Yang Kai’s expression eased significantly after hearing this.
Xiao Yu Yang added with a serious expression, “Just so you know, this King did not wait here just to try to steal your Spirit Pills! It’s just… an ordinary man is innocent, but treasures make one guilty, you should understand my meaning. With your cultivation level, if you secretly retained any Extraordinary Treasure Pills, you’d only be attracting endless trouble to yourself.”
Yang Kai nodded and answered, “Junior understands. Many thanks for considering my situation, Senior Xiao.”
He knew that even though Xiao Yu Yang was offering up a pleasant-sounding excuse, his true objective was still to steal his Extraordinary Treasure Pills. Well, perhaps ‘steal’ wasn’t the best word to use, as Xiao Yu Yang would definitely compensate him.
But even so… Xiao Yu Yang was correct. Since if Yang Kai really did have extra Extraordinary Treasure Pills in his possession, his future days would be extremely dark and dangerous. He didn’t need to fear Dao Source Realm cultivators, but what about Emperors?
Although it was true that Emperor Realm Masters couldn’t use these Extraordinary Treasure Pills personally, which Emperor didn’t have disciples or relatives? An Extraordinary Treasure Pill would still be extremely attractive to them.
At that time, countless Emperor Realm Masters would definitely hear the news and swarm him to try to rob him…
But now, it was proven that all of Yang Kai’s Extraordinary Treasure Pills had been used up, and Xiao Yu Yang and five other Emperor Realm Masters were present to serve as witnesses to this.
It was likely that nobody would try to make trouble for Yang Kai in order to rob Extraordinary Treasure Pills from him in the future.
In a sense, Yang Kai should actually be thanking Xiao Yu Yang for this.
At this moment, Yang Kai’s Space Ring had reached Gao Xue Ting’s hands while the other five had finished their own inspection, not finding much of use. As such, Gao Xue Ting didn’t even bother searching his Space Ring and simply tossed it back to Yang Kai.
Yang Kai put on his ring again before looking at Xiao Yu Yang and saying, “If Senior Xiao has nothing else to say… then this Junior will take his leave first.”
“Good!” Xiao Yu Yang gently nodded, but in the next moment his expression changed as he commented, “This King has some advice for you, if you’re willing to hear it?”
“It would be Junior’s honour to receive advice from Senior Xiao!” Yang Kai hurriedly adopted a serious expression.
Xiao Yu Yang’s expression became much warmer when he saw how accepting Yang Kai was as he quickly said, “You won’t be able to swallow everything if you try to eat too much!”
Yang Kai arched his brow as a contemplative expression appeared on his face before he cupped his fists and said, “Many thanks, Senior Xiao, for the reminder, this Junior will take this lesson to heart.”
“That would be best. Good, you may leave,” Xiao Yu Yang waved his hand.
Only then did Yang Kai head towards where the Azure Sun Temple’s disciples were gathered as he found a place to sit down.
Currently, many cultivators were gathered together in groups, mainly with their respective Sects and families, as they rested in the nameless mountain valley.
But when counting the people here, they had decreased in number by more than a third compared to thirty-three days ago. The cultivators who weren’t here now had obviously met some bad end in the Four Seasons Realm.
In this land, every Sealed World and every trial ground would have risks along with opportunities, and every cultivator’s path of growth would wander between life and death…
This was a fate that every cultivator had to face, one that was absolutely inescapable!
Cultivation was about survival of the fittest, and only the strongest would remain after the filtering out by an unforgiving world.
As Yang Kai rested, Bian Yu Qing and Kou Wu came to say their goodbyes to him.
They were the only two from Blue Feather Sect who came to the Four Seasons Realm this time and could be considered lucky as despite not obtaining many opportunities or reaping too big a harvest, they had at least both managed to return safely.
Since the Four Seasons Realm was about to close, the two of them would naturally return to Blue Feather Sect.
Yang Kai chatted with them for a while and then watched them leave.
He didn’t waste his energy on telling Bian Yu Qing to not tell Wu Meng Shan about him, because he knew that Bian Yu Qing would definitely go back and tell everything about her experience to Wu Meng Shan, meaning that Wu Meng Shan would learn about his information.
Yang Kai was still rather wary of Wu Meng Shan.
But for now, he could only resolve to absolutely not meet that old bat until he became strong enough, otherwise, he might fall prey to Wu Meng Shan’s tricks.
About one hour later, the Heavens and Earth shook as the nameless mountain valley’s light door suddenly vanished. The Four Seasons Realm had completely closed itself off now, and only the Heavens knew when it would open again.
The Four Seasons Realm experience was completely over now and many cultivators from various Sects and families began to leave. Gao Xue Ting talked to Xiao Yu Yang for a while longer before she summoned her ship that took the Azure Sun Temple’s disciples back.
The Azure Sun Temple didn’t suffer many losses. Apart from the outsider Yang Kai, nineteen disciples had come this time, and only four were missing now.
This amount of loss was far less than the average, so it was acceptable to Gao Xue Ting.
Regardless, some of them had still died, so the disciples were in low spirits on the way back. Most simply sat in silence as they took inventory of their harvest from the Four Seasons Realm.
Suddenly, Yang Kai heard Gao Xue Ting calling out to him. Hurriedly opening his eyes, he saw that Elder Gao of the Azure Sun Temple had her back to him as she stood at the bow of the ship. Elder Gao’s long hair and sleeves fluttered in the wind as she seemed to be gazing at the distant scenery, her elegant posture adding a hint of noble beauty to this place.
Yang Kai didn’t dare to be rude as he hurriedly walked towards her.
He stood not far behind her, cupped his fists, and asked, “Elder Gao, do you have some instruction for me?”
Gao Xue Ting stayed silent for a time before suddenly saying, “Do you understand the meaning of Senior Xiao’s last words to you?”
Yang Kai fell silent for a moment before replying, “What Senior Xiao meant was that I should choose one between the Martial Dao and Alchemic Dao to focus on.”
“Indeed!” Gao Xue Ting nodded lightly before she turned her beautiful face towards him, her eyes flashing as she stared at Yang Kai before she opened her red lips slightly to say, “You have extraordinary aptitude for both the Martial Dao and Alchemic Dao, and in time you will definitely become tremendously successful in one of these two domains. Perhaps you’ll even reach a height that I am unable to, but… one’s time and strength are always limited. If you choose to pursue the peak of the Martial Dao, you will have to abandon the Alchemic Dao, and vice versa, it is impossible for you to concentrate on both of these domains. Senior Xiao spoke, thinking for your sake.”
“Junior understands,” Yang Kai nodded with a serious expression.
“It’s good that you understand… There’s nothing else I need to say.”
“Then Junior shall take his leave,” Yang Kai bowed slightly.
He was rather surprised that Gao Xue Ting had called for him just for this.
However, he was rather touched, as Gao Xue Ting showed care for him despite him not being a disciple of Azure Sun Temple. It would have been impossible for her to tell him all this if she didn’t care.
Yang Kai had just turned around when he suddenly heard her speaking from behind, “Those Extraordinary Treasure Pills… are there really none left?”
Yang Kai hurriedly turned around again, but saw that Gao Xue Ting had her back to him and wasn’t moving at all, as if she wasn’t the one who said those words.
Yang Kai stood where he was and furrowed his brow as he thought. Not daring to say another word, he could only return to his spot and sit down cross-legged again.
[Has this woman realized something? A woman’s intuition is truly frightening…]
Several days slowly passed by…
On this day, a beautiful ship arrived at the Azure Sun Mountain Range, and all the Dao Source Realm cultivators standing onboard had recovered from the gloom of losing their companions by now. Everyone stood up as they stared out at the familiar scenery below them.
“Wahahaha… I, Xia Sheng, have returned!” Xia Sheng had his hands on his hips as he laughed loudly, as if wanting to make sure everyone knew he had returned, his voice echoing above the mountains as the ship proceeded forward.
His voice was so loud that the Azure Sun Temple disciples moving around below all immediately raised their heads.
“Can you not act more mature?” Xiao Bai Yi coldly glared at him with an expression of disdain.
“Xiao Bai, you should be happy to return home, so here, come shout together with your Senior Brother…” Xia Sheng walked over to Xiao Bai Yi’s side and grasped the latter’s shoulder as he spoke.
“Who would want to shout with you…?” A vein started bulging on Xiao Bai Yi’s forehead.
“So embarrassing!” Murong Xiao Xiao’s face reddened.
“Hmph!” Xiao Bai Yi coldly snorted as he gave Xia Sheng a sidelong glance while saying, “Look at other Sects’ Eldest Senior Brothers like Wu Chang and Luo Yuan! All of them are cold and calm, giving their Junior Brothers and Junior Sisters a sense of reliability, but what about you? You act like a clown every day! How did someone like you actually become the Eldest Senior Brother?”
“So you wanted a cold and cool Senior Brother?” Xia Sheng suddenly adopted a serious expression as a chill emanated from his eyes, his smiling expression instantly being replaced with a domineering glare that seemed to say that none below Heaven were his equal.
At this moment, Xia Sheng’s aura changed tremendously.
“Other Senior Brothers can do it, so this Senior Brother… can naturally do it as well!” He quickly said while acting all serious.
Murong Xiao Xiao was stunned at the sight. Her small mouth formed a circle as she covered her mouth with her small hand as her beautiful eyes trembled.
“Do you feel like I’m reliable now…” Xia Sheng looked directly at her while asking in a deep and masculine voice, “Do you want to abandon everything without care and jump into this Senior Brother’s wide chest and solid arms?”
Murong Xiao Xiao pursed her red lips and cautiously answered, “Senior Brother, your killing intent… is leaking…”
“Stop messing around!” Gao Xue Ting gave Xia Sheng a sidelong glance while lightly stating, “The apple doesn’t fall far from the tree! Stop learning from our Temple Master, otherwise, you won’t be able to find a woman in the future.”
“Really?” Xia Sheng seemed as if he had suddenly been struck by lightning, taking major damage and breaking out into a cold sweat as he muttered, “En… other Sect Masters all have wives and countless concubines, but our Temple Master is still old and single…”
His face paled as if he had seen something incredibly frightening before raising his head to Gao Xue Ting and saying, “Elder Gao, Temple Master is so pitiful, so have you ever considered… ahh, again!?”
Before he could finish, Gao Xue Ting suddenly swung her sleeve and immediately tossed him off the ship. As the ship flew off, Xia Sheng’s pitiful wails could be heard from the distance.
“Don’t do, won’t die!” Xiao Bai Yi didn’t sympathize with him one bit, even coldly snorting at the sight.
Murong Xiao Xiao was actually worried and turned around while intending to beg for mercy for Xia Sheng, but when she saw Gao Xue Ting’s terrifying expression, she instantly swallowed her words back down.
The ship descended to Azure Sun Temple’s Main Peak, Myriad Saints Peak, causing a tremendous gust as it approached.
Below were Temple Master Wen Zi Shan, Vice Temple Master Qiu Ran, Elder Chen Qian, and the other senior leaders who were waiting with serious expressions.
Before the ship landed, several Emperor Realm Divine Senses scanned the ship, and the Masters present instantly gained a precise understanding of how many disciples had been lost on this trip.
Although a few elite disciples had been lost, luckily, the ones they placed the greatest expectations upon had all safely returned, so everyone couldn’t help heaving sighs of relief as their serious expressions became slightly less tense.
The ship landed moments later.
All the disciples leapt down while Gao Xue Ting waved her hand and stowed away the ship.
“Hahaha, Little Xue Ting, I really missed you after not seeing you for so many days! Here, give Uncle a hug!” Wen Zi Shan laughed loudly while opening up his arms as he took large steps towards Gao Xue Ting.
*Shing…*
Sword Qi flashed as killing intent erupted.
Wen Zi Shan broke out into a cold sweat as he stopped a meter in front of Gao Xue Ting, a cherry blossom longsword pressed against his neck while Gao Xue Ting wore an icy expression. Gripping her sword tightly, she coldly snapped, “I’ll kill you if you dare to take one more step forward!”
Wen Zi Shan didn’t dare to move…
“Sigh.” Qiu Ran held his forehead and sighed with a helpless expression. “Temple Master, please behave with some dignity!”
“It was just a joke…” Wen Zi Shan chuckled before jumping back and landing at his original position. The next moment, his expression turned serious as he stated, “In any case… this Temple Master congratulates everyone for returning safely, all of you are future pillars of our noble temple. All of you have worked hard to pass this trial.”
The disciples didn’t say anything as they simply watched him in silence. Gao Xue Ting also slowly put away her sword.
“This Temple Master shall remember all of your accomplishments and your fellow Brothers and Sisters deaths shall also not be in vain. Now… those among you who received extra Star Seals, come with this Temple Master. The others are dismissed.”
“Yes!” At his command, everyone responded in a loud voice.
There were almost twenty disciples gathered, but most dispersed at this point, leaving only four behind.
Yang Kai turned around and saw that apart from himself, only Xiao Bai Yi, Murong Xiao Xiao, and another Second-Order Dao Source Realm cultivator youth, whose name he didn’t know, remained.
Although this cultivator was also a disciple of Azure Sun Temple, and had entered the Four Seasons Realm, Yang Kai had barely interacted with this youth, so he knew nothing about him.
Still, when judging the youth’s aura and disposition, he didn’t seem like someone that was difficult to get along with.
“Where’s that little brat Xia Sheng?” Moments later, Wen Zi Shan turned to Gao Xue Ting and asked curiously as he was surprised to not see Xia Sheng here. With a slightly dark expression, Wen Zi Shan began to worry if something had happened to Xia Sheng in the Four Seasons Realm.
Even Qiu Ran thought the same thing and his face couldn’t help going white as he exclaimed, “Elder Gao, could it be that Xia Sheng…”
Gao Xue Ting replied calmly, “No, he’ll be here soon!”
As she spoke, a figure flew over from the horizon, shouting all the way, “Wait for me!”
Moments later, Xia Sheng landed in front of everyone as he looked towards Gao Xue Ting with a face full of complaints, shouting out pitifully, “Elder Gao, next time you should notify this disciple before you make a move… this disciple wasn’t mentally prepared!”
“Little brat, just what did you do!?” Wen Zi Shan reached out and knocked Xia Sheng’s head, causing Xia Sheng’s neck to shrink.
“Temple Master, what are you doing!?” Xia Sheng felt really aggrieved as he held his head.
Wen Zi Shan coldly snorted, “It’s obvious to see that you made Elder Gao angry, is this Temple Master not allowed to teach you a lesson?”
Xia Sheng blinked as his expression became speechless…
“Alright, since you’re here, then all of you should follow this Temple Master.” Wen Zi Shan also glanced at Yang Kai as he spoke. “You come as well!”
A short time later, all the higher-ups of Azure Sun Temple arrived at the large main hall on Myriad Saints Peak, with the disciples and Yang Kai standing in the centre of the floor.
Wen Zi Shan sat on his seat above and glanced down as he spoke, “Elder Gao, you were the leader of the team that went to the Four Seasons Realm this time, so you should understand the situation in detail. Please tell us how many Star Seals each of these people obtained.”
Upon hearing this, Gao Xue Ting answered calmly, “Although I didn’t compare with the other Sects, judging from the number of Star Seals that these disciples obtained, their harvest should have been pretty good.”
After saying this, she turned her pretty face and added, “Xia Sheng obtained four Star Seals, Xiao Bai Yi obtained two, Murong Xiao Xiao two, and Chen Mu Ji got two…”
After hearing this, Yang Kai finally learned that the Second-Order Dao Source Realm youth’s name was Chen Mu Ji.
Gao Xue Ting paused for a moment here before continuing, “There were three other disciples who obtained one each, but they are not here right now.”
Wen Zi Shan nodded lightly in understanding.
Before heading out on this journey, Azure Sun Temple had announced that any disciple who obtained a Star Seal in the Four Seasons Realm would obtain the right to enter the Shattered Star Sea. Thus, the three disciples who obtained one Star Seal apiece had all kept their Star Seals without needing to hand them over.
Those who had come here were the ones who had obtained extra Star Seals.
“What about this little brat?” Wen Zi Shan glanced at Yang Kai.
“He…” Gao Xue Ting’s expression became slightly complex, remaining silent for a time before she finally muttered, “He obtained seven!”
“What?”
“Did I hear incorrectly?”
“That many?”
The higher-ups were all Emperor Realm Masters with extraordinary mental discipline; however, they still couldn’t hide their astonishment when they heard that Yang Kai actually obtained seven Star Seals all by himself. They all glanced at him inquisitively with looks of astonishment, as if they were reassessing him.
The temple’s top disciple, Xia Sheng, had only obtained four, even with his powerful Third-Order Dao Source Realm cultivation. On the other hand, Yang Kai only had First-Order cultivation, so how had he obtained seven?
[Isn’t this brat’s luck a little too outrageous?] Everyone was thinking this as they secretly felt that Yang Kai must possess Heaven defying luck. If that wasn’t the case, how else could he have obtained so many Star Seals?
Yang Kai remained calm in front of everyone’s eyes.
Seven was indeed the total number of Star Seals that he obtained in the Four Seasons Realm.
The first one was the diamond-shaped Star Seal that he obtained in the Two Seasons Mountain Range. At the time, Wu Chang and the others had been chasing a Monster Beast which had unfortunately run into Yang Kai as it was fleeing and wound up dying at the latter’s hands.
Yang Kai didn’t get any opportunities to receive a Star Seal after that.
Only when he was guarding the Extraordinary Treasure Lotus and killed two cultivators had he obtained two more.
In the end, he made a trade with Wu Chang and obtained four more.
Although luck certainly played a part in being able to obtain so many, strength was also a necessary requirement.
Star Seals weren’t actually that easy to obtain, because there weren’t very many of them, and if it wasn’t for Yang Kai killing two cultivators and making a trade with Wu Chang, perhaps when the Four Seasons Realm closed, he would have only obtained the first one he got by luck.
“There were some reasons involved that I will explain to you afterwards; however, he indeed obtained seven Star Seals by himself!” Gao Xue Ting spoke up. The reason she spoke of was naturally about the Extraordinary Treasure Pill.
Wen Zi Shan nodded lightly and made a sound of affirmation before a smile covered his face as he stated, “Very good, in that case, nineteen people from the temple can enter the Shattered Star Sea when it opens. That’s wonderful news.”
If the trial in the Four Seasons Realm was considered a small event at the level of simple life experience, then the Shattered Star Sea was a place where one could seek enlightenment of their own Martial Dao. Such a place wasn’t one where anyone could just enter.
First, a Star Seal was required as an entry ticket. Second, one would have to possess the strength necessary to pass through the entrance of the Shattered Star Sea. Both were necessary in order to go through.
In other words, even if someone possessed a Star Seal, they would still be unable to enter the Shattered Star Sea unless they were strong enough.
Azure Sun Temple had nineteen quotas for entering, but it was unknown how many could actually enter in the end.
Still, this amount was much larger than that of most other Sects and great forces.
Wen Zi Shan was naturally overjoyed.
“This is a sign of great fortune for our temple!” Qiu Ran uttered happily, stroking his snow-white beard in happiness and satisfaction.
“Let’s not waste time. Little Qian, gather their extra Star Seals.” Wen Zi Shan gestured with his eyes towards Chen Qian.
Chen Qian nodded and got up. With a wave of her hand, an artifact that resembled an incense burner appeared in her grip. It was unknown what this artifact was ordinarily used for, but it seemed to be of decent grade. Various runes appeared on the incense burner artifact’s surface, making it seem rather mysterious.
Slowly, she walked over to the waiting disciples, then starting with Chen Mu Ji, she said in a gentle tone, “Just relax!”
“Yes!” Chen Mu Ji answered and took a deep breath, causing his expression to immediately become calm.
Seeing that he was prepared, Chen Qian held the incense burner with one hand and made a seal with her other hand before poking several points on Chen Mu Ji’s arm.
Chen Mu Ji suddenly retreated a few steps with a muffled cough, his expression turning a little pale, as if his foundation had suffered some damage.
At the same time, a beam of light suddenly shot out from his body.
Chen Qian was quite swift and accurate in her movements as she waved towards the beam of light. An invisible force immediately bound the beam of light and dragged it into the incense burner.
Yang Kai was quite astonished as he watched.
Back in the Four Seasons Realm, when he was trading with Wu Chang, the latter had used a Secret Technique to force out the extra Star Seals from himself so that Yang Kai could obtain them. But now, it seemed that apart from that method, it was also possible to retrieve Star Seals from another as well.
After realizing this, Yang Kai felt that he needed to be more careful when travelling the Star Boundary in the future; otherwise, someone with ulterior motives might target his Star Seals and bring more trouble upon him.
After that, Chen Qian did the same to extract the extra star seals from Xia Sheng, Murong Xiao Xiao, and Xiao Bai Yi.
Yang Kai witnessed quite clearly that no matter the cultivation or strength of the person, they all seemed to take some damage after having the Star Seal stripped from their body. Even Xia Sheng couldn’t help shaking a bit as his face went slightly pale.
It seemed that this forceful extraction method had its disadvantages.
It didn’t take long for Chen Qian to move in front of Yang Kai.
This Elder Chen was rather petite, and when she stood in front of Yang Kai, she was actually shorter than him by a head.
She raised her head to glance at Yang Kai as she said in a light tone, “If you’re prepared, I’ll begin.”
“Wait a moment!” Yang Kai suddenly spoke up.
“What’s wrong?” Upon hearing this, Chen Qian furrowed her delicate brow and tilted her head at Yang Kai, not knowing what he wanted to do.
Everyone else also glanced in his direction.
Yang Kai had a calm expression as he glanced towards Wen Zi Shan, cupped his fists, and said, “Junior is willing to turn over all his extra Star Seals, since this was what was agreed upon beforehand and all I need is one for myself; however, before that, Junior would like to ask Temple Master Wen a question.”
“Oh?” Wen Zi Shan smiled upon hearing this and nodded as he answered, “Say it, what do you need from this Temple Master?”
Yang Kai replied, “As Elder Gao previously mentioned, all extra Star Seals must be turned over to the temple, and this Junior was only able to enter the Four Seasons Realm thanks to the quota provided by Azure Sun Temple, so naturally I have no objections in giving my six star seals to the temple,” he paused for a moment before saying, “Elder Gao also mentioned before that after turning over the additional Star Seals, the temple would give an appropriate reward…”
“So, it’s about this matter!” Wen Zi Shan chuckled. “You can rest assured about this matter. Although you’re not a disciple of my divine temple, we won’t bully you, and we’ll give you the appropriate reward that you deserve…”
“May I make a request then?” Yang Kai inquired.
“What’s your request? Let’s hear it.” Wen Zi Shan looked at him with some interest.
“Temple Master Wen should still remember this Junior’s original goal in entering the Four Seasons Realm, yes?” Yang Kai replied with a question instead of answering.
Wen Zi Shan thought for a moment before nodding, “For the Tribulation Fruit? Right, I still haven’t asked you yet, did you manage to obtain it during this trip?”
Yang Kai shook his head, “No, but I did discover a Tribulation Fruit Tree in the Realm of Winter; unfortunately, it seems someone got there first and picked the fruit…”
“That’s truly unfortunate,” Wen Zi Shan also had an expression of pity.
“Junior would like to request the temple’s assistance in finding that spirit fruit! If Temple Master Wen can agree, I’ll gladly hand over all six of my Star Seals!” Yang Kai quickly said.
After Yang Kai said this, the Emperor Realm Masters in the temple couldn’t help furrowing their brows.
It wasn’t that Yang Kai was asking for too much with his request, but rather… This was truly difficult to do.
Countless Sects and families from almost the entire Southern Territory had entered the Four Seasons Realm, and nobody had seen who obtained the Tribulation Fruit from the Realm of Winter. If Azure Sun Temple tried to search for that person, they would have to invest a tremendous amount of manpower and effort.
What’s more, even if they found who obtained the fruit, it still might not be possible to obtain it. The other party would definitely ask for something in exchange. In other words, Azure Sun Temple would have to pay a certain amount before being able to obtain the Tribulation Fruit.
It would be fine if some small Sect or a disciple from some small family had obtained the Tribulation Fruit, as Azure Sun Temple would simply need to apply some pressure for the other party to submit.
However, it would be worrisome if a disciple from Orthodoxy Temple, Heavenly Martial Holy Land, or even Star Soul Palace had obtained the fruit. At that time, it would no longer be just about a single spirit fruit, but rather an issue between two top-level Sects. If it wasn’t dealt with properly, then a tremendous favour might be owed in the end.
Yang Kai might not know all the complex relationships between the top Sects of the Southern Territory, but the Azure Sun Temple’s leaders did.
That was why everyone fell silent after Yang Kai made this request.
Upon seeing them like this, Yang Kai simply remained quiet and waited instead of urging them to answer.
Wen Zi Shan finally spoke up after a long time, “If I recall correctly, that Tribulation Fruit wasn’t something you needed for yourself, but was for someone else, correct?”
“Indeed!” Yang Kai nodded.
“Since you weren’t able to obtain it in the Four Seasons Realm, you’ve already put forward your best effort, so why continue pursuing the issue? You could instead ask for something beneficial to yourself, for instance…” At this point, Wen Zi Shan suddenly took on a dangerous aura as his words became filled with extremely strong temptation, his voice turned low as he continued, “This Temple Master could help stimulate your potential and greatly increase your cultivation.”
Yang Kai furrowed his brow as he answered, “I made a promise, and promises should be kept. Temple Master, why test me like this?”
“Haha…” Wen Zi Shan didn’t feel awkward at all about being seen through, instead smiling as he heartily declared, “Good, this Temple Master will agree to your request. The temple shall help you to search for the Tribulation Fruit.”
“It must be found within three months!” Yang Kai quickly said. “If it takes any longer than that, I’m afraid… the one who needs it won’t be able to endure any longer.”
“Three months is more than enough!” Wen Zi Shan smiled slightly as he turned to look at Qiu Ran, “Vice Temple Master, you shall be in charge of this matter. You must deliver the Tribulation Fruit to this little brat surnamed Yang within three months.”
Qiu Ran stood up, cupped his fists, and answered, “Subordinate understands. I will absolutely live up to the Temple Master’s expectations!”
After saying this, he actually immediately left the hall, seemingly preparing to deploy some people to search for the Tribulation Fruit right away.
Yang Kai couldn’t help but heave a sigh of relief seeing this.
With a powerful Sect like Azure Sun Temple helping to search for the spirit fruit, it would definitely greatly increase the chance of success. If even Azure Sun Temple was unable to find it now, then Yang Kai really wouldn’t be able to do anything and would have to return to Maplewood City and inform Qin Zhao Yang of what happened.
“Will this suffice?” Wen Zi Shan smiled and looked at Yang Kai.
Yang Kai gently nodded, turned to look at Chen Qian, and continued “Please go ahead, Elder Chen!”
Chen Qian didn’t say a word as she scanned Yang Kai with her Divine Sense. She then used one hand to hold the incense burner while her other hand made a seal before she poked Yang Kai several times.
The next instant, Yang Kai felt a warm energy reverberate inside his body and a flow of heat appeared on his arm. It felt as if something had shot forth, and at the same time, an indescribable feeling of discomfort arose in his heart.
He couldn’t help groaning slightly when this happened.
“Eh…?” Wen Zi Shan had a look of astonishment in his eyes when he witnessed this.
That was because everyone before Yang Kai had differing degrees of discomfort when their extra Star Seals were stripped from their bodies. Murong Xiao Xiao, Xiao Bai Yi, and Chen Mu Ji had taken several steps backward, and although Xia Sheng hadn’t retreated, his face had still paled.
Although Yang Kai’s reaction was similar to Xia Sheng’s, Yang Kai had six Star Seals stripped from him! Yet, he still stood right where he was despite only having a First-Order Dao Source Realm cultivation.
This was really shocking.
The others noticed this as well and couldn’t help showing interest in him.
*Shua Shua Shua…*
Six beams of light flew into the air, but Chen Qian immediately bound and dragged them into the incense burner.
After Chen Qian finished, she finally spoke to Yang Kai in a gentle tone, “I left a five-pointed Star Seal for you, use it well if you really enter the Shattered Star Sea.”
“Many thanks, Elder Chen!” Yang Kai took a deep breath in order to calm the roiling vitality in his chest.
Of the seven Star Seals that he obtained, the highest-level one was a five-pointed Star Seal, which he obtained from trading with Wu Chang. As for the six-pointed, seven-pointed, or eight-pointed Star Seals that Lan Xun had previously mentioned, Yang Kai had not seen any such thing, so he was clueless about whether they truly existed in this world or not.
Overall, Yang Kai was quite satisfied with the final result. Chen Qian had also been considerate of him and left him the highest-level Star Seal rather than leaving him a random one.
Yang Kai still didn’t know what difference there was between the Star Seals’ different levels, but now wasn’t the time to ask. Regardless, he was going to stay in Azure Sun Temple for some time, so he intended to find someone to ask later when he had the chance.
“All of you have worked hard, you may go and rest now.” Wen Zi Shan waved his hand at the Dao Source Realm disciples before adding, “As for the temple’s reward for you… we’ll discuss it and inform you later.”
“Yes!” Xia Sheng and the others responded before bowing and exiting the hall.
After they left, Elder Di Rong finally muttered, “Such a good seedling!”
Although he didn’t refer to anyone with his words, everyone present knew who he was talking about. Naturally, it was Yang Kai.
“It seems you all have noticed as well,” Wen Zi Shan smiled slightly, “This little brat surnamed Yang… he’s a bit different from others. I think that Elder Gao and Elder Chen should understand better than anyone else, since the two of them watched the entire fight between Yang Kai and Xue Yi back on Soaring Swallow Peak.”
Chen Qian nodded and confirmed, “That’s right, Xue Yi wasn’t even a match for him!”
“He’s not just a ‘bit different’ from others, he’s a one in a billion genius!” Gao Xue Ting quickly said.
“Oh? Elder Gao has such a high assessment of him? Isn’t that a bit much…?” Di Rong turned to look at Gao Xue Ting and exclaimed in disbelief.
“You wouldn’t think that if you knew what he did in the Four Seasons Realm,” Gao Xue Ting replied in a light tone.
Wen Zi Shan smiled as he asked, “Since you say that, did he do something incredible in the Four Seasons Realm?”
“Does successfully refining a batch of Extraordinary Treasure Pills count as something amazing?” Gao Xue Ting turned to look at him.
Everyone’s expressions changed dramatically after hearing this.
“Extraordinary Treasure Pills!?” Di Rong shouted, “The legendary pill that can permanently increase a person’s chance of breaking through to the Emperor Realm after taking it?”
“I don’t know if the legends are true or not, but he indeed refined Extraordinary Treasure Pills!”
“In that case, an Extraordinary Treasure Lotus appeared in the Four Seasons Realm this time?” Wen Zi Shan arched his eyebrows.
“Indeed,” Gao Xue Ting nodded as she explained everything that she knew. She also explained just why Yang Kai came to possess so many Star Seals.
After hearing this, the Emperors present all fell silent.
“Although this boy is just a First-Order Dao Source Realm cultivator, not only does he possess astonishing strength, he’s actually a Dao Source Grade Alchemist as well?” Di Rong’s expression was quite animated as he muttered this.
“He’s also no ordinary Dao Source Grade Alchemist!” Chen Qian answered in a low voice, “He successfully refined four pills in a single batch of that grade. He has to be at least a Dao Source Grade Mid-Rank or even High-Rank Alchemist in order to accomplish this. No newly promoted Dao Source Grade Alchemist could possibly do such a thing!”
“When Elder Gao said that he was one in a billion… it seems she was not exaggerating,” Wen Zi Shan quickly said. “Out of all the rising stars in Dao Source Realm, you probably can’t find anyone in the entire Star Field that could accomplish what he did apart from a disciple of a Wondrous Pill Great Emperor, right?”
“Perhaps there are those with more aptitude than him in the Martial Dao, and perhaps there are also those with more talent than him in the Alchemic Dao, but there’s probably none who are as skilled as him in both simultaneously!”
“Temple Master, have you considered recruiting such an excellent seedling into our Sect? This boy doesn’t seem to belong to any other force, right?” Di Rong had an eager expression as he made this recommendation.
Wen Zi Shan smiled upon hearing this and remarked, “Of course it would be great if such a good seedling joined the temple. Still, it depends on his own opinion, but… we could certainly try.”
After saying that, he then turned to look at Gao Xue Ting, “Elder Gao, among all of us, you know him the best, so you should take charge of this matter.”
“I don’t understand him that well,” Gao Xue Ting replied with a calm expression. “But since Temple Master has given the command, subordinate shall try.”
Wen Zi Shan nodded lightly and then changed the topic, “In that case, let us discuss what reward shall be appropriate for those disciples…”
…
Yang Kai returned to the Azure Sun Temple’s Soaring Swallow Peak.
The palace that had been wrecked last time during his fight with Xue Yi had already been repaired, and after Yang Kai entered, he opened the various barriers and rested for half a day before he began taking inventory of his harvest from the Four Seasons Realm.
Although he didn’t get the Tribulation Fruit he was searching for on this trip to the Four Seasons Realm, he still gained quite a significant harvest.
Without mentioning the Monster Beast Cores of various grades and amounts, just the spirit herbs, most of which were of the Ice Attribute, that he transplanted into the Small Sealed World’s medicine garden was already a great harvest.
Yang Kai had stayed in the Realm of Winter the longest, and with the little snowflake to lead the way for him, it could be said that at least ten percent of all the treasures in the Realm of Winter had landed in his possession.
Yang Kai had harvested the spirit herbs and immediately transplanted them into his medicine garden at the time. The Sealed World Bead’s medicine garden had a special environment that was highly suitable for growing herbs, and with the Immortal Tree providing a shocking amount of vitality, there was no need to worry that these herbs would wither. In fact, these herbs would instead have their growth greatly accelerated.
All these herbs’ medicinal ages would increase a hundred times faster than in the outside world.
Apart from these, there was also a Flowing Time Fruit that Yang Kai had obtained from the Flowing Time Temple. Although this item wasn’t very useful for Martial Dao cultivation, it had a certain special effect if you managed to refine it into a Flowing Time Pill. This effect was something that countless cultivators would definitely desire.
Taking one pill would cause a person’s body’s condition to return back to how it was several dozen, hundreds, or even thousands of years ago. This was something that would tremendously attract a cultivator whose lifespan was almost up.
This was even more so for women of all ages; after all, which woman wouldn’t want to become younger?
Although the Flowing Time Pill’s effect wasn’t as strong as the legendary Everlasting Face Pill which could make one appear young forever, the two pills had different effects, so it was quite difficult to compare which was actually superior.
If an old woman with a face covered in wrinkles had to choose, she would definitely choose the Flowing Time Pill instead of the Everlasting Face Pill because the Everlasting Face Pill would no longer have any effect on her face, while the Flowing Time Pill would allow her to rejuvenate herself.
But if a young and beautiful woman had to choose, the Everlasting Face Pill would definitely be more attractive.
Yang Kai secretly planned to find a chance to gather some herbs after he left Azure Sun Temple to refine the Flowing Time Pill. Perhaps the pill would have a miraculous effect at some critical moment.
Apart from these, there was also a random assortment of items.
These items included the treasures Yang Kai obtained from killing others, as well as the Spirit Energy Hearts he obtained in the Flowing Time Temple from destroying the guardian puppets. These were basically useless to Yang Kai though, so he planned to exchange them for Source Crystals.
A jade bottle appeared in Yang Kai’s hand a moment later, and after opening it, he immediately saw a Spirit Pill-like object.
Emperor Authority Bead!
It was the Emperor Authority Bead that he had obtained from Wu Chang.
An Emperor Authority Bead had an Emperor Realm Master’s full force attack sealed within. It would be difficult to imagine how powerful it was, and it was also similarly difficult to create. This was a consumable item that only a Second-Order or stronger Emperor Realm Master was capable of refining and was usually given to one’s descendants for the sake of protecting their lives.
Whenever an Emperor Realm Master created an Emperor Authority Bead, they would be weakened for quite a long period of time, which meant that Emperor Realm Masters weren’t willing to craft these unless it was absolutely necessary. Even if they crafted one, it would only be on a rare occasion, and they wouldn’t craft many.
Thus, Emperor Authority Beads were considered a rare treasure even throughout the entire Star Boundary.
This Emperor Authority Bead had come from the Flowing Time Temple and was something left behind by the Flowing Time Great Emperor. Although Yang Kai didn’t know when Flowing Time Great Emperor had refined this bead, its value and level already far surpassed that of an ordinary Emperor Authority Bead.
Perhaps it had a Great Emperor level attack sealed inside, or maybe a Third-Order Emperor Realm level attack.
At any rate, this was a life-saving item that Yang Kai could use at a critical moment. Even if he was surrounded by thousands of troops or masters, he could still overturn the dangerous situation with this.
Yang Kai put the bead away with extreme caution in a location where he could easily retrieve it from his Space Ring before finally focusing on the other three beads in front of him.
These three beads were identical in shape and size. The only thing different about them was their colour.
One was fiery red. Yang Kai obtained it in the Flowing Time Temple.
The temple had contained many treasures back then, and Lan Xun had basically identified them all. The only unidentifiable item was this red bead, and in fact, Lan Xun didn’t even know what this bead’s purpose was.
Yang Kai remembered the words that Qiong Qi had told him through Zhang Ruo Xi, ‘If he could enter the deepest part of the temple, then he must take the item that appeared to be the most useless’.
At the time, this red bead seemed to be the most useless one among all the treasures. No matter if it was the Pseudo Emperor Artifact, Supreme Divine Water, Emperor Aura, or Emperor Authority Bead, they were all rare treasures that were hardly ever seen in the outside world.
That was why Yang Kai had directly targeted this bead…
Nobody else had tried to fight with him for this bead, so he had gotten it quite easily.
The second bead was green. Yang Kai had obtained it in the Realm of Winter’s lake.
The third bead was the one he had obtained from trading with the round-faced woman from Eight Paths Sect.
Yang Kai never would have traded away an Extraordinary Treasure Pill with this round-faced woman if it weren’t for this bead! This third bead was faint yellow, like a withered leaf, making one think of how flowers and leaves would start to die in autumn.
These three beads of three different colours all had no reaction whatsoever when Yang Kai tried to inject his Source Qi or Divine Sense into them.
Aside from being different colours, they were impossible to tell apart.
Thinking that these beads came from the Four Seasons Realm though, it was quite easy to associate them with spring, summer, autumn, and winter.
The green bead obviously represented spring, which was filled with vitality, the red summer, and the bleak yellow, autumn!
There was one missing season. Only the Bead of Winter’s whereabouts were unknown.
Yang Kai secretly felt that he might be able to figure out the secret hidden inside these four beads if he could find the final Bead of Winter; however, the Four Seasons Realm had already closed, so it was impossible to look for it even if he had wanted to.
Yang Kai looked at the beads for a while and then sighed. He then put away the ‘Four Seasons Beads’ as he decided to name them.
If fate permitted, perhaps he would be able to find the final bead, but if it was not meant to be, perhaps he would never see the final bead in his lifetime. The Star Boundary was immensely vast, so it would be incredibly difficult to find a single Bead of Winter.
Overall though, Yang Kai’s harvest this time was not small.
There was also no need to mention the benefits he gained from the Flowing Time Force through the Flowing Time Steps, or the Emperor Artifact Pink Clouds Phoenix Robe that Zhang Ruo Xi obtained.
Yang Kai organized his spoils and tossed all the random items that he couldn’t use at all into the Small Sealed World, giving them to his Embodiment.
These items included the Spirit Pills found in others’ Space Rings, various ores, and even some artifacts.
Regardless, the Embodiment was cultivating the Heaven Devouring Battle Law and had the Stone Puppet Clan’s innate Divine Ability, so it could devour anything in the world that possessed Qi…
Yang Kai calculated that the current Embodiment was even capable of devouring an Emperor Artifact and absorbing it as a foundation to become even stronger.
Moments later, Yang Kai made a seal with his hands as his body flashed straight into the Small Sealed World.
He used his Divine Sense to scan and imprint every single blade of grass in the Small Sealed World into his mind.
The Embodiment was cultivating right now. Stone Puppets did not know fatigue, so Yang Kai’s Embodiment was capable of cultivating without rest.
Meanwhile, the two living people in the Small Sealed World, Zhang Ruo Xi and Hua Qing Si, were both sitting cross-legged in their own buildings.
Perhaps because the Sealed World Bead had devoured a large amount of Spirit Qi from the Spirit Qi Sea, Yang Kai felt that this place’s cultivation environment was obviously better than before.
Judging from this, it seemed he should have the Sealed World Bead absorb some more World Energy from the outside world if he had a chance, at least when he encountered another area with extremely dense World Energy like last time.
Yang Kai used his Divine Sense to gather the World Energy in the Small Sealed World towards the houses so Zhang Ruo Xi and Hua Qing Si would be able to cultivate more efficiently.
Zhang Ruo Si had previously risen to the First-Order Origin Returning Realm in the Four Seasons Realm Spirit Qi Sea, and then again to the Second-Order on the Flowing Time Steps, so right now she was busy consolidating her cultivation.
However… Yang Kai did not dare to underestimate her because of her weak cultivation.
Yang Kai had witnessed many inconceivable things when he brought Zhang Ruo Xi into the Four Seasons Realm this time.
He clearly remembered that when Zhang Ruo Xi was breaking through to the next Great Realm, the Origin Returning Realm, a gigantic female phantom had suddenly appeared behind her. This woman was like a giant version of a more mature Zhang Ruo Xi, and when this phantom opened her mouth, she sucked in the entire World Energy Baptism meant for Zhang Ruo Xi, allowing the latter to break through in an instant without any difficulties.
Afterwards, inside the Flowing Time Temple, right when Zhang Ruo Xi was no longer able to bear the rising Flowing Time Force from the Flowing Time Steps, the Divine Spirit Qiong Qi had acted to save her life, and even gifted her the Pink Clouds Phoenix Robe…
Yang Kai refused to believe that Zhang Ruo Xi didn’t have some sort of secret.
Qiong Qi was a vicious beast that was a famous existence even in ancient times. Any cultivator that met him would barely have a chance of remaining alive, yet such a Divine Spirit willingly saved a young girl like Zhang Ruo Xi.
Qiong Qi had seen something in Zhang Ruo Xi that Yang Kai didn’t know about…
There was also the Space Spirit Jade. Why had it only reacted to Zhang Ruo Xi? And what was the scene that had flashed before his eyes back when the jade activated?
Zhang Ruo Xi didn’t know about her situation either, so Yang Kai couldn’t find out by asking her.
How could he possibly underestimate someone filled with such profound secrets that even Qiong Qi was willing to save and protect her?
Yang Kai could only hope that Zhang Ruo Xi’s strength would quickly rise. Perhaps she would figure her secrets out on her own once she became strong enough.
Since Zhang Ruo Xi was cultivating, Yang Kai didn’t disturb her. Instead, he flashed straight over to Hua Qing Si’s building.
He didn’t make a sound when he appeared, but it seemed like Hua Qing Si sensed something and slightly furrowed her dainty brow. Opening her beautiful eyes, she couldn’t help glaring at Yang Kai slightly while saying, “You should say something when you arrive. You almost scared me to death.”
“I didn’t know that you were such a scaredy-cat,” Yang Kai smiled widely.
“The Four Seasons Realm… has it closed?” Hua Qing Si asked contemplatively.
“En.” Yang Kai nodded.
“How was your harvest?”
“Okay.”
Hua Qing Si couldn’t help but spit disdainfully as she spoke, “It’s obvious that you’re not telling the truth. Did you get something good?”
Yang Kai smiled, “En, something.”
As he spoke, he took out a round, white, and flawless Spirit Pill and held it between two fingers.
“That’s…” Hua Qing Si focused with her pretty eyes upon the Spirit Pill with a blank look of confusion.
Although she didn’t recognize the Spirit Pill or what it was used for, she instinctively felt that something was amazing about it and that it was highly likely to be an incredibly rare item.
“Do you want it?” Yang Kai’s mouth arched upwards in a subtle grin as he spoke.
“With our current relationship, and the condition where you can kill me at any time, plus with this Spirit Pill’s colour and scent, I don’t think that it’s poison or that it’s anything bad for me because there’s no need for you to do such a thing. In that case, this Spirit Pill must really be useful for me, right?” Hua Qing Si began to carefully analyze the situation instead of immediately answering Yang Kai’s question, “I’m already a Third-Order Dao Source Realm cultivator, which is only a step away from the Emperor Realm. There are very few Spirit Pills in the world that will be highly useful to me, and… I’ve never seen or even heard of this type of Spirit Pill in your hand right now…”
Hua Qing Si’s beautiful eyes gradually lit up as she spoke, “The only explanation then is that this Spirit Pill is the type that only exists in legend…” She couldn’t help but begin to breathe rapidly, “I want it! I want it, hurry and give it to me!”
However, Yang Kai didn’t immediately give it to her, instead just looking over her with a teasing expression before muttering aloud, “Is it really good for a woman to say such words?”
“Go to hell!” Hua Qing Si’s face became red from the teasing as she glared at Yang Kai while gritting her teeth, “Are you giving it to me or not?”
Yang Kai smiled slightly and refrained from teasing her further before tossing the Spirit Pill over.
Hua Qing Si happily caught the pill. She first put it right in front of her eyes to carefully observe it, but she still couldn’t tell anything about it, so then she went up to sniff it and even used her pink tongue to gently lick it…
“Is there a need for this…?” Yang Kai had dark lines appearing on his forehead as he watched, “Can’t you just directly eat it?”
“Just what kind of Spirit Pill is this?” Hua Qing Si raised her head and asked.
“Extraordinary Treasure Pill!”
Hua Qing Si immediately froze upon hearing this as her beautiful eyes began to violently tremble while she stared at Yang Kai in disbelief.
“You know what it is?” Yang Kai was rather surprised as he looked at her.
Back in the Four Seasons Realm, many cultivators hadn’t known about the Extraordinary Treasure Lotus and Extraordinary Treasure Pill. It was only thanks to Lan Xun’s explanation that everyone realized how precious they were.
However, it was obvious from Hua Qing Si’s reaction that she knew what it was.
“Of course I know about it…” Hua Qing Si answered as if it was natural while her voice trembled slightly, “This is the extremely famous… Extraordinary Treasure Pill, which might not appear even once in ten thousand years!”
She wasn’t exaggerating about this.
Although the Extraordinary Treasure Lotus might appear every once in a while, it was extremely difficult to get an Extraordinary Treasure Pill, because the Extraordinary Treasure Lotus’s medicinal effects would disappear unless it was eaten or made into a pill within three hours.
Two conditions must be met in order for an Extraordinary Treasure Pill to be created.
The appearance of an Extraordinary Treasure Lotus!
At the same time, a highly skilled Alchemist must also be nearby!
It was highly difficult for both conditions to be met simultaneously, to the extent where it wouldn’t happen even once in ten thousand years. Even if it happened, the Alchemist present still needed to have the necessary adjuvants on hand and not fail in the refinement.
Such mishaps had indeed happened in history before. An Alchemist had been under too much pressure when creating the Extraordinary Treasure Pill, which then led to a failure in refinement.
It could thus be seen that Extraordinary Treasure Pills were both precious and difficult to obtain.
“You really are quite knowledgeable,” Yang Kai smiled widely.
“Where did you obtain this? The Flowing Time Temple actually had something like this?” Hua Qing Si was still truly shocked and was unable to restore her emotions to normal for quite some time.
“I refined it myself,” Yang Kai replied casually.
“You’re also an alchemist?” Hua Qing Si’s expression instantly became rather strange.
“What? I can’t be?” Yang Kai answered with some displeasure before urging her, “Why are you still holding it? Hurry up and eat it. You’re currently at the Third-Order Dao Source Realm, so perhaps you can break through to the Emperor Realm soon after swallowing it.”
“You’re really giving this to me?” Although Hua Qing Si was asking this, her hand clenched really tightly to the Extraordinary Treasure Pill.
“Why would I take this out if I wasn’t giving it to you?” Yang Kai laughed at her silly question before thinking about it a bit and deciding to explain, “Let me put it this way, you gave me your Soul Brand and now I don’t need to fear you betraying me or exposing my secrets. That means the stronger you are, the more useful you are to me, so I also want you to reach the Emperor Realm as quickly as possible so that later, when I travel around the world, if someone I don’t like appears, I can let you out to bite them.”
“Am I a dog…?” At first, Hua Qing Si’s pretty face showed her gratitude, but the more she listened, the colder her expression became, almost to the point that it frosted over.
“Stop wasting time and just eat it already!” Yang Kai coldly snorted.
“I finally understand what kind of person you are!” Hua Qing Si gave him a sidelong glance as she chuckled meaningfully, “You have a sharp tongue but a soft heart. You want to apologize for all the terrible things you’ve done to me, but you’re afraid your image will break down and you’ll lose your dominant status if you just come out and say so, so you spout vicious lines to disguise your intent instead.”
“Keep talking and I’ll strip you naked and toss you outside!” Yang Kai snapped at her threateningly, as he became angry out of embarrassment.
“Go ahead!” A faint red blush appeared on Hua Qing Si’s face, but she refused to act weak and even stuck out her chest and talked back to Yang Kai, “If you dare to do that, then I’ll announce to the whole world that I’m your woman, and watch just how much of a cuckold you become!”
“So vicious?” Yang Kai went pale with astonishment.
“Hehehe!” Hua Qing Si laughed happily, “If you’re afraid, then obediently call me Elder Sister, and I might magnanimously show mercy and spare you!”
“Fine, you win!” Yang Kai retorted angrily before clenching his teeth and exiting the Sealed World Bead.
He was afraid that he wouldn’t be able to take it anymore if he had to keep dealing with this crazy woman.
“Don’t go, I’m not done talking yet!” Hua Qing Si hurriedly called out to him, but there was no reaction.
Quite a while later, she finally licked her red lips and glanced at the Extraordinary Treasure Pill in her hand as she mumbled to herself, “Now that I look back, if it wasn’t for me witnessing a few of his secrets back then, I wouldn’t have fallen to this current situation… but, it was also because of falling here that I managed to get this Extraordinary Treasure Pill. Fortune and misfortune really do go hand in hand. Forget it, for this one Spirit Pill alone, what does it matter if he imprisons me here for a hundred years?”
She suddenly smiled slightly as she said this.
Although she was now a Third-Order Dao Source Realm cultivator, she had no confidence she would be able to break through to the Emperor Realm any time soon. Cultivation completely relied on solid accumulation over time that came from gradual improvement.
But, until now, she had never managed to grasp the method to break through her bottleneck and touch the Emperor Realm’s secrets. Back at Star Soul Palace, she had also taken the chance to ask some of the Masters in the palace, but none of them were able to give her a satisfactory answer or guide her down a well-lit path.
She secretly felt that if she didn’t receive any special opportunity in this lifetime, it would be impossible for her to reach the Emperor Realm.
But now, this incredibly rare chance had suddenly dropped onto her lap.
It was natural for Hua Qing Si to feel excited inside.
She knew of the Extraordinary Treasure Pill precisely because she felt there was no hope for her to reach the Emperor Realm on her own, leading her to study many ancient books in Star Soul Palace while hoping to find some method to help herself.
All of the ancient books she studied, however, had mentioned the ‘Extraordinary Treasure Pill‘!
According to those ancient books, this was a Spirit Pill that could all but guarantee one broke through to the Emperor Realm as long their aptitude and effort weren’t too lacking.
What cultivator would possibly lack aptitude after cultivating to Third-Order Dao Source Realm though, so saying it was a certainty wasn’t an exaggeration.
For instance, someone like Xia Sheng or Wu Chang might rise to Emperor Realm within five, or even two to three years after eating this pill. Someone with slightly worse aptitude might take ten or twenty years… but what did it matter even if it took a hundred years?
It was worth waiting any amount of time as long as one could reach the Emperor Realm.
This was a tremendous gift.
Hua Qing Si thought she would be a lowly servant to Yang Kai for life after being forced to surrender her Soul Brand, never having expected that he would give her such a precious Spirit Pill like this.
His generosity and openness were beyond her expectations.
After some thought, Hua Qing Si no longer hesitated as immediately stuffed the Extraordinary Treasure Pill into her mouth.
Since she already knew about the Extraordinary Treasure Pill, she naturally knew that the sooner one ate it, the better.
After she ate the Spirit Pill, she immediately sat down cross-legged and silently began to cultivate to refine the medicinal efficacies.
At the same time, Yang Kai appeared with a wretched look on his face in the palace on Soaring Swallow Peak, grumbling and cursing under his breath in frustration.
Back when he refined that furnace of Extraordinary Treasure Pills, unlike what he told the crowd, he hadn’t refined just four pills, but five!
Back during the Pill Tribulation, Liu Yan had taken all the Extraordinary Treasure Pills and hid them inside the Sealed World Bead. After the Pill Tribulation was dispersed, and before everyone regained their senses, Yang Kai had secretly put four pills back without anyone noticing.
With Yang Kai’s current cultivation and Alchemy skills, it was largely thanks to luck that he had refined five Extraordinary Pills in one furnace.
He originally thought he would only be able to create three pills, so the results had given him a pleasant surprise.
The only part that Yang Kai felt was a pity was that not a single pill with Pill Veins had appeared amongst the five Spirit Pills. This was understandable though as Extraordinary Treasure Pills were difficult to refine in the first place, and it would truly be too heaven-defying if Pill Veins had also been formed.
Over the next few days, Yang Kai remained on Soaring Swallow Peak and calmly focused on cultivation while patiently waiting for news from the Azure Sun Temple.
Searching for the Tribulation Fruit wasn’t something that could be done in one or two days. Yang Kai had given the three-month time limit entirely out of consideration for Qin Yu, as any longer and she would not be able to survive.
Azure Sun Temple was her and Yang Kai’s only hope.
Soaring Swallow Peak was in a remote location in Azure Sun Mountain Range, so it was quite quiet and nobody came to bother Yang Kai.
However, Yang Kai didn’t expect that a surprising guest would come to visit him a few days later.
The visitor was actually Gao Xue Ting.
He was surprised, but he did not neglect courtesy and performed the duties of a host by inviting Gao Xue Ting in and attending to her politely.
He originally thought that Gao Xue Ting had some business with him, but it didn’t happen the way that he expected. This icy Emperor Realm Master spent more than half a day with Yang Kai, but she simply acted like a Senior inquiring about her Junior’s cultivation while also asking Yang Kai some questions about his own Martial Dao.
Yang Kai carefully thought things over as he answered each question, having no idea from Gao Xue Ting’s unchanging expression if she was satisfied with the answers or not.
It was rare to have a chance to be so close to an Emperor, so Yang Kai also took the opportunity to ask some things that he didn’t understand. Gao Xue Ting didn’t hold back any knowledge she had and did her best to explain everything in an easily understandable manner.
Yang Kai learned a lot.
Before she left, Gao Xue Ting mentioned that she wanted to test how strong Yang Kai’s Divine Sense was.
Although Yang Kai didn’t understand why, he didn’t refuse, gathering his Divine Sense before sending it out towards Gao Xue Ting.
She naturally received it without any difficulty; however, she did send a meaningful glance towards him, as if she could tell that he hadn’t used his full strength.
In the end, Gao Xue Ting gave Yang Kai a gift before she left.
After Yang Kai saw off Gao Xue Ting, he still felt confused about why she had come to visit him. Judging from his interaction with her back at the Four Seasons Realm, Gao Xue Ting wasn’t the type who actively tried to get along with others.
It wasn’t that she had a violent temper or a bad personality, rather it was just her innate icy nature and the cold look she kept on her face that seemed to tell strangers that they should remain a thousand kilometres away from her.
Yang Kai could actually sense that Gao Xue Ting wasn’t a bad person.
Yang Kai furrowed his brow slightly as he glanced at the item in his hand while muttering to himself, “This doesn’t make sense at all. What was she doing?”
He was holding the gift that Gao Xue Ting gave him before she left, a small shield the size of a palm. Light swirled around this shield, giving it a mystical appearance, and the aura fluctuations it gave off were definitely not weak. Gao Xue Ting had called this artifact the Purple Sun Profound Light Shield!
This was actually a Dao Source Grade Low-Rank artifact!
Not only that, it was a Soul-type artifact, something quite out of the ordinary!
Soul-type artifacts were typically created from rather special materials, and they could only be driven by a cultivator’s Divine Sense. Source Qi was completely useless on these artifacts.
They were also several times rarer and more expensive than ordinary artifacts.
So, even though this shield was only Dao Source Grade Low-Rank, its true value wasn’t any less than a Dao Source Grade High-Rank artifact, and in fact, it might even be more valuable than the latter.
This small shield was obviously a defensive artifact, and if one could refine it in their body, they would be able to use it to protect their Knowledge Sea and Soul from foreign threats.
Yang Kai actually didn’t have any Soul-type artifacts. Back when he was still quite weak, he did have an offensive Soul-type short sword artifact, but he had long since stopped using it as his strength improved.
He had also learned the Blossoming Lotus Secret Technique, and its offensive prowess far exceeded that of the majority of Soul-type artifacts, which was why he had never considered finding such an artifact before.
Gao Xue Ting’s gift indeed compensated for one of his shortcomings…
With this artifact protecting his Knowledge Sea, and with Yang Kai’s already strong Soul, it would be quite difficult for someone to injure him with a Divine Sense attack.
There was a saying that one shouldn’t refuse gifts from an Elder, so although Yang Kai wasn’t a disciple of Azure Sun Temple, Gao Xue Ting was still an Emperor Realm Master and technically his Elder. That was why Yang Kai had simply thanked her and accepted the gift without even thinking about it when she gave him this artifact.
After looking it over, he figured it wouldn’t take too long to refine.
Since he had nothing to do apart from waiting for news on the Tribulation Fruit, Yang Kai decided to start refining it right away.
Yang Kai no longer hesitated, sat down cross-legged, and sent his Spiritual Energy towards the Purple Sun Profound Light Shield.
More than ten days passed by slowly.
Over these ten-plus days, Yang Kai remained sitting in his room without moving, working diligently to refine the Purple Sun Profound Light Shield.
Thanks to his persistence during this time, he had completed about a third of the refinement process and was now barely able to activate some of this artifact’s power.
However, completely refining it would require more accumulation over time.
As expected of a Dao Source Grade Low-Rank Soul-type artifact, this Purple Sun Profound Light Shield seemed to possess impressively strong abilities. Even in its current state of refinement, it was able to form a purple light barrier that covered the outside of Yang Kai’s Knowledge Sea, adding a powerful layer of protection.
Anyone who wanted to harm Yang Kai’s Knowledge Sea would first have to break through this purple shield.
Since Yang Kai hadn’t finished refining it yet, he didn’t know if it had other abilities. Still, just this alone was more than enough for him to look forward to.
On this day, Yang Kai suddenly sensed something, so he hurriedly opened his eyes and looked outside. Right when he opened his eyes, someone spoke up in a loud voice, “Brother Yang, I’m here to see you.”
Upon hearing this voice, Yang Kai knew that the one who came to see him was Xia Sheng.
Right when Xia Sheng spoke, he immediately pushed the door open and entered.
Someone else spoke up right after, “Senior Brother, he hasn’t invited you in yet, what if you disturbed his cultivation by doing this?”
This person was Xiao Bai Yi.
“En en, perhaps Junior Brother Yang was studying some Secret Technique. Senior Brother, don’t be so reckless!” Murong Xiao Xiao’s voice also chimed in, conveying some worry with it.
“Ah…” Upon hearing this, Xia Sheng couldn’t help showing an embarrassed look, like he was caught between a rock and a hard place, muttering in a low voice, “What should I do then? I already shouted…”
“It’s alright, please enter!” Yang Kai responded.
Xia Sheng’s expression immediately eased up as he laughed loudly while entering.
“Pardon the intrusion!” Xiao Bai Yi muttered as he walked in as well.
Soon, several people appeared in front of Yang Kai.
Yang Kai was surprised that, in addition to Xia Sheng, Xiao Bai Yi, and Murong Xiao Xiao, Chen Mu Ji was actually present as well.
Chen Mu Ji and Yang Kai didn’t know each other and had basically only greeted each other a few times, never sharing a real conversation.
Xia Sheng warmly introduced the two of them to each other.
The guest room here was rather simple, so Yang Kai simply invited them in and asked them to make themselves comfortable. Next, turning to Xia Sheng, he asked, “Do you have something to tell me since you all came here together?”
Xia Sheng nodded lightly and smiled mysteriously as he said, “The Temple Master is summoning us!”
“Me as well?” Yang Kai raised his brow.
The ones present were all elites of Azure Sun Temple, so it was only normal that they would be summoned; however, Xia Sheng seemed to mean that Yang Kai had been summoned as well, confusing him greatly.
“Of course!” Xia Sheng nodded with a serious expression as he explained, “Temple Master especially had us come here to bring Brother Yang to see him.”
“Do you know what this is about?” Yang Kai inquired.
“Something good!” Xia Sheng smiled and chuckled.
Xiao Bai Yi added from the side, “Last time we left, didn’t the Temple Master mention an additional reward? I believe it’s about that.”
“A reward…” Yang Kai’s expression seemed incredibly strange, “But, I already made a request of Temple Master Wen, what else would he reward me with?”
Xia Sheng smiled and continued, “How could that small request possibly make up for your contribution of six extra Star Seals? Temple Master has always been the type to give fair rewards and punishments. Brother Yang, since you’ve made such a major contribution to the temple this time, it won’t be balanced out by a small request.”
“Indeed!” Xiao Bai also nodded, “You’ve noticed already that Temple Master only summoned us this time, yes? We were the only ones who obtained extra Star Seals. I, Xiao Xiao, and Junior Brother Chen were all able to get rewards just by giving a single extra Star Seal, not to mention you who brought back six all at once.”
“Let’s stop chatting and leave already, I’m really eager to know just what the Temple Master will reward me with,” Xia Sheng said with an impatient expression.
“In that case… I’ll be troubling you all to lead the way,” Yang Kai said politely.
The five of them then each used their own Movement Skills to fly towards Azure Sun Temple’s Main Peak.
It didn’t take long for them to arrive at Myriad Saints Peak where they landed and walked into the main temple.
However, Yang Kai’s expression suddenly changed just before he crossed the threshold. At that moment, he sensed a mystical power engulf him and before he could react, he felt a weightless sensation overcome him.
When the others passed the temple’s threshold, they noticed that Yang Kai had suddenly vanished.
“Where’s Brother Yang?” Xia Sheng’s expression changed greatly as he exclaimed in astonishment.
Xiao Bai Yi, Murong Xiao Xiao, and Chen Mu Ji also wore serious and shocked expressions.
“Don’t worry, the Temple Master called him for a private discussion,” Someone suddenly spoke from in front of the group. Turning around, they discovered it was Gao Xue Ting who spoke. At this moment, Elder Gao seemed like a silently standing, blooming white lotus flower that was clear yet distant.
The group of Juniors all exchanged a glance, not knowing why Wen Zi Shan had taken Yang Kai away by himself, but they also didn’t worry about it further and instead spoke in unison, “Greetings, Elder Gao!”
At the same time, Yang Kai mysteriously appeared in a secluded room on Myriad Saints Peak.
Yang Kai regained control over his own body and immediately took a defensive posture as he looked around him.
However, he quickly saw Wen Zi Shan sitting lazily nearby, smiling while looking at him.
“Ah… Greetings, Temple Master Wen!” Yang Kai wore a serious expression and cupped his fists.
Wen Zi Shan nodded and replied, “No need for pleasantries.”
He then stood up and slowly walked over to the table, picked up a wine bottle, then poured himself a glass.
The room instantly filled with a fragrant aroma.
He took a small sip and made an expression as if he really enjoyed it.
The corner of Yang Kai’s mouth twitched slightly when he saw Wen Zi Shan acting like this, but he simply remained silent and waited instead of interrupting.
After a long while, it seemed as if Wen Zi Shan finally regained his senses from that pleasant sensation of his drink as he spoke up with an expression of satisfaction, “You should know why I called you here, yes?”
Yang Kai remained silent for a moment before he nodded, “I heard some guesses from Brother Xia.”
“Haha,” Wen Zi Shan chuckled, “You’re such a cautious little brat! En… indeed, I called you over to give you a reward. Although you made a request of this King some days ago, that request isn’t enough to balance the contribution you made to the temple. However, you’re also not a disciple of my temple, making you technically an outsider, so what reward to offer you took this King quite some time to think of …”
“Junior doesn’t want much,” Yang Kai smiled slightly.
Wen Zi Shan replied, “Then what reward would you like? I might as well ask you. If it is possible, this King will satisfy your request!”
He handed the right to choose over to Yang Kai.
This sounded really generous, but Yang Kai knew quite well what was actually happening.
It was because he was merely a First-Order Dao Source Realm cultivator, while Wen Zi Shan was Third-Order Emperor Realm as well as a Sect Master!
Thus, anything that seemed precious and rare to Yang Kai would likely be quite ordinary in Wen Zi Shan’s eyes. It was highly likely that Wen Zi Shan would be able to easily give Yang Kai anything that he would dare to request.
Yang Kai would never make the foolish mistake of letting this rare opportunity pass him by.
He simply stated, “What reward can Temple Master Wen give this Junior?”
Hearing this, Wen Zi Shan wore an expression of praise as the two of them exchanged glances, understanding each other’s motives.
After a moment of silence, Wen Zi Shan spoke up, “When considering the number of Star Seals that you gave, this King can take responsibility and open the temple’s Treasury and allow you to choose any three items from within to keep!”
Yang Kai’s eyes lit up instantly.
Wen Zi Shan was talking about Azure Sun Temple’s Treasury, rather than his personal one. Azure Sun Temple was one of the top Sects in the Southern Territory, so its Treasury would be filled with countless rare items. If Yang Kai really was allowed to enter and take any three items he pleased, it was likely that his power level would improve by leaps and bounds.
But just as he was feeling moved, Wen Zi Shan added more as if trying to incite him, “There are countless artifacts within the vault, and there are even two Emperor Artifacts, but as for what the Emperor Artifacts are, and where they’re located, you must find them for yourself, I won’t be telling you. Apart from those, there are also rare elixirs that are impossible to find in the outside world, Secret Arts and Secret Books that are never shown to outsiders, and so on. With your current cultivation, obtaining any one of these treasures will be a great opportunity for you. Additionally, there are also records left behind by many Emperors of their cultivation experiences you could learn from…”
Yang Kai’s breathing gradually became faster as he never expected that Wen Zi Shan would be so generous to him.
No matter what, Yang Kai was still an outsider, yet Wen Zi Shan was actually willing to open up the Sect’s Treasury to him. Just this alone was more than enough to make Yang Kai incredibly grateful.
However… Although the items Wen Zi Shan mentioned were indeed precious and hard to obtain, Yang Kai was still unable to immediately make up his mind. He didn’t care about Emperor Artifacts, and he was capable of refining his own Spirit Pills, so he didn’t need those. As for Secret Arts and Secret Books, he could also ignore those since even if he took them, he wouldn’t have that much time to cultivate them. Yang Kai was instead slightly tempted by the Emperor Realm Masters’ written cultivation experiences.
Those books might help him save a lot of time by avoiding wrong paths in his cultivation.
Wen Zi Shan was rather surprised to see the changes in Yang Kai’s expression as he asked, “What’s wrong? Are none of these of interest to you?”
Yang Kai took a deep breath and replied, “Please forgive me, Temple Master Wen, I just… don’t know how to decide.”
Wen Zi Shan smiled and said, “This King understands. En, if you don’t like any of these things, how about this King personally teaches you a Secret Technique?”
Yang Kai raised his head and glanced at him while quickly saying, “Temple Master Wen, can I ask what reward Brother Xia and the others obtained this time? Are they also able to enter your noble temple’s Treasury and choose three items as they like?”
At this moment, Wen Zi Shan’s smile seemed to become more meaningful as he pointed at Yang Kai and exclaimed, “Kid, you really understand well.”
“It seems that… Brother Xia and the others were able to receive a reward that was different from mine.” Yang Kai understood.
“En, their reward is indeed different, since they are Disciples of the temple while you aren’t,” Wen Zi Shan directly admitted. He wasn’t worried that Yang Kai would be displeased since it was an obvious fact that people would always favour their own more.
“However…” Wen Zi Shan changed the topic and said, “You also have a chance to obtain the same reward as them, although it will depend on if you’re willing or not.”
“I’m willing to hear the details!” Yang Kai adopted a serious expression.
Although he didn’t know what reward Xia Sheng and the others were able to receive, since Wen Zi Shan openly admitted that the reward was different, this meant that Xia Sheng and the others were receiving a better reward.
Since there was an opportunity, Yang Kai would naturally want to try for himself.
Still, he was quite curious just what reward was actually better than choosing any three items from the Sect’s vault.
This time, Wen Zi Shan didn’t answer him immediately and instead asked, “Do you know why this King created Azure Sun Temple here?”
Yang Kai thought to himself that the temple’s founding was several hundred or even several thousand years ago, so how was he supposed to know? Although he thought this in his mind, he acted as if he really wanted to learn as he answered, “I do not know.”
“Of course it is because there’s something special here!” Wen Zi Shan replied, a trace of nostalgia flashing across his eyes as he spoke, “Eight hundred years ago, this King happened to pass by Azure Sun Mountain Range and discovered an item with miraculous uses and mysterious abilities. At that time, this King was already a Third-Order Emperor Realm and wanted to obtain that item, but unfortunately, he didn’t succeed. This King could only temporarily put down roots here, and as time passed, this place gradually started resembling a Sect, so this King decided he might as well found Azure Sun Temple.”
“Azure Sun Temple has a shorter inheritance compared to the other top-level Sects in the Southern Territory, yet why do we have the ability to compete with them on even ground?”
Yang Kai’s brow rose as he guessed. “Could it be due to that item?”
Wen Zi Shan immediately wore an appreciative expression as he nodded to Yang Kai, “That’s right. Although this King is a Third-Order Emperor Realm, and my power isn’t any weaker than other Sect Masters or Temple Masters, a Sect’s strength or weakness isn’t about just one person. A Sect requires many reliable pillars to hold its form, and it was thanks to that item that Azure Sun Temple was able to develop to today’s extent.”
“May I ask… just what that item is?” Yang Kai also became quite curious as he listened, really wondering just what kind of item would be able to make a Sect flourish to such a degree.
Wen Zi Shan glanced at Yang Kai with a serious expression as he explained, “The Divine Ascension Mirror! It is a mystical object that has existed since the birth of the Heavens and Earth. Inside of it is a self-contained world, but one that is very different from the one we live in. As for how it is different, this King won’t explain to you, since you’ll naturally learn for yourself if you have the opportunity to enter it. Any cultivator who enters it to train will be able to greatly increase their strength though. Back in the day, this King explored the inside of this mirror but was still unable to figure out all its mysteries. For the past several hundred years, most of the elite disciples of the temple have entered this mirror, and all who managed to leave it alive became much stronger.”
“Star Soul Palace has the Five Coloured Treasure Pagoda, Orthodoxy Temple has the Outer Astral Wind, and Heavenly Martial Holy Land has its Martial Intent Temple. These are the foundations of their respective Sects, and the reason why these Sects have stood the test of time,” Wen Zi Shan had a proud expression as he added, “Meanwhile, my Azure Sun Temple has the Divine Ascension Mirror! As long as the Divine Ascension Mirror isn’t broken, my temple can continue passing on its inheritance and remain standing!”
“Can Junior enter as well?” Yang Kai asked with fervour.
Wen Zi Shan smiled, “Originally, this King would have found it impossible to allow an outsider like you to enter it; after all, the Divine Ascension Mirror is a secret of my temple that only those who have entered know about. Ordinary disciples have never even heard of it, so of course, the other Sects naturally know nothing about it. However… this time, you contributed a great deal to the temple, so it would be wrong for this King to refuse you entry. But even so, allowing you to enter would be breaking the Sect rules…”
Upon hearing this, Yang Kai suddenly spoke up, “Temple Master Wen, do you recall that you said if I won the fight against Xue Yi, you would agree to one of my requests as long as it wasn’t excessive?”
Wen Zi Shan paused momentarily in surprise as he looked at Yang Kai and asked, “Why? Do you want to use that request here?”
“Of course!” Yang Kai nodded, “Plus, since I’ve contributed six Star Seals to the temple as a major achievement, there should be no problem now?”
“Aye, there are no problems…” Wen Zi Shan thought for a moment, “You’re already saying so much, but are you certain that you want to do this? You don’t even know what the Divine Ascension Mirror can do for you…”
Yang Kai smiled and said, “Since Brother Xia and the others obtained this reward, that means it is the best reward possible, and since it’s the best reward, why should I hesitate?”
“Good!” Wen Zi Shan declared in a serious voice, “Since that’s the case, then this King shall permit you to enter. However, you must swear an oath that you will never expose the secret of the Divine Ascension Mirror to anyone else, otherwise…”
“Junior understands!” Yang Kai nodded and immediately swore a solemn oath in front of Wen Zi Shan.
Those that understand can already make an educated guess of what the mirror improves upon.
Half a day later, Yang Kai left Wen Zi Shan’s side and returned to Soaring Swallow Peak.
For this half a day, Wen Zi Shan explained in detail to Yang Kai about the secrets of the Divine Ascension Mirror. The more that Yang Kai learned about the Divine Ascension Mirror, the more astonished he became that such a miraculous treasure had been born in this world, and how such a mysterious world could exist.
Wen Zi Shan was correct. Anyone who was able to enter the Divine Ascension Mirror and come out alive would see a great increase in their strength. This improvement was more than just an increase in raw power though and was rather an improvement to a person’s foundation, a genuine boon to any cultivator.
Now, Yang Kai finally understood why Gao Xue Ting had suddenly visited him a few days ago and given him the Purple Sun Profound Light Shield before she left. She must have already known about this beforehand, or she must have planned ahead, which was why she specifically gave him a Soul-type defensive artifact, all so Yang Kai could have some extra layer of safety after entering the Divine Ascension Mirror.
After realizing this, Yang Kai froze for a moment as he realized something and smiled wryly, muttering in a low voice, “Aged ginger really is spicier than young ginger!”
He said this because he had realized that Wen Zi Shan and the others had probably already discussed and agreed upon him entering the Divine Ascension Mirror more than ten days ago.
However, Temple Master Wen had intentionally made things difficult for him today and kept hinting many times that Xia Sheng and the others had received a different reward from Yang Kai, all in order to lure Yang Kai into using up the promise he had previously given him.
In other words, even if Yang Kai didn’t use up Wen Zi Shan’s promise, that he could make a request that wasn’t excessive, he likely would have been able to enter the Divine Ascension Mirror.
However, there was no use in crying over spilt milk. Yang Kai felt that he should actually thank Wen Zi Shan instead. Temple Master Wen had been willing to reveal such a major secret of Azure Sun Temple to an outsider like Yang Kai and even allowed him to enter the Divine Ascension Mirror, so what did it matter if he used up that promise in the process?
Yang Kai was going to enter that Divine Ascension Mirror tomorrow, so he no longer rushed to refine the Purple Sun Profound Light Shield when he returned to Soaring Swallow Peak. Half a day’s refinement wouldn’t amount to anything, no matter how hard he tried, so Yang Kai didn’t make a futile effort.
Instead, he simply sat cross-legged in silence and adjusted his condition to its best.
The next day in the morning, Yang Kai opened his eyes with a flash. It was evident that he had rested well.
He then immediately headed for a certain place deep in the Azure Sun Mountain Range.
Yang Kai landed at the foot of a tall peak approximately one hour later.
Four figures were already standing there on the empty ground. Yang Kai looked around and saw that these four were Xia Sheng, Xiao Bai Yi, Murong Xiao Xiao, and Chen Mu Ji.
“Ha. I knew that Brother Yang would definitely come as well,” Xia Sheng smiled widely and glanced over at Yang Kai when he saw him.
Xiao Bai Yi instead had an expression of astonishment. He had thought that the Divine Ascension Mirror was a top-secret for the Sect and it should have been impossible for an outsider like Yang Kai to enter no matter how great his contributions were. He hadn’t thought that Temple Master Wen would be so generous.
“Junior Brother Yang!” Murong Xiao Xiao flashed a smile at Yang Kai and nodded in greeting.
“Brother Yang!” Chen Mu Ji also cupped his fists. Although he still didn’t know Yang Kai very well, they had at least spoken a few words to each other by now and all of them were going to enter the Divine Ascension Mirror together and would be relying on each other’s help, so there was no harm in trying to have a better relationship with each other.
Yang Kai also cupped his fists in response and greeted everyone while chatting a little. Only after time did he change the topic and ask, “Is it only us entering this time? Is there no Elder leading us?”
Xia Sheng smiled and answered, “Of course there is an Elder. The Divine Ascension Mirror’s interior is said to be quite dangerous, so the temple naturally wouldn’t feel confident about just letting us Dao Source Realm Juniors enter by ourselves. They should be sending an Emperor Realm Elder to assist us.”
“We just don’t know who it will be,” Chen Mu Ji said with a smile.
Xia Sheng’s face immediately darkened as he muttered, “It absolutely must not be Elder Gao…”
Last time, when travelling to the Four Seasons Realm, Gao Xue Ting had tossed him off the ship both on the way there and on the way back, so he was rather afraid of Gao Xue Ting.
After Xia Sheng said this, he then turned around with suspicion while looking at Murong Xiao Xiao as he asked in confusion, “Xiao Xiao, did you not rest well last night? Why are your eyes constantly twitching?”
“No…” Murong Xiao Xiao answered in a tiny voice with an anxious expression.
“Hmph!” Xiao Bai Yi coldly snorted and looked elsewhere. Meanwhile, Chen Mu Ji and Yang Kai were respectively gazing at the sky and looking down at the ground…
Xia Sheng suddenly seemed to realize something as he shivered involuntarily.
He felt a chill from his back, as if the reaper of death was standing behind him.
“Haha…” He suddenly chuckled dryly, “What did I say just now…”
Before he finished speaking, he felt tremendous pain on his head as someone viciously hit him. He then completely collapsed on the ground, all splayed out, unmoving …
“All of you, follow this Queen!” Gao Xue Ting said in a light tone as she turned and flew upwards.
“Yes!” Everyone responded in agreement as they followed closely after Gao Xue Ting.
As Murong Xiao Xiao left, she glanced towards Xia Sheng with an expression filled with sympathy; however, she didn’t have the courage to pull him up, so she could only offer silent prayers for her Senior Brother in her heart.
Along the way, Gao Xue Ting didn’t say a single word, which gave the disciples an immense amount of pressure. For some unknown reason, when they were with Gao Xue Ting, the disciples all couldn’t help but become silent and stop smiling, as if they were all awed by her icy aura.
It didn’t take long for the group to reach the peak.
On this peak was a cliff that faced an abyss. The cliff was completely flat and smooth.
Gao Xue Ting stopped in midair in front of the cliff.
Yang Kai and the others all stood about ten metres away from Gao Xue Ting as they glanced at this place with curiosity.
It was normal that Yang Kai would be curious since he wasn’t a disciple of Azure Sun Temple; he was unfamiliar with everything here. However, it was different for Xiao Bai Yi and the others. They had lived in Azure Sun Temple for many years while studying under the Masters and learning here. They had also passed by this location many times, but none of them had ever paid any attention to this place, all of them thinking it was just an ordinary mountain. None of them had suspected that such a big secret was concealed here.
“After we enter, don’t look at what you shouldn’t, and don’t say anything you shouldn’t…” Gao Xue Ting warned before turning to a certain someone and saying pointedly, “Especially you!”
As she said this final sentence, her strict gaze focused right on Xia Sheng, who was attempting to hide behind Murong Xiao Xiao.
It was unknown when he had caught up…
“This disciple will become mute right now!” When Xia Sheng heard this, he immediately drew a line across his mouth, as if he was sewing his mouth shut with an invisible thread.
Only then did Gao Xue Ting turn around and face the flat cliff as she called out, “Grandma You, are you present? Xue Ting is here at the command of the Sect Master to bring several disciples into the Divine Ascension Mirror. Grandma You, please open the barrier!”
Her tone was incredibly polite. She wasn’t ever this polite when facing Wen Zi Shan and Qiu Ran.
It was fine with Wen Zi Shan, as it seemed that Wen Zi Shan had personally raised Gao Xue Ting, so the two of them had a really close relationship. Wen Zi Shan also often did things that made Gao Xue Ting angry, so of course, Gao Xue Ting wouldn’t respect him; however, Qiu Ran was the Vice Temple Master of Azure Sun Temple, and also a Second-Order Emperor, yet he had never received such polite treatment from Gao Xue Ting before.
Not only that… Yang Kai faintly sensed that apart from politeness, Gao Xue Ting’s attitude also portrayed some nervousness and tension.
On top of that, the way she referred to herself made her sound like a Junior, so Yang Kai immediately extrapolated that this Grandma You who guarded this Restricted Area must be someone on the level of a Supreme Elder, and one that had an extremely bad temper!
Yang Kai was slightly surprised by his own inference, because he hadn’t expected that there would be someone like this within Azure Sun Temple.
Gao Xue Ting kept waiting after she had called out.
At least half an hour passed before a flash of light suddenly appeared on the cliff in front. Right after that, a cave suddenly appeared on the cliff which had been completely smooth before.
Upon seeing this, Gao Xue Ting called to everyone in a low voice, “Follow me!”
Only then did she fly towards the cave with everyone else following close behind.
After they entered the cave, everyone felt a cold aura envelop them. Even though everyone present was at the Dao Source Realm at the minimum, they still couldn’t help shivering slightly.
The cave was quiet and had weak lighting. Gao Xue Ting led in the front while everyone followed closely while watching their footing.
Nobody spoke. In fact, they all suppressed their breathing as much as they possibly could. The only sound came from slight heartbeats that added to the eerie atmosphere.
The cave path continued to twist and wind in confusing ways as Gao Xue Ting led everyone deeper into the mountain.
They walked for quite a long time before a bright light suddenly appeared in front of them.
Moments later, they arrived in a large and spacious stone cavern.
When looking around, this stone cavern’s inside was clean and simple, with nothing at all in terms of decoration. In the centre of the cavern was something that resembled a mirror, which kept flashing with light and seemed to be the size of a table.
Everyone’s expression flickered involuntarily as they immediately understood that this was the legendary Divine Ascension Mirror, all of them looking over, seemingly wanting to get a better view.
However, when they focused on the mirror, they found that the Divine Ascension Mirror was so mystical that the originally flat surface suddenly transformed into a huge whirlpool that emitted an unimaginable suction force. Right after that, everyone’s Knowledge Sea began to roil as their Souls became unsettled, as if they were about to be sucked away.
Everyone panicked and hurriedly averted their gazes, none of them daring to stare at this abnormal treasure again as they all broke out into cold sweats.
“Youngsters always need to suffer some before learning just how insignificant they are, hmph!”
A grating and ear-piercing voice suddenly spoke up and echoed in the spacious stone cavern. This voice felt as if a hundred claws were scratching at the heart and made one feel incredibly uncomfortable.
If one really had to describe it, the voice resembled the sound of two pieces of metal scraping together with great force… Yang Kai and the others all felt like their heads were going numb when they heard it.
As the voice spoke, a figure suddenly mysteriously appeared in front of everyone.
Nobody noticed just when she had appeared and even Gao Xue Ting’s reflexively reacted, but in the next moment, she managed to compose herself again.
“Greetings, Grandma You!” Gao Xue Ting wore a serious expression as she cupped her fists towards the newly appeared figure.
Yang Kai and the others also hurriedly turned towards this newcomer and quickly discovered that Grandma You was surprisingly short, only reaching about the height of Yang Kai’s chest, and had a crooked back while she supported herself with a staff. She appeared to be really weak and doddering.
Meanwhile, the word ugly wouldn’t do Grandma You’s face any justice. Her entire face was filled with pits and blemishes. The invasion of time had left countless wrinkles upon her face, and there were even many age spots on her face, making it seem like she didn’t have long left to live.
Only her green eyes shone with energy. Everyone felt like their hair stood on end when they met her eyes.
The first word that everyone thought of was the word ‘vicious’ to describe such eyes and appearance…
Murong Xiao Xiao’s pretty face was already paling slightly as she didn’t have as much courage as the others, but even the men present wore expressions of discomfort.
However, none of them dared be impolite since Grandma You was right in front of them, all of them cupping their fists, “Greetings, Senior.”
Grandma You nodded lightly without indicating much else, simply glancing around while using an almost suffocating Divine Sense to scan their bodies.
Yang Kai was truly shocked as he stared at this old lady in front of him.
This was because he discovered that her Divine Sense was actually inconceivably strong. Even Aunt Feng, whom he met before, couldn’t compare to Grandma You.
Aunt Feng was a Third-Order Emperor Realm Master, someone on par with Wen Zi Shan.
However, this Grandma You’s aura was nowhere near the Third-Order Emperor Realm. According to Yang Kai’s experience, he estimated that she was just a First-Order Emperor!
In other words, even though this old lady was only at the First-Order Emperor Realm, her Divine Sense was as powerful as a Third-Order Emperor. It was unknown whether this was due to her own natural talent, or if it was related to how she constantly guarded the Divine Ascension Mirror.
Yang Kai secretly felt that the latter possibility was more likely, since according to Wen Zi Shan, the greatest use of the Divine Ascension Mirror was to strengthen a cultivator’s Soul.
Since Grandma You always stayed here in order to guard the Divine Ascension Mirror, she must have obtained tremendous benefits from this miraculous treasure as well.
“Oh,” Grandma You actually focused her gaze on Yang Kai after scanning everyone, as if she had noticed something, cackling strangely as she exclaimed, “An interesting little guy appeared…”
Gao Xue Ting glanced at Yang Kai and furrowed her brow slightly, but didn’t say anything in the end.
As for Grandma You, she didn’t say anything else about Yang Kai and instead just stated in her piercing voice, “The others are just passable!”
Gao Xue Ting cupped her fists and said, “I’ll be troubling Grandma to take them into the Divine Ascension Mirror.”
“Hmph, that little bastard Wen Zi Shan, he only knows how to order this old lady around!” Grandma You suddenly shouted angrily after hearing this.
Yang Kai and the others were truly stunned as they stared in disbelief at the old lady in front of them.
No matter what, Wen Zi Shan was still the Temple Master of Azure Sun Temple. Since this Grandma You had taken the job of guarding this Restricted Area, then she was obviously someone from the temple as well. A cultivator from the temple actually dared to be so rude and call the Temple Master a ‘little bastard’ right in front of so many people…
This seemed off no matter how everyone thought about it.
However, after Grandma You finished cursing Wen Zi Shan, she turned her head and used her sharp gaze to stare at everyone as she viciously exclaimed, “What’s wrong? That bastard trapped me here yet I’m not even allowed to curse at him? Do you have any objections?
Everyone hurriedly shook their heads in unison, feeling that this sentence contained a lot of information…
Meanwhile, Gao Xue Ting arched her brow and mentioned, “Grandma, you’re here simply because of a bet between you and the Temple Master, so why…”
“What do you know!?” Grandma You’s temper was as bad as Yang Kai had expected. After she finished cursing Wen Zi Shan, she got angry at Gao Xue Ting as her expression became warped, “Back then, you were nothing more than a little brat, so what would you know? That bastard Wen Zi Shan, if it wasn’t for me not being able to beat him, I long would have ripped his corpse into ten thousand pieces already…”
She seemed to recall a really unpleasant memory, causing her to constantly curse as she kept banging her staff on the ground, causing the entire stone cavern to echo loudly.
Yang Kai and the others stood where they were as their hearts trembled in fear, worried this old lady would go crazy and attack them.
With her powerful Divine Sense that was on par if not stronger than a Third-Order Emperor’s, if she did attack without warning, Gao Xue Ting might not be able to protect them.
Luckily, even though Grandma You was incredibly furious, she hadn’t reached the point of losing logic and reason, so she suddenly stopped speaking after she cursed for a while, stood in place, and panted loudly, as if she had become tired.
Gao Xue Ting also wore a difficult expression as she forced herself to be patient, not daring to interrupt Grandma You’s ranting. Only once the latter seemed to finish cursing did Gao Xue Ting speak again, “Grandma, we should first send them in.”
“I know!” Grandma You responded impatiently as she turned to look at Gao Xue Ting, “Are you also entering this time?”
Gao Xue Ting answered, “I am.”
“En, then each of you go find a stone room!” Grandma You then suddenly pointed to the front with her staff.
Yang Kai and the others looked where she was pointing and only then noticed that all around the mystical Divine Ascension Mirror were man-made stone rooms, each one with a door and a token hanging upon it.
At a rough count, there were approximately ten or so stone rooms that enveloped the Divine Ascension Mirror in a semicircular formation.
Gao Xue Ting spoke up to explain, “I think that you should all know how to enter the Divine Ascension Mirror already. It’s a place where only one’s Soul Avatar can enter, so our physical bodies will be unable to move later. Temple Master personally created these stone rooms, so while your Soul Avatars are exploring the Divine Ascension Mirror, your safety will be ensured as long as the barriers on these stone rooms are activated. Without the barrier token, or the Temple Master personally acting, no one can destroy those stone rooms or damage your physical bodies.”
Everyone nodded in understanding after hearing this.
“All this to guard against me!” Grandma You coldly snorted in dissatisfaction and chuckled wickedly, “Since he can’t relax with me here, why didn’t he just kill me back then? Why did he instead force me to guard this Restricted Area…”
She kept talking to herself, but everyone ignored her.
However, Yang Kai and the others knew that she was telling the truth.
Wen Zi Shan had specially created these stone rooms in order to protect the disciples whose Soul Avatars had entered the Divine Ascension Mirror against Grandma You.
Grandma You was someone who seemed very dangerous; after all, no one could tell just what she might do. What if she damaged their physical bodies while everyone was in the Divine Ascension Mirror? It was likely that everyone would then be stuck in the Divine Ascension Mirror for all eternity.
As Grandma You spoke, everyone found a stone room for themselves, took the token hanging on the door, and entered.
Gao Xue Ting didn’t rush to find a room for herself, however, and instead just stood where she was and explained to everyone about how to use the token.
Everyone soon learned the method to use their token and entered their own stone room, closing the door behind them and opening all the appropriate barriers.
After everyone finished, Gao Xue Ting finally chose an empty stone room and entered. Before she closed the door, she added, “We’ll be troubling you, Grandma!”
“No need for you to waste your breath!” was Grandma You’s response.
Gao Xue Ting didn’t say anything else as she also activated the barrier around her room and waited quietly.
A moment later, Grandma You supported herself on her staff as she went over to the Divine Ascension Mirror. Suddenly, she tossed her staff aside and opened up her arms. At the same time, a torrential amount of Spiritual Energy poured out of her forehead and was injected into the Divine Ascension Mirror.
She kept muttering something that sounded like an incantation, but upon listening more carefully, it didn’t sound like anything sensible at all.
As she made her movements, the Divine Ascension Mirror’s original faint flashes suddenly exploded with brilliant divine light.
Simultaneously, Yang Kai and the others who were sitting cross-legged in the stone rooms all became covered in the brilliant light. All of them felt something really discomforting in the light, as if their Souls were about to be sucked out of their bodies by it, a somewhat panic-inducing sensation.
However, none of them tried to resist, because this was an expected phenomenon. Every cultivator who entered the Divine Ascension Mirror would experience the same thing.
*Weng…..*
The Divine Ascension Mirror suddenly began flashing rapidly as a vortex appeared from it, covering everything in the surrounding cave. Sand and stones were kicked up and smashed into the stone rooms and cavern walls, causing many loud bangs.
*Xiu xiu xiu…*
Six beams of light flew forth from six different stone rooms in the next instant and entered the Divine Ascension Mirror before vanishing.
At the same time, Yang Kai and the others’ figures flashed like lightning past the surface of the Divine Ascension Mirror.
“En?” Grandma You’s eyes suddenly lit up as she was channelling her Spiritual Energy. It seemed like she noticed something as she stared at the Divine Ascension Mirror and soon exclaimed, “Impossible! That’s impossible! One of those brats actually possesses such a precious treasure? Did I see incorrectly?”
She then clasped her hands and viciously slapped out.
The flashing Divine Ascension Mirror immediately stabilized itself and resumed its original appearance.
However, Grandma You’s face was quite pale and her forehead was dripping with sweat. Her originally short body seemed even shorter now, as if this activation had used up a tremendous amount of her energy.
“Damn it, damn it all! Wen Zi Shan, you left me alive only because activating the Divine Ascension Mirror requires the Divine Sense of a Third-Order Emperor! Don’t think that I don’t know about your evil intentions! This old lady will make you pay the price sooner or later!”
After saying this, she hurriedly sat down cross-legged and shakily took out some Spirit Pills from her Space Ring and popped them into her mouth as if they were candy.
“No matter if I saw wrongly or not, I must go in and check for myself! If that really is the item I saw, Wen Zi Shan, this is your end! Haha… hahahaha…” She began to laugh out loud in a crazed manner after speaking like a madman to herself.
At the same moment, Wen Zi Shan was looking into the distance from Myriad Saints Peak.
Chen Qian was by his side.
Once the Third-Order Emperor Realm Spiritual Energy fluctuations died down, Chen Qian muttered, “It seems that Sister Gao and the others have entered now.”
“En,” Wen Zi Shan nodded, “Everything was successful.”
“Temple Master!” Chen Qian suddenly turned to look at Wen Zi Shan, “This subordinate doesn’t understand something.”
“Oh? There’s even something that Little Qian doesn’t know? I thought that you were so crafty despite your size, and that you knew everything,” Wen Zi Shan commented with a wide smile.
Chen Qian just glared at him, “Temple Master, you personally raised Sister Gao, so it’s fine for you to talk to her with such a tone, but I’m different… if you keep acting so flippantly and dim, I’m worried that you really will be single for the rest of your life!”
Wen Zi Shan immediately broke out into a cold sweat with an awkward expression, “Ahem, let’s set this aside. What did you want to ask just now?”
“Back then… why didn’t you… kill Grandma You?” Chen Qian quickly said with a serious expression.
Wen Zi Shan’s expression also became serious as he fell into silence for a moment before answering, “It’s not that I didn’t want to, but rather that I couldn’t kill her!”
Chen Qian replied with confusion, “This subordinate does not understand.”
Wen Zi Shan answered, “Back when I first came to Azure Sun Mountain Range, I decided to stay here precisely because I discovered the Divine Ascension Mirror. At that time, that old thing was already guarding the Divine Ascension Mirror, and it seemed as if she had been doing so for more than two thousand years. Of course, my desire was stimulated upon seeing that treasure for the first time and I was quite eager to study it, but you already know about that old thing’s temper. She wouldn’t agree no matter what, so in the end, this King was forced into a fight with her…”
“The end result was that you won and Grandma You lost?”
“En,” Wen Zi Shan nodded, “Although our Divine Senses were at about the same level, she only had First-Order Emperor, so this King was stronger overall. At that time, I discovered that old thing wasn’t anything good, with a violent temperament and a cruel heart. I never would have shown her mercy if I didn’t have to; however, since she had been together with the Divine Ascension Mirror for so long, it seemed as if she gained some understanding of its mysteries, and although she was unable to use it against her enemies, she could still use special methods to seal and ruin it! If she was really forced to the brink, she could simply destroy that treasure and then no one would ever be able to use it!”
Chen Qian understood much more after she heard this, “So, Temple Master had such worries…”
“Indeed!” Wen Zi Shan replied, “Thus, I made an agreement with her that this King wouldn’t kill her, nor would I take the Divine Ascension Mirror away from her; however, she would need to cooperate whenever I needed to use the Divine Ascension Mirror.”
Chen Qian now had an expression of understanding, “No wonder… back when I went to train in the Divine Ascension Mirror, Grandma You’s expression was filled with unwillingness, yet she still activated the mirror for me. So there was such a reason.”
“Not only you…” Wen Zi Shan chuckled, “That old thing always behaves like this every time that she has to activate the Divine Ascension Mirror. She’s always treated the Divine Ascension Mirror as her personal belonging, so she can’t stand others touching it!”
Wen Zi Shan then coldly snorted, “After all these years, although she has cooperated on the surface, she’s probably secretly used so many schemes to kill countless elites of my temple!”
Chen Qian’s pretty face changed upon hearing this as she stared at Wen Zi Shan in astonishment, “Temple Master, you mean…”
Wen Zi Shan kept chuckling coldly, “She thinks that she did it without anyone knowing, but this King actually knew all along. However… she didn’t go too overboard, so this King can’t be bothered to expose her.”
“But the dead disciples…” Chen Qian had a pained expression.
Wen Zi Shan sighed deeply, “This also counts as a type of trial. If one passes, they will naturally become stronger, and if they fail, they die. Everyone’s fate is different, that’s all!”
Chen Qian was now afraid after the fact as she patted her chest, “Luckily, I managed to pass back them,” she paused for a moment and then asked, “Temple Master, why were you willing to let an outsider into the Divine Ascension Mirror? That is the temple’s greatest secret; even most disciples of the temple don’t know about it.”
“There’s no particular reason, I just wanted to test his mettle!” Wen Zi Shan smiled slightly.
Chen Qian responded, “Is it because of Bustling World Great Emperor? That boy brought the Bustling World Great Emperor’s token with him, and I heard that the Bustling World Great Emperor raised you, Temple Master…”
“Nothing could be further from the truth!” Wen Zi Shan suddenly glared at Chen Qian and acted panicky, “This King grew up as an ordinary person, and has not the slightest connection to that old Bustling World fellow…”
“Oh? You trying to hide it makes it more obvious…” Chen Qian covered her mouth and smiled.
“Lies and slander!”
“The more you deny it, the more certain it sounds…”
“Little Qian Qian…” Wen Zi Shan suddenly took a soft tone and called her name in a deeply romantic manner.
Chen Qian’s pretty face suddenly changed as she hurriedly said, “Temple Master, this subordinate just remembered that I have something else to do, I’ll be leaving now!”
She instantly flashed away, as if she was trying to escape from Wen Zi Shan’s sight.
Her past experiences told her that whenever Wen Zi Shan changed the topic and used such a tone with her, it would be best for her to escape immediately. Otherwise… she would definitely be tortured until she wanted to die!
“Hmph, she’s too naïve, daring to challenge this old master? Nothing but overconfidence, wahahaha!” Wen Zi Shan proudly revealed an attitude of an undefeatable champion, laughed loudly in an aloof manner.
…
Six vague figures appeared one after another in a strange space.
Gradually, these figures congealed, the entire process quite wondrous. As the six figures solidified, they all groaned in pain, as if they were all experiencing great discomfort.
However, everyone soon recovered.
They looked all around and at each other.
“This is the world of the Divine Ascension Mirror?” Xia Sheng exclaimed with astonishment.
“My body feels somewhat different!” Murong Xiao Xiao furrowed her brow slightly.
“This should be because we are in the form of our Soul Avatars,” Xiao Bai Yi added.
“This is so hard to get used to!” Chen Mu Ji also commented.
Yang Kai didn’t say anything and just gently clenched his fist, experiencing for himself how different his body was from usual.
If it was only physical appearance, everyone still appeared the same as before, right down to their clothes; however, if one looked closer, they would discover that everyone here had no physical body. In other words, everyone here consisted of pure Spiritual Energy. Although their forms appeared to be corporeal, they were actually not!
“It’s just as I told you before,” Gao Xue Ting got accustomed quite quickly, most likely because she had come here before, or perhaps because her realm was that much higher. “Only our Soul Avatars have entered the Divine Ascension Mirror, while our physical bodies are still in the stone rooms back in the stone cave. Everything in the Divine Ascension Mirror’s world is made of Spiritual Energy, which is why this place is highly effective at increasing the strength of our Souls. If a cultivator has a powerful Soul, their ability to comprehend Secret Arts and cultivate Secret Techniques will greatly increase as well. There are also countless other benefits. The Soul is the most important foundation for a cultivator, apart from their physical body, that is why this is a rare opportunity for all of you. If you can strengthen your Souls to a certain level here, it will also become easier for you all to rise to the Emperor Realm in the future.”
“Disciple understands,” Xiao Bai Yi and the others cupped their fists as they responded.
“The Spiritual Energy in the Divine Ascension Mirror World is different from the World Energy outside. When we cultivate outside, the World Energy we absorb is transformed into Qi to increase our cultivation; however, if you cultivate here, the Spiritual Energy you absorb will instead strengthen your Soul. I think that you all should have noticed this already,” Gao Xue Ting explained.
Everyone nodded slightly.
Yang Kai had indeed sensed that the energy in this strange world was quite different from energy in the outside world.
He was absorbing the energy all around him, which strengthened his Soul Avatar and made his Soul more durable and powerful.
“If you want to strengthen your Soul here, apart from cultivating normally, you can also strengthen yourself by slaying the living beings here!”
“There are other living beings here?” Xiao Bai Yi’s expression changed slightly.
Gao Xue Ting glanced at him, “This is a complete world, why wouldn’t there be other living beings here?”
Xiao Bai Yi was instantly rendered speechless.
Gao Xue Ting continued, “According to the Temple Master, the Divine Ascension Mirror is a mystical treasure that was born alongside the Heavens and Earth. The mirror’s interior is its own independent world that, while even smaller than the Southern Territory, has given birth to its own unique lifeforms. There are people and Monster Beasts here… so this world has everything that the Star Boundary does! However, every living creature here is condensed from pure Spiritual Energy. Of course, none of these creatures realize this and believe that this is how the world should be. They have never experienced having physical bodies before. Also, I must remind you to avoid having any contact with the natives here. There are many powerful existences in the Divine Ascension Mirror you can’t afford to antagonize.”
“However, if you’re capable of killing living beings that have evil intentions towards you, you’ll be able to absorb their energy. The energy here is extremely pure, and most of it can be absorbed by our Soul Avatars to strengthen our Souls directly!”
Everyone’s eyes lit up upon hearing this.
“You might not understand too well just from my explanation. In that case, we can try it out right now so that you can understand.” Gao Xue Ting closed her beautiful eyes as she spoke before releasing her powerful First-Order Emperor Realm Divine Sense.
A moment later, she opened her eyes and declared, “Everyone, come with me.”
As she spoke, she began moving at a speed that everyone could follow after.
This was a plain with long grass and many birds flying overhead, a scenery as beautiful and refreshing as a spring day. Even though there was no sun in the sky, the light in this world was quite plentiful, it was just unknown how this light was generated.
Everyone followed Gao Xue Ting for more than a dozen kilometres before something resembling a Monster Beast suddenly appeared before them.
