appearing as though they had all taken their last breaths and died.
Nevertheless, those cultivators with keener eyesight that allowed them to observe through the jet-black Demon Qi were able to notice the blurry figures of demonic creatures still present in the Demon Qi. However, those demonic creatures were either kneeling down or… just not moving at all.
Not far from the seal, Hua Qing Si and the middle-aged man had also stopped their utterly meaningless fight, with both of them opening their eyes wide to look down at the location beneath them.
The jet-black energy rushing towards the sky had overwhelmed them in fear, while the astonishing pressure radiating from Yang Kai’s body had caused their whole bodies to quake…
This feeling was even more terrifying than coming face to face with a Third-Order Emperor Master.
The two of them exchanged a glance, before simultaneously retreating ten kilometres to prevent themselves from getting affected.
“Do you feel it? The Demon Qi seems to be gathering over there!” All of a sudden, Hua Qing Si spoke out with a solemn look.
The middle-aged man gave a stern nod, before sneering, “From the look of it, that little brat can’t escape this calamity.”
“Why are you taking pleasure in other people’s misfortune?” Hua Qing Si snorted coldly.
“This king… I’m just speaking the truth, that’s all. Why are you getting all anxious?”
After discovering Hua Qing Si’s background, how would the middle-aged man dare to continue addressing himself as this king in front of her? Nevertheless, he was also filled with doubt and confusion, as he did not know why she would have such a special fondness for Yang Kai. With her cultivation realm, it was utterly impossible for her to develop any kind of personal relationship with a man she had just met. How would someone a few hundred years old develop a crush with such ease?
He could faintly sense that Hua Qing Si had some other kind of hidden motive behind her concern for Yang Kai.
When the gigantic solitary Black Eye entered and fused with Yang Kai’s body, his consciousness became blurry.
The various negative emotions that were always suppressed in the deepest part of his heart started to bubble to the surface, as though something was fishing them out, causing an extremely malevolent and evil aura to radiate from his body.
Complicated and abstruse Demon Crests started to crawl over his skin, and as great amounts of Demon Qi gushed into his body, these Demon Crests grew darker.
A power that far surpassed any First-Order Dao Source Realm started to brew within his body, shaking his consciousness and will. It made him drunk with delight and happiness of possessing such mighty power. Heavy murderous intent and destructive tendencies surged out from his heart, aimed at living creatures of blood and flesh.
His Divine Sense turned dim, enveloped by endless darkness without a single ray of light present. The only thing he could do was to wait for time to pass, as he turned into a member of the demons.
However, right at this moment, just like a sharp blade cleaving through the haze, a weak beam of radiance suddenly shone through the endless darkness.
This beam of radiance possessed seven colours and brimmed with magnificence. The seven-coloured light shone through the endless Demon Qi, shining down onto Yang Kai’s body, bringing warmth, making him feel as though he had been frozen during the Winter Solstice and waited until the sunlight appeared to start beaming down on him.
As though it had encountered its nemesis, the malevolent tendencies surging through his heart turned into smoke and rapidly dissipated away.
Yang Kai’s rapidly dimming consciousness had abruptly regained clarity.
Clenching his teeth, he summoned strength to his eyes and focused on what was before him.
In his vision, he saw the faintly discernible projection of a lotus flower radiating with a seven-coloured glow.
This seven-coloured lotus wasn’t large, appearing just like a speck of mud among the endless Demon Qi. Nevertheless, the place where it existed had become the final remnant of clean ground within this world of darkness.
“Seven Coloured Soul Warming Lotus!” Having abruptly regained clarity of his mind, Yang Kai realized he had unknowingly formed a Soul Avatar and entered his own Knowledge Sea.
This seven-coloured glow was clearly the light that the Seven Colour Soul Warming Lotus was radiating.
With a thought, he immediately rushed towards the Seven coloured Soul Warming Lotus.
After a short while, he stood before the lotus flower’s stamen.