Everyone looked over to see that the Monster Beast was a type that they had never seen before. It seemed like an ordinary wild animal, but its body was as gigantic as a building and its two curved tusks gave it a vicious appearance.
The Dao Source Realm cultivators present instantly sent out their Divine Senses to scan this beast and soon discovered that it was at the peak of the Tenth-Order. In other words, it was a Monster Beast which was equivalent to a peak Origin King.
None of them would have any trouble dealing with such a Monster Beast, so it was perfect for experimenting on to clarify Gao Xue Ting’s earlier explanation.
It seemed that Gao Xue Ting had chosen this beast intentionally.
As everyone scanned with their Divine Sense, the Monster Beast, which appeared like a wild pig, also noticed them and instantly turned around to glare at them with its scarlet eyes.
The pig then immediately used its four hooves to propel its gigantic body so swiftly that a wild gust was whipped up. Filled with killing intent, the beast charged at the group.
“Xia Sheng, I’ll leave this Scarlet-Eyed Evil Pig to you,” Gao Xue Ting announced in a calm tone.
“Then… this disciple shall go!” Xia Sheng also adopted a serious expression upon hearing this, kicking off the ground and charging towards the Scarlet-Eyed Evil Pig.
He understood that Gao Xue Ting wanted him to have a fight against this Monster Beast so that she could explain in more detail, so he didn’t refuse.
The human and beast instantly drew within a hundred metres of each other.
However, Xia Sheng suddenly stopped and lowered his waist slightly as he stood where he was in a solid stance. With one hand in front of his chest, he palmed forward and shouted, “Chaos Origin Palm!”
Xia Sheng didn’t know if the Monster Beasts in this world had the same combat strength as those in the outside world, which was why he used a Secret Technique right from the start. He didn’t underestimate the Scarlet-Eyed Evil Pig one bit just because it was only peak Tenth-Order.
“En, because we entered this world with only our Soul Avatars, a majority of the Secret Techniques and Secret Arts that we usually cultivate have no effect here!” Gao Xue Ting’s words suddenly rang in everyone’s ears.
Everyone nodded lightly in understanding.
Meanwhile, Xia Sheng’s expression changed slightly because when he used his Secret Technique, nothing happened at all apart from him making a pose for nothing.
When he heard Gao Xue Ting’s words, he instantly realized that he had made a major mistake. In just the blink of an eye, the Scarlet-Eyed Evil Pig had closed to within ten metres of Xia Sheng.
Still, Xia Sheng didn’t panic from the danger and instead stretched out his hand to summon his artifact while shouting, “Don’t be so arrogant, you beast! Die!”
Gao Xue Ting once again spoke up at this moment, “Artifacts are also unusable because normal artifacts require Source Qi and a physical body to utilize.”
Right as she finished saying this, Xia Sheng shouted, “Oh crap…”
As he shouted, he instantly started running towards Gao Xue Ting while shouting in a panic, “Elder Gao, save me!”
Gao Xue Ting glanced at him coldly and chuckled in a cold tone, “You’re going too far with your acting. Although this Queen knows that you’re doing this because you want the others to better understand the wonders of this world… are you trying to insult your own intelligence or your Junior Brothers and Junior Sister’s intelligence? Hurry and kill it already!”
“As you command!” When Xia Sheng heard this he immediately turned around, waving his hand as he summoned a longsword artifact into it. This artifact emanated a strong Spiritual Energy fluctuation and was clearly a Soul-type artifact!
Xia Sheng poured his Spiritual Energy into the artifact before slicing at the Scarlet-Eyed Evil Pig.
He didn’t use any extravagant technique or assume some elegant posture, he simply used his strength for a simple and direct hit.
His sword flashed as a howl of pain arose.
Energy furiously shot in all directions.
The Scarlet-Eyed Evil Pig was directly sliced in half by the sword. Due to the momentum, the pig’s gigantic body still charged forward for a short distance before it suddenly collapsed on the ground.
Xia Sheng put away his sword and stood straight with an icy and cool expression upon his face.
There was no blood, nor was there any smell or gore. The Scarlet-Eyed Evil Pig simply laid there quietly on the ground as its body gradually vanished in front of everyone’s eyes. It seemed that it was transforming into energy that was vanishing into this land.
Meanwhile, at the location where half of its corpse had already vanished was a slightly yellow ball of light that was about the size of a pea.
Everyone couldn’t help but stare with astonishment. When they scanned with their Divine Senses, Yang Kai and the others’ expressions all couldn’t help but flicker.
That was because they discovered that this pea-sized yellow ball of light actually contained extremely pure Spiritual Energy which didn’t seem to possess any taint at all. It was almost unimaginably pure.
“This is a Soul Source!” Gao Xue Ting explained, “In this world, every living being has its own Soul Source, and if they are killed, their Soul Source will remain, allowing us to easily absorb it and strengthen our Souls.”
As she spoke, Xia Sheng was already dashing over as fast as he could towards the Soul Source as he then reached out for it.
It seemed rather strange, but when he held the Soul Source, it actually melded into his hand and merged with his body.
Xia Sheng immediately closed his eyes and showed an expression of great comfort. Sometime later, he opened his eyes again and shouted, “That was great!”
Gao Xue Ting calmly continued, “According to my calculations, a Soul Source like that is probably worth seven to eight days of cultivation in the outside world for all of you.”
Yang Kai and the others’ eyes all lit up upon hearing this!
A peak of Tenth-Order Monster Beast’s Soul Source dropped from its death was already so beneficial for them, so if it was an Eleventh-Order Monster Beast’s Soul Source… wouldn’t that be equivalent to a month or two worth of dedicated cultivation?
If one Soul Source helped so much, then ten would be equal to a year’s worth of effort, and one hundred Soul Sources would be equal to a hundred years’ worth!
One hundred years’ worth of hard work cultivating and increasing the strength of one’s Soul only required the Soul Sources of one hundred Eleventh-Order Monster Beasts? This seemed almost unimaginable.
“Don’t get too excited!” Gao Xue Ting poured some cold water on everyone at this moment. “Although these living beings will leave behind extremely pure Soul Sources after death, and these Soul Sources are easy for us to absorb, they’re still a type of foreign power rather than what you would gain from personal cultivation. This means that if you feel anything off in your own body, you must stop absorbing more, otherwise, your consciousness might become chaotic with unimaginable consequences!”
Everyone’s expressions calmed down as they realized that this type of absorption wasn’t limitless, it simply hadn’t been obvious.
“Of course, if you can find a Soul Jade, things will be different,” Gao Xue Ting spoke up once again.
“Soul Jade?” Yang Kai looked at her with an expression saying that he didn’t understand. The others all had similar expressions.
“That’s an object only produced in this world that is formed from the purest Spiritual Energy, and its appearance is similar to a type of jade. A Soul Jade can truly be absorbed without any worry! No problems will occur no matter how many of these you absorb!” Gao Xue Ting explained. “This Queen has entered this world a total of four times, but even up until now, I’ve only obtained one Mid-Rank Soul Jade. Even in this world, Soul Jades are extremely rare.”
After they heard this, everyone instantly understood that finding a Soul Jade depended more on luck than hard work.
“Apart from that, there’s also something called Soul Crystals in this world. Although Soul Crystals sound similar in name to Soul Jades, they’re completely different things.” Gao Xue Ting did her best to explain in as much detail as possible so that the newcomers to this world would have a better understanding. “You can think of Soul Crystals as the equivalent of Source Crystals on our side… Soul Crystals are the currency of this world and although they can also be used to cultivate, their efficiency isn’t very good!”
“Disciple understands,” Xia Sheng and the others nodded with serious expressions.
“This wondrous world has countless mysterious products, the majority of which are tremendously helpful for the Soul. You’ll naturally understand if you have the opportunity to encounter them,” Gao Xue Ting looked around and spoke in a calm tone, “Also, thanks to Xia Sheng’s fight just now, you should be able to tell that only Soul-type artifacts and Soul Secret Techniques can be used here! When entering the Divine Ascension Mirror, it is impossible to bring most of the items on our physical bodies; however, anything related to the Soul can pass through without a problem. All of you should check your belongings and ascertain what you have that you can use, so that you’re not caught unprepared by a powerful enemy!”
Everyone immediately started to check themselves after she spoke.
Yang Kai used his Divine Sense to scan himself and immediately found the Purple Sun Profound Light Shield that Gao Xue Ting had previously given him.
This was a Soul-type artifact, so it was only natural that it could enter the Divine Ascension Mirror World. Yang Kai only had to use a thought to activate it, causing a solid seeming layer of purple light to appear around his current body.
However, apart from this Soul-type artifact that could obviously be brought along with him, Yang Kai actually discovered some items that he never would have expected.
“The Soul Warming Lotus…” Yang Kai had a speechless expression as he looked over a certain part within his body where a seven coloured lotus bloomed. He thought to himself, [Although the Soul Warming Lotus isn’t an artifact, it’s related to the Soul, and it’s always been in my Knowledge Sea, so it’s natural that it was brought along, but…]
[Why did these guys also come along?]
Yang Kai was referring to the Soul Devouring Insects that he obtained long ago in Tong Xuan Realm.
He had obtained these Soul Devouring Insects many years ago, and due to his Conflagrated Knowledge Sea’s special attribute, he wasn’t afraid of these Exotic Ancient Insects and had even borrowed the Soul Warming Lotus’s effect to tame them and make them fight for him.
The Soul Devouring Insects had been kept in the Soul Warming Lotus’s illusionary seven-coloured island over all these years and they had become even stronger thanks to the Soul Warming Lotus’s nourishment.
Most critically, last time, outside Maplewood City, when Yang Kai underwent his Demon Transformation, the Soul Devouring Insects had rampaged once and at that time madly devoured the ancient demon’s Demon Qi in Yang Kai’s Knowledge Sea. The insects’ appearance changed greatly back then, becoming pitch-black, all of them giving off a feeling of wickedness and violence. It was obvious that they wouldn’t be good to antagonize.
At this moment, these countless Soul Devouring Insects had also come here together with the Soul Warming Lotus and were residing atop the Soul Warming Lotus as they were nourished within Yang Kai’s Soul Avatar.
Yang Kai’s face couldn’t help but darken when he found the Soul Devouring Insects.
This couldn’t be helped…
If these guys were exposed, Gao Xue Ting would likely soon connect them to the ancient demon, because Yang Kai had fought against Gao Xue Ting while in his demon form outside of Maplewood City. An Emperor like Gao Xue Ting would of course remember such a unique power.
It might even be that Gao Xue Ting would recognize Yang Kai as the demon from that day! Yang Kai really wouldn’t be able to explain himself if that happened…
After thinking of this, Yang Kai secretly resolved that no matter what, he couldn’t allow these Soul Devouring Insects to appear in front of Gao Xue Ting. Otherwise, the consequences would be dire!
After he finished checking the Soul Warming Lotus and Soul Devouring Insects, Yang Kai then saw something else in his Soul Avatar – something that he never expected to see.
“This thing… is also a Soul-type artifact? I never knew!”
Yang Kai was referring to a sword, a certain blade that he hadn’t finished refining, and in fact, hadn’t even used.
He never expected that it would enter the Divine Ascension Mirror and follow his Soul Avatar here!
This discovery shocked Yang Kai as well as gave him a pleasant surprise since he had possessed this blade for many years already. Now that he had this blade at his side, perhaps it would have some miraculous effect in a time of danger.
Although Yang Kai was thinking many things in his mind, his expression remained calm.
Gao Xue Ting glanced at him and inspected the defensive prowess of his Purple Sun Profound Light Shield, nodding slightly at what she saw.
She had given this artifact to Yang Kai not long ago, so it was already quite something that he had refined it to the point where he could control it as he pleased in such a short period of time.
After a while, Gao Xue Ting saw that everyone was just about finished with their self-inspections, so she mentioned, “Now I will be taking you all to a certain place. It’s the norm for the temple’s disciples to train at this place every time we enter this world. You all must obediently stay there and train. You absolutely cannot run around!”
“Yes!” Everyone responded in unison.
However, Xia Sheng acutely noticed something as he looked at Gao Xue Ting with suspicion, “Elder Gao, you’re not coming with us?”
Her words made it sound like Gao Xue Ting was only in charge of bringing everyone there, and that she wouldn’t actually stay with them.
Gao Xue Ting shook her head, “I have something else to do; however, you guys can rest assured that the training location isn’t too dangerous. As long as you guys behave, there won’t be any major problems.”
“Understood,” Xia Sheng nodded with a serious expression, “Elder Gao, please rest assured as well, as long as Disciple is here, he will ensure everyone’s safety.”
Gao Xue Ting glanced at him with a look of some praise and waved her pretty hand, “Let’s go!”
As she spoke, she flew off towards a certain direction.
Everyone hurried to follow her.
As they travelled, they would occasionally meet some Monster Beasts blocking the way. Whenever this happened, Gao Xue Ting would have one member of the disciples go down to fight and get accustomed to their own condition as well as the special traits of the living beings here.
The Dao Source Realm disciples were all elites among elites and could naturally adapt quite easily. One day later, everyone had almost completely lost their original sense of discomfort and were able to fight freely.
In general, their Soul Avatars could not display as much power as when they were in their physical bodies and they also had far fewer techniques they could use against their enemies.
This couldn’t be helped as they were currently lacking physical bodies and their normal artifacts. They were also unable to use most of their Secret Techniques when they fought and could only rely on Soul-type artifacts or pure Spiritual Energy attacks.
Thus, most fights in the Divine Ascension Mirror were simple and direct, without any overly fancy or complex techniques.
Yang Kai’s unusualness really showed itself here.
When outside, others would only pay attention to his cultivation, and to experts, a First-Order Dao Source Realm wasn’t even worth mentioning.
However, Yang Kai seemed to be rather different from everyone else in this world that Soul Avatars reigned over.
His Soul Avatar’s strength even faintly surpassed that of Xia Sheng’s, not to mention Xiao Bai Yi, Murong Xiao Xiao, and Chen Mu Ji.
Yang Kai was originally the one with the lowest cultivation level amongst them, but upon entering the Divine Ascension Mirror, he actually became the strongest and… it was impossible for him to conceal this fact.
This obvious contrast really astonished the others and they all became quite curious about just how he had cultivated his Spiritual Energy and how he managed to cultivate his own Soul to such a degree.
However, since they weren’t from the same Sect, they couldn’t really ask something like this as it was treading upon his personal secrets.
Even Gao Xue Ting couldn’t help but show some astonishment.
One day later, everyone saw a wide mountain range that extended beyond the horizon.
Gao Xue Ting had everyone stop at the foot of the mountains.
“These are the Heavenly Monster Mountains of the Divine Ascension Mirror World. There are countless Monster Beasts inside here, and you can feel free to hunt them once you enter and obtain Soul Sources to improve your Souls. However, this Queen must remind you all that there are some Monster Beasts within the Heavenly Monster Mountains that even this Queen cannot afford to antagonize. Thus, you shouldn’t enter too deeply into the mountains. As long as you remain in the outskirts… roughly 20,000 kilometres or so from here, it shouldn’t be too much of a problem.”
Everyone’s expressions couldn’t help but become serious as they nodded to show that they understood what she meant.
“The Heavenly Monster Mountains doesn’t only have Monster Beasts, there are also some cultivators from the Divine Ascension Mirror within. If you see them… try not to interact with them; however, if you do come into contact, don’t reveal any information about the outside world. This is very important! Of course, apart from these, there are also the Soul Jades, Soul Crystals, and so on that I mentioned to you before… The Mid-Rank Soul Jade that this Queen obtained before was from the Heavenly Monster Mountains.”
Upon hearing this, everyone’s eyes lit up as they all began to roll up their sleeves.
“Also, our Soul Avatar cannot leave our physical bodies for too long, otherwise some unforeseeable consequences might occur. That is why you are limited to training here for only one month! One month from now, the stone room tokens will automatically activate the seal which will forcibly drag your Soul Avatar back to our world. That’s why you must properly make use of this time.”
“Elder…” Murong Xiao Xiao suddenly spoke up, “If we meet some danger that’s difficult for us to deal with… what should we do?”
“Escape!” Gao Xue Ting’s words were simple and direct. “If you can’t escape, then stall for time, stall until the one-month time limit.” She then glanced over at everyone with her beautiful eyes, “This is a trial. If you can’t surpass it…”
She furrowed her delicate brow slightly and didn’t say any more, but everyone knew what she meant.
Cultivators would always encounter all kinds of danger on their path, so everyone was already accustomed to this type of situation and didn’t have anything to complain about.
“Very good. This Queen has led you all here, and now the rest is up to yourselves. Go in,” Gao Xue Ting waved her hand at everyone after she said this.
Xia Sheng and the others exchanged glances before nodding and entering the Heavenly Monster Mountains.
Gao Xue Ting stood where she was until everyone’s figures disappeared from her line of sight. Only then did she flash away and fly in a different direction.
When she entered the Divine Ascension Mirror this time, not only was she responsible for leading the way for Xia Sheng and the others and explaining some common knowledge about this world to them, she also had a personal matter to attend to: refining one of her own Soul-type artifacts.
This Soul-type artifact had been with her for many years as she warmed it with her Emperor Intent and nourished it with her Emperor Qi. As such, it was now close to evolving into an Emperor Artifact.
An Emperor grade Soul-type artifact was a very rare treasure, with few in existence throughout the entire Star Boundary.
An ordinary Emperor Realm Master might have one or two Emperor Artifacts that they spent a great deal of effort on refining, but as for Soul Emperor Artifacts… the vast majority of Emperors would not possess such a thing.
If things succeeded this time, then Gao Xue Ting would possess a Soul-type Emperor Artifact, allowing her to fully focus on offence when fighting an enemy as she would no longer need to defend the gaps in her Knowledge Sea.
This would be a great boon to her.
The last time that she entered the Divine Ascension Mirror World, she happened to save the life of a local cultivator who was also at the Emperor Realm. At the time, that cultivator had been severely injured and was being hunted by a vicious Monster Beast.
When Gao Xue Ting saw this, she went up to help without any hesitation, and the two of them together managed to kill that Monster Beast.
That cultivator was extremely grateful for Gao Xue Ting’s kindness and invited her back to his Sect.
Gao Xue Ting also wanted to find out more about all sorts of information regarding the Divine Ascension Mirror World, so she agreed.
When Gao Xue Ting went to the Sect named Soul Grasping Sect, she learned then that the person she saved was actually the Sect Master.
The Sect Master of Soul Grasping Sect wasn’t a wicked person and treated Gao Xue Ting as an honoured guest since she had saved his life. Elder Gao was powerful and beautiful, so apart from having a cold aura, just about everything else about her was perfect.
This Sect Master thus treated Gao Xue Ting very politely and kept trying to flatter her in an attempt to win her heart.
Gao Xue Ting learned last time through idle chatter that there was a mystical place called Soul Gathering Lake within the Soul Grasping Sect and that this place was capable of helping her refine her Soul-type artifact.
Now, Gao Xue Ting was heading for the Soul Grasping Sect, because she wanted to ask the Sect Master to let her borrow the Soul Gathering Lake!
In Gao Xue Ting’s opinion, since she had saved that Sect Master’s life previously, there shouldn’t be any problems with this request.
…..
At the same time, in a certain location within the Divine Ascension Mirror World, there was a giant city that stretched several tens of thousands of kilometres in every direction, an incomparably large area. The city walls were several tens of metres tall and encircled the city like a well-armed fortress.
From a distance, a majestic aura seemed to overflow from this place.
The city was filled with bustling people to the point where many walked shoulder-to-shoulder along the busy streets.
Although this was a city within the Divine Ascension Mirror, it looked identical to cities in the outside world. There were streetside vendors, forests, wide streets, intersections, and an assortment of buildings.
This was the capital of Divine Ascension Country, Divine Ascension City!
Unlike the outside world where there were countless Sects and families, with each force managing their own territory, in the Divine Ascension Mirror World, it was the Divine Ascension Country that was in charge of everything.
All Sects and families were under the management of the Divine Ascension Country. Here, the Divine Ascension Country had unlimited authority and power over everything!
It was said that long, long ago, there was no Divine Ascension Country here and that this world’s structure was identical to the outside world, with Sects and families each having their own territory and ruling like kings.
But ever since the current ruler of the Divine Ascension Country appeared, all forces were united by them and the Divine Ascension Country came to be. Now, no one dared go against their command.
The current ruler was an astonishing genius with the ability to split the Heavens and shatter the Earth. There were also a large number of experts who swore fealty to this ruler and their achievements had all become the stuff of legend, stories all mothers taught to their children.
Under their rule, the entire Divine Ascension Country’s power rose daily, leading to a bright future!
Although this entire world was basically under this one person’s rule now, the appearance of the Divine Ascension Country had indeed managed to help people avoid lots of unnecessary slaughter and conflict, which was a wonderful achievement already.
At this moment, in the palace of Divine Ascension City, the Great General Zhou Dian, guardian of the Divine Ascension Kingdom, was busy fondling two beautiful women on his left and right as he enjoyed wine and a rowdy party.
Zhou Dian was someone who had a tough and sturdy build, a vicious appearance, and was nearly two metres tall, a full size larger than ordinary people.
He had followed the ruler of Divine Ascension Country in the early days and fought across the world, helping to establish the country with his blade. That was why Zhou Dian was rewarded as he deserved after the Divine Ascension Country was established and given the title of Guardian of the Country, meaning that he was beneath one person and above all others.
Currently, the Divine Ascension Mirror World had been at complete peace for the past hundred years and had no major wars for the past thousand years. As the guardian of the country, Zhou Dian was so bored that he was growing mold.
He was a master at the Third-Order Emperor Realm already, so he felt that continuing to cultivate didn’t have much meaning; as such, he started indulging himself in a life of debauchery.
Normally, he would stay in his palace and collect beautiful women from everywhere as he lived his life freely as he pleased.
Currently, a group of young women were singing and dancing beneath the throne, wearing revealing clothing as they danced, causing their beautiful figures to be faintly exposed. These women were really seductive as they sent flirtatious gazes and had expressions filled with desire. They all showed their most beautiful side to Zhou Dian in an effort to attract his attention.
Zhou Dian was holding various beauties of different types in his left and right hands as he drank delicious wine and ate spirit fruits… his expression was one of satisfaction and delight.
The Divine Ascension Mirror World had countless special products that couldn’t be found in the outside world. For instance, the spirit fruits laid out before Zhou Dian were a local specialty of the Divine Ascension Mirror World. Eating these would be greatly beneficial to the Soul so they were extremely precious and expensive, yet Zhou Dian was treating them as a regular fruit that he could feast on. It was quite a wasteful extravagance.
The sound of laughter, the sounds of seduction, the sounds of flirtation, and Zhou Dian’s loud laughter filled this palace.
Suddenly though, all the noise abruptly stopped.
All sounds seemed to suddenly be cut off by an invisible force.
An unimaginable pressure descended from the sky as a figure came in from outside.
Even without seeing that figure, the singing and dancing women beneath the throne could sense that a giant shadow had appeared behind them. This shadow seemed capable of devouring all of their light as they trembled in fear.
Zhou Dian also widened his mouth and stared at the figure with shock as it came in. A spirit fruit that resembled a grape fell out of his mouth, but he didn’t even notice.
The shadow seemed to be walking slowly, but it instantly entered the palace
Upon a glance, this figure was draped in a large pitch-black robe that enveloped it completely. It was also wearing a demon mask that looked vicious and terrifying!
It was impossible to tell if this person was male or female just from their physical appearance.
In fact, if this person walked around in the palace, at least ninety percent of people wouldn’t recognize them.
But Zhou Dian was different!
The moment that this person appeared, Zhou Dian immediately wiped his mouth as his body shook. Tossing away the two women that had been in his embrace, he hurried forward over ten metres to stand before this person. He then bowed with a serious expression and kneeled on one knee as he declared in a low voice, “The guardian of the country, Great General Zhou Dian, greets the Lord King!”
All of the dancing women wore expressions of astonishment upon hearing this.
Although they knew that the ruler was in this palace, not a single one of the women had ever seen him ever since they entered.
Normally, while messing around with Zhou Dian, they had also joked before to Zhou Dian that he should take them to meet the ruler so that they could see the astounding Master who almost single-handedly established the Divine Ascension Country.
But whenever this was mentioned, Zhou Dian would always change the topic and never agree.
But today, this legendary figure had suddenly appeared before them.
They were truly shocked and surprised by this.
Along with their shock and surprise, they also looked at this person with curiosity.
However, they couldn’t see any characteristics about their king at all. The ruler’s large black cape and demon mask obscured their face and figure completely. There wasn’t even a bit of skin exposed from this image.
It was also impossible to determine this person’s gender from their body shape.
In fact, looking for too long caused the women in the hall to feel dizziness and headaches, scaring them into hurriedly averting their gazes.
“Rise!” The person before Zhou Dian spoke in a light tone.
This was a raspy voice that sounded rather neutral, once again making it impossible to determine if they were male or female.
“Yes, Lord King!” Zhou Dian replied in a low voice as he stood up while continuing to bow slightly, looking at his Master with some wonder, “Lord King, what matter have you come to find this subordinate for?”
Ever since the ruler created the Divine Ascension Country, they had basically not asked Zhou Dian to do anything at all. Zhou Dian never expected that the Lord King would come to find him of their own volition and could faintly sense that something major was likely going to occur.
Zhou Dian quietly waited for the answer after he asked this.
However, the Lord King didn’t speak for a long time. Only much later did the raspy voice finally answer, “The Star of Calamity has appeared in the Heavenly Monster Mountains and has shaken the country’s fate. Great chaos is about to arrive!”
“What?” Zhou Dian’s expression changed as he called out in alarm, “Such a thing actually happened?”
He fiercely viciously gnashed his teeth while the cruelty that he usually kept concealed suddenly exposed itself as he grinned viciously, “Lord King, rest assured. Subordinate shall send someone immediately…”
“You go. Personally!” The Lord King interrupted him.
Zhou Dian was astonished to hear this, but he soon nodded, “Subordinate understands. I will definitely live up to the Lord King’s expectations!”
“Good!” The Lord King said lightly before turning around and leaving.
A moment later, they were gone.
A sentence wafted over from the distance at the same time, “Capture them alive!”
Zhou Dian cupped his fists towards the voice’s direction, “Understood!”
After that, he actually began to laugh out loud as he muttered in a cold voice, “Finally… I have something to do. I hope that this trip won’t make this General too bored!”
“Could you take me with you? I’d also like to see Sir’s amazing countenance in battle.”
“I want to go as well.”
“Me too! Me too!”
The women gathered around and kept chattering endlessly.
Zhou Dian laughed viciously as he looked around him. Suddenly, he coldly snorted as an invisible force spread out and knocked all the women away.
The beauties all fell down and started screaming in pain. Unstable lights flashed on their bodies, indicating that their Souls had been damaged severely.
“When men are working, women should stay put!” Zhou Dian declared as he strode out of the palace with large steps.
He was playing around intimately with these women just earlier, yet he actually treated them like this and cast them aside in the next. It could be seen that he was subject to shifting moods and had a cruel personality.
Not long after, Zhou Dian gathered his army and left the palace with great force as he headed towards Heavenly Monster Mountains.
…..
Currently in a valley of the Heavenly Monster Mountains, a peak Eleventh-Order Earth Tortoise was struggling in battle as several figures weaved around it.
Xia Sheng sliced with his sword, using it to send out blades of Spiritual Energy that cut into the weak spots of the Earth Tortoise’s neck. The Monster Beast instantly roared in pain from the strike and tried to withdraw.
Xiao Bai Yi’s Soul-Type artifact was similar to the artifacts that he used with his physical body, since they were all sword artifacts. Here, he was even using his Spiritual Energy to use the Secret Techniques that he normally used. Although it seemed a bit strange, the power was still significant.
The Spiritual Energy sword waves sliced over to block the Earth Tortoise’s path of retreat.
Murong Xiao Xiao had a serious expression as she skillfully wielded a long whip. The whip left many afterimages as all the attacks surrounded the Monster Beast and stopped it from moving. However, even though her whip seemed beautiful in its movements, it lacked murderous intent.
Meanwhile, Chen Mu Ji’s Soul-Type artifact was a flying sword. As he threw it with his Divine Sense injected in it, it stirred up astonishing winds as it kept whittling down the Monster Beast’s stamina.
Yang Kai wore the Purple Sun Profound Light Shield as he engaged in melee combat with the Earth Tortoise, his fists pounding as he unleashed a flurry of punches.
The five Dao Source Realm cultivators surrounded and attacked a Monster Beast at the peak of Dao Source Realm, yet they were actually unable to defeat it despite how long they’d been fighting.
This wasn’t Yang Kai and the others’ fault though, it was simply that the Monster Beast’s defences were too astonishing. The thick tortoiseshell seemed to be harder than metal and any time a truly threatening attack came, it would retract its four limbs and its head into its shell.
When the attacks slowed down, the tortoise would poke its head out and spit something that resembled a spray of energy balls. These energy balls formed a dense bombardment and were quite difficult for Yang Kai and the others to deal with.
Of the five people present, Yang Kai was the only one who possessed a defensive artifact that allowed him to engage the tortoise in melee combat. The other four didn’t dare to get too close, as they might die if they weren’t careful enough and got pelted by an attack.
If it wasn’t for the fact that the tortoise was extremely slow, Yang Kai and the others wouldn’t have bothered to fight it.
Still, such a Monster Beast helped everyone to soon understand their limits and weaknesses.
After a long fight, the Earth Tortoise’s surface flickered, seeming to indicate that it was reaching its limits. Xia Sheng shouted loudly as he and his sword attacked together from the sky, descending with the force of a meteor.
Xiao Bai Yi and the others also used their techniques on the Monster Beast together.
Upon seeing this, Yang Kai feinted and then retreated so that he wouldn’t get caught in friendly fire from everyone’s attacks.
“Hong hong hong…”
There was the sound of energy explosions that wouldn’t stop for quite a long time.
When the dust finally settled, the Earth Tortoise collapsed quietly on the ground and wasn’t moving anymore. In front of everyone’s eyes, its body gradually vanished and dissipated into this land, leaving only a small bean-sized ball of light.
The ball of light’s colour, brightness, and size were all incomparable to the one everyone saw from the previous Monster Beast.
This one was at the peak of the Eleventh-Order, after all!
However, even though the victory loot was right before them, nobody was in a hurry to take it. Instead, everyone stood where they were with furrowed eyebrows and contemplative expressions. Everyone seemed to gain something as their expressions flickered.
“In this place, our past combat experience… doesn’t seem to be very useful.” Xia Sheng was the first to speak.
“En.” Xiao Bai Yi nodded. “I think everyone’s noticed now that it’s difficult to fight because it feels like you’re being restrained!”
“Is it because we’re in our Soul Avatars…?” Murong Xiao Xiao considered it as she answered.
“Probably,” Chen Mu Ji nodded in agreement.
Since they were in their Soul Avatars, they were unable to use many skills and Secret Techniques that they were accustomed to using. They were also unable to use their typical artifacts, which naturally meant that everyone would feel uncomfortable during battle.
Additionally, these types of Soul battles were typically avoided by all cultivators as much as possible.
Normally, if the two cultivators were at about the same power level, they wouldn’t choose to fight with their Divine Senses because such a fight was far too dangerous. A moment of carelessness would be enough to lead to the loss of one’s consciousness or becoming an idiot.
However, they didn’t have the choice of being able to fight in other ways in this Divine Ascension Mirror World. In that case, many problems that they had never considered or happened upon, would now appear.
For instance, when they were attacked in the outside world, they could instantly cancel out the attack, or even counter it, by meeting it head-on with their own strength.
However, in this place, when a strong attack was launched at them, everyone’s first reaction was to dodge… so that their Souls wouldn’t get injured.
“It seems that there’s still much room for us to grow,” Xia Sheng wryly smiled as he added. “Let’s not think about it for the time being. This Soul Source…” He glanced at everyone before he stopped at Chen Mu Ji, “Junior Brother Chen, you take this one.” He then looked at Yang Kai and inquired, “Brother Yang, you don’t have any objections, right?”
“I have none!” Yang Kai shook his head.
Xia Sheng nodded.
Chen Mu Ji didn’t refuse. He thanked Xia Sheng and immediately took the Soul Source as he began to cultivate and absorb it.
Not long after, he finished absorbing the Soul Source.
Although it wasn’t too evident, Chen Mu Ji’s Soul’s strength had indeed increased slightly. It could be seen by the look of delight on his face.
It was a peak Eleventh-Order Monster Beast, after all. The person absorbing the Soul Source would be able to feel their own increase in Spiritual Energy.
“Let’s continue…” Xia Sheng said as he led the way forward in search of prey.
Two days passed by in the blink of an eye.
In these two days, Yang Kai and the others supported each other in the Heavenly Monster Mountains. They met many Monster Beasts, but they were able to safely kill these enemies each time. Under Xia Sheng’s leadership, the spoils of battle, Soul Sources, were divided up relatively evenly.
Yang Kai absorbed a total of nine Ninth-Order Monster Beasts, five Tenth-Orders, and two Eleventh-Order Monster Beast Soul Sources…
His Spiritual Energy was evidently stronger than when he first entered this place.
The others had also obtained good harvests.
For instance, Chen Mu Ji had the weakest Spiritual Energy among them, but his growth was evident for all to see.
There really were countless Monster Beasts in the Heavenly Monster Mountain. The beasts mostly roamed freely, so there was no need for the group to intentionally search for them as they were easy to find.
The group had no intentions of killing Monster Beasts that were too weak, since they wouldn’t gain much even if they did kill such beasts, and basically only targeted existences that were Ninth-Order and above.
Maybe it was because they were still only on the outskirts of the mountains, but they hadn’t met any Twelfth-Order beasts as of yet.
Of course, if they actually did meet a Twelfth-Order Monster Beast, they would only be able to run away.
As the group fought difficult battles over the past two days, their conditions also improved greatly. It was evident that they had acclimated significantly to this new world and if the five of them were to meet an Earth Tortoise again similar to the one they first encountered again, with their current strength and experience, they would likely only need half a cup of tea’s time to kill it.
In other words, everyone had become completely accustomed to this place and their Soul Bodies, along with the way of fighting required here.
As the group rested, Xia Sheng suddenly spoke up, “Everyone, I have a suggestion, but I don’t know if I should say it or not.”
“Is it to act separately?” Xiao Bai Yi had an expression of ‘I know exactly what you’re thinking.’
Xia Sheng smiled, “Xiao Bai really understands me best! Although it’s definitely safer for the five of us to work together, acting as a group like this is rather inefficient. Elder Gao said before that we only have one month in this world, and that the token’s seal will activate after that time and forcibly take us back to our world. It may be a long time before we are able to enter the Divine Ascension Mirror again, so we must properly take advantage of this great opportunity in order to treat ourselves!”
“Rather than acting together for safety, this Senior Brother prefers to act separately. Although there will be a certain amount of danger, our potential… isn’t it always forced out when we’re in danger?” His eyes shone with mysterious confidence and excitement, “If we keep growing up in a safe environment, it will be too late if we meet with actual danger in the future.”
“Actually…” Xiao Bai Yi suddenly spoke up with a slow tone, “I agree.”
His implicit meaning was that he had some worries about saying this idea out loud before.
“Separate?” Murong Xiao Xiao hesitated slightly, but she soon resolved herself and nodded, “Good.”
Xia Sheng saw that even she agreed, so he turned to look at Chen Mu Ji.
Chen Mu Ji smiled and said, “Senior Brothers and Senior Sister don’t need to worry about me. Although I have the lowest Soul cultivation here, I will do what I can based on my own strength. I’m still a disciple of the temple after all!”
“Very good!” Xia Sheng looked at him with satisfaction before turning to look at Yang Kai and grinning, “Brother Yang definitely has no objections here.”
“I’m fine with anything!” Yang Kai replied calmly.
It was a coincidental opportunity that he could enter the Divine Ascension Mirror to begin with, which was why he didn’t raise any objections or make any requests. If Xia Sheng and the others insisted on acting together, Yang Kai would cooperate, but since they were going to separate, he was happy to comply.
Of course, if he had to choose, he would prefer to separate.
There were many techniques that he didn’t dare to use when travelling together with Xia Sheng and the others, so the feeling of being restricted was quite bothersome to him.
“In that case, Senior Brother wishes everyone good luck…” Xia Sheng glanced at everyone with a serious expression, “Stay safe and return alive!”
“I’ll be leaving first,” Xiao Bai Yi was quite decisive, immediately setting off after it was decided that they would separate.
“Senior Brother, stay safe!” Murong Xiao Xiao then glanced at Yang Kai and Chen Mu Ji, “You two stay safe as well.”
“Sister Murong, you must also be careful!” Yang Kai smiled in response.
Murong Xiao Xiao nodded, her tender body flickering as she shot off in a different direction.
“I’ll be leaving as well then.” As Chen Mu Ji spoke, he stood up, nodded slightly at Xia Sheng and Yang Kai, then disappeared using his Movement Skill.
Soon, only Xia Sheng and Yang Kai remained.
Xia Sheng smiled as he looked at Yang Kai and asked, ‘Brother Yang, what direction are you going to choose?”
“That way!” Yang Kai pointed in a different direction from the others.
Xia Sheng narrowed his eyes slightly as he exclaimed, “You’re going deeper into the mountains… Brother Yang, you need to be careful. Elder Gao mentioned that there are many existences that even she doesn’t dare to antagonize in these Heavenly Monster Mountains.”
“I will also judge based on my strength. I won’t get greedy.” Yang Kai smiled.
“That’s for the best,” Xia Sheng nodded. “Then… this Xia shall take his leave. See you again when we leave this world!”
As Xia Sheng said this, he rose into the air and flew in a certain direction. His direction was also deeper into the Heavenly Monster Mountains, but different from where Yang Kai had pointed.
Xia Sheng’s figure soon disappeared.
Only then did Yang Kai slowly stand up, turn to the depths of the Heavenly Monster Mountain, and mutter in a low voice, “It’s time to let myself loose and do something big.”
…
At the same time, at the foot of the Heavenly Monster Mountains, a group of several hundred people arrived in grand fashion and stopped at an empty clearing.
This group was obviously a well trained military squadron, since even with several hundred people together, their formation wasn’t messy at all. They moved in an orderly fashion, and the several hundred people actually stood there without a sound. There was only a chilly aura that encircled them, like that of a hidden dragon that had just come out into the world to sit above the scattered clouds in the sky…
There was a large flag fluttering in the wind at the head of this squadron.
On the back of the flag was a vivid tiger descending the mountain. It showed fangs and a fierce aura that seemed like it was about to pounce out of the flag.
On the front of the flag was a large ‘Zhou’ character. The character was written with great energy that made it seem like a flying dragon.
This was the elite army of the Guardian of Divine Ascension Country, Zhou Dian’s subordinates.
At this moment, Zhou Dian was riding on a snow-white Nine Horned Dragon Beast. He wasn’t wearing any armour as he simply wore his regular clothes, but the murderous aura around him was still quite chilling.
Zhou Dian chuckled coldly as he looked at the nearby Heavenly Monster Mountains, “How nostalgic… the last time I came here was more than two thousand years ago. I never thought that I would return here again in my lifetime!”
As he talked to himself, not a single one of his subordinates dared to utter a sound.
A moment later, Zhou Dian suddenly shouted, “Lian Yan, Ban Qing, Yu Man, Yuan Qing!”
Four people stepped out together and cupped their fists in unison, “Subordinate is present.”
These four all possessed powerful First-Order Emperor Realm cultivations and were the four strongest warriors under Zhou Dian’s command. Zhou Dian had naturally brought them along since he was here on the King’s orders to capture the Star of Calamity in the Heavenly Monster Mountains.
There were three men and one woman.
Lian Yan had red hair that reached his waist. He looked rather ostentatious, and judging from the faint red light glowing on his body, his Spiritual Energy had some special attribute.
Ban Qing was short and had an ordinary appearance; however, he was highly skilled at assassination. Ban Qing was capable of getting close to even someone as strong as Zhou Dian for an attack if the latter wasn’t on guard.
Yu Man appeared to be about thirty years old and had a curvaceous figure. As she moved, a mature atmosphere seemed to waft from her. She had a high nose bridge that accentuated her elegant features and her alluring red lips caused people to have endless fantasies.
The last one, Yuan Qing, had cultivated some unknown Secret Technique or Secret Art that gave him a soft and shadowy feeling, and coupled with his feminine appearance, he was so beautiful that even most women couldn’t compare to him.
These four had greatly contributed to the establishment of the Divine Ascension Country. They had followed Zhou Dian to conquer the world since early on, and had rarely met any opponents throughout the land.
Even in all of the Divine Ascension Mirror World, they were considered famous Masters.
However, their strength was overwhelmed by Zhou Dian’s sharpness when they were in front of him.
“Go in four separate directions and search the mountains. You must find the Star of Calamity as quickly as possible, capture them alive, and bring them before the Lord King!” Zhou Dian pointed while announcing in a low voice.
“Yes!” The four of them accepted in unison as they immediately split the soldiers into four groups and swiftly disappeared into the Heavenly Monster Mountains.
Zhou Dian remained where he was by himself.
A cold wind blew past and caused Zhou Dian’s hair to flow in the wind. A long time later, he finally urged the Nine Horned Dragon Beast under him to go forward.
The Monster Beast he rode was Twelfth-Order. Even though it was in its early stages, it was still the equivalent of a First-Order Emperor in terms of strength. Even so, this beast could only obediently let Zhou Dian ride it.
Back in the day, Zhou Dian had spent a significant amount of effort and time in order to finally tame this Monster Beast.
Zhou Dian’s eyes mysteriously flashed with the desire to do battle as he looked deep into the Heavenly Monster Mountains. It was as if there was an opponent he was highly interested in who was waiting for him within the forested mountain.
…..
Yang Kai and the others naturally had no idea of what was happening outside as they trained in the mountains. None of them expected that a simple training session would cause such a massive commotion.
At this moment, Yang Kai was fighting against a Thunder Cyan Wolf in the Heavenly Monster Mountains.
This Monster Beast was only peak Tenth-Order, equivalent to the first Monster Beast that everyone met when they first entered the Divine Ascension Mirror World, but Yang Kai still wore a serious expression.
This couldn’t be helped, as it seemed this Monster Beast was somewhat different from others. It actually possessed the ability to control thunder.
The arcs of lightning flashing on its body had tremendous power that worried Yang Kai somewhat.
He was currently here in his Soul Avatar, rather than his physical body, so he wouldn’t heal that quickly if he received any injuries. Even though he had the Soul Warming Lotus, Yang Kai still didn’t dare to simply come into contact with such powerful lightning.
Luckily, he didn’t have any intentions of fighting personally.
When acting together with Xia Sheng and the others, there were many techniques that he couldn’t show, so he was quite limited in battle and felt quite awkward as he fought.
But now he was by himself, so he naturally had nothing else to worry about.
The Thunder Cyan Wolf also noticed that Yang Kai wasn’t easy to deal with. Still, due to its concern about the difference in power level, it only stayed a distance from Yang Kai while constantly baring its fangs and roaring in an effort to scare Yang Kai away.
Of course, Yang Kai wouldn’t do as it wished…
“Come out!” Yang Kai suddenly shouted.
As he shouted, his body shook slightly as he waved his sleeve. A patch of dense black dots suddenly emerged mysteriously.
The black dots weren’t numerous at first, but then they became uncountable in the blink of an eye. They gathered into a black cloud with astonishing speed.
The black cloud was the size of a table. Upon closer look, one could see quite clearly that this black cloud consisted of tiny insects that were almost impossible to see with the naked eye.
Soul Devouring Insects…
No, they should be renamed Soul Devouring Demon Insects.
Ever since they devoured a large amount of pure Demon Qi in Yang Kai’s Knowledge Sea last time, the Soul Devouring Insects had all become pitch-black. If the insects were individually magnified, they would all have terrifying appearances with threatening malevolent auras.
The insect cloud arrived with the sound of buzzing.
The Thunder Cyan Wolf obviously didn’t know what this black cloud was, but its natural instinct made it feel something was amiss. The wolf actually opened its mouth when it saw the insect cloud charging at it and shot out a bolt of lightning into the swarm.
The insect cloud was instantly shattered…
But soon, it reformed itself.
Meanwhile, the Thunder Cyan Wolf actually turned and ran after releasing that one attack. It had no intention of staying here.
“Go!” Yang Kai uttered a single word. In fact, there was no need for him to issue such a command, as the Soul Devouring Demon Insects’ instinct would already make them chase after their prey.
The insect cloud acted like maggots on rotting bones as it enveloped the Thunder Cyan Wolf. Even though the wolf wasn’t slow at all, the insect cloud caught up in an extremely short time. The insect cloud simply descended upon and completely enveloped the Monster Beast.
Pitiful howls instantly arose as sounds of pain kept echoing. The sounds were rather frightening to behold.
The insect cloud roiled and wriggled like a living being…
Yang Kai silently stood where he was and observed everything.
The Thunder Cyan Wolf’s aura was weakening at a rate that wasn’t fast or slow.
“The power is still a bit lacking…” Yang Kai mulled things over.
Although the Soul Devouring Insects had a special trait that countless living beings would be afraid of, Yang Kai’s Soul Devouring Insects had been raised from a very low level, and over the years he hadn’t invested a lot of effort into them. All he did was to place them in the Soul Warming Lotus’s illusionary treasure island and let them freely live and evolve by themselves.
Even though quite some time had passed and they had grown significantly, they still didn’t live up to Yang Kai’s requirements for the current level of battle.
A Tenth-Order Monster Beast was only at the level of an Origin King.
In the outside world, if Yang Kai personally attacked, he could win against such an opponent with a wave of his hand; however, when using the Soul Devouring Demon Insects, it actually required some time and effort to win.
However… this Divine Ascension Mirror World seemed to be a paradise for the Soul Devouring Insects to grow stronger in. If Yang Kai used this place well, perhaps the Soul Devouring Demon Insects would change massively in this one month.
At that time, Yang Kai would then possess another trump card, one that would be almost impossible to be on guard against!
Thus, Yang Kai made up his mind to use the special composition of this world and his remaining time here to properly raise the Soul Devouring Demon Insects!
While he was thinking so, the insect cloud started moving about at an even faster speed, while the Thunder Cyan Wolf’s howls gradually weakened and died down. Some time later, the wolf finally stopped moving.
Yang Kai saw things quite clearly. He discovered that the Soul Devouring Demon Insects were rapidly devouring the Thunder Cyan Wolf’s body…
All living beings here were Soul Avatars, after all, so they did not possess physical bodies. This meant they were the Soul Devouring Demon Insects’ favourite food.
If Yang Kai personally killed the wolf, then the wolf would lose most of its Spiritual Energy after its death, and that energy would return to this world, leaving only the Soul Source behind.
However, things were different if the Soul Devouring Demon Insects devoured the wolf instead. The energy that should have originally dissipated instead entered the Soul Devouring Demon Insects’ bodies and became a resource for them to become stronger.
The only thing that Yang Kai worried about was that he couldn’t afford to let the Soul Devouring Demon Insects also devour the Monster Beast’s Soul Source.
If that happened, then he really wouldn’t gain anything at all…
That wasn’t what he wanted. Strengthening himself was the most important thing on this training opportunity while having the Soul Devouring Demon Insects become stronger was only a secondary concern. Yang Kai knew quite clearly what was more important.
Thus, Yang Kai used his Divine Sense to issue a command to the insect cloud after some time.
The insect cloud was quite obedient. Perhaps it was due to staying in Yang Kai’s Knowledge Sea for many years that they now carried out his orders obediently.
Once the insect cloud received the message, it immediately left the Thunder Cyan Wolf’s corpse and flew back into Yang Kai’s sleeve.
When he looked over, the Thunder Cyan Wolf had been almost completely devoured, leaving only a pea-sized faint yellow ball of light behind.
Yang Kai nodded in satisfaction as he walked over and absorbed the ball of light into his body.
Not long after, he set out again and proceeded forward.
As he travelled, he didn’t meet any Monster Beasts that were too strong. Every single Monster Beast became food for his insect cloud. Yang Kai simply needed to stand quietly by the side and obtain the Soul Sources left from the deaths of the Monster Beasts.
This was unimaginably easy!
This was another benefit of him acting alone. He didn’t need to spend too much effort in order to make gains. If he was instead together with Xia Sheng and the others, he never would have released these Soul Devouring Demon Insects.
And as time passed, Yang Kai gradually discovered something that he was interested in.
Basically, the Soul Devouring Demon Insects seemed capable of absorbing the strange energy of this world while staying in his sleeve in order to constantly strengthen themselves.
When he thought about it more carefully, this seemed natural.
The World Energy of this world was completely different from the World Energy of the outside world.
The outside world’s World Energy could be absorbed by a cultivator’s physical body so their cultivator could gradually become stronger.
However, the World Energy here could be absorbed by all living beings’ Soul Avatars in order to strengthen their Souls.
The Soul Devouring Demon Insects were naturally no exception. The World Energy that was present everywhere here was the most delicious food that they desired.
[This place is an absolute treasure!] Yang Kai was filled with excitement.
He gained tremendous benefits as he travelled.
In just two days’ time, Yang Kai managed to use the Soul Devouring Demon Insects to kill at least seventy to eighty Monster Beasts, which were all completely devoured by his insects. Of course, Yang Kai picked up all the remnant Soul Sources for free.
This helped his Divine Sense to become ever stronger and more solid, when he was already near Third-Order Dao Source Realm Divine Sense level. In fact, it even faintly seemed like it was reaching Emperor Realm Divine Sense level.
Not only was Yang Kai’s Divine Sense gradually improving, even the Soul Devouring Demon Insects’ growth was rather evident.
At first, the Soul Devouring Insects needed a cup of tea’s time to kill a Tenth-Order Thunder Cyan Wolf, but now the time required had been shortened by more than half.
The insects’ growth was even more obvious than Yang Kai’s.
Yang Kai was absolutely delighted by such a tremendous harvest. He felt more certain that it had been a wise decision for him to act separately from Xia Sheng and the others.
According to what Gao Xue Ting said, absorbing a single Tenth-Order Monster Beast’s Soul Source was the equivalent of cultivating hard for seven to eight days outside. Meanwhile, absorbing an Eleventh-Order Monster Beast’s Soul Source was the equivalent of cultivating hard for twenty days.
In just two short days, Yang Kai had benefited so much that it was the equivalent of him cultivating for three to four years.
Not to mention, he would have needed to use special Soul cultivation Secret Arts in order to obtain such results.
If he had stayed with Xia Sheng and the others, he never would have gained so much.
Still, he was the only one who could accomplish this.
This was because he had the Soul Devouring Demon Insects. He only needed to watch from the sidelines for every battle, and then he would scoop up the victory loot…
He didn’t need to use any energy at all, which meant he didn’t need to rest.
One day later, Yang Kai’s body suddenly shook slightly after he absorbed the Soul Source left behind from the death of an Eleventh-Order Monster Beast.
He couldn’t help but furrow his brow.
In that instant, he actually sensed some slight discomfort. This sense of discomfort had an unknown cause, but it was quite clear that he felt uncomfortable all over his entire body.
“Am I at my limit now…?” Yang Kai didn’t panic. He figured out the reason with just a little thought.
Gao Xue Ting had previously said that even though absorbing Soul Sources left behind from living beings here could swiftly strengthen one’s Soul, it also had its downsides.
When one absorbs to a certain extent, he would reach a state of saturation.
Once that happened, it would be impossible to absorb any more Soul Sources, as something negative might happen to his body.
Yang Kai had definitely reached that point.
He thought about it and felt that it was only natural. In less than three days, he had already used the Soul Devouring Demon Insects to kill more than one hundred Monster Beasts and absorbed all those Soul Sources for himself. Some of the Monster Beasts had even been Eleventh-Order. This number and speed were quite astonishing.
Yang Kai estimated that it was impossible for Xia Sheng and the others to even have a fifth of his harvest because he hadn’t needed to rest at all as he travelled. He simply needed to use his Soul Devouring Insects whenever he discovered some prey.
Meanwhile, Xia Sheng and the others would need to rest for a while after every single fight, so they would have much lower efficiency.
“It’s such a pity…” Yang Kai muttered to himself.
He originally had wanted to continue like this and have his Spiritual Energy reach the Emperor Realm. Once his Soul reached such a level, it would become much easier for him to cultivate in the future.
But since he was already at his limit in absorption, it couldn’t be helped. He could only slowly wait for his Soul Avatar to completely digest the Soul Sources that he absorbed over the past few days…
Nonetheless, Yang Kai didn’t slow down at all and continued forward at his original speed.
Although he was unable to absorb any more Soul Sources for himself, his Soul Devouring Demon Insects were still capable of growing, so it wasn’t a waste.
The deeper that Yang Kai went into the mountains, the more he noticed that the average Monster Beasts he met had stronger cultivations.
At first, when he had just separated from Xia Sheng and the others, he would still find some Eighth-Order, Seventh-Order, or even weaker Monster Beasts. He was naturally not interested in these Monster Beasts and ignored them all.
But as time passed, these weak Monster Beasts disappeared and were replaced by more powerful existences.
At Yang Kai’s current location, he no longer saw any Ninth-Order or below Monster Beasts. All Monster Beasts were Tenth-Order at the minimum!
According to Yang Kai’s calculations, if he went deeper into the mountains, it was likely that even Tenth-Order Monster Beasts would stop appearing before him.
At this moment, just as he was searching around for prey, a gust suddenly whipped up in the forest and caused the trees to shake. An usual pressure rapidly approached from the distance, while a strange sound entered Yang Kai’s ears.
He couldn’t help but adopt a serious expression as he focused on that direction.
*Hualala…*
It sounded like something was using tremendous force to smash the trees in this forest, causing them to topple in large numbers.
A moment later, a flash of purple light suddenly shot from the front with incredible speed.
“Hmm?” Yang Kai was caught by surprise because he discovered that the purple light object charging towards him was actually a small Monster Beast only about as big as his arm.
Although a Monster Beast’s strength couldn’t be assessed from its size alone, when Yang Kai scanned it with his Divine Sense, he clearly sensed that this Purple Squirrel’s level was only Ninth-Order!
Since travelling here, it had been quite some time since he discovered a Ninth-Order Monster Beast, because a Ninth-Order’s strength was no longer suitable to survive in this current environment.
Thus, Yang Kai was somewhat surprised to see this Purple Squirrel appear before him. He didn’t know how such a weak Monster Beast could survive safely in this region.
Still, its speed was truly quick. Yang Kai had discovered the Purple Squirrel and scanned its level in just an instant, but before Yang Kai could do anything about it, the Purple Squirrel actually darted behind Yang Kai with a whoosh.
As the human and beast passed each other by, Yang Kai saw quite clearly that the Purple Squirrel had a look of wonder flashing in its eyes as it kept looking at him. It was as if the Purple Squirrel had discovered something new and curious.
This was obviously a sign of the Monster Beast possessing sentience. The Monster Beasts that Yang Kai met before hadn’t possessed such intelligence, as those Monster Beasts simply carried out their own instinctive desire to feed and slaughter. Whenever a Monster Beast met Yang Kai, it would automatically attack him even if he didn’t attack first.
On the other hand, this little Purple Squirrel was obviously different from other Monster Beasts.
However, Yang Kai didn’t have the time to focus on the Purple Squirrel as he had to focus forward with a serious expression.
After all, there was something vicious pursuing this Purple Squirrel…
*Hualala…*
There were more loud crashing sounds of trees falling over, and right after, a large flat head suddenly emerged from the front. Sharp scales covered the top of this head and the scarlet patterns on its face gave it quite the vicious look. Its eyes were the size of washbasins and its vertical green pupils sent chills down the spine of anyone who saw them. This beat’s gigantic open mouth had a red tongue that kept flickering in and out as it hissed.
This was a gigantic python Monster Beast!
For some unknown reason, it had been chasing the Purple Squirrel all the way to Yang Kai’s location.
When it appeared, the python’s vertical pupils immediately focused on Yang Kai. After that, its body gradually revealed itself to be as thick as a human was tall. Raising its head up high, it kept spitting its tongue and glaring at Yang Kai with hostile intentions.
“You really know how to bring trouble to others…” Yang Kai turned around and gave a dark look towards the Purple Squirrel who was peeking out with its tiny head from behind a tree nearby.
When the Purple Squirrel saw him looking at it, it couldn’t help but retract its neck; however, it soon started sneaking peeks again. It seemed to want to see if Yang Kai was capable of chasing away the python.
“I’ll deal with you after I finish dealing with him,” Yang Kai chuckled as he turned around again to focus on the python.
He had no reason to give up on prey that had come to him, so he was prepared to fight.
The python seemed to sense that Yang Kai wasn’t easy to deal with, so it actually didn’t immediately attack upon appearing and instead glared down at him from above, its eyes flashed with an incredibly dangerous light.
Yang Kai scanned the python with his Divine Sense, causing his expression to become ever more serious.
He discovered that this python was the strongest Monster Beast he had met so far, its aura fluctuations comparable to his own. In other words, the python had also reached the peak of the Eleventh-Order. If the python had some more time, it would definitely rise to the Twelfth-Order, becoming equivalent to an Emperor Realm Master!
In this mirror world, strengthening the Soul was the only cultivation route since there were no physical bodies. Thus, as long as one’s Soul strength met requirements, then one could easily rise to the next cultivation level.
This python here had doubtlessly reached the threshold of the Emperor Realm.
After the stalemate lasted for a while, the python lost its patience first as its instinct to slaughter took over its movements.
The next instant, a green light flashed in its eyes as an invisible force shot towards Yang Kai.
A purple light instantly exploded from Yang Kai’s body as the Purple Sun Profound Light Shield appeared.
The light screen rippled fiercely under some kind of significant invisible force.
Soul Impact!
This was a Soul Technique that every Monster Beast here, no, every living being here knew how to use. By using one’s own Spiritual Energy as the foundation, one could send a strong shockwave out towards an enemy.
It was quite simple and direct, but also very powerful.
This attack would often immediately determine the victor of a battle, especially when there was a big difference in raw strength.
Yang Kai had met over a hundred Monster Beasts on the way here so far, and almost every single time, the Monster Beast would try to fight with this technique, so he had long since gotten accustomed to it.
The Purple Sun Profound Light Shield was at least a Dao Source Grade Soul-type artifact, so even though Yang Kai had yet to finish refining it and couldn’t use its full power, it still had good defensive strength.
Not a single Monster Beast had been able to break through this artifact’s defences.
However…
The python’s soul attack caused light to flash furiously upon the Purple Sun Profound Light Shield, almost shattering it. Yang Kai also staggered backwards for several steps as his expression darkened slightly.
As expected of a Monster Beast at the peak of the Eleventh-Order, even its opening attack was quite something.
Meanwhile, at the same time that the python released its soul attack, it also sent its steel whip-like tail straight at Yang Kai, kicking up a torrential gust of wind in the process.
All trees blocking the way were all snapped instantly, so it was clear just how powerful this tail strike was.
Yang Kai’s expression became serious when he saw this and naturally didn’t dare to take this attack head-on.
With a flicker, his body disappeared from where he stood.
*Kacha…*
Countless trees were snapped with a tremendous sound. However, the python’s attack did nothing. Not only that, it even lost track of Yang Kai’s whereabouts.
The python’s combat instincts made it somewhat uneasy as it kept spitting out its tongue at an obviously faster speed. Perhaps it sensed something as it suddenly raised its head and looked midair.
By the time it looked up though, Yang Kai was already descending towards its head as he shouted with anger, “You damn beast, take one from me as well!”
As he spoke, he also unleashed a similar Soul Impact as he gathered his own Divine Sense and transformed it into an invisible sword that sliced at the python’s eyes.
*Clang clang…*
There were two loud sounds that seemed like metal clashing against metal as sparks flew from the python’s eyelids.
When Yang Kai’s attack was about to connect, the python instinctually closed its eyes and caused the strike to fail.
However, buzzing sounds arose in the very next instant.
Yang Kai had already released the Soul Devouring Demon Insects in the moment that the python closed its eyes.
The black cloud surrounded by Demon Qi appeared and covered the sky.
The demonic insects swarmed with an unstoppable might.
When the Soul Devouring Demon Insects appeared, the python’s eyes actually contained a type of anthropomorphic panic similar to that of humans. It seemed to be really afraid of the demonic insects.
Meanwhile, the Purple Squirrel that was still hiding behind a tree behind Yang Kai was now trembling to the point where its eyes rolled back and it fell unconscious where it was.
It seemed that these Soul Devouring Demon Insects brought tremendous pressure to these two Monster Beasts.
This was only natural. Soul Devouring Insects were the bane of all Spiritual Energy. Apart from being afraid of certain types of energy like Yang Kai’s Conflagrated Knowledge Sea, it was rare to find something that could kill them.
Although Yang Kai’s Soul Devouring Insects originally had some weaknesses, those weaknesses had long since disappeared as the insects grew.
If someone wanted to kill these Soul Devouring Insects, they would need to have a Conflagrated Knowledge Sea to counter them like Yang Kai did. Apart from this, other methods weren’t very useful.
In fact, Yang Kai didn’t know if even his Conflagrated Knowledge Sea would still be effective against them or not.
He was still able to control the Soul Devouring Insects mostly because of the Soul Warming Lotus.
Of course, the python and the Purple Squirrel would be afraid of something as abnormal as these insects.
When the black cloud descended, the python actually panicked and opened its mouth to spit out a verdant coloured mist that engulfed the swarm. At the same time, a terrible stench instantly spread everywhere.
“Poison Spiritual Energy!” Yang Kai was truly surprised as he watched this.
Whether the python obtained some sort of opportunity or was born like this, it was actually capable of turning its own Spiritual Energy into a powerful venomous mist. The python obviously wanted to use its special Spiritual Energy to deal with the Soul Devouring Demon Insects.
Not only that, the python had no intentions of staying here. After it spat out that venom cloud, it actually turned and ran while ignoring Yang Kai and the Purple Squirrel!
However, the python had obviously underestimated how abnormal the Soul Devouring Demon Insects were.
The pitch-black insect cloud came into contact and clashed against the verdant mist and actually began devouring it at a speed visible to the naked eye! In just three breaths of time, only the pitch-black insect cloud remained.
It seemed as if the entire venomous cloud had been swallowed by the Soul Devouring Demon Insects.
The poison mist was also made from Spiritual Energy, so it was delicious food to the Soul Devouring Demon Insects.
After the Soul Devouring Demon Insects had this snack, they didn’t linger and instead headed directly for the python. In just the blink of an eye, the insects swarmed the python’s head.
The python’s vision was completely blocked by the insect cloud and it began thrashing about violently like a headless flea.
Yang Kai silently watched for a while and couldn’t help but furrow his brow.
This was because he discovered that the always victorious Soul Devouring Demon Insects were rather ineffective against this python.
The python was covered all over in dense scales, and even beings as tiny as the Soul Devouring Demon Insects were unable to break through the scales to devour the python’s body.
At this rate, it seemed that the Soul Devouring Demon Insects really wouldn’t be able to win unless they were able to break through the python’s defences.
Yang Kai suddenly had a flash of inspiration as he immediately issued a command to the Soul Devouring Demon Insects.
Controlling the Soul Devouring Demon Insects wasn’t as simple as controlling Stone Puppet Xiao Xiao, since the insects didn’t even have any sentience. Although Xiao Xiao’s sentience wasn’t very high, at least he could understand Yang Kai’s orders.
In comparison, it would obviously take a lot more energy and concentration to control these insects.
Still, at least the insect cloud was rather obedient, so Yang Kai only had to spend a little bit of effort to have them enter the python’s body through its nose and mouth.
Several dozen breaths later, the pitch-black insect cloud had completely disappeared. All that remained was the sound of buzzing that came from the python’s stomach.
The python seemed to be suffering unbearable torment and pain as it kept rolling around and thrashing on the ground, knocking over countless trees in the process.
However, there was no way for the python to deal with such an attack that came from within its own body, all it could do was wait for its own death!
As the python struggled, it seemed unwilling to simply accept its own death so it sent out Soul attacks into the nearby ground indiscriminately. Yang Kai had no choice but to withdraw slightly so as to not get caught up in this violent storm.
As time passed, the python’s body flickered between light and dark and its struggles gradually weakened.
Finally, the python raised its head straight up before collapsing listlessly, the light from its body also going completely dim.
Yang Kai calmly stood where he was and waited quietly.
A moment later, a hole suddenly appeared in the python’s body out of which countless Soul Devouring Demon Insects swarmed and flew back towards Yang Kai to return to his sleeve.
Only then did Yang Kai walk up and crouch over to look at the remaining python skin. This layer of python skin was as thin as a cicada’s wings, and the scales upon the snakeskin were composed of some unknown substance. Not only were the scales incomparably sturdy, even the Soul Devouring Demon Insects had no interest in them.
That was why the Soul Devouring insects flew out after they devoured the entire essence of the python.
If Yang Kai could take these scales with him, perhaps he would be able to craft some amazing Soul defensive artifact…
Yang Kai thought this as he reached out to collect the python skin; however, what he never expected was that the python skin actually broke apart like withered wood and completely shattered.
Yang Kai was truly surprised by this result.
After a moment, he reasoned that the python’s defensive power had been so amazing because of some special power of its own rather than its scales.
Since the python skin was now useless, Yang Kai naturally no longer needed to worry about how to take it out with him. Besides, he had no idea how he could take items from this world back to the outside world, unless it was a special item that he could absorb into his own Soul Avatar, such as a Soul-type artifact.
However, it wasn’t even known if there were Soul-type artifacts in this world, since everything here was created from a type of special Spiritual Energy. Even the mountains, land, and trees were made of this Spiritual Energy, so there were none of the precious ores that were required to refine artifacts.
Yang Kai turned back and returned to the Purple Squirrel’s location.
He was astonished to find that the supposedly unconscious Purple Squirrel had vanished at some unknown point.
This really surprised him.
It seemed that this Ninth-Order Purple Squirrel was alive because of more than luck.
However… Yang Kai scanned with his Divine Sense and immediately locked onto the Purple Squirrel’s current location.
The Purple Squirrel was hiding on the branch of a large tree, its small eyes shining with a kind of spirituality as it vigilantly glanced down below.
Just as it was focused on observing though, Yang Kai suddenly disappeared from its sight.
The Purple Squirrel’s hairs all instinctually stood on end at that moment.
“Heh heh, you thought that I wouldn’t be able to find you because you were hiding?” Yang Kai’s cold chuckle came from behind it, and before the Purple Squirrel could react, Yang Kai already reached out and pinched its neck to bring it before him.
The Purple Squirrel instantly began to tremble as its eyes were filled with fear and fright, timidly gaze up at Yang Kai.
“It seems that you don’t have any abilities apart from some speed and sentience,” Yang Kai said contemplatively while examining the squirrel. The squirrel should have used its other abilities if it had any already; however, it didn’t react even when being held so pitifully by the neck, so it obviously had nothing it could do.
But as Yang Kai was speaking, the Purple Squirrel seemed to suddenly think of something as it hurriedly stretched out with its paw to its stomach.
Yang Kai looked where it was pointing and saw something that really surprised him.
He discovered that this Purple Squirrel’s stomach had a pouch that seemed like it was formed naturally.
He was surprised yet again.
At this moment, the Purple Squirrel brought something out from this pouch. It was a spirit fruit that resembled a grape, one that was a deep purple and gave off a wondrous scent.
Yang Kai inhaled the scent and instantly felt refreshed. In fact, the discomfort that he felt from absorbing too many Soul Sources even seemed to lessen slightly.
His eyes lit up as he focused on the purple spirit fruit.
After the Purple Squirrel brought out this spirit fruit, it raised the fruit with both paws and extended its paws right in front of Yang Kai. Its expression seemed like it was saying ‘Sir, please accept this spirit fruit and spare my life…’ as it pitifully looked at Yang Kai.
Yang Kai could tell that this squirrel had even more intelligence than he had expected.
It was quite obvious that the squirrel wanted to use this spirit fruit to obtain his favour so that he wouldn’t attack it.
Yang Kai was instantly amused by this and smiled at the Purple Squirrel, no longer giving it a difficult time as he set it down.
The Purple Squirrel heaved a sigh of relief as it landed back on the branch. Still, it continued to hold the spirit fruit as it stood up and brought it before Yang Kai.
“Since you insist, I’ll accept this.” Yang Kai lightly coughed as he took the spirit fruit from the squirrel.
To be honest, he was quite curious about the spirit fruit. Although Gao Xue Ting mentioned previously that this world had many miraculous products with a lot of wondrous effects, Yang Kai had never thought before that this place would actually be capable of giving birth to spirit fruits.
This spirit fruit was something obviously greatly beneficial to the Soul.
Since he couldn’t take it out with him anyways, Yang Kai naturally gave up on that idea and simply tossed it into his mouth after a brief examination.
A few chews later, Yang Kai swallowed the fruit, instantly causing his spirit to perk up.
He could sense quite clearly that when this spirit fruit entered his stomach, it released a mellow energy that not only strengthened his Soul but also greatly eased the sense of discomfort he was feeling.
Yang Kai estimated that if he had another three or four of these spirit fruits, he could completely get rid of his body’s sensation of discomfort.
“This thing… do you have any more?” Yang Kai looked at the Purple Squirrel and used hand gestures to try and communicate with the little Monster Beast.
He didn’t expect that the Purple Squirrel actually understood him and quickly pointed one of its small paws towards where the dead python once was. It then pointed deep into the Heavenly Monster Mountains as it made chattering sounds.
Yang Kai furrowed his brow and thought for a moment before asking, “What you mean to say is… this python was guarding the spirit fruit, and it chased you all the way here because you stole one? On top of that, there are even more spirit fruits where the python used to live?
The Purple Squirrel nodded energetically upon hearing this.
“Then what are you waiting for? Lead the way!” Yang Kai waved his hand as he called out in a low voice with excitement.
The discomfort in his Soul not only prevented him from continuing to absorb Soul Sources, but it also affected his personal condition. It would obviously be a great help if he could get rid of this condition as soon as possible.
That was why Yang Kai was in such a hurry to find more of the purple spirit fruits.
One man and one beast flew quickly through the forests of the Heavenly Monster Mountain.
The Purple Squirrel led the way as Yang Kai followed closely after.
After the Purple Squirrel interacted with Yang Kai for a while and ascertained that he had no malicious intentions towards it, the squirrel no longer seemed to be afraid of him. In fact, the squirrel didn’t even try to escape, stopping along the way as it led him forward to ensure Yang Kai didn’t get lost.
It was obvious that the Purple Squirrel was going down a specific path as, along the way, they didn’t encounter any other Monster Beasts. It was unknown what type of ability the Purple Squirrel was using to avoid them.
An hour later, the man and beast arrived at a mountain valley.
The mountain valley was surrounded by tall peaks on all four sides and would be very difficult to find without being familiar with the area.
The Purple Squirrel arrived at a place near the entrance of the mountain valley before it suddenly stopped going forward. It waited for Yang Kai to arrive and then used its paw to point at the mountain valley before grasping its own neck with its paws as it acted as if it had trouble breathing and rolled its eyes before it collapsed on the ground.
“Hmm?” Yang Kai furrowed his eyebrows. “You mean to say that there’s something to watch out for in that mountain valley…”
The Purple Squirrel jumped back up again and nodded at Yang Kai.
“Let me see!” As Yang Kai spoke, he glanced towards the mountain valley for only a moment before he instantly understood what danger the Purple Squirrel was referring to.
This mountain valley was actually filled with dense green poisonous mist. This mist was identical in colour and form to the mist the large python had sprayed out earlier. However, the venomous clouds here took up far too big of an area, to the point where they covered everything in the mountain valley. It was impossible to see what was inside.
“I’m really curious…” Yang Kai smiled as he glanced at the Purple Squirrel, “Just what method did you use before to steal a spirit fruit from here…”
Since this mountain valley was covered in poison fog at all times, with the Purple Squirrel’s strength only being at the Ninth-Order, it should have been impossible for it to even enter, not to mention steal a spirit fruit.
However, the fact of the matter was that the Purple Squirrel stole a spirit fruit which caused the python to keep chasing it all the way until it reached Yang Kai.
Yet, the Purple Squirrel blinked and looked at him in confusion in response to Yang Kai’s question.
This time, it seemed that it didn’t understand…
“Stop acting ignorant!” Yang Kai coldly snorted, but he didn’t pry. Instead, he waved his sleeve and sent the Soul Devouring Demon Insects into the mountain valley.
The Purple Squirrel waited with an expectant look when it saw this.
It had witnessed quite clearly from the sidelines before how these Soul Devouring Demon Insects had devoured the poison fog before, so it knew that the green clouds in the mountain valley here would pose no problem.
As long as the venomous clouds were dispelled, it would be easy to obtain the spirit fruits inside!
What happened next was just as the squirrel expected. Everywhere that the pitch-black insect cloud passed by, the dense venomous clouds disappeared at a rate that was visible to the naked eye. The Soul Devouring Demon Insects swallowed all of Poisonous Spiritual Energy and used it to strengthen themselves.
In just one hour, all of the poison mist in the mountain valley was completely eliminated.
The Soul Devouring Demon Insects also seemed to benefit significantly from consuming this large amount of poison and happily buzzed as they returned to Yang Kai’s sleeve.
“Let’s go!” Yang Kai told the Purple Squirrel as he stepped into the mountain valley like it was his own backyard.
The Purple Squirrel also acted all grand and tough thanks to Yang Kai as it sauntered arrogantly into the mountain valley with its small legs…
“That must be the spirit fruit tree…” Yang Kai went directly to the central part of the mountain valley and soon found a lush fruit tree that was about as tall as a regular man.
Yang Kai had already noticed this fruit tree when he was observing from the mountain valley’s entrance, but he hadn’t dared to enter because the insect cloud hadn’t finished clearing away the poison yet.
The fruit tree shone with an unusual halo and there were also traces of a large being moving around the tree, which had likely been left behind by the dead python.
Yang Kai’s eyes instantly lit up when he scanned the fruit tree.
He discovered that there were five spirit fruits identical to the one that the Purple Squirrel gave him earlier on this tree.
As a Dao Source Grade Alchemist who had also obtained the inheritance of Gong Sun Mu, an Emperor Grade Alchemist, Yang Kai was even able to recognize the Extraordinary Treasure Lotus, yet he was completely clueless as to the identify these spirit fruits.
He could only conclude that this spirit fruit was a unique product of the Divine Ascension Mirror World, and that the outside world had never seen such a thing before.
Still, the spirit fruit’s effect was incredibly strong and was especially suitable for a cultivator like Yang Kai who was training here from the outside world.
He didn’t waste any time as he immediately took a fruit from the fruit tree and tossed it into his mouth and chewed.
Not only did his body’s discomfort significantly diminish, it also felt like his Spiritual Energy improved somewhat.
“Not bad at all!” Yang Kai took another spirit fruit and gobbled it up.
*Gudong…*
A sound came from the side.
Yang Kai glanced over diagonally and saw the Purple Squirrel half kneeling by his foot. Its eyes were round as it pitifully looked at Yang Kai. It was obviously the squirrel who had made the gulping sound just now.
“Even if you look at me with such sincerity…” Yang Kai tossed a third spirit fruit into his mouth as he spoke unclearly with his mouth full, “I don’t have any extra to give to you!”
The Purple Squirrel’s eyes instantly darkened as it lowered its head in a depressed manner.
“Ai…” Yang Kai sighed deeply, “Fine, I’ll give you one.”
As he spoke, he took the last two fruits from the tree and ate one before handing the other to the Purple Squirrel.
The Purple Squirrel instantly became energetic as its eyes lit up. It stood up straight and raised its paws to accept the fruit before carefully sniffing it a few times. It had a happy and satisfied expression as it then stuffed it into its stomach pouch and hid it like a treasure.
Yang Kai just ate four spirit fruits plus the one from the Purple Squirrel, so the discomfort in his body had disappeared completely. He even had a mysterious feeling as if he had just been reborn.
He glanced at the Purple Squirrel and chuckled, “Heh heh.”
The Purple Squirrel immediately covered its pouch with its paws as it vigilantly looked at Yang Kai, as if it was afraid that he would go back on his word.
“What type of person do you take me for?” Yang Kai coldly snorted with a serious expression, “Don’t look down on me little brat, how could I possibly take back something that I have already given away?”
The Purple Squirrel glanced at him, seeming to understand yet also not.
“Little guy…” Yang Kai was all smiles again as he looked at the squirrel, “Are you familiar with this territory?”
The Purple Squirrel fell silent after hearing this before it nodded.
“Then you lead the way. If we find something good again, let’s do like before and I’ll split some with you, okay?” Yang Kai had a friendly expression as he spoke alluringly. He even used an attitude of incitement as he patted the Purple Squirrel’s stomach pouch. “As long as you cooperate with me, I’ll fill up your pouch sooner or later.”
The Purple Squirrel’s eyes lit up after it heard this and instantly became excited, chattering away while nodding its head like a chicken pecking at rice.
Before Yang Kai could even issue any commands, the squirrel voluntarily ran forth and led the way.
Yang Kai arched his brow and followed closely after.
The Purple Squirrel was indeed quite familiar with the Heavenly Monster Mountains and seemed to know what places had good things hidden away; unfortunately, most of those treasures were being guarded by some powerful Monster Beasts just like with the python. The Purple Squirrel couldn’t possibly afford to antagonize these beasts, so it could only helplessly look at the treasures from a distance.
But with the powerful Yang Kai as its protector, it didn’t have to worry anymore.
It simply needed to take Yang Kai to the treasure’s location and let Yang Kai fight and kill the Monster Beast guarding the treasure. After that was the fun part of dividing the spoils…
Yang Kai meant what he said, and every time he obtained something good, he would give a portion to the Purple Squirrel. As for how much he gave, that varied from moment to moment.
In just two short days, Yang Kai and the Purple Squirrel swept countless Monster Beast nests within a ten thousand kilometre radius. Yang Kai obtained countless spirit fruits and Monster Beast Soul Sources, reaping tremendous benefits.
The spirit fruits that grew in the Divine Ascension Mirror World were basically all items that were useful for cultivating Spiritual Energy.
However, some were also harmful. Yang Kai accidentally ate one and ended up feeling quite dizzy. It took him some time to recover from his shock and if it wasn’t for him having a precious treasure like the Seven Coloured Soul Warming Lotus in his body, that one spirit fruit alone likely would have killed him.
After all this, Yang Kai absorbed a lot of Soul Sources and his Soul Avatar once again started to feel discomfort.
This condition didn’t affect him too much, but it did mean that Yang Kai was no longer able to continue absorbing Soul Sources.
Compared to Yang Kai, the Soul Devouring Demon Insects had grown more as they devoured vast amounts of Spiritual Energy. Ever since they entered the Divine Ascension Mirror World less than ten days ago, the Soul Devouring Demon Insects had almost doubled in strength.
Yang Kai also faintly sensed that his Soul Devouring Demon Insects seemed to be evolving in some unknown direction. He could sense quite clearly that the Soul Devouring Demon Insects had become ever more vicious, cruel, and rebellious, sometimes even ignoring his orders.
He didn’t know if this was a good or bad thing.
Meanwhile, the Purple Squirrel’s stomach pouch was basically completely full.
The little guy was quite strange. Even though it obtained many good things, it never ate them, seemingly more interested in adding to its collection as it kept stuffing the spirit fruits Yang Kai gave it into its pouch.
Finally… its pouch became completely full.
The squirrel wasn’t large to begin with, so how large could its pouch possibly be?
Yang Kai finally had a great reason to take all the gains for himself.
The Purple Squirrel didn’t seem to mind as it continued to work hard and lead the way. It helped Yang Kai to sweep through the Heavenly Monster Mountains without missing anything.
Two days later, Yang Kai silently stood in front of the entrance to a cave as the Purple Squirrel crouched on his shoulder.
After being together for these two days, the Purple Squirrel no longer feared Yang Kai and even became somewhat friendly with him.
Currently, the man and beast had focused expressions as they listened intently to the sounds from this cave.
Pitiful screams kept transmitting from inside the cave. There were also occasional sounds of a giant creature crashing against the cave walls, which caused loud banging sounds as shattered stones poured down like rain.
“How violent!” Yang Kai exclaimed.
The Purple Squirrel nodded next to him.
Moments later, the movements from inside the cave started to die down and finally disappeared.
The Soul Devouring Demon Insects had evidently killed the Monster Beast within!
In this Divine Ascension Mirror World, any prey that was targeted by the Soul Devouring Demon Insects wouldn’t have a good ending.
Yang Kai confirmed that everything was safe before he entered the cave.
The cave was dimly lit, but that didn’t affect Yang Kai’s vision as he was currently a Soul Avatar. He etched everything in the cave into his brain after scanning it with his Divine Sense.
This cave wasn’t large or deep, but traces of a desperate struggle were left behind everywhere in the cave. It was evident that the master of this cave had been viciously tortured by the Soul Devouring Demon Insects and suffered greatly before its death.
Yang Kai actually didn’t even know what type of Monster Beast lived inside this cave, because by the time that he arrived, the Soul Devouring Demon Insects had completely finished devouring the Monster Beast without leaving even a speck of flesh behind.
Yang Kai’s current condition meant that he was no longer able to absorb Soul Sources, which was why he didn’t have the Soul Devouring Demon Insects leave anything behind.
After he took back the Soul Devouring Demon Insects, Yang Kai began to scan the cave’s interior.
After he scanned with his Divine Sense, he actually discovered nothing!
This cave didn’t have any spirit fruits or any other such treasures. It seemed to only be the resting spot for a Monster Beast.
Yang Kai couldn’t help but be slightly disappointed, but he didn’t pay it too much mind.
Not every powerful Monster Beast would be guarding a treasure, after all…
But just as he was preparing to leave, he suddenly paused and looked at a certain place inside the cave.
A strange item there had attracted his attention.
Yang Kai glanced at it for a moment and then walked over and bent down to pick it up.
Right when he touched it, his body suddenly trembled as his eyes flashed with a sharp light. At the same time, he took in a cold breath.
His unusual reaction really scared the Purple Squirrel, to the point where all its hairs stood up on end. It darted away from Yang Kai’s side as if trying to escape.
“This is…” Yang Kai kept touching the item in his hand as he used his Divine Sense to examine it.
Soon, he realized what this item was.
This item was shaped like a plate and was about the size of one too. Its body was pure white like jade and had no flaws.
Earlier, when Yang Kai scanned it with his Divine Sense, he didn’t notice anything about it apart from feeling that it had a strange shape. That was why he was interested enough to pick it up for a closer look.
However, he hadn’t expected that when he touched it, his Soul would react so strongly to it, even causing his Soul Avatar to tremble slightly.
At the same time, the white jade plate released a burst of pure Spiritual Energy that flowed into Yang Kai’s body, giving him a comfortable sensation like he was soaking in warm water.
This sensation made him feel incredibly relaxed all over.
If he had to describe it more specifically, this feeling resembled what he felt back when he combined Souls with Su Yan all those years ago.
“Soul Jade!”
Yang Kai exclaimed in astonishment as various random thoughts flashed through his mind like lightning.
Although he had never seen a Soul Jade before, nor did he know what one looked like, he was a hundred percent certain that this was the treasure he had heard Gao Xue Ting speak about a few days ago.
According to what Gao Xue Ting said, even in this Divine Ascension Mirror World, Soul Jades were rare treasures that one could only encounter by chance. She had entered this world four times already and had only obtained a single Mid-Rank Soul Jade so far, but even that Mid-Rank Soul Jade had benefited her tremendously.
Yang Kai didn’t know how to differentiate Soul Jade ranks, but he felt that the one in his hands was definitely better than Mid-Rank. It might be High-Rank or even better!
Soul Jades were the purest crystallization of Spiritual Energy in the Divine Ascension Mirror World and cultivators could easily absorb them to increase the power of their Soul without fear of any consequences whatsoever.
However, Gao Xue Ting had made them sound so rare that Yang Kai didn’t think he would be lucky enough to find one.
He never thought one would appear here!
“It’s so large…” Yang Kai was so excited that he couldn’t close his mouth while his face filled with some slight frustration. “Just how long will I have to absorb this?”
As he spoke, he was already trying to absorb the energy within the Soul Jade, wanting to try and see if it was as mystical as Gao Xue Ting had described.
A sliver of pure energy was extracted from the Soul Jade and flowed into Yang Kai’s body through his arms, instantly causing him to feel warm all over as his face flushed slightly.
As this energy poured into him, Yang Kai discovered that Gao Xue Ting had been correct in saying that absorbing energy from Soul Jades wouldn’t cause any harm to the body at all.
Currently, his Soul Avatar was in a satiated state and was unable to absorb any more Soul Sources left behind by Monster Beasts.
However, there was no obstruction at all in absorbing energy from the Soul Jade.
Yang Kai could clearly sense a terrifying amount of energy contained within the Soul Jade.
He couldn’t help but want to retreat here and absorb the Soul Jade energy until the one-month time limit was up.
If he really did that, Yang Kai calculated that by the time he left this place, his Soul would definitely reach the Emperor Realm! He might not even finish absorbing the Soul Jade’s energy by then, so he could definitely have the Soul Devouring Insects join in as well.
He had plenty of time and he could gain the most from absorbing this energy here!
However…
Just before he could do so, another force suddenly welled up within Yang Kai’s body. A seven coloured radiance suddenly illuminated the dim mountain cave with blinding light.
The rainbow light kept glowing and with a twist, Yang Kai suddenly felt his hand become lighter.
The Soul Jade… disappeared.
Yang Kai was caught off guard by this astonishing event, and with a shocked expression, he hurriedly scanned himself.
Soon, he located the Soul Jade in a certain part of his body.
The Soul Jade was actually enveloped by the Seven Coloured Soul Warming Lotus as it quietly laid in the lotus flower’s centre.
But when Yang Kai saw it, he saw something inconceivable. The Soul Jade was swiftly melting like a snowflake under the sun and disappeared entirely soon after.
The Soul Warming Lotus absorbed every bit of energy from the Soul Jade without leaving even a little bit behind.
After it absorbed the Soul Jade’s energy, the Soul Warming Lotus’s colour seemed to get brighter.
Simultaneously, a gentle but seemingly endless power began spreading out from the Soul Warming Lotus, gradually injecting itself into Yang Kai’s Soul Avatar…
“This… just what is going on!?” Yang Kai was completely stunned and stupefied.
He had just discovered a High-Rank or even better Soul Jade, yet the Soul Warming Lotus had absorbed it without letting him have anything, only to then slowly return the energy to his Soul Avatar.
[Was this a good thing… or a bad thing?]
Yang Kai had no idea.
He lost the Soul Jade, which was obviously a loss for him, but the Soul Warming Lotus had absorbed it, rather than someone else stealing the Soul Jade. Right after that, the Soul Warming Lotus even slowly returned the energy to his body…
After thinking about it for a while, Yang Kai felt that this was likely a good thing.
This way, it would be beneficial for both himself and the Soul Warming Lotus, and… even though the flow of energy from the Soul Warming Lotus was much slower, it was orderly and gradual so that he could slowly absorb and refine it to strengthen his Soul.
If he personally absorbed the Soul Jade’s energy, he might not be able to finish absorbing it in the remaining time, and if he tried to do so, he definitely wouldn’t be able to do anything else but hide in this cave.
But now, he no longer needed to consider the Soul Jade’s matter and could focus on his own affairs.
“This arrangement should be more beneficial!” Yang Kai announced with confidence.
After saying that, he turned to look all around him and found that the Purple Squirrel was staring at him with fear in a corner of the cave.
The Purple Squirrel hadn’t understood the strange situation just now, so it had immediately run away from Yang Kai. Now that it saw he was safe and even waving at it in a friendly manner, it slowly went over to him.
After it confirmed that there weren’t any problems with Yang Kai, it went up on his shoulder once again.
But for some unknown reason, it actually sniffed Yang Kai gently a few times and then had a look of confusion. It seemed to think that Yang Kai’s current scent was somewhat different from before.
After that, Yang Kai went around the cave again and carefully checked to make sure that he didn’t miss anything before he finally left.
He still had plenty of time, and wouldn’t waste it.
Right when he exited the cave, a whoosh sound came from not far away.
This was followed by a figure that suddenly landed before him.
Yang Kai was astonished and he instinctively used his Spiritual Energy to summon the Purple Sun Profound Light Shield. At the same time, he leapt backwards to open some distance with this newcomer.
He never expected that he would meet anyone else here.
The other person also obviously thought the same thing. When he saw Yang Kai, he also condensed his Spiritual Energy and looked over vigilantly.
The two men exchanged glances, with the unknown stranger furrowing his brow as he stared curiously at the purple glow on Yang Kai’s body.
Just as Yang Kai had expected, cultivators of this world didn’t have artifacts that they could use! That was because they lacked resources that could be crafted into artifacts.
Battles between cultivators here were all about competing with the strength of one’s Soul. They relied on Soul Secret Techniques and weapons crafted purely from Spiritual Energy!
Soul-type artifacts were incredibly rare to cultivators in this world, possibly not even existing at all!
After Yang Kai summoned the Purple Sun Profound Light Shield, it formed a layer of purple light around his body, and although it appeared similar to some kind of defensive Secret Technique, it was still fundamentally different.
This cultivator who suddenly appeared was a Third-Order Dao Source Realm Cultivator, not weak at all!
The other person was also on guard against Yang Kai as he checked him out.
Yang Kai identified the other man’s Third-Order Dao Source Realm cultivation quite easily by scanning with his Divine Sense. The other man appeared to be middle-aged, around forty years old, and had a steady and solid appearance, but currently, his eyes contained panic and fear.
Yang Kai was certain that the other party wasn’t hostile.
However… This was the first time that Yang Kai had met a cultivator from the Divine Ascension Mirror World, so he was naturally quite curious. Upon closer observation, Yang Kai discovered that the other man’s body was just like his Soul Avatar, a body made of pure Spiritual Energy.
[There really are so many wondrous things in the vast world!] Yang Kai couldn’t help but mentally exclaim.
“If you don’t want to die, then run away immediately!” The other man suddenly called out to him with a serious expression and a low voice.
“What?” Yang Kai furrowed his brow. The other man’s words were impossible for him to understand with no context.
However, the other man obviously was in no state of mind to explain, simply using his strength to rush towards a certain direction as he shouted again, “You won’t be able to escape if you don’t hurry.”
Yang Kai instantly felt an ominous premonition after he heard this and faintly realized that perhaps there was a powerful existence that was currently chasing this person, and that existence was obviously incredibly dangerous and vicious.
Considering all this, Yang Kai decided to immediately leave this dangerous location.
He was only here because Gao Xue Ting had brought him into this world for some training, so he had no interest in getting involved with this world’s great forces, cultivators, and the grudges between them. He was only going to stay here for one month, after all.
Yang Kai immediately started to take action as he thought of this.
However, something suddenly happened at that time.
A powerful pressure belonging to an Emperor appeared and descended from the sky. The pressure seemed almost tangible, to the point where one couldn’t help but mistakenly feel that the sky was crushing them.
Yang Kai’s body immediately became shorter and his expression turned extremely unpleasant.
At the same time, he saw from the corner of his eye a ghostly figure appear to the side of that other cultivator.
This figure wasn’t very tall. In fact, it was even rather short. Yet, Yang Kai hadn’t noticed this person at all before he appeared, as if he was originally there already but no one had detected him yet.
When this Emperor Realm Master of unknown origins appeared, a light flashed in his hand as a dagger-like weapon suddenly appeared.
This weapon was composed of Spiritual Energy, rather than being a Soul-type artifact.
The dagger shone with a chilly light as the Emperor Realm Master stabbed out before the fleeing middle-aged man could react.
Yang Kai felt his head going numb as he heard the soft sound of metal being inserted into flesh.
The Third-Order Dao Source Realm middle-aged man, who was trying to escape, had no time to react or defend himself as he was stabbed right through the chest.
In the outside world, this absolutely would have been a fatal injury since the injury was right through the heart. No matter how strong a cultivator was, he would likely die instantly if he suffered a blow like this, unless that cultivator had cultivated some type of Heaven defying Secret Art, or he used his powerful cultivation to suppress his injury. Only then would the cultivator barely manage to survive.
But in the Divine Ascension Mirror World, since the living beings didn’t have physical bodies, this injury wasn’t fatal even though it seemed to be serious.
The Emperor Realm Master immediately stopped moving after he succeeded with one strike. He coldly glanced at the middle-aged man with no emotion in his eyes, as if he was looking at a piece of wood.
Meanwhile, the middle-aged man screamed in pain as he stiffly stood where he was.
Yang Kai glanced over and saw that the dagger still remained in the middle-aged man’s chest. Spreading from the injury was a strange energy that radiated in all directions as it gathered into a complex image that resembled a mysterious and powerful seal.
This strange power restricted the middle-aged man’s movements and prevented him from moving even one inch.
Strands of Spiritual Energy were leaking out from his injury, and it was evident that he was losing his strength. If this injury remained untreated, the middle-aged man would definitely lose all his Spiritual Energy.
He would then obviously die.
“Are you the Star of Calamity?” The Emperor Realm Master asked calmly after he succeeded in capturing the middle-aged man.
“Sir… what do you mean?” Although the middle-aged man was seriously injured from an ambush, he didn’t dare to get angry. He could only look at the Emperor Realm Master with a pleading expression as he asked in obvious confusion.
“Forget it!” When the short Emperor Realm Master heard this, he replied in a bored tone, “No matter if you are or aren’t, I’ll know once I take you to the palace for interrogation.”
After that, he decided to ignore the middle-aged man.
“Palace!?” However, the middle-aged man heard some unusual information from the Emperor Realm Master’s words. The middle-aged man widened his eyes as he stared at this Master, his expression fluctuating several times as he asked with difficulty, “May I ask… might Your Excellency be Senior Ban Qing?”
“Oh?” Ban Qing was surprised this time as he looked at the middle-aged man. “You recognize me?”
The middle-aged man couldn’t help but smile bitterly when he saw that Ban Qing didn’t deny it, “The four subordinates of Great General Zhou Dian, Guardian of the Country. Who wouldn’t know the four Vice Generals’ names?”
“Since there are four people, why are you certain that I am Ban Qing? Couldn’t I be someone else?” Ban Qing seemed to be in no hurry to deal with Yang Kai as he casually chatted with interest with his prey.
The middle-aged man answered, “Vice General Lian Yan has the obvious trait of having red hair. Vice General Yu Man is a woman. As for Vice General Yuan Qing… rumours say that Vice Commander Yuan is as beautiful as a flower with a countenance like white jade, and that ordinary women seem less beautiful than him… Since Your Excellency is from the palace and has such cultivation, I can’t think of anyone you could be apart from Senior Ban Qing.”
“Hahahaha!” Ban Qing suddenly laughed out loud, “As beautiful as a flower? So, that’s how people talk about Yuan Qing? I wonder what he’ll think if he hears this… En, your analysis is correct. This King is indeed Ban Qing!”
The middle-aged man gave up completely upon seeing Ban Qing finally admit it. He seemed to wither as he exclaimed, “Rumours never match up with the real thing. Senior Ban’s concealment and assassination techniques are truly outstanding!”
“Hmph!” Ban Qing coldly snorted with disdain, not caring about the middle-aged man’s flattery.
“However… Senior Ban, I have no grudge at all with you, so why…” Although the middle-aged man was unable to move, he still wanted to plead with Ban Qing to release him.
However, Ban Qing obviously didn’t intend to give him such a chance. Ban Qing had entered the Heavenly Monster Mountains under the command of Zhou Qian to capture the Star of Calamity that had appeared, so although he couldn’t kill people for no reason, it was no problem to seriously injure someone.
That was why Ban Qing reached out with his hand and clenched it in front of the middle-aged man before he finished speaking.
The dagger inserted in the middle-aged man’s chest suddenly released a flash of light, causing the seal which was suppressing the man to suddenly become stronger.
The middle-aged man reacted as if he was struck by lightning, his body shaking as he stiffly fell over, unconscious.
Although he wasn’t dead, he had fainted. Even if he woke up again, it was likely that he wouldn’t be able to restore himself to peak condition. Ban Qing’s blow just now had already damaged his foundation.
Ban Qing drew the dagger back into his hand having finished his task. He then turned around and coldly looked Yang Kai over.
Yang Kai was also thinking at a high speed at the moment…
Previously, he didn’t really understand what had happened, but now he could faintly figure out what was going on thanks to listening to the conversation between the two.
He even had some of his own guesses about the overall situation in this place.
The two of them had mentioned a palace in their conversation. This meant that the Divine Ascension Mirror World likely had a ruler at the very top.
Under the ruler was apparently this ‘Guardian of the Country’ whose name was Zhou Dian.
Under Zhou Dian were then four Emperor Realm Masters like the one in front of him!
Currently, these Masters should have all entered the Heavenly Monster Mountain to capture that so-called Star of Calamity…
The middle-aged man was either the capture target or an unlucky bystander. Yang Kai surmised that he was the latter, since judging by the middle-aged man’s words, he had no idea what that Star of Calamity was.
It was the same for Yang Kai!
Ban Qing and the others didn’t have any idea who they were trying to capture, so they simply spread out in a wide area to capture as many as possible. Anyone that they ran into definitely wouldn’t be able to escape.
‘I’m so damn unlucky!’ Yang Kai mentally cursed.
It was a rare opportunity to train in this world, yet he came across a conflict between the local cultivators here, and an Emperor Realm Master was the first to show up… Yang Kai really wanted to complain about his luck.
“Not bad, boy!” Ban Qing suddenly smiled and nodded with a friendly expression after looking at Yang Kai for a while.
“What are you trying to say?” Yang Kai asked in a heavy tone.
“This King was trying to say… Since you’ve already realized that you can’t beat this King, you decided not to flee. En, you’re an obedient one, so this King can allow you to suffer less,” Ban Qing then changed his tone to a much chillier one, “But if you don’t know what’s good for you, you’ll suffer the same fate as him!”
He pointed at the middle-aged man on the ground as he spoke.
Yang Kai couldn’t help but furrow his brow, remaining silent for a moment before saying, “This Sir…”
“Don’t talk to this King about being innocent or whatnot!” Ban Qing seemed to know what Yang Kai wanted to say, so he interrupted the latter and spoke impatiently, “This King is under orders, so if you really are the Star of Calamity, then just admit that you’re unfortunate. If you’re not the Star of Calamity, you’ll naturally be safe… mostly.”
As he said this, he stared at Yang Kai and asked, “Are you going to surrender yourself without a fight, or are you going to make this King act? Let me tell you beforehand that if you choose the second option, this King won’t guarantee that you’ll still be in one piece afterwards!”
“I see…” Yang Kai sighed helplessly due to the failure to negotiate successfully. He had a heavy expression as he asked, “Junior just has one question he would like to ask.”
“Say it!” Ban Qing responded in a cold and aloof tone.
“Earlier, I heard Sir and this… Brother’s discussion. Apparently, there are three other such existences as yourself, so I was wondering about those three…”
“They are leading teams to search in other locations right now. At this moment, the entire Heavenly Monster Mountains have been sealed off, so don’t even think about escaping. It will be meaningless.”
Yang Kai’s heart instantly felt icy when he heard this.
“Then Senior, your subordinates…” Yang Kai inquired again.
“They’ll be here soon!” Ban Qing frowned impatiently, “This King prefers to act alone…” He then looked Yang Kai over with suspicion, “Why are you asking these things?”
“It’s nothing,” Yang Kai took a deep breath and slowly stated, “Junior only wishes… for your understanding!”
As he spoke, he transformed into a beam of light that charged directly at Ban Qing.
Yang Kai had thought things through quite well. Since the Heavenly Monster Mountains were already sealed, and there were three other Emperor Realm Masters apart from Ban Qing searching elsewhere, and Ban Qing’s subordinates had yet to arrive, now was the best opportunity to fight.
Running wasn’t realistic. Ban Qing was skilled at concealment and assassination to begin with, so it was likely that he had exquisite Movement Skills which would prevent Yang Kai from escaping. Even if Yang Kai managed to escape, where would he run to in these gigantic Heavenly Monster Mountains that he wasn’t familiar with? He might be unlucky enough to run into someone else, and there would be no hope at all anymore if he was caught in a pincer attack.
As such, Yang Kai figured it would be best to fight it out with Ban Qing while the latter was still alone. He could still try to run if he couldn’t win, and if he could win… then there would be no need to escape.
“Hmm?” Ban Qing arched his eyebrows, not having expected that Yang Kai would be so daring. But, it also didn’t seem to be pure recklessness as this boy even had the power to move freely under Ban Qing’s pressure.
Previously, Ban Qing hadn’t thought anything of Yang Kai because there was a natural gap in their strength. Under the suppression of an Emperor, no Dao Source Realm cultivator should be able to move.
The middle-aged man collapsed on the ground right now was the best evidence of that.
In Ban Qing’s eyes, Yang Kai’s cultivation level was similar to the middle-aged man, Third-Order Dao Source Realm, although Yang Kai’s Soul was slightly stronger and bordered on the Emperor Realm.
However, this still didn’t have too much meaning, since as long as Yang Kai didn’t cross the threshold of Emperor Realm, there would still forever be a difference like Heaven and Earth.
Ban Qing thought that Yang Kai couldn’t move a finger under his pressure.
However, when Yang Kai actually moved, he was as fast as the wind, as if he was completely unaffected by Ban Qing’s aura.
Ban Qing was surprised by this discovery, and then he became somewhat angry out of shame.
Coldly snorting, he stood where he was without moving. Rather than move, he released his pressure at full force so that it enveloped Yang Kai.
“Agh…” Yang Kai moaned while he was midair and his body suddenly froze for an instant, as if the air around him had become solid and his movements were greatly restrained!
“You’re quite brave, but… utterly foolish!” Ban Qing coldly glanced at Yang Kai with eyes filled with disdain.
“Senior… aren’t you looking down on others too much?” Yang Kai roared as his Spiritual Energy exploded and engulfed his figure in flames.
The powerful flames burned and jumped, making Yang Kai appear like he was on fire, and the temperature in the area also seemed to increase significantly as green trees instantly withered and the ground baked.
“Conflagrated Aura!” Ban Qing’s eyes dilated as he exclaimed in astonishment.
Mutated Knowledge Seas were incredibly rare, but couldn’t be denied that they had great power, especially a Fire Attribute Knowledge Sea which was renowned for being domineering and having great destructive force.
*Kacha…*
Dense crackling sounds began to sound in midair. Of course, this was the sound of Ban Qing’s Emperor Realm pressure being shattered.