The seven-coloured radiance enveloped him, cleansing him of all of his negative emotions. When those streams of black smoke shot out of his body, Yang Kai finally managed to fully regain his clarity.
Looking around, he noticed that his entire Knowledge Sea had turned into a world of darkness, with not a single speck of light present from the Starry Array map that should be floating above his Knowledge Sea. Other than the radiance coming from the Seven Coloured Soul Warming Lotus, there seemed to be nothing else present in this entire world.
Except for the gigantic solitary Black Eye lording in the air above his Knowledge Sea, coldly staring down on Yang Kai with not a single trace of emotion present in its gaze.
Yang Kai was not able to see it. Nevertheless, with this being his Knowledge Sea, he was able to sense it clearly.
Endless pressure and will radiated from the solitary Black Eye, attempting to destroy Yang Kai’s soul defences and stain his soul.
However, under the protection of a mystical, precious treasure like the Seven Coloured Soul Warming Lotus, any invisible attack would be cleansed away by its radiance.
Not only that, many tiny insects invisible to the naked eye were shooting out from the top of the Soul Warming Lotus.
Soul Devouring Insects!
Earlier in his life, Yang Kai had obtained these unique insects in the Tong Xuan Realm. Nevertheless, with Yang Kai’s promotion of strength, they were already unable to serve any useful purpose to him. All along, they had been placed by Yang Kai on the seven-coloured treasure island formed by the Soul Warming Lotus, and left to their devices.
After many years of nourishment, their numbers had reached an unimaginable level.
At this moment, they had exceeded Yang Kai’s expectations as they proceeded to fly from the Soul Warming Lotus and scatter in all directions.
Everywhere they went, they were accompanied by waves of ripping noises that sounded exceedingly sharp and crisp, as the ancient Demon Qi that had invaded Yang Kai’s knowledge sea was devoured at a rate visible to the naked eye.
[The Soul Devouring Insects are able to devour even something like Demon Qi?] Yang Kai was extremely surprised by this discovery.
As time continued to pass, the bodies of these Soul Devouring Insects that had devoured the Demon Qi started to grow larger. Being an existence that was extremely hard to detect, Yang Kai’s earlier enemies were utterly incapable of detecting them when he had released the Soul Devouring Insects to deal with them.
However, at this moment, within Yang Kai’s Knowledge Sea, they were visibly growing larger. Not only that, the colour of their bodies were gradually shifting to a jet-black shade. Mysterious and complicated Demon Crests started to appear on their bodies, causing their auras to become incredibly abstruse.
Within a short moment, these Soul Devouring Insects had already grown to the size of rice grains, and were still continuing to grow at a rapid rate.
Within his Knowledge Sea, the Demon Qi started to churn with unease. Seemingly possessing some kind of intelligence, it started to evade the Soul Devouring Insects. However, with this being Yang Kai’s Knowledge Sea, where else could it hide?
Therefore, clump after clump of Demon Qi was devoured, revealing large patches in its midst.
Yang Kai quietly observed this spectacle, not knowing if this was a good or bad thing. Nevertheless, since it was beneficial to his current situation, he did not worry too much about it.
In the next instant, a thought flashed in his mind before he proceeded to urge the Seven Coloured Soul Warming Lotus to fly to a certain part of the sky, a place within the endless darkness right before the gigantic solitary Black Eye was.
As the Demon Qi slowly scattered apart, it finally revealed the presence of the Black Eye.
Despite this being Yang Kai’s Knowledge Sea, it still lorded over half of the sky. Yang Kai appeared as weak and insignificant as an ant as he stood before it.
The seven-coloured radiance could dispel illusions and false realities. Transforming into a halo around Yang Kai’s body, it appeared just like a revolving heavenly body, its massive brilliance radiating out in all directions.
“Scram, or… get completely destroyed!” With Yang Kai’s will, a thunderclap descended from the skies, transforming into what seemed like a sharp knife that stabbed right into the Black Eye, causing its shape to distort and turn illusionary.
After a long while, the Black Eye’s shape finally stabilised, returning to its black hole-like form and not moving a single inch at all.
[So, devoid of the consciousness of its main body, the only thing left is its remnant will, huh?] Yang Kai thought. Although he had his guesses earlier, he didn’t dare to confirm whether it was true till this moment.
However, after this test, he finally got the answer he wanted. This solitary Black Eye had already lost the consciousness of its original body. What remained was just the remnant will of the ancient demon.
After all, in ancient times, countless Emperor Realm masters had destroyed its body, alongside its original consciousness.
Since it was like this, there was basically no way for him to communicate with it anymore.
With a stern look, Yang Kai proceeded to unleash the might of the Seven Coloured Soul Warming Lotus.
In the next instant, a dazzling seven-coloured brilliance blossomed out, transforming into more sharp blades that stabbed towards the solitary Black Eye.
Right at this instant, the solitary Black Eye looked deeply at Yang Kai, before slowly closing up.
Across this whole space, the voice of a giant rang out. “You have the aura of a demon! I’ll hand it to you! I’ll hand it all to you! Go and witness the end of this world and the destruction of Heaven and Earth!”
An unparalleled aura of savagery suddenly radiated out, as the solitary Black Eye transformed into a jet black beam of light that shot towards Yang Kai.
Yang Kai’s face was drained of all colour from shock as he hastily defended his mind. At the same time, the Seven Coloured Soul Warming Lotus also started to spin, its endless seven-coloured radiance transforming into a barrier that attempted to halt the invasion of the black light.
Nevertheless, both their efforts were futile.
The black beam of light passed through the Seven Coloured Soul Warming Lotus’s barrier with ease, shattering Yang Kai’s defences and smashing right into his body.
In the next instant, Yang Kai felt a heart-rending pain racking through his soul, to the point that he was unable to maintain his Soul Avatar, which proceeded to crumble apart.
As this happened, his consciousness finally returned to his body. Opening his mouth, he left out a furious roar, a roar from an injured wild beast.
His body enveloped by surging Demon Qi, Yang Kai was utterly incapable of observing his own face or body as he used a hand to clutch his right eye tightly, where golden blood continued to drip down from.
“That is…” ten kilometres away, Hua Qing Si and the middle-aged man were completely dumbfounded by what they said.
Ever since Yang Kai had entered that weird state until now, they had been constantly observing him. Therefore, they were naturally able to gain some understanding about exactly what was happening to him.
They had witnessed all of the jet-black Demon Qi that covered over several hundred thousand kilometres gush and disappear right into Yang Kai’s body within an incense’s worth of time.
All of the innumerable demonic creatures present in their surroundings were kneeling on the ground. However, for some unknown reason, all of the Demon Qi within the bodies had vanished into thin air, disappearing without a trace at all.
Without the protection of Demon Qi, these exceedingly savage demonic creatures had turned extremely weak in just a short moment of time. Although it didn’t lead to their deaths, it had severely damaged their cultivation foundation. Not only that, all of them wore blank looks on their faces, as though they were utterly confused about what had happened. Compared to them, the monster beasts had lost themselves in panic, as they fled away in a hurry.
Sunlight returned and beamed down onto the land, bringing warmth to everyone.
Despite these developments, the middle-aged man and Hua Qing Si felt a chill surge through their hearts.
That was because they felt a pressure that rivalled an Emperor Realm Master radiating from Yang Kai, who stood ten kilometres away from them. This pressure was exceedingly sinister, and filled with a bloodthirsty aura; a nemesis of the auras made by any living creature!
In the next instant, the violently shaking Yang Kai suddenly calmed down.
He slowly relaxed the hand clutching his right eye, before extending both hands before his eyes, as though he was examining them.
Within the darkness, two beams of mysterious lights shone out.
One golden, and one black.