When Yang Kai used his Conflagrated Knowledge Sea, this greatly decreased the pressure on him as he transformed into a flame that leapt in front of Ban Qing. Clenching his fist, Yang Kai sent a vicious flame-covered punch out.
“No wonder you were so arrogant, it seems you do have some skill.” Ban Qing didn’t panic at all when faced with this terrifying attack and instead calmly assessed Yang Kai before tapping his foot and leaping backwards.
As he withdrew, he seemed to cross over space and when he appeared again, he was already a hundred metres away from Yang Kai.
Yang Kai’s vicious punch hit nothing but air.
“If it is someone in the same realm, it’s likely that there are extremely few in the world who can defeat you, but…” Ban Qing chuckled coldly, “This King is an Emperor, you know? Have you not woken up yet? Hmm?”
He roared the final word, causing the originally heavy pressure to become even heavier.
The flames on Yang Kai’s body kept flickering unsteadily and he seemed like he was being crushed under a large mountain as his body sank.
Yang Kai roared against the tremendous pressure causing great pain all over his body. Stamping his feet hard, Yang Kai once again charged in front of Ban Qing despite the restraining pressure.
“Little brat, do you have a death wish?” Ban Qing appeared serious for the first time as he spoke in a low voice.
This was because Yang Kai was forcing himself to break through Ban Qing’s pressure without any regard for his body. This would actually be highly damaging to one’s own body, and it was even possible to destroy one’s Soul by doing this.
However, it seemed as if Yang Kai didn’t even care or worry about such a consequence. He acted like he wanted to trade his life for Ban Qing’s life!
Ban Qing had never met such a person before. The most suitable word to describe such a person was ‘madman’!
“Since you can’t see reality for yourself, then this King will help you!” Ban Qing became angry as he pushed out his hand. A powerful force erupted from his palm and whipped up an energy wave that enveloped Yang Kai.
*Deng deng deng…*
Yang Kai explosively flew backwards as he kept coughed out in pain, the fires surrounding his figure dimming significantly.
Yang Kai had obviously been injured by this blow!
Even a casual blow from an Emperor Realm Master was not to be underestimated.
However, Yang Kai didn’t worry too much because of his Soul Warming Lotus’ protection. Anyone else who suffered such an injury likely would have started wanting to retreat already and focus on healing themselves.
Yet, Yang Kai didn’t need to, because as long as his Soul wasn’t shattered or destroyed, the Soul Warming Lotus would fix everything like it was new if given enough time.
Yang Kai had the ability to act like a madman.
Yang Kai stumbled and his expression went dark. Ban Qing then suddenly disappeared from where he stood before Yang Kai recovered his balance.
Right after that, he spoke from beside Yang Kai in a calm yet distant tone, “Now… I think you should understand?”
It had to be said that Ban Qing was indeed highly skilled at concealment and assassination. His actions weren’t hinted at whatsoever, making them difficult to defend against. There was also no time lag at all between when he disappeared and reappeared to attack.
His hand still held onto the Spiritual Energy dagger from before, and his attack aimed directly for the centre of Yang Kai’s heart.
He used the exact same technique as he had against the middle-aged man.
But at this moment, Yang Kai’s mouth arched upwards in a slightly strange and subtle angle.
The next instant, a purple light flashed as a layer of light mysteriously appeared on Yang Kai’s body and formed a barrier around him.
*Ding…*
A crisp sound echoed.
Ban Qing’s attack hit the Purple Sun Profound Light Shield. The defensive Soul-type artifact of Dao Source Grade Low-Rank was actually unable to block this terrifying attack with its light barrier, so it shattered in the next instant.
Ban Qing’s one casual attack managed to break the Purple Sun Profound Light Shield’s defence!
The Soul-type artifact also suffered heavy damage to its spirituality, so Yang Kai would need a lot of time and Spiritual Energy to continuously nourish it in order to use it again.
But, this was already sufficient…
“What the hell was that?” Ban Qing had a look of astonishment.
Although he was one of the four Vice Generals of the Divine Ascension Country, he had never seen a Soul-type artifact in his life before. That was why his first reaction was that something was off when he destroyed Yang Kai’s Purple Profound Light Shield.
Before he could figure out what had happened, a buzzing sound suddenly filled his ears.
Ban Qing mysteriously felt like his Soul was trembling as the buzzing became louder, and an instinctive chill filled his body, as if he was facing incredible danger.
Ban Qing couldn’t help but widen his eyes as he looked towards Yang Kai’s hand.
He discovered that a sword had actually appeared at some unknown time.
This sword appeared quite ordinary and didn’t have any flashy or exaggerated features. It seemed like a common sword that could be found anywhere; however, Ban Qing felt an instinctual fear towards it. The sword made a buzzing sound that seemed to draw in his Soul and make Ban Qing feel extreme fear after hearing it. The light swirling on the weapon also seemed capable of devouring his soul and making him fall into the abyss forever.
Ban Qing instantly felt that things were bad as he hurriedly tried to retreat.
However, he was already too late.
The space around him suddenly solidified.
It was the power of Space Principles!
Yang Kai was only here with his Soul Avatar, not his physical body, so he was unable to use normal artifacts and Secret Techniques. However, he could still use his understanding and control over Principles.
Unfortunately, he would be unable to use Secret Techniques like Moon Blade and Exile because using these Secret Techniques required the support of both Source Qi and Spiritual Energy. Lacking one would render the technique unable to be used.
Yang Kai had already experimented with this when he was previously fighting against Monster Beasts.
His Secret Techniques needed his physical body as the foundation and source of strength in addition to his ability to manipulate Principles.
Even an Emperor Realm master like Ban Qing could be temporarily frozen through the use of Space Principles though.
At this instant, Yang Kai was already smiling viciously as he chopped down with his sword.
“I wonder if you’ve noticed, Senior. You have a habit of attacking from your opponent’s right side and targeting their heart… is this a habit, or does Senior like to show off just how strong you are?”
Yang Kai’s words were filled with a teasing tone as they echoed in Ban Qing’s ears.
Of course, Ban Qing was in no mood to care about that right now. When the sword sliced down on him, he actually felt like death itself was approaching.
“Profound Dragon Seal!” Ban Qing shouted loudly as the Spiritual Energy in his body suddenly activated. The next instant, a thick light barrier appeared before him.
This was quite a powerful Soul Secret Technique.
Since Divine Ascension Mirror World cultivators didn’t have artifacts or physical bodies, they could only strengthen their own Souls and cultivate Soul Secret Techniques in order to raise their strength.
It was also because of this that the cultivators of this world were outstanding in their understanding of Soul Secret Techniques. Cultivators from the Star Boundary couldn’t even compare.
Profound Dragon Seal was a defensive Secret Technique that was the crystallization of Ban Qing’s cultivation, a self-devised skill he had perfected over many long years.
He had only ever used this Secret Technique three times since he reached the Emperor Realm, and every time that he used it, his opponent had also been an Emperor Realm Master.
However, he was forced to use this Secret Technique in front of a Dao Source Realm cultivator like Yang Kai.
He could sense that he would certainly die unless he used this Secret Technique!
He had no basis for his feelings, but he deeply trusted his senses.
A dragon shadow appeared and twirled itself around his body, and in just the blink of an eye, a light barrier that resembled a shield appeared. On the shield were some faint Dragon drawings that seemed like they were alive.
After Ban Qing used this technique, he felt slightly reassured as the panic in his heart receded quite a bit.
However…
The sword sliced past with a simple movement that carried no extravagance. The Profound Dragon Seal, which was capable of defending against an Emperor Realm master’s full force attack, seemed as soft as tofu in front of Yang Kai. Without a sound, the solid defence was sliced in half as the sword continued towards Ban Qing’s chest without being slowed one bit.
If it landed a solid hit, with how abnormal this sword appeared to be, it was likely that even someone as strong as Ban Qing would be sliced in half.
Ban Qing’s expression suddenly changed as he no longer dared to hesitate. Pushing his Spiritual Energy madly, he used the explosive force to retreat with all his strength.
*Chi…*
There was a soft sound as Ban Qing forcibly broke free from the restraint of the Space Principles and barely managed to dodge a deadly blow from the blade strike.
However, a wound that spanned the entire length of his chest, from his shoulder to his stomach, appeared, nearly taking off one of his arms in the process.
There was no blood coming out of the injury, nor was there any sign of his physique being damaged. In fact, there wasn’t even any sign of bones. Yet, pure Spiritual Energy was pouring out of the injury as it continuously vanished into thin air.
“Such a pity!” Yang Kai couldn’t help but exclaim as he looked at Ban Qing. Previously, Yang Kai had rashly charged in front of Ban Qing twice in order to lure Ban Qing into letting down his guard so that he could find a chance to deliver a fatal blow.
Still, Yang Kai’s plan had somewhat succeeded. His two rash actions earlier had obviously caused Ban Qing to underestimate him, resulting in the latter directly closing in to strike Yang Kai. This gave Yang Kai the chance to use a Heaven-destroying counterattack; however, an Emperor was still an Emperor. When Ban Qing’s life was in danger, his reaction speed was incredibly quick and he actually managed to dodge such a sudden attack from such a close distance.
Not far away, Ban Qing had been seriously injured as his eyes shook violently and his expression changed several times. He stared at the sword in Yang Kai’s hands while roaring, “What the hell is that!?”
“The Soul Splitting Sabre!” Yang Kai had a wicked smile as he waved the sword in his hands and used it to point at Ban Qing in the distance, “It doesn’t hurt flesh, it only cuts Souls!”
When entering the Divine Ascension Mirror World, Yang Kai had only brought three things with him along with his Soul Avatar.
The first was the Purple Sun Profound Light Shield that Gao Xue Ting had given him, the second was the Seven Coloured Soul Warming Lotus in his Knowledge Sea, and the third was this Soul Splitting Sabre.
The sabre was an item he obtained from the Insect Emperor.
Back on Shadowed Star, the Insect Emperor had caused great trouble everywhere, but when Yang Kai slew him, he had obtained the Insect Enslavement Bracelet and Soul Splitting Sabre, two Emperor Artifacts.
That Insect Enslavement Bracelet had the special effect of suppressing various types of insects. Yang Kai had escaped death several times thanks to the Insect Enslavement Bracelet. As for the Soul Splitting Sabre, he had hardly ever used it before and had not yet fully refined it.
That was why Yang Kai had been really astonished when he first entered this world and discovered the Soul Splitting Sabre was available to him.
Even though he had never refined this Emperor Artifact before, it was undeniable that it possessed strong attack power against Souls. With this sabre in hand, Yang Kai had managed to seriously injure a master like Ban Qing in just one hit. If he had slightly refined the sabre, then it definitely would have been quite easy for him to kill Ban Qing in a special world like this Divine Ascension Mirror World.
Yang Kai had learned his lesson. He secretly resolved that when he returned to his world, he would definitely find a chance to properly refine the Emperor Artifacts in his possession.
Before, he hadn’t refined them because he wasn’t powerful enough, but now, he was already a Dao Source Realm cultivator, and his Soul was comparable to that of a peak Dao Source Master, so refining these Emperor Artifacts shouldn’t be a problem anymore.
No matter if it was the Soul Splitting Sabre or the Insect Enslavement Bracelet, they would be really useful in certain special circumstances.
“Damn it!” Ban Qing gritted his teeth and shouted in a low voice. Although he didn’t understand what Yang Kai meant by ‘doesn’t hurt flesh’, he clearly recognized that this sabre was a serious threat to him on a fatal level due to the previous attack.
He was now seriously injured, yet Yang Kai was completely uninjured. Additionally, it seemed like Yang Kai knew some rather strange abilities, so Ban Qing was already thinking of retreating.
Although it would be truly embarrassing if word spread that an Emperor Realm cultivator like him ran away from a Dao Source Realm Junior, Ban Qing no longer cared at this time. His life was the most important thing, while face and everything else was only secondary!
Not only that, Ban Qing’s cultivated Secret Techniques were all the type to assist in covert assassination. Normally speaking, someone who cultivated these types of Secret Techniques and Divine Abilities could be called cautious if one wanted to be nice, cowardly if they were to be blunt. Such people would always instantly run for a thousand kilometres if they failed on the first attack. They would never stay for long battles with the enemy, as their fighting abilities would be seriously diminished in a direct confrontation.
If a master like Lian Yan had been before Yang Kai right now, he would never have immediately retreated even if he was caught off guard and injured by Yang Kai.
An injury would never possibly make up for an absolute gap in strength between different realms.
Regardless, after Ban Qing said that, his figure flashed as he wanted to retreat first and formulate a plan.
But at that moment, he suddenly lost track of Yang Kai from his vision. Just one moment ago, the Dao Source Realm brat had been standing not far in front of him, yet now he had actually vanished in the blink of an eye.
“What?” Ban Qing was astonished. He was already a master who was highly skilled at concealment, yet he discovered that there were always people out there who were more skilled than him.
Yang Kai’s sudden disappearance was obviously a far better technique than his own, and Yang Kai could clearly use Space Principles, which allowed him to truly ignore the limitations of space.
Ban Qing hurriedly released his Divine Sense to try and determine Yang Kai’s position; however, he immediately sensed a chilly wind coming from behind his head. This chill seemed as if it blew from the depths of hell and could freeze a person’s Soul.
Ban Qing widened his eyes as he had already sensed his enemy’s position. He didn’t dare to react slowly as he hurriedly turned around while simultaneously sending out a blast of pure Spiritual Energy visible to the naked eye.
*Hong…*
Violent energy clashed and sent Yang Kai flying backwards from the impact. Light flashed furiously and unsteadily on his body in midair, while Ban Qing didn’t even budge.
There was still an absolute difference between their realms, so even though Yang Kai had teleported to launch an ambush, it still didn’t achieve the desired effect.
It now seemed that if it wasn’t for Ban Qing being overconfident and not understanding the existence of Soul-type artifacts, he wouldn’t have been injured by Yang Kai’s sabre. As long as he had a slight understanding of the Soul Splitting Sabre’s threat and was slightly on guard, Yang Kai never would have succeeded in wounding him.
“Hmph!” Yang Kai landed and made a muffled sound of pain as his expression flickered slightly. This clashing between Souls wasn’t something that humans could usually bear. This pain was far more difficult to withstand than any type of physical pain.
He felt as if his Soul was being torn apart, and there was no way to suppress this pain at all. Apart from bearing with it, there was no second option.
However, Yang Kai was still smiling faintly…
Because his trick had succeeded yet again.
*Weng weng…*
A strange buzzing sound could be heard as Ban Qing paused in surprise. However, he soon realized just where this sound was coming from.
He hurriedly lowered his head and saw that the injury on his body was actually covered with a dense layer of small pitch-black dots. Upon closer inspection, Ban Qing immediately felt his head go numb.
That was because those pitch-black dots were actually tiny insects, numerous enough that they were all but uncountable.
Anyone would likely find it difficult to withstand their body being covered in insects, but what truly terrified Ban Qing was that these tiny insects actually pierced into his wound, and nearly half of them had entered his body in just the blink of an eye.
Ban Qing’s face became incredibly pale.
With his Emperor Realm cultivation, he could naturally sense that these insects were actually beginning to take ravenous bites off him as they fed on his essence.
Ban Qing was constantly losing strength!
“What are these!?” Ban Qing couldn’t help but stagger back several steps as he lowered his head and looked at his own body, shouting loudly in fear, “Just what is this!?”
He had asked this question several times already, ever since he met Yang Kai.
For a cultivator like Ban Qing, who had been born and raised in the Divine Ascension Mirror World, many of the techniques and items that Yang Kai showed to him today were beyond his understanding.
Most critically of all, even if Ban Qing didn’t recognize the Soul Devouring Demon Insects, he felt an instinctive fear when he saw them. This type of fear came from the depths of his soul and was completely innate, like when a frog met a snake, or if a rabbit met an eagle…
As Ban Qing angrily roared, he also shook his body and formed an invisible aura that wrapped around himself.
The Soul Devouring Demon Insects which hadn’t managed to enter his body were all sent flying outside by the impact.
However, pure Spiritual Energy was still pouring out from Ban Qing’s injury. Such Spiritual Energy was the most delicious food of all for the Soul Devouring Demon Insects, so they would never let this go.
The insects didn’t even wait for Yang Kai’s command as they gathered together again into a cloud and enveloped Ban Qing.
Ban Qing witnessed a despairing scene.
His Emperor Realm defensive aura actually didn’t even obstruct these insects as they could literally chew through it. In just a short while, they gnawed open a hole through his defences and once again pounced onto his body to invade him through his injury.
“Demon Insects!” Ban Qing seemed to suddenly realize something as his expression greatly changed while he roared in panic, “These are Demon Insects!”
His eyes contained a rather pitiful expression as he shouted.
He hadn’t been so helpless even when he faced the Soul Splitting Sabre, yet this Emperor Realm master was showing despair when he faced the Soul Devouring Demon Insects.
There exists an ancient legend in this world about a type of special insects, insects that are the nemesis of all things living. No matter how strong or how high one’s cultivation is, they would be no match for these insects. Moreover, these insects could not be killed in any way and would continue devouring the bodies of the living to grow and multiply.
These insects were known as the Demon Insects by the inhabitants of this world!
Demon Insects initially appeared without warning, so no one really knew where they came from, nor did anyone pay attention to them at first because they were still small and weak back then.
But as time passed, and they continued to devour and grow, the horror of these Demon Insects gradually became known.
Wherever they went, all life disappeared; where they nested, no one dared come within a hundred thousand kilometres.
In ancient times, where the legends about these insects originated, the number of masters in this world far exceeded today. There were even many Third-Order Emperors!
When the Demon Insects grew to become a calamity, the masters of the world could no longer sit idly by, and thus they joined forces and prepared to do their utmost to destroy the Demon Insects that plagued this world.
Nobody knows what happened in that battle.
But after that, all the masters of the world disappeared, and so did the Demon Insects that were so feared and talked about.
Some speculated that the Masters died alongside the Demon Insects, otherwise, how could the final result be explained? There were also speculations that the Masters had secluded themselves from the world after defeating the Demon Insects, living apart from the trappings of society. Some even speculated that the Demon Insects devoured the masters and were now slumbering in some unknown place, evolving into a more terrifying form and would one day return to end the world!
But these were only rumours. No one ever believed them and no person had ever seen what these so-called Demon Insects, let alone knew what they actually looked like.
Barely anyone believed that these Demon Insects really existed.
But right now, right here, Ban Qing understood that the rumours were not fabricated. There really did exist bone-chilling Demon Insects in this world, and these tiny insects were just as the rumours said, feeding on the energy of living beings, unable to be killed or destroyed. One could only sit back and watch them grow, and then lay waste to the entire world.
When he thought about these ancient rumours, Ban Qing completely lost all will to fight Yang Kai.
He could not understand how Yang Kai could spur a group of Demon Insects to fight for him as a mere Dao-Source Realm cultivator. Did he not worry that these Demon Insects would devour him too?
Howls of misery emerged as Ban Qing writhed in pain, seemingly falling into an abyss of destruction. It was an unbearable torture as Ban Qing experienced the fear and despair of his Soul being devoured slowly by the rampaging Soul Devouring Insects.
He was like a madman, throwing out his energy desperately. All sorts of wonderful and amazing Soul Secret Techniques that Yang Kai had never seen before were released from Ban Qing’s hands as he continued to struggle.
The space around them became unstable under this thrashing.
Yang Kai hurriedly moved away and observed Ban Qing from afar.
Even he did not expect that this Emperor Realm Master would become so crazy after shouting out that short name.
[Demon Insects…Why would he call them that? Are the Soul Devouring Insects related to this world in some way?] Yang Kai pondered with a frown. He couldn’t figure it out, but it was without a doubt that the scene before him was exactly what he wanted to see.
First, he launched a sneak attack with the Soul Splitting Saber, then he used Ban Qing’s blind spot to infest him with Soul Devouring Insects to finish the job. Even though both his moves were successful, Yang Kai really had no way to stop him if this Emperor Realm Master was determined to escape.
His ability to manipulate Space Principles was not strong enough to really bind an Emperor Realm cultivator.
If Ban Qing escaped and revealed his information to his comrades, Yang Kai would lose his advantage.
Ban Qing seemed to be in a state of madness though, losing himself in despair, and from the looks of it, he might even be reaching the end of his life, which was a welcome sight for Yang Kai.
In the end, Ban Qing was still an Emperor Realm Master, so despite going mad and acting in an uncontrolled manner, the Soul Devouring Insects weren’t able to completely devour him in short order.
Yang Kai did not try to prod him either, choosing to watch from afar instead, waiting for an opportunity to act…
And, as time passed, the aura coming from Ban Qing’s body became weaker and weaker. From the Emperor Realm, he regressed to the Dao Source Realm, then the Origin King Realm, then the Origin Returning Realm…
After an hour had passed, Ban Qing’s body suddenly froze, and he stood in place, unmoving.
Immediately afterwards, Ban Qing’s body burst open with a *bang*, transforming into a million points of light before they too dissipated into the world.
At the location where he disappeared, a cloud of insects was squirming and tossing about.
After devouring the energy of an Emperor Realm Master, the Soul Devouring Insects seemed to have gained considerable growth, and Yang Kai could see that their aura had gotten significantly stronger.
Yang Kai was also troubled at this moment though.
Even though the Soul Devouring Insects had not been of the greatest use to him these recent years, they would undoubtedly grow much stronger after this visit to the Divine Ascension Mirror World and become a killer weapon for him, but if he lost control of the Soul Devouring Insects at this time, he could lose a means to use against his enemies in the future.
Moreover, if he were to allow the Soul Devouring Insects to act without restraint in this World, Yang Kai dared not even imagine what heights they would grow to.
There may be other ways to deal with Soul Devouring Insects in the outside world, but here, all living beings were made of Spiritual Energy, so they were little more than food for the Soul Devouring Insects.
These insects would constantly grow stronger and stronger until they devoured this entire world.
So, no matter what, Yang Kai did not dare to leave the Soul Devouring Insects here.
He had already noticed that these Soul Devouring Insects were showing signs of resistance towards his orders, and this was becoming more and more obvious as they grew. Now, they were straight out ignoring him!
Naturally, Yang Kai was flustered.
He kept actively sending orders with his Divine Sense to the Soul Devouring Insects, but it was to no avail.
In the end, Yang Kai had no choice but to stimulate the Soul Warming Lotus in his body. All of a sudden, a seven-coloured glow burst out, radiating in all directions.
Perhaps because the Soul Devouring Insects felt the Soul Warming Lotus was their home after living there for such a long time, when they sensed the seven-coloured glow, they swiftly returned to Yang Kai.
Yang Kai couldn’t help but breathe a sigh of relief, and with a wave of his sleeve, he put them inside.
Standing in place, Yang Kai’s brows furrowed as he silently sensed the movements of the Soul Devouring Insects.
Strangely enough, the Soul Devouring Insects turned docile as soon as he took them back, not displaying the unruly behaviour from just now anymore.
But this caused Yang Kai to realize a problem — he had to refine the Insect Enslavement Bracelet as soon as possible, otherwise, he would lose the means to enslave the Soul Devouring Insects if they grew more powerful.
The Insect Enslavement Bracelet was an artifact of the Insect Emperor, who used it to subdue all sorts of Exotic Insects, so it was the best tool to control the Soul Devouring Insects.
Though the fight just now was dangerous, it did not actually affect Yang Kai’s growth that much due to how easily he won in the end. This was all thanks to his Emperor Artifact and the Soul Devouring Insects. Yang Kai himself did not actually exert much effort.
However, Ban Qing could be considered the first Emperor Realm Master Yang Kai had killed. Even if it was an Emperor Realm master without a physical body, only a Soul, he was still not easily killed.
In the outside world, Yang Kai would never have been able to accomplish this.
Thinking back, Yang Kai couldn’t help but feel giddy. If Ban Qing had used his most proficient assassination Divine Ability from the very start, then he would not even have had the chance to resist. Fortunately, Ban Qing had received orders to capture him alive, which gave Yang Kai such an opportunity.
He sighed and frowned for a moment, wondering where he should go now…
According to what Ban Qing had said, Heavenly Monster Mountain had been sealed off, and many cultivators under Zhou Dian’s leadership were searching for the so-called ‘Star of Calamity’, so it was definitely impossible for Yang Kai to leave the Heavenly Monster Mountain now. Staying here was not an option either, so it seemed he could only continue going deeper inside and hope to be able to evade disaster.
Considering all this, Yang Kai made up his mind.
Looking around him, Yang Kai eyed the middle-aged man who had fainted on the ground. Who knows what Ban Qing did to knock this guy out, but he showed no signs of waking up even now.
That man had nothing to do with Yang Kai, so the latter could not even bother to deal with him, choosing to leave him there to fend for himself.
Yang Kai continued scanning his surroundings and soon his eyes settled in a certain direction. Grinning, he waved towards that spot.
Behind a tree was the Purple Squirrel, looking curiously around, its eyes filled with vigour. After making sure it was safe, it crept out and, slowly, came in front of Yang Kai, staring up at him with concern, as if asking if he was hurt.
Yang Kai smiled, leaned over, and reached out, picking up the little squirrel and placing it on his shoulder. After adjusting his bearings, Yang Kai then headed deeper into the Heavenly Monster Mountain.
…..
Some tens of thousands of kilometres away from the Heavenly Monster Mountain, there was a valley surrounded by mountains on all sides.
This mountain valley was filled with fog, and the people living nearby all referred to it as Misty Valley.
The fog permeated the valley and did not dissipate throughout the year. It was so dense that one could hardly see one step in front of themselves and. This place was extremely odd, and even though this fog was harmless to living beings, one would always lose their sense of direction once they entered it.
From time to time, daring inhabitants of the nearby regions would come to try to explore the Misty Valley and figure out what secrets were hidden within, but regardless of their cultivation, they would lose their sense of direction and get lost inside soon after entering.
Nobody ever found out what was hidden inside.
However, nobody had ever been completely trapped inside the fog either.
That was because, when these people were trapped to the point of despair, an invisible force would inevitably appear to send them outside.
No one knew what the nature of that force was, simply that when it arrived, the people trapped inside Misty Valley would find themselves outside of it.
Some speculated that a hidden expert was secluded inside Misty Valley, and that the dense fog over the mountain valley was this senior expert’s creation so as to not be disturbed by other people.
And, even though the cultivation level of this senior expert was beyond compare, he was a kind person and would help those who were trapped in Misty Valley instead of killing them.
Of course, this is only the speculation of those living nearby. As to what truly existed inside Misty Valley, no one could say.
There was a piece of land covering around one square kilometre at the centre of Misty Valley that was not covered by fog, however, and it was the only place inside Misty Valley like it.
Within this one square kilometre of land, there were twenty or so big and small burial mounds.
These mounds seemed to be scattered all around the land, each with a wooden marker erected at its head, engraved with a different name.
Judging from the technique and writing, it was clear that these ‘headstones’ stemmed from the same person.
Within this world, any living being would transform into pure Spiritual Energy after their death and dissipate into the air, so no bodies could be left behind. Naturally, these graves were empty. Still, a memorial was erected here, so obviously it was to pay tribute and remembrance to the fallen.
If one looked closely at the names on these headstones though, they would find that each of them was a well-known, legendary Master.
Of course, these names all belonged to the distant past.
Currently, these experts had long disappeared without a trace, and nobody knew whether they were alive or dead, but never would anyone have thought that they were all long gone from this world.
If the general populace were to learn that these experts were all gathered here, the news would surely shake the world.
It was quiet within Misty Valley, as if there was nothing else here other than the graves of the dead.
A simple wooden house was the only structure in this place, built about a hundred metres away from these graves. Inside this house, a man with a snow-white beard sat cross-legged on the floor. He looked quite old, but his complexion was bright, giving him an immortal temperament with extraordinary bearing.
On the surface, this old man didn’t seem to have a trace of cultivation, nor any energy fluctuations coming from his body. He was just like an ordinary old man. However, every time he breathed, it was as if the surrounding world breathed with him.
This person’s cultivation had obviously reached an extraordinary peak, allowing him to achieve a kind of unity with the world itself.
Suddenly, the old man opened his eyes which overflowed with divine light. Traces of the sun, moon, and stars could be seen within them, and the spirits of ten thousand beasts flitted past in a flash.
His body did not seem to move, but with a flash, he suddenly disappeared.
By the time he reappeared, the old man had already arrived at a certain spot in Misty Valley. He waved his sleeve and a gale blew up all of a sudden, blowing away the dense fog in front of him.
A bizarre and inexplicably formed black altar suddenly appeared before the old man.
Staring at the altar with an imposing look, the old man listened intently.
*Weng weng…*
A small, almost imperceptible sound suddenly emerged from inside the altar.
The old man’s face suddenly changed as a look of disbelief filled his expression. Quickly, he verified that what he heard was not his imagination, but to his dismay, the result was the same.
His face suddenly turned ugly, as a hint of sadness was concealed within it.
“It has been so many years… Have you awakened once more?” He suddenly murmured as he watched the altar, as if speaking to a familiar old friend.
“What power wakes you?” As the old man spoke, he turned his head to a certain direction, and after gazing there for a moment, his body flickered and disappeared.
A short while later, a stream of light broke through the sky out of Misty Valley, and headed towards the direction of Heavenly Monster Mountain.
…..
Deep inside Heavenly Monster Mountain, Yang Kai stood firmly in place, eyes glancing coldly from side to side.
He left the place where he fought Ban Qing and travelled deeper into the Heavenly Monster Mountains, hoping to find a safe place to hide.
Yet, he did not get what he wanted. It did not take long for someone to find him. These men may not be as strong as Ban Qing, and they posed no threat to Yang Kai who could clean them all up with his Soul Devouring Insects and Soul Splitting Saber, but this annoying situation still put him on full alert.
He thought he was being cautious enough, yet his tracks were still exposed, as if these people knew exactly where he was.
This made him wonder whether something on his body had been tampered with, and that was why they kept coming after him.
But when he checked, he found nothing.
What’s more, other than Ban Qing whom he had met first among these people who had this ability, the others couldn’t do this. If it really was Ban Qing’s doing, then when did he do it?
Thinking back, Yang Kai could only assume that Ban Qing had done something to him while they were fighting him.
And, whatever mark he left was somehow attracting these people.
With this in mind, Yang Kai no longer cared about the danger and went deeper into the Heavenly Monster Mountains.
Unexpectedly, half a day later, he was stopped by two Monster Beasts.
These two Monster Beasts were not ordinary, and upon releasing his Divine Sense, Yang Kai could tell that they were both Twelfth-Order. In other words, these two Monster Beasts had power equivalent to Emperor Realm cultivators!
One Ban Qing was enough to give him a lot of trouble, but now there were two Monster Beasts with power similar to him. Yang Kai could not help but groan.
Gao Xue Ting said that there were many existences in the Heavenly Monster Mountains that even she did not dare to provoke, and that statement was clearly no exaggeration. It was true that there really were many high-level existences in the Heavenly Monster Mountain, it was just that Yang Kai had not encountered them since he had been moving about near the outer periphery.
The two Monster Beasts were extraordinary in their own right. The one on the left was shaped like an ape with wide shoulders like an iron wall, extraordinarily long arms, and thick hair over its body like steel needles. Its glaring eyes were even larger than a man’s fist and as it stared at Yang Kai, it flared its nostrils and huffed out hot air, appearing quite hostile.
The one on the right had a flawless white body. A sacred deer that looked as if it was carved right out of white jade. Not a single trace of any other colour covered its body, it was an amazing sight. There was even a faint halo enveloping the surface of its body which gave its viewers a bedazzling feeling and two short antlers on its forehead, adding a beautiful finishing touch like dotting eyes on a dragon painting.
These two Monster Beasts were clearly of different species, yet they stood together peacefully. At once, they leapt in front of Yang Kai, blocking his way, as well as locking his retreat on the left and right. It was astonishing, yet similarly stressful for Yang Kai.
Being Twelfth-Order Monster Beasts, there was a high chance that these beasts had gained sentience. In other words, Monster Beasts who could arrive at this level could already control their primal instincts and were able to think and act just as humans do.
Of course, there also existed special Monster Beasts that were strong yet still maintain their beast-like instincts instead of gaining sentience.
Yang Kai had no idea whether these two were sentient, but he hoped they were, otherwise he could only look for an opportunity to escape.
When these two Monster Beasts appeared, the Purple Squirrel was terrified and scurried to hide behind Yang Kai’s back.
It was only a Ninth-Order Monster Beast, so when faced with strong existences like these Twelfth-Order Monster Beasts, it would naturally feel oppressed.
When confronted, the ape-like Monster Beast suddenly snorted from its nostrils, accompanied by a gust of hot air visible to the naked eye. In a short amount of time, within a radius of several dozen kilometres, the temperature rose sharply. Yang Kai’s heart dropped and he began circulating his strength on instinct.
“Had enough fun yet?” The ape suddenly spoke human words.
Yang Kai’s face changed slightly, immediately understanding that the Monster Beast in front of him had already gained sentience. Moreover… it was exceedingly intelligent.
With this, it meant he had the opportunity to try and negotiate with the other side.
Considering all this, he quickly cupped his fists and spoke, “This… Senior…”
The other party was a Monster Beast, so it seemed a little inappropriate to call it Senior; however, Yang Kai could not think of anything else to call it so he had to settle for that.
But before he could finish his sentence, the ape glared coldly at him and Emperor Realm level pressure pressed down on him as it snapped sharply, “Silence!”
“Ugh…” Yang Kai had no idea what to say, nor did he understand what it meant. What’s more, the question it had asked just now was also quite strange.
At this moment, the Sacred Deer on the right suddenly made a move.
A different, soft power emanated from the Sacred Deer, dispersing the pressure that the ape had put on Yang Kai.
At the same time, the body of the sacred Deer suddenly burst into a bright glow. After a brief moment, this mass of light transformed into a tall and beautiful woman with snow-white skin in a long white dress.
The woman the Sacred Deer transformed into looked to be in her early twenties, and her beauty was not enchanting, charming, nor decorous, but holy, as if she did not belong to the mortal world.
Free of earthly contaminations, not disrupted by the mundane, she was like an immortal fairy who descended from the sky.
“Be careful, Yuan Fei, what if you hurt the Young Master?” After transforming into her human form, the Sacred Deer glared at the ape and rebuked it.
“Hmph! If he gets hurt, he deserves it!” The Monster Beast ape called Yuan Fei grunted as he responded, his thick hair standing on end defensively.
A moment later, in another burst of light, the giant ape transformed into a middle-aged man that looked about forty, his face covered with a malevolent aura and his body covered in crude clothes.
Compared to the Sacred Deer, the human form he took lacked the slightest beauty, but there was no denying it was rugged and boasted great power, making it both a simple and practical form.
Yang Kai wasn’t too shocked when the two Monster Beasts assume human forms, rather, he could only glance at them suspiciously and ask, “Young Master?”
In the next instant though, he seemed to understand something.
The woman transformed from the Sacred Deer looked at Yang Kai and said with slightly parted lips, “Young Master, it’s time to return home.”
Yang Kai did not move nor did he reply, understanding that the other party was not speaking to him.
The fidgeting Purple Squirrel on his back peeked out its small head and looked at the woman as it hung off Yang Kai’s shoulder.
The woman smiled and said, “Please don’t be afraid. Sir may be very angry this time, but he says that as long as Young Master returns with us obediently, then he will let you go without punishment.”
The Purple Squirrel opened its mouth and squeaked a few times, the meaning unclear so Yang Kai did not understand.
“You dare try to bargain with us?” Upon hearing what it said though, Yuan Fei glared and rolled up his sleeves as if he was ready to attack, shouting loudly, “Don’t you stop me this time, Bai Lu! I have to teach him a good lesson!”
As he said that, he really did seem like he was going to rush over and beat down the Purple Squirrel.
The Purple Squirrel was so scared that it quickly shrunk its head back, latching onto Yang Kai’s back with its two paws, trembling.
Now, Yang Kai understood completely what was going on.
The Purple Squirrel that he encountered by chance was clearly a big figure since there were actually two Emperor Realm Monster Race dispatched to look for it. And, from how they were addressing the Purple Squirrel, it seemed to be the son of some Master of this Heavenly Monster Mountain.
And this Master… was most likely the Ruler of Heavenly Monster Mountain!
Yang Kai’s heart was completely shaken.
On the other hand, Bai Lu and Yuan Fei were very well matched in their roles, one coaxing, one threatening. It was clearly not the first time these two were doing this as they had already completely cornered the Purple Squirrel.
Seeing that Yuan Fei really was about to rush over, Bai Lu quickly said, “Come to me quickly, Young Master! Elder Sister will protect you!”
As soon as those words left her mouth, Yang Kai felt the weight on his back disappear.
The Purple Squirrel shot out like a purple light and rushed into Bai Lu’s embrace, shrinking into her arms and only daring to peek his head out to eye Yuan Fei warily.
“He actually fell for that…?” Yang Kai was speechless.
Yuan Fei also stopped and glared at the Purple Squirrel and snorted, “Don’t let me catch you, or I’ll peel your skin off!”
As soon as those words came out, the Purple Squirrel didn’t dare to leave Bai Lu’s arms anymore and its body tensed up even further; despite that though, it still stuck out its tongue mischievously at Yuan Fei.
“This is the eleventh time!” Bai Lu looked at the Purple Squirrel with a helpless face and said, “Young Master, please don’t do this again; after all, it’s very dangerous outside…”
After she said that, she eyed Yang Kai, whether intentionally or otherwise, and went on, “Sir has also said that he will allow you to go out when you grow a little more, so just wait a bit longer.”
Naturally, the Purple Squirrel nodded its head like a little chick pecking at the warm embrace and words of the beauty, looking meek and obedient.
“You should apologize to Sir when we return, otherwise, no one can save you!” Bai Lu added.
Naturally, the Purple Squirrel listened.
The two Twelfth-Order Monster Race Masters looked at each other, silently communicating with their eyes.
“All right, we’ve settled Young Master’s matters, so…” Yuan Fei glanced coldly at Yang Kai as he spoke, bellowing, “Little brat, who gave you the guts to come into the depths of Heavenly Monster Mountain!”
Yang Kai’s face paled and he quickly cupped his fists, “Reporting to Senior, Junior is currently being pursued and had no other recourse but to travel deeper into your territory. If I have offended Senior, then I hope that…”
“Enough!” Yuan Fei did not want to listen to Yang Kai’s explanation at all, waving his arms as he shouted angrily, “It seems you humans have already forgotten the Heavenly Monster Accord from all those years ago!”
“Heavenly Monster Accord?” Yang Kai frowned.
He was merely a cultivator born and raised in the outside world who had come to this mirror world for life experience, so how would Yang Kai have known about this Heavenly Monster Accord? He had never even heard of it before now.
“You really forgot!” When he saw this, Yuan Fei’s face turned cold and he became extremely angry, “As I thought, humans cannot be trusted! Since that’s the case, I will send you off personally!”
With these words, he pushed out the power in his body, causing a rich pressure to spread out in an instant.
The pressure Yuan Fei released was very different from Ban Qing’s. The latter’s pressure was cold and piercing, while the former was fierce and domineering, giving Yang Kai a feeling that it was unavoidable and unstoppable, as if he would be ground to dust by it.
*Zhi zhi…*
Right at that moment, the Purple Squirrel hiding in Bai Lu’s arms suddenly shouted anxiously, gesturing at Yuan Fei with its two little paws and looking nervous.
“Huh?” Upon hearing this, Yuan Fei could not help but pause his actions. A moment later, much of his anger dissipated and he looked Yang Kai up and down, asking suspiciously, “You saved our Young Master?”
Yang Kai understood in an instant that the Purple Squirrel probably told him what had happened earlier and without hesitation, he nodded, “It was a coincidence of sorts.”
Yuan Fei couldn’t help but frown, showing a troubled expression.
To him, if a human wandered into the depths of Heavenly Monster Mountain, that human had to die. If two humans came, two humans had to die. It was completely reasonable to him because humans were the ones who broke the Heavenly Monster Accord in the first place.
But this human had apparently saved the life of his Young Master, making things difficult.
It would be against his will not to kill him, but killing him would put the Young Master in an awkward situation, and if the Lord were to hear of this later, Yuan Fei would definitely be scolded.
Immediately, he scratched his head and turned his eyes to Bai Lu to ask for help.
Bai Lu was also frowning slightly. After mulling over it for a moment, she said, “You have done us a great service for saving our Young Master; however… young man, I see many traces of Monster Beast Sources on your body. You must have killed many Monster Beasts on your journey, yes?”
Yang Kai was flustered, having no idea how she could tell; but obviously lying now was not a good idea, so he could only nod and say, “Yes!”
“The Monster Beasts that you killed are the children of our Heavenly Monster Mountain, so slaughtering them is a great insult to us, and you should be held accountable for this!”
“Then I will kill him!” Yuan Fei’s murderous intent rose up instantly.
Bai Lu raised her hand, stopping him, “He has merits and demerits. As for how he will be dealt with… we will let the Lord decide!”
“Good!” Yuan Fei nodded at her words.
While speaking, he reached a hand out towards Yang Kai without delay and drew him over.
Yang Kai immediately felt a strong force wrap around him, but he did not try to resist and simply surrendered obediently without a fight, allowing Yuan Fei to grab him.
If he raised a fuss in front of these two Twelfth-Order Masters in this situation, it would definitely do more harm than good. Not mentioning whether Yang Kai could even escape under the noses of these two, even if he did, where would he go?
And from the behaviour of that woman called Bai Lu, she did not seem unreasonable. With the good he did saving the Purple Squirrel’s life, he believed there should not be any danger to his life.
At most, he may be held in Heavenly Monster Mountain and would only have to wait sometime before he was released back to the world outside.
When he was captured, Yang Kai did not forget to say, “Junior has something to inform two Seniors about!”
“Spit it out then!” Yuan Fei shouted coldly.
“As far as Junior knows, there is someone named Zhou Dian in Heavenly Monster Mountain who brought many Masters with him to search for…”
“Zhou Dian?” Yuan Fei and Bai Lu’s faces instantly changed as they gasped in shock, as if this person’s name was an extremely scary existence to them.
Yuan Fei even pulled Yang Kai before himself and glared at him, asking, “Are you sure that Zhou Dian is here?”
“I haven’t seen him before, but… I bumped into someone called Ban Qing. I heard about Zhou Dian from him.”
“You met that bastard Ban Qing?” Yuan Fei’s eyes widened.
Bai Lu quickly said, “If Ban Qing is already here, then Zhou Dian must be here as well. I’m afraid the other three have definitely come as well… What are they looking for?”
The last question was directed at Yang Kai.
“They seemed to be looking for something called the ‘Star of Calamity’, as for what that is, Junior is also at a loss,” Yang Kai told them truthfully.
“Star of Calamity?” Bai Lu’s eyebrows furrowed.
Yuan Fei, however, looked at Yang Kai in astonishment and said, “If you met Ban Qing, how are you still alive?”
“This little brat is… good at escaping!” Yang Kai smiled awkwardly.
Yuan Fei swept his eyes over him, not knowing whether he should believe him or not. On the other hand, the eyes of the Purple Squirrel in Bai Lu’s arms were flitting around, looking at Yang Kai with a knowing light, but clearly not trying to expose him.
“Regardless of whether what you say is true or not, we must report this matter to our lord. Yuan Fei, bring him with us and let us return!” Bai Lu called out and immediately turned around, speeding off towards a certain direction.
Carrying Yang Kai, Yuan Fei followed closely behind.
“Senior… Junior can walk by himself,” Yang Kai felt uncomfortable being carried by Yuan Fei this way, so he hastily suggested this.
Yuan Fei looked at him and did not say much, but he did release him.
Yang Kai had no intention of running away either. Instead, he pushed his strength to keep up with the two Monster Race Masters.
The two masters seem to be trying to test if Yang Kai really was good at ‘escaping’, so they gradually increased their speed, making no attempts to accommodate him at all.
Yang Kai also tried his best to follow them and actually did not lag behind too much, surprising the two.
…..
Somewhere in Heavenly Monster Mountain, Zhou Dian was still riding majestically on his Nine Horned Dragon Beast, his profound gaze staring towards a certain place in Heavenly Monster Mountain. A thick fighting intent was flowing out from his body, almost dense enough to materialize.
There were five other Masters scattered in the vicinity around him.
These Masters gathered in a round open space, and there were many people with troubled looks on their faces sitting on the ground within that circle.
Even though these people sitting on the ground did not have their movements restricted, the energy fluctuations coming from their bodies were incredibly weak and there were seal marks on each of their bodies, clearly suppressing their strength.
All of them were cultivators captured by Zhou Dian’s subordinates while from the Heavenly Monster Mountain.
Xiao Bai Yi, Murong Xiao Xiao, and Chen Mu Ji were among them.
The three of them did not dare to say anything to each other either, but their eyes would drift from time to time, passing on some unknown messages.
They felt very wronged as they had come to this Divine Ascension Mirror World to train, yet now they were inexplicably captured. Since going their separate ways, the three of them have been hunting Monster Beasts in Heavenly Monster Mountain, absorbing their Soul Sources to strengthen their own Souls.
But all of a sudden, several Emperor Realm Masters suddenly appeared and attacked them without a word, eventually capturing them, sealing their strength, and dragging them to this place.
This unexpected disaster made Xiao Bai Yi and the three feel both helpless and worried at the same time.
They had no idea how Yang Kai and Xia Sheng were, or whether they ended up in any fatal danger.
While the three of them were communicating silently, a stalwart figure suddenly appeared a short distance away. It was a majestic figure sporting flaming red hair, carrying a cultivator in his arms as he walked.
Xiao Bai Yi and the other two fixed their eyes in that direction and their faces could not help but change.
And that was because they realized that the person being carried was Xia Sheng, and the guy who caught him was probably the Lian Yan that they heard of before.
Facing an Emperor Realm Master, despite Xia Sheng’s strength being extraordinary for his realm, he was obviously unable to escape and had wound up caught.
From his appearance and current state, he had undoubtedly resisted a lot earlier and he seemed to have suffered a lot of injuries.
There, Lian Yan carried Xia Sheng over, tossed him directly into the crowd, and told his subordinate to keep an eye on them before walking straight towards Zhou Dian, standing behind him and waiting silently.
Murong Xiao Xiao and the others wanted to ask Xia Sheng about his condition, but when they saw Xia Sheng slowly shaking his head at them, they quickly stopped.
It would be better for them not to reveal that they knew each other at this moment. If they concealed this, then they may be able to take advantage of that when the enemy was unprepared to do something…
The fresh breeze was pleasant, but Lian Yan, who was standing behind Zhou Dian, was filled with tension and worry.
And the reason for that was because he could feel the nearly tangible fighting intent flowing out from Zhou Dian’s body. Naturally, this was a Master’s instinctive thirst for battle.
Lian Yan knew what Zhou Dian was thirsting for…
Since the creation of this Divine Country, the entire world had been unified and wars had ended. As a Third-Order Emperor Realm Master, Zhou Dian had very few opponents.
And among those few, there was at least one here in Heavenly Monster Mountain.
Zhou Dian, whose desire for slaughter had been silent for two thousand years, had awakened again.
Lian Yan knew how terrifying Zhou Dian was at this moment, so as his subordinate, he did not dare to disturb him in the slightest, or the consequences would be unthinkable.
With time, his fighting intent also continued to rise.
Until a certain moment, that dense murderous intent suddenly retracted, no longer appearing in the slightest.
Lian Yan could not help but breathe a sigh of relief as he felt like he was about to fall over.
“How is the situation?” Zhou Dian asked without turning back.
“Reporting to Sir, everything is mostly good,” Lian Yan bowed and responded.
“Mostly?” Zhou Dian turned his body and glanced over at Lian Yan from the corner of his eye.
This look and this tone of voice caused Lian Yan’s complexion to change in an instant, and he quickly cupped his fists, saying, “It is Ban Qing… We lost contact with him.”
Upon hearing this, Zhou Dian raised a brow and asked, “How did this happen?”
“Subordinate does not know,” Lian Yan showed a bewildered look. “Ban Qing had still been sending messages from time to time prior to this, but after a certain point, he suddenly disappeared. Perhaps he is currently pursuing someone powerful.”
Zhou Dian nodded and said, “Hm, Ban Qing’s concealment ability is unparalleled, so anyone who can make him so cautious is most likely an extraordinary character. Very well, this King has been resting for a long time, and since I was ordered by the Lord King himself, I may have to take a trip there myself!”
As he spoke, he urged the Nine Horned Dragon Beast beneath him and they marched towards the depths of Heavenly Monster Mountain.
“Sir!” Upon seeing this, Lian Yan shouted.
“What’s wrong?” Zhou Dian looked back at him with impatience.
Lian Yan said, “Further ahead will be reaching into the range of the Heavenly Monster Accord… If we invade that region, the Monster Race…”
“Why would this King fear the Monster Race?” Zhou Dian scoffed and mocked Lian Yan. “Lian Yan, you’ve lost your guts.”
Lian Yan’s face changed several times before he gritted his teeth and said, “Allow this subordinate to accompany Sir.”
Zhou Dian watched him deeply and nodded with satisfaction, “Good, keep up!”
After saying so, he continued moving forward. The Nine Horned Dragon Beast’s movements may seem very slow, but its speed was getting faster and faster and soon after, it had already turned into a stream of light, dashing ahead towards the horizon.
…..
Deep in the depths of Heavenly Monster Mountain, in Heavenly Monster Valley.
This was the core of Heavenly Monster Mountain, as well as the residence of Heavenly Monster Mountain’s Lord.
The architecture of this place adhered to the Monster Race’s rough and wild nature. All the buildings were big and showy, very different from how the houses in the human world were structured.
Outside the valley, a group of Blood Wolves at peak Eleventh-Order were on guard to prevent anyone from entering the valley.
Yuan Fei and Bai Lu were unhindered as they brought Yang Kai all the way here. After all, these two were well-known existences in Heavenly Monster Mountain, and as the subordinates of the Monster King, who would be blind enough to dare stop them?
On the other hand, many of the Masters of the Monster Race showed looks of curiosity and disgust towards Yang Kai whom they brought with them. They had come a long way, but each member of the Monster Race they encountered was glaring at Yang Kai, baring their fangs at him. If he did not follow the two Twelfth-Order Masters here, then he would likely have been torn to pieces.
Not long after, the group arrived at the centre of Heavenly Monster Valley.
A gigantic tree that grew up into the sky could be seen here. The roots of the gigantic tree were so wide that they could fill up several halls. Yang Kai looked up, but he couldn’t see the top of the tree at all as its canopy seemed to stretch dozens of kilometres in diameter.
Yang Kai could not help but feel surprised at this magnificent sight.
After arriving here, Yang Kai could clearly feel that the World Energy in the vicinity had grown much denser, sending a pleasing sensation through his Soul Avatar.
He understood immediately that this humongous tree was some kind of divine object.
And, a door could be seen somewhere on the roots of this giant tree. The wooden door was currently closed shut, and when they arrived here, Yuan Fei turned his head and said fiercely to Yang Kai, “Boy, wait here and don’t move unless you’re told, otherwise, don’t blame me if you lose your life!”
Yang Kai nodded his head quietly and calmly.
*Zhi zhi zhi…*
The Purple Squirrel called out to Yang Kai, probably trying to tell him something.
Yang Kai smiled and nodded, “Don’t worry about me, just take care of yourself.”
“Let’s go!” Bai Lu said as she reached out to open the door, walking into the tree cave.
In a few moments, Yang Kai was the only one left in place.
He looked up at the giant tree, eyes filled with wonder. The Monster Race around him gradually gathered as well, each with a fierce glint in their eyes, not bearing kind intentions.
In only ten breaths of time, Yang Kai was surrounded by three layers of Monster Race Masters and even on the tree branches overhead were occupied with those observing him.
Some of these Monster Race Masters had assumed human form, maintaining the appearance of a person, but some maintained their beast forms and pulsed ferocious intent from their bodies.
But no matter who it was, they only stared at Yang Kai and would only show obvious malice, none really tried to do anything to him.
No matter what, Yang Kai had been brought here by Yuan Fei and Bai Lu, so before these two Masters said so, the other monsters present wouldn’t dare move without permission.
The division of hierarchy was more obvious in the Monster Race than the Human Race, and the strong had absolute dominance over the weak, with only rare exceptions like the Purple Squirrel, who had an extremely powerful background.
The scene before him brought back some memories for Yang Kai.
He found that no matter where he went, there seemed to be an irreconcilable conflict between the Human Race and the Monster Race. Different races had different customs, and the fact that you were seen as an outsider if you were of a different race was commonplace everywhere.
Even though he was surrounded by countless Monster Race Masters though, Yang Kai still did not show the slightest sign of fear; however, the Soul Devouring Insects inside of his sleeve were clearly growing restless for some reason. They may be excited at how so many Masters with powerful Souls were nearby, so they were beginning to show signs of escaping Yang Kai’s control.
Noticing this, Yang Kai’s face paled as he hurriedly activated his Spiritual Energy to suppress them.
As soon as the Soul Devouring Insects began to riot, all the surrounding Monster Race Masters couldn’t help feeling a chill all over their bodies, as if they had fallen into an ice cellar. This feeling had come so inexplicably and yet so clearly that the Monster Race Masters were certain it was no illusion. The presence of something that posed a threat to their lives was truly present.
This discovery caused the faces of many Monster Race Masters to darken as they eyed Yang Kai vigilantly and suspiciously, as if trying to reassess him.
On the other hand, Yang Kai was trying his hardest to suppress the Soul Devouring Insects. He could not use the Seven Coloured Soul Warming Lotus with so many eyes on him, so he couldn’t help but feel the need to groan.
It was at that moment that a surging pressure like a great ocean wave suddenly descended from the sky, enveloping Yang Kai.
This pressure came so abruptly that Yang Kai was suppressed on the spot before he could even react.
But soon, he found that this pressure did not hurt him while instead the Soul Devouring Insects were calmed.
The owner of that pressure seemed to have helped him intentionally.
[Peak Twelfth-Order!] Yang Kai was astonished.
Even though he had already guessed that the power of the Heavenly Monster Mountain’s Lord was not low, he was still shocked to learn the true level of this Master.
This Divine Ascension Mirror World was a bizarre realm where living beings had no physical bodies, only Souls; however, even without a physical body, a master of this level had appeared.
Yang Kai could not help but feel a little lost in thought, wondering if perhaps a Great Emperor level character had ever been born here?
If one had, then how much would they know about his situation?
And, just as these thoughts flashed through his mind, a silhouette appeared in front of him. It was Bai Lu.
Bai Lu’s beautiful eyes swept around the place before she said to Yang Kai, “Follow me. The Lord wants to see you.”
Bai Lu said nothing more and turned to lead the way.
Following behind her, Yang Kai entered the tree cave.
Only then did he realize that the interior of this tree cave was actually a completely furnished cave mansion.
The lowest floor seemed to be something akin to a large hall, but it was empty without a single Soul at this moment. And, in the corner of the hall, there was a spiral staircase that led up. Yang Kai had no idea how far up this staircase went, but at least from where he stood, he could not see its top.
Yang Kai followed Bai Lu up the flight of winding stairs.
After walking for about a quarter of an hour, they finally reached the end of the stairs where a large hall was presented in front of them. The side door of the hall opened along the trunk of the tree with light shining in from the outside.
Yang Kai took a glance at the outside and found that this place was already a few thousand metres from the ground. Everything at the bottom was hazy and hard to get a clear view of.
And, after walking to this place, he felt an almost palpable gaze locked onto his body.
Yang Kai instantly became alert and turned his head over just to see a middle-aged man dressed in simple clothes. This man had a plain appearance with black hair and was standing with his hands behind his back, looking at him, smiling.
Yuan Fei who arrived before them was standing by his side respectfully with a restrained expression.
[The Lord of Heavenly Monster Mountain!] This thought popped into Yang Kai’s mind inexplicably. Though he could not see anything from this middle-aged man that catched his eyes, Yang Kai was sure despite this man looking just like any ordinary man from a crowd that he was a peak Twelfth-Order Monster Race, equivalent to a Third-Order Emperor Realm Master, the very one who made a move earlier to assist him! This man was the Lord of Heavenly Monster Mountain, and similarly, the father of the Purple Squirrel!
Composing himself, Yang Kai bowed and cupped his fists, saying, “Junior Yang Kai greets Senior!”
Hearing this, the middle-aged man nodded lightly, but did not speak, instead just slowly raising his hand and pointing it towards Yang Kai from a distance.
Before Yang Kai could understand what he meant, his face suddenly changed and he hurried to circulate his Spiritual Energy, creating an invisible barrier in front of himself.
There was a soft thud as a strong force impacted him, easily breaking Yang Kai’s defences.
Yang Kai was taken by surprise and staggered backwards.
But very soon, he was able to steady himself. That was because the move he received was not anything substantial and only broke his defence. In other words, it posed no threat to him at all, almost as if it was just to probe him…
“Senior, what do you mean by this?” Yang Kai asked with a frown. His opponent was a peak Twelfth-Order Master, so what was the point in testing him? This man could obviously tell Yang Kai’s strength at a glance.
“Hm?” The middle-aged man raised a brow and looked a little suspiciously at Yang Kai as he asked, “Why didn’t you use your Soul-type Artifact?”
Yang Kai responded, “I met with a strong enemy prior to this, so that artifact was destroyed and is no longer…”
Before he finished his sentence, Yang Kai suddenly widened his eyes and stared at the middle-aged man in astonishment. “Senior, you…”
At this moment, he suddenly came back to his senses. [He actually mentioned Soul-type artifact!]
This was not a word that cultivators of this Divine Ascension Mirror World should know. Soul-type artifacts were only used by cultivators from the outside world. Due to the lack of materials to refine such artifacts, it was impossible for such things to exist here, let alone for knowledge of them to spread.
But this middle-aged man actually spoke about an existence he should not have known about.
How could Yang Kai not be shocked at this?
“What’s wrong?” The middle-aged man smiled, “Do you think that this King knows nothing?”
Though he spoke vaguely, Yang Kai understood exactly what he meant and was instantly shocked in place, not even knowing how he should respond.
“It seems…” The middle-aged man nodded lightly, “You really aren’t a person of this world.”
Yang Kai drew a sharp breath and cupped his fists, “Senior has good eyes. Only… How did Senior…”
The middle-aged man smiled and, as he raised his hand, a longsword suddenly appeared in it. Light flowed from this longsword and its energy fluctuations appeared truly extraordinary.
This longsword was not a coalescence of his Spiritual Energy, in other words, it was a physical object…
“A Soul-type Artifact?” Yang Kai’s eyes were almost bulging out of their sockets as he couldn’t believe what he was seeing.
To think a cultivator could bring out a Soul-type artifact in this world, and a very high-grade one at that. From the energy flowing out from the longsword, this sword had already reached the level of an Emperor Artifact as Emperor Pressure and Emperor Intent which complimented well with the middle-aged man’s own aura were present.
To the side, Yuan Fei and Bai Lu were also staring, dazed at the longsword.
As the subordinates of Heavenly Monster Mountain’s Lord, they naturally knew that their Lord had such a valuable treasure; however, even with their qualifications, it was still rare for them to see it.
In the past few hundred years, they had only seen it twice, so counting today it would be three times.
Yuan Fei and Bai Lu had no idea what this treasure was and where it came from, but they knew that it was incomparably sharp and powerful, much stronger than the weapons formed out of their Spiritual Energy.
They could not understand why their Lord had shown this treasure to a mere human like Yang Kai, whom they met today for the first time.
Moreover, what did their Lord mean when he said he wasn’t ‘a person of this world’?
They exchanged glances, both seeing confusion in each other’s eyes.
“Correct, this is a Soul-type artifact,” the middle-aged man nodded at his words. Then, he gently rubbed his finger on the blade. Under the resonance of energy, the blade of the sword trembled incessantly as if it had its own spirit.
“Eight hundred years ago, I won this from a guy called Wen Zi Shan,” The middle-aged man smiled and watched Yang Kai’s demeanour closely as he spoke to explain, “I wonder if you know him as well.”
“So, it was Temple Master Wen…” Yang Kai’s mouth twitched, suddenly understanding everything.
According to Wen Zi Shan, it was he who came to the Azure Sun Mountain Range eight hundred years ago and discovered the Divine Ascension Mirror, deciding to stay then and found Azure Sun Temple.
During that time, Wen Zi Shan likely entered the Divine Ascension Mirror as well and travelled here, bumping into this middle-aged man. As for how this artifact ended up in the hands of this man, Yang Kai did not know.
“He was an interesting guy…” The middle-aged man spoke with a hint of nostalgia on his face, “It felt like we were old friends the moment we met. We got along very well, and this King won this longsword from him through a bet. However, according to how you would describe it, this artifact was only Dao Source Grade High-Rank back then. It took several hundred years of refinement and nurturing for it to be promoted to an Emperor Artifact.”
Yang Kai said, thoughtfully, “It seems like Senior knows a lot about the outside world.”
The middle-aged man laughed happily, “This King casually poured a few jars of Monkey God Wine for that Wen Zi Shan and he spat out everything, almost revealing the colour of his underwear! How much do you think this King would know?”
At that comment, Yang Kai’s face twitched, but it also allowed him to ease his tension and no longer worry about his own safety. This man did not seem to hold any malice towards him and also knew Temple Master Wen and the world outside. This alone made it impossible for him to do anything to him.
“May Junior ask how to address Senior?” Yang Kai cupped his fists together and asked with a serious face.
“This King is called Yi Quan!” When the middle-aged man responded, he had already put away the artifact. He went on, “I heard from Yuan Fei that you saved my son’s life outside?”
“It was merely a coincidence,” Yang Kai said truthfully.
“Still, you saved his life.” As he said this, Yi Quan reached behind his back and urged a small figure over.
Yang Kai looked over and found it to be a young child about two years old, wearing short sleeves and short shorts. This child had a pink and chubby face as well as small and short exposed hands and legs with fair and tender white skin.
This was a little boy with his hair tied up in a sky-shooting braid. He looked extremely cute.
“Little Purple Squirrel?” Yang Kai looked at the boy and raised his brows.
The little guy seemed a little shy, and after glancing at Yang Kai, he quickly hid behind Yi Quan, grabbing at the corner of his father’s clothes with his little hands, looking around curiously.
As soon as he saw this, Yang Kai was sure he was the Purple Squirrel.
However, he seemed too nervous to be as close with Yang Kai as before.
“What did father tell you?” When Yi Quan saw this, he gave little Purple Squirrel a tap on the back of his head, causing him to stumble out from behind.
When Bai Lu saw this, she immediately had a hurt look on her face.
The little guy was pouting, seeming as if he was about to cry.
“Hm?” Yi Quan gave a soft hum.
This scared Purple Squirrel so much that he quickly stopped his tears and sniffled. Looking at Yang Kai, he tried to stutter a few words.
“No need to thank me, you helped me a lot too, so really I should be the one thanking you,” said Yang Kai gently as he looked at the little guy.
“A life-saving grace will be remembered for the rest of our lives!” Yi Quan said while stroking the little guy’s head, saying in a serious voice, “Remember that!”
Purple Squirrel quickly nodded.
“Bai Lu,” Yi Quan called out again.
“Subordinate is here,” Bai Lu quickly stepped forward.
“Bring the Young Master out to play. Watch over him carefully, don’t let him run off again. I have… some things to talk about with this young man,” Yi Quan said.
“Yes!” Bai Lu answered before waving at the little one.
This time, he was very well-behaved and trotted obediently in front of Bai Lu, reaching out his hand so she could hold it. Before leaving, he turned back to take another look at Yang Kai as Yuan Fei followed them out.
After leaving the hall, Yuan Fei asked Bai Lu in a whisper, “Did you understand what Sir said?”
Bai Lu shook her head and looked at him, asking, “Did you?”
Dark lines appeared on Yuan Fei’s face as he muttered, “If you didn’t, how do you think I would? However… I vaguely remember eight hundred years ago that a human came here. He had a long talk with Sir for three days and three nights before leaving.”
“Yes, I remember that as well. That man was very strong, no worse than Sir at all,” Bai Lu also nodded lightly.
“Strange, what is a Soul-type artifact? Why does Sir seem to be implying that that human brat has one too? But why don’t Masters like us understand it?”
“What are you worried about? If it is something we should know, then Sir would have told us,” Bai Lu glared at him.
“That’s true.” Yuan Fei nodded.
*Yayaya*… The little guy who was being pulled along by Bai Lu suddenly interjected at this time.
Hearing this, Bai Lu said, surprised, “Young Master, you mean to say that this Yang Kai boy used a Soul-type artifact previously in a battle?”
*Yayaya!* The little guy nodded his head vigorously.
“What does it look like? Tell us!” Yuan Fei instantly felt excited and asked a bunch of questions.
But who knew that the little one would only look at him and coldly snort. He turned his head to the side, looking like he didn’t want to talk to him at all.
At the hall in the centre of the tree cave, Yi Quan invited Yang Kai to take a seat.
Yi Quan was very enthusiastic and Yang Kai did not stand on ceremony either. Even though there was such a large gap between their cultivations, Yi Quan had never been the type to care about petty things, so he did not mind.
Then, he pulled out a jar of wine like it was a magic trick as well as two cups, pouring one for Yang Kai and himself.
“Is this the Monkey God Wine that Senior mentioned before?” Yang Kai’s eyes lit up, taking a deep breath to feel the wonderful aroma washing over him. The fragrance of wine that permeated through the air also seemed to have a great effect on his Soul. It actually made him feel incredibly good when the aroma blended into his body.
“It is indeed!” Yi Quan smiled and picked up the cup in front of him, taking a sip before saying proudly, “The things we produce here are very different from those on your side, but they have their own special characteristics. The Spirit Monkeys in my Heavenly Monster Mountain spent a great deal of time and effort to brew this Monkey God Wine, it is very beneficial to one’s Soul.”
“The glass is not full, Senior…” Yang Kai looked at Yi Quan a little apologetically as he motioned to the cup in front of him.
That is because Yi Quan only gave him half a cup when he poured the wine.
“Haha!” Yi Quan laughed as he looked at Yang Kai. He said, “Speak after you drink this half-cup. If you can drink more, then this King will not be stingy.”
When he heard this, Yang Kai understood immediately that this Monkey God Wine was probably going to be strong, not something an ordinary cultivator could withstand. In Yi Quan’s opinion, as a First-Order Dao Source Realm cultivator, Yang Kai should only be able to handle half a cup.
When he thought of this, Yang Kai did not say anything more. Picking up the cup in front of him, he began to drink slowly.
The Spirit Wine was sweet as dew, yet it rushed to his head like ice when he swallowed it down. A cold feeling gushed up from his throat to the top of his head, and Yang Kai could not help but shake spiritedly. Yet, when the wine entered his belly, it brought about a burning force that travelled through his limbs and bones.
Even after it circulated through his body a few more times, the wine continued going strong.
Yang Kai muffled a soft grunt and felt the changes inside himself carefully.
He discovered that his Soul Avatar, which had sustained some damage from his earlier fight with Ban Qing, was restoring itself at a speed visible to the naked eye.
This discovery lifted Yang Kai’s spirits, and he drank the rest in a large gulp without hesitation.
“Slow down!” Seeing this, Yi Quen quickly shouted lest Yang Kai drink too fast out of greed and cause some harm to himself.
But before he finished speaking, Yang Kai had already put his cup down and did not say anything, just sitting in place, his eyes closed as a look of reminiscence appeared on his face.
“Ai…” Yi Quan sighed and said to himself, “I still wanted to talk to you more about the outside world, but it looks like I’ll have to wait a few days.”
He figured that with Yang Kai’s meagre cultivation, downing half a cup of Monkey God Wine would knock him out for at least a couple of days before he sobered up, which made him laugh bitterly. He had taken out the Monkey God Wine with good intentions because he could see that Yang Kai had been in a big fight and his Soul Avatar had some slight damage to it, but he didn’t want to miss this opportunity to talk either.
“What does Senior wish to talk about?” Yang Kai suddenly opened his eyes and the light in them was perfectly clear, without the slightest hint of looking drunk.
“Huh?” Yi Quan was stunned, looking strangely at Yang Kai as he asked suspiciously, “You’re fine?”
“Do I not look fine, Senior?” Yang Kai smiled. While speaking, he had already reached out without any trace of politeness and grabbed the jar of Monkey God Wine in front of Yi Quan, poured himself a full cup, and drained it down while praising, “Good wine!”
With one and a half cups in his belly, his Soul Avatar had already recovered completely. Not only that, but his Soul had also been tempered thoroughly. As for the excess energy contained in the Monkey God Wine, it all poured into the Seven-Coloured Soul Warming Lotus.
Just as it absorbed the precious Soul Jade, the Soul Warming Lotus absorbed the energy contained in the Monkey God Wine and fed it back to Yang Kai’s Soul Avatar in a temperate manner so that he could continue to benefit from it.
“This…” Yi Quan was completely dumbfounded and was staring at him slack-jawed.
At his level of power, few things could surprise him, but Yang Kai’s actions still left him puzzled. He could not understand how Yang Kai did not get drunk.
After all, even Wen Zi Shan who came here for the first time did not dare to drink the fine wine of the Heavenly Monster Mountain in this way. No one could withstand such wanton consumption, but Yang Kai had done so and appeared as if nothing had happened.
“It seems like… you really are different from the rest!” Yi Quan quickly understood and smiled, “I don’t think all the people from the outside are like you, right?”
“Naturally not,” Yang Kai laughed, “Junior is…” He hesitated for a moment, not knowing how he should explain it, only able to say after a while, “I have my own tricks to digest it.”
Yi Quan nodded and did not continue questioning him. Just as he was about to open his mouth to speak, he saw Yang Kai grabbing the jar with both hands, “Junior gives his thanks to Senior for this gift!”
As soon as he said that, he had already begun drinking from the bottle in large gulps.
Watching him chug down the wine, Yi Quan could not help his mouth from twitching.
In a dozen breaths, Yang Kai had already finished the bottle of Monkey God Wine without leaving a single drop behind. Wiping his mouth impatiently and looking eagerly at Yi Quan, he then asked, “This wine… Is there any more of it?”
“You still want more?” Yi Quan glared at him and said, “You little brat, what do you take this for? Each bottle of Monkey God Wine takes the entire Spirit Monkey clan a hundred years of work to brew! What you’ve drunk already cost them a hundred years of effort!”
Even the good-tempered Yi Quan was angered by Yang Kai’s shameless demands.
If he had known this was the case, then why would he have brought out such a treasure to entertain Yang Kai? He was simply turning blue with regret in his guts.
“Ahem…” Yang Kai lightly coughed. With a bit of alcohol still in his system, he said, “Senior is such a great man, there’s no need to be so stingy…”
He only dared to speak such words since he saw that Yi Quan did not hold any malice towards himself. Otherwise, speaking to any other peak Twelfth-Order Master would have gotten him into deep trouble.
“Stingy…” Yi Quan’s eyes almost popped out as he fell speechless. After pondering for a moment though, he grinned and said, “Good, if you can tell me more about the outside world, then this King will reward you with another bottle. How about it?”
“Truly? You mean what you say, Senior?” Yang Kai was instantly energized and asked, “May I ask what Senior would like to hear about?”
“Anything!” Yi Quan was not too demanding, “The last time Wen Zi Shan was here, he told this King a bit about the outside world, but unfortunately that guy had gotten drunk and yammered on like a madman. It was unbearable!”
“Then let’s start with Temple Master Wen…” Yang Kai smiled and lightly coughed, assuming the manner of a storyteller as he began to regale Yi Quan with stories.
The Star Boundary was vast, and it had not been long since Yang Kai arrived there as well, so he didn’t know too much, not even knowing the names of all Ten Great Emperors yet, but even so, the information he had was still beyond Yi Quan’s reach.
And, as Yi Quan was keen to know this information from the outside world, he naturally listened in with great interest.
Azure Sun Temple, Heavenly Martial Holy land, Orthodoxy Temple, Star Soul Palace, and even the entire Southern Territory, Yang Kai told him all he knew.
The people, the places, all sorts of strange stories, the Sealed Worlds used for tempering oneself, both big and small, as well as the ancient legends passed down through word of mouth. There was no order to what he spoke of as Yang Kai basically just rambled on about whatever came to mind.
Yi Quan just listened quietly, only interrupting him at special times to ask a few questions before gesturing for him to go on.
Everything about the outside world seemed to make the Lord of Heavenly Monster Mountain curious and eager.
The wonders of a body of flesh, the mysteries of all sorts of Secret Techniques and Artifacts, these were all new and fresh to beings of this world who had no idea what such sensations would be like.
Like that, their conversation lasted a whole day and night.
Yang Kai’s mouth was dry from all the talking, so he naturally sought an opportunity to ask for another bottle of Monkey God Wine from Yi Quan to moisten his throat.
Yi Quan was also listening with great attention and all the information that he had never been exposed to before fascinated him.
The Divine Ascension Mirror World was too small, so the world outside was undoubtedly more exciting.
Moreover, Yi Qian was already a master at the peak of the Twelfth-Order. Beyond that was the realm of Great Emperors.
Such a height could not be reached through hard work alone, it also required incredible opportunities.
When trying to reach such a height, anything new you could see and experience may become a critical breakthrough point.
The opportunities that Yi Quan needed were not available in this world, but they might be present in the outside world, so he was incredibly interested in travelling there. Perhaps, in a world that he had never seen before, he may be able to find his path towards becoming a Great Emperor!
Unfortunately, he was only a Soul without a physical body, so there was no way he could survive for long in the outside world. Once he left this place, he would be rejected by the outside World Principles and quickly die.
“When Wen Zi Shan came here, he told this King that if he could create a body that could integrate perfectly with this King’s Soul, then this King may have a chance to escape from this prison. This King wonders how much you know about this?” At a certain moment, Yi Quan suddenly interrupted Yang Kai and asked.
“The Flesh Incarnation Pill?” Yang Kai raised his brows and casually answered.
“What is this ‘Flesh Incarnation Pill’?” Yi Quan’s eyes suddenly lit up and he hurried to ask.
“Uh…” Yang Kai thought for a moment and continued, “It is a type of Spirit Pill. Due to the special situation here, Spirit Pills do not seem to exist.”
“And what are Spirit Pills exactly?” Yi Quan was completely baffled.
“Let’s put it this way. There is a special group of people called Alchemists in the outside world who use special tools and techniques to fuse certain types of herbs, removing their impurities, and enhancing their essences before condensing the latter into pills. These pills are called Spirit Pills and they generally have far stronger effects than their raw materials.”
“Then is the Flesh Incarnation Pill a type of Spirit Pill?” Yi Quan asked with glowing eyes.
“That’s right. Supposedly, if a being like Senior were to ingest it, then Senior could grow a body for yourself.”
“Supposedly?” Yi Quan raised a brow.
Yang Kai laughed. “Because this Spirit Pill is only rumoured to exist. No one has ever made it.”
“Why!?” Yi Quan was suddenly furious, “Those Alchemists can’t all be useless, can they?”
Yang Kai said helplessly, “As they say, even the cleverest woman cannot cook a meal without rice… The primary ingredient, Flesh Incarnation Fruit, for the Flesh Incarnation Pill has already gone extinct, so how could Alchemists refine the Flesh Incarnation Pill?”
“How could that be?” Yi Quan found it hard to accept Yang Kai’s explanation, “Isn’t the outside world vast and rich?!”
Yang Kai laughed, “That is what they say, but some things are left to fate.”
Yi Quan looked disappointed and was out of it for a while, but soon, as if he thought of something, he looked spiritedly at Yang Kai and said, “Since you know so much about the Flesh Incarnation Pill, you wouldn’t happen to be one of those Alchemists, would you?”
“Well… Sort of,” Yang Kai nodded and also understood what Yi Quan was trying to hint at, so he continued without needing him to say anything, “But Senior should know that Alchemists are divided into different levels as well, just like cultivators. Different grades of Alchemists can refine different grades of pills, and the Flesh Incarnation Pill is an Emperor Grade Pill, so it will require an Emperor Grade Alchemist to refine. Right now, Junior is… just a Dao Source Grade Alchemist!”
“So?” Yi Quan raised his voice, “This King can see that your cultivation is already extraordinary at such a young age. With time, it’s not impossible for you to reach the Emperor Realm. Hm… Why don’t you refine a Flesh Incarnation Pill for this King when that time comes?”
Yang Kai laughed bitterly and said, “I would still need the materials!”
“Then go find them!” Yi Quan said matter-of-factly, “This King is not afraid to wait, and I can afford to do so! You can refine the Flesh Incarnation Pill whenever you find the Flesh Incarnation Fruit. This King only needs you to agree to do this for now.”
Seeing him like this, Yang Kai’s face could not help but turn serious. After a moment of silence, he said, “Since Senior has said so, then Junior will do his best, but Senior may have to wait for a long time, and it may turn out impossible in the end.”
“No problem!” Yi Quan waved his hand and said, “It’s fine as long as you have the intention.”
As he spoke, he seemed to already be able to see a glimmer of hope and called out, “Good! I’ll gift you another bottle of wine!”
With those words, he placed another jar of Monkey God Wine in front of Yang Kai.
Yang Kai grinned and did not hesitate to down it.
Three bottles of Monkey God Wine went into his belly in just a short amount of time, so even though Yang Kai had the Seven-Coloured Soul Warming Lotus to pad his stomach, he still could not avoid feeling a little drunk.
Yi Quan looked at him with a gaze that had become more cordial and he was just about to wave his hand to call someone over to bring Yang Kai down to rest when suddenly his expression turned cold and he gazed towards a certain direction.
Yang Kai noticed the change in Yi Quan’s expression and could not help but look at him in confusion.
Yi Quan did not move and only watched quietly for a while before he shouted in a cold voice, “How dare he!”
“Senior, what happened?” Yang Kai asked.
But before Yi Quan answered, he saw a Monster Race Master suddenly fly in from outside, cupping his fists and quickly reporting, “Sir, a human Master has invaded! The Blood Wolf Guard are currently obstructing him, but the invader is strong. He seems to be…”
“This King knows,” Yi Quan nodded coldly and ordered. “Tell the Blood Wolves to withdraw, they… won’t be able to stop him. Let him in.”
The Monster Race Master did not hesitate to accept his order and immediately retreated.
Yang Kai also came back to his senses at this moment and said with an ugly expression, “Could it be… Zhou Dian came here personally?”
Yi Quan’s cultivation was amazing, so a human Master who could warrant his attention couldn’t be anyone but Zhou Dian.
And his guess was correct. Yi Quan nodded at his words, “That’s right, it’s him. I can’t believe he insists on breaking into my Heavenly Monster Valley even if it means going against the Heavenly Monster Accord… Could it be that he’s coming for you?”
“Me?” Yang Kai pointed at his own nose. Having mostly sobered up, he laughed nervously, “I don’t think that’s likely… Junior only arrived here ten days ago and I didn’t even know Zhou Dian existed before that. Why would he come for me?”
“This King does not know either, but…” While speaking, Yi Quan’s figure suddenly shook and he appeared before Yang Kai, patting him on the shoulder.
Yang Kai was slightly taken aback but he knew that Yi Quan would not do anything to harm himself, so he did not show any intention to resist.
A gentle force came in through his shoulder and travelled through his limbs.
A short while later, Yi Quan said with an ugly look on his face, “As expected, you were marked. It was this King’s negligence.”
At that moment, Yi Quan’s hand suddenly shook.
At the same time, Yang Kai grunted; however, he could clearly hear a strange noise coming from inside of him. Following that, his whole body inexplicably relaxed as if breaking free from some shackle.
“My son told me that you had an encounter with Ban Qing but managed to kill him somehow. Ban Qing is not only proficient in concealment and assassination but also tracking. During your encounter, he seems to have left a mark on you, and Zhou Dian has been following that mark…”
Hearing this, Yang Kai’s face sank.
He had suspected that Ban Qing had done something to him, but he was unable to find out what he did with his ability. But now it seemed that it was no fluke that those cultivators were able to track him.
Only… From what Yi Quan said just now, he seems to have found out about the secret in his body a long time ago but never pointed it out.
“I’m sorry for the trouble I caused you, Senior,” Yang Kai said somewhat apologetically.
Yi Quan waved his hand and said, “No need to be. You are my son’s benefactor so this King will treat you well. As for Zhou Dian… hmph! He’s an arrogant man who cares nothing for rules in the first place!”
After saying that, he went on, “As for how you killed Ban Qing… this King can only say those insects you possess must never be left here no matter what. If you happen to enter this place again, then do not bring them here unless you can fully control them. This place was once nearly destroyed because of those insects…”
Yang Kai was shocked. “Soul Devouring Insects existed here?”
“You call them Soul Devouring Insects?” Yi Quan wore an apprehensive look, “No matter what they’re called, they are a scourge to this world. The insects you have right now are not that strong, so this King can help you suppress them a little, but that is as much as I can do. If they really grow to their full potential, then even this King will become nothing but food to them!”
“Junior understands,” Yang Kai nodded seriously.
“You’d best remember well!” Yi Quan warned.
“Yi Quan!”
At that moment, an earth-shaking voice suddenly came from outside. The voice was not very loud, but it contained a deafening pressure like muffled thunder. The sound set off a storm that swept through the surroundings and reached the ears of every Monster Race in Heavenly Monster Valley, even causing the ears of some weaker Monster Race to bleed.
“Hmph!” Yi Quan turned his head angrily towards the source of the noise. Sharpening his Spiritual Energy, he transformed it into a piercing strike as he shouted, “Zhou Dian! Who gave you the guts to raise your voice in my Heavenly Monster Valley?”
“Hahahaha, hahahaha!” The sound of Zhou Dian’s laughter flowed over. Initially, it was calm, but as Zhou Dian’s emotions fluctuated, it turned into maniacal laughter filled with madness.
*Hong Hong Hong…*
A loud blast came from outside, shaking the entire world.
Yang Kai stood in place with an ugly look on his face. His Soul Avatar felt extremely unstable and the light at the surface of his body was flickering, worrying him so much that he quickly moved his strength to protect himself.
Only then did he feel a little better.
When he came back to his senses, Yi Quan was no longer there.
Quickly rushing out of the hall, Yang Kai floated mid-air and scanned his surroundings.
Very quickly, he spotted Yi Quan and Zhou Dian.
At about fifty kilometres from where he was, Yi Quan, the supreme leader of the Monster Race stood there quietly, motionless, his aura restrained, making him seem as deep as the abyss.
Not far in front of Yi Quan was a stalwart figure riding an extremely powerful Monster Beast, looking down at Yi Quan from above.
[Zhou Dian!]
Even though Yang Kai had never met this person, he knew exactly who he was.
Moreover, Zhou Dian was the only person who would garner such caution from Yi Quan.
Behind Zhou Dian, an equally tall red-haired Emperor Realm Master stood behind him. His fiery red hair was so distinctive that Yang Kai understood immediately that he must be Lian Yan.
The two human masters were surrounded by countless Monster Race Masters, each of which was looking at the two men with fierce, unconcealed hostility.
But none of the Monster Race dared to make a move.
Zhou Dian was calm as can be and even Lian Yan did not appear the least bit nervous, just smiling disdainfully as he looked around, occasionally meeting the eyes of the Monster Race Masters and shooting provocations at them.
“Very good! Yi Quan, you’re still looking healthy after all these years. This General is very pleased!” Zhou Dian was the first to speak, smiling as if the one standing before him was not his life nemesis, but rather a friend whom he had not seen for a long time.
Yi Quan sneered, “This King has been quite well since the last time we met, but I wonder, Zhou Dian… has your injury healed?”
As soon as he said that, the smile on Zhou Dian’s face suddenly disappeared and a piercing icy coldness descended from the sky as if it wanted to freeze everything in this world.
He took a deep breath and slowly closed his eyes, and when opened them again, Zhou Dian had restored his calm.
Seeing this, Yi Quan could not help but raise a brow.
“Yi Quan, if it were possible, this General would not have come to your Heavenly Monster Mountain, but this time it was the Lord King’s order, so I had no choice but to come!” Zhou Dian said.
“The order of your Master is none of this King’s concern. The Heavenly Monster Accord states that no Human may enter more than thirty thousand kilometres into Heavenly Monster Mountain. This is what was agreed upon between our races, but today, you have personally broken that agreement. Is the word of you humans really worth nothing?” Yi Quan bellowed furiously.
Zhou Dian grinned and replied, “This General has only come for one person today. Hand him over and this General will leave immediately. This General will not make things hard for your Heavenly Monster Valley. You should have seen it as well. This General did not kill a single member of your Heavenly Monster Valley. This should be enough to show the sincerity of this General.”
“Is the Heavenly Monster Valley a place for you to come and go as you please?” Yi Quan raised a brow, “This King knows who you are really here for. However… he is an esteemed guest of this King. Want to take him away? First, ask this King if he agrees!”
“Honoured guest?” Zhou Dian raised his brow at those words and looked derisively at Yi Quan, saying, “Are you joking?”
He thought that Yi Quan was just spouting nonsense; after all, he could clearly see Yang Kai from fifty kilometres away and measure his cultivation. How could a human brat like him be worthy of becoming Yi Quan’s honoured guest?
“This King is in no mood to joke with you,” Yi Quan coldly snorted, “Hurry and get out of my Heavenly Monster Valley, or don’t blame this King for not being polite with you.”
“It seems like… you won’t be handing him over!” Zhou Dian’s eyes deepened slightly and he stared at Yi Quan coldly.
Yi Quan scoffed and did not say anything more. Spiritual Energy was slowly releasing from his body.
At this point, both Masters knew that it was useless to rely on words. The only way they could settle this was with their strength.
Everything in the world seemed to freeze in that instant as Third-Order Emperor Realm pressure and peak Twelfth-Order pressure clashed, invisible sparks flashing across both Masters’ eyes.
Many Monster Race Masters could see that things were turning for the worst and used their Movement Skills to scatter in different directions without even looking back.
Lian Yan did the same as well. His entire body turned into a red flash that retreated several dozen kilometres away.
Endless fighting intent and incredible pressure filled the air, causing space to tremble and the earth to crack…
Even from fifty kilometres away, Yang Kai could still feel chills all over his body. If not for the fact that he did not have a physical body right now, it might have been hard for him to even breathe.
Two figures flashed over. Yuan Fei and Bai Lu, the two Monster Race Masters, appearing on his right side and nodding lightly.
The two were not as hostile or disdainful to him as before. Their only purpose here was to protect Yang Kai.
“What about Purple Squirrel?” Yang Kai asked.
“Young Master has already been taken to somewhere safe,” Bai Lu answered in a gentle voice. “Please do not worry, Young Master Yang.”
She even changed the way she addressed Yang Kai, quite clearly due to how Yi Quan had called him his honoured guest earlier.
Yang Kai nodded lightly and turned to look towards the distance.
This was a battle between Third-Order Emperor Realm Masters, so just observing it would be of great benefit to him. That is why he did not want to miss the slightest thing.
And, at that moment, Zhou Dian moved.
Leaping up from his mount, he rushed high into the air before releasing a burst of light from his body. When this light dissipated, a double-crescent halberd appeared in his hands. The halberd was more than ten metres long and was as thick as a man’s arm, extremely powerful and heavy while the aura it released was enough to shake the world around it.
Once the halberd came out, the aura around Zhou Dian’s body increased dramatically. The energy surrounding his body rippled incessantly like boiling water.
This was not a Soul-type artifact, but a weapon coalesced from Zhou Dian’s own Spiritual Energy. This halberd had followed Zhou Dian for many years, during which he had nourished it with his own essence, as well as that of others. Even though it was not a Soul-type artifact, it had many wonderful uses and was in no way inferior to an ordinary Soul-type Artifact.
Holding the halberd in his hand, Zhou Dian laughed maniacally as his entire body turned into a stream of light and he swooped down towards Yi Quan, the sound of wind roaring as he descended.
“Yi Quan, let this General see whether you’ve improved over the years!”
This attack was like a meteor, causing every cultivator who witnessed it to feel a stabbing pain in their eyes, regardless of their cultivation, as if its radiance would blind them if they continued to stare. At the same time, coldness spread through their whole bodies.
Yang Kai was astonished.
Even though he had seen a few Third-Order Emperor Realm Masters during his time, he had never witnessed a full-blown fight between such Masters. At this moment, he finally understood how powerful Third-Order Emperor Realm cultivators truly were.
Naturally, they were almost invincible existences in this world.
And, in the face of this amazing attack, Yi Quan stood his ground, not moving at all. Gazing forward, his eyes filled with contempt, as if Zhou Dian wasn’t even worth his care.
*Chi chi…*
A thick column of energy visible to the naked eye gushed out from the point of the double-crescent halberd, transforming into the shape of a dragon and letting out a dragon roar, brandishing its teeth and claws towards Yi Quan.
“Seems like…” Yi Quan said indifferently, “You’ve forgotten the pain of your wounds after the scars have healed… Have you forgotten that battle from two thousand years ago?”
As he said this, Yi Quan flicked his wrist.
A simple strike was Yi Quan’s response to the approaching dragon.
The difference between the two attacks was obvious, giving one the impression of an ant trying to shake a tree.
However…
When the simple slash greeted the dragon, it exploded into a dazzling light that covered everything in the world, swallowing up the latter.
The dragon howled and hissed while Zhou Dian’s face took a sudden turn.
Yi Quan’s body flashed and disappeared.
*Ding…*
A light noise rang out, and when the crowd regained their vision, they were shocked to find that Yi Quan was already in front of Zhou Dian, a longsword in his hands stabbed through the pole of Zhou Dian’s double-crescent halberd, creating a spark.
Zhou Dian looked confused at the sight of the longsword.
Two thousand years ago, he fought with Yi Quan, but at that time his opponent did not use such a weapon. What’s more, this longsword did not look like it was made of condensed Spiritual Energy at all. Zhou Dian was at a loss about what sort of treasure this was supposed to be.
But his bewilderment lasted only an instant. Any hint of hesitation in a battle between Masters of this level could cost one their life, so Zhou Dian quickly composed himself and flicked his halberd to open some distance from Yi Quan.
At the same time, a blast of pure Spiritual Energy shot towards Yi Quan, clearly some kind of Soul Secret Technique.
Yi Quan’s face turned serious as he pushed the Spiritual Energy inside his own body to condense his own Soul Secret Technique.
Both were Third-Order Emperor level Masters, and even though there was a slight difference in their strengths, it wasn’t big, so everyone watching couldn’t tell who had the upper hand right now, only that these two were risking their lives facing one another.
An unfinished rivalry spanning two thousand years finally erupted in the clash today, leading to this dazzling sight.
When their Souls clashed, the halo around the bodies of the two people flickered, but their hands never idled. When the longsword and halberd clashed, loud metallic bangs rang out.
Thrusting, slashing, chopping, and parrying met with sweeping, cleaving, and hacking. The long sword and halberd of the two Masters clashed with such ferocity it seemed the entire world was shaking from the blows.
In a flash, they clashed hundreds of times.
Figures flickered back and forth as metal meeting metal produced a series of incessant rings.
The sword was quick and flexible, like a shooting star that could appear from all directions, overwhelming a person.
The halberd was fierce and domineering, releasing great waves that threatened to drown its opponent.
The two figures met in battle and intertwined to create a dazzling and brilliant scene.
All the cultivators watching this battle were mesmerized.
Outside the battlefield, everything fell silent. Sometimes, the clash seemed slow and methodical, at others it was as quick as lightning. The visual contrast seemed to have an invisible impact that shook the heart and soul of each viewer.
“Wu…”
Eventually, some Monster Race Masters couldn’t stand watching anymore, turning their faces away as they staggered backwards, holding their chests as if they had suffered some kind of injury before slowly closing their eyes, not daring to observe any longer.
And, as time passed, more and more people entered such a state.
At first, it was only the early Eleventh-Order Masters, then it was the mid-level, finally the high level…
After a stick worth of incense, even Twelfth-Order Masters like Yuan Fei and Bai Lu had to push their internal strength to ease the discomfort they were feeling so that they could continue spectating this match.
They would naturally not miss this amazing battle for anything.
Suddenly, Yuan Fei seemed to catch something from the corner of his eye and hurriedly turned to look at Yang Kai.
The next moment, Yuan Fei’s jaw suddenly dropped.
Because he realized that Yang Kai had his eyes wide open and was still watching the scene without so much as a blink, his clear eyes reflecting the battling figures of the two Masters several dozen kilometres away as if he was completely unaffected by everything.
Not only that, there were times when Yang Kai would reveal a thoughtful expression on his face.
This stunned Yuan Fei and he could not help but give Bai Lu a quiet jab.
“What?” Bai Lu was paying close attention to the battle when Yuan Fei interrupted her, so she shot him a look of displeasure.
Yuan Fei nudged his head to the side.
Bai Lu looked over and also revealed a look of astonishment.
“This little brat… he’s a bit strange,” Yuan Fei whispered to Bai Lu.
Even at their level, they more or less felt some discomfort watching such a battle for longer than a few moments, so how could someone like Yang Kai, who was weaker than them, watch in such a relaxed fashion?
“As expected of someone Sir had his eyes on. He really is something special!” Bai Lu gently nodded.
As the two of them talked, a pure Spiritual Energy diffused from Yang Kai’s body, enveloping him completely. From that Spiritual Energy, an indescribable flavour gradually came out of it.
Mysterious changes seemed to be happening quietly inside of Yang Kai’s body.
“Emperor Intent!” Yuan Fei exclaimed, “He can actually use Emperor Intent?”
In that instant, Yuan Fei seemed to have discovered something shocking and shouted in surprise.
Bai Lu’s beautiful eyes also lit up as she stared at Yang Kai and nodded after a good while. “Indeed! Even though it is still very shallow, it is without a doubt Emperor Intent. He isn’t going to advance to the Emperor Realm here, is he?”
The sudden thought gave Bai Lu a shock.
Breaking through in this Divine Ascension Mirror World was not easy, and each time one did, they had to cross a life-threatening ordeal. One mistake could lead to one’s soul being extinguished. Since the beings here did not have physical bodies and could not rely on a powerful flesh body to resist the World Energy Baptism, they had to depend entirely on the strength of their own Soul, a far more dangerous prospect than those from the outside
Yi Quan was still fighting at this moment, but if something happened to Yang Kai during his breakthrough, the two of them wouldn’t be able to explain themselves.
For a moment, Bai Lu couldn’t help but feel on edge.
She was obviously overthinking things, however.
Yang Kai was not a native of this world, so even though he entered this place using his Soul Avatar, he still had his own physical body. Even if he was influenced by the Emperor Intent from the battle of the two Masters, even if he could allow his Soul to forcefully break through to an existence comparable to Emperor Realm, it was impossible for him to actually reach that level before his physical strength had improved to a certain extent.
Dao Source Realm, Emperor Realm. A hurdle existed between the two Great Realms.
If one described the Spiritual Energy of a Dao Source Realm Cultivator as a wooden stick, then the Emperor Realm’s would be an iron stick, the latter naturally better in terms of both strength and sturdiness.
The difference between First-Order Dao Source Realm, Second-Order and Third-Order was only the length and thickness of each wooden stick.
If you want to transform your wooden stick into an iron stick, then you would have to cross a severe hurdle.
Yang Kai was now stuck somewhere in the middle of that hurdle and had not fully crossed it yet, but because he was able to produce Emperor Intent, it was as if his wooden stick had been plated with a layer of iron, receiving some capital available only to Emperor Realm cultivators, yet his strength was very different from that of a true Emperor.
However, this was enough.
Apart from him, who else in this world had managed to release Emperor Intent as only a First-Order Dao Source Realm? Even the renowned Ten Great Emperors of the Star Boundary had not managed such a feat.
Being able to produce Emperor Intent will naturally be of great benefit to his future growth.
Yang Kai was still watching the battle fixedly. The scene was unbearable to the others who received great impact on both their vision and Souls, but for him, it was just like a breeze that he didn’t need to pay too much attention to.
As soon as the impact reached his Soul Avatar, it would be resolved by the Seven Coloured Soul Warming Lotus and had no negative effect on him at all.
Time passed slowly.
Yang Kai’s harvest grew bigger and bigger as the battle between the two Masters seemed to have reached a fever pitch with Zhou Dian letting out raging howls from time to time in unbridled anger. Yi Quan’s face had also turned grave and was not as relaxed as before. Brandishing his sword, he unleashed his Secret Techniques while fighting all out with Zhou Dian.
With Yang Kai’s cultivation, his eyes were simply incapable of telling who was the stronger one in the fight or who had the upper hand, only feeling that the two of them were fighting on equal ground.
However… From Zhou Dian’s increasingly agitated voice, it seemed things were starting to look bad for him.
But this was only to be expected. From what he heard earlier, Yang Kai deduced that Zhou Dian and Yi Quan had once fought two thousand years ago, and at the time, Zhou Dian should have been injured while Yi Quan came out the victor.
Now, two thousand years later, while both of them must have grown, Yi Quan had obtained an Emperor Grade Soul-type artifact, so he had an even greater advantage than before.
It was only logical that he could overpower Zhou Dian.
But… it was difficult to tell who would be victorious!
Yang Kai estimated that this fight may last for half a month to a whole month.
But he was quite happy to see this situation because he would have plenty of time to continue watching and learning.
Right at that moment, however, Yang Kai furrowed his brows. He could keenly sense an irregular fluctuation of energy in the air.
His face sank, but when he turned to look at Bai Lu and Yuan Fei, he discovered that both of them were unresponsive.
At first, he thought it was just his own imagination, but when he was about to continue focusing on watching the fight, Yang Kai suddenly realized something. With a sudden change in his expression, he shouted to the front, “Senior, watch out!”
Before he could finish shouting, another figure suddenly appeared in the middle of the fierce battlefield.
It was a tall and mysterious figure wrapped completely in a black cloak, making it impossible to distinguish their body type. And, the person was wearing a strange mask that looked extremely terrifying.
The person appeared without warning, and even Yi Quan and Zhou Dian had not detected traces of this Master’s arrival. If not for Yang Kai having cultivated the Dao of Space and reaching a high proficiency in it, he too may not have detected the intruder.
Even though the other party was acting secretly, Yang Kai was still able to keenly catch the traces of spatial fluctuations from when this Master arrived.
But his warning came too late.
As soon as the masked person appeared, they arrived at Yi Quan’s side and launched their palm towards him.
Yi Quan’s face changed dramatically and he retracted his longsword, stabbing it to the side in an attempt to parry the attack.
He had already inserted his full strength into this attack.
Above the blade, energy surged like a tsunami that could seemingly swallow both heaven and earth.
The masked person’s blow was immediately blocked.
But Zhou Dian took this opportunity to attack. With one thrust of his halberd, he broke through Yi Quan’s defences and stabbed a hole right through his shoulder.
“Wu…” Yi Quan grunted as he shot backwards. Regaining his footing, he reached out to hold his shoulder in an attempt to relieve his injury.
But how could he instantly diffuse the full force of a blow from Zhou Dian so easily? The shock clearly injured Yi Quan quite severely and his Spiritual Energy was escaping from the wound, flowing out into the world.
“Sir!” The faces of Bai Lu, Yuan Fei, and the other Monster Race Masters changed dramatically as they all cried out in alarm, their figures flickering as they wanted to go up to him and help.
But Yi Quan raised his hand to stop them. With a slightly dark gaze, he eyed the masked intruder who had just appeared, his expression fluctuating.
Zhou Dian did not seem to have expected this masked person to appear here either and took advantage of Yi Quan’s surprise to launch a sneak attack. If this person had not interfered, then it would have been simply impossible for him to hurt Yi Quan like this.
Zhou Dian was not happy about this, as he felt as if his fight had been tainted. Even so, Zhou Dian did not dare to show any disrespect and cupped his fists, “Lord King, why have you come?”
“To assist you!” The masked man responded in a slow and hoarse voice like scraping metal which was hard to listen to.
“But subordinate…” Zhou Dian seemed like he still wanted to argue.
The masked man interrupted him directly though, “No need to say more. Take him back to the palace, I’ll take over from here!”
He had no choice but to obey the Lord King’s order, so Zhou Dian grit his teeth and shout, “Yes!”
With that, he glanced helplessly at Yi Quan before speeding towards Yang Kai.
Yi Quan turned his head slightly and looked at Yang Kai, only making a single, simple remark, “Run!”
Yang Kai also reacted quickly. Even though the changes in the scene before him were extremely abrupt, he had already vaguely understood everything in a short amount of time.
This masked man was undoubtedly Zhou Dian’s master, and also the person who issued the order to capture him.
If this person could order Zhou Dian to do his bidding, then he would obviously be a Third-Order Emperor Realm Master as well, and from the appearance of this person and the methods he used to sneak attack Yi Quan, his strength was probably a notch higher than Yi Quan’s.
With this person holding Yi Quan back, Zhou Dian would have no more opponents.
How could Yang Kai hesitate? When Yi Quan told him to run, he teleported a thousand metres away in a flash.
At this moment, he had no choice but to expose his cards.
In front of a Third-Order Emperor Realm like Zhou Dian, Yang Kai could not think of any other way to escape other than using Space Principles.
And, while Yang Kai was fleeing, Bai Lu and Yuan Fei stood side by side to block Zhou Dian’s advance.
When they saw their enemy approach, both Masters let out a deep cry and revealed their true forms in a flash of light.
Roaring, Yuan Fei took the initiative to meet Zhou Dian head-on and block him.
Bai Lu, on the other hand, radiated a white light. It was not known what sort of mysterious Secret Technique she was using, but she was somehow able to envelop a thirty-kilometre radius in pure white light, making it impossible to distinguish between north and south.
“Anyone who blocks my path shall die!” Zhou Dian shouted furiously as he brandished his halberd.
*Chi chi chi…*
A sound cut through the void. Yuan Fei had not even come close to Zhou Dian when a stray attack knocked him far away, his life or death unknown.
The difference in strength between the two was too great. Yuan Fei was simply no match for Zhou Dian.
And, two cracks later, the white world also shattered.
Bai Lu’s body reappeared, but the light surrounding her body had become extremely dim.
Zhou Dian turned into a stream of lights, crossing over both their heads and pursuing Yang Kai without even shooting them a glance.
“He’s fast!” Zhou Dian was surprised at how far away the figure in front of him was.
He originally thought that a Master like himself would be able to capture Yang Kai with ease, but only now did he realize that this First-Order Dao Source Realm brat had some kind of extremely profound Movement Skill. Once his Movement Skill was used, this boy seemed capable of ignoring space and instantly moving from one place to the next. Yuan Fei and Bai Lu were also able to buy him a little time, which allowed Yang Kai to almost escape the range of his Divine Sense.