The golden left eye had a vertical pupil that was filled with majesty, and the black right eye had a horizontal pupil that contained the void. Shaking violently in Yang Kai’s eye sockets, they were greatly contrasting each other.
“What is that?” The middle-aged man was gobsmacked by what he saw. Despite hailing from the Flying Saint Palace, he was unsure as to what monster he was looking at right now, with those mysterious eyes.
When his voice rang out, the two different coloured eye beams suddenly shot towards the location that he and Hua Qing Si were at.
“Not good!” As the two different coloured eye beams made contact with her, Hua Qing Si suddenly felt a pressure on her head, causing a drastic change to her pretty face as she shouted out, “Hurry up and run!”
As she said those words, she made a seal with her hands. With a bang, her entire being transformed into over one hundred five-coloured butterflies that flew away in all directions.
Seeing her leave with such resolution, how would the middle-aged man not know that he was in serious trouble? He hurriedly bit the tip of his tongue, spitting out a mouthful of blood that enveloped his entire body in a reddish glow, and in a flash, rapidly retreated several dozen kilometres away.
With his powerful Third-Order Dao Source Realm cultivation, the middle-aged man was extremely quick in fleeing when he put his mind into it.
In the blink of an eye, he had burnt his Blood Essence and fled a hundred kilometres away.
Dread filled his heart as he looked back, only for him to turn dazed with shock. He was unexpectedly unable to locate Yang Kai’s figure from his distant position. It was as though Yang Kai had disappeared into thin air.
The middle-aged man’s heart sunk, as an ambiguous feeling of fear and terror started to spread within him.
A series of chaotic spatial fluctuations rippled out in front of him before a jet-black figure suddenly surfaced from within.
The figure was shrouded by endless Demon Qi, masking his face. However, the golden and black radiance beaming out from his face caused great waves of fear to surge within the middle-aged man’s heart.
After seeing those two eye beams, the middle-aged man’s thoughts froze, his consciousness grew chaotic and his Soul shook with unease.
With a furious howl, he immediately summoned his short spear. Forming complicated seals with his hand, Source Qi poured madly into the short spear.
*Whoosh…*
The short spear started to expand in size, and in a blink of an eye, turned into a giant pole several dozen meters in length. With a slight tremble, it proceeded to shoot right at Yang Kai.
This was the middle-aged man’s most powerful attack, and he was rather confident of it. Even Emperor Realm masters wouldn’t dare ignore an attack like this coming their way.
Acting in a similar fashion to those demons, Yang Kai appeared to have already lost his consciousness, leaving only a primal bloodthirst. Faced against the impending danger, he did not show any attempt to avoid it, simply standing still.
Only when the spear was just about to reach his body did he send a fist forward.
His fist was enveloped in jet-black demonic Source Qi, so dense that it appeared corporeal.
“You’re courting death!” The middle-aged man could not help but exclaim loudly in happiness. He opened his eyes wide, wanting to see the result of his attack, to see Yang Kai being smashed into bits.
*Boom…*
A massive sound rang out. Yang Kai did not move an inch from his original location, but the incoming spear was met with a berserk energy blast. The long spear body instantly turned dim, before transforming back into its original smaller size. Moreover, it was sent flying backwards at a speed faster than it had moved at during the start of the attack, before disappearing without a trace.
“Huh?”
The middle-aged man’s eyeballs were almost popping out of their sockets, as he was utterly incapable of believing what he had just seen. He rubbed his eyes vigorously, before taking another look, and indeed, saw Yang Kai’s completely unhurt appearance.
Just as he thought he had lost his mind, Yang Kai suddenly raised his hand.
Great amounts of pure Demon Qi gushed out from his body, before flowing to his arm, causing it to seemingly grow in size.
In the blink of an eye, a gigantic jet-black palm took shape, before patting down towards the head of the middle-aged man.
The middle-aged man’s face lost all colour as he made a hasty attempt to evade. Nevertheless, despair filled his heart as he discovered that the space around him had unknowingly solidified into a glue-like substance, turning into a makeshift prison around him.
He was utterly incapable of evading.
All of the blood drained from the middle-aged man’s already deathly pale face. With a loud shout, he summoned a shield-like defensive artifact. Sending his Source Qi into it, the artifact immediately transformed into a barrier before him.
Not only that, he continued to form hand seals, while rapidly muttering, “Heaven, Earth, Mystery, Martial…”
Source Qi within his body surged madly.
Before he could properly execute that unknown Secret Technique, the jet-black mountain-like palm had already smashed down.
*Crack…*
The barrier formed by the shield artifact shattered like a piece of glass, as countless cracks formed across its surface before it shattered into pieces, unable to provide any defence at all. In the next instant, the giant palm landed on the middle-aged man’s body.
He was only able to let out a terrified shriek before there was silence.
As the giant palm gradually dissipated, other than the gigantic palm print, the only thing left on the ground was a pile of mush.
Under that palm, the middle-aged man with a powerful Third-Order Dao Source Realm cultivation was utterly incapable of resisting and was immediately smashed to death. Even the artifacts and Space Ring he carried had been shattered into pieces.
The items in his Space Ring were sent into an eternal exile in the void.
After accomplishing that feat, a totally emotionless Yang Kai raised his head and looked in the other direction.
Over there, Hua Qing Si, who had split up with the middle-aged man when both of them had fled, turned her head around in dread, her beautiful eyes trembling in fear. Just a moment ago, she was faintly able to hear the miserable shriek ringing from the far distance, which caused terror to fill her heart, while also pushing her to increase the speed at which she was fleeing.
However, right at this moment, the space before her turned blurry, before a jet-black figure appeared to obstruct her path.
“How’s this possible?” Hua Qing Si’s expression changed drastically, while her heart sank to an all-time low.
She and the middle-aged man had fled in different directions. After that, she had personally witnessed Yang Kai pursuing the latter. However, within a few breath’s time, Yang Kai had actually managed to kill that man before arriving here to obstruct her path?
This was a feat that even Emperor Realm masters couldn’t accomplish!
Looking at the jet-black figure and sensing the malicious and bloodthirsty aura radiating from him, Hua Qing Si’s face turned pale, while a bitter frown appeared at the corner of her mouth.
Nevertheless, she did not immediately take action. Instead, she made a faint smile, and in her terror, displayed her charm and elegance.
Since he was able to kill the middle-aged male in a single strike, this meant that he was also capable of destroying her at will. Therefore, there was no use in putting up any resistance at all.
At this moment, the only thing she could hope for was to awaken Yang Kai’s consciousness that was hidden in the deepest part of his heart.
“Little Brother…” Hua Qing Si said in a soft voice, her voice containing a gentleness that had never been there before. “Could you give way? You’re blocking my path.”
Yang Kai did not move an inch, continuing to stand at this original location as he quietly stared at her, appearing as though he was looking right at a stranger he had never met before.
The mysterious black and golden light beaming from his eyes filled Hua Qing Si’s heart with dread, though she was helpless to do anything about them.
She felt just like a little lamb coming face to face with the savage king of the jungle, with her fate resting in the other’s hands.
The only thing that Hua Qing Si could feel fortunate about was that Yang Kai did not immediately take action upon seeing her, giving her a glimmer of hope for her survival.
“It’s your elder sister. Do you remember me, Little Brother?” Hua Qing Si pushed her loose hair strands behind her ear as she continued her attempts to get through to him.
For good or bad, Yang Kai appeared to be affected by the words she had said, as his eyelids started to tremble violently, as though his consciousness was struggling to break through.
“Little Brother, I’ve just saved your life just now… you aren’t going to kill me and repay my kindness with enmity, right?” Hua Qing Si’s robes were drenched by the cold sweat coming from her body, revealing her beautiful and voluptuous figure. Huge beads of sweat rolled down along the curves of her face, deathly pale in shade yet stubborn and resolute.