“Interesting!” Zhou Dian coldly snorted, increasing his already lightning-quick speed further.
On the other hand, Lian Yan, who had arrived with Zhou Dian, had also quietly escaped from Heavenly Monster Valley when he noticed things turning for the worse while everyone was still recovering from the shock.
…..
In Heavenly Monster Mountain, Yang Kai fled desperately using his Space Secret Techniques every so often in order to expand the distance and conceal his aura. He did not dare to go in a straight line either and constantly changed directions in an attempt to shake off Zhou Dian.
But it was all in vain. No matter how he moved, there was constantly a strong Divine Sense locked onto him.
He could feel it on his skin without even turning around. Yang Kai understood now just how terrifying a Third-Order Emperor Realm Master was.
The huge gap between Zhou Dian’s cultivation and his own was not at all something he could offset by his mastery of Space Principles.
The distance between them grew shorter and shorter, and for the first time, Yang Kai experienced what despair was!
If he could not get rid of him even with his Space Divine Ability, then he had no idea how else to flee from this crisis.
The Soul Devouring Insects probably wouldn’t be effective in this situation because Yi Quan had told him that they weren’t strong enough yet. Yi Quan had even proved that by suppressing them earlier.
Zhou Dian was a Master at the same level as Yi Quan, so whatever Yi Quan could accomplish, Zhou Dian must be able to as well!
He may have a little bit of hope with the Soul Splitting Saber, but it wasn’t much; after all, Yang Kai had not refined it yet and could not unleash its full power. His previous success in attacking Ban Qing was due to Ban Qing’s lack of strength, and also the fact that Yang Kai was able to catch him off guard.
Yang Kai realized with some thought that he had no countermeasures left. It seemed like he could only surrender without a fight!
And, while his mind was racing, Zhou Dian, who was pursuing him, managed to close the gap to just thirty kilometres. At this moment, Yang Kai suddenly felt a powerful force breaking through the air behind him.
Looking back in a hurry, his face instantly turned blue.
Because he discovered that Zhou Dian had thrown his halberd towards him. Even though he had no idea what kind of mysteries could be hidden behind this attack, Yang Kai did not wait to find out and did his best to dodge it.
*Xiu xiu xiu…*
Yang Kai’s figure flickered from side to side. With the addition of his teleportation ability, he was literally randomly appearing and disappearing.
But he still couldn’t shake off the halberd that was hurled towards him.
The halberd rapidly approached Yang Kai.
At this critical moment, Yang Kai had no choice but to use his Spiritual Energy to furiously attack the halberd in an attempt to block it.
*Hong…*
A loud bang erupted as Yang Kai’s body shook and his face instantly darkened. However, the double-crescent halberd was completely unmoved and continued flying towards him.
Yang Kai’s desperate full-force attack was unable to even slow it down.
In the next moment, the double-crescent halberd landed not far away from Yang Kai’s body, digging itself halfway down into the earth. At the same time it landed, a shockwave exploded with it as its centre.
In just one breath, a ten-kilometre radius was filled with an invisible pressure that was so strong and domineering that Yang Kai could not help but feel a sense of despair as he was unable to resist it.
He wanted to teleport away again but was helpless to do so under this mysterious pressure. At the time, even his thoughts seemed to become slower.
In his field of view, Zhou Dian’s stalwart and tall figure walked over slowly, face as cold as ice.
In just a few moments, he arrived before Yang Kai and looked down at him contemptuously, coldly snorting, “Little brat, you’ve got some skills, but… that’s all you have!”
With that, he flicked his wrist and a bolt of energy shot out from his fingertips into Yang Kai’s body.
Yang Kai’s body stiffened. Instantly it felt as if his power was completely sealed and he was unable to move in the slightest.
This was it!
Yang Kai’s face turned ashen. Even though he knew he may not be able to escape under this Third-Order Emperor Realm Master’s pursuit, it was only now that he finally realized how insignificant he was when he was really caught.
If not for his teleportation ability, he would have been captured almost immediately.
A Third-Order Emperor was not something he could fight against right now.
With a flick of Zhou Dian’s hand, his halberd that was stuck into the ground flew back and was absorbed into his body.
This general of the Divine Ascension Country turned his head again and looked towards the direction of Heavenly Monster Valley, his expression fluctuating a few times before he heaved a sigh with endless regret. Hoisting up Yang Kai, he sped off towards the edge of Heavenly Monster Mountain.
He understood that since his Lord King decided to act personally, Yi Quan would have no chance.
The terror of his Lord King was something that even he, as someone who had followed him for so many years, was unable to comprehend.
If possible, Zhou Dian hoped that he would be the one to defeat Yi Quan, but he obviously would not get what he wanted this time.
But… What intrigued him even more was what secret Yang Kai held that drew his Lord King to leave the palace and take care of things personally. No matter how he looked at it, Yang Kai was nothing more than a Third-Order Dao Source Realm Junior with nothing out of the ordinary about him. If he had to say something, then this little brat’s escaping Secret Techniques were quite impressive.
If he hadn’t come after him himself and instead tasked Lian Yan with it, this brat would undoubtedly have slipped away already.
“Boy… Do you know what Lord King wants from you?” Zhou Dian suddenly asked.
Yang Kai was still feeling gloomy and answered in a frustrated tone, “I should be the one asking you that, right?”
But before he could finish speaking, his body stiffened and he revealed a painful look on his face. That was because Zhou Dian actually made a move in secret and shocked him, causing him soul-rending pain.
Realizing that he was currently under the eaves, Yang Kai didn’t dare to act too arrogantly either and could only say, “This Senior, have you got the wrong person? I heard you were looking for some Star of Calamity, but take a good look at me. Do I look like it?”
“This General is only in charge of catching people, everything else has nothing to do with me!” Zhou Dian responded coldly, after a while adding, “Let me ask you, where is Ban Qing? You encountered him previously, didn’t you? Why did he suddenly disappear?”
“Ban Qing? You’re talking about that short, sneaky guy?” Yang Kai pretended to play dumb and randomly blurted, “He was killed by a Monster Race Master.”
Upon hearing this, a cold light flashed in Zhou Dian’s eyes as near tangible murderous intent leaked from his body, causing Yang Kai to shiver.
But very soon, he retracted the murderous aura and coldly snorted, “This debt will be settled sooner or later!”
He did not ask Yang Kai too much, nor did he suspect that Ban Qing had died at Yang Kai’s hands as he felt that was simply impossible.
Only the Monster Race Masters here would be capable of killing Ban Qing.
An hour later, Zhou Dian took Yang Kai back to the place where he had set up camp.
At this moment, the Masters who followed Zhou Dian into Heavenly Monster Mountain had almost all gathered here. Yu Man, Yuan Qing, and even Lian Yan who had escaped from Heavenly Monster Valley earlier were present. Only Ban Qing was missing.
And, right next to these people, was a group of helpless and dispirited-looking people who had been captured and gathered here.
When they saw Zhou Dian return, all of them quickly saluted him.
“Take everyone and head back to the palace!” Zhou Dian gave an order and they gave a resounding response. When he said this, he casually tossed Yang Kai into the group of captured people.
Chen Mu Ji secretly gave Yang Kai a hand so that he wouldn’t fall to the ground, then he nodded lightly at him.
Yang Kai looked around and immediately saw his other ‘Brothers’ and ‘Sister’ in turmoil. When they met each other’s eyes, neither of them could help but laugh bitterly.
None of them had expected to be caught by the local cultivators here after just one month of entering the Divine Ascension Mirror World.
The group moved quickly, and within ten breaths of Zhou Dian’s order, they were already on their way to Divine Ascension City.
Along the way, Yang Kai did not dare to exchange information with the others and could only keep silent.
Even now he had no idea why he and the others were captured, and what that Star of Calamity that Ban Qing mentioned was…
But he could see that this was a very big matter, otherwise, there would be no need to send so many Masters. Even Zhou Dian’s masked Lord King had to come out himself.
Yang Kai vaguely felt as if he had dropped into a huge whirlpool and would not be able to get out on his own.
…..
A day later.
Heavenly Monster Valley.
Yi Quan sat cross-legged and adjusted his breathing, his face twitching slightly. Many Monster Race Masters were looking at him with worried faces, all scattered around on high alert.
Yesterday, Yi Quan fought with Zhou Dian first before getting sneak attacked by the strange masked man, consuming much of his strength.
In addition, he was also wounded by Zhou Dian during the masked man’s sudden appearance and ended up receiving many injuries from the battle after that.
If the masked man was strong enough to crush Yi Quan, then Heavenly Monster Mountain would have lost its Lord and would no longer exist!
Fortunately, it seemed as if the masked man’s only purpose was to capture Yang Kai and had no intentions of eradicating Heavenly Monster Valley, so he only fought Yi Quan for a short while before retreating. Even so, the wounds Yi Quan sustained were not something that could be healed overnight.
While he was silently adjusting his breathing, Bai Lu’s shout suddenly entered his ears, “Who goes there!”
Yi Quan opened his eyes in a flash and gazed straight ahead.
There, a white-bearded old man with absolutely no energy fluctuations around his body stood, appearing just like a mortal who had never cultivated.
Yi Quan had no idea where this old man came from, but upon his arrival, he immediately headed towards him.
The Monster Race Masters naturally did not stand idly by. Yi Quan was currently in a critical moment of recovery and could not be disturbed. Whether this old man was friend or foe, they could not let him approach any closer.
So, after shouting those words, Bai Lu’s body shifted and rushed towards the old man in a stream of white light.
But what shocked her was that despite clearly intending to rush in front of and block this old man, when she came to a stop where she intended to, she actually found herself inexplicably just out of arm’s reach of him.
*Xiu xiu xiu…*
Countless Monster Race Masters also moved to intercept this old man.
But none of them succeeded.
All the Masters who rushed towards the old man appeared not where they expected to, their eyes bulging wide as if they had seen something extremely terrifying in that brief moment.
None of them saw any signs of this old man doing anything, but all of them had failed to even stand in his way.
The old man seemed to be strolling casually, but in the blink of an eye, he had already arrived before Yi Quan and was gazing down at him.
“You…” Yi Quan frowned and muttered, observing the man seriously, a bewildered look appearing on his face, but a moment later, his eyes flashed a brilliant light as if he had recalled something and he called out in astonishment, “You are…”
The old man raised his hand slightly to stop Yi Quan before placing it lightly on Yi Quan’s shoulder.
A stream of pure energy slowly poured into Yi Quan’s body.
Even a person as strong as Yi Quan could not help but reveal a look of comfort as the heavy injuries on his body were being relieved under the nourishment of this power.
A short while later, the old man removed his hand.
Yi Quan was shocked to find that the injuries to his body were mostly healed, all he needed now was some time to condition himself and there would be absolutely no dark injuries left.
Rising to his feet, he cupped his fists respectfully to the old man in front of him and lowered his head, “Junior Yi Quan greets Senior, many thanks to Senior for his assistance!”
Once these words came out, the entire Heavenly Monster Valley turned dead silent.
Countless Monster Race Masters stared at Yi Quan in shock, unable to believe what they had just heard.
Yi Quan was undoubtedly one of the strongest Masters in this world, and also one of the highest-ranking; however, he had just called himself ‘Junior’ in front of this old human man.
Since that was the case, just what kind of seniority did this old man possess? Just who was he?
The Monster Race Masters were completely dumbfounded.
“If you recognize this old Master, then you should know why I am here,” The old man finally spoke and looked seriously at Yi Quan, “Where is he?”
Yi Quan wore a look of shame and responded, “He was taken away!”
The old man raised his brow slightly, “Who took him away, and to where?”
“To Divine Ascension Country’s palace!”
The old man nodded lightly and said, “It seems like I was still a step too late, but so be it, this old Master will just have to take another short trip!”
As soon as he said that, his body suddenly blurred and then faded away, completely disappearing three breaths later.
Yi Quan stood still in the same place with a look of awe on his face, but soon, he couldn’t help letting out a loud laugh like roaring thunder, spreading throughout Heavenly Monster Valley, drawing the attention of countless Monster Race and Monster Beasts.
None of the Monster Race Masters knew why Yi Quan was laughing so merrily.
Finally, unable to help herself, Bai Lu went up to him and asked in a soft voice, “Sir, who… was that old man?”
Of course, she could tell that the old man was an extraordinary person, but how could she not be aware of such an astonishing figure in this world?
Yi Quan looked in one direction and slowly said, “He is a survivor from the Holy War from ten thousand years ago!”
“The Holy War!” Bai Lu’s tender body shook, her beautiful eyes filling with astonishment as she asked, “You mean to say, he is…”
Yi Quan nodded lightly, “With his protection, Yang Boy will be safe and sound.” But when he said this, he frowned again, as if worrying about a different matter altogether.
…
Divine Ascension City, inside the royal palace.
Three thousand metres below ground was the Divine Prison, and the environment inside was harsh enough that it was unbearable for people.
Although this was a place for prisoners, it was not used much because no one dared to break the law in the Divine Ascension Country. And, if they did, they would be killed on the spot, so there was simply no need to use this place.
Therefore, the Divine Prison was only a symbolic existence. Many people didn’t even know whether it was just a myth or not.
And right at this moment, Yang Kai and several other people were confined in this Divine Prison, looking through the bars.
All around were voices of the other captured cultivators shouting their grievances.
But none of the guards cared.
Taking this opportunity, Yang Kai and the others quietly exchanged the information they had.
In fact, there was not much information to begin with, only that Zhou Dian had led his men into Heavenly Monster Mountain in order to catch the Star of Calamity, which basically meant catching all the cultivators training in Heavenly Monster Mountain. Naturally, Yang Kai and the others were not able to escape that disaster.
They all felt as if they were fish caught in a pond.
Since it had come to this, they could only put their hopes on Gao Xue Ting.
This time, it was Gao Xue Ting who led the team into the Divine Ascension World, but she left alone after sending everyone into Heavenly Monster Mountain. No one knew what she went off to do afterwards.
If she got the news, then she would definitely find a way to rescue them.
But with her strength as a First-Order Emperor Realm cultivator, she may not be able to succeed. Yang Kai could only hope that she was able to contact Wen Zi Shan outside. If Temple Master Wen entered the Divine Ascension World himself, then they might have some hope.
While he was thinking so, footsteps suddenly sounded from outside the cell. At the same time, an Emperor Realm pressure descended on them.
In an instant, everyone turned silent.
The footsteps kept advancing inwards, and when they reached a certain position, a man stopped and pointed his hand at the cultivators being held in the cell, “Lord King has given the order, bring him out.”
From the voice, it seemed to be General Yu Man.
“Yes!” The guards following behind him hurried to open the cell door.
Yang Kai and the others all paled in unison.
This couldn’t be helped as the person who Yu Man was referring to was the chief disciple of Azure Sun Temple, Xia Sheng.
Very soon, Xia Sheng’s voice rang out as he seemed to be struggling, but after being taught a lesson from the guard, he behaved and resigned himself to fate.
A short while later, Yu Man took Xia Sheng away.
Yang Kai and the rest were unable to do anything even if they wanted to help him, so they could only pray for his safety now.
While they were waiting patiently, a quarter of an hour passed when footsteps emerged again.
Yang Kai quickly looked over, and what he saw caused his expression to sink.
He saw Xia Sheng with blank eyes, body shaking and spasming as if he had received great injuries. Under the lead of the guard, he returned to his own cell just like a walking corpse.
No one knew what he experienced, but everyone naturally felt sad to see him like this. Murong Xiao Xiao had even cried in grief.
She did not dare to call out to Xia Sheng either and just cried in silence.
Then, Yu Man returned again. This time, he stood in a certain spot and looked around for a while before pointing his hand and saying, “This one!”
Xiao Bai Yi paled.
Because the person Yu Man pointed at turned out to be him.
The guard opened the cell door again and took Xiao Bai Yi away.
After they left, Yang Kai hurriedly looked at Xia Sheng and called out to him quietly, but Xia Sheng was completely unresponsive as if he had lost his soul.
“Junior Brother Yang… Could something be wrong with Senior Brother Xia?” Murong Xiao Xiao asked in worry.
Yang Kai shook his head, “I have no idea, but from how he looks, Brother Xia seems to have endured some serious torture, or perhaps his Soul has become unstable. He should be fine after resting for a while though.”
But what piqued his interest even more was what Xia Sheng had experienced that put him in this state.
If the power in his body had not been restricted, then he could have let out his Divine Sense to investigate, and he might get some clues. Unfortunately, he couldn’t use any of his strength now and could only rely on his own observations and speculations.
He casually comforted Murong Xiao Xiao with a few words but deep inside, he was anxious too.
Looking around, no one seemed to be paying attention to this side, so Yang Kai quickly moved to a dark corner and sat down.
The seal inside his body was set by Zhou Dian himself, so he couldn’t unlock it on his own. It would require a Master like Zhou Dian to help him.
However… Yang Kai had his Soul Devouring Insects. The power of the seal was also a type of Spiritual Energy, so it could still be fed upon by the Soul Devouring Insects.
As long as he could mobilize his Soul Devouring Insects, he would have hope of breaking the seal and restoring his strength.
As for what to do next, he could only take things one step at a time.
Time slowly passed by.
And, while Yang Kai was attempting to break the seal with his Soul Devouring Insects, Chen Mu Ji and Murong Xiao Xiao were taken away one after the other.
Without exception, they ended up just like Xia Sheng and Xiao Bai Yi before them. Yang Kai had no idea what they experienced, but they were all listless and the look in their eyes was hollow after they returned. They wouldn’t respond even when people called out to them and it was clear they received a great impact on their Souls and were unable to stay conscious.
Yang Kai gradually realized that something wasn’t quite right.
The number of cultivators that Zhou Dian and the others captured in Heavenly Monster Mountain was somewhere between seventy and eighty.
And, there were differing levels of strength among these cultivators, but the others were all safe. Only the ones from Azure Sun Temple were picked out.
This clearly wasn’t some kind of coincidence! They were being targeted!
Was there some kind of noticeable difference between cultivators like them who entered the Divine Ascension Mirror World from the outside and the natives? Yang Kai could not help but wonder about this. If this wasn’t the case, how could the fact that everyone else remained safe be explained? Why was it that only Xia Sheng and the others had to suffer?
But he couldn’t figure it out even if he thought about it.
And, just as he was about to break the seal, Yu Man suddenly came to his cell and pointed at him, grinning, “Take him away!”
Just as before, the guard opened the cell and grabbed Yang Kai before walking out of the prison behind Yu Man.
Yang Kai was silent the whole way through but he was constantly looking around.
This place should be the royal palace of Divine Ascension Country. The palace was very luxuriously decorated but appeared very quiet. Not many people seemed to be living here.
Yu Man led Yang Kai around some turns in the palace and they quickly arrived before a large hall.
Once they arrived here, Yu Man stopped and turned to look at Yang Kai with cold eyes, “Go in yourself, the Lord King is waiting.”
Yang Kai nodded and did not resist. After taking a few steps forward, he suddenly turned back to Yu Man and asked, “This Elder Sister…”
“Who are you calling Elder Sister?” Yu Man smiled charmingly. The guard next to her did not even dare to look at her, as if afraid his soul would be taken away if he did.
A look of fascination appeared on Yang Kai’s face and there was astonishment in his eyes.
It wasn’t that he did it on purpose, but his power was being restricted and he had fallen under the influence of Yu Man’s Charm Technique.
But Yu Man did not dare to go on with this either. The Lord King was waiting inside and she would not be able to bear the consequences if she were to delay things.
In the next moment, Yu Man withdrew her charm.
Yang Kai’s body jolted and he came back to his senses. Deep inside, he was cursing incessantly.
If his strength had not been sealed, then he would not have fallen to her temptation.
He went on, “This Little Brother wishes to ask, why did Elder Sister pick out all those people here? Is there anything different about them?”
Yu Man curled her lip, “I was just following orders.”
“The Lord King’s orders?” Yang Kai raised his brows.
“Know your place, little brat!” Yu Man’s face suddenly turned cold, changing faster than the flip of a book.
Yang Kai said with nervous laughter, “I was just asking.”
“Hurry and get inside!” Yu Man bellowed.
“Yes, yes!” Yang Kai answered repeatedly and stepped forward again.
In a short time, he arrived in front of the hall and entered through the door.
As soon as he entered the hall, Yang Kai could smell something fragrant enter his nose that caused his whole body to feel light and floaty as if he were walking on clouds.
And, looking up, Yang Kai could not help but feel surprised.
Because this hall looked no different than a woman’s boudoir. The entire place was decorated effeminately with pink drapery, light red carpets, and gave off an elegant and noble aura.
As soon as he entered the hall, a pair of bright eyes looked towards him.
Yang Kai turned his head and looked towards that person.
There he saw, a dozen paces away from himself, a pink gauze curtain which vaguely revealed a lazy figure lounging behind it. The bright gaze had come from this person.
A powerful Divine Scene swept through Yang kai as if it wanted to pass through his Soul Avatar and dig through the secrets hidden deep within.
Yang Kai raised his brows, frowning, and thought for a moment before blurting out, “The masked man?”
He suddenly realized that the power fluctuations emanating from the person behind the curtain were exactly the same as that of the masked man’s he sensed in Heavenly Monster Valley.
[This person is the Master who launched that sneak attack on Yi Quan?]
Yang Kai would never have thought that it would end up being a woman.
Even though he could not see her face, it certainly couldn’t be bad with such an enchanting figure. Not to mention, her strength was also astounding.
“Masked man, huh…”
While Yang Kai was still shocked, a soft and pleasant voice came from behind the pink drapery which seemed to be able to penetrate his mind and soul, setting off invisible ripples that made Yang Kai’s head feel jittery for a long time.
He took several deep breaths and concentrated to calm himself down once more.
“For you to call this Queen in such a way… is not unacceptable,” the woman behind the curtain continued in an unhurried tone.
“Could Senior be the Lord… Queen of this Divine Ascension Country?” Yang Kai’s brow furrowed.
“Indeed!” The other party admitted frankly, “But no one knows the true face of this Queen. Even Zhou Dian has never seen it.”
Yang Kai was stunned at this, but very soon, he felt a bad feeling inside of him.
Even though her words did not reveal any important information, it gave Yang Kai an ominous premonition, as if she had just revealed a big secret in front of him, one he would need to pay a heavy price for.
Yang Kai could not help but laugh awkwardly, “Junior is honoured, but Junior wonders, why is Senior treating me so well?”
As he spoke, his mind raced, but he couldn’t understand any of the critical points here.
“Because… this Queen must,” The lazy figure lounging on the bed slowly sat up straight and beckoned to Yang Kai through the curtain, “Come closer!”
Yang Kai frowned, his eyes filled with iciness as he said dully, “Junior has no right to refuse, right?”
“You can try!”
Yang Kai sighed and could only approach her slowly.
And, as he walked forwards, he could clearly perceive a momentary unstable fluctuation in the woman’s Soul, as if she was expecting, even longing for something.
The anticipation and longing were palpable enough to even destabilize the Soul of a Master of her level.
But Yang Kai was not naive enough to think that the other party had taken a fancy to him. If that was really the case, then she did not have to go to such lengths. With the strength she showed before, she could easily make him behave however she wanted.
If her eyes weren’t on him, then it had to be something he possessed.
When he thought of this, Yang Kai’s heart clenched.
When he reached the curtain, Yang Kai took a deep breath and lifted it up, looking inside.
There, a short distance away, the image of the woman’s face was instantly imprinted into his eyes.
Yang Kai could not help but feel a little dizzy as the other party was indeed a country destroying beauty. It was a flawless face that seemed so perfect it should not exit beneath the Heavens.
But… the moment Yang Kai saw this face, he had a strange feeling that he had seen it somewhere before.
He carefully recalled the faces of all the Emperor Realm Masters he encountered, but Yang Kai found none that matched, making him feel quite puzzled.
When their eyes met, the woman’s beautiful eyes burst with oppressive light that seemed to envelop Yang Kai.
Yang Kai’s body froze in place and he felt as if he was about to fall into an abyss that would never end.
Horrified, he quickly exclaimed, “Senior…”
But the woman did not pay him any heed to his protest and muttered excitedly, “You are the last one, so that thing must be inside your body. If I can obtain that treasure, then this Queen will be able to refine this world and truly become its Master! Be obedient and cooperate, and this Queen may spare your life, even ensure you a lifetime of glory and wealth, but if you dare resist, then this Queen will make you beg for death!”
At the last sentence, the woman’s originally beautiful face became extremely hideous and her tone became ghastly, as if she was on the verge of going mad.
On the other hand, Yang Kai listened to her with a bewildered feeling.
[The last person, a treasure to refine this world…] He had no idea what she was talking about at all.
He had the intention to resist, but under the influence of the other party’s Soul pressure, even thinking was starting to become difficult, much less moving his body.
The woman rose up, her tender body swaying as she moved in front of Yang Kai. Raising a jade finger, she pressed it directly onto Yang Kai’s forehead.
In the next instant, pure Spiritual Energy flowed into Yang Kai’s body through that finger.
Yang Kai’s body trembled and his eyes became dull. It felt as if his entire body had just been subjected to unbearable torture, endlessly shaking and spasming.
A heavy consciousness and confused thoughts were all normal reactions when one’s Soul was disturbed.
Yang Kai finally understood why Xia Sheng and the others would end up as they did.
They clearly went through the same thing. How could a Dao Source Realm cultivator be able to withstand the assault of a Third-Order Emperor Realm Master’s Soul? The fact that their Souls had not been completely extinguished was already a testament to their strength.
The woman went on, seemingly searching for something inside of Yang Kai, her expression ever-changing whilst Yang Kai’s mind was hazy, seemingly only half awake.
While in a trance, he heard the woman praise, “What pure Spiritual Energy. You really are special, boy. Even with just a First-Order Dao Source Realm Cultivation, you possess such immense Spiritual Energy. In time, you will become a great weapon!”
A short while later, the woman suddenly burst into a mad bout of laughter, “I found it! Hahahahaha, sure enough, it is the Soul Warming Lotus! The Soul Warming Lotus! This Queen did not see wrongly! And it has already reached the seven-coloured grade, fully capable of bearing the weight of the Mirror Soul… Wen Zi Shan, once this Queen has finished refining this world, this Queen will not let you off easy!”
As her words fell, a look of extreme ruthlessness blossomed in her beautiful eyes, her tender body transforming into a stream of light that shot straight into Yang Kai’s brows, entering his Soul Avatar as if she had turned immaterial.
If anyone saw this scene, they would definitely be shocked, because such a practice was filled with dangers. Two different Souls could not be fused easily and the slightest mistake when attempting to do so could lead to the destruction of both Souls. Unless one had incredible control, even if they succeeded, they may still be contaminated by the other’s mind and lose their sense of self.
But this woman obviously has extremely strong control and was not worried about Yang Kai’s mind contaminating her Soul.
Shooting into Yang Kai’s Soul Avatar, she headed straight for the Seven Coloured Soul Warming Lotus, landing at the centre of it in just an instant.
The pure energy enveloped her, and the gentle feeling of it could not help but make her moan.
The Soul Warming Lotus was a precious treasure that nourished the Soul, a unique existence in the entire Star Boundary.
The Soul Warming Lotus had been recorded in ancient texts, but it had only really appeared two or three times throughout all of recorded history.
If not for this coincidental opportunity, then it was simply impossible for the woman to know that Yang Kai had a Soul Warming Lotus inside his body.
Laughing with great pleasure, it seemed as if she was able to see a prosperous path ahead already stretched out in front of her.
However…
Just as she was about to refine the Soul Warming Lotus, a seven-coloured glow suddenly blossomed from the precious treasure, which turned into a seven coloured halo.
The halo seemed to have unstoppable force, and the impact on the woman’s Soul Avatar caused her face to pale.
Her face changed and she cried out, resisting the rejection of the Soul Warming Lotus.
But before she could do anything, a loud buzzing noise suddenly reached her ears.
Stunned, the woman looked up, only to see a dense cloud of tiny insects in front of her, converging on her like locusts onto a field.
“Soul Devouring Insects!” The woman’s face turned ashen as she shrieked, “How can there be Soul Devouring Insects here?”
In the next instant, she suddenly understood and hissed in disbelief, “That little brat was raising these Soul Devouring Insects in the Soul Warming Lotus? He must be insane! Insane!”
*Hong hong…*
As she finished speaking, the seven-coloured halo of the Soul Warming Lotus gushed at her again, and even with her strength, she was forced to retreat. She could not fight it at all, because this was the rejection of the precious treasure itself, an aura of rejection towards anyone but its Master.
The light on the woman’s body dimmed a little. Seeing that the light was only growing more intense and the cloud of Soul Devouring Insects were becoming wilder by the moment, she shouted furiously and had no choice but to retreat.
A light flashed in the room and the woman’s body reappeared; however, compared to her earlier calm, she now looked a little dishevelled.
Before she could regain her footing though, a sharp chill descended from the sky and struck her head-on.
This chill was so strong that it actually made her feel threatened.
Under the woman’s shock, her tender body was shaken by an invisible force that struck her head-on.
With a muffled grunt, Yang Kai’s body flew backwards.
*Weng weng weng…*
The cloud of Soul Devouring Insects flew out from Yang Kai’s body and flew straight at the woman, enveloping her instantly.
To these Soul Devouring Insects, a Soul as powerful as this woman’s was the most delicious meal in this world.
So, even without Yang Kai’s intention, the Soul Devouring Insects began swarming the woman like crazy, wrapping her up in layers without any leaks in no time.
The woman did not dare to dally in this situation either. With a shake of her body, a barrier formed around her and stopped the Soul Devouring Insects from injuring her Soul.
Soul Devouring Insects were the bane of all Souls, so even with her powerful cultivation, this woman was unable to kill them. At most, she could suppress and prevent these Soul Devouring Insects from attacking her.
But this was not a long-term solution as even the barrier she formed to protect herself was made of Spiritual Energy. As the Soul Devouring Insects gnawed on it, its protection would grow weaker and weaker.
The woman had to constantly release her energy to maintain the barrier.
She turned her head again and looked gloomily at Yang Kai, her beautiful eyes fixing on the long blade in his hand. Suddenly, she shouted with horror, “Emperor Artifact! A Soul-type Emperor Artifact!”
The sharp, cold threat she felt just now had clearly come from this Emperor Artifact. It was only an artifact of this calibre that could cause such a reaction.
She could not help but sneer as she looked at Yang Kai, “You have some skills, brat, and plenty of strange treasures to help as well. You actually unlocked the seal right under this Queen’s nose! That is enough to impress this Queen!”
“Heh heh heh…” Yang Kai struggled to stand and pointed his Soul Splitting Saber at the woman, the corners of his lips raising subtly, “Junior is honoured to receive such praise from Grandma!”
The woman’s face changed slightly upon hearing this and she called out in a cold voice, “What did you say?”
Looking smug, Yang Kai said with a derisive look on his face, “Still playing dumb even now? Does this Junior have to point out your identity… Grandma You!”
Once the words ‘Grandma You’ came out, the woman’s expression suddenly turned as cold as ice.
Yang Kai continued, “This Junior was also puzzled at first, finding your appearance somewhat familiar, but unable to figure out just where he had met you…”
“Then when did you realize it?” The woman did not seem to deny Yang Kai’s speculation and instead asked with interest, even ignoring the Soul Devouring Insects gathered around her body’s barrier.
“Things just fell into place,” Yang Kai grinned. “Of all the people imprisoned in the Divine Prison, why did you only pick out the cultivators from Azure Sun Temple? There was clearly some special reason. You either knew all of them or there was something different about the cultivators themselves. Since everyone here is only a Soul Avatar, there should naturally not be any differences between foreigners and natives. In other words, the reason you chose to see us was only because you knew we weren’t from this world, and you were probably trying to find something on us… En, as for what you are looking for, it was most likely the Soul Warming Lotus.”
“Earlier you also mentioned Temple Master Wen’s name and even put on a look of absolute irreconcilable hatred. The hideous look you wore at that moment…” Yang Kai smiled, “Was quite distinctive.”
It was only when he heard Wen Zi Shan’s name through his hazy consciousness that Yang Kai suddenly understood.
The woman in front of him was Grandma You, who was guarding the Divine Ascension Mirror. That was why he felt a bit of familiarity when he first saw her. Since Grandma You guarded the Divine Ascension Mirror year-round, she could naturally freely enter and exit it.
It’s just that Grandma You was supposed to be old and decrepit, while the woman in front of him was young and beautiful, so Yang Kai did not initially associate the two of them together.
“And so you recognized this Queen?”
Yang Kai jeered, “An old granny coming here and putting on the appearance of a beautiful woman is one thing, but you even have the nerve to call yourself ‘this Queen’?”
Grandma You laughed coldly, “Are you trying to provoke me? If so, your tactics are too childish.”
Yang Kai couldn’t help smiling wryly when he realized his intentions were seen through.
Yang Kai knew very well that when facing a Master like Grandma You, there was no hope of winning or even escaping unless he could somehow enrage her and cause her to expose some fatal flaw. While he might have some hope in the outside world, in the Divine Ascension World, Grandma You’s strength was at its peak. As such, he jeered and taunted her, but he did not expect her to see through his plan so easily.
“Little brat, you’re quite sinister,” Grandma You nodded lightly at Yang Kai, praising him. “If my guess is correct, you used these Soul Devouring Insects to break the seal, correct?”
“So what if I did?” Yang Kai’s attitude suddenly became aggressive, waving his Soul Splitting Saber at Grandma You as he snapped, “You’d better choose wisely, Grandma. If you recognize these Soul Devouring Insects, then you should know how powerful they are. You’d best be sensible and let me out. Otherwise, I’ll definitely order them to devour you until even your bones are gone!”
The way he said it really sounded as if he was going to kill Grandma You right here.
“Hmph, if they had another hundred years to grow, perhaps this Queen would really have to worry, but now?” Grandma You sneered. With a wave of her hand, she shook off all the Soul Devouring Insects surrounding her.
Many of the Soul Devouring Insects were dazed from being shaken off like this and buzzed around like headless flies, but they soon recovered and wrapped around Grandma You again.
“Since we’ve come to this, then this Queen will get straight to the point,” Grandma You ignored the Soul Devouring Insects on her body and said to Yang Kai, “Be a good boy and erase your mark on the Soul Warming Lotus, give it to this Queen, and this Queen will surely not treat you badly.”
“Why should I?” Yang Kai snorted.
“What do you think?” Grandma You sneered.
Yang Kai looked helpless and dawdled for a long time before saying, “Let’s put that aside for now. Before that, I want to ask something.”
“What?”
“Grandma, how did you know I had the Soul Warming Lotus? It’s something I hid very well, something nobody has ever discovered before.”
Grandma You frowned, “It won’t hurt to tell you that this Queen has been guarding the Divine Ascension Mirror for more than two thousand years. Even though I am unable to make this treasure recognize this Queen as its Master, this Queen has still studied it greatly. When your Soul Avatar passed through the Divine Ascension Mirror into this world, this Queen was able to get a glimpse of the situation inside your body, and it was during that glimpse that this Queen discovered…”
“But you couldn’t confirm it, right? So, you didn’t even know if what you saw was real or not, much less whose body the Soul Warming Lotus was in. You did, however, know that after we entered the Divine Ascension Mirror, we would head into Heavenly Monster Mountain to train, so you ordered Zhou Dian to bring his men there and capture the so-called Stars of Calamity! And, after catching and bringing us here, you checked us one by one…” Yang Kai read out his speculations.
“That’s right! But this Queen thought that the Soul Warming Lotus would be on that brat Xia Sheng’s body, or at the very least, Xiao Bai Yi. I never expected it to be in the hands of you, the least powerful one. That was unexpected.”
Yang Kai nodded, expressing his understanding.
He understood why Xia Sheng and the others were the only ones brought out of the prison despite so many people being locked in there, and what Grandma You meant by him being ‘the last one’.
After checking Xia Sheng and the others and finding no traces of what she was looking for, he was no doubt ‘the last one’ to be searched.
“One more question,” Yang Kai suddenly said.
“Brat, you better not reach out for a yard after taking an inch!” Grandma You’s face went cold.
Yang Kai grinned meaningfully, “Grandma, if you don’t want to see me destroying the Soul Warming Lotus, then you better not speak to me like that. Also… You’re getting old, so it’ll do you well not to rage so much, it’s bad for the body!”
He put on a very concerned look which sent Grandma You’s anger soaring, but she couldn’t do anything about it.
Glaring at Yang Kai, Grandma You said grimly, “You better know your place, boy!”
“I know it very well!” Yang Kai gritted his teeth. “I hope Grandma can cooperate with me too, or I’ll really destroy it. In any case, my life will certainly be miserable if it falls into your hands, so I might as well make you suffer as well!”
With his constant threats, Grandma You really didn’t dare to do anything to him.
The Soul Warming Lotus was an extremely precious treasure that would only appear maybe once every hundred thousand years, and even then it would only come by chance to a very lucky person.
If the owner of the Soul Warming Lotus died, the Soul Warming Lotus would not disappear either and would instead absorb all the Spiritual Energy of its owner, remaining in the world and awaiting the next lucky person.
When Yang Kai received the Soul Warming Lotus, it was only in its five-coloured form and it had retained the Spiritual Energy of its previous owner, which benefited Yang Kai greatly.
Even though the Soul Warming Lotus would not disappear because of the demise of its owner, using special means like Soul Self-Explosion, a cultivator could destroy their Soul and wipe it from existence.
Grandma You’s strength far surpassed Yang Kai, even with the Soul Splitting Saber and the help of the Soul Devouring Insects, so how could Yang Kai escape if Grandma You really intended to capture him?
The reason why she did not make a move was that she was worried Yang Kai would self-destruct and take the Soul Warming Lotus with him out of desperation.
Previously, Yang Kai’s power had been sealed and his Soul had suffered a shock from her technique. He was defenceless then and could only let her do what she wanted; however, Yang Kai had now regained his freedom and had the opportunity to self-destruct.
Grandma You stared deeply at Yang Kai for a while before she closed her eyes, taking a deep breath to calm herself, then reopening them.
“This is the last question, little brat. You better know your limits.”
“Of course!” Yang Kai grinned. “If Grandma cooperates with me, then this Junior will certainly not mess around.”
“That’s for the best!” Grandma You nodded.
Yang Kai suddenly looked grave as he solemnly asked, “Grandma… What are you planning to do with the Soul Warming Lotus?”
Hearing this, Grandma You frowned, face cold as frost, silently glaring.
Yang Kai said, “Surely it’s not just so you can nurture your Soul. From what Grandma said earlier, it seems you would be able to do something about Temple Master Wen if you had the Soul Warming Lotus, but how? Junior will put it another way…” In that instant, Yang Kai’s eyes became sharp, staring straight into Grandma You’s eyes as he muttered, “What is this so-called ‘Mirror Soul’? Why do you need the Soul Warming Lotus to refine it?”
The moment these words came out, a ferocious look immediately emerged from Grandma You’s pretty face as murderous intent faintly diffused.
“Grandma, we had a deal, are you going back on your word? If you’re going to do this, then Junior will also go back on his word. You can’t blame me for being unjust. Don’t cry after I destroy the Soul Warming Lotus!” Seeing her remain silent for such a long time, Yang Kai immediately pressed her.
Grandma You cackled in rage, “Do you really dare to? You can try it if you dare, this Queen will stand by and watch!”
She suddenly put on a look as if she was there to watch a good show. Yang Kai couldn’t help but scratch his nose and shook his head, “In any case, you shouldn’t force me, Grandma. I’ll really destroy it if I’m left with no choice!”
“Hmph! Puny little brat!” Grandma You cursed at him, upset.
Naturally, she wasn’t in a good mood as a Master being threatened by Yang Kai in such a way.
After a moment of silence, she gritted her teeth and said, “Little brat, you should know that between this Heaven and Earth, some artifacts can only appear by pure coincidence. Through days and years, they will form their own consciousness, eventually evolving into Artifact Spirits!”
Hearing her explanation, Yang Kai immediately perked up and listened intently, nodding, “I know about this.”
Liu Yan was one of those Artifact Spirits, so Yang Kai was familiar with this theory.
“The birth of Artifact Spirits has much more to do with fate and coincidence than with the grade of the artifact itself. Of course, some say that the higher the grade of the artifact, the higher the chance of an Artifact Spirit emerging from it. Perhaps it is true; after all, it takes a long time for an Artifact Spirit to appear, possibly even tens of thousands of years, so if an artifact’s grade is too low, it cannot survive that long…” Yang Kai did not say a word as Grandma You went on, listening intently.
“And, this Divine Ascension Mirror… possesses its own Artifact Spirit!” When she said this, Grandma You stared deeply at Yang Kai.
“Is that the Mirror Soul that you speak of, Granny?” Yang Kai raised a brow.
“Indeed!” Grandma You nodded lightly, “This Queen has been studying the Divine Ascension Mirror for thousands of years since discovering it, but this Queen has never been able to refine it and use it for herself. But once, long ago, I chanced upon the will of this world, the Mirror Soul! Without subduing the Mirror Soul, it is simply impossible to refine this world, but how easy can it be to subdue such an entity? Even this Queen with her Soul Avatar cultivated to this level is unable to achieve such a feat. Forcibly collecting this Mirror Soul will only destroy my own Soul since the strength of the Mirror Soul… is something that even a Great Emperor level cultivator might not be able to accommodate.”
Yang Kai couldn’t help but feel roused and said, surprised, “So, you thought of using something else to carry the will of this world?”
Grandma You coldly snorted, “Is there any other way? But the requirements for this idea are also too harsh. Just how many divine objects are able to achieve this?” Speaking up to here, she suddenly gazed hotly at Yang Kai and said, “The Soul Warming Lotus you possess, however, is one such item.”
“So, that’s how it is!” Yang Kai nodded his head, enlightened.
“As long as this Queen can obtain the Soul Warming Lotus, this Queen will be able to use it as a carrier for this precious treasure. Together with the Mirror Soul of this Divine Ascension Mirror, this Queen can completely refine this world, and when that time comes, this Queen’s Soul will be able to soar up to the level of a Great Emperor. As for a petty little Wen Zi Shan…” She grinned from ear to ear and shrieked, “He would be worth nothing!”
“Grandma You, you have… quite a deep resentment towards Temple Master Wen,” Yang Kai said, exasperated.
“Don’t mention that bastard to me!” Grandma You suddenly burst out into a rage, “If it weren’t for him, this Queen would have been able to study this Divine Ascension Mirror quietly, and then this divine treasure would be mine in the end! But eight hundred years ago, he suddenly came to Azure Sun Mountain Range, beat this Queen, then demanded I hand over this treasure! This Queen couldn’t stand it!”
“Is that so…” Yang Kai said casually.
Grandma You glanced at him, gradually restraining the fury on her face. Her tone also began to soften as she said, “Boy, this Queen has told you everything you need to know, so the time has come for you to pass the Soul Warming Lotus to this Queen. Rest assured, this Queen only wishes to deal with Wen Zi Shan. After this wish is fulfilled, you may do whatever you wish.”
“Many thanks, Grandma You,” Yang Kai smirked before saying, “But this… is quite a difficult situation.”
Grandma You’s face turned cold as she watched Yang Kai grimly, gloomily snapping, “You mean to go back on your word, boy?”
“No no no…” Yang Kai denied immediately, “Only, even if I agree to this… Temple Master Wen would not. Isn’t that right, Temple Master Wen!”
At the last sentence, he suddenly turned his eyes towards a certain spot in the corner.
“What?” When Grandma You heard this, her face changed and shouted while looking around her, “Wen Zi Shan is here?”
She was like a mouse that had seen a cat, seemingly terrified of meeting Wen Zi Shan.
But in the next instant, she realized she had fallen for Yang Kai’s trick. There was no Wen Zi Shan standing anywhere and instead, Yang Kai had darted out while she was caught in a moment of panic.
“You damned brat!” Grandma You was furious, her pretty face turning ferocious and with a flicker of her body, she rushed out to pursue Yang Kai.
Even though Yang Kai used his teleportation ability, he was still unable to escape from Grandma You’s pursuit. Grandma You had already caught up with him as soon as he left the palace and blocked his path.
Grandma You pointed a finger at Yang Kai and a vortex of energy surged at her fingertip, seemingly containing a vast amount of power.
Yang Kai was horrified and his face changed.
But without thinking, he shouted, “Blossoming Lotus!”
With these words, a white lotus suddenly blossomed around his body.
Unlike the Blossoming Lotus Secret Technique he performed in the outside world, when he displayed this unparalleled Soul technique directly with his Soul Avatar, the lotus bud was directly exposed, allowing Grandma You to see it clearly.
“The Soul Warming Lotus!” Grandma You smiled happily when she saw this and her hands moved slightly.
Right at that moment though, the lotus flower bud shook slightly and then suddenly disappeared, turning into a stream of light that shot directly into Grandma You’s body.
“Nn!” Even someone as strong as Grandma You couldn’t help letting out a stifled grunt as her body shook.
In the next moment, her beautiful face lost its colour.
Because she could feel her strength being sapped rapidly, as if something inside her was eating away at it. And, following the dissipation of her Spiritual Energy, a flower bud blossomed around her, giving off an intoxicating fragrance.
Yang Kai was able to catch her off guard with this attack and did not dare delay in the slightest. Wielding his Soul Splitting Saber, he slashed it straight towards Grandma You.
Even though his opponent was slightly affected by the Blossoming Lotus Secret Technique, she was not defenceless, blowing a sudden gust of wind towards Yang Kai and forcing him back with a slight lift of her hand.
The difference in strength between them was too great, so despite using all the tricks up his sleeve, Yang Kai was still not Grandma You’s opponent.
He cursed and dared not stay any longer. Teleporting away, Yang Kai instantly moved a few thousand metres and escaped straight out of the palace.
The sound of Grandma You’s angry roar came from behind him.
Everyone was shocked silent in the palace. Zhou Dian, Yu Man, and Yuan Qing were all looking towards the source of the noise with shocked faces.
A few moments later, outside the palace, Yang Kai’s body shot out like a shooting star.
He had no idea what he was going to do now, but he knew that if Grandma You caught him again, he wouldn’t be as lucky as he was just now. When that time came, Grandma You would definitely suppress him with absolute strength and forcibly extract the Soul Warming Lotus from his body.
Now though, he could only take things one step at a time.
In the middle of these thoughts, an amazing pressure suddenly appeared from behind him and pressed down on his body like a mountain.
Yang Kai stumbled and almost fell down, and when he looked back, he saw Grandma You several dozen kilometres behind him, chasing after him at incredible speed as she hurled threats, “Little brat, this Queen will make you beg for a quick death!”
But how could Yang Kai pay her any attention? Pushing the Space Principles around him to his limit and running for his life was all he cared about right now.
But the difference in power was too great so his efforts were merely delaying the inevitable.
Even Zhou Dian was able to capture him, let alone Grandma You herself.
Even though both were Third-Order Emperors, Grandma You had been studying the Divine Ascension Mirror for thousands of years, so even if she was unable to refine it, she could still borrow some of its powers to enhance herself.
It was no more than three breaths of time before Grandma You’s figure caught up to him.
From a short distance away, she laughed at him, locking onto him with her Divine Sense while using her Spiritual Energy to blockade the space around Yang Kai’s body, making it impossible for him to teleport away.
This time, she obviously had no intentions of beating around the bush with Yang Kai and flew straight towards him, reaching out her hand to capture and suppress him.
Yang Kai’s face turned black as he tried to think of some way out of this situation, but he was unable to come up with a way to resolve the crisis before his eyes.
The Soul Warming Lotus probably wouldn’t be able to stop Grandma You, and it was also his last resort, so Yang Kai really did not dare to use it until the true critical moment arrived.
Seeing that he was about to be captured, Yang Kai prepared himself to fight Grandma You to the death.
But at that moment, there was a sudden change.
From the west, a stream of light arrived in a flash in front of Yang Kai.
A beautiful figure emerged and radiated cold murderous intent.
A peerless beauty with bitingly cold Sword Qi.
Looking at this person’s beautiful back, Yang Kai’s eyes lit up and he called out softly to her, “Elder Gao!”
This person was Gao Xue Ting who separated from them shortly after their arrival in this world!
For some reason, she suddenly arrived and stood in front of Yang Kai at the critical moment.
Yang Kai noticed that she was carrying a longsword that had a sharp blade and a staggering energy fluctuation.
It was an Emperor grade Soul-type artifact!
But from the appearance of this Emperor Artifact, it seemed to have just finished being refined…
But soon, Yang Kai realized that something was wrong and shouted, “Elder Gao, you are not her opponent, quickly run!”
Gao Xue Ting was only a cultivator at the First-Order Emperor Realm, so even though she had entered the Divine Ascension Mirror World four times, and her Spiritual Energy’s cultivation was slightly stronger than that of her physical body, she was still no match for Grandma You. Her coming here would not help at all.
Faced with Yang Kai’s shout, Gao Xue Ting was unmoved, simply standing before him calmly as she indifferently said, “Don’t worry.”
On the other hand, Grandma You obviously recognized Gao Xue Ting as well, her expression fluctuating a few times before she stopped and shouted, “Get out of the way!”
She seemed to be afraid to lay a hand on Gao Xue Ting, her expression twisted into knots.
But Gao Xue Ting ignored her and instead turned to Yang Kai and asked with concern, “Are you injured?”
Yang Kai shook his head, “I’m fine.”
“Where are Xia Sheng and the others?”
“They’re being held in the Divine Prison, but Brother Xia and the others are suffering from some shock to their Souls right now. Fortunately, they are not in any life-threatening danger.”
“Good!” Gao Xue Ting was visibly relieved.
“Elder Gao, why did you come?” Yang Kai looked at her, surprised.
“I went to Heavenly Monster Mountain earlier, thinking I would check up on your training in secret, but on the way there I learned some unsavoury news and rushed back. Luckily I arrived just in time.”
Hearing this, Yang Kai showed a look of understanding.
Gao Xue Ting really did arrive just in the nick of time. If she had been just a step too late, Grandma You would have caught him.
Outside the palace, above a certain empty plain, Gao Xue Ting faced off against the Third-Order Emperor Realm Grandma You with just her First-Order Emperor Realm cultivation, yet she showed no fear.
Brushing her hair back behind her ear, Gao Xue Ting spoke calmly, “Grandma, how about we end matters here?”
Grandma You was slightly taken aback by her words, but she soon burst out laughing and shouted, “Little girl, who do you think you’re talking to?”
“You, of course, Grandma,” Gao Xue Ting remained as indifferent as before, “If you promise to end matters here, then the Temple Master may show some leniency and not give you any trouble, but if you insist on continuing this… Grandma, you and I have known each other for hundreds of years, and even if you never officially joined the temple, you still showed some affection towards us, so I do not wish to use ruthless measures.”
“Are you threatening me?” Grandma You’s face turned fierce and her voice became sharp.
Gao Xue Ting shook her head, “Grandma is my Senior, Xue Ting does not dare to threaten you, but Xue Ting has received orders from the Temple Master to bring these disciples into the Divine Ascension Mirror to train, so she must keep them safe. I will allow no one to hurt them, not even you… Grandma!”
“Hehehe…” Grandma You began to laugh, “Little girl, your strength isn’t much but your words certainly are big! What do you think you can do to this Queen with your puny abilities? If not for how well-behaved you’d been all these years, you think this Queen would even bother talking to you like this?”
“Grandma, do you still remember when Xue Ting would secretly bring you food when Xue Ting was small?” Gao Xue Ting suddenly brought up the past.
Grandma You’s face turned cold and she said in a cold voice, “What are you bringing that up for?”
A hint of nostalgia could not help but flash past her eyes, and her fierce expression softened slightly for a moment.
“Xue Ting sincerely hopes that Grandma can stop things here!” Gao Xue Ting sighed.
“Impossible!” The coldness reappeared in Grandma You’s eyes and she yelled, “This Queen has waited so many years and finally found a trace of hope. You want this Queen to give up with just a few words? That’s foolish nonsense!”
Gao Xue Ting frowned, “I don’t know what you’re waiting for, or what you’re hoping for, Grandma, but… Must you do this? It’s been eight hundred years, and even though you never did so formally, Gao Xue Ting has long taken you as a member of the temple, and also Xue Ting’s Senior. Xue Ting really… does not want to raise her hand against you!”
“Enough nonsense!” Grandma You’s patience had also run out and she raised her voice, “You either stand aside now, or this Queen will kill you right here and now. It’s your choice.”
Hearing this, Yang Kai’s face could not help but tense up.
Even though Gao Xue Ting was also considered a Master, he knew she was not the opponent to someone at Grandma You’s level. If he ended up dragging Gao Xue Ting into danger, it would definitely wrack him with guilt.
“Haa…” Gao Xue Ting suddenly sighed deeply and looked at Grandma You, saying, “Grandma, the Temple Master knew all along you were harbouring a grudge against him because of that battle back then. Even so, he still had me lead the team into this Divine Ascension Mirror at ease, not worried that you would bring them any harm at all. Why do you think that is?”
At these words, Grandma You’s face changed slightly and she thought about it with a frown.
Gao Xue Ting continued, “Over the years, many disciples who entered the Divine Ascension Mirror to train were killed by you, yet the Temple Master never held you responsible and instead accepted it naturally as a kind of tempering test for the disciples. One part of this is because you did not act personally. Even if you sent your subordinates out for them, you would only send cultivators at similar strengths to them, which can indeed be considered a type of test. Secondly, the Temple Master felt that he owed you; after all, you were the one who discovered the Divine Ascension Mirror. Even though he did take it by force, he did treat it as the most precious capital of the temple, repeatedly allowing his disciples to enter this place and train.”
“Wen Zi Shan feels that he owes this Queen?” Grandma You suddenly sneered. “He really feels that way despite having fed his conscience to the dogs? That’s simply laughable!”
Gao Xue Ting said, unmoved, “That is why the Temple Master has instructed us not to use this last resort unless there is no other choice! Because he sincerely hoped that you would guard the Divine Ascension Mirror.”
“What last resort?” Grandma You’s face suddenly tensed up as she stared at Gao Xue Ting with glaring eyes.
But Gao Xue Ting did not answer her, instead just forming a series of seals with her hands and saying, “Rest assured, Grandma. I have already informed the Temple Master of this matter through a Secret Technique. He should be waiting in the stone cavern at this moment. You can speak with him in detail when your Soul returns.”
With that, she pushed her palms forward and a light circle blossomed from them, gently shooting out straight towards Grandma You.
This light was clearly not some kind of attack and carried no threat with it, but Grandma You’s face changed drastically the instant she saw it and she shrieked in terror, “No!”
As she screamed, she even turned around and ran, trying to flee.
But though she may be fast, the circle of light was even faster, and in an instant, it hit her and melted into her Soul.
The next moment, an inexplicable force rose up, and a strange vortex appeared above Grandma You’s head, emitting a strong suction force as it sucked her away.
Naturally, Grandma You wasn’t going to just stand there and take this, so in a fury, she let out a hysterical roar and released a surge of pure Spiritual Energy that shot towards Gao Xue Ting.
Gao Xue Ting’s face changed.
Grandma You’s desperate attack was clearly made with her full strength and not something she could take on with her power. She could only try to dodge it.
But just as she was about to move, a figure suddenly appeared in mid-air before her. It was an old man with an immortal temperament and an all-white beard. His entire being was inconspicuous, and if he did not take the initiative to show himself, no one present would have noticed him.
As soon as the old man appeared, he lightly waved his sleeve.
A soft power spread out, neutralizing the impact of Grandma You with ease.
“You…” Grandma You’s eyes widened as she stared at the old man with a look of disbelief, as if she had seen a ghost.
But right at that moment, she could no longer resist the power from the vortex above her and her body was sucked into it amidst her unresigned roars. Immediately after, the vortex disappeared without a trace along with Grandma You’s figure.
As Yang Kai watched this scene, thoughts were churning deep in his mind.
Wen Zi Shan must have left some kind of seal on Grandma You’s body and had taught Gao Xue Ting how to activate it.
Once this Seal was activated, Grandma You’s physical body would draw her Soul Back.
And that is what led to this scene. After being hit by the Secret Technique, the Third-Order Emperor Realm Grandma You was simply unable to remain in the Divine Ascension World.
Even though this was only Yang Kai’s guess, it couldn’t be far off; after all, the physical body and the Soul are inextricably linked. The only thing that could draw Grandma You’s Soul out of this world so forcefully would be her true body.
While Yang Kai was speculating, Gao Xue Ting was staring at the old man who suddenly appeared before her with a look of suspicion on her face.
She released her Divine Sense to probe this old man, but when it came in contact with him, she was shocked to find that as far as she could tell, he didn’t exist! In other words, her Divine Sense was unable to detect any traces of him.
This discovery caused Gao Xue Ting’s face to turn serious in an instant.
Even against Masters like Grandma You and Wen Zi Shan, she would be able to detect a trace of her opponent’s presence with her Divine Sense, so the situation here with this old man was a first for her.
There was only one explanation for this strange phenomenon… the cultivation of this old man must be even higher than Grandma You and Wen Zi Shan’s!
Since those two were already Third-Order Emperor Realm Masters, the only existence which was higher than them had a special name in both worlds, Great Emperor!
There was actually a Great Emperor within the world of the Divine Ascension Mirror!
Wen Zi Shan had never told her such a thing, so perhaps even he was unaware of this fact.
Gao Xue Ting stood in awe and quickly bowed, “Junior Gao Xue Ting greets Senior!”
“En!” The old man nodded lightly.
“Senior… Are you perhaps partners with Grandma?” Gao Xue Ting asked.
Yang Kai looked at Gao Xue Ting with a bewildered face and suddenly realized that the icy cold Elder Gao actually had such a cute side to her too.
If he was with Grandma You, then he wouldn’t have needed to help her just now. He would have subdued her a long time ago. Why would he give her the chance to perform the Secret Technique?
“No,” the old man shook his head slowly.
“Junior offers her sincere thanks for Senior’s life-saving grace. I just don’t know if Senior…” Gao Xue Ting asked tentatively. Even though she did not feel the slightest hostility from this old man, his astonishing cultivation made it so she did not dare to show the least bit of carelessness, lest she accidentally anger or upset him.
If she did, then even Wen Zi Shan would not be able to save her.
“This old master came here…” As the old man spoke, he turned his gaze towards Yang Kai and said solemnly, “For him!”
“For me?” Yang Kai had a stunned look on his face.
Gao Xue Ting was also slightly taken aback, turning unconsciously towards Yang Kai, wondering what was so special about him that a Great Emperor had personally come to find him.
As far as she knew, Yang Kai was entering the Divine Ascension Mirror for the first time and did not even know about its existence before then. So, it was unlikely that these two had met each other before.
After settling her thoughts, Gao Xue Ting asked, “May I ask Senior what he needs from him?”
The old man smiled amiably and said, “Rest assured, this old master will not trouble him in any way. I simply need a few days of his time to help this old master with a certain matter. I will send him out from here after it is done.”
Gao Xue Ting raised her brows in surprise, “Out from here… Senior, what do you know?”
Clearly, the fact that the old man mentioned getting out from this place revealed some extraordinary information.
The old man smiled and said, “This old master can take a slight peep at the outside world, so I also know about you and the other outlanders!”
Yang Kai was shocked at his words!
Yi Quan knew about the Divine Ascension World because of Wen Zi Shan’s drunken ramblings; however, this old man was able to spy on the outside world with his own ability.
That confirmed that the strength of this old man had already reached the Great Emperor Realm. It was only with this kind of strength that one’s Divine Sense would be able to break free of the bonds of the world and see beyond its borders.
“You need not worry about his safety, this old master will not hurt him. I simply wish to borrow his power,” The old man patiently explained to Gao Xue Ting. After that, he looked towards the palace and continued, “Your disciples are still inside. Though their Souls are not too damaged, they have still suffered from some shock. It would be best to bring them out of here as soon as possible so they may recuperate.”
“Many thanks to Senior for the reminder!” Gao Xue Ting hurriedly said.
“En,” The old man nodded lightly. Then, he turned his gaze to Yang Kai and said in a kind voice, “Little Friend, come with me!”
Then, with a wave of his hand, Yang Kai immediately felt a soft power wrapping around him and he flew involuntarily to the old man’s side before he quickly sped off with him in one direction.
Gao Xue Ting opened her mouth as if she wanted to say something, but there were already no traces of Yang Kai and the old man. They had already disappeared in a breath’s time.
Gazing at the direction in which they disappeared, Gao Xue Ting faintly wrinkled her brow.
She knew that the old man had no need to lie to her with his exceptional cultivation and strength, and if he really did have any hostile intentions, he could have crushed her to dust with just a finger. However, he had taken away Yang Kai so inexplicably that Gao Xue Ting still couldn’t help but worry. She had no idea what sort of power Yang Kai had that this old man needed to borrow, or what he wanted to accomplish by doing so.
After thinking about it for a while, she knew she was powerless to solve the matter, and she didn’t even have any way to track down the old man’s whereabouts, so she could only head to the palace first and save Xia Sheng and the others, deciding to send Wen Zi Shan a message with a Secret Technique and have him find a way to retrieve their Soul Avatars from the outside.
…..
Travelling along at lightning speeds, the wind from the outside blew past as the ground seemed to recede at a blinding pace.
Yang Kai looked astonished.
This old man beside him was indeed a Great Emperor level Master! Before now, Yang Kai had only heard of the existence of Great Emperors but had never seen one himself.
[Of course… Yang Yan might be a Great Emperor, maybe…]
But even if Yang Yan was a Great Emperor, her strength was not very high during the time they spent together. It was only after she returned to the Star Boundary that her cultivation would gradually restore itself.
He had never really seen a Great Emperor’s true strength before.
But today, his long-awaited wish was fulfilled.
Grandma You’s Third-Order Emperor Realm desperation attack was little more than a gentle breeze before this old man. Simply not worth mentioning.
And at this moment, while bringing Yang Kai along with him, they were actually moving several dozen times faster than Yang Kai could, even when using Space Principles…
Yang Kai could not even see the scenery where they passed.
He was deeply shocked to realize just how high above the understanding of ordinary cultivators a Great Emperor’s power was.
On the way, Yang Kai kept silent and did not ask the old man what he planned to do. That was because it was meaningless even if he asked him that now. He would naturally know when the time came
As the other party was not hostile, he had no need to think about running away, instead just silently trying to feel the Emperor Intent and Emperor Pressure permeating from the body of the old man so as to quench his own will.
He did not speak, and it seemed the old man did not take the initiative to do so either, only busying himself with hurrying along, even revealing a somewhat relaxed expression as he flew.
After a long day, the old man brought Yang Kai to a certain mountain valley.
It was only after arriving here that the old man finally slowed down.
Yang Kai looked around and found that this mountain valley was covered by a fog so dense that you would not be able to see your fingers in front of you. And, this fog was clearly no ordinary fog as it felt as if he was tossing a stone into an ocean when he released his Divine Sense into it.
A few moments later, the two landed on a flat piece of land in the middle of the mountain valley.
The soft power that had been wrapped around Yang Kai slowly dissipated.
After Yang Kai regained his freedom, he began looking around himself.
Soon, he realized that this was seemingly the only place in the mountain valley not covered by the thick fog. The area wasn’t very large, and the only thing he could see was a simple wooden house with around thirty or so burial mounds in front of it, a wooden headstone erected on each one of them with a name inscribed onto it.
Yang Kai was stunned.
Even though he knew that there must be no corpses buried beneath these mounds, he still had the inexplicable feeling that many powerful Masters were lying here.
He swept his eyes over each of the names one by one, but he didn’t recognize a single one of them.
The names were written in characters that resembled flying dragons and soaring phoenixes, each stroke containing a kind of power that he couldn’t help but feel moved at the sight of.
“Little Friend, what should I call you?” The old man suddenly spoke while gazing amiably at Yang Kai.
Yang Kai quickly cupped his fists and introduced himself.
“So, it is Little Friend Yang! A pleasure meeting you,” The old man nodded lightly.
Yang Kai said solemnly, “May I ask for this Senior’s name?”
The old man was silent for a moment before he said, “This 0ld master is called Tian Yan!”
Yang Kai saluted him once more.
After Tian Yan answered him, he pointed to the graves in front of him and said, “Little Friend Yang, do you know who these people are?”
Yang Kai said with a solemn expression, “Even though Junior does not recognize any of their names, Junior knows that these Seniors must have history shaking achievements that bring glory to the present, Masters with amazing cultivation and skills.”
“Heh…” Tian Yan smiled. “You are not wrong, but do you know… how they died?”
Yang Kai shook his head blankly.
In fact, he was also wondering about that. Tian Yan was such an amazing Master and he seemed to be guarding this place. That simple wooden house was quite clearly the place where Tian Yan rested and meditated.
To have a Great Emperor level existence like Tian Yan guarding their graves, these departed Masters must be legendary figures.
But… If that was the case, then who was it that managed to kill them? Could it be that Tian Yan did it himself? Yang Kai did not think the old man looked like a bloodthirsty person.
Tian Yan said, “Long ago, this world’s Martial Dao was far more prosperous than it is today. Third-Order Emperors were constantly emerging and many prosperous Sects contended with one another…”
Tian Yan did not answer the question from before and instead suddenly recalled the past.
Yang Kai did not dare to interrupt him either and instead quickly put on a focused mood and listened attentively.
“During that time, this old master was also just a Third-Order Emperor, the same as the woman you met today,” Tian You went on. Yang Kai knew that he was referring to Grandma You.
“This world is very different from the outside world, but since it exists, it will also have its own Principles. Many Masters sought ways to become even stronger by controlling these Principles. Some sought common ground while others fought for different ideals. Those were joyous days…” A look of reminiscence emerged in Tian Yan’s eyes.
When he heard this, Yang Kai suddenly had a bad feeling, as if there was going to be a big twist or something.
As he had expected, Tian Yan went on, “But when it suddenly appeared, the world changed immensely!”
“What was it?” Yang Kai asked in surprise. He couldn’t imagine what on earth could cause this entire world to change and result in the deaths of the Masters who were buried here.
In other words, whatever had appeared had the power to destroy a world!
Tian Yan shot him a thoughtful glance and said, “A swarm of insects!”
Yang Kai’s face changed and he suddenly recalled what Yi Quan told him previously, asking solemnly, “Soul Devouring Insects?”
Back when he was still in Heavenly Monster Mountain, Yi Quan told Yang Kai that the Divine Ascension Mirror’s world was once nearly destroyed by Soul Devouring Insects, and warned him that should he have the chance to enter the Divine Ascension World again, he should under no circumstances bring his Soul Devouring Insects with him unless he could fully control them. He couldn’t leave them behind when he left, either.
Yang Kai clearly remembered Yi Quan’s serious expression and solemn tone when he said those words.
Combined with Yi Quan’s words, Yang Kai realized what the old man was talking about.
“Indeed!” Tian Yan nodded. “No one knows where those insects came from, but they were so weak in the beginning that nobody paid them any mind; however, due to their special characteristics which greatly restrained those of this world, they continued to kill and devour while rapidly growing stronger. Wherever they passed, life was extinguished and wails of despair could be heard throughout the land. All living beings were mere prey to them, and none could resist…”
“Families were destroyed one by one, cities swallowed up, and in less than a dozen years, they had grown to an almost unmanageable degree.” When Tian Yan spoke of this past, a haziness filled his eyes. “By the time the Masters of this world realized how dangerous the situation had become, that swarm of insects had already grown to a level that no one could suppress!”
Yang Kai’s face changed slightly.
As the owner of the Soul Devouring Insects, he had such a special group of insects with him. Yang Kai understood better than anyone else how these Soul Devouring Insects could harm this world.
He himself once envisioned that if the Soul Devouring Insects were given a certain amount of time, then they could definitely grow to dominate everything in this world.
But… that was just a prediction. Yang Kai had no idea if it would really work. However, from what Tian Yan told him just now, Yang Kai learned that this did in fact happen in the past.
Even without experiencing that scene, Yang Kai could almost imagine what a tragedy it was. The only thing left behind where the Soul Devouring Insects passed would be silence and death.
“They were too powerful, and their ability to suppress those of this world was too obvious. They continuously devoured the souls of Masters to grow stronger and stronger.” Tian Yan took a deep breath and continued. “So, in a last-ditch effort, all of the world’s Masters banded together to launch a decisive battle against the Soul Devouring Insects, both for themselves and for this world!”
Yang Kai could feel the blood in his body race. Even though Tian Yan did not describe the scene of that battle, it almost felt as if he could see dozens of Emperor Realm Masters bravely attacking the clouds of Soul Devouring Insects with their divine abilities.
That battle must have caused the colour to fade from Heaven and Earth.
That battle must have dimmed the Sun and the Moon.
That battle must have been… destined to be forgotten by the world.
Because after that battle… the Masters who fought it all died, leaving only their names recorded on their graves!
After more than ten thousand years, their names had already been lost to history. The people living and working peacefully in this world had no idea that such a thrilling battle once took place all those years ago.
Only a single old man guarded their uncrowned graves silently. Only these graves recorded the great achievements that they had made, and only here would their dedication to this world be recalled.
“I trust that you are able to envision the results of that battle.” A look of sadness emerged on Tian Yan’s face as he pointed to the graves.
Yang Kai stood in awe and bowed deeply to the graves.
Standing up straight, he then asked, “Then what about the Soul Devouring Insects? Were they able to be killed?”
Tian Yan shook his head slowly and said gloomily, “It is a shame, but though we had to pay such a great price, those Soul Devouring Insects… really could not be exterminated by the beings of this world.”
Yang Kai’s face changed greatly and he said, shocked, “Senior means that… those Soul Devouring Insects are still alive?”
Tian Yan nodded.
“How can that be?” Yang Kai suddenly felt sad. So many Masters here died in order to exterminate those Soul Devouring Insects, paying the ultimate price in the process, yet they were still unsuccessful in the end. Did that mean that even that sacrifice was not enough?
Thinking about that, Yang Kai was horrified and asked, “Then, where are the Soul Devouring Insects now?”
“Come with me!” As he spoke, the old man wrapped his power around Yang Kai again, and in a flash, they arrived in front of a dark altar. He waved his hand to disperse the fog here to reveal the altar and pointed to it with a sad look on his face, “The insects that plagued this world back then are all sealed here!”
There was no need for him to say this as Yang Kai could already tell.
Because when he first appeared here, the Soul Devouring Insects laying in his Soul Warming Lotus had already begun squirming uncontrollably, as if they wanted to break free from Yang Kai and fly out from his body.
At the same time, a buzzing sound came from the altar, forming a strange resonance with the Soul Devouring Insects in the Soul Warming Lotus.
Yang Kai’s face changed.
“You really do possess Soul Devouring Insects,” The old man looked at him with a complicated gaze. “It is also because of the commotion that this old master became aware of it. That is the reason I searched for you in Heavenly Monster Mountain, yet this old master did not expect that when he rushed there, you were already gone. However… this old master has been guarding this place for over ten thousand years and cannot be more familiar with the aura of the Soul Devouring Insects. When I felt their unique aura in the Heavenly Monster Mountain and asked the Monster King for answers, I swiftly pursued you to Divine Ascension City.”
“Rest assured, Senior. These Soul Devouring Insects of mine are not powerful and will not cause any harm to this world. And… I will definitely take them away when I leave,” Yang Kai hurriedly said.
Yang Kai thought that Tian Yan brought him here because he wanted him to leave the Soul Devouring Insects here, and that was why he hurried to explain.
“Little Friend Yang, you misunderstand me,” Tian Yan slowly shook his head. “This old master does not want your Soul Devouring Insects. This world was nearly destroyed because of them, how could this old master want to leave more of these behind? I brought you here to ask you a favour.”
“What favour?” Yang Kai was confused.
“This old master hopes that you can… take them away as well!” As he said that, Tian Yan pointed at the dark altar.
The corners of Yang Kai’s mouth twitched and he said dryly, “Senior must be joking, these Soul Devouring Insects of mine are still quite weak, and given that I have had them for a long time, this Junior can still control them somewhat, but the Soul Devouring Insects that are sealed here… are beyond Junior’s control.”
The Soul Devouring Insects sealed here had even devoured several dozen Third-Order Emperor Realm Masters, how could Yang Kai dare to touch them? If he really put them into the Soul Warming Lotus, he would be dead without a burial in no time.
“They are not as strong today as they used to be,” Tian Yan said. “They have been sealed for ten thousand years without receiving any nourishment, so they have become quite weak. Little Friend Yang, since you are able to control your Soul Devouring Insects, then can’t you control these as well?”
Yang Kai laughed bitterly, “You evaluate me too highly, Senior… I could still control my Soul Devouring Insects in the beginning, but less than twenty days after entering this place, my insects have already begun to disobey my orders. After I leave this place, I will still have to find a way to…”
When he spoke up to this point, Yang Kai suddenly paused and fell deep into thought.
Seeing him like this, Tian Yan also could not help but be shaken and looked at him expectantly.
He had been guarding this place for ten thousand years, never once leaving Misty Valley, both to guard the graves of his departed friends as well as the Soul Devouring Insects.
But the Soul Devouring Insects have always remained a hidden danger to this world. If they could be sent out of here and dealt with once and for all, that would be something Tian Yan hoped for earnestly.
So, when he noticed the Soul Devouring Insects in the altar awakening, he immediately searched for the reason and found Yang Kai, thus bringing up this request.
After a long time, Yang Kai looked up with a glimmer in his eyes and asked, “May I ask Senior how powerful the Soul Devouring Insects sealed in here are today?”
Hearing this, Tian Yan answered cautiously. “According to this Old Master’s estimation, they are a little stronger than your Soul Devouring Insects, but not that much stronger.”
“Only that?” Yang Kai’s eyes lit up when he heard this, “If that’s the case, then maybe there is still a chance.”
“What do you mean by that?” Tian Yan asked, puzzled.
Yang Kai told him with a serious face, “Senior must also know that the world outside is very different from here. Even though the Soul Devouring Insects are completely lawless here, there are many ways to restrict them in the outside world. Junior has a treasure with him that is the bane of all sorts of Exotic Insects, such as these…”
“Such a thing exists?” Tian Yan was shaken.
“En,” Yang Kai nodded, “Junior had originally planned to use that treasure to subdue my Soul Devouring Insects after leaving here so that they will be obedient to my orders in the future. If the Soul Devouring Insects sealed here are not too strong, then it may not be impossible for Junior to subdue them as well.”
The treasure he mentioned was naturally the Insect Enslavement Bracelet left behind by the Insect Emperor.
This thing had a significant suppressive effect on Exotic Insects, so the Soul Devouring Insects would definitely be unable to resist its power. Of course, that is only provided that the insects themselves were not too strong. If they were strong enough to the point where they could even devour an Emperor Realm Master, then Yang Kai wouldn’t dare to be reckless either.
But after receiving Tian Yan’s answer, Yang Kai suddenly became somewhat eager to try.
“With the help of this treasure, we can indeed make an attempt,” Tian Yan had a cheerful expression. “This old master just wonders how sure Little Friend Yang is about this? It was merely an attempt for this old master to bring you here and bring you this request. If it is too dangerous, then let it be. It is no big deal for this old master to guard this place for another ten thousand years.”
Yang Kai smiled and said, “Junior is quite sure that this can work, but Junior will still need Senior’s help for this.”
Tian Yan said, “If there is anything you need, just tell me.”
Yang Kai said, “My own Soul Devouring Insects are fine. They are acting a bit unruly now, but they will bring no harm to me in the immediate future; however, if I am to take these Soul Devouring Insects here with me, then they will have to enter my Soul Avatar. Junior would like to ask Senior to please seal them a little in case Junior can’t suppress them.”
That was exactly the thing that worried him.
To take the Soul Devouring Insects away, he first had to take them inside him.
How could Yang Kai defend against them if they were to get riled up? What’s more, he still had to refine the Insect Enslavement Bracelet after he got out and could not be disturbed too much. If he wound up constantly struggling to suppress the new Soul Devouring Insects, then he wouldn’t be able to refine that Emperor Artifact at all.
But unexpectedly, Tian Yan suddenly showed a difficult expression when Yang Kai made that request.
Yang Kai asked, curious, “Is this matter difficult for Senior?”
Tian Yan looked at him and nodded lightly.
Yang Kai was surprised, “How come? Based on what Senior said, these Soul Devouring Insects have already become incredibly weak, and your cultivation is so strong…”
“With this old master’s strength, it is easy to deter them for a while, but… this Old Master can’t leave this world with you. Without following you, this old master will definitely not be able to restrict these Soul Devouring Insects.”
Yang Kai’s eyes went wide and he looked at Tian Yan in astonishment. He pointed to the altar and said, “But Senior, how did you seal them back then?”
The Soul Devouring Insects back then had to be ten thousand times more powerful than now, so if they could be sealed back then, why couldn’t they be sealed now?
Yang Kai couldn’t understand it.
Tian Yan said, “It is embarrassing to admit, but this seal is not the work of this old master.”
Yang Kai raised his brows and said in surprise, “You mean to say… it was a combination of the efforts of all the people at that time?”
“You could say so.” Tian Yan nodded lightly, “But there was another force included, otherwise, how could this seal have lasted for such a long time?”
“What force?” Yang Kai asked.
Tian Yan did not say anything but instead reached up and pointed towards the sky.
Yang Kai was confused at first, but then when he realized what he meant, he was shocked. “The Will of the World!? The Mirror Soul helped?”
Tian Yan said, “This world has its own will and its own laws. The Soul Devouring Insects brought great harm to this world and killed its inhabitants, which was intolerable to the World, so it used its own Principles to aid us, allowing us to seal the Soul Devouring Insects! After all, no matter how powerful we were, we were just food for the Soul Devouring Insects. Only with the help of the World itself, creating a layer of protection around us were we able to stop the Soul Devouring Insects from devouring us too.”
When he explained it this way, Yang Kai immediately understood.
This seal was probably divided into two layers. The first layer was the Mirror Soul’s will, which is also the Will of the World. The other was the combined power of many Masters. With the two powers combined, they were able to seal the Soul Devouring Insects for ten thousand years, and replicating such a feat would be impossible if either one was missing.
“Senior, could you help this Junior to communicate with the Will of this World?” Yang Kai asked with sparkling eyes.
Because he suddenly thought of Grandma You’s plan at this moment.
The greatest reason that she wanted to snatch away his Soul Warming Lotus was so she could use it as a carrier to hold the Mirror Soul and refine this world.
If Yang Kai could communicate with the Mirror Soul, then he may be able to achieve that.
Once he succeeded, he would become the master of the Divine Ascension Mirror and would be able to enter it and train his Soul at any time in the future.
But that was just a minor benefit. The key point was there were many Masters in the Divine Ascension Mirror, like Yi Quan, Bai Lu, Yuan Fei, Zhou Dian, Yuan Qing, Lian Yan… and even the Great Emperor in front of him, Tian Yan.
If he could refine a Flesh Incarnation Pill in the future, then Yang Kai would be able to summon a force that could sweep through the Star Boundary whenever he wanted!
Just the thought of it was enough to get Yang Kai’s blood pumping!
Tian Yan kept silent, but there was a meaningful smile on his face.
When Yang Kai saw his expression, he understood that he must have overheard his conversation with Grandma You and knew that he possessed the Soul Warming Lotus and what he was thinking about right now when he mentioned communicating with the Will of this World.
Yang Kai couldn’t help but feel awkward for a while.
After a short while, Tian Yan said, “It is not that this old master is unwilling to help you, but… your cultivation is too low. Unless this world takes the initiative to communicate with you, you will not be able to perceive it. It is impossible even if this old master tries to help you bridge the gap.”
“Does it require the power of an Emperor, the power to communicate with Principles directly?” Yang Kai pondered.
Even though a Dao Source Realm cultivator had insights into Principle Strength, they were at best able to invoke or borrow this power to assist them. On the other hand, an Emperor Realm Master was able to exert direct control over Principles. As for the World Force that was controlled by the Mirror Soul, that was the highest Principle in this world, so to communicate with it, one needed to have the corresponding cultivation.
“That’s right,” Tian Yan nodded his head.
“Then… That’s a shame.” Yang Kai sighed a long sigh.
Tian Yan said, “You have the Seven-Coloured Soul Warming Lotus, so you may still have a chance. However… your own strength must grow a bit more. If you can really subdue the Mirror Soul like that woman said and refine this world, then it may be a good thing for the inhabitants of this realm. This old master will wait in anticipation for such a day to come.”
Yang Kai raised his brows and cupped his fists, “Junior will definitely do his best!”
Tian Yan continued approvingly, “That day will come, but now, the first priority is to deal with these Soul Devouring Insects.”
“But Senior…” Yang Kai looked troubled, “If Senior can’t seal these Soul Devouring Insects, then Junior doesn’t dare to take them away!”
Tian Yan laughed, “Naturally, it is not possible with this old master’s power alone; however, if we can borrow the power of this world… It will naturally be fine to recreate the events of the past.”
Yang Kai’s eyes lit up when he heard this and said eagerly, “Then let’s not dally. Junior will leave it up to Senior.”
Tian Yan nodded lightly before suddenly sitting down cross-legged and entering a meditative state.
Yang Kai waited quietly in place. He knew that Tian Yan was trying to communicate with the Will of this World, the Divine Ascension Mirror’s Mirror Soul.
Tian Yan was a Great Emperor, so there should be a good chance of him achieving this.
In a flash, a Divine Sense as vast as an ocean spread out in all directions, flowing into the void, weaving in and out of the world itself.
Yang Kai felt as small as an ant before this pure and powerful Divine Sense and revealed a look of fascination as he stared in wonder.
This scene lasted for two whole hours.
Just when Yang Kai was starting to feel uncertain, Tian Yan suddenly opened his eyes with a flash of light and spoke, “Little Friend Yang, are you ready?”
At these words, Yang Kai livened up. He understood that Tian Yan had successfully borrowed the power of the World and quickly nodded, “Junior is prepared!”
Tian Yan followed up, “Since you have the Soul Warming Lotus, this Old Master will use it as the foundation to form a seal for these Soul Devouring Insects. But remember, though this Old Master has borrowed the World’s Strength and is supporting it with his own Spiritual Energy, this seal will only last for a short time once you leave this world. Before the deadline comes, you must deal with the Soul Devouring Insects properly, otherwise, the consequences will be unthinkable!”
“Junior will remember this!” Yang Kai nodded seriously.
The seal at the altar had remained indestructible for tens of thousands of years because it had been inside the Divine Ascension Mirror World this whole time, allowing the Mirror Soul to nourish and reinforce it with the World Force it controlled.
But if Yang Kai left here, the sealing power he took with him would be like a tree without roots, a river without a source. It was simply impossible for it to last long.
He had to subdue the Soul Devouring Insects before the seal was broken, or find a way to dispose of them!
Yang Kai made up his mind that if he ultimately could not succeed, he would exile these Soul Devouring Insects into the Void. With his mastery of the Dao of Space, creating a tear to the Void was a simple matter.
“Relax your mind!” Tian Yan shouted.
Yang Kai quickly sat upright and held his breath, concentrating.
In the next moment, he saw the dark altar suddenly melting away before his eyes and at the same time, a sharp buzzing sound emerged. As far as the eye could see, countless Soul Devouring Insects flew out from where the altar once stood.
Looking closely, these Soul Devouring Insects seemed even more violent and unruly than the ones Yang Kai possessed, and the aura they emitted was incomparably ferocious.
After all, these Soul Devouring Insects were once incredibly powerful. They had only become weakened after being sealed for ten thousand years. Even so, they were still much stronger than the ones Yang Kai himself possessed.
Yang Kai had no idea why, but once they were free, they all flew towards him as if something about him attracted them greatly.
Naturally, this scene caused Yang Kai’s scalp to tingle.
He was currently in his Soul Avatar form, so faced with this group of Soul Devouring Insects that were beyond his ability to control, there was no doubt he would be devoured in no time if he were to be surrounded by them.
Even his Conflagrated Knowledge Sea may not be able to restrain them.
But even though he was nervous, he didn’t avoid them.
At the critical moment, Tian Yan made his move.
Great Emperor level Spiritual Energy poured out, and at the same time, a bridge of light suddenly manifested, one end connecting to the distant unknown, and one end connecting to Tian Yan’s body.
The aura emanating from this bridge of light was so great and majestic that it seemed to be able to control everything between the Heavens and Earth.
And, as soon as this bridge appeared, the Soul Devouring Insects went silent for a moment, as if they were extremely afraid.
Tian Yan did not pause, his hands forming a series of seals as he merged his own strength with that coming from the light bridge, condensing a ball of light that slowly wrapped around the Soul Devouring Insects.
In less than ten breaths of time, only that ball of light remained in front of Yang Kai’s eyes.
And, once this was all over, the light around Tian Yan’s body had also grown a little dimmer, as if communicating with the Will of the World had been extremely draining to him.
But he remained indifferent with a solemn face, reaching out to Yang Kai.
In response to that motion, the ball of light flew towards Yang Kai.
Yang Kai did not dodge, opening his mind to accept it.
A moment later, the ball of light melted into Yang Kai’s Soul Avatar, and it was brought into the Soul Warming Lotus under his guidance, where it stabilized.
Yang Kai looked inside himself and soon found the ball of light inside the Soul Warming Lotus’s petals contained countless Soul Devouring Insects sealed inside of it.
Even though they were sealed like this, Yang Kai could still sense a great threat from them, and he knew better than anyone that once the ball of light was broken, these Soul Devouring Insects would emerge and eat him from the inside out.
If that were to happen, no one would be able to save him.
“I’ll teach you a set of techniques now, familiarize yourself with them and strengthen the seal!” Tian Yan’s voice came after that.
Yang Kai nodded seriously.
Then, Tian Yan began teaching Yang Kai a sealing art in great detail.
Yang Kai learned it very quickly and mastered it in just under an hour, much to Tian Yan’s praise.
After strengthening the seal with this method, Yang Kai suddenly had a strange look on his face and looked up in a certain direction.
A few tens of thousands of kilometres from Misty Valley in the direction Yang Kai was looking was a small city with a small population.
When Yang Kai looked over, a little boy who looked only about seven or eight with a delicate, chubby, and silly-looking face also turned his head abruptly towards Misty Valley.
A short while later, the little boy’s face became very ugly as he muttered, “What a loss… Tian Yan, that old bastard, he really dragged this Little Master down with him this time. I shouldn’t have responded to him, what a terrible loss…”
He muttered like that for a while but no one paid him any attention.
At that time, a girl with two pigtails suddenly came up to him and yelled fiercely, “Little Fatty, what are you doing? Hurry up and go out of town with this Young Lady! If we go any later, we won’t be able to leave.”
This little girl was also about seven or eight and had a kind of innocent look to her face which quite contrasted with her arrogant way of speaking.
“You actually called me… Little Fatty!” The little boy was fuming and clenched his fair and tender fist as he barked back, “You little girl! Do you have any idea who this Little Master…”
*Peng…*
Before he could finish his sentence, the little girl had jumped up and sent a fist right down onto his head, causing his neck to shrink down and eyes to go red.
“Stop that!” He shouted.
In response, he got an angry dragon fist to the face…
A short while later, the little girl strutted towards the city gate, dragging the Little Fatty along by the hand as he wore a resentful expression on his face. If one saw his face, they would notice two black and blue eyes…
Back in Misty Valley, Tian Yan looked cheerfully at Yang Kai and said, “Little Friend Yang, have you noticed something?”
Only then did Yang Kai come back to his senses and looked in surprise at Tian Yan, “Senior, you knew all along?”
Tian Yan smiled, “Little Friend Yang possesses an astonishing treasure like the Soul Warming Lotus, and the seal from before contained a trace of this world’s power. With the help of the Soul Warming Lotus, Little Friend Yang will naturally be able to easily detect the location of that person!”
When he heard this, Yang Kai quickly cupped his fists and said, “Many thanks, Senior!”
Tian Yan waved his hand and said, “This is all I can do to help. If you really wish to become the Master of this world, you will need to work hard. That person… is not so easy to talk to.”
“Junior understands. If the opportunity comes, Junior will definitely give it a try!”
“This old master also wishes for that day to come. When that time arrives, perhaps this Old Master will also be able to break through the constraints here and go out to the outside world to have a look,” Tian Yan showed a longing expression.
He and Yi Quan basically had the same idea; that they wanted to see the outside world with their own eyes.
Only Yi Quan was interested in it in order to seek out a higher Martial Dao, while Tian Yan wished to achieve it purely out of interest.
Three days later, in a stone cavern inside Azure Sun Temple’s Restricted Area, Yang Kai slowly opened his eyes in one of the stone rooms.
His Soul Avatar had returned to his physical body, and this moment felt so amazing that he could not help but have the illusion that he was being reborn.
After moving his arms and legs a little, he fully adapted. Even though he spent nearly a month in this stone room, Yang Kai’s cultivation did not suffer any damage, of course. On the contrary, due to his experiences in the Divine Ascension World, his Soul had grown significantly stronger.
He did not hurry to leave and instead checked on his own situation.
Looking inside himself, his Knowledge Sea was calm, but the waters had become much stronger than a month ago.
Before entering the Divine Ascension Mirror World, Yang Kai’s Divine Sense was strong enough to compete with a Third-Order Dao Source Realm cultivator’s. After absorbing so many Soul Sources in the Divine Ascension Mirror World though, it had grown noticeably.
What’s more, he also received a fine piece of Soul Jade, only that Soul Jade’s power was unable to be manifested in such a short amount of time. He would have to slowly absorb the benefits as his Soul Warming Lotus fed them to his Soul over time.
Right now, it was not too much to say that his Soul was only slightly weaker than an Emperor’s. He only had to wait for his physical body’s cultivation to catch up and then he could smoothly make a breakthrough.
The ball of light inside the Soul Warming Lotus with the sealed Soul Devouring Insects was still peaceful, without any abnormalities.
But Yang Kai knew he had to deal with it as soon as possible because this thing in his Knowledge Sea was a hidden danger that may suddenly explode.
There was also a Soul-type artifact in his Knowledge Sea that was dim and dull at this moment. It was the Purple Sun Profound Light Shield gifted to him by Gao Xue Ting. This Soul-type artifact could no longer be used after being wrecked by Ban Qing during their fight.
Yang Kai sorted out what he needed to do in his mind. With his plans set, he took out the seal token given to him by Gao Xue Ting and opened the stone room before walking out.
Looking around, the other stone rooms were empty just as he expected.
Obviously, during the time when he was with Tian Yan, Xia Sheng and the others had already been led back by Wen Zi Shan and should have been brought away to recover.
The Divine Ascension Mirror, however, was still erected at the centre of the stone cavern, rotating slowly as it emitted a faint light.
Yang Kai’s brow twitched as he stared at this unique treasure.
At this moment, he was able to feel a slight connection between himself and the Divine Ascension Mirror.
This type of connection came from the seal inside the Soul Warming Lotus as it was formed with the power of the Mirror Soul.
“You’re out!” A voice suddenly sounded in the darkness.
Yang Kai was stunned for a moment before he cupped his fists at the source of the sound, “Elder Gao!”
Gao Xue Ting was undoubtedly waiting here for Yang Kai and nodded lightly upon seeing him return safely, “There was a slight mishap during this training, and it was this Queen failing to take care of you all that almost led you to disaster.”
As an Emperor Realm Master, her frankly admitting her mistake in front of Yang Kai without the slightest intention of shirking her responsibility touched him greatly.
Yang Kai asked, “This is not Elder Gao’s fault, but Grandma You’s trickery. By the way, how is Grandma You now?”
Gao Xue Ting responded, “Temple Master has his own ways of dealing with Grandma, so you don’t need to worry.”
“What about Brother Xia and the others?” Yang Kai asked.
“Xia Sheng and the others have suffered some damage to their Souls, but it is nothing major. They only need to rest and recover for several months.”
“That’s good then!” Yang Kai let out a small sigh of relief. Even though he figured that Xia Sheng and the others would be fine, and that Grandma You hadn’t done anything fatal to them during her search for the Soul Warming Lotus, he couldn’t really put his mind at ease until now.
“Now that this matter is over, come with me. The Temple Master wishes to see you.” As she said that, Gao Xue Ting led Yang Kai out, but she did not forget to advise him before leaving, “The Divine Ascension Mirror is the greatest secret of the temple. It is already bending the rules to allow an outsider like you to enter it. You must never disclose its existence to the public.”
“Yes!” Yang Kai answered seriously.
Gao Xue Ting was silent on the way and only rushed over towards Myriad Saints Peak with Yang Kai in tow.
But Yang Kai noticed that there were several times where she seemed to want to ask something, but she never did so in the end.
Yang Kai figured that she probably wanted to ask about Tian Yan.
The reason Wen Zi Shan wanted to see him as soon as he returned was also because of Tian Yan.
The existence of a Great Emperor in the Divine Ascension World was simply too shocking. Even Wen Zi Shan may not have expected such a thing.
After a while, the two of them arrived at Myriad Saints Peak where Gao Xue Ting stopped outside the temple and said to Yang Kai, “You should go in by yourself, the Temple Master is right inside.”
Yang Kai nodded lightly and walked into the main hall.
Inside the main hall, Wen Zi Shan sat alone with his legs crossed and a heavy look on his face.
When he saw Yang Kai enter, he couldn’t help but brighten up and smile, “Boy, you’re finally back.”
Yang Kai went forward and cupped his fists, “Greeting Temple Master Wen. Some things happened and delayed my return for a few days.”
“En, it’s good that you’re back safely!” Wen Zi Shan beckoned Yang Kai over, “Come, have a cup of wine to settle down.”
As he spoke, he waved his hand, and a chair and wine bottle appeared in front of him.
Yang Kai was stunned but he did not refuse him. He strode forward and took a seat in front of Wen Zi Shan.
“This King has a few things to ask you.” Wen Zi Shan poured himself a cup of wine before pouring one for Yang Kai, not being punctilious at all while he said, “If you think you can answer this King, then speak freely. If it is not possible, then this King will not force you to do so. Just pretend I never asked, all right?”
He showed a very friendly attitude, so Yang Kai responded with, “Many thanks for your consideration, Temple Master Wen.”
“En!” Wen Zi Shan nodded and did not say anything else, as if he was thinking about what to ask first.
Yang Kai picked up his cup of wine and took a sip, but after waiting for a while, yet still seeing Wen Zi Shan hesitate to speak, he couldn’t help commenting, “Temple Master Wen, this wine can’t be compared to Monkey God Wine.”
Upon hearing this, Wen Zi Shan stared at Yang kai in surprise, “You met with Yi Quan?”
Yang Kai nodded and said, “Yes, Senior Yi Quan also told Junior some interesting stories about you back then.”
“Did that old thing tell you how many jars of Monkey God Wine he used to get me drunk?” Wen Zi Shan said while curling his lip.
Yang Kai laughed, “Of course.”
“Hmph!” Wen Zi Shan coldly snorted, “If this King had not acted like I was unable to take alcohol, then how would that old thing be willing to give me so much to drink? Everything is within this King’s plans!”
Yang Kai was stunned, unable to tell just which of these two Third-Order Emperor Realm Masters living in two different worlds won in that battle of wits.
“Senior Yi Quan still fondly remembers Temple Master Wen and even told Junior that you never showing up again to visit after several hundred years saddened him. He had also prepared a lot of Monkey God Wine in anticipation of Temple Master Wen’s next visit.”
“Hahaha!” Wen Zi Shan laughed, “At least he still has some conscience! En… This King did not return after all these years because this King was worried that the old granny would overthink it and try to lock this King up inside. The Divine Ascension Mirror is not something that this King can just enter as he pleases. However, this King really wonders whether Yi Quan has enough Monkey God Wine for him to drink to his fill.”
After he said that, he suddenly turned solemn and quickly said, “This King heard Little Xue Ting say that a Great Emperor suddenly appeared outside the Divine Movement Country and took you away. Is that true?”
“Yes!” Yang Kai nodded with a straight face.
“Are you sure that the other party was a Great Emperor?” Wen Zi Shan looked extremely serious.
Yang Kai pondered for a moment and said, “Though Junior’s cultivation is low and is unable to judge the other party’s true realm and strength, please excuse this Junior for saying something that may offend Temple Master Wen…”
“Go ahead!”
“That person is much, much stronger than you, Temple Master Wen!”
Wen Zi Shan’s expression turned serious.
“Temple Master Wen has entered the Divine Ascension Mirror and also knows Senior Yi Quan, so naturally Temple Master Wen should also know Zhou Dian. Grandma You’s Soul Avatar had also reached the Third-Order Emperor Realm. But in comparison, that Senior greatly surpassed any and all of you.”
“Then there is no doubt he is a Great Emperor!” Wen Zi Shan took a deep breath and said with a look of disbelief, “It’s unbelievable that a Great Emperor could be born in that place! If word spreads, it would probably shake the entire Star Boundary. By the way, what is the name of that Senior?”
“He calls himself Tian Yan!” Yang Kai replied.
“Great Emperor Tian Yan!” Wen Zi Shan murmured before turning back to Yang Kai and asking, “So, what did Sir Tian Yan take you away for?”
In this world, all Great Emperors were recognized and respected by the world, so even though Wen Zi Shan had never met Tian Yan, he still addressed him as Sir.
This was not only respect for a Master’s strength, but also for that Master’s achievements in the Heavenly Way and Martial Dao.
“For the Soul Devouring Insects,” Yang Kai answered, feeling he had no need to hide this matter. Of course, it was only limited to Wen Zi Shan. Despite this Temple Master Wen’s unusual character and usual lack of decorum, Yang Kai could sense that he was a very reliable and just Senior when it mattered.
Otherwise, he would not have taken the initiative to reveal information about the Divine Ascension Mirror to Yang Kai and arranged for him to enter it for training.
As a reward for the Star Seals, Wen Zi Shan even offered Yang Kai the chance to enter the Sect Treasury to pick out three treasures.
Just from Wen Zi Shan revealing the Sect’s top secret, the Divine Ascension Mirror, Yang Kai felt that there was no need to hide this from him.
“Soul Devouring Insects?” Wen Zi Shan raised his brows, but soon seemed to think of something and said, “I heard from Yi Quan in the past that a battle called the Holy War once broke out in that world, and the source of that conflict was a swarm of ‘Demon Insects’. Could it be…”
“En, it was none other than a swarm of Soul Devouring Insects. Senior Tian Yan asked Junior to bring the group of Soul Devouring Insects out of that world, which resulted in the slight delay in my return.”
“Soul Devouring Insects are the nemesis of all Souls! Even though I have no idea what sort of amazing methods you have used to restrain them, or what methods Sir Tian Yan used to help you, even if you have a precious treasure like the Soul Warming Lotus, you cannot act carelessly!” Wen Zi Shan warned him with a grave expression.
Hearing him say this, Yang Kai instantly understood that he must have had a detailed talk with Grandma You and learned from her about the existence of the Soul Warming Lotus.
“Junior has his own plans for the Soul Devouring Insects,” Yang Kai told him with a serious face.
“Alright then,” Wen Zi Shan looked at him and said. “You don’t look like the type of person who would play around with his life. If there is anything you need, then just tell this King.”
“Many thanks, Temple Master Wen.”
For the next four hours, Wen Zi Shan asked him in detail about the many things that happened in the Divine Ascension Mirror World. Yang Kai told him everything without hiding too much either.
After four hours, Yang Kai stepped out of the main hall.
Gao Xue Ting seemed to have been waiting outside the whole time. When she saw him walk out, she glanced at him and said, “The Temple Master informed me that you require a secret room?”
Yang Kai nodded and said, “Yes.”
Before coming out from Wen Zi Shan’s place, Yang Kai did in fact request this from him. That is because he wanted to refine the Insect Enslavement Bracelet, so he needed a safe cultivation room to do so.
Wen Zi Shan naturally agreed to such a trifling request and told him to just ask Gao Xue Ting about it.
“Come with me.” As she said that, Gao Xue Ting turned around and flew out.
Yang Kai followed closely behind her.
After an hour, Gao Xue Ting landed on top of a mountain peak that was neither too tall nor too short. It wasn’t a very imposing mountain in the whole Azure Sun Mountain Range and looked rather ordinary, but this peak was obviously enriched by some Spirit Arrays, so the World Energy aura was much denser here than in other places.
There were no traces of any buildings on this peak, but there was a large forest of purple bamboo, adding a touch of exuberant colour that made the place look extremely elegant.
Gao Xue Ting led Yang Kai directly to a secluded cave mansion halfway up the mountain and opened the seal there with both hands, saying, “This Purple Bamboo Peak is where I live. I usually stay in the cave mansion at the top, so if there’s anything you need, just call me and I’ll be able to rush over in just a moment.”
Hearing her say so, Yang Kai felt a little flattered and cupped his fists, “Many thanks, Elder Gao.”
He had originally just wanted to ask Wen Zi Shan for a quiet, safe, and secluded place, but he didn’t expect Gao Xue Ting to bring him to the Purple Bamboo Peak where she lived and even arrange for him to live in the cave mansion next door.
This was obviously to take care of him.
Gao Xue Ting nodded lightly and tossed Yang Kai an access token, saying, “Head in by yourself.”
Yang Kai accepted the token and scanned it over with his Divine Sense before thanking Gao Xue Ting once more and heading into the cave mansion.
Looking around, this cave mansion was neither big nor small and had several secret rooms available. Even though no one had lived in it for a long time, it looked neat as if it were new. Obviously, this cave mansion must be where Gao Xue Ting used to live, but he had no idea why she moved.
Naturally, Yang Kai felt at ease with a Master like Gao Xue Ting nearby, so he didn’t have to worry about anything while refining the Insect Enslavement Bracelet.
Time was tight and Yang Kai did not delay. First, he familiarized himself with the token before opening all the barriers around the cave mansion. Only then did he sit cross-legged in a secret room and adjust his mind.
Refining an Emperor Artifact was not a simple task.
Emperor Artifacts were different from ordinary artifacts. Each Emperor Artifact contained Emperor Intent and Emperor Aura. If one’s cultivation was not high enough during the refinement process, then there was a chance that they may suffer a backlash from the Emperor Artifact.
So, when a cultivator without high enough cultivation tried to refine an Emperor Artifact, they needed to adjust their condition to the best they could.
After three days, Yang Kai felt that his Spiritual Essence had reached its peak state, so he heaved a small breath and took out the Insect Enslavement Bracelet which had been left in a corner of the Sealed World Bead and forgotten for a long time.
This thing had worked wonders during two dangerous incidents.