“ROAR…”
All of sudden, the Demon Qi-cladded Yang Kai clutched his head, letting out a deep roar in the process.
Hua Qing Si was terrified by his sudden actions, causing her to retreat a few steps. However, a thought flashed through her mind. With his strength, it wouldn’t matter how far she retreated. This caused her to chuckle bitterly in helplessness, before standing her ground.
“If you’re not going to talk… this elder sister will leave, okay?” Hua Qing Si tested the waters with a gentle voice. Not getting any response from Yang kai, she exclaimed in happiness, “Our friendship wouldn’t change, just like the mountains and streams! Till we meet again!”
After saying those words, she displayed her Divine Ability to split herself into butterflies once again, transforming into countless five-coloured butterflies that fled into the distance like a berserk gale.
However, right at this moment, Yang Kai suddenly straightened his body and extended his hand, before grabbing fiercely at the location the countless butterflies were headed towards.
The butterflies dissipated away, revealing Hua Qing Si, who wore an ugly and bitter look on her face.
Feeling somewhat angry, she shouted out, “What the hell do you want? You didn’t even say a single word, and you won’t let me go! What? You just want to kill me!?”
Turning a deaf ear to her words, Yang Kai made a grab towards the location she was at.
“Huh?” Shock flooded Hua Qing Si’s heart as she exclaimed, “I’m just joking, okay? How can you not know it? No, noo…”
As words left her mouth, she desperately summoned her Source Qi in defence.
However, with the disparity of her strength compared to Yang Kai, it meant that he could suppress her with ease.
Before her Source Qi could surge out of her body, Hua Qing Si felt her body tighten, as though she had been bound by an invisible force. A stifling feeling came flooding over, followed by confusion as her Divine Sense grew chaotic before her vision blacked out.
When she was finally able to react, Hua Qing Si stared blankly at the wide and spacious wilderness she now stood in, her pale face appearing just like a sheet of snow.
Turning her head in all directions, she discovered that the ground was flat, dense vegetation surrounding where she stood. A mighty wind blew by, making her feel content with its refreshing breeze.
This wasn’t the Star Boundary!
Right from the beginning, Hua Qing Si could feel the difference between this place and the Star Boundary. She wasn’t able to explain this strange feeling, but she nevertheless was able to confirm that this place was definitely not the Star Boundary.
[Am I dead?] A blank look appeared on Hua Qing Si’s face as she stood there, bewildered.
[So death isn’t as terrifying as I had imagined it to be. I didn’t even feel like I had died at all…]
[So, would a person come to a place like this after death? Then where did that irritating fellow from the Flying Saint Palace go? Could this place be the legendary Netherworld?]
“Oh… He actually didn’t kill you. Instead, he sent you in here. From the looks of it… the main body’s consciousness is still present! At the very least, he still has some level of control!”
All of a sudden, thunder-like sounds rang out in Hua Qing Si’s ears. The voice was so powerful it sounded like the beating of war drums, giving Hua Qing Si a big scare.
“Who is it!?” Hua Qing Si’s expression changed drastically as she shouted out in vigilance, turning her head to scan in all directions. Nevertheless, she wasn’t able to detect anybody.
“Above, look above!” The voice rang out once again.
After the reminder, Hua Qing Si hastily raised her head.
What entered her vision were two stone pillar-like existences that stood by her side.
When she had just arrived here, she had already noticed those two stone pillars. However, her mind was still stuck within the ‘I’m dead’ mentality, so she did not think twice about them.
At this moment, after taking a closer look, a myriad of expressions flashed through Hua Qing Si’s face, from astonishment, to shock, amazement, and surprise.
After finally gaining a clear look of what exactly was by her side, Hua Qing Si made a small step and floated several dozen metres back.
Looking from a distance, Hua Qing Si was finally able to see with greater clarity.