Once, when he and Xue Yue encountered a group of strange butterflies in the Severed World, the Insect Enslavement Bracelet managed to suppress them and allow them to escape. The other time was when Yang Kai encountered the Monster Insect Queen under the ice cliff in Blue Feather Sect. During that time, if not for the Insect Enslavement Bracelet stunning the Monster Insect Queen, Yang Kai would not have been able to subdue it.
Both times, Yang Kai’s life was saved thanks to the Insect Enslavement Bracelet.
Right now, even though his cultivation was only at the First-Order Dao Source Realm, his Soul had taken a half-step into the Emperor Realm, so it shouldn’t be a big problem for him to refine this Insect Enslavement Bracelet.
With that in mind, he placed the Emperor Artifact that looked similar to a palm-sized bracelet on his hand and covered it with his free palm before he began circulating his Spiritual Energy and Source Qi at the same time, pouring them into the bracelet.
There was no response. The Insect Enslavement Bracelet was just like a block of wood that did not accept any of his power.
But Yang Kai was in no hurry. This was only to be expected.
He slowly released his power, constantly pouring it into the Insect Enslavement Bracelet, trying to get the Emperor Artifact to open up a gap so that he could carve his Soul Imprint into it.
…
At a dark underground chamber several dozen kilometres away from Myriad Saints Peak, Grandma You was currently acting like a madwoman inside. Even though an invisible power was imprisoning her cultivation, she was still yelling curses incessantly.
“Wen Zi Shan, you bastard! You’ll die a dog’s death! I won’t forgive you even if you turn into an evil spirit!”
She seemed to have been cursing for a while as her voice had become extremely hoarse, making her already unpleasant sound even more terrible.
A person’s voice suddenly sounded in this dark space.
“Grandma, you’ve been cursing the same thing over and over again, no creativity at all. I’m already sick of hearing the same insult again and again.”
Grandma You’s cursing voice suddenly stopped for a moment, but soon, she roared hysterically, “Wen Zi Shan!”
“Hah!” Temple Master Wen let out a laugh and snapped his fingers. Suddenly a light appeared in the space, illuminating the darkness with its dim glow. Grandma You’s hair was a mess and she looked like an evil ghost. It was a terrible sight.
But it was as if Wen Zi Shan didn’t see that at all as he just stared at Grandma You lightly and said, “Grandma, why don’t you take a rest if you’re tired from cursing? I’ll bring you something to eat and drink to moisten your throat with!”
While speaking, he actually took out a plate of delicious and fragrant spirit fruits from his Space Ring. With a slight flick from his wrist, the plate of spirit fruit flew right in front of Grandma You.
The latter was glaring fiercely at him, her eyes bloodshot and filled with endless hatred.
Perhaps she really needed to moisten her throat though, so after a moment of silence, Grandma You reached out to the spirit fruit and began eating it in big bites.
But her poisonous gaze never left Wen Zi Shan for a moment during the process. From her loud chewing and actions, it almost seemed as if what she was eating was not spirit fruit, but rather Wen Zi Shan’s heart.
In just a quarter of an hour, the plate of spirit fruit had been cleaned off by Grandma You.
“You actually didn’t poison the fruit, you little bastard?” Grandma You wiped the corners of her mouth and said to Wen Zi Shan with a mocking look on her face.
Temple Master Wen looked hurt and replied, “Grandma You, we’ve known each other for hundreds of years, do you still have to judge me with such malice?”
“Hmph! It is because we have known each other for hundreds of years that I can see through your heart, liver, spleen, lungs, and kidneys!” Grandma You said coldly.
Wen Zi Shan laughed bitterly, “It seems that you still harbour a lot of ill feelings for me, Grandma.”
“Ill feelings?” Grandma You laughed coldly, “That is the greatest understatement I have ever heard! You think it’s just ill feelings between you and me? I would want nothing more than to drink your blood, eat your flesh, and gnaw on your bones!”
“I can see that.” Wen Zi Shan looked helpless, “No need to put it so bluntly…”
Grandma You suddenly changed the topic and sneered, “How is that Yang Boy doing right now?”
Wen Zi Shan looked at her in amazement and said, “Grandma, you’re in a difficult position to protect yourself right now, yet you still have the effort to spare to care about someone else? I didn’t know you had such a caring heart.”
“Of course!” Grandma You raised her voice, “I’m sure you’ve already killed that boy, have you not?”
“Why would I kill him?” Wen Zi Shan sneered.
“For the Soul Warming Lotus, of course!” Grandma You said, “If you could obtain the Soul Warming Lotus…”
“So what if I obtain the Soul Warming Lotus?” This time, Wen Zi Shan interrupted her before she could finish, “I am already a Third-Order Emperor. Above that, there is only the Great Emperor realm. Do you think you can rely on the Soul Warming Lotus alone to achieve that realm? Or do you think I should take his Soul Warming Lotus and do the same thing you plan to do?”
Grandma You looked coldly at Wen Zi Shan and said, “Seems you’ve already talked to Yang Boy and found out what I need the Soul Warming Lotus for.”
Wen Zi Shan nodded and said bluntly, “I hate to admit it, but I have to say, you had come up with an excellent idea, Grandma. The Soul Warming Lotus is a precious treasure and is indeed capable of carrying the Divine Ascension Mirror’s Mirror Soul. If you use it as a foundation, it may really be possible to refine that world!”
“Hmph!”
“But Grandma…” Wen Zi Shan’s expression suddenly became serious and he said, “Have you ever wondered what would happen if the Mirror Soul does not respond to you once you obtain the Soul Warming Lotus? How would you refine it then?”
“Why would the Mirror Soul not respond to me?” Grandma You screamed. “I have been guarding the Divine Ascension Mirror for two thousand years! I understand it more than any of you do. As long as I can get my hands on the Soul Warming Lotus, then I have full confidence that I can fuse the Mirror Soul into it!”
“Are you sure?” Wen Zi Shan gazed at her meaningfully, “Are you sure it’s going to be that simple?” He paused for a moment and his tone became sharp, “Or are you just deceiving yourself, Grandma? Isn’t this just part of your obsession to defeat me?”
Grandma You suddenly froze.
Wen Zi Shan continued, “Grandma, do you know why your cultivation has stagnated at the First-Order Emperor Realm for two thousand years? What have you done in the past two thousand years? And what have you seen?”
Grandma You’s face gradually changed, her bloodshot eyes that were filled with hatred gradually became shaken, hollow, then confused.
Wen Zi Shan’s words seemed to have touched something buried deep inside her heart.
“You know very well that you may not be able to subdue the Mirror Soul even if you obtained the Soul Warming Lotus,” Wen Zi Shan sighed faintly.
“Bullshit!” Grandma You cursed.
“Then let me ask you. If it was so easy to subdue the Mirror Soul, then why didn’t that Great Emperor who took Yang Boy away do it? He should have that power.”
When he said this, Grandma You became speechless.
“Let go of your obsession, Grandma. If you don’t let go, then you’ll be stuck where you are for the rest of your life,” Wen Zi Shan advised her earnestly. “Cultivators like us, we can only forge ahead when our goals are clear. Grandma, you are still immersed in the defeat of a past battle and blinded by hatred. How can you rise up to a higher Martial Dao if you are so intent on wanting me dead?”
“Are you lecturing me, brat?” Grandma You glared at Wen Zi Shan.
The latter shrugged his shoulders and said, “I’m just speaking the truth, and it’s not like you don’t understand it either, Grandma. You just don’t want to admit it.”
He sighed and went on, “Yang Boy and Little Xue Ting may think that this face of yours is your true appearance, and that the beautiful woman you appeared as inside the Divine Ascension Mirror is just an illusion you created, but only you and I know that… your appearance inside the Divine Ascension Mirror is your true appearance. The current you is just a twisted form brought about by your hatred. Grandma is also a woman, so why make things so difficult for yourself?”
“What are you saying all this for?” Grandma You’s tone of voice had calmed down a lot for some reason.
“I just want to say, Grandma, that your aptitude may not be lower than mine. If you can overcome your Heart Demon, then you may be able to become a Great Emperor one day.”
At these words, Grandma You shuddered and looked sharply at Wen Zi Shan, growling, “Are you speaking from your heart?”
Wen Zi Shan smiled and said, “To be honest, I’m not the one who said this.”
“Then who said it?”
“Just a casual and carefree old man,” Wen Zi Shan seemed extremely reluctant to mention that person’s name.
Even though he did not say the person’s name, Grandma You’s eyes were brightly lit as if she understood something.
“I can’t hold up Azure Sun Temple alone, Grandma. Would you be willing to help me?” Wen Zi Shan looked earnestly at Grandma You and asked.
Grandma You stared at him for a moment and suddenly burst out laughing, sneering as she did, “This Old Lady killed so many of your elite disciples already, do you not hold any grudges towards this Old Lady at all?”
“The Heavenly Way is constant, but destiny is impermanent. If they could not cross that hurdle, then that means their cultivation was not enough!”
Grandma You’s face changed and she went silent. After a while, she suddenly bellowed, “Scram! Get out of here!”
Wen Zi Shan smiled and said, “Think about it, Grandma.”
With these words, he gradually disappeared from the space as if he had never appeared there before.
Grandma You was left alone with a cold and fluctuating expression.
…..
Since Yang Kai arrived at the cave mansion in Gao Xue Ting’s Purple Bamboo Peak, a month had passed.
During this time, he had remained indoors, refining the Insect Enslavement Bracelet.
In the beginning, the Insect Enslavement Bracelet was unresponsive, but Yang Kai was patient and kept using his power to attack the Insect Enslavement Bracelet’s barrier. And, as time passed, the Emperor Artifact gradually changed.
It slowly began to accept Yang Kai’s Spiritual Energy and Source Qi.
The refinement process was like reeling silk from cocoons. Yang Kai put in a lot of hard work, but only when all the obstructing forces were eliminated would Yang Kai have a chance to refine the Insect Enslavement Bracelet and engrave his own Soul Imprint inside.
On this day, Yang Kai continued as usual.
At a certain moment, a strange buzzing sound came, followed by a slight burst of air in the room. At the same time, Yang Kai felt heat from his hands, as if the Insect Enslavement Bracelet was burning.
Yang Kai was not shocked when he felt this, but happy. He knew that this was a sign that his refining had successfully broken the protective barrier. Immediately, he spared no effort to circulate his energy, pouring it madly into the Insect Enslavement Bracelet.
The burning sensation on his hands grew clearer and clearer as the Insect Enslavement bracelet seemed to have come to life again, constantly bouncing around in Yang Kai’s grasp, wanting to escape from his control.
But Yang Kai was not about to let it achieve this, grabbing hold of it for dear life.
Slowly, the burning sensation changed, and it now felt like Yang Kai’s palm was being gnawed on by a million ants. The tingling sensation spread from his palm down into each part of his body before reaching deep into his Soul, making him feel extremely uncomfortable.
The tingling gradually turned into pain, not only on his body but his Soul as well, like it was being sheared by thousands of dull knives.
Yang Kai could not help but hiss in agony.
Gritting his teeth, he endured the unimaginable torment as he pushed his Spiritual Energy and Source Qi even more ferociously.
After two days of this, Yang Kai’s body suddenly felt lighter, and all the abnormal sensations disappeared in a flash.
At the same time, a light suddenly burst forth from the Insect Enslavement Bracelet. Tiny flickering runes appeared on the small bracelet’s surface like fireflies, lighting up the entire room in a beautiful display.
The runes were extremely complicated and mysterious, seemingly having a life of their own, constantly evolving and changing.
The ordinary-looking Insect Enslavement Bracelet was also releasing an obvious Emperor Aura and Emperor Intent now.
Yang Kai was not the least bit pleased with this situation, however, and instead, his face turned grave.
A short while later, the complicated runes converged into the Insect Enslavement Bracelet and Yang Kai could hear a crack, as if something had broken. Then, his Spiritual Energy and Source Qi drove straight in, pouring into the Insect Enslavement Bracelet without obstruction.
That sound from his mind was undoubtedly the sound of him breaking through the final barrier of the Insect Enslavement Bracelet.
This also meant that the refinement process was mostly complete.
However… Since the Insect Enslavement Bracelet was not a new artifact and had a previous owner, the biggest test began now.
As he poured his Spiritual Energy in, Yang Kai soon sensed a pure force from inside the Insect Enslavement Bracelet fighting back against him.
This force was not powerful per se, but it was extremely pure and intense.
This was the Soul Imprint left inside the Insect Enslavement Bracelet by the Insect Emperor!
Only when this Imprint was completely erased would Yang Kai be able to leave his own Imprint.
The true cultivation of the Insect Emperor was at least Third-Order Emperor Realm, but unfortunately, he was defeated and killed during his fight with Yang Yan and had no choice but to preserve his Soul through some special method, then rely on seizing another’s body to be reborn.
As for his past glory and cultivation, almost all of it had been lost.
After some ten thousand years, the Soul Imprint in the Insect Enslavement Bracelet had long weakened beyond recognition.
If not for this, Yang Kai would never have had the chance to refine the Insect Enslavement Bracelet, that is, unless Wen Zi Shan helped him remove this Imprint.
But now, despite its purity, this Imprint was only barely as strong as a First-Order Emperor’s, which was basically the same strength as Yang Kai’s Soul.
This Imprint was fighting him head-on, wanting to stop Yang Kai’s next move, but Yang Kai would not back down. He was undaunted and mobilized his Spiritual Energy to meet it directly.
*Hong…*
A noise erupted as Yang Kai’s body swayed slightly and he felt a little dizzy.
This was a direct clash of Souls, one where only strength and endurance mattered.
During this clash, neither Yang Kai nor the original Imprint had the upper hand. They were on par with each other.
After taking a moment to catch his breath, Yang Kai mobilized his Spiritual Energy once more and crashed into the Insect Enslavement Bracelet.
With another bang, Yang Kai’s face turned slightly pale as blood spilled from his nose and mouth.
However, during this collision, Yang Kai’s Spiritual Energy clearly gained the upper hand while the Insect Emperor’s Imprint had been weakened considerably.
Yang Kai did not stop there, however, mobilizing his Spiritual Energy for a third assault.
*Hong…*
There was a flash of light from the Insect Enslavement Bracelet, as if something had been broken and opened up.
Yang Kai’s Spiritual Energy passed into it now without any obstruction.
At this point, the Insect Emperor’s Imprint had been completely destroyed.
Yang Kai poured his Spiritual Energy into it, enduring the discomfort in his head to quickly engrave his own Soul Imprint into the Insect Enslavement Bracelet.
Only after he was done did he grin and collapse to the ground, not even wanting to move another inch.
Right now, the Insect Enslavement Bracelet was an Emperor Artifact under his possession. Only, the uses of the Insect Enslavement Bracelet were still something that he had to test and develop later.
This silent fight drained a lot of Yang Kai’s mental and physical strength. He also had to give credit to his Soul Warming Lotus, since he would never have dared to use such a violent and direct method to erase the Insect Emperor’s Imprint without it.
But with the Soul Warming Lotus’s nourishment and protection, Yang Kai was not worried about having any fundamental damage done to his Soul. He had the capital to use such brute force methods in this regard.
After resting for half a day, Yang Kai sat up again, feeling much better than before, and began taking a closer look at this Insect Enslavement Bracelet in front of him.
After being refined, the Insect Enslavement Bracelet did not change, other than the fact that it could be put away and taken out of his body at will now.
Yang Kai’s Divine Sense surged and poured into the Insect Enslavement Bracelet, trying to find out what wonders lay inside this artifact and how he could use it to restrain the Soul Devouring Insects.
But something unexpected occurred.
As soon as he poured his Divine Sense into the Insect Enslavement Bracelet, Yang Kai actually discovered that there was a strange space inside the bracelet.
This space was unlike the Sealed World Bead’s internal space, which was not freely accessible.
Instead, it was similar to the spaces inside Space Rings, but with a few subtle differences.
Yang Kai could feel a strange energy surging inside this space that was neither beneficial nor harmful to the Soul. He had no idea what it was for.
Yang Kai’s eyes were soon drawn to the differently-sized and shaped jars inside the space.
Under his curiosity, Yang Kai swept his Divine Sense over them to inspect them.
But soon, he paled and he forcefully withdrew his Divine Sense from these jars.
Because he perceived that many of these jars were full. Only a few were empty. As for what things were inside there, he had no idea. He could only hear some writhing and buzzing noises from inside, though some were silent.
But each of the things contained in these jars gave off a dangerous feeling to Yang Kai.
Even though he was now the owner of the Insect Enslavement Bracelet, he did not dare to open the jars casually to find out what lay inside.
Amidst his uncertainty, he discovered that words had suddenly appeared on the surface of those jars, and he quickly adjusted his eyes to see them.
Blood Aphids, Two-Legged Silkworm, Steel Ants, Silver-Striped Six Horn Spider, Tyrant Bee…
Names of Exotic Insects were written on each of the jars, practically all of which Yang Kai had never heard of, save for a few.
But the few he heard of were all terrifying creatures that caused cultivators to shiver in fear at their mention.
Yang Kai was shaken and vaguely had a bold guess.
At that moment, a flash of light suddenly appeared in the Insect Enslavement Bracelet’s space. In that flash of light, something that looked like an ancient book slowly emerged in Yang Kai’s Divine Sense.
Curious, he investigated it with his Divine Sense.
There he saw on the cover of the ancient book, the characters for ‘Exotic Insect Record’!
[A Divine Sense Book!] Yang Kai exclaimed in his mind.
There were some extremely special Secret Arts and Secret Techniques in this world that did not exist in physical form, but instead existed in ways that could not be observed by the naked eye. They were recorded in hidden places.
Recording information this way could prevent some precious secrets from being easily accessed, so it was a common tactic used by many Masters in the past.
This Divine Sense Book was one of them.
This Divine Sense Book inside of the Insect Enslavement Bracelet was probably written by the Insect Emperor, because Yang Kai was able to detect his aura from the Exotic Insect Record. Even though it was so many years ago, Yang Kai could still remember this familiar aura.
Yang Kai moved his Divine Sense once more and opened the Exotic Insect Record, reading it carefully.
This Exotic Insect Record was in fact written by the Insect Emperor, because a preface written by the Insect Emperor in first person was written on the first page of this book. Yang Kai was not so interested in this and just skimmed through it before flipping to the next page.
[Exotic Insect List!]
Yang Kai saw the three large words in an instant, which made it so he could not help but look carefully at it.
This Exotic Insect List was divided by the Insect Emperor into two parts. Any Exotic Insects that could enter this list were extremely rare and difficult to deal with.
There were 36 in the Heaven List and 72 from the Earth List, making up a total of 108 species of Exotic Insects, each with a detailed description and ranking.
Very soon, Yang Kai found the descriptions of the Exotic Ancient Insects inside the jars.
Blood Aphids, Earth List No.13: Moves towards the smell of blood. Weak and immaterial creatures that are very difficult to detect, but victims will have all their blood sucked dry from their bodies.
Two-Legged Silkworm, Earth List No.27: All-white bipedal creatures, have unparalleled Ice Attribute venom with no cure.
Steel Ants, Earth List No. 36: Colonial insects. Devour steel, nemesis of all artifacts.
Silver-Striped Six Horn Spider, Heaven List No. 19: Has a silver pattern on its back, intensely strong venom, even Emperor Realm Masters cannot ward them off.
Tyrant Bee, Heaven List No. 21: Extremely strong venom in its tail stinger, ranked highest among the world’s top ten poisonous insects, extinct.
…
The lists went on and on.
On the Heaven List, Yang Kai saw the description and introduction of Soul Devouring Insects.
Soul Devouring Insects, Heaven List No.11: Specializes in devouring Spiritual Energy, the bane of all Souls. When young and weak, can be exterminated with Conflagrated Spiritual Energy or suppressed by extraordinarily powerful Divine Sense, but as they grow, they become extremely difficult to subdue, even for Emperor Realm cultivators.
In this Exotic Insect List, Soul Devouring Insects were ranked eleventh in the Heaven List, which was already very high up. Yang Kai had never even heard of the ten Exotic Ancient Insects ranked above Soul Devouring Insects.
In the Insect Emperor’s notes, the ten strongest Exotic Ancient Insects had already become extinct and no longer existed in this world.
Of course, this was only his personal opinion. Whether they were truly extinct or not, no one knew.
Yang Kai had the vague thought that the reason why these Soul Devouring Insects were able to rank so high up was related to their immense ability for growth.
As the Insect Emperor noted, Soul Devouring Insects were actually not difficult to deal with when they were still weak. They could be killed with Conflagrated Spiritual Energy or subdued with a strong Divine Sense; however, they would become an immense problem when they matured.
Yang Kai could not help but get excited when he suddenly got his hands on a book like this and read it with great interest. Since the Insect Emperor dared give himself such a title, it must mean that his research on the Dao of Exotic Insects was unparalleled; practically no one could surpass him. He was likely to be the only person with this knowledge in the entire Star Boundary. Once Yang Kai mastered this information, if he ever encountered any of the Exotic Ancient Insects in this book in the future, he would be able to apply the right countermeasures to deal with them.
After the Heaven and Earth Lists in the Exotic Insect Record, the habits, breeding methods, and restraining methods of each of the Exotic Ancient Insects were written in detail.
Most of the Exotic Insects had their particular restraining methods. For example, Earth List No.13, Blood Aphids. Even though they moved towards the smell of blood and were extremely small, even invisible to the naked eye and undetectable with Divine Sense, they were incredibly weak to fire. Any Fire Attribute Secret Technique would be enough to force them to retreat.
And also, there was Earth List No.36, Steel Ants. Even though they were the nemesis of artifacts, they were afraid of a strange type of stone called Moonstone. If the Steel Ants ingest this Moonstone, then they would melt into a thick puddle of water in a few moments, dying a clean death.
The key point is that Moonstones weren’t a precious material. They were mostly used for illumination and did not have much use as an artifact refining material, so it was quite easy to acquire in the Star Boundary.
Yang Kai deliberately searched for a method to restrain the Soul Devouring Insects.
The Insect Emperor only provided two methods. One was to kill them using Conflagrated Spiritual Energy when they were very weak, and the second was to suppress them. Since they will no longer be afraid of Conflagrated Knowledge Seas after they grew to a certain extent, they were basically unkillable. Besides suppressing them, there was no other way to deal with them.
After going through the book, Yang Kai gained a lot of information and now had some ideas on how he was going to deal with the Soul Devouring Insects he had.
Half a day later, Yang Kai closed the Exotic Insect Record.
Just like when it first appeared, it disappeared without warning. In a flash of light, it was no longer in this space.
But Yang Kai was now the owner of the Insect Enslavement Bracelet, so whenever he wanted to read the Exotic Insect Record again, he could call it out at any time.
Then, Yang Kai withdrew his Divine Sense and focused his mind. While unleashing the power of the Insect Enslavement Bracelet, he dragged out the Soul Devouring Insects inside the Soul Warming Lotus in an attempt to transfer them into the Insect Enslavement Bracelet.
The Soul Devouring Insects he had before were not a problem for him. Even though they were unruly in the Divine Ascension World, these Soul Devouring Insects were now obedient under the suppression of the Insect Enslavement Bracelet’s aura and were quite easily transferred into the space of the Insect Enslavement Bracelet by Yang Kai.
It was the sealed Soul Devouring Insects that worried Yang Kai.
Even though the sealed light ball had the double insurance of a Great Emperor’s power as well as the World Force of the Divine Ascension Mirror’s Mirror Soul, Yang Kai still didn’t dare to take this task lightly.
It took a lot of effort for him to safely transfer them to the space inside the Insect Enslavement Bracelet.
Only then did he let out a sigh of relief.
Now that there were no more Soul Devouring Insects inside his body, he didn’t have anything to worry about anymore.
The two batches of Soul Devouring Insects were transferred in by Yang Kai and placed into an unused jar.
These jars were vessels made by the Insect Emperor from some extremely precious materials and were specifically designed to rear Exotic Insects.
The dangerous aura that Yang Kai perceived from the other jars were all from the Exotic Insects left behind by the Insect Emperor back then. Even though ten thousand years had passed, being nurtured by the special power present inside the bracelet, these Exotic Insects did not get weaker and instead grew even more powerful than before.
Yang Kai did not dare to release them.
These Exotic Insects were not raised by him, so Yang Kai did not have the confidence that he could control them. If they did not obey his orders after they were released, it would be like dropping a stone he tried to move on his foot.
He could only wait for his strength to improve in the future before gradually giving it a try.
Right now, the most critical matter was to deal with the Soul Devouring Insects.
The two batches of Soul Devouring Insects were placed into one jar, and Yang Kai sealed the jar properly before circulating his Divine Sense. Forming seals with both hands, Yang Kai unlocked the seal on these insects using the technique Tian Yan taught him.
The next moment, a buzzing sound came out from the jar.
Yang Kai listened to it for a moment and he could not help but pale slightly.
He could clearly sense the two groups of Soul Devouring Insects were like two armies at this moment, slaughtering each other in a world-shaking fight.
However, since the difference in strength between the two groups was not very big, the fight was particularly fierce and bloody. There seemed to be a reign of terror inside this jar.
But Yang Kai was not worried about this.
The Exotic Insect Record also stated that this was one method the Soul Devouring Insects used to survive and evolve.
They do not think, but move based on their instincts.
Just like Poison Arts, the Poison Refiner will place some venomous creatures in one space and have them kill each other. The one that survives at the end would be the most powerful one.
The evolutionary growth of the Soul Devouring Insects was exactly the same. They were driven by instincts and could not be restrained by any means.
However, this evolutionary process could also be stimulated by an external force.
Considering all this, Yang Kai withdrew his Divine Sense from the Insect Enslavement Bracelet and opened the barriers around the cave mansion with a wave of the token in his hand, flying out.
A short while later, he arrived at the peak of Purple Bamboo Peak. Looking around, he quickly found Gao Xue Ting’s cave mansion.
Flying over, Yang Kai stood outside the cave mansion and just as he was about to shout for her, Gao Xue Ting’s voice suddenly came from inside. “Come in!”
Yang Kai was stunned, but a slightly touched expression emerged on his face.
Gao Xue Ting was able to detect his presence so quickly, firstly because of how powerful her cultivation was, and secondly because she must have been monitoring his movements all this time.
This wasn’t surveillance, however, but a form of protection.
She likely heard some news from Wen Zi Shan, and that was why her attention never slacked during this time.
Yang Kai did not say anything and flew straight into her cave mansion.
After going through several turns in the cave, Yang Kai soon arrived at a stone room.
This was likely the place where Gao Xue Ting lived and rested.
Looking around, Yang Kai was surprised to find that the cave mansion’s interior was very simple with hardly any furnishings. There was only a cultivation mat and a bamboo bed. Nothing else could be seen besides that.
Gao Xue Ting was currently sitting atop her bamboo bed, looking indifferently at him.
“Elder Gao!” Yang Kai cupped his fists in salute.
Gao Xue Ting gently nodded, and said with concern, “How did your retreat go?”
“Thanks to Elder Gao’s blessings, it was successful.”
“Glib-tongued flattery!” Gao Xue Ting glared at him, “Your retreat had nothing to do with me.”
“Uh…” Yang Kai did not expect Gao Xue Ting to be so blunt about his thoughtless flattery, and could not help feeling a little embarrassed.
“Tell me, why are you looking for me?” Gao Xue Ting restored her look of indifference.
“Oh, it’s like this,” moving on to the main reason he was there, Yang Kai quickly got up and continued. “I want to ask Elder Gao if there is any Facetless Profound Grass in Azure Sun Temple?”
“Facetless Profound Grass?” Gao Xue Ting’s brow wrinkled.
“It’s a kind of Dao Source Grade Mid-Rank spirit grass, it’s not a rare thing.” Yang Kai was an Alchemist himself, and he was deeply knowledgeable with spiritual flowers and exotic herbs.
“What do you want this for?” Gao Xue Ting asked curiously.
“Alchemy,” Yang Kai said insincerely, looking away, and continued. “Elder Gao, you know that I am an Alchemist, and I obviously want spirit grass for Alchemy…”
The corners of Gao Xue Ting’s lips raised slightly, her smile barely noticeable, but did not further question Yang Kai’s clumsy denial. She took out her communication artifact, transmitted Divine Sense into it, and said indifferently, “Let me ask. We should have it in the storehouse if this spirit grass is not a rare thing.”
“Many thanks, Elder Gao.” Yang Kai quickly thanked her.
There was a long period of silence.
Yang Kai felt extremely ill at ease standing in the secluded cave mansion. He wanted to break the silence by starting a topic with Gao Xue Ting, but worried that she might prefer him keeping his mouth shut, therefore decided to continue the awkward silence.
Gao Xue Ting did not engage in a conversation. She just closed her eyes and meditated, completely unaffected by Yang Kai’s presence, as if he did not exist.
After a while, the communication artifact in Gao Xue Ting’s hand started to hum.
She opened her beautiful eyes, transmitted information with the communication artifact, and said to Yang Kai, “There is Facetless Profound Grass in the storehouse, a lot of it. How much do you want?”
“The more, the better!” Yang Kai was pleased.
“It looks like you’re planning to refine a lot of pills,” Gao Xue Ting snorted.
Yang Kai laughed shyly.
“What are you going to exchange for them?”
“Huh?” Yang Kai was stunned.
Gao Xue Ting said, “The Facetless Profound Grass belongs to the temple, it can’t be given to you for free, can it? What are you going to exchange for them?”
“Is Elder Gao doing business with me?” Yang Kai was surprised. He had never thought Gao Xue Ting had such a side of her.
“You can say so.” Gao Xue Ting nodded, “Were you planning to take them for free?”
Yang Kai said quickly, “How is that possible?! I was planning to buy them.” After a pause, he asked timidly, “Will you accept Source Crystals?”
“We’re not short of Source Crystals.” Gao Xue Ting replied without expression.
Speechless, Yang Kai said, “What do you use, if not Source Crystals, in business deals?”
“Hmph!” Gao Xue Ting sneered, giving him a thoughtful look before saying, “Forget it, I’ll ask Junior Sister Chen for their price.”
“Many thanks…” Yang Kai wiped the sweat on his forehead.
For some reason, he was always under great pressure whenever he was with Gao Xue Ting, a phenomenon that never happened even when he was with Wen Zi Shan, and he had no idea why.
A moment later, Gao Xue Ting looked at Yang Kai again, “Junior Sister Chen informed me that the Facetless Profound Grass cost a thousand Source Crystals a piece.”
“It’s a reasonable price,” Yang Kai was overjoyed.
“High-Rank Source Crystals!” Gao Xue Ting added.
Yang Kai was stunned for a moment, then jumped up and said, “Are you trying to rob me?”
Gao Xue Ting was indifferent, “Junior Sister Chen is responsible for the temple storehouse, and she decides everything for the storehouse. If she said it’s a thousand High-Rank Source Crystals, then a thousand High-Rank Source Crystals it is.”
Then she said, “What’s wrong? Are you too poor?”
“Not really,” sweat was beading and dripping down Yang Kai’s forehead as his face twitched slightly, “It’s just that… the price is not right. Elder Gao, have you made it clear to Elder Chen that Facetless Profound Grass is a Mid-rank Dao Source Grade spirit grass, and it’s not some rare spirit grass? It can be easily cultivated by any big Sect, so how could it cost so many Source Crystals?”
“Who do you think this Queen is? Your messenger? If you want to know, ask her yourself,” Gao Xue Ting’s already cold face became colder.
Yang Kai was embarrassed by her sudden outburst, he did not know what she was angry about, and was helpless.
“But…” Gao Xue Ting changed her tone. She kept her eyes on Yang Kai, making him shiver. He thought to himself, [Elder Gao looks cold as ice on the surface, but in fact, could she be as hot as fire on the inside?]
That idea scared him, making him anxious.
“Junior Sister Chen said that if you don’t have the money to buy it, you can… pay with your body,” Gao Xue Ting said meaningfully.
*Gudong… *
Yang Kai could not help gulping as cold sweat dripped down his cheeks.
“Don’t misunderstand,” Gao Xue Ting explained. “Junior Sister Chen meant that if you join the temple and become a disciple, you can enjoy a big discount, you can even have those Facetless Profound Grass for free, and you can refine as many pills as you wish”
“Become a disciple of the temple?” Yang Kai looked at her in amazement.
“Are you not willing?” Gao Xue Ting looked over coldly, her voice dropping a few degrees, “Are you looking down on the temple? Is it not good enough for you?”
“No, absolutely not,” Yang Kai waved his hands frantically. “It’s just that Azure Sun Temple is such a big Sect. Is it really okay to recruit someone without any procedures?”
Gao Xue Ting snorted, “Normally you’d have to pass all kinds of examinations and tests to become a disciple. To put it bluntly, the temple only recruits new disciples once every ten years. At that time, several hundred thousand people participate in the trials in Azure Sun Mountain Range and no more than three hundred are ever accepted. Even among these three hundred disciples, only half will become true disciples while the others will remain outer disciples who never have an opportunity to enter the Inner Sect, but you…” she slanted her eyes towards Yang Kai, “We might be able to make an exception.”
She looked at Yang Kai as if she just offered him a great deal, and it would be a great loss if he were to refuse.
“Hehe…” Yang Kai laughed dryly. “Then many thanks to Elder Gao and Elder Chen for their good intentions.”
“So, what is your decision?” Gao Xue Ting questioned further, not giving Yang Kai time to think at all.
Yang Kai cleared his throat, fully aware of the seriousness of this question. He appeared to be calm, but his mind was spinning.
Soon, he replied, “Elder Gao should know that Junior is used to wandering freely and has never joined any Sect before…”
“What about the Blue Feather Sect?” Gao Xue Ting interrupted him directly.
Yang Kai stared at Gao Xue Ting and asked, “Elder Gao, did you secretly investigate me?”
Gao Xue Ting said lightly, “We performed a casual check, and this information wasn’t hard to obtain. As you said, our Sect is a great Sect and has many connections, it’s not a difficult task at all to investigate a few people.”
The corners of Yang Kai’s mouth twitched and said, “Then how much does Elder Gao know about this Junior?”
Gao Xue Ting said, “Apart from the colour of your underwear, this Queen knows everything, including that you’re not a native of the Star Boundary.”
Yang Kai was sweating profusely as he wiped his forehead, “Elder Gao is really well-informed.”
On the inside, he was cursing out Bian Yu Qing. If he was not mistaken, Gao Xue Ting’s source of information was definitely her.
Bian Yu Qing was just a Third-Order Dao Source Realm cultivator. If Gao Xue Ting really wanted information from her, there was no way Bian Yu Qing could refuse.
Yang Kai just wondered when Gao Xue Ting had done this.
“Since Elder Gao knows about Junior’s past with Blue Feather Sect, Elder Gao must also know why I joined and what happened after,” Yang Kai knew he could not hide it any longer and could only tell the truth.
“En,” Gao Xue Ting nodded.
“I was quite unhappy during those months in Blue Feather Sect!” Yang Kai said seriously.
“Oh, don’t worry, the temple is different from those small Sects like Blue Feather Sect. You will feel at home here. If you want, this Queen can even take you as her Disciple and teach you how to cultivate,” Hearing this, Yang Kai gaped at Gao Xue Ting in surprise.
Her making such a proposal showed that Gao Xue Ting really wanted to recruit him into Azure Sun Temple.
However, even from an objective standpoint, Yang Kai did have such potential.
He was young and had good cultivation, an obvious target for all major Sects to compete for.
Moreover, he was a Dao Source Grade Alchemist and also a cultivator from the Lower Star Fields. He was strong and had a strong foundation, having also taken an Extraordinary Treasure Pill. In other words, it was only a matter of time before he broke through to the Emperor Realm.
Azure Sun Temple did not want to let go of a potential Emperor. His qualifications were enough for Gao Xue Ting to want to recruit him.
Of course, with Gao Xue Ting’s aloof personality, this was not a task she would normally take up unless someone had directed her, and who other than Wen Zi Shan could be the person behind that?
Yang Kai figured everything out very quickly and was honestly quite tempted.
Gao Xue Ting’s proposal was not very shrewd, but it was very sincere. During this period, Yang Kai also felt the sincerity and concern of the few Azure Sun Temple Elders and he got along well with Xia Sheng and the other disciples.
It was not a bad idea to be a disciple of Azure Sun Temple.
There would be all kinds of advantages to joining a great force like Azure Sun Temple and few would ever dare to challenge such a disciple.
However, Yang Kai had his own concerns.
His biggest concern was the Demon Spirit sealed in his body.
When he was possessed by the Demon Spirit and was reduced to a Demon that day, he had battled against Gao Xue Ting. If he really joined the temple, in the case that this information was disclosed, he was unsure what Gao Xue Ting would do to him.
The Demon Spirit of the Ancient Great Demon was not something that could be ignored.
Yang Kai hesitated for a moment, unable to decide if he should join Azure Sun Temple and enjoy the cool shade under this big tree, or if he should continue to stay independent and free.
“Go back and consider it for a few days, then give me an answer once you have made your mind,” Gao Xue Ting seemed to notice his dilemma, and instead of pushing him, she took the initiative to step back.
Yang Kai immediately breathed out a sigh of relief, “Many thanks, Elder Gao, regarding the matter of Facetless Profound Grass…”
“The price remains the same and we’ll keep an account of it. I’ve ordered someone to send you a thousand pieces for now,” Gao Xue Ting said lightly, “This account will be settled when you decide to become a disciple of our temple.”
“Al… right.” The corner of Yang Kai’s mouth twitched, thinking that the Azure Sun Temple really valued him if they were willing to use such a method to keep him with them.
Then, there was a long period of silence again.
At a certain moment, Gao Xue Ting opened her beautiful eyes once again, “You may go. The person who will deliver the Facetless Profound Grass is already waiting outside, just talk to him yourself.”
“Many thanks, Elder Gao!” Yang Kai turned and left after giving thanks to Gao Xue Ting.
When he was outside of the secluded cave mansion, Yang Kai saw a middle-aged man waiting for him.
This man looked about forty years old, but his cultivation was only at the First-Order Dao Source Realm. This level of cultivation may be satisfying in some places such as Maplewood City, since all the Old Ancestors in the various major families were just at this level.
However, this was quite lacking in Azure Sun Temple, so obviously this middle-aged man’s aptitude wasn’t the best.
Ever since Yang Kai came out from Maplewood City and stepped into this journey of his, he had seen countless rising stars and young talents, so his vision and experience were much broader than before.
As soon as the middle-aged man saw Yang Kai walking out of Gao Xue Ting’s cave mansion, he hurriedly put a smiley face on and cupped his fists, “This one has brought a thousand pieces of Facetless Profound Grass by the order of Elder Chen. I wonder if your excellency is Senior Brother Yang Kai?”
“En!” Yang Kai nodded.
The man’s eyes lit up and he praised, “I’ve heard about Brother Yang for a long time. Seeing you today, you really live up to your name.”
“What? Am I famous in Azure Sun Temple?” Yang Kai touched his nose.
The middle-aged man said with a smile, “I’m afraid Brother Yang has been training hard in isolation these days, so he has yet to hear the news from outside. The name of Brother Yang is not just widely spread in Azure Sun Temple, but also across the entire Southern Territory.”
“Is there such a thing?” Yang Kai’s face turned solemn as he suddenly had a bad premonition…
The man did not realize the change in Yang Kai’s expression as he continued to bootlick, “The news about Brother Yang refining the Extraordinary Treasure Pill in the Four Seasons Realm and overwhelming Wu Chang from the Heavenly Martial Holy Land has shocked the whole world. Brother Yang is extremely famous now…”
When he got to this point, he suddenly found that Yang Kai’s face had turned ugly, and immediately figured out the problem. With a smile, he stopped his flattery and spoke after giving out a cough, “Brother Yang, these are the Facetless Profound Grass that Elder Chen asked me to deliver. Would you like to count them?”
“It’s fine,” Yang Kai reached for the Space Ring that was passed to him and thanked that man with his fist cupped before turning around to leave.
Although Yang Kai had predicted that some of his secrets could no longer be hidden after his involvement in the incident in the Four Seasons Realm, he did not expect that the news would spread so fast and so wide. It was outside of his predictions.
If so, he should seriously consider Gao Xue Ting’s proposal to join Azure Sun Temple.
With the umbrella of protection of Azure Sun Temple, he could certainly avoid a lot of troubles in the future while without it, he would probably be hunted when he travelled around Star Boundary.
The cultivators in the Four Seasons Realm already knew that the Extraordinary Treasure Pills were all gone; however, matters related to the Extraordinary Treasure Pill were quite sensational. Some would still come and demand Yang Kai hand over the Extraordinary Treasure Pills he had…
The more he thought about it, the more frustrated he got. When he returned to the secluded cave mansion on Purple Bamboo Peak’s mountainside, his mood gradually stabilized.
There was no need to be worried about this for now. If such a thing really happened, he would just have to deal with it then.
Moreover, he was not someone to be trifled with. Despite his cultivation apparently not having progressed since the Four Seasons Realm closed, his Soul had grown significantly inside the Divine Ascension Mirror World. Any average cultivator would not be his match.
Yang Kai would only have troubles if an Emperor came to seek him out.
But even if it was a First-Order Emperor Realm Master, couldn’t he just run away if he couldn’t defeat them?
When he thought of this, his mood brightened up and a feeling of pride kicked in. Yang Kai overflowed with indescribable self-confidence, which made him feel a lot more relaxed.
After he sat down cross-legged again, he took out the Insect Enslavement Bracelet and threw the thousand Facetless Profound Grass into it before stuffing them all into the jar which contained the Soul Devouring Insects.
According to the Exotic Insect Record, due to its medicinal scent that had extremely stimulating effects on the Soul Devouring Insects, Facetless Profound Grass was the best herb to promote their evolution.
This spirit grass was also very effective in helping the growth of the Soul Devouring Insects.
All of a sudden, a mad burst of cracking sounds came from within the jar, like the galloping noises of a golden-armoured horse.
After listening for a while, Yang Kai ignored it.
There was no way for him to interfere with the evolution of the Soul Devouring Insects. Only time would tell the final results of their evolution.
Withdrawing his Divine Sense, Yang Kai took out another object and placed it in his hand to study attentively.
It was another Emperor Artifact of the Insect Emperor, the Soul Splitting Saber!
Yang Kai would not consider refining it if it was just an ordinary Emperor Artifact.
These days, he had numerous tricks to handle his enemies. Without even mentioning all of the abilities he had personally created for himself, Yang Kai also possessed two Emperor Artifacts, the Annihilation Thunder Bead and the Myriads Swords. Unfortunately, the Myriads Sword had to be returned to the Qin Family when he went back to Maplewood City.
However, one could not digest well when being stuffed with too much good food. This was one of Yang Kai’s concerns before, so he had not planned to refine the Soul Splitting Saber previously. On top of that, he had not been strong enough to do this anyways.
But everything changed since he knew this Soul-type Emperor Artifact was going to be useful. Yang Kai needed to refine it now.
Having made up his mind a while ago, after he settled matters regarding the Soul Devouring Insects, Yang Kai began to refine the Soul Splitting Saber.
He thought that refining such an Emperor Artifact would certainly take up a lot of effort and energy, since even the Insect Enslavement Bracelet had taken him a full whole month to refine.
But, contrary to what Yang Kai originally thought, refining the Soul Splitting Saber was easier than the Insect Enslavement Bracelet.
In less than half a month, Yang Kai has broken the seal on the Soul Splitting Saber, erased the Soul Imprint of the Insect Emperor, and left his own Soul Imprint in its place.
After thinking it over, Yang Kai felt that there were probably two reasons for this situation. First, his Spiritual Energy was strong enough to shorten the refining time, second, the Soul Splitting Saber was once fused with his own Soul Avatar and fought together with him against enemies in the Divine Ascension Mirror World. This experience had strengthened the connection between the Soul Splitting Saber and himself, allowing him to refine it in just half a month.
However… Like with all artifacts, Yang Kai was unable to exert this Soul Splitting Saber’s maximum power even if he had successfully refined it. In order to do that, a long period of nourishing and adapting was necessary.
Yang Kai sent the Soul Splitting Saber into his Knowledge Sea and then appeared before it in his Soul Avatar form. Next, he spared no energy to cultivate a certain Secret Technique with it.
This Secret Technique was learned from Tian Yan.
During his last days in the Divine Ascension World, Yang Kai learned a lot from Senior Tian Yan.
Tian Yan was a Great Emperor after all, and although he did not have a physical body, it was still a simple matter for him to teach Yang Kai some things at his level.
Tian Yan was extremely generous with Yang Kai and passed him almost all of his accumulated knowledge and experiences in the cultivation of the Soul.
However, in terms of Secret Techniques, Yang Kai only learnt one from Tian Yan.
Tian Yan once said to him that the quality of the Secret Techniques one possessed was more important than the quantity. If Yang Kai mastered just one extraordinary Secret Technique to an incredible height, he could still be invincible. On the other hand, learning many Secret Techniques to a sub-par level would only prove useless. All roads lead to one path, the same was true for Secret Arts and Secret Techniques.
As such, he only taught one Secret Technique to Yang Kai.
This Secret Technique was called the ‘Heaven Severing Slash’!
During normal times, Yang Kai would cultivate this Secret Technique by nourishing his weapon with his Spiritual Energy; then, when he needed to use this Secret Technique, Yang Kai could unleash all of the accumulated energy in his weapon in a single strike, resulting in an almost certain-kill technique.
Tian Yan did not have a Soul-type artifact, so he only used this Secret Technique to nourish a weapon he had formed from his own Spiritual Energy.
On top of that, it was ten thousand years ago, when he was just an ordinary Emperor Realm Master, that he created this Secret Technique.
Tian Yan today did not need this kind of Secret Technique. He was a Great Emperor and could control Principle Strength to a high degree. No one in that world could stand against him in a fight, so why would he still need special Secret Techniques?
Therefore, he passed this skill down to Yang Kai.
Although the Heaven Severing Slash would only have a miraculous effect on the first strike delivered by the Soul-type artifact it was cultivated with, and subsequent attacks could only exert the original power of that artifact, the Soul Splitting Saber itself was an Emperor Artifact, so even if Yang Kai could not release its maximum power, few would be able to withstand such a strike given his current strength.
With the support of this Secret Technique, the Heaven Severing Slash, even an Emperor Realm Master could be severely injured if they were taken off guard.
This was a life-saving, certain-kill trump card, therefore Yang Kai spared no effort to cultivate it.
Inside his Knowledge Sea, Yang Kai’s Soul Avatar revealed itself and continuously sent Spiritual Energy towards the Soul Splitting Saber, causing the flames around him to dance about madly.
With every crash of the flaming waves, the Soul Splitting Saber seemed to glow faintly and its aura would increase ever so slightly. This increase was almost unnoticeable, but if it continued to build like this, it would reach an astonishing intensity in time.
The first strike from this technique would definitely be Earth-shaking!
From time to time, Yang Kai opened his mouth to blow out a pure breath from his Soul towards the Soul Splitting Saber, tempering the strength within.
As the days passed, Yang Kai stayed in the cave mansion on Purple Bamboo Peak and cultivated the Heaven Severing Slash with his Soul Splitting Saber.
But he also spent some time checking in on Hua Qing Si and Zhang Ruo Xi in the Small Sealed World.
Ever since he gave the last Extraordinary Treasure Pill to Hua Qing Si and she consumed it unceremoniously, this woman’s attitude towards Yang Kai had turned around completely. Although she did not act at Yang Kai’s beck and call, she no longer rejected him directly as she used to and was much more accommodating.
The Principles of the Small Sealed World weren’t perfect… Although the Small Sealed World had absorbed a lot of Shattered Principles from the third layer of the Five Coloured Treasure Pagoda, its inner World Principles still lacked something and could never be compared to the Principles of the Star Boundary.
It was not a problem for a Master like Hua Qing Si, with her level of cultivation, to normally cultivate and comprehend in the Small Sealed World.
However, if she wanted to break through, the Small Sealed World was not suitable for her due to the imperfection of the Principles here. The Heavenly Way and Martial Dao that she could sense and comprehend from this place were insufficient to support her next breakthrough.
But when that time came, Yang Kai would definitely let her out and find a safe and proper place for her to break through peacefully. By then, Yang Kai would have a subordinate Emperor who could fight for him…
He was so excited just thinking about it.
Zhang Ruo Xi had also made rapid progress these days, and now her Second-Order Returning Realm cultivation had been fully consolidated.
The cultivating speed of those Favoured Sons and Daughters of Heaven paled in comparison to Zhang Ruo Xi’s.
Something in Zhang Ruo Xi seemed to be awakening gradually, and as it did so, her cultivation speed only grew faster and faster. There was a gradual change in her character as well, as she became less timid and instead was imbued with strength and confidence.
This naturally pleased Yang Kai.
It had been two months since Yang Kai came back from the Divine Ascension Mirror World, and today, like the day before, he was nourishing his Soul Splitting Saber in order to cultivate the Heaven Severing Slash in his cave mansion. Suddenly, he sensed the barrier outside being slightly disturbed.
He immediately stopped his cultivation and returned his consciousness to his body. Taking out the control token, he then disabled the barriers.
A voice was heard from outside, “Young Master Yang, Young Master Yang!”
The voice was familiar and Yang Kai realized who the person was after a while.
He replied, “Please enter, Deacon Tao.”
Outside the cave mansion, Tao Ming, who originally had a small grudge with Yang Kai a few months ago, heard his invitation and stepped into the cave mansion with a solemn face.
After a short while, he came to the secret room. However, Tao Ming at this moment had long lost his past arrogance and greeted Yang Kai with a flattering smile, “Pardon me for interrupting Young Master Yang’s rest. This Tao feels deeply guilty about this.”
Yang Kai glanced at him and said lightly, “Who sent you here? What news do you bring?”
Tao Ming’s face turned solemn again after hearing this, “By the order of Sir Temple Master, this Tao is here to inform Young Master Yang that the item you need… has been found.”
Yang Kai got up hastily as his eyes lit up and he called out, “Really?”
Tao Ming smiled, “Temple Master gave his word personally for this matter.”
“Great, it’s been found!” Yang Kai brightened up.
Although Tao Ming did not tell him what ‘it’ was, what else could it be other than the Tribulation Fruit?
Even though Yang Kai had been busy with the Insect Enslavement Bracelet, raising his Soul Devouring Insects, and nourishing his Soul Splitting Saber, he never stopped thinking about the matter of the Tribulation Fruit. It was just that the appointed time had not arrived, so he did not become impatient either.
Now, he finally received the good news.
He could not help releasing a sigh of relief, and his whole body relaxed, as if the burden he had been carrying for a long time was finally lifted.
After all, the Tribulation Fruit was a matter of life or death for Qin Yu.
All the opportunities that he received during these past few months were only possible because of the Bustling World Token owned by Qin Zhao Yang.
If he failed to obtain the Tribulation Fruit, Yang Kai would not have been able to give a proper confession to Qin Zhao Yang and the Qin Family.
This matter would definitely become a stain on his conscience and may even develop into a Heart Demon.
But now, he no longer needed to worry. Since Wen Zi Shan had ordered Tao Ming to send a message to him, it meant that the Tribulation Fruit had been found.
In this way, he could bring the spirit fruit back to Maplewood City, hand it over to the Qin Family, and finally untie this knot in his heart.
Tao Ming rejoiced with him, although he had no idea what Yang Kai was looking forward to. He just needed to flatter him.
“Right, Deacon Tao, did the Temple Master say where that thing is now?” Yang Kai asked after composing himself again.
Tao Ming replied, “Temple Master said that the thing is already en route and will be here within three days. Young Master Yang may rest assured that there will not be any accidents.”
“Good good good, thank Temple Master Wen on my behalf,” Yang Kai cupped his fists formally.
“If Young Master Yang has no other orders, this Tao will take his leave,” Tao Ming smiled.
“En, many thanks, Deacon Tao!”
Yang Kai sent Tao Ming off, but he did not feel like cultivating again after. He guessed that Wen Zi Shan had sent a message to him just now in order to let him feel at ease, but he also probably did not expect that Yang Kai would value the Tribulation Fruit so much…
Yang Kai felt like he was sitting on pins and needles in his cave mansion for the next three days, and early in the morning of the last day, Yang Kai left Purple Bamboo Peak and rushed towards Myriad Saints Peak.
When Yang Kai reached the temple’s main peak, before he could even announce his arrival, Wen Zi Shan’s voice called out from inside, “Come in.”
Yang Kai was startled… but quickly straightened up his clothes and stepped in.
There was no one else in the temple except for Wen Zi Shan, who was sitting cross-legged, seemingly cultivating some kind of mysterious art.
Yang Kai waited quietly and did not interrupt him after entering the temple.
Secretly, Yang Kai was impressed.
Wen Zi Shan was already so powerful with his Third-Order Emperor Realm cultivation, yet he was still so diligent and did not slack at all in his efforts.
For a cultivator, being untalented was not scary. What made a cultivator formidable was not their aptitude, but their will.
No doubt, Wen Zi Shan was a man of incredible will. It was not a fluke that he was able to reach the Third-Order Emperor Realm …
After a short while, Wen Zi Shan ceased his work and opened his eyes. He looked at Yang Kai and teased, “What’s wrong? Can’t wait for it anymore?”
Yang Kai said shyly, “The earlier I see it, the earlier I will be at ease.”
“En, a loyal and righteous spirit!” Wen Zi Shan nodded, “The Bustling World Token from the Qin Family was not wasted.”
“It’s only natural for a man to fulfil his promises,” Yang Kai replied.
Wen Zi Shan nodded lightly, pondered for a short while before saying, “Have you given the matter mentioned by Little Xue Ting any thoughts?”
Yang Kai gave a wry smile after hearing this, “So, it was Temple Master Wen who asked Elder Gao to persuade me?”
“Yes, it was my idea, but Little Xue Ting also has great expectations of you,” Wen Zi Shan admitted bluntly. “Besides, you have entered the Divine Ascension Mirror World, so you can already be considered half a disciple of the temple, yes? This is a secret that even ordinary disciples do not know about”.
Yang Kai looked solemn and pondered for a long while. He seemed to be considering the words that he was about to say for a long time before finally opening his mouth, “Many thanks to the kindness of Temple Master Wen and Elder Gao, but Junior does not have any thoughts about joining any Sect for now. It is not because I despise or even dislike your noble temple, but… Junior has his own reasons.”
Of course, what he meant was the Demon Spirit.
Wen Zi Shan gazed at him intently and nodded, “Fine, this King won’t force you. However… if one day you grow tired of wandering outside, just come to our temple. Our gates will always be open for you!”
Yang Kai was slightly moved and bowed deeply, “Many thanks for your kindness, Temple Master Wen. If such a day does come, it will be this Junior’s honour to accept!”
Wen Zi Shan grinned, “This King was like you back then, in love with the idea of wandering freely and enjoying life, but then…” The corner of his mouth twitched before he continued, “I picked up a little girl who fought like a wild cat for food in the wild.”
The appearance of Gao Xue Ting floated before Yang Kai’s eyes.
“So, bear in mind that you can pick up any treasure during your travels across the Star Boundary, but be sure not to pick up a little girl!” Wen Zi Shan said in a sincere and serious tone, “These little girls are cute, gentle, and obedient when they are young, but when they grow up, they will show absolutely no respect for you and become utterly heartless. Just speaking of this now… it brings tears to one’s eyes!”
He looked extremely hurt, making Yang Kai feel speechless.
“Only brings tears to your eyes, is it?” A cold, emotionless voice suddenly came from outside the hall, causing the temperature inside the plummet rapidly. It was as if the weather had suddenly turned and winter rolled in, causing one to feel a chill deep in their bones…
Wen Zi Shan froze solid and his face twisted up, as if he had been hit by some kind of paralysing technique.
A moment later, a beautiful figure slowly walked inside.
Gao Xue Ting, her face cold as ice, swept her beautiful eyes, which seemed to be filled with thunder and lightning, across the room.
Wen Zi Shan seemed to shrink to half his original height at that moment, and even Yang Kai could not help shivering.
A murderous intent and hostility filled the air.
“Show absolutely no respect, right?” Gao Xue Ting said flatly as the corners of her mouth curled upwards ever so slightly.
“Th… this is… tha… that…” Wen Zi Shan’s sweat was dripping down like a waterfall and his words cracked like he was stuttering incoherently. At the same time, his eyes kept swirling about as he forced himself to put on a flattering smile, “Little Xue Ting, wha… what are you doing here? Wh, wh, why didn’t you send a notification before coming in? I… i… isn’t this a little impolite?”
Gao Xue Ting answered coldly, “I’m here to deliver the Tribulation Fruit.”
Saying so, she tossed a jade box to Yang Kai.
Yang Kai’s eyes lit up as he caught the jade box and opened it with a flick.
The box was full of cold mist, and a crystal-like spirit fruit was lying quietly inside it.
[The Tribulation Fruit!]
Even though Yang Kai had never seen the real thing before, he could still identify it at a glance. By looking at the appearance of the Tribulation Fruit, it seemed that it was freshly harvested not long ago. If he wasn’t mistaken, this Tribulation Fruit was the very one that had been picked in the Realm of Winter in the Four Seasons Realm.
Yang Kai didn’t know which great force Azure Sun Temple obtained this spirit fruit from, but given the time consumed, it seemed that the Azure Sun Temple had put in a lot of effort for this.
“Utterly heartless, you say?” Gao Xue Ting did not intend to give up, however, and continued to stare at Wen Zi Shan coldly after handing over the spirit fruit, her eyes flashing like sharp swords.
Wen Zi Shan grit his teeth before putting on a strong expression and bellowing to Yang Kai, “Disaster has come, so this Temple Master will take his leave first. Take care of yourself! If you ever encounter troubles in the future, come to the temple!”
Yang Kai did not even have time to give his thanks before Wen Zi Shan’s figure flickered and disappeared.
“You want to run?” A cold light flashed across Gao Xue Ting’s beautiful eyes as she summoned her Radiant Sun Mirror Emperor Artifact. An intense beam of blazing sunlight shot out towards the void, and a moment later, Wen Zi Shan’s figure reappeared in that direction. Although Gao Xue Ting found his whereabouts, Temple Master Wen was still able to escape the Radiant Sun Mirror’s suppression with his extraordinary strength and disappeared in a blink of an eye.
“Old thing, don’t you dare run! Today I will show you what it really means to have no respect and become utterly heartless!” Gao Xue Ting ground her teeth as she stomped her foot and chased after Wen Zi Shan.
The disciples who were guarding outside watched this scene with their jaws dropped.
Yang Kai, who was holding the jade box, looked at the farce with a smile on his face. He kept smiling and smiling until he suddenly could not smile anymore, slapping his thigh in regret, “I forgot to ask about the Shattered Star Sea again!”
Maplewood City, Qin Family.
On the sickbed in Qin Yu’s boudoir, laid Qin Yu looking as pale as a ghost. She coughed gently from time to time and occasionally so violently that she could not even breathe.
An inexplicable Death Qi lingered around Qin Yu, one that even ordinary mortals who had never cultivated before could vaguely feel. Someone with a bit of cultivation could clearly see Qin Yu was enveloped by a faint black Qi with just a scan of their Divine Sense.
As time went by, the black Qi became denser.
No one knew what kind of energy the black Qi was, but since it appeared two months ago, it had been devouring Qin Yu’s vitality, making her condition worse day by day.
It was her World Tribulation Body Special Constitution, which was not allowed by the Heavens and Earth. Anyone with Qin Yu’s Special Constitution could not live beyond eighteen years of age, because the World Principles would cut off their vitality.
Beside the sickbed, a maidservant who served Qin Yu, gently wiped away the tears from her red and swollen eyes.
Qin Yu was kind and polite to both her Seniors and Juniors. Everyone in the Qin Family respected her, including this maidservant. The maidservant was in extreme distress that the Young Lady of the family was suffering from a serious illness and had weakened this much in just two months.
“What are you crying for?! Get out of here, you useless thing!” Qin Zhao Yang shouted in fury from the side.
He was extremely anxious these days, and the sight of this maidservant crying in front of him aggravated his worries and fury, so he could not stop himself from venting at her.
The maidservant fell to her knees in terror, but she did not leave, “Forgive me, Old Ancestor! Please show mercy! This servant will stop crying, but this servant will not go! This servant wants to stay and take care of the Young Lady…”
She begged repeatedly with utter sincerity.
Qin Zhao Yang opened his mouth to say something but could only sigh deeply, raised his hand to use an invisible force to lift the maidservant up. Restraining his anger, he muttered, “Forget it…”
He was too depressed and lonely to argue.
“It is this servant’s fault. This servant did not take good care of the Young Lady,” as the maidservant spoke, she silently wiped the newly shed tears from her eyes.
“Old Ancestor…” On the sickbed, Qin Yu gently called out suddenly. With another fierce cough, the maidservant quickly went forward to pat her back.
After Qin Yu had stopped coughing, Qin Zhao Yang said in a soft voice, “Yu’er, take a good rest. Don’t say anything.”
Qin Yu shook her head slowly and asked, “Big Brother Yang… Is he back yet?”
Hearing this, Qin Zhao Yang’s face changed slightly, at a loss for words.
As Qin Yu approached her eighteenth birthday, Yang Kai was her only hope for survival, but there was still no sign of him.
Qin Zhao Yang could not help but begin to wonder if he had trusted the wrong person.
He had already investigated what happened in the Four Seasons Realm.
In the Four Seasons Realm, Yang Kai had performed an incredible feat of refining a legendary Spirit Pill before outwitting and overpowering the elite disciples of various great forces all on his own. The news had spread widely across the entire Southern Territory.
Maplewood City was a small city, but it was not difficult to catch the news with Qin Zhao Yang’s effort.
However, the Four Seasons Realm had closed nearly three months ago, so if Yang Kai had really gotten the Tribulation Fruit, he should have come back to Maplewood City long ago. Why then had he not appeared yet?
Qin Zhao Yang did not want to be overly suspicious and pessimistic, but he just could not be at ease for even a day without seeing Yang Kai.
He did not know whether Yang Kai was too embarrassed to see him because he failed to obtain the Tribulation Fruit, or Yang Kai did not take the matter of the Tribulation Fruit seriously and had completely forgotten the matter.
The world was too big, so even if he planned to look for Yang Kai, he would not know where to start. What was more, he did not have enough time.
“Old Ancestor, are you suspecting Big Brother Yang?” Although Qin Yu was extremely ill, she was still as beautiful and intelligent as before and immediately knew what was on his mind as soon as she saw the look on Qin Zhao Yang’s face.
“Old Ancestor does not want to overthink things either, he just hopes Little Brother Yang can bring that item back as soon as possible, but… even if he didn’t manage to obtain the item, he should still return to explain. He is not omnipotent, this Old Ancestor can understand, but now he…!”
“Perhaps Big Brother Yang was delayed by some important matter,” Qin Yu said softly, but just as she had just finished speaking, she coughed again.
“Old Ancestor hopes so,” Qin Zhao Yang gave a wry smile, but he disapproved in his heart.
[Even if he was delayed, he could always send someone to deliver a message, right?] Deep down in his heart, he felt that Yang Kai probably took the Myriads Sword from the Qin Family and did not want to come back.
It would be fine even if he lost an Emperor Artifact like the Myriads Sword as, although it was extremely valuable, the Qin Family had declined so far that no one in the family could use its power anymore. Also, an ordinary man is innocent but his treasures make him guilty, so having such a precious treasure around might bring them more harm than good down the line.
But the cost of trusting the wrong person made Qin Zhao Yang feel extremely heartbroken and he secretly regretted that he had given such an important task to a person he barely knew.
If he had gone to the Four Seasons Realm on his own at that time, there might be a glimmer of hope that Qin Yu could be saved.
The deep sense of guilt and self-blame was the cause of Qin Zhao Yang’s sleepless nights and lack of appetite.
“Big Brother Yang will be back,” Qin Yu said with a determined voice, “He is not the kind of person who would take advantage of others and leave without saying goodbye.”
“Young Lady, at this point of time, why are you still defending that person?” The maidservant watched in distress, tears struggling to leak out again.
“You don’t know anything,” Qin Yu reprimanded her gently and continued, “Although I haven’t known Big Brother Yang for a long time, Old Ancestor, you should know that I have the Fated Fortune Heavenly Pupil, and my judgement about people is never wrong.”
Hearing this, Qin Zhao Yang’s eyes lit up, and he felt a little hopeful again.
It was true. Although Qin Yu did not have a very high cultivation, because she had the Fated Fortune Heavenly Pupil, her ability to assess others’ characters was incredibly accurate. With just a glance, she could sense if a person was good or evil, and if a person was trustworthy or not.
Without Qin Yu’s advice, Qin Zhao Yang would never have given the Four Seasons Realm entry quota to Yang Kai.
“So Big Brother Yang must be delayed by something,” Qin Yu ended the discussion before changing the topic, “Old Ancestor, don’t worry about me and attend to your own affairs. I will get better sooner or later. In fact, I heard from Hui’er that quite a few important characters have recently arrived here in Maplewood City… and some are even residing in our Qin Residence?”
“En!” Qin Zhao Yang nodded, “Old Ancestor did not tell you about it because you were so ill lately, but it seems this little girl has been gossiping behind my back.”
While talking, he glared at the maidservant called Hui’er.
The maidservant gulped, “This servant just told the Young Lady some recent news to uplift her mood. This servant dares not repeat it next time.”
“I’ll chop off your legs if this happens again!” Qin Zhao Yang snorted coldly.
“Don’t be afraid, Old Ancestor is just scaring you,” Qin Yu smiled and patted the back of Hui’er’s hand.
Qin Zhao Yang sighed deeply, “The people in the family are all spoiled by you.”
“Old Ancestor, what is happening in the city recently, why have so many people suddenly come?” Qin Yu asked, turning her head.
In the past two years, the peace of Maplewood City was consistently disturbed. First was the appearance of the Divine Spirit Luan Feng, attracting Masters sent by great forces like Star Soul Palace to investigate. Then, there was a Demon Qi explosion which besieged the city, causing a great deal of trouble.
The nearby Forest City was wiped out in the latter incident, but fortunately, the Demon Qi had retreated voluntarily in the end, restoring peace and calm once more.
If that wasn’t the case, Maplewood City would likely be a desolated ruin by now.
After that event, a few Emperor Realm Masters worked tirelessly to investigate the situation.
The reason for the arrivals of these Masters this time was still unknown to Qin Yu, so she was quite curious. Although Qin Yu heard some rumours from Hui’er, she did not know any details.
“The source of this recent incident actually has something to do with the appearance of that Demon Qi last time,” Qin Zhao Yang sighed, with a sad look on his face.
Qin Yu’s delicate face slightly changed upon hearing this and she exclaimed, “Is it possible the Demon Qi that disappeared inexplicably has appeared again?”
Hui’er, who was standing next to her, trembled, with her face filled with terror.
“That’s not it,” Qin Zhao Yang replied, “The Demon Qi retreated inexplicably and has never appeared again. The reason for what is happening now is because a High-Grade Earth Vein has appeared beneath the seal that we visited last time.”
“A High-Grade Earth Vein?” Qin Yu’s eyes lit up, “Has a High-Grade Earth Vein really appeared in our Maplewood City?”
Qin Zhao Yang laughed, “We, the old folk of the city, were surprised too. You know, the reason why Maplewood City has not attracted any great forces is that it is too small and the World Energy aura of this region is not very rich. There are also no special products produced here, so the City Lord’s Mansion has been able to take responsibility for all things all this time. However, when this High-Grade Earth Vein appeared, the situation changed…”
“A single High-Grade Earth Vein would not be enough to cause such a stir… could there be other reasons these great forces have decided to act?”
“Indeed!” Qin Zhao Yang looked solemn, “Near that High-Grade Earth Vein, it seems that many branches of Mid-Grade and Low-Grade Earth Veins have also been found. In addition, towards the direction of Clear Jade Mountain, a Source Crystal lode was discovered, but the grade of this mine is still to be determined!”
Qin Yu could not help feeling shocked this time.
She finally understood why Maplewood City had attracted so many outsiders.
A Source Crystals lode was enough to start a war over, not to mention that there were many Earth Veins of different qualities in this place too.
“Of course, great forces like Star Soul Palace would not pay any attention to these Earth Veins or a single Source Crystal lode, but the second and third-tier forces are all very interested in these things,” Qin Zhao Yang continued.
“Maplewood City is not the same anymore, there are already several dozen Third-Order Dao Source Realm Masters here, and if the benefits seem to be large enough, it probably won’t be long until Emperors begin to appear as well.”
Qin Yu listened intently, then said seriously, “Old Ancestor, during this critical situation, I don’t think we, the Qin Family, should get ourselves involved. Let us just wait and observe. We are no match to those giants.”
“Old Ancestor naturally understands this,” Qin Zhao Yang forced a smile, “It’s just that the Qin Family has rooted in Maplewood City and we can’t stay out entirely… the Masters from the second and third class Sects were not willing to settle down in the various inns in the city and instead chose to stay in the residences of the few large families here. The Zhou Family, Du Family, Liang Family, and Xin Family have shown hospitality to a number of such forces each, and even the City Lord’s Mansion was wrested away by Flying Saint Palace!”
“Even the City Lord’s Mansion…” Qin Yu covered her mouth.
Qin Zhao Yang continued, “Flying Saint Palace is helmed by an Emperor Realm Master, while Sir City Lord is just a Second-Order Dao Source Realm cultivator. How could he raise any objections? We, the Qin Family, are already considered to be lucky by comparison as we only need to deal with one great force, but the City Lord’s Mansion… Haa… they are in dire straits.”
“What happened?” Qin Yu questioned.
Qin Zhao Yang’s face darkened, he said, “Zhuang Pan returned!”
“What?” Qin Yu’s face turned black after hearing this and she couldn’t help gritting her teeth, “That shameless coward still dares to return?”
Back when the city was besieged by the Demon Qi wave, the few Masters available had united and used the Black Tortoise Seven Points Array to forge their way towards the sealing place of the Demon Qi in order to stem its tide. However, before they could complete their task, Zhuang Pan had lost his nerve and, caring for nothing but saving his own skin, deserted the others and ran off at the crucial moment, leading to the destruction of the Black Tortoise Seven Points Array.
Although Duan Yuan Shan managed to escape at the last moment and bring Qin Zhao Yang and Qin Yu back to Maplewood City, they had failed to reinforce the Demon Qi seal. No one knew what happened next, only that three Emperor Realm Masters showed up right after and then the Demon Qi disappeared.
Zhuang Pan had not been seen since then.
He used to be a Vice City Lord of Maplewood City, similar to Drunkard. He assisted Duan Yuan Shan in managing Maplewood City and the surrounding ten-thousand-kilometre region. After he disappeared, the position of Vice City Lord was naturally left unfilled.
Duan Yuan Shan had tried to persuade Yang Kai to fill that position, but he kindly refused.
After that incident, everyone, including the Qin Family and Duan Yuan Shan, hated Zhuang Pan deeply. Duan Yuan Shan even announced in public that he would execute this cowardly traitor if he ever saw him again.
Who could have expected that this same snake would return just a few months later? How could Qin Yu not be surprised?
Qin Zhao Yang coldly snorted, “He didn’t just shamelessly return, he actually came back even more arrogant than before!”
“What happened?” Qin Yu frowned, vaguely feeling that there must be more to the story.
“What else could have happened? He sought refuge in the Flying Saint Palace!” Qin Zhao Yang sneered, “He was also the one who led the delegation from Flying Saint Palace into the City Lord’s Mansion. I bet City Lord Duan… must be suffering.”
Qin Yu was silent for a while after listening to him, seemingly imagining the helplessness Duan Yuan Shan must be experiencing.
With the backing of Flying Saint Palace, Zhuang Pan could parade around wantonly while Duan Yuan Shan could do nothing against him. Their situation had totally reversed from before, so Duan Yuan Shan must be incomparably frustrated.
‘City Lord’s Mansion’ today was only an empty title.
“Every family is not having a good time now. The Zhou Family, Du Family, Liang Family, and Xin Family are all quite irritated by this foul atmosphere. Xin Gao Jie has come to me and complained about the bitterness his family is suffering several times already…” Qin Zhao Yang sighed with his head shaking slowly.
“Then our Qin Family…” Qin Yu stopped, swallowing back the words on the tip of her tongue.
“It’s still fine so far,” Qin Zhao Yang said in a heavy tone, “The Sect that came to stay in our Qin Residence is called ‘Eight Paths Sect’, a second-class Sect, and the young man who leads them prefers solitude so he can focus entirely on his cultivation, so our Qin Family has not been given any serious trouble from him. The same goes for this young man’s subordinates, so we have been able to co-exist peacefully until now.”
“That’s good then,” Qin Yu felt relieved after hearing this.
“Our Qin Family has it comparatively good,” Qin Zhao Yang smiled faintly.
While they were still speaking, a sudden rush of footsteps was heard from the outside. It seemed that someone was running in their direction.
Qin Zhao Yang couldn’t help but frown.
After a while, the voice of the maidservant rang out, “Old Ancestor…”
The voice quivered with uncontrolled emotions.
“Have a good rest, Yu’er. Old Ancestor will be back soon,” Qin Zhao Yang did not want to disturb Qin Yu’s mood with some trivial matters, so he turned to leave after comforting her.
“Old Ancestor…” Qin Yu called out from behind, “Be careful.”
Qin Zhao Yang gently nodded and walked out. After closing the door, he flashed his eyes like lightning and glared at the maidservant.
The eyes of the maidservant were filled with tears as she began to speak but then hesitated when she noticed Qin Zhao Yang’s stare.
Qin Zhao Yang walked out of the boudoir and the maidservant followed closely behind him.
After taking some distance from Qin Yu’s room, Qin Zhao Yang asked, “What’s the matter? Speak.”
“Old Ancestor…” The maidservant hurriedly explained what happened just now.
Qin Zhao Yang’s face darkened after hearing her explanation and rushed out to the rear courtyard.
Inside her room, Qin Yu spoke to Hui’er, “Help me up.”
Hui’er asked in shock, “Young Lady, what do you want to do?”
“To see what is happening, I have a bad feeling,” Qin Yu answered with worry.
“We have Old Ancestor with us, what could happen? In fact, Young Lady is the one who is not feeling well now, so it’s better not to get up.”
“Are you going to help me or not?” Qin Yu stared at her Hui’er with her sharp but beautiful eyes.
Hui’er panicked seeing this and desperately tried to dissuade, “Young Lady, this servant dares not without Old Ancestor’s consent…”
“Then I will get up by myself…” Qin Yu grit her teeth and slowly straightened her body. It was just a simple movement but it already caused her to groan in pain and cold sweat to bead on her forehead.
Hui’er, watching from the side, was anxious like a cat on a hot brick and kept trying to persuade Qin Yu to stop, but her Young Lady turned a deaf ear to her pleas. In the end, Hui’er had no choice but to choke down her tears and assist Qin Yu.
…
City Lord’s Mansion.
Inside the main hall of the City Lord’s Mansion, a man who appeared to be in his twenties sat at the head seat. Although this man had an impressive appearance, there was a sinister feeling about him, as if he was always plotting some wicked scheme.
His cultivation was not high, just First-Order Dao Source Realm, but the air about him made it apparent he had a strong background.
This man was the current Young Palace Master of Flying Saint Palace, Ning Yuan Shu.
Ever since the last Young Palace Master of Flying Saint Palace, Ning Yuan Cheng, suffered from a sudden death, his younger brother, Ning Yuan Shu, had assumed the role of Young Palace Master.
Two Third-Order Dao Source Realm Masters were standing separately on either side of Ning Yuan Shu. One of them was expressionless and seemed to be resting his mind with his eyes closed, while the other one appeared like an old man but radiated a strong vitality.
They were the Left and Right Protectors of Flying Saint Palace, Gao Shan and Liu Shui.
Gao Shan was Left Protector while Liu Shui was Right Protector. Both of them were proficient in sound-based techniques and had mysterious combination skills that were incredibly powerful.
At this moment, Ning Yuan Shu was savouring the spirit fruits on the table with a smile on his face.
Below him, the former Maplewood City Vice City Lord, Zhuang Pan was staring coldly at a man, his facial expression filled with contempt and arrogance.
The person that he was staring at was Duan Yuan Shan.
Beside Duan Yuan Shan was Drunkard, who developed a red flush in his face and was most likely drunk. His eyes seemed glossy and drifted around the hall as his gaze floated about his surroundings.
“Is there some reason Young Palace Master has summoned both of us here?” Duan Yuan Shan cupped his fists and asked unhappily.
Anyone would be pissed if their home was suddenly intruded on by outsiders and taken over. However, considering that both Protector Gao Shan and Protector Liu Shui were present, and represented Flying Saint Palace, Duan Yuan Shan did not dare to resist and could only allow them to occupy the City Lord’s Mansion, which was supposed to symbolize the pride of a City Lord.
These days, he and Drunkard had tried their best to live in simplicity and stay out of worldly affairs.
But Ning Yuan Shu had asked for them today.
“Obviously there is a reason for you to be summoned! However, don’t you see that Young Palace Master is currently enjoying his spirit fruit? Just stand there and wait quietly!” Zhuang Pan rebuked sharply.
Just a few months ago, he had a conflict with Yang Kai during which the spirituality of his precious artifact was all but destroyed and he had personally been injured. At the time though, Duan Yuan Shan did not help him and instead took Yang Kai’s side to reprimand him.
Zhuang Pan loathed Duan Yuan Shan, so now that he had the chance to repay the humiliation from back then, he took full advantage of it.
“Ge…” Drunkard gave out a loud burp without any warning, filling the air with a strong smell of alcohol.
Ning Yuan Shu, who was seated at the head of the hall, frowned as he lost the mood to savour his food and unpleasantly dropped them.
“Sir City Lord… ge, why does this old man… wu… hear a dog barking… uhh…” He could only finish his one sentence in a few divided sections, looking so sloppy that it was embarrassing just looking at him.
“You…” His words and actions enraged Zhuang Pan. It was impossible for him to not understand that Drunkard was insulting him.
But Ning Yuan Shu waved his hand to stop his clamour.
Seeing this, Zhuang Pan did not dare to continue his sentence and instead just glared at Drunkard with hatred.
“City Lord Duan!” Ning Yuan Shu greeted Duan Yuan Shan with a slight smile.
Duan Yuan Shan frowned.
Although Ning Yuan Shu was smiling, Duan Yuan Shan could not help feeling a chill down his back, like some kind of venomous snake was eying him.
“What is your command, Young Palace Master?” Duan Yuan Shan asked solemnly.
“Father specially arranged the two Protectors, Gao Shan and Liu Shui, to keep this Young Master company for this trip out of the palace. Given that they are the strongest masters aside from my Lord Father in our palace, they actually shouldn’t be dispatched for such a simple errand. So, City Lord Duan, do you know why they are here?” He grinned lightly.
Duan Yuan Shan thought to himself, [What does that have to do with me? It was your old man who sent some men to protect you. Also, don’t Young Masters like you always have some bodyguards with them when they are out for a trip?]
Even though he thought so, he simply replied, “I don’t know.”
“Heh heh…” Ning Yuan Shu laughed softly, “Of course they are here to keep me safe…”
Duan Yuan Shan’s face darkened and he showed an expression that seemed to scream ‘Are you messing with me’. [If this question was that simple, why did you even ask in the first place?]
As expected, Ning Yuan Shu suddenly continued, “Lord Father said that the public order in Maplewood City… is quite bad!”
Duan Yuan Shan frowned and asked, “Where did such a rumour spawn from? This Duan has governed Maplewood City for many years now and although the cultivators in the city might not be the kindest or easiest to get along with, killing and robbing rarely happen here. Regarding the statement about the public order here being bad, please forgive this Duan for not being able to agree.”
“Really?” Ning Yuan Shu smiled slightly, but sinisterly stared at Duan Yuan Shan, “Then, may I ask, how did my Elder Brother die?”
Duan Yuan Shan shivered and frowned, “What does Young Palace Master mean?”
“Heh heh…” Ning Yuan Shu laughed and said, “My Eldest Brother, Ning Yuan Cheng. City Lord Duan, don’t you know him?”
Duan Yuan Shan was silent. Of course, he knew Ning Yuan Cheng. When the Divine Spirit appeared last time, Ning Yuan Cheng had brought an entourage to Maplewood City. Duan Yuan Shan also knew that Ning Yuan Cheng participated in an auction fair that he had organized.
Ning Yuan Shu said, “As far as I know, my Eldest Brother went missing after he participated in your auction fair in Maplewood City. Although no corpse was found, his Life Lamp, which was placed in the palace, shattered, so obviously, something tragic happened to him. Even if the location of his disappearance was not in Maplewood City, it should not be far from here. Should City Lord Duan not give me an explanation?”
Duan Yuan Shan looked uncertain.
He thought that the other party was about to settle accounts with him.
Although Ning Yuan Cheng’s death had nothing to do with him and he didn’t even know anything about it, the last time he showed up in Maplewood City, he had a bad encounter. In any case, Maplewood City should at least be a bit responsible. If Flying Saint Palace was really trying to hold him accountable, Duan Yuan Shan would have no way out.
Seeing his ugly face, Ning Yuan Shu laughed, “City Lord Duan, don’t panic. Speaking of this, this Young Master wants to thank you…”
“Is the Young Palace Master telling this Duan a joke?” Duan Yuan Shan looked up with a gloomy expression.
Ning Yuan Shu shook his head, “Of course not. If my Eldest Brother had not encountered an accident in your Maplewood City, I would never have been appointed as Young Palace Master in his place. City Lord Duan, this Young Master should be thanking you.”
Instead of feeling any joy, Duan Yuan Shan felt chills all over.
He rejoiced instead of mourning for the death of his own Elder Brother, excited to replace him as Young Palace Master, and even admitted it in public.
Ning Yuan Shu’s repulsive personality was evident. Duan Yuan Shan would not dare to take people like him lightly.
From above, Ning Yuan Shu continued, “Although that trash died, his death caused the Sect to lose a lot of face, which is really heartbreaking. In addition… Elder Fu, who came to investigate the cause of my Elder Brother’s death, also died in Maplewood City. Elder Fu was a Third-Order Dao Source Realm Master, a highly valuable asset to the Sect. His death can’t be left uninvestigated. Shouldn’t City Lord Duan give me an explanation for this as well?”
His face gradually turned cold as he spoke the last line, and he looked at Duan Yuan Shan aggressively.
“Elder Fu?” Duan Yuan Shan was startled. His face changed slightly as he thought of someone and whispered, “Is this the person the Young Palace Master is referring to?”
As he spoke, he stretched out his hand and waved forward, using his Source Qi to form the image of a person.
Ning Yuan Shu took a look, and nodded, “Exactly! He is Fu Si Tong from my Sect!”
Duan Yuan Shan’s face changed drastically, and he murmured, “It turns out that he was your noble Sect’s Elder, no wonder he had such a high cultivation.”
He had just suddenly recalled this person and had not really expected him to be the Elder Fu that Ning Yuan Shu mentioned.
Duan Yuan Shan was not familiar with this Elder Fu, but when the Demon Qi wave enveloped the city, Duan Yuan Shan had recruited him as a candidate to form the Black Tortoise Seven Points Array that the Qin Family contributed. There was also another young woman with a Third-Order Dao Source Realm cultivation who was present at the time. Although Duan Yuan Shan knew that both of them were extraordinary, he did not investigate their backgrounds.
He only learned that one of them was an Elder of Flying Saint Palace today.
He pondered for a while, cupped his fists, and continued, “If Young Palace Master wishes to know how your Elder Fu died, this Duan can say a thing or two.”
“Oh? Let’s hear it,” Ning Yuan Shu frowned.
“Young Palace Master must have heard about the revival of an Ancient Great Demon and an eruption of Demon Qi which occurred near Maplewood City a few months ago.” He explained what had happened, including Zhuang Pan’s cowardice at the last moment, abandoning everyone and fleeing.
Zhuang Pan’s expression turned from red to green as he was unable to refute.
Gao Shan and Liu Shui both turned even more contemptuous looks towards Zhuang Pan, making the latter want to find a place to bury his head and never to show himself again.
“When the array broke, Demon Qi spread rapidly, and this Duan was unable to resist so he escaped back to the city with the Qin Family members, somehow managing to survive in the end. Elder Fu did not leave immediately but chose to stay behind. There is no way for this Duan to know what happened exactly, but since Elder Fu died, it was most likely because he was injured by the Demon Qi.”
“I see…” Ning Yuan Shu did not show any doubt. He just pondered for a moment before positing, “In that case, it’s not City Lord Duan’s fault, but Deacon Zhuang’s?”
He suddenly turned his gaze to Zhuang Pan.
Zhuang Pan cultivation was not low, at any rate, he had reached the Dao Source Realm, allowing him to obtain the position of Deacon even though he only joined Flying Saint Palace recently. He thought he would be making his way in the world but he did not expect that a few words from Duan Yuan Shan would cause tragedy to suddenly approach.
Zhuang Pan cursed Duan Yuan Shan viciously in his heart.
Sensing the coldness of Ning Yuan Shu’s gaze, however, Zhuang Pan dropped to his knees with a thud in fright, causing Duan Yuan Shan and Drunkard to also look at him with contempt.
“Please understand, Young Palace Master, the situation that day was definitely not what Duan Yuan Shan had described. The reason why this subordinate did that was actually… actually…” He ran out of words and cold sweat dripped from his forehead.
“Actually what?” Ning Yuan Shu sneered, his eyes flickering as he questioned, “You’d best give me a satisfactory explanation today”.
At that critical moment, like a light went off in his brain, Zhuang Pan said, “This subordinate realised that nothing could be done and so rapidly retreated in order to make himself useful and serve the Young Palace Master!”
After he finished speaking, he looked at Ning Yuan Shu with a flattering smile.
“He is really good at bootlicking!” Duan Yuan Shan whispered to Drunkard who was next to him, “I never knew that he was such a smooth talker before.”
Although his voice was lowered, everyone in the room was a Dao Source Realm Master, so how could they not have heard him?
“Ge…” Drunkard’s eyes were barely open as he was totally drunk at the moment, so all he did was burp loudly.
Zhuang Pan couldn’t help glaring at them fiercely, his face blotched with patches of redness, feeling humiliated.
“Yes, it’s good that Deacon Zhuang has such loyalty. Here, have a reward!” Ning Yuan Shu, who was taken aback for a moment, suddenly smiled pleasantly and threw a spirit fruit to Zhuang Pan. The spirit fruit rolled along the ground and stopped right in front of Zhuang Pan.
Instead of feeling humiliated, however, Zhuang Pan laughed and cupped his fists. “Many thanks, Young Palace Master, for the reward!”
He bent down, bowed his head, held the spirit fruit in his mouth like a dog, and ate it.
Duan Yuan Shan could not stand it anymore and turned his gaze away, feeling disgusted as he remembered that he had once worked with this person before.
“City Lord Duan…” Ning Yuan Shu turned his gaze to Duan Yuan Shan again and said, “This Young Master has a request.”
“Please state it, Young Palace Master.”
Ning Yuan Shu began, “This Young Master is an outsider, and as the saying goes, ‘Strong foreign dragons do not test local snakes’. Since City Lord Duan still holds authority in this place, this Young Master hopes that City Lord Duan can help to find out the cause of the death of my Eldest Brother. If someone harmed him, the murderer must be found!”
When Duan Yuan Shan was about to open his mouth to speak, Zhuang Pan stood up with an eager expression on his face and said, “If Young Palace Master wants to trace the cause of death of Young Master Cheng, this subordinate does have a suspicious candidate.”
“Oh?” Ning Yuan Shu looked at him in surprise, “What do you know? Let’s hear it…”
“There is a little brat surnamed Yang, who had once used a certain flying ship artifact!” Zhuang Pan said, “And this subordinate had seen Young Master Cheng use the same ship artifact before. If this subordinate is not mistaken, that little bastard surnamed Yang must know something. He could even be the one who killed Young Master Cheng and stolen his wealth.”
“Is that the case?” A cold light flashed across the eyes of Ning Yuan Shu’s eyes.
“Indeed!”
As soon as Zhuang Pan finished speaking, Ning Yuan Shu suddenly struck a palm at him, releasing a surge of Source Qi. Obviously, this was a powerful Secret Technique. Zhuang Pan was shocked and just as he was about to react instinctively, Elder Gao Shan, who had been closing his eyes and concentrating the whole time, suddenly opened them and sent a flash of light over to envelop Zhuang Pan.
Zhuang Pan suddenly stiffened in place, and the next moment, there was a muffled sound resounding from his chest. Accompanied by a scream, Zhuang Pan was sent flying and slammed heavily onto the rear wall, coughing up a mouthful of blood as he became dazed and dishevelled.
“Young Palace Master…” Regaining control of his body, Zhuang Pan asked in a flustered tone, “Why?”
Ning Yuan Shu coldly snorted, “Why didn’t you report such important news earlier?”
Zhuang Pan, who was dumbfounded with his jaw dropped, muttered, “This subordinate thought…”
“You thought?” Ning Yuan Shu looked at him coldly, “Do you think this Young Master didn’t want to find out how that trash died? Hmph, although this Young Master despised him, he was still a member of the Sect. It is highly improper for a member of the Sect to have died unknowingly. The circumstances must be investigated and the murderer must be severely punished!”
“Yes yes yes, it was inconsiderate of this subordinate!” Zhuang Pan replied repeatedly.
“Where is that boy surnamed Yang now?” Ning Yuan Shu asked in a deep voice.
“I’m afraid Young Master will have to ask City Lord Duan about this person’s whereabouts,” Zhuang Pan wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth and looked at Duan Yuan Shan coldly, taking pleasure in his coming misfortune.
Ning Yuan Shu also shifted his gaze, looking aggressively at Duan Yuan Shan.
Duan Yuan Shan frowned and said, “He left Maplewood City several months ago, and this Duan doesn’t know where he is now.”
“Which Sect does he belong to? And is there anyone he was close with in Maplewood City?” Ning Yuan Shu asked again.
“This Duan doesn’t know which Sect he was from. He came to Maplewood City two years ago, and he does not seem to have any relatives in the city.”
Inside the Qin Family Residence, Qin Zhao Yang rushed nervously to the back courtyard and his face turned solemn upon seeing the scene inside.
He saw a crowd gathered. Some were Eight Paths Sect disciples who were living in the Qin Residence, while the rest were the guards and servants of the Qin Family.
Although the people from Eight Paths Sect weren’t many, all of them had Dao Source Realm cultivations. On the other hand, the Qin Family guards, who were surrounding them, were actually just Origin Kings or even Origin Returning Realm cultivators.
Despite their inferior number, the Eight Paths Sect still held the absolute advantage in terms of strength.
A sense of heaviness could be felt within the atmosphere, and the air was vaguely filled with a trace of blood.
Qin Zhao Yang’s heavy and rapid steps alarmed everyone. The crowd of guards turned around and got excited when they saw him, “Old Ancestor!”
On the contrary, the faces of the Eight Paths Sect disciples, who were being surrounded in the centre, turned ugly.
Qin Zhao Yang gently nodded and walked straight ahead.
The crowd instantly made way, allowing him to walk unimpeded.
When Qin Zhao Yang reached the center and saw what was on the ground, his eyes narrowed and anger welled up inside him.
A female corpse, one that had died in a horrible manner, lay on the ground covered in blood. With just a glance, Qin Zhao Yang could recognize that she was a maidservant of the Qin Family. He did not expect that this maidservant who had served him a cup of tea just a few days ago, would now lie dead in front of him today. Her lifeless eyes were staring at him horrendously, as if crying out for justice.
He observed the corpse and soon determined that her chest had been crushed by a great impact, causing it to cave in. There were even pieces of her internal organs vomited out of the corner of her mouth.
Qin Zhao Yang’s emotions became worked up as he stared at this miserable scene, and the Source Qi in his body began to faintly tremble.
The disciples of Eight Paths Sect kept looking awkwardly at each other, but there was one particular young man, who had fair skin and a handsome appearance, who was the target of the most gazes.
“Who did this?” Qin Zhao Yang took a deep breath and broke the long period of silence. His tone seemed to be calm, but his slightly trembling voice revealed his inner unrest.
While speaking, he lifted his head and swept across the people of Eight Paths Sect with his eyes.
They did not dare to meet eyes with him and all moved their gazes aside.
“Anyone who knows, step out and speak. Don’t be afraid!” Qin Zhao Yang bellowed, looking at the guards and maidservants of his family.
One of the maidservants stepped out, biting her lips, her face pale, eyes swollen, as if she had not gotten over from the shocking scene. Suppressing her tears at this moment, she knelt down in front of Qin Zhao Yang with a puff, “Old Ancestor, Xiao Huan cannot rest in peace like this, please avenge her!”
“Stand up, tell me what happened.” Qin Zhao bent over and gave the maidservant a hand.
After the maidservant got up, she lifted her head and glanced at one of the disciples of Eight Paths Sect. Seeing that this man was also staring at her fiercely, her face turned pale in fright and she couldn’t help letting out a scream.
Qin Zhao Yang noticed this of course and laid his hand on the maidservant’s shoulder, infusing a stream of pure Source Qi into her in order to calm her fears before speaking softly, “With this Old Ancestor here, no one can touch you. Just speak the truth.”
“Yes!” The maidservant gently nodded and started to speak, “By the order of Old Ancestor, Xiao Huan and this servant have been taking care of all the Sir’s daily needs here with all our heart and dared not to slack even in the slightest. Today, we came here to bring refreshments to a certain Sir, but when we put down the platter and were about to leave, then… then…”
When she reached that part, she seemed to have recalled an unwanted memory and her tender body began to tremble, making it impossible for her to continue.
Qin Zhao Yang waited patiently for her as he continued using his Source Qi to support her.
After a while, the maidservant gradually calmed down and continued, “Then that Sir started to express his wicked intention, trying to force Xiao Huan and this servant to stay to serve him. We refused to do so and politely asked him to excuse us in every possible way. Then, all of a sudden, Xiao Huan let out a scream and was thrown across the courtyard. When this servant rushed to check on her, she was already… already…”
Qin Zhao Yang exerted a slight force with his hand and the maidservant passed out instantly. He then ordered a guard beside him, “Help her out and give her some rest.”
“Yes!” The guard carried the maidservant and rushed out of the courtyard.
Qin Zhao Yang turned to look at one of the rooms in the courtyard and saw the door of the room was broken, which was obviously caused by an impact. In combination with the maidservant’s statement, he deduced that the broken door must be the result of the other maidservant, Xiao Huan, being knocked out of the room.
“Who lives here?” Qin Zhao Yang pointed his finger to that room and cast a deadly serious gaze towards the Eight Paths Sect group.
Most of them looked away, with their eyes blinking, as if they knew the reason and felt embarrassed about it.
But a particular man, who seemed to become angry out of shame, raised his head proudly and yelled, “It was this Young Master, so what?”
As soon as he spoke, all of the Qin Family guards turned their gaze towards this man, as did Qin Zhao Yang.
This man was the previously mentioned disciple with fair skin and handsome appearance, a disciple of Eight Paths Sect.
Even under the watchful eyes of the crowd, this man showed not the slightest remorse and instead sneered, “What do you want to do? Before you act, you’d best weigh your own capabilities first!”
Pushing his Source Qi, he released a Second-Order Dao Source Realm cultivation.
Qin Zhao Yang was forced to fall a few steps back and the guards were even worse off, all of them seemingly feeling like they were being crushed by a mountain, showing painful expressions on their faces as their bones cracked.
Although Qin Zhao Yang was suppressed by the opponent’s presence, he did not flinch at all. Instead, he circulated his own strength rapidly to forcefully regain his footing and questioned in a deep voice, “What are friend’s intentions here? Are you planning to destroy my Qin Family?”
“Of course that is not my meaning, don’t make baseless accusations!” The fair-skinned man shouted.
“Did you kill Xiao Huan?” Qin Zhao Yang asked with his teeth gritted.
The face of the white-skinned man suddenly became a bit awkward as he muttered, “It wasn’t intentional… she suddenly bit me and I… accidentally acted and wound up killing her. But look here, look at this wound! Just imagine how hard she must have bitten me!”
He rolled up his sleeves and there was indeed a fresh row of teeth marks on his skin.
“You killed her just because of this?” Qin Zhao Yang hastily took a few steps forward, his clothes flapping along with his movement.
Even though the fair-skinned man’s cultivation was higher than Qin Zhao Yang’s, seeing the old man charging at him like a mad bull, he actually felt slightly intimidated and kept retreating, continuing to give excuses, “I already said I didn’t mean it, what else do you want from me? You are a cultivator too, surely you should know that little accidents like this happen sometimes.”
“Indeed, this old master is a proud cultivator, but this old master has never used his strength to attack an ordinary mortal who possesses no cultivation at all, much less accidentally killed such a person!” Qin Zhao Yang was infuriated.
“Stubborn old dog…” The white-skinned man became angry as well as snapped, “Seems I can’t reason with you.”
“Hahaha…” A sound of laughter suddenly interfered with the scene as a middle-aged man stepped forward and cupped his fist towards Qin Zhao Yang, “Patriarch Qin, can we discuss this somewhere else?”
“If you have anything to say, say it here,” Qin Zhao Yang coldly rejected.
The middle-aged man showed a smile of embarrassment on his face as he stared at Qin Zhao Yang, but deep down inside he was secretly cursing him for not knowing how to appreciate kindness.
He knew that he had to be careful with Qin Zhao Yang now though, so after pondering for a while, he continued, “Patriarch Qin, it was indeed my Junior Brother Lin Yun’s fault for accidentally killing the maidservant of your noble family, and he is extremely regretful about what has happened, so Patriarch Qin, please have mercy on him and let these small matters be made small, shall we?”
“Extremely regretful?” Qin Zhao Yang squinted at the man named Lin Yun and sneered, “Has this old master gone blind perhaps? How come this old master cannot see the slightest regret from him at all?”
The middle-aged man instantly cast his eyes towards Lin Yun. Lin Yun muttered a few words in dissatisfaction, but still reluctantly lowered his head, looking demoralized.
“Patriarch Qin, the dead cannot be restored to life, so you cannot be thinking of asking my Junior Brother Lin Yun to pay for this with his life, right?” The middle-aged man smiled.
“I dare him!” Lin Yun suddenly lifted his head again and snapped.
“You shut up!” The middle-aged man glared at Lin Yun furiously, this time forcing Lin Yun to behave slightly.
The middle-aged man looked back at Qin Zhao Yang, and whispered, “Patriarch Qin, I will tell you the truth. My Junior Brother Lin is usually not an arrogant or domineering person, he is just a bit obsessed with women, which I am sad to say has led to this unfortunate accident. These days, while staying here, he has been behaving himself well, but all of a sudden he seems to have lost his self-control. I am truly speechless about this. The Vice Sect Master has been spoiling him in the Sect, but honestly, even we could not tolerate his temper sometimes. Patriarch Qin, please do not pay his indiscretion any mind.”
“Vice Sect Master?” Qin Zhao Yang narrowed his eyes.
“En, Vice Sect Master Lin Rui is his uncle,” the middle-aged man explained with a faint smile.
Qin Zhao Yang understood his intention.
Lin Yun had someone backing him. However, even if he did not, no one in the Qin Family could do anything to him with his Second-Order Dao Source Realm cultivation.
Now that it was apparent that this Lin Yun had such a strong backer, Qin Zhao Yang understood that it would be impossible to have the former pay for his crime with his life.
The Qin Family could not risk provoking Eight Paths Sect as even though they were not a big Sect, they were still a hundred times stronger than the Qin Family.
Thinking so, Qin Zhao Yang could not help feeling downhearted and lost.
A maidservant from his family was beaten to death in his own home, but even as the Old Ancestor, he was unable to do anything to punish the murderer. This feeling of helplessness troubled his heart.
“Why bother with so much nonsense?” Lin Yun seemed to become impatient and shouted, “Wasn’t it just a maidservant? Can’t we just settle this matter with some compensation? Is a hundred thousand Source Crystals good enough for you? No? Then how about two hundred thousand! For a small family like yours, two hundred thousand Source Crystals is a huge sum of money, enough to spend for several years! Accept my offer or face the consequences!”
There was not even a slight trace of regret on his contemptuous face, as if the maidservant on the ground wasn’t even killed by him.
Hearing this, the middle-aged man did not make any attempt to stop him. Obviously, he had the same thought. It would be best if they could settle the issue like this. If not, he would not mind shedding all the pretence of cordiality and using threats to ensure this matter did not spread out later.
On the opposite side, Qin Zhao Yang, who looked lost earlier, immediately became enraged.
The middle-aged man hurriedly cut in, “Don’t lose your temper, Patriarch Qin. Although my Junior Brother Lin Yun’s words are a bit crass, they are not unreasonable.”
It was clear that the middle-aged man from Eight Paths Sect was trying to resolve the problem peacefully with money. Although the Qin Family was no match for Eight Paths Sect in terms of strength, the latter were ultimately the party at fault here, so the middle-aged man did not want to further complicate the matter and avoid the spread of rumours which might mar their reputation.
Qin Zhao Yang was keeping quiet, and no one knew what was on his mind, but just by looking at him, everyone could see that his eyes were filled with unwillingness and anger. He stood there with his fists clenched so hard that the cracking sound of his bones could be heard.
Even seeing this, Lin Yun continued to mock him with a smug face, “Old Patriarch Qin, you better consider this carefully. One wrong decision will be enough to cost the small Qin Family… “
He sounded gruesome, and his words were full of threat.
At that moment, a voice suddenly came from outside, “A human life… costs just two hundred thousand Source Crystal? Ahem ahem… Just how cheaply do you value life?”
This person coughed softly while speaking, as if they had some serious illness.
“Who’s there!?” Lin Yun was maddened and hurriedly turned to yell in the direction of the voice.
Qin Yu was slowly walking over with the help of Hui’er from that side. She looked pale and fragile, like a small flower beaten by the storm, making everyone instinctually want to protect her.
Lin Yun was dazzled, his eyes lighting up as he gazed at Qin Yu with excitement.
Qin Yu was a beauty, and her current illness added a morbid sense of elegance to her continence, bewitching Lin Yun’s soul, causing him to lust after her.
Just as the middle-aged man said, Lin Yun was obsessed with women. It had been almost two months since he came to Maplewood City and he had been staying in the Qin Residence all this time, finally losing control of his impulses and trying to take advantage of the two maidservants today. If it were not for him, this mess would not have happened.
But when he saw Qin Yu, he instantly regretted his actions. He could not believe that he actually had the thoughts of laying his hands on plain women like those maids which would have only brought disgrace to his status.
[Even if I should have any thoughts, it should be about this woman in front of me!]
“Yu’er!” Qin Zhao Yang’s expression changed dramatically as he rushed over to Qin Yu. Supporting her by her side, he quickly reprimanded, “Why did you come out? Didn’t Old Ancestor ask you to rest well?”
Qin Yu forced a smile, “I felt like something bad was about to happen… I was worried, so I came to see.”
During the conversation, she took a glance at the maidservant’s corpse. Seeing her terrible condition, Qin Yu’s already pale face turned even paler.
“This Young Lady…” Lin Yun smiled brilliantly and began speaking in a voice laced with suave. When he was about to greet Qin Yu, however, the middle-aged man glared fiercely at him and snapped, “Stand back! Don’t you think you’ve caused enough trouble already?!”
Lin Yu was seemingly afraid of this middle-aged man, so after being reprimanded, he kept his mouth shut, looking embarrassed.
Several other disciples from Eight Paths Sect also could not tolerate his behaviour and glared at him with a reproachful look, blaming him for not being able to restrain himself.
“This must be Young Lady Qin Yu,” the middle-aged man cupped his fist and greeted Qin Yu with a faint smile.
“Does Senior know me?” Qin Yu coughed lightly and looked at him with her watery eyes.
The middle-aged man smiled lightly, “When I was inquiring about the news in the city, I heard many stories about the amazing Young Lady of the Qin Family. Seeing you today, it’s clear your reputation is not undeserved.”
It was not common for a lady, who merely had an Origin Returning Realm cultivation and whose vitality was pitifully low due to some unknown severe illness, to actually face and talk freely to a person with the cultivation at the Second-Order Dao Source Realm like him.
The middle-aged man could not see the slightest panic or fear in Qin Yu’s eyes.
More importantly, the middle-aged man sensed that Qin Yu’s lifespan would be up soon, but she still looked calm and composed, as if completely unafraid. One had to know that even old masters who had lived for hundreds of years and had seen great storms in their life may not be able to carry themselves with such poise when their end was approaching.
The middle-aged man could not help but gaze at her again in amazement.
“What Young Lady Yu meant just now… was that our offer was too low?” Even though the middle-aged man thought that Qin Yu was extraordinary, he still did not take her seriously; after all, she was just an Origin Returning Realm Cultivator, and also just a Young Lady from a small family. She could catch his eyes for a bit, but to him, she did not deserve to be treated specially, so after some pleasantries, he went straight back into the topic and continued with his smile, “If so, Young Lady Yu, please offer us your price. We, Eight Paths Sect, are not some great Sect, but we still can afford some Source Crystals.”
As soon as he finished speaking, Qin Yu responded coldly, “Do you think this is a business deal to be bartered and bargained over?”
The middle-aged man looked embarrassed and forced a smile, “Young Lady Yu, what you mean is… “
“Life is priceless!” Qin Yu shouted.
The middle-aged man narrowed his eyes and in a much colder tone than before, he asked “Please speak clearly, Young Lady Yu. I’m afraid I don’t understand your meaning here.”
He had gradually lost his patience. Even though the issue was indeed caused by Lin Yun, he was still a Second-Order Dao Source Realm Master and had already lowered his status and showed much respect to them, hoping that they would accept his courtesy and give everyone a way out.
However, not only was the Old Ancestors of this Qin Family acting stubborn, even this Junior was reluctant to let this matter drop, which of course annoyed him greatly.
Despite the massive gap between their strengths, the middle-aged man still gave them massive face by negotiating with them politely, but their persistent decline of his offer had made him feel humiliated instead.
“A life for a life, that is the principle of Heaven and Earth!” Qin Yu declared.
“What?” The middle-aged man’s face changed. He really did not expect Qin Yu to make such a ridiculous request.
Lin Yun jumped up in shock and snapped, “Woman, are you crazy? How dare you ask for the life of this Young Master? How can you even compare the life of a single piece of trash with this Young Master’s life? Do you have some kind of death wish?”
“Watch your mouth, you bastard!” Qin Zhao Yang burst out with anger and cursed him when he heard that this good for nothing actually dared to insult Qin Yu.
Lin Yu laughed with overwhelming anger as he kept nodding his head, “Good, good, good, everyone in this small family has guts! Today, this Young Master shall teach you some proper manners!”
He released his Source Qi while speaking, getting ready to attack.
“Fool!” The middle-aged man suddenly burst out at Lin Yun as he ground his teeth and shouted, “What do you think you’re doing?”
Lin Yun was dumbfounded and pointed at Qin Zhao Yang and Qin Yu, “You heard them, right? Isn’t it obvious what I’m going to do?!”
The middle-aged man’s face darkened as he sent his voice directly into Lin Yun’s ear, “Killing them is easy, and even if bad rumours spread out, our Sect will just lose some reputation at most. It’s impossible for anyone to stand up for this small family and disturb our Eight Paths Sect.”
“Then what are you worried about?” Lin Yun was confused. He did not understand why the middle-aged man stopped him.
“Are you trying to alarm ‘that’ person? Do you know what would happen to you if you alarmed him for something like this?” The middle-aged man looked at him coldly.
Lin Yun’s expression changed after hearing this. ‘That’ person the middle-aged man mentioned seemed to be a terrifying existence to Lin Yun and his face quickly turned pale just hearing about him, causing his Source Qi to completely deflate.
This scene was imprinted into the eyes of Qin Yu and Qin Zhao Yang. They did not know what kind of secret conversation was held between the two of Eight Paths Sect disciples, but they were surprised that it actually caused the flames of Lin Yun’s anger to be doused.
The middle-aged man turned back to Qin Yu, cupped his fists, and said, “Young Lady Yu, regarding your last proposal, I’ll pretend I did not hear that. Please ask something else!”
Qin Yu coughed a few times lightly, “I understand that with the strength of our Qin Family, we cannot make you pay with your life… “
“Young Lady Yu understands well,” The middle-aged man praised Qin Yu’s wit with a faint smile.
Qin Yu instantly continued, “Although we are incapable of avenging Xiao Huan, she was still a servant of our Qin Family, and we can’t just let her die unreasonably. As a matter of course, we can’t continue to entertain her enemies in the Qin Residence anymore. All of you… leave!”
Everyone from Eight Paths Sect was stunned at her words, staring at Qin Yu with bulging eyes and funny faces.
The middle-aged man let out a dry cough after a long silence, “What Young Lady Yu just said… do you mean?”
Qin Yu answered, “Am I still not clear enough for you? We, the Qin Family, no longer welcome you here. What’s more, we will not forget this grudge and will one day avenge Xiao Huan’s death.”
She looked straight into his eyes while speaking, with no intention to set her gaze aside.
The face of the middle-aged man was getting colder and colder, while the other disciples of Eight Paths Sect did not look much better.
A breeze swept through the courtyard, and the bloody stench in the air became even stronger.
The middle-aged man stared at Qin Yu with his sharp eyes. After remaining silent for a long time, he responded, “Young Lady Yu… Are you serious?”
The corner of his mouth twitched as he spoke, seemingly not having expected things to develop to this point.
If they were really being kicked out from the Qin Residence by Qin Yu, where would the dignity of Eight Paths Sect be? More importantly, if they were driven away like this, this matter would definitely alarm ‘the’ person that he feared the most. When that person demanded an explanation, what was he supposed to say?
He certainly could not disclose this matter to that person, about how Lin Yun accidentally killed a maidservant of another family but they could not take revenge so they wanted to expel Eight Paths Sect from their residence…
If he really said so, he was sure that neither he nor Lin Yun would have good ends.
That person… was not easy to deal with.
“Do I look like I’m joking to you?” Qin Yu gently bit her red lips, refusing to budge.
The middle-aged man unexpectedly closed his eyes and spoke slowly, “Young Lady Yu, can you make an exception for this? We can’t leave the Qin Residence yet for reasons I cannot share!”
Without waiting for Qin Yu’s response, he immediately raised his finger in the sky and shouted, “One million of Source Crystals! Okay?”
After the shout, Lin Yun and the others changed their faces drastically, their voices cracked, “Senior Brother, are you serious?”
One million of Source Crystals was not a small number. Even though this number was within their capability, Eight Paths Sect was not a big Sect and it would still be a burden to them, so if it were not a last resort, they would be unwilling to pay for so much.
Thinking of this, Lin Yun exclaimed, “What’s done is already done, don’t keep harping on and on about a mere slave. Like it or not, we will give you one million Source Crystals but we will not leave the Qin Residence. If you have the strength to refuse, you’re free to come take revenge on me anytime!”
“Scoundrels! All of you!” Qin Yu stomped her feet in anger. Since the Qin Family was incomparable to Eight Paths Sect in strength, it was impossible to cast them out with force. If the Eight Paths Sect insisted on staying, the Qin Family really could do nothing about it.
It was just that Qin Yu never expected that when everything had reached this point, they could still be so shameless to stay. The level of their shamelessness was unparalleled.
“Hahaha!” Lin Yun cackled, “Yes, this Young Master is a scoundrel, so what? Does Young Lady Qin want to teach me a lesson? I’ll give you a chance now, come with me!”
Just as he finished speaking, he rushed over in front of Qin Yu with a flicker and right before everyone’s eyes, he stretched out his hand to grab her shoulder.
The middle-aged man saw this happen and wanted to react, but hesitated, then closed his eyes and pretended he did not see anything.
He was mad that the Qin Family couldn’t appreciate kindness and since they preferred to settle things through force, he simply turned a blind eye to Lin Yu’s actions. Making this small family bear the consequences of standing up against them would allow them to understand who was really in charge here.
“Scram!” Qin Zhao Yang, who was beside Qin Yu, immediately burst out at Lin Yu. Seeing Lin Yu charging towards her, Qing Zhao Yang could not just sit back and watch, pushing his Source Qi madly he sent out a palm that could crush mountains. Clearly, he was not holding back in the slightest.
Lin Yun sneered, “Old man, it seems you don’t understand the immensity of Heaven and Earth. You really think that you can stop this Young Master with just this?”
He did not intend to evade and instead turned his claw into a palm and sent it out to meet Qin Zhao Yang’s.
A sinister force pulsed out as Lin Yun seemed to have transformed into an extremely poisonous snake, flicking its forked tongue as it sniffed its prey.
Qin Zhao Yang’s face changed as he understood that if this palm strike was to hit him, he would certainly not have a good end; after all, he was now old and weak. Although he was a Dao Source Realm cultivator, his remaining strength could not be compared to his prime while on the opposite side, Lin Yun, who was still young, energetic, and possessed a Second-Order Dao Source Realm cultivation, was simply not someone that he could contend with.
But this was a matter of Qin Yu’s safety, so even though he knew he would suffer, Qin Zhao Yang did not fall back, instead pushing his Source Qi even more madly as he met Lin Yu’s aggression head-on.
“Overconfidence!” Lin Yun clicked his tongue and teased with his head shaking slowly.
*Peng…*
The palms touched and their intense Source Qi collided, releasing a powerful shockwave that kicked up a violent wind as well as sand and rock from the courtyard.
Then…
A shocking scene happened.
The moment when the two skills clashed, surprisingly, Lin Yun’s body trembled before his face changed drastically. After he let out a scream, he was thrown out while coughing up a mouthful of blood mid-air before slamming heavily into a building behind him, opening a big pit hole in its walls.
*Hong long long…”
There was a continuous sound of crashing in the room, as if Lin Yun could not control his momentum and was smashed through more and more walls.
“What?” The middle-aged man and the rest of the Eight Paths Sect disciples were dumbstruck as they watched this unbelievable scene with their eyes bulging.
Meanwhile, the guards of the Qin Family, who were initially consumed with fear despite their hatred for the enemy, were equally shocked; but soon, all of them beamed with delight and cheered triumphantly.
“Old Ancestor, you…” Qin Yu looked over in confusion. Although she could not detect Lin Yun’s true cultivation, she sensed he was much stronger than the Old Ancestor.
How did the Old Ancestor knock him back in just one move then?
That was impossible!
Qin Zhao Yang was dumbfounded too. He actually had mentally prepared himself to be critically injured as he laid his life on the line in order to keep Qin Yu safe.
In any case, he would not just sit back and watch Qin Yu being captured and humiliated by Lin Yun.
However, the end result surprised him greatly.
But after a short moment, he seemingly realized something and turned around.
There, he saw a man with a smiling face standing behind him, supporting his back with his hand while infusing him with a stream of pure and vigorous Source Qi.
It was this man who assisted him in knocking back Lin Yun!
Qin Zhao Yang’s eyes lit up as he joyfully shouted, “Yang Kai!”
He found that the one who quietly helped him from behind was the person that he had been waiting for to return to Maplewood City, Yang Kai.
“Ah?” Qin Yu was startled when he heard Qin Zhao Yang’s shout and turned her gaze to look in his direction. When she saw Yang Kai, she could not help covering her mouth and let out a trembling voice, “Sir Yang!”
“Who?!” The middle-aged man from Eight Paths Sect regained his wits and bellowed, furiously glaring at Yang Kai as he shouted, “Who are you? How dare you injure our Eight Paths Sect’s disciple with such a treacherous trick!”
“Eight Paths Sect?” Yang Kai raised his brow after hearing this and instantly swept across the middle-aged man and the disciples of the Eight Paths Sect with his eyes. However, he did not find the person that he was looking for and could not help feeling disappointed, “Are all of you disciples of Eight Paths Sects?”
“Indeed!” Seeing Yang Kai seemingly aware of their reputation, the middle-aged man became emboldened, “Who are you?”
The middle-aged man couldn’t hide his bewilderment while speaking. For some reason, he found Yang Kai’s face to be a little familiar, as if he had seen him somewhere before, but he could not remember where.
Still, he did not back down and rebuked, “You have injured our Eight Paths Sect’s disciple. I don’t care who you are, if you cannot give us an acceptable explanation, don’t even think about leaving alive!”
He spoke with full confidence because when he scanned Yang Kai with his Divine Sense, he found that this boy only had a First-Order Dao Source Realm cultivation. With this kind of strength, he didn’t need to put Yang Kai in his eyes.
It was just that he did not know what kind of Secret Technique Yang Kai had used to toy with Lin Yun together with Qin Zhao Yang. However, after some thought, the middle-aged man assumed that whatever Secret Technique Yang Kai used simply combined the force of two individuals, catching Lin Yun off guard.
“Heh…” Yang Kai looked at the middle-aged man in astonishment, “I really didn’t know that Eight Paths Sect’s disciples were so impressive! Someone who wasn’t aware would believe you came from Star Soul Palace.”
The middle-aged man’s face mixed with anger after being stung by Yang Kai’s mockery, gritting his teeth and shouting, “Enough of your nonsense. Surrender yourself if you want this to end peacefully, refuse and you cannot blame us for being impolite.”
Yang Kai looked at him with an odd expression and replied, “Do I know you? Why would I expect a stranger like you to treat me well? You’re quite funny!”
He next turned to Qin Yu after that and whispered, “Does this man have a problem with his head?”
Qin Yu could not hold her laughter after seeing his hilarious face.
However, Qin Zhao Yang frowned. He knew that Yang Kai was no ordinary person, otherwise, he would not have given him the entry quota to the Four Seasons Realm, but he was not sure if Yang Kai could handle the situation here given that there were so many Masters on the opposite side, making him feel a bit anxious.
“Little brat, it seems like you can’t wait to die!” The middle-aged man exclaimed in anger.
“Stop shouting already,” Yang Kai gave him a disdainful look. “You’re embarrassing both of us.”
Yang Kai ignored the middle-aged man after that and turned to Qin Zhao Yang, “What’s going on here? I only vaguely heard something about a million Source Crystals after I arrived… Explain it to me please.”
He was telling the truth. After receiving the Tribulation Fruit from Azure Sun Temple, Yang Kai rushed to Maplewood City without rest, but as soon as he entered the city, he sensed that there was something wrong as there were too many powerful Masters present compared to when he left.
Upon reaching the Qin Residence, Yang Kai happened to see the scene where Qin Yu was trying to drive away some strangers, but since he was unaware of the circumstances, he decided to observe the situation first. Only after he saw Lin Yu lash out did Yang Kai reveal himself in order to help Qin Zhao Yang.
After being asked by Yang Kai, Qin Zhao Yang glared at the middle-aged man resentfully and succinctly explained what had happened just now.
Yang Kai kept silent as he listened and only after he understood did he lift his head and address the middle-aged man, “So basically, the story is like this: The Qin Family treated all of you well, but one of you killed their servant, and not only did you not feel sorry or even admit your mistake, you instead used your Sect’s strength to try to seize their residence and even tried to abduct the Qin Family’s Young Lady…”
The middle-aged man could not help falling quiet as he was powerless to refute Yang Kai’s assertions.
“Tsk tsk… such tyrannical actions are simply… outrageous!” Yang Kai said in contempt.
The middle-aged man took a deep breath and said, “This one had already offered a million Source Crystals to settle this matter, but they did not appreciate my kindness!”
“Good!” Yang Kai raised his brow, “According to friend then, a million Source Crystals is enough to buy a life and anyone who refuses such an offer would be rejecting kindness, right?”
During his speech, he immediately waved his hand.
In an instant, a hill of Source Crystals piled up in the courtyard. There were countless Source Crystals in this pile, numbering at least ten million.
The disciples of Eight Paths Sect, despite not having poor backgrounds, were still dazzled by this hill of Source Crystals. All of them were staring at it and gulped as they wished they could run up and snatch them.
Qin Zhao Yang and the rest were even more dumbfounded, as they did not understand what Yang Kai was up to.
“Come, come, come,” Yang Kai enthusiastically beckoned to the disciples of Eight Paths Sect with a bright smile on his face, “Be my guest, everyone take a million Source Crystals, not one more or less…”
All of a sudden, the atmosphere of the conversation changed as the smile on Yang Kai’s face turned into a gloomy sneer as he continued, “Once you take them, I’ll kill all of you!”
*Deng deng deng…*
All of the Eight Paths Sect disciples took a few steps back, looking at Yang Kai in shock, and one of them even shouted, “Are you making a joke?”
Although a million Source Crystals was no small sum, one still needed to be alive to enjoy them. What was the point of taking Source Crystals when they didn’t have their life?
The face of the middle-aged man grew even more sombre as, at this point, he fully understood Yang Kai’s intentions.
Yang Kai clearly wanted to treat him the way he had been treating the Qin Family. After he understood this, he could not help sneering, “I see that you are not from the Qin Family, so why wade into this muddy water? We can still be friends if you step away now.”
“Who wants to be friends with you?” Yang Kai sneered, “Just accept my offer, or don’t you understand how to appreciate kindness?”
The middle-aged man raged at this taunt, “It looks like we have nothing left to say!”
“Piercing Light, Nine Frozen Heavens!” The middle-aged man was a decisive person, so seeing that there was no room for negotiation, he decided to strike first. Swiftly summoning a snow-white sword into his hand, he held it up and condensed a frigid light around it, one that seemed capable of penetrating deep into one’s Soul and freezing the world around it.
The complexions of the disciples of Eight Paths Sect changed slightly as they hastily retreated. Obviously, they understood how powerful this move was.
Qin Zhao Yang hurriedly grabbed Qin Yu and retreated with her while the Qin Family guards and servants also cleared out in an instant, not wanting to get involved in this fight.
Sword Qi swirled and with a flick of his wrist, the middle-aged man surrounded himself in sword light and charged straight towards Yang Kai, freezing the air he passed through into ice.
“Hahahaha!” Yang Kai stood on the spot, grinning mockingly as he stared down his approaching opponent with utter contempt, not even attempting to dodge.
Seeing Yang Kai acting so confident and arrogant, the middle-aged man could not help feeling stunned as a faint unease filled his heart.
“How dare a small fly like you act so presumptuous in front of this Young Master!” Yang Kai’s grin turned into a sneer and with a flicker, he disappeared. The next instant, he reappeared right in front of the middle-aged man and stretched out a finger towards him.
On the tip of his finger was a flash of golden light, one condensed from extremely dense and pure Source Qi.
*Dang…*
With a soft ring, the middle-aged man’s face changed wildly as he froze mid-air, his eyes bulging as he stared in horror as his full-powered strike was blocked by his opponent’s finger.
Even more horrifying was that Yang Kai’s finger, made of flesh and blood, was completely unharmed despite it clashing with a sword artifact. In fact, looking closely, it was the middle-aged man’s sword that appeared to be dented from this clash.
As the middle-aged man stood flabbergasted, his sword gave a final tremble before the ice-cold aura surrounding it finally dissipated.
“How can that be?” The middle-aged man exclaimed, his eyes threatening to pop out of their sockets.
He released his Divine Sense once again to investigate Yang Kai’s cultivation, but he could only sense he was a First-Order Dao Source Realm Junior, a Minor Realm lower than himself. However, this power shown by Yang Kai was definitely not what a First-Order Dao Source Realm cultivator should have.
Yang Kai’s mind-boggling abilities completely left him at a loss as he felt he was now in deep trouble.
“Luo Yuan was one thing, but you’re not my opponent!” When Yang Kai snorted coldly, the intensity of the Source Qi on his fingertip suddenly increased drastically, releasing a golden flash of light as it shot forward.
“You know Junior Brother Luo?” The middle-aged man trembled as he stared at Yang Kai in amazement. All of a sudden a realisation dawned on him as he exclaimed, “You’re Yang Kai! Yang Kai from the Four Seasons Realm!”
He seemed to finally recall something and yelled in surprise.
As soon as this shout rang out, the golden light swallowed him, and the middle-aged man screamed in agony as he was shot out and smashed into the ground, opening up a giant pit inside of which he writhed in pain.
“Yang Kai?”
“The same Yang Kai from the Four Seasons Realm?”
“Yes! It’s him! It’s definitely him! No wonder he looked so familiar!”
Nearby, the disciples of Eight Paths Sect all yelled in panic.
It was only at this moment that they finally recognized Yang Kai, who outsmarted and overpowered all the Southern Territory’s geniuses with his Extraordinary Treasure Pills in the Four Seasons Realm. During the incident in Four Seasons Realm, while Yang Kai was carrying out his exchange, some of them had been watching from a distance.
They did not dare to get too close because Luo Yuan was already present at that time, and therefore, it took them until now to recognize his face.
It was not until the middle-aged man’s realization that everyone else realized Yang Kai’s identity.
At once, all of them paled and began leaking cold sweat.
Although they had never fought against Yang Kai, they knew what happened in the Four Seasons Realm.
Even rising stars like Wu Chang, Luo Yuan, and several others were unable to touch a single hair on Yang Kai’s, so it need not be mentioned what their chances were.
The most recent opening of the Four Seasons Realm had been the debut of two new rising stars. One of them was Luo Yuan from their Eight Paths Sect, who was an equal match against Wu Chang of Heavenly Martial Holy Land, a genius whose strength could not be underestimated.
The other was Yang Kai.
Possessing only a First-Order Dao Source Realm cultivation, he was also a Dao Source Grade Alchemist who had refined the Extraordinary Treasure Pills and toyed with all the masters in the Four Seasons Realm like they were children.
It was safe to say that even if the reputations of these two rising stars weren’t on par with those of Xia Sheng, Wu Chang, and Xiao Chen, they were not far behind.
This was also the reason that while other small families in Maplewood City were hosting disciples from two or three Sects, the Qin Family only hosted Eight Paths Sect.
Because of Luo Yuan, the cultivators from other Sects dared not to provoke them. Luo Yuan wasn’t even afraid of Wu Chang. In this world, besides Emperor Realm Master, who else would he fear?
“Hai hai…” The middle-aged man from Eight Paths Sect was knocked over by Yang Kai but did not suffer any mortal injuries, so he stood up quickly as he coughed and looked over at Yang Kai in fear, gritting his teeth as he cupped his fists “This one had failed to recognize Grandmaster Yang! Please do not take offence!”
His cultivation was higher than Yang Kai’s, and he was also older than Yang Kai, so addressing Yang Kai as Senior or Sir would be too humiliating to himself; however, concerned that Yang Kai would be displeased if addressed him as brother, the middle-aged man settled on calling him ‘Grandmaster’. In any case, the other party was a Dao Source Grade Alchemist, so it wasn’t an inappropriate title.
“What?” Qin Zhao Yang was shocked as he stared at the middle-aged man, amazed at how this man could be so arrogant before but changed his attitude so quickly and was addressing Yang Kai so respectfully in a blink of an eye, even calling him ‘Grandmaster’…
There was a strange light glimmering in Qin Yu’s beautiful eyes as it seemed she was thinking of something.
“What’s so strange…” Yang Kai grinned.
“Grandmaster Yang, please be forgiving…” The middle-aged man smiled.
Yang Kai changed his tone, and said coldly, “Is there a need to be forgiving with a dead man?”
The smile on the middle-aged man’s face froze as a chill crept up his spine. Hurriedly, he said, “Grandmaster Yang, what happened today is indeed my Junior Brother Lin’s fault…”
“Of course he is in the wrong!” Yang Kai snorted coldly.
“But please, Grandmaster Yang, please consider that Junior Brother Lin has learned his lesson and give him a chance to repent!” He pleaded earnestly.
“A life for a life. I only knocked him out just now, and you call that a lesson?” Yang Kai sneered sarcastically, “Are the lives of others only worth this much to you?”
Sweat beaded on his forehead as he saw Yang Kai’s unrelenting posture. Gritting his teeth, the middle-aged man painfully and anxiously said, “Just so Grandmaster Yang knows, Junior Brother Lin Yun… is the nephew of Vice Sect Master, Lin Rui!”
He brought up Lin Rui, in hopes that Yang Kai would be aware of the dangers of pushing the situation further and would thus spare Lin Yun’s life. However, Yang Kai just snorted, “Lin Rui? What thing is he? Why should I care what he thinks!”
The middle-aged man turned pale, realizing that matters would not end well today.
“In any case, I will have to kill someone today, it can either be you, or that guy over there who fainted,” Yang Kai flicked his wrist and summoned the Myriads Sword into his hand. Instantly, the air filled with Emperor Pressure as the Emperor Aura sword rippled with intimidating energy.
Lifting the large Myriads Sword towards the middle-aged man, Yang Kai shouted, “You choose!”
As he spoke, he raised the corner of his mouth slightly and sneered, “Would you like to die in place of that guy? Since he’s the nephew of your Vice Sect Master, if you die for him, perhaps your precious Vice Sect Master will take good care of your family after you’re gone!”
“This, this… I, I, I…” The middle-aged man backed away as he babbled incoherently, trembling at the mere sight of the Myriads Sword in Yang Kai’s hand. Although he had never seen an Emperor Artifact before, he knew that this great sword was an extraordinary weapon. He also knew that Yang Kai was not joking. The murderous intent in Yang Kai’s eyes was clear and unmistakable.
However… Although Lin Yun held great status in Eight Paths Sect, how could he be willing to die in his place?
“If you refuse to choose, I’ll decide myself,” Yang Kai snorted lightly before he turned to Qin Zhao Yang, “Patriarch Qin, they killed one of your clan, I will consider it as revenge for the clan by using the Qin Family’s artifact for the execution, is that alright?”
“Absolutely!” Qin Zhao Yang shouted heavily, “Please go ahead, Brother Yang!”
Yang Kai nodded lightly and he lifted up the Myriads Sword, just as he was about to perform a strike though, his expression changed and he turned his eyes towards the sky and curled his lips, “Since you’ve come, you should just show yourself, why bother hiding?”
“There’s someone else?” Qin Zhao Yang’s complexion changed as he quickly looked in that direction, but saw nothing, becoming somewhat suspicious.
A moment later, a wave of ripples appeared in the void and two figures suddenly appeared.
It was a man and a woman, the man was a youth with a cold, aloof face, as if everything and everyone was beneath him. The woman was petite and cute, with a round face. She stood quietly behind the young man, her beautiful eyes were always on his back, as if there was nothing else in the world apart from him in her world.
“It’s him!” Qin Zhao Yang’s expression turned gloomy.
He immediately recognized this man and woman as the lead disciples of Eight Paths Sect and the one who brought this middle-aged man and the other disciples of Eight Paths Sect to the Qin Family.
Since the day they arrived, this young man had entered closed-door cultivation and it was rumoured in the Qin Family Residence that he was cultivating frantically without even taking any time to rest.
Qin Zhao Yang also knew that this person was named Luo Yuan, one of the rising stars, just like Yang Kai, who appeared in the Four Seasons Realm.
The round-faced woman, on the other hand, seemed to be the daughter of Eight Paths Sect’s Sect Master and she was hopelessly enamoured with Luo Yuan. Since they arrived, she had been guarding his courtyard, never taking a step away. It was a pity that this was just unrequited love, however, as it was quite clear from Luo Yuan’s attitude he did not return her affection.
“Junior Brother Luo, Young Lady!” The middle-aged man was overjoyed when he saw these two people appearing, but soon he seemed to have thought of something and became horrified.
Luo Yuan glanced at him lightly and frowned, “You’re quite noisy!”
His words silenced all the members of Eight Paths Sect, their faces paling, as if they were extremely afraid of Luo Yuan.
It was the truth though. In Eight Paths Sect, everyone, including the Sect Master and Vice Sect Master, was afraid of Luo Yuan. The Sect Master had once said that Luo Yuan was a one-in-a-billion genius and that one day he would gain fame and reputation across the Star Field, rising above all others, so everyone in the Sect had never said no to any of his requests, big or small. The hope of bringing glory to the Sect was all pinned on Luo Yuan.
Luo Yuan’s words were equivalent to the words of the Sect Master. He occupied the best cave mansion in the Sect and was given nearly half of the cultivating resources available. When he was cultivating, no one dared to interfere, unless they wanted to die.
This was also the biggest reason why the disciples of Eight Paths Sect did not want to magnify the issue before – they did not want to disturb Luo Yuan!
Who knew that he was still alarmed in the end.
The disciples of Eight Paths Sect were both terrified and delighted – terrified that Luo Yuan might punish them for putting him in a bad mood, while on the other hand, delighted that a strong backup had come to rescue them out of trouble.
“Ah… It’s you!” At that moment, the round-faced woman who had been standing behind Luo Yuan came back to her senses and broke her obsessive gaze away from Luo Yuan. She looked around with a frown and cried out when her eyes met Yang Kai, “You are that… that…”
She could not remember Yang Kai’s name.
Yang Kai smiled slightly, “Yang Kai!”
“Yes, yes, you are the one who exchanged an Extraordinary Treasure Pill with me in the Four Seasons Realm. Why are you here?” The round-faced woman recalled her last encounter with Yang Kai.
“Why can’t I be here?” Yang Kai was amused.
The round-faced woman tilted her head and thought, silently agreeing that the question she asked was a bit nonsensical. She then smiled at him and did not speak again.
Luo Yuan’s gaze was locked on Yang Kai, a boundless fighting intent suddenly flashing across his eyes that were originally as quiet and still as water.
Yang Kai grinned, “How long have you been here?”
Luo Yuan said lightly, “Not too long!” After a pause, he added, “I was alerted when you summoned that artifact in your hand, then I came and saw that you wanted to kill a disciple from my Sect.”
He carried an indifferent tone as he spoke, but the annoyance and coldness were clear in his words.
No matter what, he was still a disciple of Eight Paths Sect so he could not just sit back and watch a fellow disciple get killed.
The middle-aged man was overjoyed and shouted hurriedly, “Junior Brother Luo, this person who thinks he’s unbeatable is disrespecting our Sect. Not only did he attack Junior Brother Lin Yun, but he also wounded me. Junior Brother Luo, please seek justice for us!”
He changed his previous yes-man attitude towards Yang Kai and became extremely arrogant, feeling secure and confident now that he had a backer here.
“Really?” Luo Yuan frowned and looked at Yang Kai coldly.
Yang Kai smiled, “En, I knocked out the one lying there, and I hurt the one who spoke earlier.”
“How bold of you!” Luo Yuan raised the corners of his mouth, “This is what men should be like, I admire you!”
“Is Brother Luo going to stand up for them?” Yang Kai looked at him with a smile.
“There’s a Secret Technique that I have been cultivating recently, but I seem to have reached a bottleneck, and closed-door meditation has been fruitless to break through it…” Luo Yuan suddenly talked about an irrelevant topic, but the scorching intent in his eyes intensified as he spoke. The Source Qi in his body trembled as he shouted in a low voice, “I was still worried that I could not find a worthy opponent here in this pathetic countryside, but it’s perfect now that Brother Yang is here!”
“Do you want to use me to break through the bottleneck of your Secret Technique?” Yang Kai looked at him oddly.
“Indeed!”
“Why should I help you?” Yang Kai quipped, “I won’t do anything that doesn’t get me anything!”
“You have no choice,” Luo Yuan snorted coldly as he stepped forward and approached Yang Kai, his aura strengthening with each stride.
From the posture he assumed, regardless of whether Yang Kai agreed or not, he was going to make a move.
Yang Kai frowned.
Luo Yuan was no ordinary cultivator, not to mention that he was already a Third-Order Dao Source Realm. His extraordinary combat power alone should not be underestimated.
If it was not necessary, Yang Kai would rather not get into a fight with him. They were still in the Qin Residence and fighting a battle here would definitely flatten at least a third of this place while also likely wounding the already weak Qin Yu and the others.
Yang Kai was not as unscrupulous as Luo Yuan and would not act without giving any consideration to others.
“Stop!” At this moment, Qin Yu suddenly yelled.
Luo Yuan paused, a look of displeasure flashed across his face as he shouted in a low voice, “Who are you?”
There was a murderous intent on his face as he looked extremely unhappy being interrupted by Qin Yu. If he was not actively suppressing himself, he likely would have killed her already.
Qin Yu said, “Qin Family Qin Yu!”
Luo Yuan retracted his murderous intent upon hearing this and muttered “So you are the owner of this place, huh?”
A frown appeared on his face as he fell silent for a time before asking, “What is it you want to say?”
His murderous look before had subsided and it was replaced with a cold but still polite posture, surprising Yang Kai greatly.
“I would never presume to tell you what to do. You are strong after all and the Qin Family is weak,” Qin Yu said sarcastically. “It’s just that a disciple of your Eight Paths Sect killed a servant from our family, so shouldn’t Your Excellency give us an explanation first?”
“Killed a servant from your family?” Luo Yuan’s face became cold, “Such a thing happened?”
“The body is still here, can you not see it?” Qin Yu ground her teeth.
Luo Yuan turned his gaze to the female corpse in the courtyard and frowned before he gazed towards the middle-aged man and asked, “What happened?”
The middle-aged man was flustered and did not know how to answer. He stammered and was unable to say anything.
“I will count to three. If you have not answered by then, you know the consequences!” Luo Yuan’s expression became colder, “One… “
The middle-aged man suddenly shuddered and began rapidly explaining what had happened without leaving out any details or adding any inflammatory remarks.
After hearing what had happened, Luo Yuan thoughtfully said, “So, Brother Yang made a move because of this?”
“Ye… yes…” The middle-aged man glanced at Yang Kai and nodded in agreement, not daring to falsely accuse Yang Kai.
“I understand now!” Luo Yuan nodded before his figure flickered and he shot into a nearby ruined room. When he emerged once more, he was carrying the fainted Lin Yun in his hand.
Yang Kai looked at him with interest, uncertain how Luo Yuan would deal with Lin Yun and what kind of explanation he would give the Qin Family.
“You’re the Young Lady of the Qin Family, right?” Luo Yuan looked at Qin Yu and said lightly, “Since he was the murderer, watch carefully!”
Luo Yuan then madly poured his Source Qi in the hand holding Lin Yun’s neck.
In an instant, Lin Yun swelled up and his skin turned blood red.
Yang Kai’s eyes narrowed, secretly amazed.
The faces of the disciples from the Eight Paths Sect filled with shock as the middle-aged man cried out, “Junior Brother Luo, don’t!”
Lin Yun woke up from his unconsciousness in severe pain at that moment, but he was still a little dazed and had no clue what was happening. The sight which greeted him, however, was Luo Yuan’s face so Lin Yun couldn’t help calling out in shock, “Luo… Senior Brother Luo!”
“En,” Luo Yuan nodded casually before increasing the strength of his grip as he poured more Source Qi into him.
“Ah…” Lin Yun screamed, realizing that something was wrong, “Don’t… don’t… “
*Peng… *
With a loud explosion, Lin Yun popped in Luo Yuan’s hands and turned into a blood mist that scattered across the sky. However, even though Luo Yuan stood right next to him, he remained completely spotless.
Silence filled the courtyard.
The entire Qin Family stood frozen in place while the disciples from Eight Paths Sect looked at each other in shock, none of them daring to take a breath.
No one expected that Luo Yuan would kill Lin Yun just like that!
Weren’t they fellow brothers from the same Sect? Wasn’t Lin Yun the nephew of Eight Paths Sect’s Vice Sect Master?
Everyone was flabbergasted by the cruel and cold-blooded brutality of Luo Yuan.
“Are you satisfied with this explanation, Young Lady Qin?” Luo Yuan looked at Qin Yu.
Qin Yu gritted her teeth “Satisfied!”
The murderer had died in front of her eyes, what else could she say? A life for a life, Luo Yuan actually fulfilled this condition, so there was nothing left for her to complain about.
“Good!” Luo Yuan nodded lightly, disregarding what other people thought as he turned back to Yang Kai, “Brother Yang, let’s begin!”
Yang Kai was flummoxed, “Begin? Begin what? Can you not control yourself a bit more? Do you just want to fight and kill all day?”
Qin Zhao Yang thought that Yang Kai was afraid of Luo Yuan, so he hurriedly stepped up, “Little Brother Luo, since we have settled the matter and the murderer had paid the price, let’s sit down and have a good chat, this Old Master will offer his best hospitality.”
Luo Yuan ignored him and continued to focus his attention on Yang Kai, “Brother Yang, you are disappointing… What happened to your domineering madness in the Four Seasons Realm? How can you reach the peak of the Martial Dao if you shy away from challenges?”
“The peak of the Martial Dao?” Yang Kai curled his lips fiercely, “I am only a First-Order Dao Source Realm now, isn’t it too early to start thinking about such things?”
“A successful person is always farsighted!” Luo Yuan said, “Brother Yang, you shouldn’t be so short-sighted.”
Yang Kai said seriously, “Wrong, wrong, it’s all wrong!”
Luo Yuan asked unexpectedly, “What’s wrong?”
Yang Kai replied, “I think it’s only right to be realistic, to take one step forward at a time instead of reaching out for something that is beyond one’s grasp.”
Luo Yuan frowned, “If one has no ambitious goals, how can they move forward?”
He looked like he was preparing to debate with Yang Kai to get his way, so Yang Kai responded impatiently, “Let’s just agree to disagree and mind our own business.”
“I want to fight Brother Yang now!”
“You’re still not giving up…” Yang Kai stood forward immediately and snapped, “What’s the point of fighting against me? With the abilities I possess, you can’t even touch a single hair on my head!”
“Uh…” Luo Yuan was taken aback and suddenly recalled that Yang Kai was proficient in the Dao of Space. Back in the Four Seasons Realm, Yang Kai had been able to utterly ignore all of the powerful Masters targeting him precisely because no one below the Emperor Realm could stop him from coming or going as he pleased.
Luo Yuan really may not be able to even touch a hair on Yang Kai…
“Don’t run…” Luo Yuan thought for a while and proposed, “Let’s have a passionate, bloody fight like real men.”
Everyone looked anxious.
Yang Kai looked at him disrespectfully and sneered, “Have you gone stupid from cultivating too hard? Why shouldn’t I use all of my abilities in a fight?”
“Silence!” The round-faced woman who kept standing behind Luo Yan suddenly frowned and yelled at Yang Kai, “Don’t speak ill of Senior Brother Luo.”
“Brother Yang…” Luo Yang bellowed at Yang Kai, “Let’s fight!”
Yang Kai facepalmed, feeling speechless about this man.
At this moment, the surrounding atmosphere changed again.
With the sound of whistling in the air, the figures of many Masters appeared from all directions and all of them cast their eyes on Yang Kai’s Myriad Sword as soon as they arrived. After their attentive observation, their eyes glowed in greed.
They were certainly alerted by the Emperor Pressure of this Emperor Artifact, so they all came from their places to examine it and after seeing the Myriads Sword, they naturally coveted it.
The people who came here were basically Third-Order Dao Source Realm Masters while there were no Emperors present. Even if a cultivator of their level had seen an Emperor Artifact occasionally, it was still just a glimpse and none ever had a chance to possess one.
But now, to their surprise, an Emperor Artifact appeared in a small Maplewood City, and it was a sword-type artifact that specialized in killing!
They scanned with their Divine Senses and could not help feeling delighted when they found Yang Kai was just a First-Order Dao Source Realm cultivator.
Luo Yang frowned involuntarily, displeased at the sight of newcomers. Pushing his Source Qi, he created a visible ripple in the air with him as its centre that served as a warning blast to the surroundings.
“All of you, scram!” He let out a burst of anger at these people who were interfering with his battle with Yang Kai.
*Deng deng deng…*
Those people who came, regardless of cultivation or age, were deterred by this display of power and presence and quickly retreated a certain distance away in fear.
Not to mention that everyone recognized Luo Yuan due to his recent rise in fame, even if they did not, and after seeing the power he just released, they knew that he was not an ordinary Third-Order Dao Source Realm cultivator, so why would they play with fire?
However, two among them remained where they stood, unintimidated by Luo Yuan.
The two were both elderly men, one of them looked as if he was meditating with his eyes closed, completely ignoring the presence of Luo Yuan, turning a deaf ear to him, while the other just sneered as a light flashed across his eyes, as if mocking Luo Yuan for his overconfidence.
These two were Flying Saint Palace’s Left and Right Protectors, Gao Shan and Liu Shui.
The two Protectors had been staying in the City Lord’s Mansion earlier, guarding Young Palace Master Ning Yuan Shu, but as soon as they sensed the Emperor Pressure released by an Emperor Artifact, they asked Ning Yuan Shu for permission and hurried over. They just happened to arrive just as Luo Yuan was unleashing his anger.
“Young man, you should not become angered so easily…” Protector Liu Shui grinned at Luo Yang with a proud and aloof attitude fitting for a Senior, “You’ll be hurt if you act so recklessly.”
“Hmph!” Protector Gao Shan opened his eyes and snorted coldly, “Youngsters nowadays really don’t know the immensity of Heaven and Earth. They don’t put the heroes of the world in their eyes just because they have a little capability. One day, that arrogance will get you in trouble.”
“Two Seniors are wise!” Yang Kai looked at them with a humble face and nodded repeatedly, cupping his fist as he greeted them, “This Junior couldn’t agree more with the words two Seniors spoke. I believe these two Seniors must not be ordinary men to be able to speak like this.”
“It’s nothing, it’s nothing,” Liu Shui smiled at Yang Kai, finding this little brat quite pleasing to his eyes.
“Those who are willing to be taught will be successful!” Gao Shan did not hesitate to praise too.
“May this Junior ask for these two Seniors’ honoured names?” Yang Kai asked with a respectful look.
“Old Master Gao Shan!”
“Old Master Liu Shui!”
The two of them answered one after another, then spoke in unison, “We are the Left and Right Protectors of Flying Saint Palace!”
Their introduction seemed to have gone through many drills, and they spoke their lines proficiently, without any pauses.
“Flying Saint Palace…” Yang Kai’s face changed as he responded in amazement, “I can’t believe these two Seniors are the famous Protectors Gao Shan and Liu Shui who are famous throughout the whole Southern Territory!”
Looking at the face of Yang Kai, Gao Shan and Liu Shui were pleased with his flattery, with Gao Shan smiling faintly and asking, “So you have heard about our names?”
“Of course, two Seniors’ names resound like thunder across the land!” Yang Kai started spewing nonsense while looking completely earnest.
“HAHAHAHA!” Gao Shan and Liu Shui looked at each other and laughed out loud.
Everyone else who was listening couldn’t help glaring at Yang Kai with utter contempt for his flagrant bootlicking.
At the same time, they also secretly despised the two old fools, Gao Shan and Liu Shui. These two had lived for so many years yet only possessed Third-Order Dao Source Realm cultivations and could be so easily won over with a little sweet talk from a mere brat. How could these two old fools possibly be the two Protectors of Flying Saint Palace?
It seemed that everyone was meeting Gao Shan and Liu Shui for the first time though, so they kept looking at each other with exasperated faces.
“But…” Yang Kai’s face suddenly turned solemn, about to say something but stopping just short.
“But what?” Gao Shan frowned, curiously looking at Yang Kai.
Yang Kai forced a smile and replied, “But it seems that some here do not respect two Seniors. Before two Seniors came here, this Junior happened to hear some unflattering remarks about you!”
“What? Who dares disrespect us Old Masters?” Gao Shan was infuriated and swept his cold eyes across the crowd.
When those cultivators met eyes with Gao Shan and Li Shui, they flinched and looked away. Although these two old men were indeed a bit foolish, there was no doubt about them being strong, otherwise, it would be impossible for them to seize the City Lord’s Mansion.
Therefore, the other Sects could only seek out other families to stay at as they were afraid of the strength of these two old men and dared not to compete with them for the City Lord’s Mansion.
“Was it you?” Gao Shan suddenly stared furiously at a shifty-eyed middle-aged man and yelled.
“No no no!” That middle-aged man quickly waved his hands and explained with cold sweat on his forehead, “This one arrived after you two, how could it have been me?”
“En,” Gao Shan did not suspect him, then he turned to another person, “Then what about you?”
“There is no such thing, this humble one has long admired two Seniors, why would I utter any words of disrespect?” The man singled out answered seriously.
“Who was it then!? Speak now so this Old Master can teach them some proper manners!” Liu Shui was mad too and asked Yang Kai with a glare.
Yang Kai stuttered slightly as he hesitated, “This Junior doesn’t dare to say… This Junior is weak and afraid of being killed after speaking!”
“Say it, don’t be afraid. Who has the courage to touch you when you have these two Old Masters here to protect you? Whoever dares to hurt you, these Old Masters will slaughter his entire family!” Gao Shan ensured Yang Kai’s safety and puffed up with pride.
“With the words of Senior, I can feel relieved,” Yang Kai acted thrilled and swiftly pointed with his finger and shouted, “It was him! It was this boy! Before two Seniors came, he boasted that Gao Shan and Liu Shui, who were supposed to be the strongest in Maplewood City right now, were just some ants in his eyes and he could easily crush them with just his finger. He also said Flying Saint Palace was nothing but a gathering of trash that shelters evildoers, and that all the cultivators in it were not born from their fathers and mothers, but from… “
“From what?” Gao Shan was completely incensed and his clothes began flapping despite there being no wind.
“It’s better for this Junior to not say it, it’s too humiliating!” Yang Kai said in a depressed tone.
“Why you!” Gao Shan was boiling mad and burst out in anger,
“Good, good, good!” Liu Shui also glared at the person pointed out by Yang Kai and sneered, “Young man, you seem to have a foul mouth. Why don’t you show me how you plan on crushing these two Old Masters with just one finger!”
Luo Yuan frowned and looked at Yang Kai, “You’re pointing at me?”
Yang Kai yelled, “Luo Yuan, be a man! Do you want to deny your own words? Masters Gao Shan and Liu Shui are present now! I dare you to say what you just said again! Let’s just see if these two Old Masters beat you to death!”
“En, I understand,” Luo Yuan lightly nodded, surprisingly, he made no attempt to explain himself.
Seeing him not deny the charge, Gao Shan and Liu Shui started to believe Yang Kai more and more.
Gao Shan reprimanded, “Boy, you’ve only earned a bit of fame yet you already think you’re invincible? You need to be taught that there is always someone better than you and have your attitude corrected, for your own sake.”
“Why bother speaking any nonsense with him? He must suffer death for insulting both of us!” Liu Shui snorted coldly as he looked scornfully at Luo Yan, “Little Brat, will you surrender yourself to be executed, or do you prefer we Old Masters come take your head? Let me say this first, if it’s the former, you will suffer less, but if it’s the latter, heh heh… you’ll beg for death before we’re done!”
Listening to Liu Shui’s words, Yang Kai was feeling on top of the world for successfully roping Luo Yuan into this mess.
As he expected, a person as arrogant as Luo Yuan would not sit there doing anything after being threatened. Forget about the fact that he hadn’t said anything insulting about these two old men, even if he did, he would still not have compromised at this moment. Raising his eyes, Luo Yuan revealed a wild and intractable face as he pushed his Source Qi and grinned, “Two old dogs want to take my life? Do you have the ability?”
“You’re only one step away from your grave, yet you’re still speaking boastfully. Take this, boy!” Gao Shan finally lost his temper completely and palmed towards Luo Yuan.
In an instant, the clouds up in the sky began to swirl as the flow of the surrounding Principles began to change and condense into a gigantic palm print that smashed down from above and enveloped Luo Yuan.
The faces of all the cultivators present turned pale.
Given that Gao Shan was a Protector of Flying Saint Palace and had a solid cultivation at the Third-Order Dao Source Realm, his strike was exceptional. Everyone was thinking of a way of defending or evading the attack that could possibly come in their way.
Their faces turned ugly as they kept thinking about it as they realized that they could only dodge this attack while counterattacking would only result in their defeat …
However, Luo Yuan remained standing where he was without any thoughts of evading, as if he were paralyzed in place.
The round-faced woman who was standing behind him, too, stood frozen, her beautiful eyes fixed on Luo Yuan’s heroic back, not even the noises of the crowd entering her ears.
*Hong long long… *
The gigantic palm print which was formed from a combination of Source Qi and Principles slammed down, causing space around Luo Yuan to shake and wicked winds to be kicked up. Even the threads of Divine Senses which were monitoring the situation were being swallowed up in this massive current, making it impossible for others to see what was happening inside.
Several houses in the Qin Residence were also flattened by this explosion and turned into ruins.
“Hmph! This is the result of trash acting arrogant in front of this Old Master!” After Gao Shan’s move hit its mark, he snorted loudly as he folded his arm behind his back, assuming a victory pose.
“It was just a young man who had only cultivated for a few years and thought he could stand against these Old Masters. Such wanton overconfidence!” Liu Shui sneered.
“Is that it?” The voice of Luo Yuan suddenly came out from the centre of the chaotic swirl of energy, followed by a burst of radiance that scattered the halo of light in the next instant.
Luo Yuan reappeared in front of everyone, a layer of Source Qi covering his body that was so dazzling it almost blinded Gao Shan and Liu Shui.
Not only was Luo Yuan unharmed, but even the round-faced woman who had been standing behind him was not affected at all. However, after being attacked like this, the round-faced woman seemed quite annoyed and she frowned deeply towards Gao Shan and Liu Shui.
“This, this, this…” Gao Shan could not help taking a few steps back, looking at Luo Yuan like he had seen a ghost, unable to believe what he saw.
“How can this be?” Liu Shui exclaimed in shock. He was clear just how powerful Gao Shan’s move was, so even if Luo Yuan was a Third-Order Dao Source Realm cultivator as well, it should have been impossible to take it directly unscathed. But the truth was shown in front of his eyes and he was stupefied by it.
“I was still worrying that I couldn’t find a good opponent!” Luo Yuan grinned fiercely, his expression causing all who saw it to shudder, “Since you old dogs have come to me, I have no need to hold back…”
He licked his lips while speaking, as if he suddenly saw a delicious dish after starving for a long time.
His look nearly frightened Gao Shan and Liu Shui to death.
As soon as he finished speaking, Luo Yuan gradually raised his hand and a vigorous Source Qi started pulsing from his body, making a strange noise like waves crashing against rock.
“Stop!” A gentle voice interfered at the crucial moment.
Luo Yuan frowned and turned to the direction of the sound. Realizing it was from Qin Yu, he asked with a cold face, “What is it now?”
Previously he was interrupted by Qin Yu when he was about to act against Yang Kai, and now when he was about to fight Gao Shan and Liu Shui, Qin Yu interrupted him again. If it weren’t for the fact that she was the host here where he was staying, Luo Yuan would not have paid any attention to her.
“What do you want to do?” Qin Yu looked coldly at Luo Yuan and questioned with her teeth gritted.
“Isn’t it obvious?” Luo Yuan answered, “Can’t you tell what I was about to do?”
“I can!” Qin Yu did not fear Luo Yuan despite the differences in their strength and she continued to glare at him with her beautiful eyes, “It is exactly because I can tell that I have no choice but to stop you.”
“What do you mean? Speak clearly!” Luo Yuan scowled.
“Do you intend to destroy my Qin Residence?” Qin Yu asked.
“No, I don’t.” Luo Yuan replied seriously.
“Then do it somewhere else!” Qin Yu snorted, “If all of you don’t want to sleep on the street tonight, find another place to fight!”
“Ah…” Luo Yuan pondered for a moment before nodding, “Makes sense!”
The disciples of Eight Paths Sect were staying in the Qin Residence, so if the Qin Residence was really levelled, everyone from Eight Paths Sect would have nowhere to stay and their reputation would plummet for numerous reasons.
Looking up at Gao Shan and Liu Shui, Luo Yuan shouted, “Two old dogs, follow me!”
After that, his figure flickered and he rushed out of the city. When he left, he flew right over Gao Shan and Liu Shui’s heads, a naked provocation.
Gao Shan and Liu Shui could never tolerate a Junior acting so haughty before them, so they immediately turned to give chase.
In the blink of an eye, three Third-Order Dao Source Realm Masters disappeared from everyone’s vision.
“Ai…” The round-faced woman who had stood behind Luo Yuan all this time unexpectedly sighed and looked sorrowful.
From beginning to end, Luo Yuan had never turned his eyes to her or paid any attention to her at all, making her feel quite sad. Gritting her teeth, she turned to glare at Yang Kai and blamed him, “It’s all your fault!”
“Why are you blaming me?” Yang Kai grinned.
“If not for your deceitful lies, Senior Brother Luo would not have left!” The round-faced woman pouted, revealing a cute and playful face.
“Nonsense! In fact, you should be thanking me,” Yang Kai smiled.
“Why should I?” The round-faced woman stared at Yang Kai from the corner of her eyes and mocked, “I don’t see a reason for me to thank you.”
Yang Kai answered with full confidence, “Of course there is. If I did not create troubles, you wouldn’t have been able to see your Senior Brother Luo’s care for you.”
“Senior Brother Luo’s care for me?” The round-faced woman raised her brow and her pretty face blushed before she stomped her foot angrily, “Don’t be ridiculous, Senior Brother Luo only cares… he only cares about pursuing the Martial Dao. He would never care about me…” After a pause, she asked again with hope, “Can you tell me? How did Senior Brother Luo show he cared about… me?”
Before Yang Kai could answer, Qin Yu interjected with a faint smile, “Young Lady, I’m afraid you were blinded by the situation because you were too close to it. When Protector Gao Shan struck just now, were you injured in the slightest?”
“No!” The round-faced woman shook her head.
“Then who was it who protected you?” Qin Yu questioned again.
Realization dawned on the round-faced woman and her beautiful eyes lit up as her originally sorrowful expression turned energetic, as if she had been gifted some precious treasure, causing her to smile brightly.
Qin Yu continued, “If your Senior Brother Luo didn’t care about you, you would be seriously wounded now.”
“He… He just… just did it out of convenience, he did not care about me,” The round-faced woman lowered her head, blushing and anxious. Even though she denied it with her words, her demure face had betrayed her thoughts as she looked like she was drunk on honey.
“However… aren’t you worried about your Senior Brother Luo? Although Gao Shan and Liu Shui have some problems… up here, they are still not easy to handle,” Yang Kai smiled while tapping on his own head.
The round-faced woman replied, “There’s nothing to be worried about. Those two men would definitely be crying for their mothers soon enough!”
She had absolute confidence in Luo Yuan.
At this point, she turned her gaze at Yang Kai and asked with a smile, “You still have time to talk about all these things? Better worry about yourself first.”
“What should I be worried about?” Yang Kai sneered and looked around, “It’s just a gathering of trash!”
“What did you say!?”
“Little brat, you’re too full of yourself, I have to teach you a harsh life lesson.”
“Whose family did this boy come from? What a foul mouth he has! Haven’t your parents taught you any manners?”
His surrounding cultivators started to yell at him.
The three strongest cultivators had left them, so the remaining people naturally had no more concerns, all of them staring covetously at the Myriads Sword in Yang Kai’s hand as they plotted and schemed to acquire it.
“Heh heh heh…” An elderly man suddenly laughed as he looked down at Yang Kai kindly, “Little brother, where did you get your sword from?”
“You mean this?” Yang Kai swung the Myriads Sword across his chest and pointed it, releasing a sword light from its blade as he smiled and said, “I picked it up on the road.”
“Then it must be the one that this Old Master lost a few days ago, no wonder it looked so familiar. Little brother, please return it to me!” The elderly man continued hurriedly.
The group of cultivators around looked at the elderly man dumbfounded, thinking to themselves, [This is too shameless. Even if you wanted to rob treasures, you should find a better excuse. The excuse that you just gave was so… ridiculous! Even fools won’t fall for it!]
“I was the one who picked it up so it’s mine now, why should I give it to you?” Yang Kai’s face darkened as he stored the Myriads Sword directly back into his body.
Seeing this scene, the elderly man gulped and asked eagerly, “Little brother, as long as you are willing to give this Old Master his sword back, this Old Master will guarantee you prosperity and wealth for the rest of your life. You may not know, but this Old Master is the Evil Moon Valley’s Vice Valley Master, Qu Huai Ren, and he is always faithful to his word.”
Yang Kai stared at him and said, “I don’t believe you.”
“If you don’t believe me, you can ask them. They can testify for this Old Master,” The elderly man pointed at his surrounding cultivators anxiously.
All the cultivators around sneered when they heard it, and put on a face of ‘this is none of my business’.
“See, they don’t believe you either,” Yang Kai derided, “You must be trying to cheat me out of my treasure!”
Qu Huai Ren’s eyes flashed a fierce light as he snorted coldly, “Fine, you’ve forced this Old Master to get rough with you. Don’t blame this Old Master for acting ruthless now.”
Saying so, he moved in a flash with a ruthless look, like a great peng swooping down from above as he charged towards Yang Kai with his one hand stretching into a claw.
“What… What do you want to do!?” Yang Kai looked flustered and kept stepping back.
“Heh heh heh… little brat, if you want to blame someone, blame yourself for having such bad luck! You were just digging your own grave showing off your treasure with just a trivial First-Order Dao Source Realm cultivation! In your next life, if you’re lucky enough to be reborn as a human, remember this, an ordinary man is innocent but his treasures make him guilty!” Qu Huai Ren spoke earnestly but he did not slow his movements, pressing towards Yang Kai while releasing undisguised killing intent.
“I… I’ll fight you!” Yang Kai shouted fiercely, releasing a roar that reverberated like thunder, causing the ears of those present to ring. Initially, when the cultivators around saw the elderly man making a move, their expression changed and some of them even pushed their own Source Qi, seemingly planning to join the fray.
However, everyone could not help but be stunned at Yang Kai’s roar.
A brilliance flashed across the ground where Yang Kai stood on, and the Myriads Sword Emperor Artifact was summoned out by him again. At that moment, he waved his sword around frantically, as if frightened silly by Qu Huai Ren’s attack and unable to release his strength properly.
“Give it to me!” Qu Huai Ren was overjoyed when he saw the Myriads Sword and stretched out his arm to snatch it, excitement covering his face as if he had already seen himself ruling the world with the treasure he just obtained.
*Chi… *
*Pu… *
Five severed fingers flew out in the next instant as blood splattered everywhere.
“Uh…” Qu Huai Ren was standing not far in front of Yang Kai, frozen on the spot. Staring at Yang Kai dumbstruck, as if he had not fully recovered from his shock, he could only feel a coolness on his hand and chest, as well as a sharp, rising pain.
The next moment, he saw the corner of Yang Kai’s mouth curve upwards, showing a mocking grin. This grin made him shiver involuntarily as he vaguely felt something was not right.
*Dida, dida…*
The clear sound of blood dripping reached the ears of the crowd and the stench of it quickly filled the air.
Nobody seemed to understand what was going on, but they soon awoke from their daze and were shocked by the scene when they raised their eyes to Qu Huai Ren.
Qu Huai Ren’s body was frozen in place, motionless, while it was still in a pouncing posture, his hand stretched out. However, all five fingers of that hand had been cut off smoothly and cleanly, blood spurting from the wounds.
What was more shocking though was a sword had impaled Qu Huai Ren, half of the blade pierced through his back, and blood dripped down the sword tip continuously, splashing all over the ground, completely dyeing it red.
Gulping, everyone had the same thought run through their minds, [What is going on?]
They only saw Qu Huai Ren rushing toward Yang Kai aggressively, while Yang Kai waved his artifact around frantically. They all assumed that Qu Huai Ren would quickly overpower Yang Kai and snatch away the artifact, but the reality was completely different.
From the looks of it, it seemed that Qu Huai Ren had accidentally impaled himself on Yang Kai’s sword.
The blade seemed to have cut through the main arteries of the heart, leaving no possibility of survival.
Some of the cultivators’ eyes flickered in realization and the contempt and disdain they had before disappeared in a flash, replaced with solemnity as they gazed at Yang Kai.
Others still looked blank.
“You…” Qu Huai Ren said, and before he had a chance to finish the sentence, blood gushed out of his mouth uncontrollably like a fountain.
“You just sought death yourself, you can’t blame me!” Yang Kai snorted before slamming his palm against Qu Huai Ren’s chest, sending him flying.
Qu Huai Ren’s vitality quickly dissipated mid-air, and the life left his eyes. He had stopped breathing even before landing onto the ground, dying quite miserably.
How could Qu Huai Ren have known that he, the Vice Valley Master of Evil Moon Valley, would die in a small place like Maplewood City. Qu Huai Ren would never have thought that he would end like this before he came here.
“You killed Vice Valley Master Qu!” A middle-aged man suddenly declared, coldly. He seemed to be quite fond of Qu Huai Ren, so seeing him die in front of him infuriated him and was not about to let it slide. Flicking his wrist, this middle-aged man summoned a golden globe of light into his palm and shouted, “Boy! Surrender now and follow me to Evil Moon Valley to confess your crimes, and maybe you can survive, otherwise without a doubt, you will die!”
As the words fell, the golden light in his hand exploded, transforming into a big golden net directly above Yang Kai, trapping him.
He figured that one of the reasons why Qu Huai Ren died tragically at the hands of Yang Kai was his carelessness, while the other was the formidable artifact in Yang Kai’s hands. If that wasn’t the case, how could a Third-Order Dao Source Realm cultivator be defeated in such a short time by Yang Kai’s mere First-Order Dao Source Realm cultivation?
People fumble, horses stumble. Qu Huai Ren must have been too careless.
He was afraid of the razor-sharp Myriads Sword, and did not plan to fight Yang Kai head-on, instead choosing to use his artifact to restrain Yang Kai first.
Dao Source Grade energy fluctuations pulsed from the golden net. As soon it appeared, it seemed to separate everyone inside it from the outside world with an invisible force, forming a unique blockade.
“Profound Gold Heaven Capturing Net!” Someone in the crowd instantly recognized the artifact’s name, his face changing dramatically.
The middle-aged man coldly snorted then clenched his fists, focusing his attention on controlling the power of his artifact.
Yang Kai retreated a few steps, but no matter how much he tried to flee, he could not escape this Profound Gold Heaven Capturing Net. Suppressed by the invisible force, which surprised him too, Yang Kai secretly felt that this was a mysterious and intriguing artifact.
“Little brat, you can’t escape. My Profound Gold Heaven Capturing Net hasn’t failed me ever since I refined it. Give up!” The middle-aged man sneered and flipped his hand, shrinking the big golden net around Yang Kai and then condensing it into a sphere of golden light, completely sealing him inside.
“Hahahaha!” The middle-aged man laughed gleefully at this success, but soon, his smile froze and his eyes widened, “How is that possible?!”
Yang Kai, who was supposed to be bound by the Profound Gold Heaven Capturing Net, slowly faded and vanished completely.
It was just an afterimage.
“Oh oh, that was dangerous!” Yang Kai’s voice suddenly came from the side. The middle-aged man fixed his eyes on the direction of the voice and saw Yang Kai wiping the cold sweat on his forehead, still in a state of shock.
“Brat, you…” The middle-aged man’s face changed slightly as he gawked at Yang Kai, wondering how he escaped the capturing power of his artifact without him noticing.
“Not bad, not bad at all, this is a good artifact. I want it!” Yang Kai said, reaching out and grabbing at the golden light.
“Ah!” The middle-aged man was startled as he saw Yang Kai grab towards his artifact. Pushing his Source Qi madly, the man formed a series of seals with his hands.
The golden sphere buzzed and vibrated as it tried to escape Yang Kai’s grasp, violently shaking and causing his hand to ache.
This was an artifact that was painstakingly refined and shared a Soul connection with the middle-aged man, so it was only normal it would show resistance when a stranger tried to seize it.
Perceiving the resistance of this artifact, Yang Kai’s eyes flashed sharply, raised his head, and shouted to the middle-aged man, “Look here!”
“What?” The middle-aged man was trying to wrest his artifact out of Yang Kai’s control and was taken aback when he heard this shout and unconsciously looked up.
The next moment, a chill filled his heart, causing him to shudder.
A stream of pure Spiritual Energy rushed towards him at that moment, its power swift and sharp, like a sword that was thoroughly refined over and over again. Instantly, the middle-aged man’s Soul defences were cut through and a slash impacted his Knowledge Sea, raising violent wind and waves.
“Ahhhhhh…” His face turned pale immediately and he clutched his head, screaming in agony.
Everyone moved away from the middle-aged man in shock.
His Soul, spiralling out of control upon receiving the assault from Yang Kai, made the middle-aged man lose control of his Profound Gold Heaven Capturing Net.
Yang Kai pushed his Source Qi hard at that moment and directly suppressed the resisting artifact. Then, he violently poured his Spiritual Energy into the artifact, wiping away the middle-aged man’s Soul Imprint. Finished, Yang Kai tossed the golden net into his Space Ring.
This artifact was successfully stolen away by Yang Kai!
Everyone was dumbstruck and finally realized that something was not right.
Seizing another’s artifact was not something an ordinary person could do. Unless there was a massive difference in their Soul cultivations, the Soul Imprint of the original owner could not be erased in such a short period of time.
But Yang Kai accomplished just that.
In other words, given that he could erase the Soul Imprint of the middle-aged man in an instant, it meant his Soul was far stronger than that of the middle-aged man.
Everyone drew a sharp, cold breath.
“You were pretending to be weak!” Someone bellowed, finally recognising Yang Kai’s act, a look of fear covering his face.
Even if Qu Huai Ren’s death was a result of carelessness, accidentally impaling himself on Yang Kai’s sword, what happened to the middle-aged man could not be excused as an accident.
This was definitely a crushing defeat based on strength, which could not be explained by luck.
The middle-aged man rolled around the ground, clutching his head, seeming to be gravely injured. It was uncertain if he could ever recover, but even if he could, a wound on one’s Soul would take a huge amount of time and energy to repair, assuming he didn’t go insane first.
“Who else has a decent artifact? Let me have a look,” Yang Kai looked around, smiling coldly.
Everyone took a few steps back, with dark expressions on their faces.
These people originally thought of stealing Yang Kai’s artifact, but they never expected just the opposite would occur. It seemed like now that the boy had tasted the sweetness, he was wanting more…
“No, no, my artifact is only of Origin King Grade, little brother will definitely not be interested,” Someone explained sternly.
“Origin King Grade is already quite good, my artifact is only an Origin Returning Grade…” another person immediately continued.
Everyone looked at him with contempt.
The man retorted, “What’s wrong? Can’t I be poor? Is it that embarrassing for a Dao Source Realm Cultivator to use an Origin Returning Grade artifact? Why are you looking at me like that!?”
As he spoke, he turned to Yang Kai, smiled, and cupped his fists, “Little brother should have no interest in an Origin Returning Grade artifact, yes? Ah, that’s right! This little one just remembered that he has an important affair to attend to, farewell!”
With these words, without waiting for Yang Kai’s response, he fled.
The others secretly cursed him for being quick-footed and seizing this opportunity. Many others hurriedly bid goodbye to Yang Kai with cupped fists and left hastily.
“Wait!” Yang Kai suddenly snorted coldly.
Everyone turned around in shock and looked at Yang Kai vigilantly, lest he do something unfavourable to them.
“You can’t just come and go as you please! Life is not that easy!” Yang Kai snorted coldly.
Everyone gulped, their faces ugly, knowing something bad was about to happen. They were really afraid of what this little brat was going to do.
Yang Kai pointed to the ground, “Take away this corpse and the guy who sounds like a slaughtered pig!”
“Ah…”
“Yes, Yes, Yes!”
“Hurry up and help!”
The crowd yelled and dragged away Qu Huai Ren’s body and the middle-aged man who was still screaming, all of them swiftly disappearing.
And with that, the thirty or so Dao Source Realm cultivators who came after being alarmed by Yang Kai’s Emperor Artifact left the Qin Residence in a flurry.
Except for one, who was still hovering mid-air.
Yang Kai looked at that person with his eyes squinted and found that it was a well-dressed young woman with a graceful figure and fair complexion. Her hair was flowing down her back like a waterfall and she was wearing a turquoise dress. Her beautiful eyes shone brightly and although she kept a distance from Yang Kai, fear could not be seen in her eyes.
The cultivation of this young woman was not high, but not low either, Second-Order Dao Source Realm. It seemed she was from some second-class Sect or big family.
“Why didn’t you leave?” Yang Kai turned solemn when he noticed that she was not leaving.
The young woman replied after hearing it, “Little Brother, may I ask if you are Grandmaster Yang?”
Yang Kai frowned and started to secretly raise his guard, asking instead of answering, “Who are you?”
The young woman hurriedly introduced herself, “This Mistress is Thousand Leaves Sect, Ye Jing Han.”
“Thousand Leaves Sect?” Yang Kai narrowed his eyes. He vaguely had some impression about this Sect, but nothing deep; however, he was certain that it was not some big Sect, probably similar to Blue Feather Sect, which did not have an Emperor Realm Master commanding it.
Across the entire Southern Territory, there were numerous Sects like this, each claiming some territories in order to live and multiply. Perhaps, some of their ancestors had achieved some glorious accomplishments, but afterwards, they suffered from a decline over the generations.
Blue Feather Sect was one such Sect. The ancestors of Blue Feather Sect’s Sect Master Wu Meng Shan was a peak level figure in the Star Boundary in the past, Heaven Devouring Great Emperor. This was a man able to cover the Heavens with only one hand, so powerful that the wind and the clouds were under his command. But in this generation, Wu Meng Shan was just a Sect Master of a small Sect and possessed only a Third-Order Dao Source Realm cultivation.
In this world, no Sect endured forever, no family that would not decline and die out. Only Star Soul Palace and some of the greatest Sects could maintain their prominence for ten thousand years or more.
“Are you really Grandmaster Yang?” Ye Jing Han asked eagerly.
“You’ve got the wrong person,” Yang Kai replied without hesitation.
A few people from the Qin Family and the Eight Paths Sect disciples could not help staring at him weirdly when he made this response.
“You’re right, he is Grandmaster Yang Kai!” The round-faced woman who was infatuated with Luo Yuan suddenly shouted happily. After she spoke, she turned a grin to Yang Kai.
Yang Kai immediately gave her a fierce glance.
“So, you really are Grandmaster Yang!” Ye Jing Han could not help feeling a little thrilled after confirming Yang Kai’s identity.
“I already said you’ve got the wrong person. There are many people with the same name in this world, so please hurry up and leave, otherwise, I may be rude to you,” Yang Kai swung his hands impatiently, like he was trying to drive away a fly.
Ye Jing Han bit her lip lightly as she looked at Yang Kai pitifully, “Grandmaster Yang, can you please just listen to a few words from this Mistress? This Mistress will leave after speaking.”
“No thanks!”
“You…” The round-faced woman seemed to be unable to stand it anymore and rebuked, “She is already begging you like this, so why can’t you just listen to her speak? Don’t you know anything about being caring and considerate towards women?!”
Yang Kai glared at her, “No, I don’t! Also, everyone came here just to steal my treasure, so why should I bother indulging her? If this happened to your Luo Yuan, what would you do?”
“What do you mean my Luo Yuan…” The round-faced woman’s face blushed and started to be restless again. But after a while, she returned to her cold face and snorted coldly, “If anyone dared to touch Senior Brother Luo, I’d kill them!”
She put on a murderous face that shocked Yang Kai greatly as he didn’t imagine she had such a vicious side to her.
“Patriarch Qin, send this guest off,” Yang Kai spoke to Qin Zhao Yang, then waved to Qin Yu, “Sister Qin, follow me!”
“En,” Qin Yu hurriedly moved towards Yang Kai.
To the side, Qin Zhao Yang pondered for a moment before he flew up into the air and started talking to Ye Jing Han. It seemed that he was trying to convince Ye Jing Han to leave but she kept refusing and begging.
“Oh right!” Yang Kai turned around when he was about to leave and sneered at the disciples of Eight Paths Sect, “Behave yourselves, if any of you dare to cross the line again, I’ll make sure you answer to me!”
The few disciples of Eight Paths Sect had cold sweat beading on their foreheads when they heard this and none dared to ignore Yang Kai’s order, nodding one after another.
After they clearly saw how Yang Kai slew Qu Huai Ren and robbed the middle-aged man’s artifact just now, they understood that they were no match for him, and if they did provoke him, they would not end well.
The round-faced woman smiled, “Relax, I will look after them to make sure they don’t cause a fuss.”
“That would be best, otherwise, don’t blame me for not giving Luo Yuan any face!” Yang Kai snorted lightly, turned, and left.
Yang Kai led Qin Yu all the way to a secret room where he had her take a seat. Qin Zhao Yang rushed in hurriedly a moment later, seemingly having settled the matter with Ye Jiang Han. He gazed at Yang Kai hopefully, and asked restlessly, “Little Brother Yang… About the trip to the Four Seasons Realm… Did you get it?”
Ever since Yang Kai returned, he did not have the time to ask about the matter of the Tribulation Fruit. Now that he was finally free, it was natural that Qin Zhao Yang couldn’t wait to know the result.
Qin Yu’s tender body also could not help trembling as her breathing became a bit hurried, seemingly unable to control her emotions.
After all, this was a matter of life or death to her. How could a young girl, who was still not eighteen, who had not fully seen the beauty of the world or experienced its various wonders, meekly accept death?
Yang Kai glanced at both of them and smiled faintly, “Fortunately, I have not failed my mission!”
While speaking, he took out a jade box from his Space Ring and opened it with a flick, showing an ice-carved jade-like spirit fruit that immediately attracted their eyes.
Qin Zhao Yang observed it attentively with his eyes wide-open while Qin Yu could not help but stretch her fair neck and look at it dumbfounded.
“This is… It is, it is! It’s the Tribulation Fruit!” Qin Zhao Yang burst into laughter after observing it for a while, tears of joy flowing down from his eyes, “That Senior once showed me a projected image of this spirit fruit and it matches perfectly.”
Qin Yu immediately covered her lips with her hands after hearing this, a weight finally lifting from her shoulders, her whole body going limp with relief.
“There were a lot of twists and turns in obtaining this spirit fruit, that’s why I couldn’t come back immediately. I’m sorry to have made you wait so long,” Yang Kai explained briefly.
Qin Zhao Yang said through his tears, “Don’t worry, don’t worry. This time, thanks to Little Brother Yang, Yu’er has hope to survive!”
“By the way, Patriarch Qin, did that Master back then say anything about how this should be consumed by Sister Qin? Does it need to be refined into a pill? If so, I can help with that,” Yang Kai asked solemnly.
“There is no need to refine it!” Qin Zhao Yang shook his head, “That Senior said we only need to find the Tribulation Fruit and let Yu’er eat it directly. Her World Tribulation Body is rejected by the Heavens and Earth, causing her vitality to be cut off, so the Tribulation Fruit will act as a medicine that could act as a formless bridge in order to reconnect her broken vitality and ultimately keep Yu’er from suffering from her physique in the future!”
“Then, let’s not delay this matter, let Sister Qin eat it immediately,” Yang Kai hurriedly passed the jade box to Qin Yu.
Qin Yu received the Tribulation Fruit from Yang Kai, gazed at it, then lifted her head again to look at Yang Kai and Qin Zhao Yang. Seeing their encouraging faces, she did not hesitate anymore. Stretching out her beautiful and delicate fingers, she took out the Tribulation Fruit from the jade box, put it into her mouth and chewed it slowly.
The spirit fruit was ingested into her stomach just like that.
Qin Zhao Yang looked at Qin Yu anxiously, and asked worriedly, “Yu’er, do you feel any discomfort?”
Qin Yu shook her head, “No, I just feel a bit cold… “
Just after she spoke, her face abruptly changed. Her pretty face was almost twisted as she seemed to be suffering from tremendous pain, but at the same time, an extremely extraordinary power began to emerge from her body, forming a layer of bright and transparent white light, enveloping her entirely.
Yang Kai’s expression changed slightly. He used his Divine Sense and saw that the original condensed black Qi around Qin Yu’s body was slowly dissipating into the bright light. Qin Yu’s expression gradually eased as the black Qi slowly disappeared, and a trace of vitality was born from her tender body, diffusing over her limbs.
Witnessing this scene, Yang Kai nodded lightly as he knew that this should be the right solution and Qin Yu would definitely be cured with this.
“Little Brother Yang, this, this, this…” Qin Zhao Yang was in a state of utter stupefaction.
Yang Kai smiled faintly, “Patriarch Qin, let’s go out first. Sister Qin should be fine here, she will just need some time.”
“Are you sure, Little Brother Yang?” Qin Zhao Yang was worried, but he realized he should not question him so he hurriedly explained, “It’s not that this Qin doesn’t believe in you, it’s just… “
“I understand,” Yang Kai smiled. “Patriarch Qin, excessive worrying would cause panic. Just scan Qin Yu’s body with your Divine Sense.”
Qin Zhao Yang immediately acted as he said, and after a while, he sighed in relief.
“So now, can we leave without worry?” Yang Kai slightly smiled.
Qin Zhao Yang was a little embarrassed by his teasing and replied awkwardly, “Yu’er has had a difficult life since her childhood. Her parents passed away in her early years, leaving her the only remaining bloodline of our Qin Family, and she stuck with this Old Master through the difficulties for more than ten years. If she also… “
“I understand,” Yang Kai nodded solemnly.
Both of them left the secret room while talking.
With a flick of his wrist, Yang Kai drew out the Myriads Sword and handed it to Qin Zhao Yang with both hands, “Patriarch Qin, I am returning this sword to the Qin Family. Please accept it.”
Qin Zhao Yang gazed calmly at the Myriads Sword, after a long time reaching out to gently brush its blade as he said, “The Myriad Sword is the legacy of my Qin Family’s ancestors, and also the treasure of my Qin Family. For thousands of years, our ancestors had taken regaining the family’s prestige as their responsibility, with their first goal being gaining enough strength to wield the Myriads Sword once more. However, there were only a few of them who had managed to achieve this, and by the time it was this Old Master’s generation…”
He sighed heavily and continued, “The sword has been covered in dust for centuries now, not seeing the sun nor the sky. If my ancestors in Heaven knew of this, I’m sure they would put all the blame on me.”
Yang Kai responded, “Sister Qin has an extraordinary talent as she has already reached the Origin Returning Realm at only eighteen. After being set free from her suffering this time, she will definitely stand out as a rising star in time.”
Qin Zhao Yang smiled faintly, “This Old Master has pinned all his hopes on Yu’er, so this Old Master would like to ask Little Brother Yang to keep this sword first!”
“En?” Yang Kai raised his brow.
Qin Zhao Yang continued, “The power of this sword can only be unleashed in your hands. Little Brother Yang, you can make use of it first until one day, when Yu’er enters the Emperor Realm, then you shall return it to her, is it acceptable?”
Qin Zhao Yang was acting like an old man who would die soon and was arranging his own funeral affairs.
A shimmer of light flashed in Yang Kai’s eyes as he realized that Qin Zhao Yang was taking precautionary measures.
Although Qin Zhao Yang was not young anymore, he was still a Dao Source Realm cultivator, so there was no worries about him living a few more decades without any accidents.
However, his cultivation was not remarkably high, and the path of cultivation was always filled with thorns, so no one could guarantee they would have a peaceful death or predict what kind of disasters or crises would befall them.
If such a day came, no one would be left to protect the Qin Family anymore.
Qin Zhao Yang wanted Yang Kai to keep the Myriads Sword for a few reasons. First, an ordinary man is innocent but his treasures made him guilty, so he was worried that the Myriads Sword would draw trouble to the Qin Family. Second, he probably wanted to use this as a bridge, in order to bring Yang Kai closer to the Qin Family.
As long as the Myriads Sword was still in Yang Kai’s hands, he would definitely not sit back and watch if the Qin Family ever suffered any tribulations and, if worse came to worst, there would still be someone to take care of Qin Yu.
Yang Kai already guessed the intentions of Qin Zhao Yang with just a quick thought, but after pondering for a while, he decided not to refuse and replied, “Since Patriarch Qin trusts this Yang so much, I shall make use of this sword for some time in a way that will not damage the prestige of the Qin Family’s ancestors!”
He was familiar with the use of the Myriads Sword now and had already comprehended the few Sword Dao Secret Techniques that could only be used properly with this treasure, so Yang Kai had no objections to keeping it since it could still come in handy.
“Very good, very good!” Qin Zhao Yang was overjoyed.
*Hong long long… *
At that moment, a muffled sound of thunder was heard, like the stampede of thousands of dragon horses, shaking the Heavens and Earth for a moment. At the same time, the surrounding World Energy shook violently.
“What happened?” Qin Zhao Yang turned his face and asked in shock.
Yang Kai’s eyes also flashed brightly and he instantly released his majestic Divine Sense to scan the surroundings. Soon, he looked in a particular direction outside of the city and muttered, “The source seems to be over there. It’s as if something extremely powerful has awakened.”
“Let’s investigate!” Qin Zhao Yang shouted after listening to his words.
Yang Kai was thinking the same and quickly executed his Movement Skill to fly off.
Just after flying out of the Qin Residence, they ran into a beautiful figure who was standing quietly mid-air. It was Ye Jing Han from Thousand Leaves Sect.
The young woman seemed to have not left and kept waiting outside the Qin Residence.
After she saw Yang Kai’s figure, her beautiful eyes lit up and she called out to him, “Grandmaster Yang! Grandmaster Yang!”
“Go away, go away. Don’t block the way!” Yang Kai waved his hand impatiently and flew past her so fast that he was just a black dot in the sky in the blink of an eye.
Ye Jing Han looked at his shadow with gritted teeth, stomping her foot before hurriedly chasing after him.
“Patriarch Qin…” Yang Kai, who was flying in front, glanced back at Ye Jing Han and whispered, “Did this woman tell you why she was looking for me?”
Qin Zhao Yang grinned and answered, “Little Brother Yang is famous, handsome, and in possession of a good cultivation, the very definition of an outstanding man, so isn’t it normal that young girls would be attracted to you?”
After listening to Qin Zhao Yang’s flattery, Yang Kai brushed his hair back, straightened his chest, and slightly lifted his head.
A moment later, his face sank as he spat, “Can we be serious here?”
Qin Zhao Yang shook his head, “She didn’t tell this Old Master clearly, she just said that she needed to talk to you. I saw that this woman was quite pretty, and even though she is a little older than you, she has a tender body and mesmerizing eyes. Little Brother Yang, why don’t you consider listening to her request?”
Yang Kai bulged his eyes and scanned Qin Zhao Yang up and down, as if he needed to examine this person again. After a long examination, he replied, “Patriarch Qin, please behave yourself. It’s inappropriate for an old man to say something like this!”
“HAHAHAHA!” Qin Zhao Yang laughed out loud, patted Yang Kai on the shoulder and spoke in earnest, “You are wasting your youth if you are not indulging. Young man, seize the opportunity!
“Anyway, I don’t think it’s anything good. Don’t pay attention to her!” Yang Kai curled his lips.
During their conversation, numerous other flowing lights had appeared around them. Apparently, they were the Dao Source Realm Masters who were living in Maplewood City and similar to Yang Kai and Qin Zhao Yang, they were also on their way to check the situation.
“Ah! Yang Kai! You bastard!” An angry voice suddenly came from the side.
Yang Kai turned his head and saw a familiar face staring at him furiously.
This person was the former Maplewood City Vice City Lord, Zhuang Pan!
There was another person beside Zhuang Pan, a good-looking young man with red lips and white teeth. His cultivation was not high, just First-Order Dao Source Realm.
Inexplicably, Yang Kai suddenly felt that this person was a bit familiar, but he was certain that he had never seen him before.
“Yang Kai!” After hearing Zhuang Pan, the eyes of the young man beside him brightened, looking towards Yang Kai with a scorching gaze and asking Zhuang Pan, “So, he is the brat surnamed Yang you mentioned?”
“It’s him, that little rat!” Zhuang Pan gritted his teeth.
“Who are you calling a rat?” Yang Kai looked at Zhuang Pan in contempt and smiled sarcastically.
Zhuang Pan’s face turned red, but he was not stupid enough to step into Yang Kai’s trap, instead just glaring at him with hatred.
“Patriarch Qin, who is this young man?” Yang Kai whispered to Qin Zhao Yang. He saw that although this young man was handsome, he looked sinister. If one were to consider that he was shoulder to shoulder with a villain like Zhuang Pan, Yang Kai knew for sure that he was not anything decent.
“Flying Saint Palace’s Young Palace Master, Ning Yuan Shu!”
“Young Palace Master?” Yang Kai was shocked, but he quickly figured it out. It seemed that after the death of the former Flying Saint Palace Young Palace Master, someone new had been promoted to take up the position. Since Ning Yuan Shu and Ning Yuan Cheng were biological brothers, it was natural that they looked similar to each other so it was no wonder Yang Kai found him to be familiar just now.
When they were speaking, Ning Yuan Shu ordered Zhuang Pan, “Since it’s him, then there’s no need to be polite. Zhuang Pan, seize him, this Young Master wants to interrogate him.”
After receiving the command, Zhuang Pan turned his head pitifully and said with a frightened stutter, “Young Palace Master, that… well… that is…”
“What? Do it quickly! Do you dare disobey my commands?” Ning Yuan Shu got frustrated looking at him and slapped his face, causing Zhuang Pan’s neck to shrink in fear.
“This subordinate… can’t beat him,” Zhuang Pan answered with a look of grief. After saying it, he was like a deflated ball.
Ning Yuan Shu stared at him with his eyes widened, “He is a First-Order Dao Source Realm Cultivator, the same as you. What’s more, Lord Father had trained you personally for three days, why can’t you beat him?”
“Last time I was miserably beaten by him until the spirituality of my artifact had been lost…” Zhuang Pan muttered.
“Waste! What use are you then?!” Ning Yuan Shu was infuriated and kicked Zhuang Pan on his waist. Zhuang Pan screamed in pain, and staggered to the side.
Ning Yuan Shu ignored Zhuang Pan and glared at Yang Kai as he bellowed in a deep voice, “Boy, come over here now!”
He looked egotistic, as if he was the owner of the world and no one would dare to disobey his command.
When the surrounding cultivators heard him, they were startled and immediately put some distance between them and Ning Yuan Shu.
These cultivators were mostly just coming back from the Qin Residence where they had witnessed the earlier scene caused by Yang Kai. All of them knew Yang Kai was not a person who they should mess with, so when they saw Ning Yuan Shu plucking at the whiskers of this tiger, who would dare to stay near him?
Even for those cultivators who had no idea about this, they were quickly being informed by their friends and were made aware of the current situation.
In a heartbeat, all the cultivators in a hundred-metre radius of Ning Yuan Shu vanished.
Ning Yuan Shu was bewildered, but thinking everyone was deterred by his imposing presence, his ego only swelled further, making him truly feel like the first Master beneath the Heavens.
“Patriarch Qin…” Yang Kai made a weird expression and asked, “Why do I hear a dog barking in this wilderness?”
Qin Zhao Yang burst into laughter, “Probably just some wild dogs wandering about, Little Brother Yang doesn’t need to care about it!”
If before, as the Patriarch of a small family, he would not dare to offend Flying Saint Palace. Even though Flying Saint Palace was not a big Sect, there was still an Emperor Realm Master helming it with countless Dao Source Realm cultivators at his command.
The Qin Family’s good days would come to an end if they offended such a great force, as everyone in the Qin Family could be easily slaughtered by a single Second-Order Dao Source Realm Master sent by Flying Saint Palace.
But right now, he was full of gratitude and respect towards Yang Kai, so he was more than willing to offend Flying Saint Palace. Even if it was Star Soul Palace, he would probably still side with Yang Kai.
Both of them spoke loudly, not trying to conceal their voices, so Ning Yuan Shu naturally heard them and flew into a rage.
“How dare you spout such drivel, boy! Do you know who this Young Master is?!” Nin Yuan Shu smiled in anger and shouted at Yang Kai with a sinister face.
Yang Kai then looked at him from the corner of his eyes, “Who the hell are you?”
Ning Yuan Shu looked extremely annoyed and fulminated against him, “Listen carefully, this Young Master is Flying Saint Palace’s Young Palace Master, Ning Yuan Shu!”
“Flying Saint Palace Young Palace Master?” Yang Kai could not help bulging his eyes in fear, “You are the Flying Saint Palace’s Young Palace Master?”
“Indeed!” Ning Yuan Shu felt instantly satisfied after seeing his frightened appearance and put on a wicked smile like that of a poisonous snake.
The next moment, Yang Kai’s expression turned solemn and responded in a serious tone, “Sorry, never heard of such a place.”
“You…” Ning Yuan Shu was maddened again after realizing that Yang Kai was toying with him and shouted loudly, “Die!”
As he shouted, he pushed his Source Qi, creating a vortex-like power around his figure as it flickered, leaving behind a number of afterimages as he flew in front of Yang Kai and sent out a palm strike.
“This is your fate for offending me!” He did not forget to sneer as he moved in to attack.
However, his palm strike was destined to accomplish nothing as Yang Kai simply stretched out his hand, intercepted this palm by seizing Ning Yuan Shu’s wrist, and diverted it aside.
Ning Yuan Shu was caught completely off guard and lost his balance, almost crashing into Yang Kai in the process.
When he looked up, his face was only a palm length away from Yang Kai’s, the perfect distance to witness the taunting grin filled with mockery on his opponent’s face.
Aware of the bad intentions of the other party, Ning Yuan Shu was shocked and the light under his feet flashed as his figure receded rapidly.
But where could he go?
Before Ning Yuan Shu could move, Yang Kai had already stretched out his hand, grabbed his collar, and sent slap after slap across his handsome, sinister face.
*Pa… pa…*
After the crisp sound, Ning Yuan Shu was completely beaten up.
When Yang Kai ceased his action, both of Ning Yuan Shu’s cheeks were already swollen, giving him the look of a pig’s head that had been soaked in boiling water for several days.
The surrounding cultivators all went silent, avoiding eye contact with each other as they wore horrified expressions.
Previously, Yang Kai had acted out at the Qin Family and killed the Vice Valley Master of Evil Moon Valley and injured another unnamed middle-aged man. Neither Qu Huai Ren nor the middle-aged man were born into big Sects though, and none had an Emperor Realm Master standing behind them, so as long as Yang Kai was strong enough, there was no need for him to worry about being retaliated against.
However, Ning Yuan Shu was different. He was the Young Palace Master of Flying Saint Palace.
Flying Saint Palace was ranked quite highly amongst the second-class Sects and Ning Yuan Shu’s father, Ning Bo Yang, was a First-Order Emperor Realm Master. There were also many masters in Flying Saint Palace, including Protectors Gao Shan and Liu Shui.
How could Flying Saint Palace let it slide when their Young Palace Master was beaten to a pulp?
Everyone looked at Yang Kai with not only a strong sense of fear, but also taking pleasure in his misfortune, thinking that a man as bold and boundless as him was destined to get into trouble.
“You… you dare hit me?” Ning Yuan Shu, who was still held by Yang Kai, his cheek so swollen the pain was numbing, ogled at Yang Kai and muttered in disbelief.
Yang Kai sneered, “Dare? I’ve already hit you.”
“This Young Master is… “
“I know. The Young Palace Master of Flying Saint Palace!” Yang Kai cut him off and continued slapping him. He smiled at Qin Zhao Yang, “This boy is quite interesting. He doesn’t forget about his home even after being beaten silly. It’s as if he doesn’t have any identity without his background.”
While speaking, he lifted Ning Yuan Shu high and shouted “Come one, come all, everyone have a look, this is the famous Flying Saint Palace Young Palace Master Ning Yuan Shu. Remember his face well.”
The cultivators around thought, [Everyone saw you beating him to a pulp, how could we not remember?]
Ning Yuan Shu roared as his blood seemed to flow backwards from his rage, resulting in him coughing up large mouthfuls of it.
He had an extraordinary background and was spoiled and doted on since he was a child, never suffering the slightest insult. But today, he had been slapped across the face repeatedly by Yang Kai in front of a massive crowd.
Although he spat blood, he did not faint, which at least proved his will wasn’t weak.
Qin Zhao Yang smiled bitterly and did not know what to say to Yang Kai, but secretly sighing, he felt that young people today were indeed high spirited and uninhibited. It almost reminded him of his own youth.
*Xiu… *
Two beams of lights suddenly flew over from up ahead. These two newcomers were giving off slightly unsteady auras, as if they were escaping from a battle.
“Ah… Young Palace Master!” The lights stopped a short distance away from Yang Kai and the others, revealing Protectors Gao Shan and Liu Shui.
The two Elders of Flying Saint Palace looked quite embarrassed at the moment, their white hair and beards frazzled, their clothes torn. Gao Shan held a Guqin-like artifact in his arms, but the light coming from it was quite dim. It seemed the spirituality of his artifact had taken damage. The same was true for Liu Shui’s flute on his waist.
The two of them could not fathom what happened as they came from the opposite direction and were shocked to see the state of Ning Yuan Shu.
“Left and Right Protectors…” When Ning Yuan Shu saw Gao Shan and Liu Shui, his eyes flashed with madness as he ground his teeth and shouted, “Quickly avenge this Young Master! Kill this bastard!”
“You did this?” Gao Shan stared at Yang Kai coldly.
Liu Shui’s face was gloomy as lifted up his flute and without saying a word poured his Source Qi into it.
Yang Kai turned a deaf ear to these two old men and instead looked at their backs with his squinted eyes, a moment later his expression turning into a solemn frown.
“Release the Young Master!” Seeing Yang Kai ignoring them, Gao Shan shouted in furious anger. At the same time, Liu Shui flickered and appeared suddenly beside Yang Kai, his flute artifact in hand.
“Brother Yang, be careful!” Qin Zhao Yang was shocked.
With his cultivation and eyesight, he could not see exactly how Liu Shui approached Yang Kai, and it was far too late to warn him about it.
Yang Kai laughed and ignored Liu Shui’s attack, however, simply moving Ning Yuan Shu in his hand in the direction of the incoming strike, completely using the Young Palace Master as a shield.
Liu Shui furrowed his brow and withdrew his attack before swiftly returning to Gao Shan’s side.
Gao Shan wore a gloomy look as he slowly strummed the Guqin in his arms with one hand. A clear and uplifting melody instantly spread out, forcing the nearby cultivators to circulate their Source Qi to protect themselves from the sound waves.
“Boy! What has Flying Saint Palace done to you to provoke such a vicious assault against the Young Palace Master?” Gao Shan asked while strumming his Guqin.
“That’s what I’d like to know,” Yang Kai held Ning Yuan Shu in front of him, only poking half his head out from behind him as he snickered. “You’ll have to ask your Young Palace Master about this. He just suddenly attacked me, so I just fought back.”
Ning Yuan Shu’s eyes were filled with hatred as he wanted to resist, but found himself completely suppressed, unable to even circulate his Source Qi. Gritting his teeth, he shouted, “Left and Right Protectors, this person is that brat surnamed Yang who might have killed my Eldest Brother. We must capture him and bring him back to the Sect for interrogation!”
“Huh? He’s the boy surnamed Yang?” Gao Shan and Liu Shui were shocked when they heard this, suddenly recalling they had not asked his name when they saw Yang Kai in the Qin Family earlier.
“I killed your Elder Brother?” Yang Kai asked, his mind turning quickly and quickly realizing Ning Yuan Shu why attacked him, “Believe it or not, the death of your brother has nothing to do with me!”
Although he destroyed Ning Yuan Cheng’s body, the true culprit behind his death was the Wood Spirit. The Wood Spirit Seed had exploded in Ning Yuan Cheng’s body, causing him to completely lose his vitality. What Yang Kai killed was nothing more than a shell for the Wood Spirit Soul Clone.
So, Ning Yuan Cheng’s death really had nothing to do with him.
“This is not something you can settle with a single statement! If you are smart enough, you will follow us back to the Sect and obediently submit to Sir Palace Master’s judgement!” Gao Shan shouted.
Yang Kai sneered, “And I should follow you just because you said so? How disgraceful would that be? And… is it really okay for you two to stand here leisurely? The one pursuing you is about to arrive!”
Many people were confused by his words.
Gao Shan and Liu Shui’s faces, however, changed drastically as they turned to look back quickly.
*Weng… *
There was a sudden tremor in space as a powerful coercion arrived from the horizon, sweeping across the crowd, anchoring all the cultivators present in place, as if a giant mountain had been dropped on their shoulders.
The rubble and soil on the ground slowly rose up amongst the inexplicable pressure, the scene simply unimaginable.
“What is this…”
“Could it be that an Emperor has come?”
“Ah, this is bad, we’re going to die…”
Ning Yuan Shu was wounded, and he was bleeding terribly, his white clothes now dyed red by his own blood, making for a shocking scene.
“This is…” the round-faced woman, together with the other disciples from Eight Paths Sect who had followed after Yang Kai and Qin Zhao Yang, stared off into the distance, their faces warping in fear.
At the edge of the sky, a figure appeared.
He was wrapped in an indescribable energy and a powerful, violent aura rumbled around him, causing all present to shudder.
The world collapsed and turned upside down wherever this person passed.
This newcomer’s aura was so intense that it was in no way inferior to an Emperor Realm Master’s. Amidst the chaotic energy, only a pair of bright eyes shone through with cold excitement, making those who were gazed upon feel as if they had been thrown into a winter blizzard.
This person, surprisingly, was Luo Yuan from Eight Paths Sect!
It was unknown what had happened between Gao Shan, Liu Shui, and Luo Yuan when the three of them flew out of the city to fight, but now Luo Yuan was chasing after Gao Shan and Liu Shui like they were stray dogs.
“Tsk tsk, this aura!” Yang Kai made a sound with a look of admiration, “It is rare to not lose one’s consciousness after releasing such power. Whatever Secret Technique he was cultivating is impressive. I wonder if he succeeded in mastering it now.”
Previously, Luo Yuan said that he was trying to comprehend some kind of Secret Technique, but had run into a bottleneck. As such, he wanted to fight with Yang Kai, but Yang Kai had instead pushed this trouble onto Gao Shan and Liu Shui. At this stage, Luo Yuan should not be far from successfully comprehending this new Secret Technique. Even Yang Kai had never seen a profound technique that could allow one’s aura to rise to the level of an Emperor despite still being a Dao Source Realm cultivator.
Luo Yuan was still far away, but in the blink of an eye, he arrived. No one was able to see how he moved.
“Not good!” Gao Shan and Liu Shui must have suffered a big loss at Luo Yuan’s hands, otherwise, they would not have fled in embarrassment. At this moment, they were so afraid that they would, obviously, not wait quietly for this madman to show up in front of them.
The two exchanged a knowing glance before one raised his flute to his lips and the other plucked his Guqin, sending out shocking music from their instruments.
The Souls of many cultivators present were sent into a daze.
Gao Shan and Liu Shui flanked Yang Kai on the left and right in an instant.
Liu Shui raised his flute horizontally and directed it to Yang Kai’s head before blowing into it. Gao Shan strummed his Guqin sharply at the same time with all five of his fingers, unleashing an invisible slash towards Yang Kai.
“Hahaha!” Yang Kai laughed sarcastically, “Since you want this back so badly, I’ll return it to you!”
As he spoke, his hand shook slightly and he threw Ning Yuan Shu, who was still in his grasp, towards the Guqin’s slash.
“How is that possible?!”
“Not good!”
Gao Shan and Liu Shui exclaimed in shock, their faces palling abruptly.
Gao Shan and Liu Shui were the Left and Right Protectors of Flying Saint Palace. Their cultivation and abilities were just below those of Palace Master Ning Bo Yang. If the two of them teamed up, they could even fight a few rounds with an ordinary Emperor Realm Master.
But right now, the confidence of these two old men had been crushed.
First, Luo Yuan from Eight Paths Sect had beaten them senseless and sent them scurrying like stray dogs despite it being two on one. Then, it was Yang Kai, who completely ignored their combined attack.
[What is happening with young people nowadays? It’s ridiculous that each and every one of them is acting so rampantly and have the skills to back up their arrogance.] Secretly, they could not help feeling old all of a sudden.
Seeing Ning Yuan Shu thrown out by Yang Kai towards the sound wave slash, the faces of Gao Shan and Liu Shui changed drastically. If Ning Yuan Shu died under their attack, there was no way they could explain themselves to Ning Bo Yang.
Following a shout, Liu Shui stored away his flute then used a profound Movement Skill to appear directly in front of Ning Yuan Shu. Using his bare back, Li Shui blocked the sound wave slash while simultaneously grabbing hold of Ning Yuan Shu.
*Pu… *
The slash hit Liu Shui’s body, causing him to stagger forward. It was obvious that he was injured as fresh blood began leaking from the corner of his mouth.
“You! You court death!” Liu Shui was enraged after he had suffered such a big loss and glared sharply at Yang Kai.
“Hahaha…” Yang Kai said nothing and just laughed wickedly.
“Not good, we need to bring the Young Palace Master out of here!” Gao Shan quickly bellowed.
Liu Shui was also aware that they should not remain here any longer as Luo Yuan would soon catch up. In the distance, Luo Yuan could be seen with his arms stretched up towards the Heavens, as if he was trying to lift them above his head, the surrounding clouds swirling about him as an unimaginable pressure radiated from his body.
The faces of all the cultivators present turned pale at this sight.
On the other side, Gao Shan and Liu Shui’s bodies flickered as they swiftly fled into the distance. When they left, they did not forget to leave some ruthless words behind though, “Little brat, I advise you to come to the palace to offer a humble apology and accept punishment, because you would not be able to escape from us even if you ran to the ends of the Earth!”
“If you have any guts, don’t run!” Yang Kai shouted, cupping his hands around his mouth.
Of course, Gao Shan and Liu Shui ignored him and disappeared.
The next moment, Luo Yuan’s figure suddenly appeared in front of everyone.
Looking closely at Luo Yuan, his current state gave everyone a chill. A rich and substantive energy formed a vortex swirling around his body, one that seemed to be disrupting the local World Principles. Everywhere he passed, space collapsed and numerous Void Cracks flitted about. Of course, this damage was being repaired as quickly as it was caused as more World Principles flooded in towards the area.
Many cultivators who came here immediately moved back and did not dare to get within a thousand-metre range of Luo Yuan.
Yang Kai’s expression turned solemn too as he stared at Luo Yuan indifferently.
Luo Yuan’s aura was at its peak right now, but he was also covered in blood from head to toe. It could be seen that during the previous battle with the two old men, Gao Shan and Liu Shui, Luo Yuan did not really have the upper hand. However, although his appearance was quite miserable right now, the fire in his eyes was still burning brightly.
“Senior Brother Luo…” The round-faced woman stuttered, feeling pained about Luo Yuan’s condition.
Luo Yuan did not turn his eyes to her but instead glanced at Yang Kai.
From that gaze, Yang Kai could see a strong fighting intent.
He hurriedly said, “Brother Luo, you shouldn’t do things half-heartedly and should always finish what you started. Those two ran just now, so shouldn’t you chase after them to settle this once and for all?”
While speaking, he pointed towards a certain direction for Luo Yuan.
Luo Yuan looked at him for a long while, then nodded slightly, “It won’t be too late to wait until your cultivation has improved a little before we battle.”
After that, Luo Yuan flew off to pursue Gao Shan and Liu Shui.
After he left, a number of gasps sounded as everyone breathed a sigh of relief, like a big rock had been lifted from their chests, all of them looking around, feeling lucky for having survived this calamity.
Among the crowd, there was one man, however, who was quietly trying to sneak away.
But before he could take a second step, he suddenly felt a chill down his back and his face drastically changed as he looked behind himself.
“Hu…” In front of his eyes was a short and sloppy fat man, with a rosy nose and a flushed face, breathing out a warm breath.
Zhuang Pan was caught off guard and inhaled most of that hot breath. His face could not help turning red as he took a few steps back with his mouth covered with his hands. There was an irritating sound coming from his throat and it seemed that he was about to retch, but luckily, his cultivation was still good enough for him to suppress that nausea.
The short fat man looked at him with a grin, then lifted his huge green bottle gourd and took a swig of it, finally ending with a loud burp.
“Drunkard…” Zhuang Pan’s face turned ugly while looking at him.
When he saw a man come out from behind Drunkard’s back, his face turned even uglier and the corner of his mouth twitched, “Sir City Lord!”
Duan Yuan Shan snorted coldly, “I’m surprised that you still remember this Duan is the City Lord here. How thoughtful of you, Deacon Zhuang.”
At this moment, Duan Yuan Shan felt unspeakable joy as if he could finally vent out all the resentment in him.
Zhuang Pan forced a smile and replied, “Sir City Lord, you must be joking. This Zhuang worked under Sir City Lord for several dozen years, how could he have forgotten this?”
“Really?” Duan Yuan Shan looked at him from the corner of his eyes and sneered, “But I saw that Deacon Zhuang had forgotten about this for the past few days.”
“There is no such thing.” Zhuang Pan denied and explained, “the things that happened a few days ago… I have my reasons…”
Just as he was still speaking, Qin Zhao Yang suddenly appeared beside Zhuang Pan with a flicker of his body, forming a triangle with Duan Yuan Shan and Drunkard, surrounding Zhuang Pan.
Zhuang Pan was just a First-Order Dao Source Realm cultivator, so when he saw these three glaring at him unkindly, not knowing what they were going to do with him, he was so terrified his legs trembled and he yelled, “What do you want to do? Don’t forget that this Zhuang is not the Vice City Lord of Maplewood City anymore, but a Deacon of Flying Saint Palace!”
As soon as he said this, the three men frowned and showed a look of hesitation.
Zhuang Pan was nothing to them, and if they teamed up, he would definitely die here. Even if they were to each act alone, they would not be at a disadvantage here.
However, the current status of Zhuang Pan was the source of their fear.
A Deacon in Flying Saint Palace was nothing impressive, but it was also not a low position either; after all, it was still a post that represented Flying Saint Palace’s face. As such, if the three of them really killed Zhuang Pan in front of this crowd, word would soon spread to Flying Saint Palace.
Qin Zhao Yang had to protect the Qin Family, while Duan Yuan Shan and Drunkard still had to look after Maplewood City. If they really offended Flying Saint Palace due to this matter, their good days would come to an end.
Seeing the change of their expression, the cowardliness of Zhuang Pa was swept away and he laughed loudly with a grin, “City Lord Duan, I’m quite nervous having you three stare at me so menacingly. Could you please not be so fierce with your faces?”
His words were full of teasing and mocking, and it embarrassed the three of them.
While talking, Zhuang Pan took two steps forward, patted Drunkard’s big belly and made fun of him, “Drunk old man, you should cut back on the wine a bit. You used to be a handsome Young Lord in Maplewood City, but what have you become after all these years? If those women who admired you before saw you now, they would be so heartbroken.”
Drunkard remained silent, simply continuing to lift up his bottle as he took another mouthful of wine.
Zhuang Pan then cast his sight on Qin Zhao Yang, “Old Ghost Qin, isn’t it difficult to support the Qin Family on your own? Have you ever wondered what would happen if you were gone one day, what kind of fate would befall your Qin Family? What would happen to Qin Yu?”
As soon as he said this, Qin Zhao Yang’s face changed abruptly. Qin Yu was always Qin Zhao Yang’s biggest weakness and also his reverse scale, so Zhuang Pan’s words had clearly lit up the fire in him.
Zhuang Pan chuckled, “Those who know how to act according to the circumstances are the wisest. Why not consider joining Flying Saint Palace now? This Deacon may be able to recommend you.”
“Hmph!” Qin Zhao Yang heavily snorted.
“Can’t appreciate kindness!” The smiling face of Zhuang Pan darkened when he saw Qin Zhao Yang giving him that face, turning to Duan Yuan Shan next, “City Lord Duan, the purpose of this Zhuang accompanying Young Palace Master here to Maplewood City this time was to invite City Lord Duan to join Flying Saint Palace in order to complete a certain important matter. I wonder what City Lord Duan’s things of this?”
Maplewood City was a small city that was not rich in products or resources, so before now, none of the great forces had the intention to control this place; however, recently, the city had become a prize worth fighting over with the discovery of a Source Crystal lode and a number of Earth Veins nearby.
Duan Yuan Shan happened to be the City Lord of Maplewood City, so if he was willing to join Flying Saint Palace, Maplewood City would become a protectorate of Flying Saint Palace, allowing it to rightfully claim the Source Crystal lode and Earth Veins. For those other forces that wanted to harvest these resources, they would then have to weigh their own strength and confidence before contesting them.
After listening to Zhuang Pan’s question, Duan Yuan Shan kept quiet with a cold face.
Zhuang Pan sneered, “City Lord Duan, this opportunity is right in front of you, don’t let it slip through your fingertips… This Zhuang knows that City Lord Duan has spent his whole life cultivating, but has reached his limit at the Second-Order Dao Source Realm. Do you not want to go further? If you can obtain some guidance from Sir Palace Master, perhaps you would still have a chance to break through to the Third-Order.”
Hearing this, Duan Yuan Shan shivered and his eyes gleamed, but soon, he regained his calm expression and snorted coldly, “It is impossible for this Duan to join Flying Saint Palace.
Zhuang Pan jumped up in anger and reprimanded, “Duan Yuan Shan, don’t force me to get tough with you!”
“Go away and don’t show your face in Maplewood City ever again, otherwise don’t blame this Duan for being impolite with you.”
This was the limit to his patience. Duan Yuan Shan could not hold back his murderous intent and let Zhuang Pan leave in peace for much longer. Given Zhuang Pan’s previous desertion in the middle of the battle, Duan Yuan Shan killing him ten times over here and now would not be enough. Furthermore, this time, after Zhuang Pan returned to Maplewood City with Ning Yuan Shu, he had been taking advantage of the influence of others to constantly pressure and ridicule him and Drunkard.
If Zhuang Pan had not taken refuge in Flying Saint Palace, forcing Duan Yuan Shan to fear reprisals from the latter, how could he easily let such a villain posture like this in front of him?
“Impolite?” Zhuang Pan sneered, “And just how will you treat me impolitely? This Deacon is really curious to know how City Lord Duan will follow through on his threat.”
“Beat me then, beat me if you dare!” Zhuang Pan put his face in front of Duan Yuan Shan and the others and blatantly provoked them.
The cultivators all around shook their heads with disdain.
These foreign cultivators were basically meeting Zhuang Pan for the first time and knew nothing about him before today, but the attitude and behaviour of a man could be easily seen when he spoke like this.
Zhuang Pan was undoubtedly a type of villain that would kick an opponent when they were down, the type of person everyone despises.
The Patriarchs from the few big families in Maplewood City who rushed here revealed their sad expressions as they were sympathetic to Duan Yuan Shan’s plight.
Over the years, the big families had been under the management of the City Lord’s Mansion, and although there were some frictions and conflicts between them, there were no big fights or wars. In fact, the City Lord’s Mansion had mostly served as a buffer between the big families, earning it the respect of these families.
Seeing the City Lord, Vice City Lord, and the Patriarch from the Qin Family being bullied and disdained by Zhuang Pan at this moment, it was natural that those Patriarch would feel uncomfortable.
*Pa… *
A crisp sound suddenly resounded.
Everyone was dumbfounded as cold sweat formed on their foreheads, wondering to themselves if Sir City Lord had really lost his temper and acted rashly.
With doubt, they turned and looked.
The scene they saw stunned them.
They saw a figure standing in front of Zhuang Pan, cracking his neck and palming his fist, as if he was getting ready to fight.
“Who!? Who dares to strike me!?” Zhuang Pan was stunned by the slap just now. He felt half of his cheek swell up and go numb. His head had been struck sideways, so he couldn’t see who had slapped him immediately, so he immediately shouted hysterically as he turned his face back, “Who dare… uh…”
Mid-shout, his eyes met with Yang Kai’s grinning face and suddenly felt like he was being stared at by a vicious beast. This brought a chill to Zhuang Pan’s back as he forcefully choked down the ruthless words he was about to say.
“Interesting…” While speaking, Yang Kai gave another slap again.
*Pa… *
With another crisp sound, Zhuang Pan’s other cheek swelled up as several bloody teeth flew from his mouth.
Yang Kai grabbed Zhuang Pan’s collar with one hand, fixing him in place, then proceeded to slap Zhuang Pan’s face continuously with his free hand, each time adding a little force to his blow, the Source Qi on his palm growing more and more vigorous.
*Pa pa pa… *
Rhythmic and crisp music played out above the empty wilderness.
“This is the first time…” Yang Kai kept on slapping his face while sneering at him, “I’ve heard someone… wish to be beaten so badly… I simply had no choice but to oblige!”
All the cultivators felt pain from looking at the scene, and could not help touching their own cheeks.
Zhuang Pan was completely dumbfounded and it took a long time for him to recover. When he did, he struggled violently to free himself from Yang Kai’s grip.
But a man with just a First-Order Dao Source Realm cultivation like him could not possibly achieve this, so he remained completely suppressed by Yang Kai’s Source Qi.
In despair, Zhuang Pan cried loudly and begged for mercy, “Senior Yang, stop, stop, don’t beat me anymore.”
“Senior Yang, I know my mistake, I really know! Please let go of me, I apologize to you!”
“I’m a Deacon of Flying Saint Palace, quickly release me!”
“Bastard! You can kill me, but you can’t humiliate me. I will go all out on you if you keep doing this…”
“Wuwuwuwu… Senior Yang, please spare my life, I don’t want to die!”
The cultivators around watched this scene and heard every single word from Zhuang Pan, all of them openly despising him now for his lack of spine, honestly thinking his death would not be worth pitying.
After several dozen slaps, Zhuang Pan’s face no longer resembled that of a human.
Previously during the fight, Yang Kai did not try to kill Ning Yuan Shu due to his unique identity and because he had a father who was an Emperor Realm Master. Yang Kai did not want to cause unnecessary trouble for himself.
But it was different with Zhuang Pan. Every slap from Yang Kai sent bursts of Source Qi into Zhuang Pan’s meridians, snapping and breaking them along the way.
In other words, even if Zhuang Pan survived this time, he would become a cripple without any cultivation and unable to cultivate anymore.
“Little Brother Yang…” Duan Yuan Shan could not bear the miserable look of Zhuang Pan “Forget it, being a coward is in his nature. In the end, he did not cause us any losses, so just give him a quick mercy.”
Drunkard made a burp, his eyes gleaming with cold light as he said, “Beat the snake to death to avoid it climbing up your stick. Allowing a tiger back to the mountains would only breed calamity for the future!”
While speaking, he suddenly reached out his hand and grabbed the top of Zhuang Pan’s head.
Yang Kai squinted, stretched his hand and pushed Drunkard’s hand away and smiled, “Sir Vice City Lord shouldn’t be bothered with such a trivial matter.”
It was inappropriate for Drunkard to do the dirty job, but not Yang Kai. He had beaten Ning Yuan Shu up before, so how could killing Zhuang Pan be worse than that? In any case, he already had a silent feud with Flying Saint Palace, so this act would not change anything.
When his words fell, Yang Kai clenched his hand tightly and poured his Source Qi into Zhuang Pan before tossing him out.
“Ahhhhh….” Zhuang Pan yelled miserably, but his scream ceased abruptly when his body exploded, turning into a rain of blood, showering down on the ground.
The surrounding cultivators kept silent like a cicada in the winter.
However, when they recalled the moment when Yang Kai killed the Vice Valley Master of Evil Moon Valley, they secretly felt that this scene in front of them was not a big deal.
Duan Yuan Shan and Drunkard simultaneously cast their grateful eyes at Yang Kai, thanking him for cleaning up Maplewood City’s mess.
At that moment, the ambient World Energy trembled again and an indescribable feeling suddenly surged forth from the horizon, followed by a muffled sound of thunder and a rumbling from the earth.
Everyone was shocked and looked around.
“Does anyone else feel like… the World Energy in the air has suddenly become richer?” A Second-Order Dao Source Realm cultivator among the crowd asked.
Someone immediately answered, “I felt it before, but I thought it was my imagination. Since Brother Liu has sensed it too though, it seems to be real!”
“Since there’s a change in the World Energy, it’s very likely something has happened to the Source Crystal lodes or the Earth Veins!”
As soon as this statement was made, everyone’s eyes lit up and after exchanging a few knowing glances, all of them executed their Movement Skills and rushed towards the place where the Source Crystal Lode and Earth Veins were located.
Duan Yuan Shan and Drunkard were the Lord and Vice Lord of Maplewood City, so obviously they could not just sit back and watch, immediately following after the others after saying goodbye to Yang Kai.
“Brother Yang…” Qin Zhao Yang looked at Yang Kai, “It seems that the tremor we sensed before was not triggered by the battle between Luo Yuan and Gao Shan and Lui Shui, but rather because something happened to the Earth Veins and Source Crystal lode.”
“It should be!” Yang Kai nodded. He also thought the tremor happened because of the battle between Luo Yuan and the two Protectors, but right now it seemed that there were other reasons.
“Would you like to check it out?” Qin Zhao Yang asked Yang Kai for his opinion.
“Of course I have to take a look at such an interesting matter,” Yang Kai grinned. Just as he was about to leave, however, he caught a glimpse of Ye Jing Han from the Thousand Leaves Sect standing not far away, looking at him quietly.
Yang Kai’s face darkened.
This woman was like a sticky plaster he could not get rid of, which really annoyed him.
Acknowledging Yang Kai’s annoyed face, Ye Jing Han stepped back some distance, her face filled with sorrow which made it hard to ignore.
“Let’s go!” Shouting so, Yang Kai rushed towards the source of the tremor.
When the pair arrived, there saw a great glow on the horizon as well as a gathering of bright clouds high above. The barren wilderness seemed to have been transformed into some kind of paradise at this moment.
“What’s happening?” Qin Zhao Yang was puzzled.
When Demon Qi flooded the city, he and Yang Kai had come to this region to assist Qin Yu in reinforcing the ancient seal. Although their plan failed, they did not notice anything unusual about the seal except for a boundless amount of Demon Qi.
However, a few months later, many Earth Veins and a Source Crystal lode had surprisingly been found here.
*Hong… *
A loud sound burst out at that moment as a massive pit appeared before Yang Kai’s eyes. From this pit, an intense beam of light suddenly shot out into the sky.
“This is…”
“Heavens.”
“Can there be such a thing in this world?”
All the cultivators who came here yelled as they looked up at the beam of light. Using their Divine Senses, they all immediately discovered the true nature of this phenomenon.
This beam of light was actually formed by a convergence of the purest World Energy, one so rich it actually began to form into a kind of condensation.
Everyone was so astonished that they could not believe their eyes, their faces filling with extreme excitement.
The purity and concentration of World Energy in this place were astonishing. The cultivators who came here were at best from second-class Sects and families which all had their own cultivation paradises, places where the World Energy aura was richer and could allow their disciples to cultivate faster.
But when everyone compared the World Energy in their own cultivation zones to this place, the difference was simply incomparable.
Perhaps, only the cultivation paradises occupied by peak level Sects could be like this.
All of sudden, the beam of light that soared into the sky burst apart and an unimaginably rich World Energy began to fall down on the surrounding area in tiny droplets.
*Xi xi li li… *
In an instant, it began to rain.
World Energy Rain.
The richness of the World Energy in this once barren wilderness rose at an incredible speed…
In no time, everyone was standing in what appeared to be a massive Spirit Qi Sea.
In less time than it would take to brew a half cup of tea, the surrounding region for several thousand kilometres was covered by this extremely rich Spirit Qi Sea, engulfing many cultivators in it, blocking their vision. Even Maplewood City, which was two thousand kilometres away, benefited greatly. Countless cultivators rushed to the city walls and looked up full of excitement, opening their arms to welcome the raining World Energy.
*Hong Hong Hong… *
The sound of the invisible shackles being opened came from every corner of Maplewood City, transmitted from the bodies of many cultivators, causing them to tremble and have weird expressions.
“I… I made a breakthrough to the Second-Order Origin King Realm!”
“Wo… I can die in peace now that I have broken the shackles of the Origin Returning Realm!”
“Hahahaha, this Young Master is truly talented, an undefeatable genius, instantly breaking through three Minor Realms straight to the Immortal Ascension Realm! This Young Master is truly invincible!”
The joyful cries of the cultivators filled the air as more and more of them broke through, reaching higher in the Martial Dao with the assistance of the dense Spirit Qi Sea.
Nothing much occurred when breaking through a Minor Realm within a Great Realm, but breaking through to a new Great Realm would always usher in a World Energy Baptism.
As a result, the sky covering Maplewood City soon grew dark, engulfing the entire city in black clouds as if the end was near. Soon after, winds began to gather and bolts of World Energy began pouring down from above, striking the bodies of those who had just advanced to the next Great Realm, washing their bodies and Souls.
Maplewood City instantly boiled up.
However, Yang Kai and the others, who were standing just above the ancient seal outside of the city, benefited even more.
Each and every Dao Source Realm Master stood frozen with their eyes closed, feeling the richness of World Energy around them, opening all their pores in order to absorb this energy even without consciously circulating their Secret Art. The ubiquitous World Energy continuously poured into their limbs even when they just stood still, making them feel completely relaxed and at ease.
A creaking sound came from inside Yang Kai’s body, which made his expression strange and immediately excited.
“Brother Yang…” Qin Zhao Yang suddenly shouted with difficulty.
“What’s wrong?” Yang Kai turned his head and looked at Qin Zhao Yang.
“This Old Master can’t withstand it anymore…” Qin Zhao Yang looked like he was in pain as if he had constipation and suddenly glanced at Yang Kai, “I need to look for a place… to quietly break through!”
Yang Kai raised his brows immediately and said with great joy, “Congratulations, Patriarch Qin.”
Qin Zhao Yang had shown no signs of breaking through for hundreds of years due to his advanced age, but when he was suddenly enveloped by this dense World Energy, it seemed his opportunity had come.
Without this opportunity, given Qin Zhao Yang’s innate aptitude and age, he would never be able to reach the threshold of the Second-Order Dao Source Realm until the day he died. If he was able to break through at this time though, it would be a great blessing to the Qin Family, and even to Maplewood City.
Qin Zhao Yang smiled bitterly, “The timing couldn’t be worse though. The situation here is turbulent at the moment, so this Old Master will have to ask Brother Yang to stand guard for him for a time!”
“No problem!” Yang Kai agreed readily before he began looking around. There were many cultivators present, all of whom showed excited looks as the Source Qi in their bodies became turbulent. Many seemed to similarly be on the verge of breaking through.
“Let’s head to the source!” Yang Kai grabbed Qin Zhao Yang and rushed forward.
There were too many people around at this moment, all of whom were Dao Source Realm, and the impact that occurred during a breakthrough would be very chaotic, so it was not suitable to remain here. Since Qin Zhao Yang showed signs of a breakthrough, it could not be wasted.
Therefore, Yang Kai decided to go deep into the tiger’s den.
“The source!” Qin Zhao Yang narrowed his eyes but quickly understood what Yang Kai was referring to.
Soon, the pair dove into a massive hole in the ground and rushed downwards against the constant upsurge of World Energy.
Yang Kai’s approach was indeed correct. The deeper they dove, the more terrifying the purity and richness of the World Energy. The World Energy that appeared above ground was amazing enough, but the World Energy below the surface was on a completely different scale.
With the help of such a vast sea of World Energy, Qin Zhao Yang felt that it was simply impossible for him to fail to break through this time. He could not help but feel excited as his face glowed, making him appear several dozen years younger.
The two of them fell all the way down for more than a thousand metres before reaching solid ground.
The underground situation was the same as above, a literal lake.
However, the water here was not ordinary water, but rather Liquid Spirit Qi.
Yang Kai did not intend to linger here and simply looked for a direction before he continued to rush forward.
After a long time, he suddenly stopped, looked left and right, and said, “Patriarch Qin, you can break through here. No one should come here in a short time.”
At this moment, everyone was busy absorbing World Energy to prepare for their own breakthrough, so how could they have the mind to explore this underground cave system? So, what Yang Kai said made sense.
Qin Zhao Yang was afraid that he could not suppress himself anymore so he simply nodded and sat down cross-legged without another word. Circulating his Secret Art, he instantly entered a meditative state.
Yang Kai waved his hand and summoned three beautiful figures before himself.
“Sir… what is this place?” Zhang Ruo Xi asked, noticing the strangeness around her instantly and couldn’t help covering her lips in shock.
Hua Qing Si’s beautiful eyes also widened as she trembled, “Yang… Yang Kai, don’t tell me you broke into some great Sect’s cultivation paradise without authorization?”
Liu Yan’s dazzling eyes looked around while the corners of her mouth rose slightly to reveal a smile, but she did not comment out loud.
Yang Kai smiled and said, “Of course not.”
“The World Energy here…” Hua Qing Si was shocked.
“How is it compared to the cultivation paradises of Star Soul Palace?” Yang Kai asked with interest.
“Not far off!” Hua Qing Si pondered for a while before groaning, “The cultivation paradise of Soul Palace is divided into three levels, Heaven, Earth, and Mortal. Those with my cultivation are only permitted to enter the Earth Grade cultivation paradises, and in order to do so, we need to offer a massive number of contribution points to the Sect. The World Energy here is even denser than in those Earth Grade cultivation rooms!”
“What about Heaven Grade?” Yang Kai frowned.
“I don’t know!” Hua Qing Si shook her head, and said bitterly, “Only Emperor Realm Masters are allowed to cultivate under such conditions, I am not qualified to enter.”
Yang Kai gently nodded.
“Where is this place? Why is there such rich World Energy here?” Hua Qing Si asked again.
“It’s the land around the ancient seal we visited last time. I don’t know what this place’s name is, or what lies below, but apparently, a number of Earth Veins and a Source Crystal lode suddenly appeared here…”
Hua Qing Si was stunned when she heard this.
She had lost her freedom here in this place after Yang Kai captured her and threw her into his Sealed World Bead, eventually forcing her to surrender her Soul Brand.
However, because of that, she obtained an Extraordinary Treasure Pill, which greatly increased her chances of breaking through to the Emperor Realm.
It was hard to say if she had gained or lost from this event. In any case, Hua Qing Si was not upset with her current situation and she had grown a much friendlier opinion of Yang Kai.
“Enough nonsense, it would be a shame to let this opportunity slip by. Quickly meditate and cultivate, absorb as much World Energy as you can.”
Hua Qing Si and Zhang Ruo Xi nodded one after another at his words and quickly found a place to sit cross-legged and circulate their Secret Arts.
Hua Qing Si was a disciple of Star Soul Palace and had a powerful Third-Order Dao Source Realm cultivation, so although she failed miserably in her previous mission and wound up captured by Yang Kai, she was not someone to be underestimated. In a short time, her tender body became a bottomless pit that gathered a steady stream of World Energy towards it.
Yang Kai looked at her in amazement, secretly admiring the Secret Arts of Star Soul Palace.
Immediately afterwards, something that startled him even more happened.
A whistling noise emerged from Zhang Ruo Xi’s body, one that was created by a strong stream of wind. Instantly, Zhang Ruo Xi’s petite form also became a bottomless pit that rapidly absorbed the surrounding World Energy.
Zhang Ruo Xi’s cultivation aura soared upwards at a speed visible to the naked eye.
*Ka… *
An abnormal noise soon sounded and with Zhang Ruo Xi’s tender body as the centre, an invisible wave of pressure pulsed outwards.
“This…” Yang Kai ogled.
Ever since her bloodline power began to awaken, Zhang Ruo Xi’s cultivation speed had increased expeditiously, and the richer the World Energy was, the more obvious the effects of her cultivation were. She had no bottlenecks at all; as long as the accumulation of energy was sufficient, she could automatically break through. Even her Shi had easily reached the Grand Accomplishment Stage without any stagnation at all.
The scene before him was Zhang Ruo Xi easily breaking through to the Third-Order Origin Returning Realm!
Yang Kai was unsure of the condition of this young girl and her mysterious bloodline, but it was undeniable that this underground location was the most suitable place for Zhang Ruo Xi’s cultivation.
Thoughts floated through Yang Kai’s mind helplessly. [What would it be like if Zhang Ruo Xi were to cultivate in the Heaven Grade cultivation paradise of Star Soul Palace for several years?]
[Could she directly reach the Emperor Realm?]
“Master, you seem to be about to break through too!” Liu Yan looked at Yang Kai brightly with her beautiful eyes.
Her cultivation was much stronger now and was able to naturally detect the vibrations coming from Yang Kai’s body.
Yang Kai nodded and responded, “You will need to stand guard at this place.”
Saying so, Yang Kai reached out his hand and summoned the Sealed World Bead. After he performed a series of hand seals, the Sealed World Bead began emitting a huge suction force that drew in the surrounding World Energy. The Liquid Spirit Qi nearby surged as streams of water seemed to flow towards the small bead.
Tossing the Sealed World Bead to Liu Yan, Yang Kai said, “Find a place to hide, there are quite a lot of people here.”
Liu Yan nodded, holding the Sealed World Bead as her tender body disappeared in a flash, hiding somewhere.
However, before she left, Yang Kai saw a hint of envy in her eyes.
This couldn’t be helped though; everyone was benefiting from such a wondrous opportunity, but Liu Yan could not, naturally making her feel a bit distraught.
Liu Yan did not have a physical body, so apart from swallowing and refining certain exotic flames, she was unable to directly absorb World Energy to increase her cultivation.
This was the reason why Yang Kai asked her to stand guard.
After Liu Yan hid, Yang Kai stretched out his hand again and released his two Blood Beasts, the Monster Insect Queen and Blue Flame Thunder Wolf, which had not been used for a while now.
With the improvement of his cultivation, the role these two Blood Beasts could play was getting lower and lower, especially the Blue Flame Thunder Wolf which was only as strong as a Second-Order Dao Source Realm cultivator. It was useless against strong enemies, but also unnecessary to use against weak enemies. However, it could be of use here and now.
With a pulse of his Divine Sense, Yang Kai ordered the two Blood Beasts to conceal themselves nearby before he also sat down with his legs crossed.
The fluctuations of his Source Qi were getting stronger and more prominent, which was a prelude to a breakthrough. Yang Kai focused his mind and ignored all the external influences as he began circulating his Secret Art.
Being here, in this underground, was like sitting on a Spirit Spring, so even without consciously circulating his Secret Art, the ambient World Energy would unendingly converge towards his body, flooding into his pores and making its way along his meridians to his Dantian.
As time passed, Yang Kai continued accumulating Qi inside himself.
At a certain moment, the Source Qi in his body reached a critical point and a kind of invisible wall that was baring his path shattered, allowing Yang Kai to take one more step forward.
Remaining unflustered, Yang Kai quietly gathered all of his strength and used it to bombard the shackles still holding him back.
*Hong… *
With a bang, Yang Kai’s body trembled slightly and his face paled, showing a hint of pain on his face.
Beyond his expectations, this impact failed to have any effect.
This was something that he has rarely encountered since he began cultivating. Yang Kai had only experienced this when he was still very weak, so this failure actually gave him a feeling of nostalgia. Not panicking, Yang Kai simply grinned lightly.
This breakthrough was not induced by internal accumulation but instead was triggered by external stimulation, so it was only natural for there to be some difficulties. However, these difficulties could not stop Yang Kai and only further ignited his fighting spirit.
Remaining calm and composed, Yang Kai gathered his strength once more.
A moment later, he made another attempt.
*Hong Hong Hong… *
Again and again, Yang Kai pushed his Source Qi, each time enduring a sharp pain in his body and Soul that would render an ordinary man unconscious. If he were to give up now though, his Martial Heart would be damaged, and making further progress in the future would become impossible.
Countless cultivators started to doubt themselves because they were unable to bear this pain and became demoralized.
The only way for the cultivators to reach the peak was to persist.
The unceasing pain did not diminish Yang Kai’s confidence, nor did it cause him to panic, all it did was reinforce his will.
“Dao begets one, one begets two, two begets three, three forms the basis for everything… Fate is made by oneself, the state is born from the heart, everything is transformed from form, and everything lives among the world. Illusions are born from the heart, and extinguished by the heart…”
A trace of comprehension leisurely appeared in Yang Kai’s mind as he reached a kind of enlightened state.
A layer of formless force lingered around his body, transforming into a kind of ethereal power that ground away at the shackles holding him down while at the same time smashing the ceiling above him, allowing Yang Kai to step out into a wider world.
*Honglong…*
A visible wave of Source Qi, with Yang Kai’s body as its centre, suddenly spread out in all directions, and the aura of a Second-Order Dao Source Realm Master instantly filled the air.
Yang Kai did not move at all as a strange feeling was born in his heart. His Soul Avatar seemed to emerge from his figure at that moment and slowly float up above his body, capturing everything underneath with its eyes.
Yang Kai clearly saw Liu Yan hiding nearby, holding the Sealed World Bead as Liquid Spirit Qi flowed into it, bolstering its World Energy.
Perhaps, due to some inexplicable connection between Yang Kai and Liu Yan, her beautiful eyes looked up in the direction of Yang Kai in bewilderment as she formed a slight frown on her face.
Yang Kai saw Hua Qing Si inhaling World Energy madly, laying a solid foundation for her breakthrough to the Emperor Realm.
Turning his attention towards Zhang Ruo Xi, Yang Kai saw that her cultivation was steadily increasing. Within just this short period of time, she had already reached the Origin King Realm and was now experiencing a World Energy Baptism.
Just like the last time when Zhang Ruo Xi broke through to the Origin Returning Realm in the Four Seasons Realm, the huge female phantom appeared behind her as she reached a new Great Realm.
This phantom was giant, white, and hazy, but looking at its silhouette, it was clearly a beautiful woman. This woman had a graceful figure and was holding a giant sword in front of her in both hands. She had a pair of beautiful eyes as mesmerizing as stars, sending Yang Kai’s Divine Sense into a trance with just one glance.
The giant phantom opened her mouth and breathed in suddenly, absorbing all the World Energy which had gathered in the sky for a baptism, then withdrew into Zhang Ruo Xi’s body.
The young girl broke through to the Origin King Realm just like that, without any obstacles or danger.
Yang Kai also witnessed many Dao Source Realm Masters breaking through their own bottlenecks. Some of them laughed crazily while others were focused on trying to break free from their shackles to reach the next Minor Realm.
Yang Kai’s Soul Avatar continued to float up and rose several thousand metres in an instant. Lifting his eyes, Yang Kai was able to see Maplewood City two thousand kilometres away. At this moment, the city was buzzing in excitement, looking extremely lively and magnificent.
In the sky, many clusters of gathering World Energy had turned into visible clouds and were baptizing the ones who were attempting to break through to new Great Realms.
From time to time, someone would break through successfully and roar victoriously.
Yang Kai gazed farther away as his Soul Avatar continued to rise.
Soon, Maplewood City had become a small black dot, and when Yang Kai looked upward, the night sky was full of twinkling stars, forming various constellations.
In the darkness, the World Principles of the Star Boundary seemed to be within reach.
Yang Kai’s face changed as he reached out his hand to the surrounding world and tried to grab hold of these mysterious Principles.
It seemed like he had caught nothing, but at the same time also like he was able to touch something.
Yang Kai was confused, but at that moment, a formless World Force abruptly plunged down from the sky and landed on top of Yang Kai’s head, bringing with it unimaginable force and terrifying destructive energy.
“Not good!” Yang Kai exclaimed, pushing his Soul hard as he hastily descended back to his physical body.
*Hong… *
The World Force followed him closely and crashed onto him.
As if he was struck by lightning, Yang Kai’s face changed drastically and his Source Qi shook uncontrollably.
*Pu… *
He spat out a puff of Golden Blood from his mouth and his aura was instantly weakened; however, his eyes remained as bright as the stars.
“What was that?” Yang Kai lifted his head and grinned towards the Heavens, “Is this some kind of warning that one cannot peek at World Principles before they obtain enough strength?”
He was confident that if it was not for the World Principles’ suppression, he would have been able to catch a glimpse of the truth behind Principle Strength.
If that was the case, he would have been able to utilize Principle Strength directly, which was ordinarily a privilege only Emperor Realm Masters possessed.
Unfortunately, he was hindered by the World Principles at the last moment and fell short. It seemed the world itself was forbidding him from achieving success ahead of time.
However, that didn’t mean Yang Kai gained nothing from this experience.
After a round of swearing, Yang Kai bowed his head again and opened his hands. As he moved his fingers about, Space Principles began to gather around his hand and numerous tiny Void Cracks flowed across his fingertips like little living creatures swimming around his palm.
Yang Kai found that his ability to motivate the surrounding Space Principles was much higher now than before.
Just as he flicked his fingers, those numerous tiny Void Cracks flew out like darts, plunged into the surrounding stone walls, carving cracks into many of them.
Yang Kai grinned and there was a trace of satisfaction on his face.
Back then, he could not manipulate Space Principles to such a subtle degree, but now he could do so easily.
This kind of attack was still weaker compared to his Moon Blade in terms of power, but it was harder for the enemies to evade. As such, it would be more effective than Moon Blade in some situations.
Next, Yang Kai immediately examined his own cultivation and realized he had already made a breakthrough to the Second-Order Dao Source Realm. He finally put down the last worries in his heart and began taking some pills.
Although the impact of the World Force just now did not hurt him too much, he still could not ignore it. Who knows if this kind of injury would have any side effects? So it was better to get it treated as soon as possible.
While Yang Kai was healing himself, Qin Zhao Yang had already gathered his own power to its peak and soon his body shook as a wave of Source Qi spread out from him. At the same time, his aura rose up and his robes flapped loudly.
In the next moment, the wrinkles on Qin Zhao Yang’s face faded away slowly as he relaxed. In an instant, he seemed to become a dozen years younger and his complexion gradually became rosy. Even his head full of white hair began to show some black streaks in it now.
Second-Order Dao Source Realm!
Qin Zhao Yang made a breakthrough too!
He did not rush to open his eyes and instead continued to sit in place, absorbing the surrounding World Energy to consolidate his cultivation.
Time passed slowly.
At a certain moment, a cultivator who was at a critical point in his breakthrough suddenly frowned suspiciously.
A moment later, the aura coming from his body abruptly deflated like a punctured balloon.
After such a change, he instantly opened his eyes and yelled in anger, “What’s wrong? I was on the verge of breaking through just now! Why did the surrounding World Energy suddenly decrease?”
He only began to break through here due to the richness of the surrounding World Energy, so when that same World Energy density lowered, he was unable to reach a critical point, causing his breakthrough to fail.
“Brother Liu, is it the same for you?” A man nearby spoke, “I thought it was just me.”
“Something’s not right, the surrounding World Energy was overflowing crazily just now so how could it drop so low all of a sudden? Even if a few Emperor Realm Masters appeared, they could not possibly have absorbed such a massive volume of World Energy in such a short time.”
“Is there some bastard down below blocking the Spirit Spring?” Another voice spoke out.
“Speaking of it, I thought I saw someone jump down there, maybe that’s why.”
“Who is this wicked bastard!? This is too much!”
“Let’s go and check. If I find that person, I’ll make him suffer for this! How dare he stop me from breaking through!”
A thousand metres underground, Yang Kai stood up.
While this was a rare opportunity to cultivate, and it would be difficult to encounter such rich World Energy in the future, Yang Kai did not intend to waste time simply cultivating here and instead was determined to investigate what the root cause of this phenomenon was.
What’s more, he had just made a breakthrough and would not be able to break through again in a short period.
Sending Liu Yan a Divine Sense Message, Yang Kai asked her to continue protecting the others in their group before he began his own investigation.
Soon, something caught Yang Kai’s eye and he was about to take a closer look, when suddenly he frowned and turned to look in the direction of the entrance.
A vast crowd had gathered, and it seemed like many cultivators had found their way here, underground.
“There’s someone over there! There really was someone who came down ahead of us.”
“Bastard, he must be the one who interfered with my breakthrough!”
“Let’s go and find out who has such courage!”
The sound of loud chattering reached Yang Kai and he quickly released his Divine Sense to investigate the surrounding situation.
Soon, he discovered the problem. The surrounding World Energy had become a little bit thinner than before. Although the difference wasn’t obvious, it was noticeable.
Perceiving this, Yang Kai could not help turning his head to look at Liu Yan’s hiding place, unsure if it was because the Sealed World Bead was devouring World Energy.
This slight difference was not to be underestimated. It was very likely that this little change had prevented these cultivators from reaching a critical point in their breakthrough and had thus drawn so many of them down here to search for the cause.
Yang Kai hurriedly stretched out his hand to retrieve Liu Yan and the Sealed World Bead to avoid anyone catching them absorbing the World Energy.
Then, he stood there waiting quietly.
“Boy, no matter which Sect you are from, you’re dead this time.”
“Come over and apologize if you’re smart, maybe I will spare you your life!”
“This old lady will fight you for taking away my precious opportunity to break through!”
A group of people protested, putting the blame all on Yang Kai, approaching him quickly.
After a while, a group of people stopped in front of Yang Kai.
“Ah… it’s you… “
“This, this, this… “
All the cultivators who were yelling fell silent when they saw Yang Kai and stood in place with cold sweat on their foreheads, showing anxious looks on their faces.
The memory of Yang Kai killing Qu Huai Ren and murdering Zhuang Pan was still vivid in their minds, and all were fearful of provoking Yang Kai. All of them felt horrified about protesting without understanding the situation and were unsure if they had angered this monster.
“Need something?” Yang Kai looked at a group of people indifferently, his words cold.
“No, no, no…”
“It’s nothing, we just came down to have a look, hahaha, the scenery below is good…”
“That’s right, that’s right, we were just curious to have a look!”
“Really?” Yang Kai raised the corners of his mouth and said lightly, “Since the scenery is good, you shouldn’t miss it. You should all take a walk and look around.”
“Yes, yes, yes! We’ll go now!”
Not a single person dared to stop at the sight of his cold expression; they proceeded quickly and headed deeper. Just before leaving, many stared in the direction where Hua Qing Si sat.
With the strength of everyone present, it was natural for them to sense Hua Qing Si’s cultivation realm. It was not shocking that they sensed her Third-Order Dao Source Realm aura though, as there were several others with equivalent cultivations, what was noticeable, however, was the inexplicable aura lingering about her.
Emperor Intent!
Amazingly, they could sense Emperor Intent coming from Hua Qing Si, a sign she was on the verge of reaching the Emperor Realm.
In other words, this woman was very likely to break through to the Emperor Realm in the future.
Undoubtedly it would cause everyone to be shocked and envious. They did not know if Hua Qing Si had Emperor Intent before now, or if she only achieved it by cultivating here in this rich World Energy environment.
With the presence of such a Master here, being protected by this madman Yang Kai, no one dared to remain.
It didn’t take long for everyone to scatter.
After they left, Yang Kai released Liu Yan again and had her remain here to stand guard.
Immediately afterwards, Yang Kai moved deeper as well.
The more he ventured inside, the richer the World Energy became, as if in some unknowable place down below, World Energy was gushing forth from some kind of source.
Yang Kai could not help being curious, wondering what could create such a surge of World Energy like this.
Those cultivators who left before him were not far ahead.
Suddenly, someone called out in shock up ahead, followed by many similar gasps.
They seemed to have discovered something extraordinary.
Yang Kai’s expression changed, and pushing the surrounding Space Principles, he disappeared in a flash and reappeared beside everyone.
In the blink of an eye, he appeared at the head of the crowd.
Following the gazes of the others, Yang Kai could not help but squint at what he saw.
Not far in front of him was a round pit covering a five metre radius, and from this pit Liquid Spirit Qi was gushing up into the air.
“Spirit Spring! Heavens, it’s a Spirit Spring Eye!”
“I can’t believe there’s a Spirit Spring Eye here… “
“No wonder the World Energy is so rich here, it’s all thanks to this Spirit Spring.”
“It should be a Mid-Rank Spirit Spring. If a Sect was established here, it would rise to prominence within a hundred years!”
Everyone present was from a second-class family or Sect, so none of their forces owned a treasure like a Spirit Spring. Only the first-class Sects were qualified to occupy such a treasure land.
Everyone was excited, their eyes brightening as they thought about what kind of earth-shaking changes would occur if they could migrate their Sect here to occupy this Spirit Spring.
It was possible that in less than a hundred years they would be able to rise to compete with first-class Sects.
“Now… I’m afraid there will be trouble,” someone said sadly with a heavy sigh.
“What does this friend mean? There is a Spirit Spring right in front of us, so why are you saying trouble will come?” Someone asked, unable to comprehend.
“That’s right, why are you acting so sullen with such a Heaven-sent opportunity before you?” Some sneered.
The speaker did not argue back and simply sighed, “Have you ever thought about why until now, despite a High-Rank Earth Vein and a Source Crystal lode appearing near Maplewood City no top tier Sect came to investigate?”
“Why? Because even though it is a High-Rank Earth Vein and a Source Crystal lode, it’s not worth those big Sects fighting over. Only small Sects like ours will regard them as treasures.”
“Exactly!” The man looked around, “But what if news of this Spirit Spring spreads out?”
With that, everyone was dumbfounded and their expressions changed slightly, finally understanding the situation.
If the news of a Spirit Spring spread out, none of them would be able to claim this place as the top forces would definitely send Masters to occupy this land, possibly even opening up branches of their Sects here.
The second-class families and Sects would simply be unable to fight against these behemoths and would be forced to watch this delicious meal be snatched away from them…
Considering all this, everyone was suddenly depressed, their earlier excitement and joy dissipating entirely.
“We… we could all swear an oath, on pain of a heart demon, to never spread this news out?” Someone suggested quietly.
Everyone glanced at the speaker, as if they were looking at an idiot, their eyes full of mockery.
There were no impervious walls in this world, and no matter how well they concealed the matter of the Spirit Spring, it was impossible to hide it forever. One day, it would become known to those top Sects.
Besides, many cultivators were allies with or even subjects of big Sects here, so they would send word to their backers after discovering this treasure.
How could this discovery be hidden for long?
“It was just a suggestion…” The man who proposed quickly realized that it would not work and smiled helplessly.
*Hong… *
At this moment, there was an explosion and a gush of Liquid Spirit Qi shot up from the sky, transforming into World Energy Rain that poured down on the surroundings.
“What?”
“What happened?”
“Heavens, are you kidding me?”
“It’s… another Spirit Spring!”
Everyone was stunned for a moment, gawking at a spot some fifty metres away from where another Spirit Spring had just appeared, Liquid Spirit Qi bursting out of it like a fountain.
The World Energy aura underground became richer in an instant.
Yang Kai too, stood dumbfounded.
Spirit Springs were naturally formed and could only be encountered by chance. It would already be a great stroke of fortune for a big Sect to occupy a single Spirit Spring and create a cultivation paradise.
However, two Spirit Springs appeared at once only two thousand kilometres away from Maplewood City. Looking at the scale, both these Spirit Springs were Mid-Rank as well.
*Hong Hong Hong… *
As if the incident was not shocking enough though, the air was filled with the rumbling sounds as the earth shook and the surrounding World Energy aura rapidly increased in density.
There were a few cultivators unable to reach the critical point in their breakthrough earlier because the World Energy had become too thin, but now, the Source Qi in their bodies fluctuated wildly all of a sudden, and they once again showed signs of breaking through.
However, everyone ignored their own conditions and stood in a daze as they stared around in awe.
It was dim underground, with the flood of World Energy, the surroundings became barely visible, but everyone present was a Dao Source Realm Master so they were able to grasp their situation with a sweep of their Divine Sense.
Everyone was shocked as one Spirit Spring after another appeared, and within a short time, the entire underground cavern before them was covered in densely packed Spirit Springs.
After about a dozen breaths of time, eighteen Spirit Springs fully emerged in the vast underground cavern.
These Spirit Springs were no lower than Mid-Ranked, and three of them were even High-Ranked.
These eighteen Spirit Springs seemed to be arranged in a special pattern, scattered across the cavern with the three High-Rank springs arranged at the centre and the fifteen Mid-Rank ones surrounding them.
There seemed to be a great mystery behind this arrangement.
These eighteen Spirit Springs erupted together, and everyone was dumbstruck by this spectacular scene.
After experiencing the initial excitement and shock, everyone soon figured that there must be something more to this than mere coincidence.
The appearance of a Mid-Rank Spirit Spring would already attract the first-class great forces to come and seize it, but now eighteen Spirit Springs had emerged at once, with three of them being High-Rank, so this was no longer something that those first-class great forces could occupy alone. Perhaps even the peak level Sects like Azure Sun Temple, Heavenly Martial Holy Land and Orthodoxy Temple would be alarmed. Even Star Soul Palace might send someone here to investigate.
This was definitely a major event that would shake the entire Southern Territory, possibly even the whole Star Boundary.
Maplewood City would soon become famous across the world.
“It’s over, it’s over!” Someone muttered with the corner of his mouth twitching.
Although he didn’t speak clearly, everyone knew what he meant. With the emergence of these Spirit Springs, this place would now certainly have nothing to do with his own Sect.
“The arrangement of these Spirit Springs… could it be… the Eighteen Stars Grand Array?” A person among the crowd who was scanning the surroundings with his eyes uttered in amazement.
“Eighteen Stars Grand Array?” A man looked at that person in doubt and questioned, “Are you proficient in Spirit Arrays?”
“I know a little something…” That person nodded.
Everyone turned to that person in curiosity and asked, “Since you know about Spirit Arrays, would you enlighten us about this Eighteen Stars Grand Array?”
The face of that person turned pale and bitter, but after pondering for a moment, he quickly answered, “I’m not sure if this is the Eighteen Stars Grand Array; after all, that Spirit Array is an ancient one lost to history and I only chanced upon a brief description of it in an ancient text.”
“An Ancient Spirit Array!” An exclamation sounded abruptly.
Ancient Times and Primordial Times were two very special periods, and it was said that in those times the World Principles were far stronger and richer than they were today, as if over time Principle Strength was gradually thinning, making it more and more difficult for cultivators reach the peak of the Martial Dao.
But anything involving Ancient Times and Primordial Times would bring excitement to the people.
So, when they heard that Eighteen Stars Grand Array was an Ancient Array, everyone was interested and wanted to inquire about it.
Yang Kai’s expression also changed slightly as he looked at that person and questioned, “Is your surname Gong?”
“One of the Heavenly River Valley Gong Family?” Someone yelled immediately.
If someone could recognize Ancient Arrays at just a glance, his attainment of Spirit Arrays must not be underestimated. In the entire Southern Territory, the Heavenly River Valley Gong Family was renowned for its comprehension and proficiency in the Dao of Spirit Arrays, so anyone from the Gong Family was known as an Array Master.
Yang Kai had dealt with Gong Wen Shan from the Gong Family in the Four Seasons Realm and had witnessed the prowess of the Gong Family in Spirit Arrays, which was why he asked this question.
“I… It’s you…” The cultivator who stood beside Yang Kai did not seem to notice his presence until now, but he immediately opened some distance with him once he did come to his senses.
Others followed suit, and in an instant, there was no one left beside Yang Kai.
Yang Kai pointed to himself, “I was just taking a walk here, no need to be so tense.”
He also did not expect that others would be so afraid of him.
Seeing him acting so casually, not showing any murderous intent, the others present felt a little relieved.
“Brother Gong…”Yang Kai spoke to that person again.
The person gave a wry smile, “My surname is not Gong… but I’m still considered a half-member of the Gong Family.”
What he said confused everyone.
The person explained, “My wife belongs to the Gong Family, so this one also studied a bit about Spirit Arrays from the Gong Family.
“So that’s how it is!” Everyone nodded in understanding, secretly guessing this man had married into the Gong Family just to get him an opportunity to study Spirit Arrays.
“Please tell us about the Eighteen Stars Grand Array,” Yang Kai requested, “I’m also curious about what this Spirit Array does.”
“The Eighteen Stars Grand Array is a powerful Ancient Array that has extremely harsh requirements to arrange. As you can see, you need to gather eighteen objects that can continuously generate World Energy on their own as the base of this array, making Spirit Springs the best building blocks!” The Gong Family son-in-law spoke rapidly about the Spirit Array with a solemn face. Obviously, he possessed a strong foundation, so what he said was convincing, “And the use of this Ancient Array is… “
He paused for a while and continued, “To suppress and seal something!”
“Suppress and seal?”
“Seal what?”
The crowd was puzzled.
“I don’t know,” the man shook his head and turned to Duan Yuan Shan, “City Lord Duan, was something unusual buried here once?”
The corner of Duan Yuan Shan’s mouth twitched as he glanced over at Yang Kai and answered, “Since all of you have come to Maplewood City for a while now, you must know that Maplewood City was flooded by Ancient Demon Qi a few months ago.”
“Could it be that the thing that was sealed was actually…”
“Ancient Demon Qi?”
Everyone’s face changed drastically as their legs began shaking in fear.
Yang Kai was also in a daze as he secretly admired the powerful methods of ancient times.
Among the people present, he knew best what was sealed here. It was not the Ancient Demon Qi, but rather the Black Eye of a Giant Ancient Demon.
The Black Eye was capable of casting darkness across the world.
And all the Ancient Demon Qi which had gathered in this place had been born from that Black Eye.
It was indeed a good way to seal Demon Qi with World Energy, but it was a pity that even those ancient powerhouses had underestimated the power of the Black Eye. After countless years, the Black Eye had not disappeared and although it had lost its spirituality and will, it continued to exist and finally broke free, only to be acquired by Yang Kai in the end.
“You don’t have to worry. After that Demon Qi flooded the city, three Emperor Realm Masters arrived and dealt with it, so there should be no danger anymore. We also didn’t notice any existence of Demon Qi for these past few months anyway,” Duan Yuan Shan comforted the people.
He always believed that the retreat of the Demon Qi that day was due to the efforts of Gao Xue Ting and the others.
“It seems that Demon Qi was being sealed here by this Eighteen Stars Grand Array!” The Gong Family son-in-law’s face paled, feeling afraid.
The rest also shivered slightly.
After a moment of silence, a person voiced, “Let’s not worry about the Ancient Demon Qi. Given that these eighteen Spirit Springs have appeared, this is undoubtedly an opportunity for all of us.”
“Yes, yes! Since we cannot occupy them forever, why not take this opportunity to absorb as much as we can? What are we still waiting for?!” Another person shouted before charging towards a Spirit Spring.
This person was decisive and immediately rushed towards one of the High-Rank Spirit Springs in an attempt to occupy it and absorb World Energy as it erupted from it.
There were only three High-Rank Spirit Springs while the number of forces present was between twenty and thirty, so it was natural that people wanted to seize the initiative.
As soon as the person moved, everyone could not help using their Movement Skills and rushing towards the Spirit Springs too.
Yang Kai also made a move and immediately teleported on top of one of the High-Rank Spirit Springs, hovering mid-air as he gazed around coldly.
He could see several cultivators were dashing over crazily, seemingly belonging to the same Sect, their cultivations all decent, the lowest of which was Second-Order Dao Source Realm while their leader was a Third-Order. They seemed intent on seizing this High-Rank Spirit Spring.
However, Yang Kai arrived before them in just the blink of an eye.
This group stopped their steps as all their faces turned ugly.
The leader of the cultivators was a calm, handsome looking middle-aged man. After pondering for a moment, he cupped his fists and spoke, “Brother Yang, can we have a discussion?”
“No!” Yang Kai replied decisively.
The middle-aged man’s face darkened, forcing a smile, “I haven’t said anything yet.”
“My answer is no!”
“Don’t be like this. Everyone here wants the best, can you not give us a chance? Besides, this Spirit Spring is too big for you alone, how about we take half while Brother Yang occupies the other half? That way everyone will be satisfied.”
“I like monopolizing treasures and never share with others,” Yang Kai lifted his nose high to the sky, acting like he was invincible.
“Little brat, don’t get cocky! Don’t you think that we’re afraid of you, we’re just giving you a bit of face,” A cultivator behind the middle-aged man suddenly clamoured.
The middle-aged man furrowed his brow, but he did not speak to stop him. Obviously, he was displeased too.
Yang Kai glanced at the person from the corner of his eyes, “If you’re not afraid, don’t just flap your lips, come up and snatch it from me!”
The man was enraged and stepped forward, seemingly wanting to do just as Yang Kai proposed.
The middle-aged leader was frightened when he saw this and hurriedly raised his hand to block his companion, turning to Yang Kai and asking once more, “Brother Yang, can we really not share?”
Yang Kai answered coldly, “I’ve already given you face when we first spoke, yet you still continue to challenge me. If you dare to fight with me, don’t blame me for slapping you.”
“Slapping…” The middle-aged man’s face changed drastically, horrified as he recalled the moment when Ning Yuan Shu and Zhuang Pan were slapped by Yang Kai…
Yang Kai glanced away at that point and continued, “If you go to grab another Spirit Spring now, you might still have a chance, but if you continue to idle here, I’m afraid that you wouldn’t even be able to drink some soup from this meal.”
The middle-aged man anxiously turned his head to look before waving and shouting, “Let’s go!”
As Yang Kai’s said, more than half the eighteen Spirit Springs were already occupied, and battles had begun to break out for the ones that remained. The scene was quite shocking as World Energy swirled about and stones from the cavern broke apart.
The scene was especially frigid around the other two High-Rank Spirit Springs as the strongest groups were all competing for these prizes.
Duan Yuan Shan and the rest of Maplewood City’s Old Ancestors, who were familiar with one another, knew they did not have the strength to compete for a High-Rank Spirit Spring, so they instead chose to cooperate to occupy one of the Mid-Rank ones.
Among the eighteen Spirit Springs, only the one occupied by Yang Kai remained calm and peaceful.
Everyone had seen how brutal Yang Kai could be and avoided competing with him for anything, not daring to provoke him.
Yang Kai was naturally pleased to see this.
He did not pay attention to the fights occurring above the other Spirit Springs and instead sent a message to Liu Yan with his Divine Sense, asking her to escort Hua Qing Si and the others to him.
He then rushed towards the Spirit Spring Eye and landed above its centre axis.
In the next instant, Yang Kai was surrounded by rich, liquid World Energy. The feeling of the World Energy pouring into his body made him feel extremely comfortable and his Second-Order Dao Source Realm cultivation was rapidly being consolidated.
Yang Kai was overjoyed and immediately circulated his Secret Art to absorb more World Energy.
At the same time, he took out the Sealed World Bead and opened a gap in it to allow the surrounding World Energy to pour into it.
Yang Kai soon frowned though and looked down intently, his eyes gleaming, as if trying to see across space.
He seemed to have vaguely sensed something down below that was rising up along with the gushing World Energy from the Spirit Spring Eye. A moment later, a whooshing sound appeared beneath where he sat.
“Not good!” Yang Kai’s heart sank. He did not know what was shooting up from inside the Spirit Spring Eye, but he felt an extremely dangerous aura coming from it, so he quickly urged his Source Qi to protect himself while also hurriedly trying to retreat from where he stood.
But he acted one step too late.
*Xiu xiu xiu… *
*Hong Hong Hong… *
One by one, inexplicable objects rushed out at an incredible speed and struck Yang Kai, each one carrying an extremely potent force behind them like a falling meteor.
Yang Kai felt pain all over his body but still managed to use these impacts to help himself leave the range of the Spirit Spring.
Right behind him, streaks of white light, like shooting stars, shot up into the cavern.
“What the hell!” Yang Kai looked shocked and quickly dodged aside, finally able to analyse what was happening.
Soon, his irritated expression was replaced by one of excitement.
The objects which had emerged from under the Spirit Spring and struck him turned out to be fist-sized Source Crystals!
Judging from the colour and purity of these Source Crystals, they were all at least Mid-Rank, with a large number of them being High-Rank.
Yang Kai gawked at the scene, his eyes hot with enthusiasm.
Across the Star Boundary, the currency for trading between cultivators was Low-Rank Source Crystals. For example, he had spent ten million Low-Rank Source Crystals to purchase the Faceless Profound Grass from Gao Xue Ting in Azure Sun Temple. If those were to be converted directly, they would total a hundred thousand Mid-Rank Source Crystals, or a thousand High-Rank Source Crystals.
The Source Crystals that Yang Kai had obtained so far were basically all Low-Rank, with a few Mid-Rank and even fewer High-Rank mixed in.
High-Rank Source Crystals were not easy to obtain and could only be mined from the Top-Grade Source Crystal lodes.
Top-Grade Source Crystals lodes were always controlled by great forces, and once any High-Rank Source Crystals were mined, they would directly enter the Sect’s coffers for internal use, rarely being circulated to the outside world.
The higher the rank of Source Crystals, the more useful they were. Many of the massive Spirit Arrays Sects arranged required High-Rank Source Crystals to run, and when it came to making breakthroughs, High-Rank Source Crystals were the preferred choice for high-level cultivators.
As such, how could Yang Kai not be shocked when so many Mid-Rank and High-Rank Source Crystals suddenly appeared in this place?
While he was still lost in his thoughts, the seventeen other Spirit Springs erupted together.
A large number of Source Crystals shot up from below the Spirit Springs together with the eruption of World Energy. Whooshing sounds rang out all over at the cavern which was illuminated by the countless white streaks of light.
The cultivators who did not notice the incoming Source Crystals in time were struck by them and could not help but grunting loudly, traces of blood often trickling from the corners of their mouths.
Just a moment later though, the entire underground was filled with excited cultivators.
“Source Crystals, High-Rank Source Crystals!”
“This Spirit Spring actually has High-Rank Source Crystals coming from it! Hahahaha, I’m rich!”
“Scram! This Spring Eye is ours! Be wise and leave, otherwise don’t blame my fellow brothers for not considering the relationship between our Sects.”
“What a joke, treasures belong to those who can occupy them! You think the few of you can hoard all of these for yourselves? If you have a death wish, I’ll grant it!”
“Since you refuse my kind gesture, then you will suffer the consequences!”
The appearance of the eighteen Spring Eyes had caused chaos, but the emergence of countless Source Crystal put all the cultivators present into a maddened frenzy.
After all, Spring Springs could not be taken away, and everyone present knew they had a limited amount of time to cultivate here before word spread and true powerhouses came to claim this place; however, Source Crystals were different. Source Crystals could be stuffed into one’s Space Ring and taken away, and they were a common currency used across the entire Star Boundary. One piece of High-Rank Source Crystal was equivalent to ten thousand pieces of Low-Rank Source Crystal. From the number of Source Crystals that emerged from this eruption, just occupying a single Spirit Spring for a few days would be enough to double or even triple a small Sect’s financial resources.
Due to this phenomenon, Sects that were already on bad terms became more hostile with each other, and tension even formed between Sects which were previously allies.
Men die for wealth, birds die for food. This was an immutable truth.
“Yang Kai!” While Yang Kai was still glancing around in shock, Hua Qing Si had rushed over with Zhang Ruo Xi, Liu Yan, and Qin Zhao Yang to his side. Seeing the wonders of this place for the first time, Hua Qing Si’s eyes were filled with awe and her delicate hand covered her red lips, “What’s going on here?!”
“Spirit Spring Eyes appeared, then Source Crystals began erupting out of them, that’s what happened,” Yang Kai grinned.
Zhang Ruo Xi was young and had little experience, but she still paled at the sight of such a shocking scene.
Qin Zhao Yang’s eyeballs almost dropped out of their sockets as he stared at the Spirit Springs and Source Crystals before him for a long time, his limbs shaking, speechless.
“Ruo Xi, don’t worry about anything else, just find a safe place to cultivate, Liu Yan will stand guard for you,” Yang Kai gave Liu Yan a meaningful look. Liu Yan nodded and guided Zhang Ruo Xi to sit next to the High-Rank Spirit Spring in understanding.
While she stood there, Liu Yan reached out and snatched any Source Crystals that flew her way.
Yang Kai saw this and tossed a Space Ring to Liu Yan before saying to Hua Qing Si, “Follow me and collect these Source Crystals, we’ll leave cultivating for later!”
“Good!” Hua Qing Si nodded. With a sway of her tender body, she and Yang Kai floated up to a spot above the Spirit Spring.
Source Crystals were constantly erupting from the Spirit Spring, so Yang Kai stretched out his hands and released a hundred Golden Blood Threads, weaving them together into a giant golden net.
*Chi chi chi…*
The Source Crystals that spewed out all entered the golden net while Hua Qing Si immediately formed a series of seals with her hands, creating a kind of suction force that drew the captured Source Crystals over to her, swiftly storing them into her Space Ring.
The two worked together seamlessly to capture every Source Crystal exiting the spring, leaving none behind.
“It seems that you don’t need my help here…” Qin Zhao Yang watched them for a moment as his mouth twitched slightly, “Brother Yang, you continue to deal with your business here, I’ll seek my own opportunities!”
This was a great opportunity to accumulate a fortune and greatly enhance the foundation of the Qin Family. The Spirit Spring occupied by Yang Kai no longer required Qing Zhao Yang’s assistance, so he decided to move elsewhere.
His eyes swept around before he grinned meaningfully and with a flicker, Qing Zhao Yang appeared above the Mid-Rank Spirit Spring where Duan Yuan Shan and the others from Maplewood City were gathered, “Greetings City Lord Duan, fellow brothers.”
“Is this old thing trying to seek some undue advantage?” The Du Family Patriarch, Du Li Shen glared at him.
The Zhou Family Patriarch, Zhou Yi snorted, “Old Dog Qin is pretty good at faking sincerity, where did he learn such skill from?”
“How am I being fake?” Qin Zhao Yang was immediately unhappy as he pulled his beard in anger, “You two disrespectful fools! Do you want this Old Master to beat you up so badly your mothers can’t recognize you?”
Zhou Yi and Du Li Shen looked at each other and laughed, “Would your mother recognise you if she was still alive?”
Qin Zhao Yang’s face darkened immediately.
“Good, let’s stop the nonsense, help out since you’re here. Every Source Crystal we miss winds up in someone else’s pocket,” Duan Yuan Shan waved his hand and shouted in a low voice.
“I will obey City Lord Duan’s orders!” Qin Zhao Yang grinned meaningfully and joined the team.
The Patriarchs were all from Maplewood City and had known each other for quite some time, so although there were some grievances between them, they were much more accepting of each other than the foreign enemies they were facing. Despite their banter earlier, their relationship would not be affected.
“Hey, Zhou Yi, you old fart, you actually managed to break through to the Second-Order Dao Source Realm. The Heavens must really be blind…” Qin Zhao Yang commented as he collected Source Crystals after noticing the Patriarch of the Zhou Family had also broken through as he had.
“What are you talking about!” Zhou Yi snapped, “If an old fart like you can break through, why can’t this Old Master?”
“It seems that everyone has made a breakthrough,” Du Li Shen grinned meaningfully.
Qin Zhao Yang only then thought of investigating the cultivations of the others and realized that everyone had indeed made a breakthrough. All the old Patriarchs had now reached the Second-Order Dao Source Realm, together with Drunkard! Meanwhile, Duan Yuan Shan had reached the Third-Order Dao Source Realm!
“Oh, congratulations everyone!” Qin Zhao Yang laughed.
“Let’s rejoice together!” Duan Yuan Shan grinned meaningfully, “Today, Maplewood City can no longer be regarded as weak! As the saying goes, internal disunity dissolves at the threat of external invasion. This Duan hopes that we all can work together in the future.”
If these Patriarchs all joined forces, together with the strength of Duan Yuan Shan and Drunkard, they would be quite formidable. At least, they would be able to go up against some second-class Sects and families. The only thing they were missing now was the protection of an Emperor Realm Master.
However, there were not many Emperors out there, and most second-class forces did not have such a Master assuming command.
Everyone nodded solemnly after listening to Duan Yuan Shan’s statement.
There were three High-Rank Spirit Spring Eyes – Yang Kai and the Eight Paths Sect each occupied one, while the last one was occupied by two other Sects who had joined forces specifically to do so.
The other fifteen Mid-Rank Spirit Springs were also crowded with people.
The Eight Paths Sect disciples were actually not strong enough to occupy a High-Rank Spirit Spring all to themselves, but everyone had scruples about the brutal Luo Yuan, so none dared to provoke Eight Paths Sect as they did not know when Luo Yuan would return. Seeing how he had chased Protectors Gao Shan and Liu Shui away, no one would have the guts to oppose him.
As he worked with Hua Qing Si to collect the Source Crystals erupting from the High-Rank Spirit Spring, Yang Kai’s expression abruptly changed as he sent her a message, “I’m going down to investigate.”
It was impossible for Source Crystals to simply erupt from below without a reason, so Yang Kai guessed that there must be some mystery beneath the Spirit Springs and wanted to investigate. Now, with his Golden Blood Thread net above the Spirit Spring, blocking the Source Crystals from flying away, he did not need to remain as Hua Qing Si could collect the Source Crystals for him.
What was more, Liu Yan was here too. If anyone was blind enough to come and try to seize this Spirit Spring, the two of them would be enough to chase them off.
“Be careful!” Hua Qing Si did not try to stop him, simply warning him seriously as she saw him off.
Yang Kai nodded and leapt downward for a second time.
Just like before, he plunged into the Spirit Spring and faced a strong resistance that tried to push him upwards. There were also countless Source Crystals whizzing up and striking him as he tried to descend.
Yang Kai felt pain all over his body and was forced to endure it with his Source Qi. He also manipulated the surrounding Space Principles to shield himself, easing his descent.
The more he sank down, the greater the resistance and the denser the surrounding World Energy became.
Yang Kai took out his Sealed World Bead once more and began allowing it to swallow up the surging World Energy mixed with Source Crystals.
He had no idea how deep he had sunken, only that the surroundings were now all but opaque, making it difficult to see anything around himself. Yang Kai released his Divine Sense to compensate, but was only able to scan a ten-metre distance in front of himself, any further was hindered by the boundless World Energy.
At a certain point, Yang Kai suddenly stopped and landed on solid ground.
This should be the bottom of the Spirit Spring. He stood still on the ground and felt the surroundings for a moment. He could clearly sense that the space here was not as small as he imagined; in fact, it was extremely broad.
He stood there thinking with an odd expression for a while before releasing his Divine Sense once more to explore his surroundings vigilantly.
*Xiu xiu xiu…*
Numerous pieces of Source Crystals mixed in with the surrounding World Energy kept shooting upwards in surging torrents.
Yang Kai focused his eye to perceive the surrounding space and soon pinpointed the direction from which the Source Crystals were originating and walked towards it.
Along the way, his harvest was unimaginable as his Sealed World Bead continued to devour the World Energy and Source Crystals.
Not long after, Yang Kai suddenly stopped and stared ahead intently.
In the misty white world filled with Liquid Spirit Qi, there seemed to be something gigantic lying in front of him. Although there was still a distance between them, Yang Kai was able to see its fuzzy silhouette.
He did not know what was before him, only that it was gigantic and did not have the slightest life aura. All he could tell was that all the Source Crystals were shooting out from its direction.
Yang Kai pondered for a while before moving forward again.
He came to the front of this object and upon closer inspection, finally saw exactly what it was.
Yang Kai was stunned and unable to speak for a moment.
After quite a while, he only broke the silence with a burst of joyful laughter.
He realized now that the ‘giant’ lying in front of him was actually a Source Crystal lode. Fist-sized Source Crystals were separated from this lode and entered the flow of World Energy, splitting into eighteen branches as they shot upwards.
The Source Crystals collected by the cultivators above were obviously separated from this gigantic lode.
The lode shone brightly and was extremely pure, containing not the slightest impurities. There would not be another Source Crystal lode as huge and pure as this in the entire Star Boundary, only in Ancient Times would such a treasure be found.
Yang Kai was quietly feeling the eighteen branches of the World Energy torrent on top of the mine and pondering.
[The Eighteen Spirit Springs… are actually connected to each other? So, if this lode was claimed, the people above… ]
He frowned and thought for a while before he gradually stopped restraining his excitement. A tremendous Divine Sense like a Flood Dragon swam out, transforming into a formless power that began enveloping the mine.
In the next instant, Yang Kai’s expression changed as his cheeks turned pale and big drops of sweat condensed on his forehead, rolling down his trembling body.
He underestimated the size of this lode, and with the current strength of his Divine Sense, he could only barely envelop it. As a result, he could not pack it into his Sealed World Bead.
The Sealed World Bead was an Isolated World, and although it could collect anything, including living people, Yang Kai needed to use his Divine Sense to do so. The larger the object he tried to store away or take out, the greater the energy it possessed, and the more Spiritual Energy he needed to expend.
Just like the first time Yang Kai collected the Embodiment into his Sealed World Bead, even though the Embodiment did not resist Yang Kai and was cooperative, Yang Kai still almost collapsed due to its massive volume.
This lode was similar. Although it was no doubt a lot smaller than his Embodiment, which was newly formed at that time, this Source Crystal Lode contained an astonishing amount of energy. Yang Kai reckoned that if he forcefully collected such existence alone, his Knowledge Sea would be damaged.
At this point, he sent a message to the Embodiment in the Sealed World Bead.
The next moment, the Void Crack appeared before the Sealed World Bead and widened leisurely in front of Yang Kai.
Blue veins emerged on Yang Kai’s forehead as his body shook violently and his Source Qi fluctuated violently.
“Now!” He suddenly bellowed.
Two giant hands shot out from the Void Crack. These hands were remarkably hard and had sharp edges to them. They were the hands of the Embodiment.
The Embodiment crossed the boundary between the Sealed World Bead and the outside with its arms, stretching them to the left and right in a hugging posture. Holding the gigantic lode in its palms, it lifted it up with a robust force only possible for a Stone Puppet.
At the same time, Yang Kai sent out waves of Divine Sense, working together with the movements of the Embodiment to draw in the lode.
*Hong long long… *
There was a loud noise.
The lode slowly rose and moved little by little.
Yang Kai’s pale face turned even paler and his clothes were soaked in sweat. He felt pain in his head like ten million needles were piercing his skull.
His Divine Sense had been damaged by his actions.
The Soul Warming Lotus released its seven coloured glow, repairing the damage to his Soul with its soothing power, which made Yang Kai feel much better.
Creaking sounds could be heard from the Embodiment’s arms as rubble actually fell from it. It too seemed incapable of bearing such weight and the scene caused Yang Kai to be extremely nervous and anxious.
It was just a moment, but seemed like ten million years had passed.
Just when Yang Kai could not stand it anymore, the Embodiment in the Sealed World Bead forcefully retracted its arms, together with the Source Crystal lode, dragging it into the Void Crack and disappearing.
Simultaneously, the radiance of the Sealed World Bead flashed crazily as the Void Crack closed.
Yang Kai staggered as he felt like his eyes, ears, mouth and nose were filled with a fishy and salty smell. Stars were floating in front of his eyes, and the world seemed to spin around him. He lost his balance and fell to his butt on the ground.
Only then did he suddenly feel a sense of fear.
Although the Soul Warming Lotus protected his Soul from fatal damage, what he just did was undoubtedly extremely dangerous and reckless. If he used too much of his Spiritual Energy just now and caused crippling damage to his Soul, he might have never been able to recover.
A line of cold sweat rolled down Yang Kai’s forehead as his whole body shivered.
“Who?!” Yang Kai hastily turned around and gazed in a certain direction as wariness flashed across his eyes, “Who’s there?!”
At that moment, he actually heard the sound of footsteps.
He was completely exhausted and could hardly move, so if someone who wanted to harm him appeared at this moment, he wouldn’t even be able to escape. As such, Yang Kai immediately became vigilant and hurriedly wiped away the blood and cold sweat on his face, sitting with his legs crossed to put on a calm appearance.
After Yang Kai called out, the footsteps paused for a moment, but soon they sounded again, this time even faster than before.
Yang Kai’s face turned ugly as he moved his gaze slightly downwards and stared intently at the incoming person.
After a short while, a beautiful figure appeared in front of Yang Kai. This person stood still about ten metres away from him and asked in hesitation, “Grandmaster Yang?”
Hearing this person’s voice, Yang Kai furrowed his brow and revealed an odd face, “It’s you?”
The one who had come was none other than Ye Jing Han, the woman who had tried to latch onto him and just wouldn’t let go no matter how he refused her.
Unexpectedly, she had come down here too.
Yang Kai stayed alert and asked coldly, “Instead of collecting Source Crystals up top, why did you come down here?”
Although Yang Kai did not know what this woman wanted with him, they had no relationship and he had clearly rejected her previously. However, she still kept following him, which annoyed him greatly.
Ye Jing Han replied, “This Mistress is the only person present from Thousand Leaves Sect and she knows she is unable to compete with others up top.”
Her words were full of bitterness and loneliness.
“Seeing that Grandmaster Yang went down, this Mistress thought about coming down as well to take a look…” While speaking, she suddenly coughed twice.
“Are you hurt?” Yang Kai raised his eyebrows.
“A minor injury…” Ye Jing Han answered, “I was hit by someone when I came down.”
Hearing this, Yang Kai roughly understood what happened.
Everyone was busy occupying their own Spirit Spring at this moment, so if Ye Jing Han wanted to come down here, she would need to force her way through one of the Spirit Springs. Someone must have thought she was trying to snatch their Source Crystals and attacked her. Since she only had a Second-Order Dao Source Realm cultivation, it was natural that she could not force her way through completely uninjured.
“Do your parents know that you act so recklessly?” Yang Kai sat cross-legged in the same place, looking at Ye Jing Han coldly.
Ye Jing Han replied bitterly, “This Mistress has been an orphan since she was a child.”
Yang Kai was struck speechless and remained silent for a while before asking in a deep voice, “What did you see just now?”
“What?” Ye Jing Han asked with a blank face.
“Nothing,” Yang Kai exhaled softly. Ye Jing Han’s tone and expression seemed genuine, so she should have seen nothing just now.
“Grandmaster Yang…” Ye Jing Han stammered, “Can you give this Mistress a chance to say a few words?”
“Aren’t you already talking?” Yang Kai was now completely weakened at the moment, and although Ye Jing Han probably would not act disadvantageous to him, it was wise to always be on guard. He concealed his fatigue and quietly recuperated, restoring his strength while casually answering.
“Many thanks, Grandmaster Yang!” Ye Jing Han was overjoyed when she heard these words, feeling emotional that her sincerity and efforts had finally paid off. After considering her words carefully, she spoke seriously, “This Mistress is actually looking for Grandmaster Yang to ask a favour.”
Yang Kai closed his eyes and focused, ignoring her.
Ye Jing Han continued, “This Mistress hopes that Grandmaster Yang… eh? Grandmaster, be careful behind you!”
“What!?” Yang Kai was startled because at that moment he felt a sudden chill coming from behind, like a sharp blade that was cutting into his skin.
His face changed drastically! He was so focused on restoring his strength that he failed to notice danger approaching from behind him. If it had not been for Ye Jing Han’s warning, he probably would not have even noticed it.
Deep down, he felt extremely shocked and perplexed at who could have come this close to him without him noticing.
In haste, Yang Kai pushed his Source Qi madly and leapt into the air, turning around as he crossed his arms in front of his chest.
*Hong… *
A huge force struck him head-on at that moment.
*Gezhizhi…*
The sound of bones fracturing rang out.
Yang Kai was extremely shocked this time.
His physique was incredibly intrepid, to the point that even a simple blow from an Emperor Realm Master would not be able to crack his bones, but this inexplicable attack did just that.
“Dragon Transformation!” Yang Kai snarled abruptly and accompanied by a high-pitched dragon roar, Dragon Scales covered his arms, blocking the impact of the violent power.
“This power…” Yang Kai’s expression turned solemn as he suddenly noticed something odd about the force which attacked him. It did not seem to be Source Qi that he was familiar with, but another kind of unknown power.
He looked up immediately, releasing his Divine Sense, trying to search for the culprit who had the courage to attack him.
Yang Kai gasped when he finally saw it.
Not far from Yang Kai stood a dark silhouette, one without the slightest vitality, filled with so much violent energy that it was constantly fluctuating unstably.
In the darkness, two scarlet predatory eyes which could make anyone shudder stared at him.
Yang Kai’s face darkened and he asked in a low voice, “Who is Your Excellency!?”
There was no answer. The figure just tilted its head and looked at Yang Kai blankly before lifting its fist and swinging it towards him fiercely.
Although it was just a simple fist, the wind generated from this attack was like a storm of a thousand sharp blades, cutting through the air fiercely.
Having suffered a loss just now, Yang Kai was extremely vigilant, and with a flick of his ten fingers, he summoned a series of tiny Void Cracks that flew out like a rain of needles towards the incoming assault.
His opponent seemed to understand this attack was dangerous and withdrew from the battle, tilting its head as it stared at Yang Kai from a distance.
The black shadow did not have quick reflexes, and even seemed a bit stiff and jerky in its movements, almost like it had not moved about for a long time, but Yang Kai instinctively knew that this was a formidable enemy!
*Om…* a strange sound reverberated from the black shadow, and Yang Kai suddenly felt a hot sensation coming from his lower abdomen.
“What?” Yang Kai was perplexed and backed away with a tap of his foot.
He would not be flustered even if his opponent was a genuine Emperor Realm Master, but at this moment, he couldn’t help wanting to get as far away as possible from this dark shadow.
The reason was that the Ancient Demon Qi sealed in his lower abdomen was somehow aroused. Thankfully, the mysterious power of the gold and silver seal suppressed this Ancient Demon Qi firmly, otherwise, Yang Kai would definitely transform into a Demon again.
[This shadow… is it related to that Ancient Demon?] An unimaginable thought surfaced in Yang Kai’s mind and he suddenly paled.
Although the surging Demon Spirit in his lower abdomen was suppressed, it was clearly noticed by the black shadow. In a short time, the murderous thoughts of the black shadow spread out like a tide, unspeakable hostility permeating towards him, and even the dark energy becoming visible to the naked eye.
“Demon Qi!” Yang Kai exclaimed.
At this moment, he was absolutely sure that the black shadow before him was related to the Ancient Demon, because the energy fluctuations of the two were almost the same.
“Kill!” A single word came out of the black shadow’s throat before it shot towards Yang Kai, sending out a punch that seemed capable of collapsing the world.
Yang Kai’s eyes widened, flicking his wrist without hesitation, and summoned the Emperor Artifact Myriads Sword into his hands. With a great bellow, he flourished his sword, “Myriad Sword Arts, One Man As A Mountain!”
*Zheng…*
The wave of Sword Qi surged out and filled the air.
A thick and solid barrier formed from sharp Sword Qi appeared before Yang Kai, blocking the first strike, but the black shadow quickly sent another punch, causing Yang Kai’s body to tremble and almost shattered his sword barrier.
“Grandmaster Yang, this Mistress will assist you!” Ye Jing Han’s voice trembled slightly, revealing her inner panic and fear, but she still braced herself and flew over. Summoning a bracelet onto her delicate wrist as she channelled her Source Qi into it. Next, the bracelet enlarged into the size of a washbasin and whirled towards the black shadow.
“Don’t!” Yang Kai let out a loud shout.
Although Ye Jing Han’s cultivation was similar to his, she would have no chance to fight against this black shadow, and a single mistake here would result in her death.
He was too late though, because the bracelet artifact activated in the blink of an eye and struck towards the dark shadow’s head. The dark shadow did nothing to prevent it though, and simply let the attack hit.
*Dang…*
As if hitting a solid object with a loud clunk, the light on the bracelet flickered wildly and a trace of Demon Qi began to contaminate it, corrupting its spirituality.
*Pu…*
Ye Jing Han spurted a mouthful of blood, her aura instantly weakening.
The bracelet artifact was her Natal Artifact, cultivated together with her own life essence from when she was young. If this artifact was damaged, her physical body would also be affected. She immediately retrieved the bracelet with a wave of her hand as a deep fear gripped her.
Looking down at the bracelet, a black Qi intertwined around it, gradually spreading to its surroundings, corroding everything it touched.
Ye Jing Han was mortified as only now did she fathom the gap in strength between herself and the dark shadow.
“Kill!” The hoarse screeching voice which sounded like metal rubbing against metal sounded, making the two people present extremely uncomfortable.
Yang Kai composed himself as he lifted the Myriads Sword once again towards the black shadow. Staring at his opponent solemnly, he shouted in a low voice, “Who exactly is Your Excellency? What is your relationship to that One-Eyed Great Demon?”
“Kill!” The black shadow repeated the same word, ignoring his question.
“Are you underestimating me?” Yang Kai was furious and a golden gleam suddenly appeared in his left eye, activating his Demon Eye of Annihilation to spy on the black shadow.
He wanted to see exactly who this black shadow was.
The sight which greeted him, however, turned Yang Kai’s expression strange as he muttered in shock, “This… this is…”
Yang Kai could see through all illusions using his Demon Eye of Annihilation, so he was able to observe the true form of the black shadow.
He discovered that this black shadow, just like Liu Yan, was not a living thing at all, but a kind of existence similar to an Artifact Spirit assuming human form.
However, this dark shadow’s original form seemed to be a giant hammer.
The hammer was hidden and enclosed in the black shadow’s body and contained a boundless amount of Demon Qi. Exquisite runes flowed across the surface of this hammer like living creatures.
Yang Kai felt a sharp sting in his left eye, followed by a moist and hot sensation trickling down from its corner.
He forced himself to examine the shape of the hammer carefully, feeling a sense of familiarity the more he looked at it.
Then, he remembered.
He had indeed seen this hammer before, not in his life, but rather from when he scanned the memories of Young Lord Jiang Chu He of the Jiang Family.
When the Demon Qi flooded Maplewood City previously, Jiang Chu He had been transformed into a Demon when he was corroded by the Ancient Demon Qi. Yang Kai and Qin Yu had worked together to display a Secret Technique that allowed them to scan his memories at the time.
Among those memories was one of this hammer.
During a great ancient battle, the weapon used by the Ancient Demon was this War Hammer. Its power was all-conquering and countless ancient mighty warriors had died tragically under it.
“Demonic War Hammer!” Yang Kai yelled as he quickly dismissed his Demon Eye of Annihilation, not daring to look at it again.
If it really was the Ancient Demon’s War Hammer, it made sense for the Demon Spirit sealed in Yang Kai to resonate with the black shadow. There was an inseparable relationship between the two, and it was only natural for them to react to each other.
If that was the case, the mighty men in ancient times did not only seal the Black Eye of the Ancient Demon here, but also the Demonic War Hammer!
It was just that the Demonic War Hammer had been suppressed by the Eighteen Stars Grand Array and was only just now released!
Perhaps it was related to the Source Crystal lode that Yang Kai collected. The Source Crystal lode could have been the key to suppressing the Demonic War Hammer!
Although that was his deduction, Yang Kai did not feel any regret in collecting the Source Crystal lode.
Also, not like you have any regrets taking treasure away from the start. When has that been the case?
*rolls eyes*
The Eighteen Stars Grand Array reappeared in the world today so this place was destined to be visited and explored by countless Masters. Even if Yang Kai had not collected the Source Crystal lode, it would have eventually been taken away by someone else.
In other words, it was only a matter of time before the Demonic War Hammer was released.
However, Yang Kai had not expected the Demonic War Hammer to be able to retain its sentience during the countless years it had been sealed, much less assume a human form.
With a quick thought, Yang Kai changed his defensive stance to an offensive one.
“Myriad Sword Arts, Radiant Moon Swallows the Wolf!”
*Chi chi chi… *
Countless sword lights bombarded the human form Artifact Spirit like a drenching rain, beating it back and forth continuously. The Demon Qi on its surface flickered unstably, but it did not receive the slightest injury.
It was an Ancient Demonic War Hammer in human form, at least equivalent to a peak-level Emperor Artifact in terms of resilience. Yang Kai had no means to damage this opponent unless he used his Spiritual Energy to attack its consciousness.
Unfortunately, Yang Kai had just overused his Soul in collecting the Source Crystal lode, so it was difficult to utilize his Divine Sense at the moment to execute a Soul Secret Technique.
For now, he could only defend.
As soon as the sword lights came out, Yang Kai immediately retreated in a flash to Ye Jing Han’s side, grabbing her hand and shouting, “Run!”
Just as he shouted, the two flew upwards rapidly, following the direction of the surging World Energy.
Above the eighteen Spirit Spring Eyes, the cultivators looked at each other donning ugly expressions.
“Where did the Source Crystals go? Why aren’t they coming anymore?”
“Damn it, why did the eruption of Source Crystals have to cease? What happened?”
“I don’t know what happened, the Spirit Spring Eyes just seemed to stop erupting Source Crystals.”
Many cultivators were looking around and yelling, unable to fully express their feelings with their words.
After all, this was a one in a million chance to receive free Source Crystals, not to mention they were High-Rank and Mid-Rank Source Crystals. Everyone present was experiencing a joyful harvest, but the Source Crystals giveaway just ended like this.
From the Spirit Springs now, there was nothing else but pure World Energy.
How could this not sadden everyone?
“Did something happen below?” Someone guessed.
“Should we check it out? Maybe there is some Heaven-defying opportunity waiting down there for us,” another person suggested.
There was a change in everyone’s expressions with his words.
Previously, everyone had been busy collecting Source Crystals and did not pay attention to other matters. Now that there were no more Source Crystals, they naturally wanted to go down and examine the situation. Eighteen Spirit Springs and numerous Source Crystals had suddenly appeared, so even a fool would not believe that there would be nothing good down below.
Therefore, their hearts were moved.
However, they knew that the one who took the lead usually bore the brunt of the danger, so everyone was glancing around at each other, waiting for someone else to make the first move.
“Ahem… Brother Si Hai, your cultivation is worthy of respect. Why don’t you lead us down there?” An elderly man suddenly turned to another old man and asked.
The old man named Qi Shi Hai snorted coldly, “Brother Wu Hu must be joking. Why didn’t you ask this Old Master to take the lead while collecting Source Crystals just now and only thought of him when this dangerous matter came up? Are you insulting this Old Master’s intelligence or your own?”
Zhou Wu Hu gave a dry cough, “Just forget it, if Brother Si Hai is unhappy about it, you don’t have to bad-mouth me like this. Do you not rinse your mouth after eating?”
Qi Shi Hai replied coldly, “This Old Master is not stupid enough to be manipulated by others!”
Zhou Wu Hu spat disdainfully, cupped his fist and turned to the Eight Paths Sect disciples, “Little Brother Luo, this Old Master has seen your excellency’s amazing cultivation and your astonishing strength. You must be a man who is showered with great opportunities and luck. Does Little Brother Luo want to lead the exploration?”
No one had a clue of when Luo Yuan came back. Although his whole body was messy after battling with the two old men, Gao Shan and Liu Shui, he still looked energetic, as if the battle had yielded him plenty of benefits.
The few people from Flying Saint Palace had also completely disappeared at some point, perhaps scared off or forced out by Luo Yuan.
“Old man, you’re really insidious. Go down by yourself if you want, don’t instigate my Senior Brother Luo!” The round-faced woman from the Eight Paths Sect glared at Zhou Wu Hu.
Zhou Wu Hu’s face was darkened and he snorted, “Haven’t you learnt how to respect the Elders, little girl? Can’t you see this Old Master is already so old? Look at my beard and hair, they’re all white.”
The round-faced woman snorted too, “Since you’re already so old, why not just lie down somewhere and wait till your time’s up? If you keep running here and there, won’t you just die faster?”
“Little girl… you really infuriate this Old Master!” Zhou Wu Hu trembled in anger.
Qi Shi Hai was taking pleasure in his misfortune to the side, smiling happily.
“Something’s wrong!” Luo Yuan broke his silence with a single sentence, looking downwards intently into one of the High-Rank Spirit Spring Eyes, frowning, as if an enemy was approaching.
“What?” The round-faced woman turned to him after hearing him.
Luo Yuan’s face only became more solemn as time passed though, suddenly shouting, “Retreat!”
Pushing his Source Qi madly, he enveloped several disciples of Eight Paths Sect and shot backwards a thousand meters in a flash.
*Gu lu lu…*
Bubbles appeared at the centre of the High-Rank Spirit Spring, like it was boiling over.
“What happened?” Everyone looked at the Spirit Spring with a blank face.
Soon after though, a figure suddenly broke out of it, sending up a giant splash of Liquid World Energy.
“Someone already went down there?”
“When did he go down?”
“It… It’s him, that monster!”
Everyone exclaimed one after another as their faces turned ugly after seeing Yang Kai clearly. They had no idea if the sudden stop of the eruption of Source Crystals had something to do with him, and none dared to ask.
“Why did he come out from our Spirit Spring?” The round-faced woman looked at Yang Kai in confusion and frowned.
“So, that’s how it is!” Luo Yuan seemed to figure something and said, “Looks like these eighteen Spirit Springs are actually connected to each other.”
“Is that so? Senior Brother Luo is so brilliant,” the round-faced woman responded with a smile, gazing at Luo Yuan with her beautiful eyes with no intention of hiding her admiration.
The rest of the Eight Paths Sect disciples’ faces blushed with shame, knowing that their Sect’s Young Lady was completely blinded by love.
Yang Kai looked left and right as soon as he emerged, then swiftly dashed over to where Hua Qing Si and the others were.
“Master…” Liu Yan observed the bottom of the Spirit Spring Eye intently, and whispered, “I don’t know why, I suddenly have a strange feeling, that underneath, there’s…”
“En, there’s an existence similar to you,” Yang Kai quickly replied.
“It can assume human form?” Liu Yan’s tender body trembled, looking a little excited.
There were not many Artifact Spirits that could assume human form and possessed sentience. All these existences were of a similar kind, so when Liu Yan heard that there was another like herself, she naturally became enthusiastic, wondering how it assumed human form and how much sentience it had.
“It’s dangerous, don’t provoke it!” Yang Kai put Ye Jing Han down while warning, taking out a bunch of Spirit Pills from his Space Ring and stuffing them into his mouth.
*Wa la…*
Another sound was heard as the Demonic Artifact Spirit followed Yang Kai out of the Spirit Spring, a violent and gloomy aura pulsing from its erratic dark figure. Only a pair of blood-red eyes remained constant.
“Haa… Who is it this time?”
“He looks quite vicious.”
“Hahaha, looking at that monster running away, this guy seems to be quite powerful. It would be good if he could quickly finish that guy off!”
“En en, hopefully, this would involve that Eight Paths Sect brat surnamed Luo as well, then we can just sit on the mountain top and watch the tigers fight, heh heh heh…”
After the appearance of the Demonic Artifact Spirit, it still focused its attention on Yang Kai, as if he was the only one in this world it was interested in, and the others were unimportant.
It raised its hand and hastily punched towards Yang Kai.
*Chi… *
A wave of darkness that seemingly devoured all light shot forward towards Yang Kai’s head.
Yang Kai narrowed his eyes and slightly raised his hand, summoning all the Golden Blood Thread he had been using to cover the Spirit Spring before.
*Hong… *
The dark wave hit on the golden net, causing the surrounding World Energy to tremble. The Golden Blood Threads failed to stop this attack though and collapsed in an instant.
Yang Kai’s face turned ugly as he retrieved his Golden Blood Threads and swept out with his Myriads Sword towards the remainder of the dark wave.
*Hong Hong Hong… *
The two energies collided and exploded, kicking up a gust of wind that forced everyone present back a few steps.
“He’s amazing!”
Everyone paled after seeing the skill of this Demonic Artifact Spirit. Even Luo Yuan, who was far away, narrowed his eyes slightly.
Yang Kai took out another bunch of Spirit Pills and threw them into his mouth like jelly beans. While chewing and swallowing, he called out lightly, “Brother Luo, I found you a decent opponent, do you want to give it a try?”
Luo Yuan snorted coldly, “Not interested. I successfully cultivated my Secret Technique.”
“Really!?” Yang Kai exclaimed happily, “Then you should try out your Secret Technique’s might against a strong opponent.”
“You shameless man!” The round-faced woman waved her small fist at Yang Kai from far away with gritted teeth, “Don’t try to drag Senior Brother Luo into your mess, shame on you!”
“Little girl, it’s fine to be humiliated, life is more important!” Yang Kai put on a shameless face, looking proud of himself, frustrating everyone around him.
“Never mind, never mind!” Yang Kai spat disdainfully, and continued, “Since you guys don’t want an Emperor Artifact, I’ll just subdue it myself!”
“What?”
“An Emperor Artifact?”
“Where is the Emperor Artifact?”
“Quickly give it to me, I want it! Big Brother Yang! Master Yang…”
Yang Kai grinned and pointed at the Demonic Artifact Spirit, “All of you are experienced cultivators, can’t you tell this guy isn’t a living creature?”
“What does Little Brother Yang mean?” Qi Shi Hai immediately narrowed his eyes and asked in a deep voice.
Yang Kai smiled, “That’s not a human, it’s an Emperor Artifact Spirit assuming human form!”
“What? An Emperor Artifact Spirit in human form?”
Yang Kai’s words shocked everyone. All the cultivators stared at the Demonic Artifact Spirit in amazement as a covetous glow flickered in their eyes.
Honestly, just the two words of ‘Emperor Artifact’ were enough to make them drool, but an Emperor Artifact with an Artifact Spirit that could assume human form was something none of them had heard of, much less seen before. In other words, this treasure’s value was inestimable.
*Gudong… *
The sound of gulping filled the air as everyone stared at the Artifact Spirit in enthusiasm and greed, their Divine Senses scanning around, examining whether the condition of the Artifact Spirit was like what Yang Kai said.
After a short while, Qi Shi Hai bellowed, “It really is an Emperor Artifact!”
He could see the outline of the Demonic War Hammer inside the Artifact Spirit’s body, and could clearly feel something similar to Emperor Intent and Emperor Aura hidden within it, not something a Dao Source Realm cultivator could comprehend.
“It’s really an Emperor Artifact…” Although Zhou Wu Hu was still enthusiastic, there was fear and vigilance in his eyes too, “But since it has already assumed human form, I’m afraid that it will be difficult to deal with. Everyone, be careful not to act rashly lest you suffer unintended consequences.”
Hearing what he said, everyone seemed to be splashed with ice water and their excitement gradually cooled down.
Yang Kai glanced at him and laughed, “If you want to achieve great things, you naturally need to take the risks. Since this Sir is so cautious, why don’t you just leave? Why are you still staying here?”
Zhou Wu Hu gave two dry coughs, and replied in embarrassment, “I just want to have a look…”
Yang Kai continued, “Even though this Artifact Spirit has achieved human form, it has been suppressed for countless aeons below the Eighteen Stars Grand Array. It’s now far from its peak, so it’s impossible that it can display the full power of an Emperor Artifact. If anyone is interested in this treasure, follow this Yang in battle. As for whoever this treasure eventually belongs to… that is up to destiny!”
After his speech, he braced himself and swung his Myriads Sword, sending out a rain of Sword Qi blades towards the Artifact Spirit.
Seeing him taking the initiative, the rest of the gathered cultivators could not help joining in.
Everyone knew that there was a certain risk in dealing with an Emperor Artifact that had assumed human form, but not many people could remain unmoved before such a huge temptation.
On the spur of that moment, all the cultivators pushed their Source Qi and executed their Secret Techniques and Martial Skills one after another, flooding the underground cavern with colourful bursts of light.
The disciples from Eight Paths Sect were also eager to make a move, but when they saw Luo Yuan standing to the side, choosing not to intervene, they stayed their hands and remained anxious on the spot, observing the situation quietly.
*Hong Hong Hong… *
Brilliance flashed as several dozen Dao Source Realm cultivators bombarded the place where the Artifact Spirit stood, causing the internal situation to be unclear to them, even using their Divine Senses.
“Did it die?”
“There’s no movement at all, is it really dead?”
Everyone craned their necks and looked towards where the Artifact Spirit stood with expectation and excitement, waiting for the results.
The lights gradually dissipated and the turbulent flow of power slowly calmed down, but everyone’s heart sank when they saw the scene before them.
The Demonic Artifact Spirit was standing silently in the same place, its radiance slightly dimmer than before, but showing no signs of significant damage. Instead, being besieged by everyone seemed to arouse its anger and it began viciously sweeping its crimson eyes full of cruelty and ferocity over the surroundings, seemingly trying to remember all its enemies’ faces. When they were being glared at, everyone felt an inexplicably chill, as if they heard the call of death.
“After taking so many attacks, it’s unharmed? Is this Artifact Spirit indestructible?”
“How can we fight this?”
“Young Master Yang, the situation seems a little different from what you said… “
The corner of Yang Kai’s mouth twitched, “Did you guys use your full strength? The consciousness of this Artifact Spirit doesn’t seem high, what’s more, it has been suppressed for tens of thousands of years. It shouldn’t still be very powerful!”
“Ahem ahem…” Everyone showed an embarrassed look on their face after this comment.
No one had actually given it their all just now as everyone wanted to save some strength in order to snatch the Emperor Artifact when the Artifact Spirit was exterminated. However, none expected that all their blows would wind up in vain, leading to the current situation, one they felt a bit uncomfortable about after Yang Kai exposed them.
“Oh no… quickly act! It’s preparing to attack!” Yang Kai suddenly changed his expression and shouted.
The Demonic Artifact Spirit stretched out its hand and clenched the void, summoning a black War Hammer into its grip. This War Hammer looked exactly the same as the one that Yang Kai saw in its body previously and was obviously the Artifact Spirit’s original form. Various mysterious runes swam across its surface, emitting a profound and mysterious aura.
An extremely dangerous aura emerged from the War Hammer.
Inexplicably, everyone felt like they had been plunged into a blizzard at this moment, chills running up their spines.
From afar, Luo Yuan’s pupils contracted abruptly as he realized the situation was becoming dangerous, shouting out to his fellow Eight Paths Sect disciples, “Retreat! All of you!”
As soon as he finished, he instantly moved atop the Artifact Spirit’s head using a profound Movement Skill and performed a series of hand seals, pushing his Source Qi madly as he shouted, “Blazing Sun Golden Wheel!”
A small red flaming wheel abruptly formed between his hands, causing the temperature of the underground cavern to rise rapidly, sending a wave of hot air across everyone’s skin.
All present could sense a massive killing power contained in this Secret Technique and they couldn’t help gazing towards Luo Yuan with faintly pale faces.
The small sun in Luo Yuan’s hand immediately began to fall towards the Artifact Spirit, but before it could land, the Artifact Spirit roared, sensing danger as it pushed its black Qi vigorously.
“What the hell are you all doing?! Attack now!” Yang Kai bellowed as he rushed in front of the Artifact Spirit and swung his Myriads Sword at it directly.
Only then did the other cultivators regain their consciousness and once again execute their Secret Techniques and Martial Skills one after another, sending blow after blow towards the Artifact Spirit.
This time, they did not dare to hold back anymore and instead went all out, causing the scene to be several times brighter and grander than before.
Even if it was a true Emperor Realm Master here, it would still be impossible for them to take so many attacks head-on. They could only withdraw in the face of such an onslaught.
However, the Artifact Spirit remained unstirred. It was uncertain if its consciousness was too low or if it had extremely high confidence in itself, but as it was being bombarded, it simply raised its War Hammer high, causing the flowing runes on its surface to flash wildly.
Principle Strength burst forth, forming an invisible force that covered the entire underground cavern.
In the next instant, the Artifact Spirit fiercely smashed its hammer down.
The hammer impacted space itself, shattering it and creating a giant black hole.
The shocking force seemed to have crossed the barrier of space, striking the hearts of every attacking cultivator.
*Pu pu pu… *
With one blow, all the incoming attacks were annihilated and most of the cultivators present were made to cough up blood. Being knocked back and sent flying, everyone wore distressed looks as their vitality tumbled.
Luo Yuan also grunted as his Blazing Sun Golden Wheel collapsed by itself and failed to injure the Artifact Spirit.
It was the same for Yang Kai. An invisible barrier suddenly formed in front of the Myriads Sword, preventing him from delivering his blow to the Artifact Spirit. The next moment, a huge force from that barrier struck him.
*Pu… *
Yang Kai vomited Golden Blood and flew back like a rag sack, damaging his already weakened body.
*Hong Hong Hong… *
The sound of explosions rang out all around as the ground and cavern walls cracked. Gravel of all sizes fell from above and all eighteen Spirit Springs were affected by the aftershock, boiling and erupting all at once. The underground space became even more unstable due to the impact and there were now signs of it collapsing at any time.
“Oh no, this place is coming down.”
“Run!”
“Little brat surnamed Yang, this is all your fault! If I die, I will not let you off even as a ghost!” Someone yelled while escaping.
Yang Kai wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth and shouted back, “Men die for wealth, birds die for food. You made your choice so you should bear the consequences yourself. I instigated you? If I asked you to eat shit, would you do it?”
“Bastard!” That person bellowed angrily but dared not to stay any longer, running away desperately.
At this point, the underground was bustling with everyone busy running for their lives.
Yang Kai intended to put Hua Qing Si and the others back into the Sealed World bead, but when he saw the Artifact Spirit glaring at him like prey, he could only order with his teeth gritted, “Leave by yourselves!”
As his words fell, Yang Kai immediately rushed in a certain direction.
The Artifact Spirit chased closely after him without hesitation.
A short while later, followed by a huge crumbling sound, the Earth caved in and a huge pit suddenly appeared in this wilderness two thousand kilometres away from Maplewood City. Liquid World Energy began to fill this pit, forming a kind of small Spirit Lake.
*Xiu xiu xiu… *
Rays of light burst out from the ground as cultivators who were down below fled out with lingering fears, their faces paled.
In a certain direction, the Artifact Spirit was chasing after Yang Kai, moving like lightning.
“Hahahaha! There was a path to Heaven but you refused it and chose Hell instead. Left and Right Protectors, listen to my orders, bring that brat to me! This Young Master is going to teach him some proper manners!” A burst of arrogant laughter came out from the front.
Yang Kai looked ahead and found that three figures were standing there, Ning Yuan Shu, Gao Shan, and Liu Shui, the trio from Flying Saint Palace.
Apparently, they did not leave but stayed here. Though, it was most likely that they were afraid of Luo Yuan, so they did not go deeper into the underground where the Spirit Springs were located, they continued to wander around outside.
Seeing the sight of Yang Kai at this time, Ning Yuan Shu was overjoyed. When he gave the order, he showed a ferocious grin on his face, his eyes filled with hatred and grudge.
Earlier, Yang Kai had slapped his face in front of everyone, giving him the greatest humiliation of his life, so he secretly swore vengeance on Yang Kai and just when he was worried about Yang Kai’s location, he appeared by himself.
Although the two Protectors, Gao Shan and Liu Shui, suffered a small loss at Luo Yuan’s hands, that did not mean that they could not take down Yang Kai.
Ning Yuan Shu was very confident in the strength of these two Protectors.
“Little brat, you heard what the Young Palace Master said! Crawl over here obediently if you are smart. This Old Master doesn’t want to lay his hand on you, lest he gets a bad name for bullying the weak!” Gao Shan stared coldly at Yang Kai.
Liu Shui continued, “It’s time you surrender yourself. The strength of these two Old Masters is beyond your capability to resist, do so and your efforts will only end in vain!”
“Stop speaking nonsense with him! Hurry up and capture him! This Young Master wants him to taste the greatest tortures of the world! I want to rip his corpse into ten thousand pieces to relieve my hatred!” Ning Yuan Shu shouted with a nasty expression.
Gao Shan and Liu Shui had a solemn expression upon hearing this and they began to push their Source Qi.
“Hold on, two old sirs, Junior will be right there!” Yang Kai smiled joyfully and flew towards them quickly while waving happily to Gao Shan and Liu Shui.
Gao Shan and Liu Shui were stunned on the spot, as was Ning Yuan Shu, all of them wondering what Yang Kai was up to.
Under normal circumstances, shouldn’t Yang Kai be running away? But he actually took the initiative to show up at their doorstep happily, as if he finally saw his loved ones after many difficulties, which was very puzzling.
“Protectors, be careful, he might be trying to swindle us!” Ning Yuan Shu reminded them in a low voice.
Gao Shan and Liu Shui nodded in reply, “Don’t worry, Young Palace Master. This little brat is not as strong as Luo Yuan, he won’t be able to pull any tricks.”
“I hope so!”
After a short while, Yang Kai appeared directly in front of the trio and grinned at them.
Ning Yuan Shu seemed to be afraid of being slapped by Yang Kai, so his pupils shrank and he unconsciously took a few steps back, putting some distance between him and Yang Kai.
“Junior greets two Seniors.” Yang Kai smiled and cupped his fists, gesturing to Gao Shan and Liu Shui before immediately looking over at Ning Yuan Shu again, “Young Palace Master, there was a small little misunderstanding between us before, but why don’t we let bygones be bygones? We can still be good friends now!”
“Good friends?” Ning Yuan Shu glared at Yang Kai nastily, thrusting both of his extremely swollen cheeks in front of Yang Kai, “Look at me! Do you think this Young Master can be good friends with you?”
Yang Kai leaned back slightly, turning his face aside with a disgusted look, “Young Palace Master doesn’t need to come so close to say something… this Yang is timid, please don’t frighten me!”
Ning Yuan Shu was furious and roared, “You did this to me!”
“Alright, alright,” Yang Kai interrupted his clamour with a wave then looked at Gao Shan and Liu Shui with a smile. “Two Seniors, this Junior will now surrender to you without a fight!”
“Uh…” Gao Shan groaned and nodded, “At least you know some manners.”
Liu Shui continued, “A wise man will submit to the circumstances. Boy, your future should be bright!”
“Hehehe…” Yang Kai grinned, “Then, two Seniors are now responsible for protecting this Junior’s safety since I am one of your captives, right?”
“Protect your safety?” Gao Shan frowned.
“What do you mean?” Liu Shui also looked blank.
But soon they knew what he meant.
In the void, a figure soared over. The Artifact Spirit caught up with Yang Kai and stopped at a distance of a few dozen meters away, holding a Demonic War Hammer in its hands, viciously staring at Yang Kai.
“This… This aura!” Gao Shan was taken aback as he stared at the Artifact Spirit pensively.
Liu Shui’s expression also turned awe-inspiring as he shouted in a low voice. “Demon Qi!”
Yang Kai nodded, “Two Seniors are truly sharp! Yes, the aura around it is indeed Demon Qi, and the purest Ancient Demon Qi at that!”
“How can that be?” Gao Shan and Liu Shui looked at Yang Kai with their eyes screaming ‘are you kidding me’.
Yang Kai replied sternly, “Junior is not in the mood to joke with the two Seniors.”
Gao Shan asked, “No wonder it felt a little different from the usual Demon Qi… But how can there be Ancient Demon Qi here?”
Liu Shui was also puzzled.
“Can’t two Senior’s tell this is not a living creature? It is an Artifact Spirit assuming human form! Look at the hammer in its hand, that’s an Ancient Emperor Artifact!”
“What?” The two old men trembled violently as their eyes fixed on the Demonic War Hammer in horror. Gradually though, their horrified expressions were replaced by a look of fanatical greed.
Yang Kai took advantage of the opportunity, “Two Seniors have astounding cultivation and extraordinary strength, but have been trapped at the peak of the Dao Source Realm for countless years no doubt. The Heavens must be jealous and have no eyes for allowing this. If two Seniors can obtain this Emperor Artifact though and use it to comprehend some mysteries of the Emperor Realm, it may not be impossible to break through once more and become famous Emperors, overlords of the Star Boundary in the future!”
“You certainly have a way with words…” Gao Shan turned to Yang Kai coldly, “This old master is really moved!”
Yang Kai smiled, “Only those who are predestined can possess treasures, there’s no way any of those trash down there would be able to capture this Artifact Spirit. Only two Seniors have the strength to subdue it! As long as its consciousness can be erased, this Emperor Artifact will belong to you. Come now, please act swiftly, this Junior has the utmost confidence in you!”
After speaking, he actually retreated several dozen metres away, closed his fists and punched the air, cheering for Gao Shan and Liu Shui.
Gao Shan and Liu Shui both gulped. Although they both knew that this Artifact Spirit was definitely not to be trifled with, how could they not be moved by the treasure right in front of them?
Glancing at each other, the two shouted in unison, “Let’s go!”
When the words fell, Gao Shan’s hand flashed and his Guqin artifact appeared. He sat down cross-legged in the air and placed the Guqin horizontally across his lap before he began plucking it with his fingers.
Liu Shui also took out his flute at once, placing it against his lips, and blew into it lightly.
The two completely different tunes resonated in an instant, perfectly matching each other and forming an impact visible to the naked eye, enveloping the Artifact Spirit.
Yang Kai was close by and was not targetted, but after hearing the sounds, he suddenly felt that his consciousness was blurring slightly. This sound seemed like a living thing, burrowing into his ears, using a peculiar power to affect his mind.
He was secretly surprised and hurriedly circulated his Secret Art to resist this sound attack.
The impact on the Artifact Spirit was even more significant as it was forced to bear the brunt of this attack. Although it was only assuming human form, it did not have much sentience. It was actually the perfect tactic to restrain this Artifact Spirit with a sound attack that targeted its Soul.
As soon as the music played, the Demonic War Hammer was greatly affected. The red glow of its eyes flickered and its thick Demon Qi constantly trembled. However, it still managed to hold onto its War Hammer.
Seeing this scene, Gao Shan and Liu Shui were ecstatic and pushed their attack more and more vigorously, eager to take down the Artifact Spirit.
Ning Yuan Shu watched excitedly, praying that Gao Shan and Liu Shui would succeed as soon as possible.
If the two Protectors succeeded, he would be able to bring this War Hammer back to Flying Saint Palace. An Ancient Emperor Artifact would definitely contain many great secrets, and if it was refined by his Lord Father, it would definitely be able to improve his strength greatly, which would increase the status of Flying Saint Palace and indirectly raise Ning Yuan Shu’s status.
How could he not be excited?
On the other side, Yang Kai sat down cross-legged, taking advantage of this time to restore himself.
At this moment Gao Shan and Liu Shui were holding the Artifact Spirit in check, so Yang Kai naturally had to seize this good opportunity.
Although this Artifact Spirit was ferocious, it was not undefeatable. Yang Kai had the will, but not the power to fight against the Artifact Spirit due to him over-exerting himself when collecting the Source Crystal lode earlier. As long as he was given a little time to recover, he would be able to give this Artifact Spirit a good beating.
Above the wilderness, the sound of the Guqin and flute pierced through the air in fluctuating reverberations, playing an enchanting melody. The sound waves gathered constantly, following the ups and downs of the rhythm, hitting the Artifact Spirit directly, causing its glow to flash wildly.
The cultivators who escaped from the underground were attracted by the movement here and gradually approached, watching from a distance.
Gao Shan’s and Liu Shui’s faces sank, for fear that they would end up gifting this treasure to others, especially when they saw the little brat Luo Yuan among the crowd…
They grew quite anxious.
To put it nicely, they ended in a tie in the previous battle with Luo Yuan; to put it bluntly, they were completely defeated by him.
After all, the two old men teamed up to fight while Luo Yuan was alone. It was an obvious victory when a rising star could suppress the two experienced old masters and cause them to escape in embarrassment.
With scruples in their hearts, the two old men made eye contact and as if they knew what each other was thinking, the next moment the beautiful melody changed sharply into hostility. The rhythm became intense and the sound that resonated changed from melodic to threatening, like the charge of an army of horses and soldiers rushing towards the Artifact Spirit.
Sound waves raged as the world lost colour.
“Hou!” At that moment, the Artifact Spirit, which was suppressed by sound waves, suddenly roared. The flickering red eyes suddenly stabilized and an unimaginable aura burst forth from it.
The War Hammer, which it had been holding up high, suddenly descended.
The wind and clouds changed suddenly as a massive wave of energy surged forth, swirling around the War Hammer like a great vortex.
*Hong… *
When the War Hammer hit the void, space shattered like a mirror and a halo of light spread out like a sharp blade, cutting through the sound waves that were approaching it.
The sound waves disappeared one after another like fading dandelions.
Followed by the sound of Gao Shan’s Guqin strings snapping, and the creaking sound of Liu Shui’s flute cracking.
“Not good!” The two old men’s expressions changed wildly as they quickly pushed their Source Qi to protect themselves.
Under the impact, the strength of the two old men was no better than a small canoe thrown into the stormy sea, overturned at once.
*Pu Pu… *
The two of them spat blood in unison, and their auras instantly dimmed.
“Protectors!” Ning Yuan Shu yelled in horror, his pupils shrinking.
“Wastes!” Yang Kai cursed in anger.
He was expecting Gao Shan and Liu Shui to buy him a little bit of time so that he could have a chance to recover, but he did not expect these two old fools to go all out suddenly, and as a result wound up being beaten by the Artifact Spirit in just thirty breaths.
Not only that, but both of their artifacts were damaged. The two old men had suffered huge losses in this battle and it would probably take them ten or twenty years to fully recover.
The actions of the two Protectors obviously enraged the Artifact Spirit, so after breaking free from the shackles of the sound waves, it raised its War Hammer again, causing the runes on its surface to flash even more brilliantly than before while a black hole appeared before its face, one that seemed capable of swallowing the world itself.
Everyone was filled with dread as they felt something horrendous was about to happen.
The black hole was extremely small at first, but in the blink of an eye, it expanded rapidly as if it was trying to devour the world, giving the people an illusion of a coming apocalypse.
Darkness descended on them as the entire world became pitch black.
In the boundless darkness, something was vaguely growing rapidly.
Gao Shan and Liu Shui were the first to bear the brunt as various dark emotions in them suddenly started to materialize and surged up, causing their eyes to tremble and exude an extremely evil light. The darkness seemed to be able to swallow someone’s mind and make them fall into the path of evil.
“Not good!” Gao Shan bellowed, biting the tip of his tongue and spitting a mouthful of Blood Essence, barely managing to suppress his dark impulses.
It was the same for Liu Shui. Both of them looked pained and it seemed that they would not be able to hold on for long under this strange ability before they would succumb to their impulses and become Demons themselves.
At the moment of crisis, a deep and solemn voice suddenly resounded across the world.
The sound was infinite, seemingly near yet also far, ethereal and unpredictable. When this voice sounded, a ray of light abruptly burst out of the darkness.
A figure enveloped in light quietly floated mid-air, performing a series of profound hand seals, mumbling some unknown incantation.
All the cultivators who heard the sound of this incantation seemingly felt an invisible hand brushing their minds, washing away the surging darkness, and bringing clarity back to their Souls.
“It’s her!” Yang Kai stood not far away with an odd expression on his face, staring at the shimmering figure in the sky, unexpectedly discovering that this person turned out to be Ye Jing Han.
He had no idea what kind of Divine Ability she was performing, or how it could have such a powerful purifying effect on one’s spirit, immediately pulling all the cultivators here back from the abyss of misery.
After everyone regained their senses, they dared not linger and immediately escaped from the darkness with their Movement Skills. The two Protectors, Gao Shan and Liu Shui, saw there was a slim chance of survival and quickly fled too. Of course, they did not forget to drag Ning Yuan Shu along upon leaving.
Ye Jing Han’s cultivation was only Second-Order Dao Source Realm, so even if she possessed a profound Divine Ability that could restrain the darkness, she certainly wouldn’t be able to maintain it for long. After just ten breaths, her pretty face turned pale and the light emitting from her body diminished drastically.
She seemed to have exhausted all her strength and had none left for her to escape, her head drooping as she fell from the sky, like a beautiful flower petal that had wilted and was now falling to its death.
At this crucial moment, Hua Qing Si threw out a red ribbon, wrapped it around Ye Jing Han, and pulled her out of the darkness, taking her and Zhang Ruo Xi together with Liu Yan and running away without looking back.
Seeing this situation, Yang Kai dared not to hesitate, turned around and teleported away with the help of the local Space Principles.
He could not count on any of the cultivators here and could only rely on himself. However, the priority now was to restore his strength as soon as possible.
Shortly after Yang Kai left, the Artifact Spirit lowered its War Hammer and the darkness dissipated. It turned its head and looked around, only seeing an empty surrounding with not even a shadow of a living being. However, it quickly fixed its gaze on the direction where Yang Kai escaped towards and chased after him while hefting its War Hammer.
Clear Jade Mountain, about ten thousand kilometres away from Maplewood City.
The Divine Spirit Luan Feng once appeared here and burned away a large swath of the mountain forest with its World Extinguishing Black Flames. Even though nearly two years had passed since then, the black flames showed no sign of fading and continued to burn vigorously.
This region had become a barren scorched earth, with not a blade of grass growing within a hundred-kilometre radius, only patches of black flames covering the ground.
Although this place was deserted and ruined, it had become a paradise for those who cultivated Fire Attribute Secret Arts and Secret Techniques.
Many cultivators who cultivated the Fire Attribute came here despite the danger to seek comprehension from the profound World Extinguishing Black Flames. After all, these were the flames of an Ancient Divine Spirit and seemed to contain unlimited power. If they could refine just a tiny bit of these flames, it would be enough to benefit them for a lifetime.
Yang Kai had long heard that there were many Fire Attribute cultivators gathered around Clear Jade Mountain and had also thought of bringing Liu Yang here to absorb its power. Since Liu Yan was able to refine even the feather of the Luan Feng, there was no reason she would be helpless against these World Extinguishing Black Flames.
However, he had been too busy recently to do so.
With his continuous teleportations, Yang Kai reached Clear Jade Mountain within a short time, arriving at the land which was incinerated by the Luan Feng that day.
Sweeping his eyes across this place, Yang Kai discovered many cultivators cultivating here. Everyone’s aura was burning hot, so obviously they were cultivating Fire Attribute Secret Arts or Secret Techniques.
Perceiving the arrival of Yang Kai, many of them opened their eyes and glanced at him, but ignored him afterwards.
Yang Kai scanned them with his Divine Sense, his face turning solemn.
This was because he found that there was no one here with decent cultivation. Most were just Origin Kings or Origin Returning Realm cultivators; even the few Dao Source Realm cultivators were just First-Order which would be of no help to him now
He was hoping to rely on these cultivators to distract the Artifact Spirit, but now, it seemed his plan was doomed from the start.
But soon, Yang Kai’s eyes lit up as he stared towards the centre of the black flames.
There was a safe zone at the very epicentre of the devastation about ten meters in radius, a place where the black flames did not even reach.
After thinking for a while, he shouted, “Everyone, it will soon become dangerous here. If you don’t want to die, leave now.”
The cultivators were woken from their meditation by his words, opened their eyes, and glared at him.
Someone even chuckled and threatened him, “Little brat, what did you just say? Say it again if you dare!”
That person saw that Yang Kai was young, and thought that his cultivation must not be high, so he did not take him seriously.
Yang Kai glanced at the person and faintly smiled, “I spoke very clearly, and I’m urging all of you to leave for your own good.”
“Little brat, I bet you just want to monopolize this divine fire!” An old man looked coldly at Yang Kai, “Young man, you need to know that bringing convenience to others means bringing convenience to yourself. This divine fire covers a huge radius and there is plenty of space here, so just find a place to sit and comprehend its mysteries quietly. There is no need to find trouble with others right? Even if you are strong, you should know that two fists can’t block four strikes. This Old Master advises you to behave yourself and not speak nonsense here.”
Yang Kai simply shrugged, “I’m not planning to comprehend the mysteries of this divine fire. It’s just that a dangerous entity is approaching this place and if you don’t leave now, it will be too late.”
“What dangerous entity?!” A tall and robust man, who had a First-Order Dao Source Realm cultivation, snorted coldly. Yang Kai had never met this guy before and he did not know if he was a local or a foreign cultivator.
However, he was not surprised since there were a lot of foreign cultivators appearing in Maplewood City recently. This burly man continued bellowing, “Boy, don’t be such an alarmist, otherwise, don’t blame Father here for being impolite to you!”
Yang Kai’s face changed abruptly, frowning slightly as he forced a smile, “Alright, it will be difficult for you to leave now.”
“What?”
“You little brat! You still dare to threaten us? Do you think I won’t peel your skin off!”
“This is outrageous! This brat doesn’t put us in his eyes at all! Let’s teach him a lesson!”
Just as everyone was ranting in a rage, a sound abruptly broke through the sky, and the Artifact Spirit’s figure was revealed on the horizon, startling everyone. As they all looked towards the Artifact Spirit with doubtful faces, they quickly sensed its malevolent and powerful aura and went pale, realizing that Yang Kai was telling the truth.
“Run! Why are you still sitting here like idiots? Are you hoping to die!?” Yang Kai yelled.
Everyone’s expressions changed drastically. This Artifact Spirit did not look like a being they could provoke, and the intensity of the aura it gave off was comparable to an Emperor Realm Master, so no one dared to hesitate and immediately got up and ran away using their Movement Skills.
The Artifact Spirit seemed to have no interest in anyone else but Yang Kai, so it ignored these people and simply fixed its scarlet eyes on him.
A short while later, all the cultivators who had been cultivating the mysteries of the black flames here had evacuated.
Yang Kai grinned at the Artifact Spirit, “I’m really curious how much sentience you have.” While speaking, he raised one finger and asked, “How many is this?”
The Artifact Spirit was indifferent.
Yang Kai laughed out loud and answered, “This is two! You fool!”
Just as he finished speaking, the Artifact Spirit raised its War Hammer. Yang Kai’s expression slightly changed when he saw this and hastily dived into the safe zone surrounded by the black flame, laughing arrogantly, “Come and beat me! Come and beat me if you dare!”
As if provoked by Yang Kai’s words, the Artifact Spirit rushed towards him.
However, as soon as the Artifact Spirit stepped into the land of burning black flames, it acted as if it was shocked by something and rapidly retreated.
The Artifact Spirit’s dark body was caught by several clusters of tiny black flames, and even though these clusters were small, they burned brilliantly.
There was nothing in this world that could not be burnt by the Luan Feng’s World Extinguishing Black Flames, not even an Emperor Artifact.
It was just that the black flames here had been burning for a long time without the support of the Luan Feng, so they had naturally become much weaker than before.
Even so, such flames were still not easy to put out.
The Artifact Spirit seemed to sense the danger of these flames and kept pushing its power to extinguish them, but to no avail, so it started to become irritated.
It lifted its Demonic War Hammer and directly hit itself.
That blow made a buzzing sound and released a powerful shockwave.
Yang Kai squinted in fright, “So hot-headed!”
Although the Artifact Spirit was born from the Demonic War Hammer, such an impact on its own body would still cause some unpredictable consequences. It was obvious that the sentience of the Artifact Spirit was not high, and therefore, it simply acted recklessly.
Still, the blow was actually quite effective.
The flames that were beaten by the Demonic War Hammer seemed to have dimmed a lot.
Seeing this, the Artifact Spirit tilted its head curiously; then, as if it had found an excellent solution, it lifted its War Hammer again and began constantly beating the flames on its body.
Yang Kai, who was looking coldly from the side, was thinking that this might keep it occupied for a while, so he immediately felt relieved and snorted coldly, “Take your time, this Young Master will teach you some proper manners later!”
After leaving these words, Yang Kai closed his eyes and focused, making the best out of his time to restore his own strength.
Previously, when he swallowed a bunch of Spirit Pills, the medicinal effects were condensed inside his physique and meridians, but they had yet to be dissolved, causing a hindrance to his Source Qi circulation. What he needed to do right now was to refine all the medicinal effects completely and channel them into every part of his physique.
The Artifact Spirit was still outside the scope of the black flames, busy hammering itself with its War Hammer.
Time passed slowly, and after an hour, the Artifact Spirit had finally extinguished the clusters of flames on his body.
However, after experiencing them first-hand, the Artifact Spirit seemed to realize that these black flames were not something to be trifled with, so it simply stood outside roaring impatiently in an attempt to provoke Yang Kai, not daring to rush in.
Yang Kai ignored it and continued adjusting his breathing while meditating.
After another hour, Yang Kai suddenly opened his eyes, his face glowing a bit brighter, no longer looking weak and exhausted like before.
He straightened his body up and grinned at the Artifact Spirit, “You’re dead!”
“Hou!” The Artifact Spirit roared ferociously.
Yang Kai instantly teleported out of the black flames and pounced towards the Artifact Spirit, his eyes flashing as they stared directly into his opponent’s scarlet gaze.
“Look at me!” Yang Kai bellowed.
It wasn’t clear if the Artifact Spirit had understood him or not, but it instinctively lifted its head and looked at Yang Kai.
Their eyes met, and golden light flashed from Yang Kai’s left eye as he activated his Demon Eye of Annihilation, suppressing the Artifact Spirit.
The Artifact Spirit was paralyzed.
The illusionary shape of a sabre appeared abruptly in Yang Kai’s eye in the next moment, and soon this phantom blade was floating above the Knowledge Sea of the Artifact Spirit. The sabre was precisely crafted – with dragons and phoenixes carved onto its body, exuding a shockingly powerful aura.
It was the Soul Splitting Sabre!
This was the first time Yang Kai had used this Emperor Artifact after refining it.
The Artifact Spirit was an Emperor Artifact assuming human form, after all, so Yang Kai did not dare to underestimate it and quickly used his strongest Soul attack.
The Soul Splitting Sabre hummed as it released a brilliant halo from its blade and countless mysterious runes whirled around its body.
Yang Kai shouted, “Heaven Severing Slash!”
Just after his shout, the Soul Splitting Sabre slashed down fiercely.
“Hou!” The Artifact Spirit roared in pain, as if it had suffered a great deal of damage and its whole body flickered wildly, showing signs that it may collapse at any moment.
The Heaven Severing Slash was a Soul Secret Technique that Yang Kai learned from Tian Yan after all. During this time, he had been slowly nourishing the Soul Splitting Sabre according to the methods described in this Secret Technique, so the first blow he struck was extremely powerful.
However, due to the short time he had been nourishing the blade, and his own low cultivation, not to mention the fact that the Soul Splitting Sabre had yet to be fully refined by him, the power of this strike still had a lot of room for improvement.
But it was enough for now.
The Artifact Spirit stumbled and retreated with just one blow, without any strength to resist. The light that formed its body dimmed noticeably and began to crack apart.
However, it did not have the slightest fear and instead grew wilder, raising its War Hammer up high and charging towards Yang Kai.
Yang Kai narrowed his eyes and secretly felt that the situation was turning bad. In desperation, a lotus bud as white as snow emerged from his left eye.
“Blossoming Lotus!” The lotus bud flew out and appeared in the Artifact Spirit’s Knowledge Sea, slowly absorbing its Spiritual Energy in order to make itself bloom.
Yang Kai seemed to have played his last remaining card with the combination of the two Soul Secret Techniques and the Soul-type Emperor Artifact, finally halting the Artifact Spirit in place.
A line of golden blood slowly trickled down from Yang Kai’s left eye.
As the lotus flower gently bloomed, the light of the Artifact Spirit’s body grew dimmer and dimmer and its body became transparent in a blink of an eye.
Soon, only the phantom of the blooming lotus was left in the place where the Artifact Spirit originally stood. When the lotus fully blossomed, it exploded with a bang, leaving behind a familiar War Hammer in front of Yang Kai.
Yang Kai gasped with his pale face, but before he could move, the War Hammer shook slightly and attempted to escape.
“Still not dead?” Yang Kai exclaimed. This Artifact Spirit had taken his two Soul Secret Techniques without dying on the spot; its tenacity was beyond his expectations.
But it was clearly nearing its end. Seeing the War Hammer trying to escape through the air, Yang Kai quickly took out his Sealed World Bead and performed a hand seal. Space Principles swirled from the Sealed World Bead and a Void Crack soon appeared on its surface.
“Stop it!” Yang Kai shouted.
The giant arm of the Embodiment reached out from the Void Crack with its fingers spread widely as it fell towards the War Hammer like a huge mountain, suppressing it.
Then, it immediately grabbed the War Hammer in its hand and retreated back into the Small Sealed World.
After that, the Void Crack gradually disappeared.
Yang Kai fell to the ground as he felt ill once more. The little power that he had barely managed to recover was depleted again, and he felt like he could see stars circling around his head at this moment. He tried to stand up again but found he was unable to rise to his feet.
A fragrant wind flew over at that moment and held him. Yang Kai turned his head with difficulty and saw the face of Liu Yan.
“Master, are you okay?” Liu Yan asked nervously.
Yang Kai shook his head arduously, then turned to look around, soon finding that Hua Qing Si was also here. He immediately understood that the two of them should have arrived long ago and hidden nearby in preparation to assist him after sensing the situation here. However, they did not expect that the battle would be over so quickly.
In fact, if Yang Kai had not spent too much of his Spiritual Energy in collecting the Source Crystal lode earlier, he would not have been bothered by the Artifact Spirit for so long.
Although the Artifact Spirit was an Emperor Artifact assuming human form, it could be restrained by Soul attacks, and the Soul Secret Techniques mastered by Yang Kai were extremely powerful, so as long as he restored enough Spiritual Energy, it was not difficult for him to deal with the Artifact Spirit.
“I’m fine!” Yang Kai shook his head and asked weakly, “Where is Ruo Xi?”
Liu Yan answered, “It’s too dangerous here, so I had her follow that woman named Ye Jing Han.”
Yang Kai nodded, “Good! Let me restore my strength first. Liu Yan, you should try to absorb the black flames of the Luan Feng here. They will be helpful to your growth if you can.”
“I was thinking that as well!” Liu Yan’s eyes flashed with a fiery light, staring at the World Extinguishing Black Flames which were flickering around them, as if she was looking at some Heavenly delicacy, licking her lips with her dainty scarlet tongue.
Yang Kai then looked at Hua Qing Si, “Big Sister Hua, take care of this Sealed World Bead!”
“You actually… called me Big Sister Hua…” It was Hua Qing Si’s first time hearing Yang Kai addressing her this way, and she could not help but be stunned for a moment. When she regained her composure, Yang Kai had already moved into the Small Sealed World and tossed the Sealed World Bead over towards her.
“Smelly brat, pretending to be young!” Hua Qing Si spat disdainfully, very dissatisfied with what Yang Kai called her, but she was soon distracted by the Sealed World Bead, examining it closely in curiosity.
Although she had been staying in the Small Sealed World all this time, it was her first time seeing its true appearance up close. She could not help being curious about it, wondering what mighty expert had such profound ability to refine such a world into a bead.
Soon, she set her dissatisfaction aside and started to study it with enthusiasm.
After all, this was an Emperor Artifact. If she could comprehend anything from it, it would be of great help to her growth.
She secretly guessed that the reason why Yang Kai was so proficient in the Dao of Space was that he had comprehended the mysteries of this Sealed World Bead.
In fact, she was wrong. Yang Kai had actually cultivated the Dao of Space before he obtained the Sealed World Bead, and it was exactly because of this that Yang Yan had passed him the Sealed World Bead. If that wasn’t the case, Yang Kai may not even have had the chance to possess this Sealed World Bead.
However, Yang Kai did comprehend a lot of mysteries about Space Principles inside the Sealed World Bead.
…
Inside the Small Sealed World, Yang Kai appeared leisurely. He was startled for a moment then exclaimed, “Why is the World Energy so rich here!?”
He did not realize until this moment that the World Energy inside the Small Sealed World was five to six times richer than before.
After that, he heard a muffled laugh, “Then, where do you think the World Energy that was previously absorbed in that Spirit Spring go?”
Yang Kai glanced at the Embodiment and responded with a speechless face, “It’s just that… I didn’t expect that so much World Energy had been absorbed. I’m afraid the cultivation environment here is now about the same as those first-class Sect cultivation paradises.”
The Embodiment nodded, “It’s really not bad, but… after all, the World Energy here is a river without a source, a tree without roots. If a way to replenish it is not found, it will be consumed one day.”
Yang Kai sighed, “The World Principles in this Small Sealed World are still imperfect. Even though it is an independent world, it was unable to produce its own World Energy, so I still need to find a way to make its World Principles evolve once more!”
While speaking, Yang Kai lifted his head and glanced at the Embodiment with his eyes squinted, “Why are you leaning on the Source Crystal lode?”
The Embodiment looked solemn, with his one hand performing a hand seal while the other gripped the Demonic War Hammer tightly. Sitting down close to the Source Crystal lode, he replied, “I’m cultivating the Heaven Devouring Battle Law!”
The corner of Yang Kai’s mouth twitched, “This Source Crystal lode produces Mid-Rank and High-Rank Source Crystals, don’t eat them all.”
The Heaven Devouring Battle Law could devour everything beneath the Heavens, including the essence of a cultivator’s physique; therefore, the Source Crystal lode here was no exception.
Under the operation of the Heaven Devouring Battle Law, pure World Energy was streaming steadily from the Source Crystal lode into the body of the Embodiment, like a river returning to the sea.
The Embodiment continued, “Relax, I divided this Source Crystal lode into two and left you the other half.”
Yang Kai nodded, “That is for the best. If you have time, break the other half into pieces, I might need to use those Source Crystals someday… I need to recover first though, I’ll talk to you about the details later.”
After saying so, Yang Kai went to the nearby medicine garden in a flash and sat down cross-legged.
There was the Immortal Tree in the medicine garden, providing unlimited vitality, so although Yang Kai had not suffered too great a physical injury from the battle before, he had still consumed a lot of his strength and he could use the rich vitality here to recover faster.
With a single thought, the World Energy in the Small Sealed World gathered towards the place where Yang Kai was sitting, and in the blink of an eye, it began to liquefy around him.
Yang Kai opened up his mind and body, circulating his Secret Art while absorbing the World Energy as quickly as possible, his dispirited aura rapidly recovering as he did so.
An hour later, Yang Kai opened his eyes. He seemed as mighty as a dragon and fierce as a tiger, his face flushed red and his eyes bright, no longer looking weak and dispirited.
He circulated his Secret Art and disappeared in a flash, reappearing in front of the Embodiment.
The huge Embodiment opened his eyes and looked at Yang Kai when he sensed his presence.
Looking at each other, Yang Kai spoke, “The Artifact Spirit does not seem to have been completely obliterated. There is still a trace of its Soul hiding in the War Hammer, so be careful.”
The Embodiment grinned, spreading all five of his fingers, “You mean this?”
Yang Kai fixed his eyes and saw a mass of condensed Black Qi in the palm of the Embodiment, squirming about as if it had some spirituality, trying to escape from its confinement. However, this place was the Small Sealed World inside the Sealed World Bead, and the Embodiment and Yang Kai shared the same Soul, so with one thought, the World Principles here could be commanded by either of them. Under such a situation, how could this mass of Black Qi escape? Although it was merely held in the palm of the Embodiment, it was suppressed by the Small Sealed World itself, like a beast trapped in a cage.
“Did you force it out?” Yang Kai asked quizzically.
The Embodiment shook his head, “It appeared by itself.”
“Why?” Yang Kai’s eyes widened.
The Embodiment chuckled, “It probably sensed danger.”
Yang Kai asked in amazement, “What did you do?”
“Nothing much…” The Embodiment patted his stomach and replied grimly, “I just tried eating it.”
The corners of Yang Kai’s mouth twitched when he heard that as he grumbled, “Will that be a problem? That was an Ancient Demon Artifact on par with a peak grade Emperor Artifact, possibly even higher. What would happen to you if you just swallow it like this…?”
“According to the Heaven Devouring Battle Law, there is nothing that cannot be devoured, so what does a trivial Demonic Weapon count for?” The Embodiment smiled proudly, “You haven’t cultivated this Secret Art personally, so it’s only natural that you don’t know how profound it is, but don’t worry, I wouldn’t be doing this if I didn’t have complete confidence. If I was stronger, not just the spirit of a Demonic Weapon, I could also devour that Demon Spirit sealed in your body!”
Yang Kai stiffened and asked in shock, “Is that possible? Isn’t that Secret Art invincible then?”
The Embodiment laughed, “I’m probably the only one who can do it. Even if you cultivate it, it would be impossible to achieve similar results. Although your physical body is strong enough, you wouldn’t be able to withstand the contamination of that pure Demon Qi. If you cultivate the Heaven Devouring Battle Law, I’m afraid it won’t be long before you lose your sanity and devolve into a beast driven by the instinct to slaughter.”
“Understood,” Yang Kai nodded. “That old dog Wu Meng Shan was really up to no good. I don’t know why he wanted to pass me this Secret Art in the first place. What was his purpose?”
“I’m afraid he never imagined you would be able to resist the temptation to cultivate this Secret Art and give it to me instead,” the Embodiment answered.
Yang Kai went silent for a while before he replied, “If it weren’t for you, perhaps I really would have tried to cultivate it; after all… the name ‘Heaven Devouring Battle Law’ is too glorious, I’m afraid I wouldn’t have been able to resist this temptation alone.”
At this point, Yang Kai waved dismissively, “Fine, you can refine and devour it. If you can really refine its Soul, it should be of great benefit to you.”
Yang Kai left the Small Sealed World as soon as he finished speaking and appeared above Clear Jade Mountain.
Looking around, he found Hua Qing Si sitting cross-legged on the ground, leaning against a big tree, studying the Sealed World Bead in her hand enthusiastically.
Yang Kai glanced at her, but seeing that she did not seem to be aware of his presence, he simply stretched out his hand and took back the Sealed World Bead before scanning his surroundings again and asking, “Where’s Liu Yan?”
He did not see Liu Yan, and even the Luan Feng’s black flames which originally covered the whole region had disappeared.
“She went back,” Hua Qing Si stood up and replied.
Yang Kai was surprised by this response but quickly used his Divine Sense to check, and sure enough, he found Liu Yan inside the Sealed World Bead, working hard to refine the black flames surrounding her.
Yang Kai was not aware of when she had returned to the Sealed World Bead, so he assumed it was his Embodiment’s handiwork.
What surprised Yang Kai was that it took Liu Yan only a short time to absorb all of the Luan Feng’s World Extinguishing Black Flames. However, from the looks of it, it would take some time for her to refine them all.
“You have to go back too, I still have work to do!” With that said, he sent Hua Qing Si back into the Sealed World Bead before he took out a communication artifact. He sent a message to Qin Zhao Yang, requesting him to take care of Zhang Ruo Xi while he rushed back.
According to Hua Qing Si, Zhang Ruo Xi was now with the woman named Ye Jing Han. Although Yang Kai believed Ye Jing Han was a good person, it was better to entrust Zhang Ruo Xi to someone he was better acquainted with.
After receiving Qin Zhao Yang’s reply, Yang Kai put away the communication artifact and teleported away with a flicker of the local Space Principles.
Yang Kai returned to the site of the eighteen Spirit Spring Eyes a short while later.
The terrain of this place had undergone earth-shaking changes due to the previous battle. The most obvious change was a giant Spirit Lake with a radius of roughly ten kilometres.
The Demonic Artifact Spirit had smashed the ground here with its War Hammer, causing a massive underground collapse, resulting in a huge pit. The Liquid Spirit Qi from the eighteen Spirit Springs flowed up into this pit and gradually condensed into a lake.
This was a real Spirit Lake, comprised of sparkling liquefied World Energy.
The lake was already filled to the brim in just a few hours and was now overflowing into its surroundings, filling the space with pure and rich World Energy.
Countless cultivators gathered around the Spirit Lake excitedly.
These people were obviously from Maplewood City.
When Yang Kai arrived here, the lake was already full of cultivators.
Every cultivator occupied a place and did not waste any time in circulating their Secret Art, trying to absorb as much of the pure World Energy here as possible. The closer to the centre of the lake, the stronger the cultivation of the cultivators.
It was basically all Dao Source Realm Masters occupying the centre of the lake.
Gathered around the outskirts were numerous Origin Returning Realm and Origin King Realm cultivators.
From time to time, people would fight over better spots.
Looking at the scene here, Yang Kai knew in his heart that this place would be widely known as a cultivation paradise in the Southern Territory and even the Star Boundary, and sooner or later it would fall under the control of the top Sects.
By then, it would be impossible for an ordinary cultivator to enter it at will; at the very least, they would need to pay some kind of price to do so.
Yang Kai was not the only one who seemed to realize this; almost all Dao Source Realm Masters knew this was inevitable so they did not waste this once-in-a-million-year opportunity to hurriedly cultivate here, even if it was just for a while.
By now, the news of the Spirit Lake appearing near Maplewood City would have spread to the big Sects. In three days at most, Emperor Realm Masters would arrive and take control here.
Yang Kai saw the Dao Source Realm cultivators from before, and also Qin Zhao Yang, Zhang Ruo Xi, Ye Jing Han and others together, all of them having occupied a good spot in the middle of the Spirit Lake.
Yang Kai did not greet them immediately and instead quietly found a spot to dive into the lake.
There were also many cultivators below the lake’s surface, all of them focused on cultivating.
Yang Kai used his Nihility Secret Technique to conceal his presence. Unless one was intentionally searching for him with their naked eyes, it would now be impossible for Yang Kai to be detected by anyone in such a rich World Energy environment.
Yang Kai dived all the way down to where the eighteen Spirit Springs were previously.
It was deserted here now as no one dared to go too near to the bottom, probably due to the fear caused by the appearance of the Demonic War Hammer in human form.
Yang Kai released his Divine Sense delightedly and found the centre of the eighteen Spirit Springs, then he took out the Sealed World Bead and opened a rift in it, allowing the liquid Spirit Qi to flow into it while he sat cross-legged to consolidate his Second-Order Dao Source Realm cultivation.
Because of the imperfect World Principles of the Sealed World Bead, it could not produce its own World Energy. Only external supplements would be able to maintain the cultivating environment inside the Small Sealed World.
Right here and now was the best time to stock up on World Energy.
Yang Kai did not have much time before the arrival of the Emperor Realm Masters. By then, he would not be able to collect World Energy in this way.
Gradually, Yang Kai settled down and cleared his mind of any extraneous thoughts.
At the same time, the cultivators around the Spirit Lake discovered a strange phenomenon.
“This lake… why has it stopped spreading?”
“Huh? You’re right, not only did it stop spreading, it even seems to be shrinking a bit.”
“Could it be that this Spirit Lake was just a flash in the pan, and it will disappear in a few days?”
“Shut your mouth! Maplewood City finally has such a cultivation paradise, how could it disappear so easily? The reduction of the lake is just a natural phenomenon, it should stabilize after a while.”
Although many cultivators noticed the anomaly, they did not know the reason. Even those Dao Source Realm Masters were clueless.
However, it was not the right time to investigate the matter. Refusing to let go of such a glorious opportunity, the commotion on the lake soon settled down again.
Thousands of people had gathered here, most sitting at the periphery of the lake, and many more who had received the news were flying over from Maplewood City, making for an extremely magnificent scene.
Normally, there would not be sufficient World Energy to supply such a large group of cultivators; however, when the World Energy was rich enough to turn into a lake, even if there were hundreds or even thousands of people cultivating here, it was impossible for them to completely absorb all of the World Energy.
Time passed slowly, and every now and then, a cultivator would break through. Whenever this happened, the nearby affected cultivators would grunt with dissatisfaction and curse.
Soon, it became customary for a cultivator who sensed they were on the verge of a breakthrough to consciously leave and look for a suitable spot in the outermost area to welcome their World Energy Baptism.
The entire Spirit Lake, and even the entire Maplewood City area, was experiencing a slew of breakthroughs, and a jubilant atmosphere enveloped the entire region.
Time passed slowly, and after three full days, Yang Kai, who had been meditating at the bottom of the lake, suddenly sensed something. Opening his eyes and looking up, he sighed slightly and muttered to himself begrudgingly, “Why did they have to come so soon?”
While speaking, he put away the Sealed World Bead and teleported himself to the surface of the Spirit Lake.
Soon after Yang Kai appeared, the sound of something cutting through the air rang out and several figures flew over from the horizon, coming to a stop above the Spirit Lake!
These few people only stood mid-air and they didn’t release their auras, yet all the cultivators cultivating here were alarmed by their arrival and raised their heads to look at them.
When they got a clear look at the faces of those few people, they all drew a sharp, cold breath of air.
“Azure Sun Temple’s Gao Xue Ting!”
“Heavenly Martial Holy Land’s Chen Wen Hao!”
“Orthodoxy Temple’s Feng Ming!”
“Seven Glories Chamber of Commerce’s Cheng Yuan!”
“Violet Source Chamber of Commerce’s Lou Chi!”
“Even Star Soul Palace’s Senior Xiao has come!”
Those six were familiar faces to Maplewood City’s cultivators. When the Luan Feng had appeared last time, it was these six Emperors who had come to Maplewood City to carry out an investigation, and it was also they who opened Star Soul Palace’s Five Coloured Treasure Pagoda for the city’s cultivators.
The cultivators had assumed that they were already very lucky to see these great Seniors one time in their lives and never expected to see them again.
But just two years later, these six Seniors had gathered in Maplewood City again. This was all but an impossible occurrence for the little Maplewood City.
Usually, an Emperor Realm Master might not pass by here even once in dozens of years, yet several Emperor Realm Masters were now visiting this small city repeatedly.
The Spirit Lake’s vicinity descended into silence as the crowd looked up into the sky respectfully.
It looked like those six Emperors had also thought of the same issue as they observed the situation and Violet Source Chamber of Commerce’s Lou Chi chuckled as he spoke, “I always thought Maplewood City was anything but ordinary and had been considering opening a branch here, but unfortunately, I hadn’t found the time to do so. Now, it looks like I can’t delay this matter any longer.”
Maplewood City had some shops owned and operated by Violet Source Chamber of Commerce, one of which was managed by Kang Si Ran, but shops weren’t the same thing as a branch.
A branch was more like a representative of the chamber of commerce and it would be overseen by powerful Masters. An ordinary shop varied greatly in scale, but Spirit Pill Plaza was a decent example. It was only a little store, one that was so unimportant that Lou Chi wouldn’t have ever heard of it if so many incidents hadn’t occurred in Maplewood City.
As for branches, Lou Chi had a thorough understanding of the situation of every one of them.
If Violet Source Chamber of Commerce opened a branch here, then it would greatly improve the city’s economy and Maplewood City might become something more than a small unknown city in the near future.
“Glib words!” Ceng Yuan sneered. Seven Glories and Violet Source were the two greatest chambers of commerce in the Southern Territory and had an intense rivalry between them; as such, whenever Ceng Yuan and Lou Chi met, they would inevitably get into a verbal spat.
Upon hearing Lou Chi’s statement, Ceng Yuan couldn’t help but say mockingly, “Fatty Luo, if you had such good foresight, why didn’t you say so earlier?”
Lou Chi squinted his eyes and cast a glance at Ceng Yuan, snorting as he said, “My acute foresight isn’t something the likes of you can comprehend.”
“Go on, continue bragging. In any case, bragging won’t cost you money,” Ceng Yuan wore a disdainful look.
Lou Chi let out an infuriated shout and turned his face toward Xiao Yu Yang, cupping his fists as he said, “Senior Xiao, I want to have a duel against this horse-faced freak, a duel to the death.”
Ceng Yuan’s brows twitched and veins popped out of his forehead, gnashing his teeth as he snapped, “Such insolence! And just who are you calling a horse-faced freak?”
As his face fell, his long face looked longer than it already was.
Lou Chi cast a sidelong glance at him then snorted and said, “Then, who are you calling a fatty?”
Ceng Yuan mocked, “You ARE fat, yet you’re admonishing people for pointing out the truth? I dare you to slice off your fat belly,” as he spoke, he chuckled and patted Lou Chi’s large belly.
Lou Chi moved back several steps and snapped, “Hey, horse-faced freak, we’re having a civilized talk here, so keep your hands to yourself.” He turned his head and looked at Xiao Yu Yang then said, “Senior Xiao, you witnessed everything just now, didn’t you? That bastard is going too far! Today, I must fight to my last breath against him.”
“Enough, enough,” Xiao Yu Yang’s brow twitched as he waved his hand. “You’re both businessmen, so don’t you understand that amiability makes money? Why are you fighting and quarrelling with each other at every meeting? You’re embarrassing yourselves in front of everyone down below.”
Upon hearing this, Lou Chi and Cheng Yuan both looked down and noticed that many eyes were observing them, and many jaws had become loose. Everyone was observing these Emperor Realm Masters in stunned shock.
“It’s really so embarrassing to stand with you,” Gao Xue Ting looked at them disdainfully.
“That’s right, our dignified status and prestige have been brought down by them,” Chen Wen Hao said expressionlessly.
Feng Ming chuckled and his eyes started shining brightly, but his expression suddenly changed as he looked towards a certain region and said in surprise, “Huh, isn’t that the boy who refined the Extraordinary Treasure Pill? Why is he here in Maplewood City?”
The crowd followed his gaze and their eyes landed on Yang Kai.
“It’s really him!” Xiao Yu Yang smiled and said, “Now that you mention it… I always thought his face looked familiar, it turns out I had once seen him in Maplewood City before.”
“This boy is quite the talent, our Violet Source Chamber of Commerce needs him,” Lou Chi looked at Yang Kai with a flickering gaze.
Ceng Yuan snorted, “Didn’t he say that he’s already a member of a Sect? It isn’t up to you to recruit him.”
Lou Chi sneered and said, “If I step in personally, then which Sect won’t give me face? Horse-faced freak, I have to tell you now, if you dare to fight with me over him, then I’ll really kill you today.”
Ceng Yuan furrowed his brows and kept his silence. It looked like he was mulling over the pros and cons of this matter.
Gao Xue Ting said calmly, “Vice President Lou, why are you making such decisions by yourself? Did you forget to ask for my opinion?”
Upon hearing this, Lou Chi’s eyes widened as he looked at Gao Xue Ting in surprise, “What does this have to do with you?”
Gao Xue Ting brushed her hair back behind her ear and declared, “That boy is already mine…”
*Gudong!*
A gulping noise echoed out while an odd look appeared on Xiao Yu Yang’s face. He couldn’t help but cast some odd glances towards Gao Xue Ting.
“You… Yours?” Lou Chi couldn’t help but stutter. He felt like a lot of information was hidden behind those few words.
Ceng Yuan was also dumbfounded and he said weakly, “Doesn’t Temple Master Wen have… any objections?”
“Why would he object to this?” Gao Xue Ting saw the confusion in Ceng Yuan’s face and wondered what he was talking about, but she quickly understood something and her expression turned cold while a faint blush filled her cheeks.
The Emperor Artifact, Radiant Sun Mirror, appeared above Gao Xue Ting’s head and raging flames burst from its surface as she declared coldly, “If you dare indulge in such absurd thoughts, I’ll cut you into eighteen pieces.”
“Why is it such a specific number!? What’s so special about that?” Lou Chi was a businessman and he couldn’t help taking notice of this odd point
“That’s not the point…” Ceng Yuan cast a disdainful glance at Lou Chi then looked at Gao Xue Ting and said, “Does that mean this boy is already a disciple of Azure Sun Temple?”
Gao Xue Ting only snorted coldly in response and stored her Radiant Sun Mirror away, playing it off lightly.
She wouldn’t tell them that she had tried to recruit Yang Kai but was refused. It was an embarrassing tale after all. She was an Elder of the great Azure Sun Temple, yet she couldn’t even entice a single Dao Source Realm Junior to join her Sect. Even if she told them this, they might not believe her.
Xiao Yu Yang smiled, “That little girl Lan Xun thinks quite highly of this boy and believes he will accomplish great things in the future. Elder Gao, I have to congratulate you for recruiting him already.”
“Many thanks, Senior Xiao,” Gao Xue Ting replied calmly.
As the six Emperors exchanged a few words, they kept a close eye on Yang Kai.
The people next to Yang Kai were all engulfed by a strong wave of pressure and beads of sweat dripped down their foreheads.
Amazement was apparent in most people’s eyes as they all wondered why so many Masters were eyeing Yang Kai.
“Fine, we have already assembled and we have to start dealing with the Spirit Lake’s matter,” Xiao Yu Yang changed the subject and looked toward the Spirit Lake beneath them with a flickering gaze, “I have already obtained some information about this place before arriving here, but I didn’t expect that the World Energy would be this dense.”
Chen Wen Hao’s expression changed as he asked in a deep voice, “How is it in comparison to the Star Soul Palace’s Heaven Grade cultivation paradise?
The other people also looked at Xiao Yu Yang curiously. They all wanted to know more about the efficacy of Star Soul Palace’s treasured lands.
Xiao Yu Yang fell silent for a moment before replying, “It’s not on par, but it’s not far off.”
Upon hearing this, they were all shocked.
The Spirit Lake beneath them was the land with the densest World Energy they had seen in their lives, and it was vastly superior to any cultivation paradise in their respective Sects, yet it still wasn’t on par with Star Soul Palace’s Heaven Grade cultivation paradise. One could only imagine how high the density of World Energy was in that place.
It was no wonder that Star Soul Palace was the hegemon of the Southern Territory. Even if they didn’t have a peak-level Master such as Bright Moon Great Emperor, they would still be able to nurture a lot of experts with their Heaven Grade cultivation paradise, enough to ensure the Sect’s prosperity and dominance at least.
Upon realizing the large disparity between them, the other Emperors couldn’t help feeling a bit dejected.
“This isn’t the time to talk about this. The Spirit Lake below us has eighteen Spirit Spring Eyes and this lake has been formed by the unending stream of World Energy flowing out from them; however, if it goes on like this, then it will dry out shortly. We need to seal this land,” as Xiao Yu Yang spoke, he turned to Lou Chi and said, “Brother Lou, I remember that your Emperor Artifact, the Unified Ceremonial Record, has sealing powers, doesn’t it?”
Lou Chi smiled proudly, “Senior Xiao is not mistaken.”
Xiao Yu Yang said, “Then I’ll have to trouble you with this.”
Lou Chi said, “Senior Xiao, I’m at your command.”
As he spoke, his expression turned solemn as he strode forward, leaving visible ripples in the air, one that spread out rapidly.
As a boundless Emperor Pressure filled the region, the cultivators in the vicinity realized that the Emperor Realm Masters were finally making a move. Their expressions changed and they all moved back, trying to avoid getting caught up in whatever was about to happen.
As for Lou Chi, he stretched out his hand and summoned a heavy-looking book before him, one that gave off a profound and ancient aura. Apparently, this book had been baptized by the endless flow of time for many, many years.
The crowd’s gazes were attracted by it and Yang Kai’s eyes flickered upon seeing it.
Yang Kai knew that the book taken out by Lou Chi was an Emperor Artifact, but this was the first time he had seen such a type of Emperor Artifact and he couldn’t help but wonder what kind of miraculous abilities it possessed.
“The Emperor Artifact, Unified Ceremonial Record!” Duan Yuan Shan next to him had apparently recognized this artifact though and uttered its name in a low voice.
“Isn’t it just a book? How did it become an Emperor Artifact?” The inexperienced Zhang Ruo Xi was quite outspoken and she voiced out her doubts.
Duan Yuan Shan said with a smile, “Artifacts come in all kinds of shapes and they aren’t always a sabre, spear, sword, or something of the sort. Besides, the stranger an artifact’s shape is, the stranger its power generally is, too. I have heard about the Unified Ceremonial Record, and it is said that it is an ancient book that absorbed Emperor Aura and Intent from many different Emperor Realm Masters, gradually transforming it into an Emperor Artifact, a very strong Emperor Artifact which has now fallen into the hands of Lou Chi.”
Upon hearing this, Zhang Ruo Xi was still as confused as before and couldn’t understand what was so amazing about it.
As for the few Dao Source Realm Cultivators, they had all revealed a solemn look as they looked excitedly towards the Emperor Artifact in Lou Chi’s hands. They all wished to reach the Emperor Realm one day and obtain their own Emperor Artifact.
…
In the sky, Lou Chi, whose expression was solemn, weaved a series of hand seals before patting the Unified Ceremonial Record several times.
As a ‘swooshing’ sound echoed out, the heavy Unified Ceremonial Record shot forth and floated above the Spirit Lake. A mysterious aura emerged from it, while Emperor Intent and Emperor Pressure emanated out of Lou Chi’s body. He started weaving hand seals again as he mumbled, “The Book of Changes has the supreme origin, which gave birth to Yin and Yang. Yin-Yang turned into the four divisions, which are the basis of the eight trigrams that go back to the ten regions…”
As he mumbled, the Unified Ceremonial Record’s pages started fluttering and a bright golden radiance emanated from the pages and spread to the surrounding area.
The golden radiance emitted indescribable energy ripples that swiftly began sealing the entire region.
Lou Chi started weaving seals at a higher speed while his expression turned more grave. All of a sudden, he stopped and let out a shout, “Perfect Boundary!”
*Hong…*
The golden radiance shone brightly, so brightly that people almost couldn’t open their eyes.
At this moment, all cultivators gathered around the Spirit Lake were pushed away by a soft and formless power and they couldn’t regain their balance until they were pushed beyond a certain point. Despite this, no one seemed to suffer any injuries.
Once the golden radiance disappeared, the crowd took another look and their jaw immediately dropped to the ground.
It could be seen that a golden dome of light had appeared above the Spirit Lake, covering it completely and sealing it thoroughly. Even a wisp of World Energy couldn’t leak out of it.
The Spirit Lake had a radius of around ten thousand meters, yet Lou Chi managed to seal it completely all by himself, and he didn’t even look tired afterwards, as if he had only done some insignificant matter.
The eyes of the numerous Dao Source Realm cultivators shone brightly as they all longed for such great power. Each of them wished and dreamed about obtaining such strength one day.
After Lou Chi had finished this task, he turned around and cupped his fists to Xiao Yu Yang, “I have fulfilled your command.”
Xiao Yu Yang nodded, “Many thanks for your hard work.”
After his voice fell, he strode forward and surveyed the region below him with his eyes.
The cultivators gathered in the vicinity had all stuck out their chests, as each one felt like Xiao Yu Yang was observing him. They were under the gaze of a Silver Star Envoy of Star Soul Palace and they all didn’t dare to act improperly.
Xiao Yu Yang spoke in a clear voice, “A Spirit Lake has suddenly appeared in Maplewood City and it is this land’s good fortune, as well as our Southern Territory’s fortune. However, if we don’t manage it strictly, it will eventually dry out one day. This is why we have sealed it for now. As for how we will use it for the benefit of the people, we Seniors here will have a detailed discussion regarding this issue now.”
After he spoke, he turned to Duan Yuan Shan and said amiably, “City Lord Duan, you are Maplewood City’s Lord, so you also have the right to take part in this discussion.”
Upon hearing this, Duan Yuan Shan was overwhelmed by the amount of respect he was given and his face got rosy. He cupped his fists to Xiao Yu Yang and shouted, “It is my honour to receive an invitation from Your Excellency.”
Xiao Yu Yang nodded, “As for everyone else, you may rest assured that since this Spirit Lake has appeared in Maplewood City, no one will steal it from you and no single force will seek to monopolize it. After we finish our meeting, we will find a way to open it to everyone. Please await good news.”
“What? The Spirit Lake will be open to everyone?”
“Is this real? Did I mishear him?”
“Senior Xiao has spoken personally. It must be true.”
“Senior Xiao is a man of impeccable integrity, as expected of Star Soul Palace, our Southern Territory’s hegemon. They are generous and magnanimous.”
The cultivators present had assumed that after today they wouldn’t get another chance to use this Spirit Lake, thus an uproar arose among them upon hearing Xiao Yu Yang’s statement, delight apparent on everyone’s faces.
But a few people revealed pensive looks. Xiao Yu Yang had a prominent status and wouldn’t lie in front of so many people. Since he had said so, then he would surely open it up to the public.
But, it surely wouldn’t be easy for cultivators to enter this cultivation paradise. They would probably have to meet some conditions or pay a certain price for a quota. If this wasn’t the case and anyone could enter it at will, then the Spirit Lake that only stretched twenty kilometres across wouldn’t be able to accommodate so many people.
It could be well imagined that news of Maplewood City’s Spirit Lake would quickly spread across the whole Southern Territory. Once that happened, many cultivators would swarm over here to seize a cultivation spot within the Spirit Lake.
Maplewood City would become the focal point of the Southern Territory and it would attract many Masters.
Duan Yuan Shan was the City Lord of Maplewood City, and his little city had always been an unwanted child, but it would shortly become popular. Complex emotions welled up in his heart as he felt both excited and worried.
He was excited because Maplewood City would become a great city thanks to the Spirit Lake. As long as it could attract enough people, it would become stronger in the future and would become one of the greatest cities.
As for the source of his worries? He was worried because he wasn’t strong enough to control the Masters that would soon arrive.
He couldn’t help starting to weigh the gains and losses.
“Good! All of you can leave for now. I believe that you will shortly receive good news,” Xiao Yu Yang spoke and waved his hand in dismissal.
Upon hearing this, the numerous cultivators didn’t dare to stay here any longer. They all cupped their fists to Xiao Yu Yang then rushed toward Maplewood City.
“Yang Kai!” Gao Xue Ting suddenly shouted.
Yang Kai turned around and said with a smile, “Elder Gao, what instructions do you have for me?”
“Come to my room tonight,” Gao Xue Ting said with an indifferent look on her face.
“Uh…” Yang Kai was left dumbstruck.
The cultivators who were just about to return home all stiffened and stood in their places in a daze. They all turned their heads and looked in shock at Gao Xue Ting, their eyes almost popping out of their sockets. They all couldn’t believe what they had just heard. Azure Sun Temple’s Elder Gao looked apathetic and as cold as ice, yet she was actually so assertive.
The crowd looked at Yang Kai with envy and jealousy. They all couldn’t help but wonder what was so good about him and why he had been able to gain Elder Gao’s favour.
The few Emperor Realm Masters also wore spectacular expressions. They were all aware that Gao Xue Ting did not mean what it sounded like, but simply uttering such words was too scandalous.
“Why are you wearing such weird looks?” Gao Xue Ting cast an ice-cold glance at the few Emperor Realm Masters near her as her pretty face’s expression turned icy.
“Nothing, it’s nothing. My belly just rumbled. I must have gotten a cold last night,” Ceng Yuan clasped his belly with a pained look plastered on his face, as if he would drop dead at any moment.
“I ate something strange before coming here, I must have gotten sick from that horrendous food,” Lou Chi had also replied with a pained look on his face.
“Are you making fun of me?” Gao Xue Ting revealed a cold smile.
The two Vice Presidents could only laugh awkwardly in response. Neither of them knowing what to say in response.
At the crucial juncture, Xiao Yu Yang coughed, “Let’s talk about business.”
“That’s right, that’s right,” Chen Wen Hao nodded repeatedly like a chicken pecking rice, as if he was afraid that Gao Xue Ting would question him next.
On the other side, after Yang Kai got over this awkward ordeal, he cupped his fists and said with a solemn look, “Understood!”
Gao Xue Ting nodded, “Alright, you can leave!”
Yang Kai pulled Zhang Ruo Xi and quickly rushed into Maplewood City along with the crowd, as if he had just been granted amnesty.
On the road, many cultivators cast frequent glances at Yang Kai, and even Luo Yuan cast a glance at him with a weird look on his face.
“Damn it! That’s so unjust, I’m so ridiculously handsome with a face like jade, yet Elder Gao didn’t even spare me a glance. Why is she so cordial to you?” Ning Yuan Shu, who was under the protection of the two old men, Gao Shan and Liu Shui, yelled at Yang Kai with an indignant look.
Yang Kai sneered and shook his head, letting his black hair flutter in the wind as he let out a sigh, “It’s obvious that I’m more handsome than you.”
“Do you even believe your own words?” Ning Yuan Shu sneered in response.
“Mister is the most handsome man in the world!” Zhang Ruo Xi next to Yang Kai said shyly then lowered her head.
Yang Kai chuckled and patted Zhang Ruo Xi’s little head, “Little girl, you’ve got good eyes. En, once you grow up, you’ll surely find a good husband.”
“I don’t want to…” Zhang Ruo Xi said weakly.
Ning Yuan Shu was very infuriated to see this man and a woman flirting in front of his eyes.
All of a sudden, Yang Kai’s expression turned solemn and he said in a deep voice, “Young Palace Master, let’s take this chance to make something clear.”
“What is it?” Ning Yuan Shu was startled.
Yang Kai cast a glance at him, “You two old men, Gao Shan and Liu Shui, can stand here as witnesses. I saw with my own eyes how your big brother Ning Yuan Cheng died.”
Upon hearing this, the bodies of Gao Shan and Liu Shui shook, while Ning Yuan Shu’s pupils contracted and he yelled, “As expected, you were the one responsible all along.”
Yang Kai snorted and said, “I said I witnessed the murder, not that it was me who killed Ning Yuan Cheng.”
“Who killed him then?” Ning Yuan Shu asked.
“The Wood Spirit!”
“The Wood Spirit?” Ning Yuan Shu raised his brows and revealed a confused look, as if he had never heard about it, but the pupils of Gao Shan and Liu Shui contracted.
Gao Shan shouted in surprise, “Two years ago, I heard that a Wood Spirit appeared and ran amok in Maplewood City, spreading its seeds, devouring souls and enslaving people.”
“You’re right,” Yang Kai nodded and said, “The Wood Spirit planted its seed in Ning Yuan Cheng at some unknown time and no one detected it. It is a long and complicated story, but since Ning Yuan Cheng is someone from the Flying Saint Palace, I’ll tell you everything.”
Soon after, Yang Kai told them briefly what had happened on that day.
Upon hearing him, Gao Shan quieted for a long while before summarizing, “According to what you have said, after the auction that took place on that day, the Young Lord and his companions left Maplewood City, but Star Soul Palace’s exiled disciple Han Leng tailed after them and assaulted them outside the city to steal their possessions. Han Leng even managed to defeat our Flying Saint Palace’s Elder Liu Yi, but he was killed by the Wood Spirit inside the body of the Young Lord.”
“That’s right!” Yang Kai nodded.
“I happened to pass by during the incident and unexpectedly witnessed everything. At that time, I was only a Third-Order Origin King, so I could only watch the battle from afar,” Yang Kai said.
“What? You were only a Third-Order Origin King at the time?” Gao Shan and Liu Shui were taken aback by what they had just heard and they couldn’t help but shout in alarm, as if they had just realized something incredulous.
If what Yang Kai had said was true and he was only a Third-Order Origin King two years ago, then he would have broken through two Minor Realms, even crossing a Great Realm, to arrive at his current Second-Order Dao Source Realm cultivation in that short span of time. This rate of advancement was too terrifying!
If he continued advancing at the same pace, then wouldn’t he be a Third-Order Dao Source Realm Cultivator next year, then an Emperor Realm Master the year after that?
It wasn’t so easy for a Dao Source Realm Cultivator to break through to the Emperor Realm. But, if Yang Kai was given twenty years, then he would be able to achieve it, would he not? Moreover, Gao Shan and Liu Shui had heard that Yang Kai consumed an Extraordinary Treasure Pill in the Four Seasons Realm, so he had a higher chance to reach the Emperor Realm than an average person.
They had spent most of their lives in cultivation, yet they still couldn’t even touch upon the Emperor Realm, while a young boy had a great chance to reach it. Upon thinking of this, they both felt quite upset and complex in their hearts.
“That is why…” Yang Kai spread his arms, “The death of Ning Yuan Cheng has nothing to do with me.”
Ning Yuan Shu furrowed his brow, not sure whether he should trust Yang Kai. He fell silent for a moment before asking, “What about my brother’s possessions? I heard that you once used our Flying Saint Palace’s flying ship artifact. Where is that artifact and where is the Fire Attribute Artifact Spirit that was bought by my brother at the auction?”
“Young Palace Master, I can’t understand what you’re saying,” Yang Kai looked at Ning Yuan Shu curiously.
“Stop playing dumb!” Ning Yuan Shu flew into a rage, “My brother has already died, and his possessions belong to our Flying Saint Palace, I have the right to retrieve them.”
Yang Kai scratched his face and said, “Do you have to insist? Your Flying Saint Palace is a great force, so one or two flying artifacts should be nothing in your eyes.”
“Since it’s nothing, then give it back to me,” Ning Yuan Shu shouted.
“Ha…” Yang Kai sighed and said, “Fine, I have to tell you that your ship artifact has already been… destroyed.”
“Destroy… Destroyed?” Ning Yuan Shu’s eyes widened up and he said in surprise, “That’s impossible, that was a Dao Source Grade Artifact, and it is able to withstand the attacks of all cultivators below the Emperor Realm. It couldn’t be destroyed so easily! Even my Flying Saint Palace only has a few ships at such a high grade.”
Yang Kai said solemnly, “It has been destroyed by an Emperor Realm Master.”
The Ship Artifact had really been destroyed, and it was destroyed with a single strike from Aunt Feng who had taken Mo Xiao Qi away. Aunt Feng was a Third-Order Emperor Realm Master, so it had been easy for her to destroy the ship. As compensation, she did give Yang Kai a Wooden Boat Artifact though. The boat wasn’t as large as the ship, but it was simple, light and more convenient.
Upon hearing this, the corners of Ning Yuan Shu’s mouth twitched, “Who did you provoke?”
Gao Shao said in surprise, “You angered an Emperor Realm Master and are still alive?”
The members of Flying Saint Palace looked at Yang Kai in surprise.
“I didn’t really exchange blows with her,” Yang Kai’s face flushed, “I was hit suddenly by her, but fortunately that Senior didn’t seem interested in my life,” as he spoke, he added. “Besides, after Ning Yuan Cheng’s death, that ship became ownerless and naturally should belong to whoever picked it up. Since I found it, it’s mine, why grumble about it now?”
“Fine, I’ll grant you that!” Ning Yuan Shu shouted, “The ship has been destroyed, but what’s about the Fire Attribute Artifact Spirit? It’s said that the Artifact Spirit had already gained a high degree of sentience.”
Yang Kai sneered and said, “Didn’t you answer that question yourself? The Artifact Spirit already gained sentience, so it escaped the first chance it got.”
“Escaped?”
“Didn’t you just see a powerful Artifact Spirit that had gained sentience?” Yang Kai sneered, referring to the Artifact Spirit of the Demonic War Hammer.
Upon hearing this, Ning Yuan Shu’s expression turned aghast as he obviously recalled the violent encounter just now.
“Then doesn’t this mean… there is nothing left?” Gao Shan furrowed his brows.
“What else would be left? Didn’t I already explain everything to you?” Yang Kai chuckled, “As for the other Master who came from Flying Saint Palace, Fu Si Tong… That man was indeed quite strong, so even if I say that I killed him, you wouldn’t believe me.”
“That’s a matter of course, you wouldn’t be able to do so,” Ning Yuan Shu sneered and mocked. “City Lord Duan already said that Elder Fu died after he was corrupted by the Ancient Demon Qi.”
“That’s right,” Yang Kai clapped and said with a smile. “Then we have already resolved our misunderstanding, so don’t keep bothering me in the future or accusing me of murdering a member of the Flying Saint Palace. Young Palace Master, you seem like a reasonable fellow, so let us retain a good relationship between us so we can still be friends when we next meet.”
Upon hearing the word ‘friends’, Ning Yuan Shu couldn’t help but gaze around in fear that the Demonic War Hammer would suddenly appear.
“You don’t have the final say in this,” Gao Shan shook his head slowly.
“Then, it’s you who has the final say?” Yang Kai’s expression turned cold.
“No,” Liu Shan replied.
“Then who has the final say?” Yang Kai’s expression had already turned gloomy.
Gao Shan said, “If you’re not guilty, then why don’t you take a trip with us to Flying Saint Palace and explain everything to the Palace Master. It will be up to him to make the final judgment.”
“That’s right,” Liu Shan nodded and said, “You must come back with us to the Sect.”
Upon hearing this, Yang Kai laughed in response and looked meaningfully at Gao Shan, saying, “Protectors, it looks like you have misunderstood something.”
“What?”
“I provided you with an explanation not because I’m afraid of you, but rather because I don’t want to incur trouble for no reason. It’s up to you whether you want to believe me or not; however, if you keep bothering me for no reason, then… heh,” Yang Kai still wore a smile across his face, but his gaze had already turned cold.
Gao Shan and Liu Shan suddenly shivered for no reason and their pupils couldn’t help but contract, feeling like great danger was looming over them!
As they mulled this over, they suddenly recalled that Yang Kai had a good relationship with Elder Gao Xue Ting, and she had even told him to visit her room tonight in front of so many people. They didn’t dare to make a move against Yang Kai due to this. If they incurred Gao Xue Ting’s wrath, then they would all lose their lives.
Even if the Palace Master arrived personally, he still wouldn’t dare to make a move against Yang Kai unless he planned to kidnap him stealthily.
After Gao Shan and Liu Shi came to this conclusion, they realized that this affair was more thorny than they thought.
Gao Shan said, “Young Master Yang, if you don’t want to go with us to the Sect, that is fine, but you have to write a letter for us to take back to the Palace Master. If we don’t do at least that much, then the Palace Master may accuse us of neglecting our duties. We would have wasted time in Maplewood City without accomplishing anything.”
“That’s none of my business,” Yang Kai snorted coldly.
“Please, Young Master Yang, let’s have a proper discussion about this,” Gao Shan entreated shamelessly.
“Get… lost!” As Yang Kai spoke, he placed the Myriads Sword in front of him and said viciously, “I’ll repeat it for the last time. If you keep bothering me so stubbornly, then don’t blame me for taking your lives.”
As his voice fell, he pushed his Source Qi wildly while also sending out his Divine Sense to envelop Gao Shan and Liu Shui.
The expressions of Gao Shan and Liu Shan turned aghast as they suddenly felt the silhouette of this young man before them turn large and lofty. His aura wasn’t any different than a mountain weighing on their chests and they almost couldn’t breathe properly.
It was only at this moment that they suddenly realized that Yang Kai’s power was likely… No less than Luo Yuan’s.
This short moment felt like years, and by the time the two old men came back to their senses, Yang Kai had already disappeared. They both couldn’t help but exchange a glance and they could clearly see the shock in each other’s eyes.
“That man… we mustn’t provoke him again…” Gao Shan said in a deep voice with his fright still apparent on his face. His instincts told him clearly that if he provoked Yang Kai again, then he would likely lose his life.
“You’re right!” Liu Shan wiped off the cold sweat on his forehead and nodded.
“Then, did I get beaten by him for nothing?” Ning Yuan Shu pointed at his cheeks with an aggrieved look and said, “He insulted and shamed me, and he… killed Zhuang Pan. Does our Flying Saint Palace have to bear this in silence? If we do so, I won’t have the face to stay in the Southern Territory!”
Gao Shan cast a glance at him then sighed, “Zhuang Pan is a despicable coward whose death isn’t worth pitying. As for you, just take it as a mosquito’s bite.”
Upon hearing this, the corners of Ning Yuan Shu’s mouth twitched. The two old men had already expressed their standpoints, and he couldn’t take revenge by himself even if he wanted to, so he could only bear this in silence.
…
Inside the Qin Family Residence.
Yang Kai, Qin Zhao Yang, and their companions had already arrived back home.
Yang Kai had no place to go back to in Maplewood City. In the past, he still had a rented secluded home, but once his rent expired, he didn’t bother renewing it. Fortunately, the Qin Family didn’t treat him as a stranger and offered him accommodations.
The members of Eight Paths Sect had also returned, and they had all gone back to their courtyard under the lead of Luo Yuan and the round-faced woman.
But, Yang Kai noticed that Luo Yuan was now gazing at him with a dangerous glint in his eyes. He probably wanted to have a fight against him and he almost got a headache thinking about this.
“Little Brother Yang, I have asked the servants to prepare this courtyard specifically for you, it is one of my Qin Family’s best. You can rest here,” Qin Zhao Yang brought him into a courtyard and spoke.
“Patriarch Qin, thank you for your trouble,” Yang Kai said.
“You’re welcome, if you need anything, just call the servants and ask them,” Qin Zhao Yang laughed and said, “En, I won’t stay here and disturb your rest. I need to go back and check on Yu’er’s condition.”
“En.”
After Qin Zhao Yang left, Yang Kai walked into the courtyard with Zhang Ruo Xi and observed it. This courtyard wasn’t big, but it was peaceful, refined, and clean. It also had abundant World Energy which made Yang Kai satisfied.
After he observed the courtyard for a while, he asked Zhang Ruo Xi to take a room for herself before he turned his head to look at Ye Jing Han, who had followed him in silence like a shadow the whole time. He couldn’t help letting out a long sigh upon gazing at her.
Seeing this, Ye Jing Han bit her rosy lips and revealed a faint smile.
“Stop it, don’t smile like that! It’s uglier than if you just cried instead,” Yang Kai said with an annoyed look on his face.
Upon hearing this, Ye Jing Han’s body shivered as she turned deathly pale, her eyes becoming slightly red.
“What’s the matter? Come in and let’s have a chat,” Yang Kai gestured lightly with his head then pushed open the door and went into the room.
Upon hearing this, Ye Jing Han was taken aback and the distress apparent on her face quickly turned into delight as she said sweetly, “Many thanks, Young Master Yang!”
She quickly went inside, as if she was afraid Yang Kai would go back on his word.
Inside the room, Yang Kai had just started observing the room and he still didn’t have a clear look at the ornaments and furniture here. Yet, Ye Jing Han had already moved to quickly place a chair behind him, “Young Master Yang, please sit down.”
Yang Kai cast a glance at her then raised his robe and sat down.
At this moment, Ye Jing Han had already raised the teapot on the table and poured water for Yang Kai then placed the cup in front of him, “Young Master Yang, please have a drink.”
After her voice fell, she moved her hands again and a plate of fresh spirit fruits appeared on the table. She asked with a smile, “I have brought them with me from Thousand Leaves Sect. I wonder if they are to your liking? Please don’t refuse them.”
Yang Kai’s expression turned strange, as he had never been served so attentively before by anyone. If Ye Jing Han worked as a servant or maid, then she would be a very competent one.
“Why are you serving me?” Yang Kai looked at her warily, “Did you fall for me? I know that I’m so handsome and graceful and a lot of women are in love with me…” He flung his head back and said in a deep voice, “But I’m already taken. So, you have to refrain from having any presumptuous thoughts about me.”
Upon hearing this, Ye Jing Han’s face got flushed and she said indignantly, “Young Master Yang, what are you saying…”
She didn’t know whether to laugh or cry. She had never seen someone who could boast so shamelessly.
“Huh… Am I mistaken?” Embarrassment appeared on Yang Kai’s face and he let out a hollow laugh, “I’m just joking, don’t take it seriously.”
As he spoke, he took a spirit fruit on the table and started gnawing on it. It was pretty delicious and he couldn’t help but nod, “Speak, what kind of pill do you want?”
“What?” Ye Jing Han was bewildered by his question and a confused look appeared on her face.
Yang Kai sneered, “You have been following me since you recognized me, and you’re still serving me so meticulously. The only thing left is for you to serve me in bed. Aren’t you here to ask something from me?”
“You’re right…” Ye Jing Han nodded.
“Aren’t you here to ask me to refine a pill for you?”
Ye Jing Han revealed an enlightened look and said with a smile, “Young Master Yang, your attainments in the Alchemic Dao have already reached an unimaginable height, even allowing you to refine the Extraordinary Treasure Pill. Your talent and attainments in this craft are second to none in the world.”
“I know that you are flattering me, but it’s still pleasant to hear.” Yang Kai chuckled in response.
Ye Jing Han continued, “But I didn’t seek you to ask you to refine a pill for me.”
“Then what do you want?” Yang Kai furrowed his brows and got wary.
Ye Jing Han explained, “Our Thousand Leaves Sect isn’t a big Sect, but we still have a Dao Source Grade Alchemist under our employ, so we don’t have to trouble you to refine pills for us. I have sought you out to ask you to repair something for us.”
“Repair?” Yang Kai furrowed his brows, “What is it?”
Ye Jing Han pursed her rosy lips and surveyed the surroundings warily before saying in a low voice, “A Space Array.”
“A Space Array?” Yang Kai’s pupils contracted and he chuckled then said, “It looks like a lot of people know that I am well-versed in the Dao of Space.”
In the Four Seasons Realm, he had manipulated Space Principles in front of many people, so obviously he couldn’t keep this a secret any longer. He had already expected that this matter would be exposed, but he still didn’t expect that Ye Jing Han sought him out due to this. She obviously wanted to draw help from his comprehension of the Dao of Space to repair the Space Array.
“I indeed heard such news from a certain individual.”
“If it’s just for repairing a Space Array, then you don’t have to seek me out. Why not find an appropriate Array Master?”
Ye Jing Han smiled bitterly, “If it was an ordinary Space Array, then an Array Master would have been able to repair it, but my Thousand Leaves Sect’s Array is… We have already sought several Array Masters and have even invited members of the Gong Family, but none were able to repair it.”
“Even the members of the Gong Family couldn’t repair it?” Yang Kai was surprised to hear this before he suddenly realized something, asking in a solemn tone, “Is it a… World Crossing Space Array?”
Ye Jing Han’s pretty eyes lit up and she nodded, “Young Master Yang, you’re indeed as sharp as the rumours say! It is a World Crossing Space Array.”
Yang Kai’s expression changed as he stared at Ye Jing Han and asked, “Does your Thousand Leaves Sect control a Sealed World?”
Ye Jing Han let out a bitter laugh, “It looks like I can’t hide anything from Young Master Yang. En, you are correct, my Thousand Leaves Sect possesses a Sealed World, and it was once used as a cultivation paradise for our disciples. We don’t know how this Sealed World was formed, and we also don’t know where exactly it is located in The Void, so we have no other way to enter it except through the Space Array, but the array somehow stopped working nearly two thousand years ago, making it impossible for us to enter the Sealed World since then.”
“Is that Sealed World so important to your Thousand Leaves Sect?” Yang Kai asked.
Ye Jing Han nodded, “Two thousand years ago, while my Thousand Leaves Sect was not on par with the top sects like Azure Sun Temple and Heavenly Martial Holy Land, we were still considered a first-class force. However, after the entrance to the Sealed World was lost, the Sect entered a period of decline. Today, we are barely…”
Ye Jing Han stopped here, as if she didn’t want to talk about their current dire straits.
Yang Kai sneered, “The members of your Sect simply didn’t cultivate hard enough, this has nothing to do with losing your Sealed World. Not every Sect has its own Sealed World, but as long as one strives to make progress and advance further, such a Sealed World makes no difference.”
Ye Jing Han’s pretty face turned pale and she said bitterly, “Young Master Yang, you aren’t mistaken; however, two thousand years ago, the Sect Master at the time brought many of the Sect’s core inheritances as well as the supreme treasures of our Sect into that Sealed World, all of which became lost to us when the entrance disappeared. Many of our Thousand Leaves Sect’s Secret Arts and Techniques could no longer be cultivated after losing those inheritances, and the Aura Gathering Array of our Sect also used that Sealed World as its core. Once the entrance shut, the World Energy density of our Sect also began thinning…”
“I understand.”
Upon hearing this, Yang Kai had already understood Ye Jing Han’s implication. They had lost the inheritances connected to numerous Techniques and Divine Abilities, as well as their supreme treasures and their supply of World Energy. What cultivators needed most to cultivate was abundant World Energy, and if their supply became scarce, then it was normal for subsequent generations from Thousand Leaves Sect to become weaker.
Ye Jing Han bit her rosy lips and said in a deep voice, “I want to invite you to take a trip with me to Thousand Leaves Sect in order to repair our World Crossing Space Array. If you agree to do so, then all members of Thousand Leaves Sect will be very grateful to you and we will offer you a generous reward.”
“This…” Yang Kai rolled his eyes around and racked his brain for a long time, yet couldn’t come up with any excuses, so he could only say, “I got it, but I’m quite busy now. Why don’t you go back for now? Once I have some free time, I’ll take a trip to your Thousand Leaves Sect and I’ll be sure to live up to your expectations.”
Ye Jing Han could clearly discern that he was just being perfunctory in his response. If she really trusted him and left, then she probably wouldn’t ever see his shadow again. She could only entreat him anxiously, “Young Master Yang, it is only someone who is proficient in the Dao of Space who can repair our Sect’s Space Array. But the Dao of Space is so esoteric and mysterious that ordinary people cannot even begin to comprehend it. I have heard that a great Senior living in the Eastern Territory’s Spirit Beast Island is proficient in the Dao of Space, that Senior is a Third-Order Emperor Realm Master, and our little Thousand Leaves Sect can’t invite him.”
“Are you implying that it’s easy for you to invite an insignificant Second-Order Dao Source Realm cultivator like me?” Yang Kai cast a glance at her.
Ye Jing Han quickly waved her hand and said, “That isn’t what I mean. Young Master Yang, please don’t take offence.”
Yang Kai nodded, “I have also heard about that Senior from Spirit Beast Island…”
It looked like Mo Xiao Qi was also from the Spirit Beast Island, but she had never admitted it; however, after Yang Kai gained some understanding of the Star Boundary, it wasn’t difficult for him to guess her origins after witnessing her Aunt Feng’s terrifying strength.
Only the members of the Spirit Beast Island could control so many Monster Beasts and have them fight for them.
As he thought about Mo Xiao Qi, he couldn’t help but wonder how she was faring.
He arrived at the Star Boundary not long ago and he knew only a few people. One of them was Kang Si Ran, but he had been transferred by the Violet Source Chamber of Commerce after he reached the Dao Source Realm. As for his second acquaintance, Mo Xiao Qi, she had been fetched by her Aunty Feng and taken back home.
Ye Jing Han suddenly noticed that Yang Kai had quieted and got lost in his thoughts for a long while. She could only say through gnashed teeth. “Actually, I have sought you on someone’s recommendation.”
“Which shameless bastard has done so? Tell me, just tell me, I promise I won’t kill him,” Yang Kai flew into a rage.
Ye Jing Han pursed her lips and said with a smile, “It was Gong Wen Shan, you know him, don’t you?”
“That bastard!” Yang Kai’s eyes bulged as he muttered, “Do you know him?”
Gong Wen Shan was the rising star of the Heavenly River Valley’s Gong Family. The Gong Family was famed for its Array Masters, and Gong Wen Shan was also an Array Master. In the Four Seasons Realm, he had drawn help from the barrier around the Flowing Time Temple to obstruct Heavenly Martial Holy Land’s Wu Chang, forcing the latter to miss a rare opportunity because of this.
That boy looked honest and simple-minded, but he was actually a sinister and scheming scourge.
Yang Kai would have never imagined that it was Gong Wen Shan who recommended him to Ye Jing Han.
Ye Jing Han replied, “Several years ago, we invited him to repair our Thousand Leaves Sect’s Space Array, but he didn’t succeed and he told us to seek a person proficient in the Dao of Space to repair it. Three months ago, I suddenly received a message from him suggesting I seek Young Master Yang out. I planned to deal with this place’s affairs first before making a trip to Azure Sun Temple to try my luck, but I didn’t expect to run into you here. Don’t you think we were brought together by fate?”
Ye Jing Han revealed an excited look, as if she was a young girl yearning for love.
Yang Kai snorted, “Only distressed men and lovestruck girls are brought together by fate, do you want to have such a fate with me?”
Ye Jing Han sweated profusely and said awkwardly, “Young Master Yang, you really know how to joke. I’m not so fortunate.”
“I have met that brat, Gong Wen Shan, only once and I’m not close to him. He has to take responsibility for his words. This has nothing to do with me.”
Ye Jing Han let out a long sigh, “Young Master Yang, you don’t want to help me, do you?”
She bit her thin lips, wearing an adorable and pitiful look.
“I want to help, but I’m really too busy and have no time to spare for this. Didn’t I already tell you that I’ll go there once I have free time?” Yang Kai explained.
Ye Jing Han mulled this over for a moment then said through gnashed teeth, “Young Master Yang, our Thousand Leaves Sect’s sealed world has a Restricted Area known as the Emperor Heaven Valley. If one can cultivate in that land for a few days, it will greatly increase one’s chances to reach the Emperor Realm.”
Yang Kai glanced at her with a meaningful smile.
Ye Jing Han’s pretty face got flushed, “It is not that I was distrustful of you, but this matter is very important and I cannot disclose more information to you, or else, innumerable Dao Source Realm Cultivators will begin targeting us. Our Thousand Leaves Sect isn’t powerful enough now and can’t defend against them.”
Yang Kai chuckled and said, “The Emperor Heaven Valley, what a grand name! But, what does this have to do with me?”
Ye Jing Han stamped the ground, “Young Master Yang, if you repair our Space Array and help us regain our Sealed World, I can let you go in.”
“What’s your status in the Thousand Leaves Sect?” Yang Kai squinted his eyes and looked at her.
Ye Jing Han said, “I’m the daughter of the current Thousand Leaves Sect’s Master, Ye Hen.”
“So you’re a Young Sect Lady,” Yang Kai cupped his fists at her. “Sorry for the disrespect.”
Ye Jing Han’s face got flushed, “Young Master Yang, don’t make fun of me.”
Yang Kai had beaten even the Young Palace Master of Flying Saint Palace, so he wouldn’t take the Young Sect Lady of Thousand Leaves Sect seriously. As such, Ye Jing Han didn’t believe that her status was anything special and that was why she didn’t disclose it to Yang Kai from the beginning.
But now, she had to tell Yang Kai her status to gain his trust.
“Young Master Yang, please, I’m begging you…” Ye Jing Han said entreatingly with an aggrieved look, “My father is already old, and if he cannot break through to the Emperor Realm, he will die in a few years. However, it isn’t so easy to reach the Emperor Realm and the Emperor Heaven Valley is his greatest chance. Young Master Yang, if you help our Thousand Leaves Sect, then I can agree to any requests you raise.”
Yang Kai was surprised by her statement. She had already thrown all caution to the wind.
Yang Kai descended into silence and Ye Jing Han also quieted, not daring to even gasp for breath. She only pursed her lips and stood there waiting for him nervously. Only her strong and fast heartbeat still reverberated in the room.
After a long while, Yang Kai sighed, “Fine, I’ll take a trip with you there.”
“Are you serious?” Ye Jing Han was so delighted that she wept and she looked in disbelief at Yang Kai.
“But not now, you also know what’s happening in Maplewood City. You’ll have to wait until I deal with this matter.”
“I’m not in a hurry, so I can wait,” Ye Jing Han quickly waved her hand and said, “I have already waited for so many years so I don’t mind waiting a little longer.”
“But I must still say this ahead of time,” Yang Kai looked at her grimly, “I’ll only give it a try and I’m not sure I can repair your Space Array.”
“That’s more than enough.”
“Go look for a room to rest. I’ll notify you when it’s time to set off,” Yang Kai waved his hand at her in dismissal.
“Young Master Yang, I’ll await good news from you.”
Saying so, she bowed to him then left without forgetting to close the door behind her.
After Ye Jing Han left, Yang Kai let out a sigh and sat down, mumbling to himself, “I’ve gotten involved in something troublesome…”
He wasn’t close to Ye Jing Han and he also had no contact with Thousand Leaves Sect, so he didn’t want to tread into this muddy water. But, Ye Jing Han had bothered him for so long that if he didn’t agree, then she might have followed him to the ends of the world, and that would have been even more troublesome for him.
If he was followed all day long by a young woman with a sorrowful look, then people oblivious to the situation would assume that he had thoughtless sex with her then abandoned her. That would have been too scandalous!
Moreover, he was also quite interested in the Emperor Heaven Valley mentioned by Ye Jing Han. Since it could help one advance into the Emperor Realm, it was surely related to the comprehension of the Heavenly Way and Martial Dao.
Yang Kai was still a Second-Order Dao Source Realm cultivator, but deepening his comprehension of the Heavenly Way and Martial Dao would still be beneficial to his future growth, and if he added the Extraordinary Treasure Pill to the equation, then he would be able to easily break through to the Emperor Realm in the future.
Yang Kai sat down and cultivated in the room in silence until midnight. He had just reached the Second-Order Dao Source Realm, and he obviously had to consolidate his cultivation base.
At night, Yang Kai pushed open the door and left. As his body flickered, he reached the City Lord’s Mansion in a dozen breaths.
The guards standing outside the City Lord’s Mansion weren’t any different than paper figures to him, but when he was about to enter the mansion, a chill suddenly ran down his spine as he felt several powerful Divine Senses sweeping his body.
They had swept him only for a short moment, yet his body still shivered uncontrollably and broke into a cold sweat. Those Divine Senses belonged to Emperor Realm Masters, which meant that Xiao Yu Yang and his companions were also residing in the City Lord’s Mansion.
Those Divine Senses had checked him only for a short moment then left him, but one of them still lingered on him.
Yang Kai took a breath and followed that Divine Sense towards its source. After a short while, he reached a room and he raised his hand to knock on its door, yet before he made contact, Gao Xue Ting’s voice suddenly reached him, “Come in!”
Upon hearing this, Yang Kai pushed open the door and entered. He sighted upon Gao Xue Ting sitting cross-legged on the bed with her pretty eyes gazing at him.
Yang Kai grinned, “Greeting Elder Gao. I didn’t expect that we would reunite again in Maplewood City… Huh, Elder Gao, what are you up to?”
As he spoke, he suddenly saw Gao Xue Ting waving her hand. Her Qi surging out, closing the door and creating a formless barrier that enveloped the whole room, isolating it completely.
“She’s so prudent, does she have to make a barrier even for this?” A resentful voice reverberated in another room. Xiao Yu Yang’s eyes snapped open with a playful look apparent on his face, “What are you up to, Junior Sister Gao? I just simply wanted to see what is so amazing about this little brat, yet it seems my efforts are in vain.”
Meanwhile, the Emperor Realm Masters in the other rooms twitched their mouths. They were obviously all spying on Gao Xue Ting as well, yet they had now been blocked by the barrier.
…
In a short moment, the room had been isolated thoroughly.
*Gudong*
Yang Kai gulped as he suddenly had a bad feeling about this.
“Strip!” Gao Xue Ting instructed Yang Kai expressionlessly.
“Huh?” Yang Kai’s expression changed and he said in surprise, “This, this… This isn’t appropriate, is it?”
“What are you grumbling about?” Gao Xue Ting snorted, seemingly annoyed by Yang Kai’s objections.
Yang Kai couldn’t even see what happened before Gao Xue Ting suddenly appeared in front of him and stretched her hand towards him.
Yang Kai felt like Gao Xue Ting’s lily-white fingers weren’t any different than five mountains assaulting him, making her grasp impossible to avoid.
Soon after, Gao Xue Ting clutched his neck and lifted him. He was shortly sent spinning by a pulse of energy, while his clothes were quickly stripped off him. In the twinkling of an eye, he was left with only his underpants.
“Elder Gao… Stop…” Yang Kai let out a shrill cry.
Gao Xue Ting turned a deaf ear to him. She stopped spinning him then tapped several points on his body, her pretty eyes shining brightly as she observed closely.
Gao Xue Ting’s pretty eyes swept every nook of Yang Kai’s body and she examined him thoroughly.
After a long while, she nodded and said, “Pretty good, there are no issues to speak of.”
As her voice fell, the force confining Yang Kai suddenly disappeared.
Yang Kai quickly crawled into Gao Xue Ting’s bed and covered himself with the quilt. He sat there shivering, as if he had just suffered some severe mental damage.
Gao Xue Ting sneered. “You’re still bashful?”
Yang Kai’s face was pale and he couldn’t help but twitch his mouth, saying, “Elder Gao, what did you just do?”
Now, he understood why Gao Xue Ting had set up a barrier. If someone had seen this, then she wouldn’t be able to justify herself and clear subsequent misunderstandings.
Gao Xue Ting sternly said, “Your cultivation has advanced too quickly. You just reached the First-Order Dao Source Realm a short time ago, yet you’ve already advanced to the Second-Order. I was just checking if there were any hidden dangers or issues left behind. What did you think I was doing?”
As she spoke up to here, Gao Xue Ting’s gaze turned ice-cold and Yang Kai couldn’t help but shiver.
“Even if you wanted to check my body, you didn’t have to do this…” Yang Kai said with a sullen look.
“If this was the sole reason, then I didn’t have to do this, but I heard that you were also chased by a Demonic Artifact Spirit that had appeared some days ago, so I had to make sure you weren’t corrupted by Demon Qi as well.”
“I’m not a child anymore you know.”
“I’m old enough to be your great-grandmother, so what’s the harm in seeing your body?” As Gao Xue Ting spoke up to this point, she curled her lips slightly and said mockingly, “Little brat, you’ve got some good muscles, en you’re pretty well built.”
“Elder Gao, thank you for the undeserved praise…” Yang Kai wiped the sweat off his forehead and said awkwardly, “What are the results?”
“Pretty good,” Gao Xue Ting said then took Yang Kai’s clothes and threw them to him as she said, “You broke through quickly, but your foundation is still as stable as ever, and it also looks like you haven’t been corrupted by Demon Qi.”
Yang Kai said weakly, “If I had been corrupted by Demon Qi… What would have happened?”
“You’d be a dead man by now,” Gao Xue Ting looked at him coldly, “What? Is there something else you’d like to tell me?”
“Nope, nothing… I have nothing to tell you,” Yang Kai quickly waved his hand, while he decided inwardly to hide the Demonic War Hammer and the Demon Spirit sealed in his body from her at all costs.
“Little brat, you’re acting strangely. Are you hiding something from me?” Gao Xue Ting said coldly.
Yang Kai smiled bitterly and said, “Not at all. Elder Gao, you’ve just misunderstood me.”
Gao Xue Ting gazed at Yang Kai for a long time then said, “That would be for the best. If I learn that you’re hiding anything from me, then I’ll give you a memorable lesson.”
Yang Kai didn’t dare to retort back as he quickly put his clothes on under the quilt.
After a short while, Yang Kai had finished putting his clothes on.
“How long do you plan to occupy my bed?” Gao Xue Ting looked at him coldly.
Yang Kai crawled out of the bed dejectedly and stood in front of Gao Xue Ting.
“Where did that Demonic Armament Artifact Spirit go?” Gao Xue Ting suddenly asked, “I heard that the Artifact Spirit was chasing after you, but I have already investigated its path along with Senior Xiao and the others today, yet its trail ends at Clear Jade Mountain, as if it had suddenly disappeared there. Even Senior Xiao couldn’t get any more clues about it. Where did it go?”
Yang Kai quickly shook his head in response, expressing that he had no idea about this.
“Then how did you escape from it safely?” Gao Xue Ting furrowed his brows.
Yang Kai chuckled, “Elder Gao, you also know that I have cultivated the Dao of Space, I’m an expert when it comes to escaping. At that time, I escaped to Clear Jade Mountain then used an aura concealing technique to hide in The Void. After the Artifact Spirit arrived and couldn’t find me, it left by itself. I also don’t know where it went.”
Gao Xue Ting observed him with her piercing eyes for a long while, as if she wanted to peer into his inner heart.
Yang Kai was quite diffident and he was afraid that she would notice any flaw.
After a long while, Gao Xue Ting nodded, “If I learn that you hid anything from me, then I won’t forgive you.”
Yang Kai wiped the sweat off his head then said aggrievedly, “I wouldn’t dare!”
“I also know that you don’t have such gall,” as Gao Xue Ting spoke, she sat down at the bedside and let out a sigh, “Honestly speaking, I have also been quite careless. If I had inspected this place carefully after the battle against that Demon, then we wouldn’t have to deal with so much trouble.”
Gao Xue Ting sighed with her remorse apparent on her face.
Upon hearing her, Yang Kai felt quite insecure. If Gao Xue Ting learned that the Demon who fought against her on that day was standing in front of her, then who knew what she would do?
Yang Kai quickly changed the subject, “That’s fate, you don’t have to rack your brain over this.”
Gao Xue Ting cast a glance at him then snorted and swung her hand, sending a ray of light out toward him.
Yang Kai was surprised, but he didn’t try to dodge it, as Gao Xue Ting wasn’t trying to attack him. He just stretched his hand and caught the light ray.
When he opened his palm and took a look, he saw a palm-sized token. This token was refined from unknown materials and the back of a cultivator was depicted on its back. It was a large and lofty back, seemingly able to overlook everything under the Heavens. This was just a design, yet Yang Kai could still clearly feel the imposing manner of the man.
The corners of Yang Kai’s mouth suddenly twitched when he noticed that the back depicted in the design resembled Wen Zi Shan’s.
As for the front side of the token, only two large characters were carved there.
Azure Sun!
The whole token had a bright and dazzling golden hue.
“This is…” Yang Kai’s expression changed and he looked skeptically at Gao Xue Ting.
“It’s an Identity Token of a disciple of the Temple,” Gao Xue Ting replied calmly.
“Huh…” Yang Kai was surprised and he could only chuckle bitterly and said, “But, Elder Gao, I’m not a disciple of the temple, and it isn’t appropriate for me to take this Identity Token.”
“From now on, you’re a disciple of the temple,” Gao Xue Ting replied.
Yang Kai was taken aback and he could only say, “Elder Gao, this is coercion… Why didn’t you solicit my opinion?”
Gao Xue Ting looked askance at him, “Didn’t I solicit your opinion last time? A long time has passed since then, haven’t you finished mulling it over yet?”
Yang Kai quickly explained, “I need more time to ponder over this. This matter is too complex and I haven’t had time to properly consider it. Elder Gao, please give me more time.”
“How long?”
“Thirty years… maybe fifty…” As Yang Kai said so, he noticed that Gao Xue Ting’s expression turned cold, and he could only say quickly, “However, ten or eight years is also fine…”
“Hehe…” Gao Xue Ting suddenly sneered.
Yang Kai couldn’t help but shiver. His whole body trembling as his feet cramped.
Gao Xue Ting said slowly, “It looks like you have misunderstood something due to my good temper. Do you think it’s so easy to deal with me and I have no prestige at all?”
“Surely not!”
“Then are you looking down on me, are you looking down on our temple?”
“Not at all!”
Gao Xue Ting coldly, snorted “Today, I told Senior Xiao and the others that you’re a disciple of our temple and I have obstructed Lou Chi from recruiting you. If you dare to refuse me again, then I’ll tell them tomorrow that you have been expelled from the temple. Are you aware of what you would face then?”
Yang Kai broke into a cold sweat. He had no idea that Lou Chi planned to recruit him. It looked like his actions had been too eye-catching lately and he attracted the attention of many people. If he wasn’t protected by the halo of his fake status as a disciple of Azure Sun Temple, then the other Masters would quickly begin fighting over him.
Yang Kai suddenly understood why Gao Xue Ting had given him an Identity Token. She didn’t do so to force him to make a choice, but rather to protect him.
A while ago, she had inspected his body carefully, mainly because she was worried that something went wrong during his cultivation.
As he thought of this, a warm feeling welled up in his heart. He suddenly felt like it wouldn’t be a bad choice to join Azure Sun Temple, as long as he was in the care of such an Elder.
He let out a breath and cupped his fists with a relieved look plastered on his face, saying with a smile, “Then I’ll have to accept your invitation, many thanks for Elder Gao’s concern.”
Gao Xue Ting cast several glances at him then nodded, “You’re a sensible and promising young man!” She stopped for a moment then added, “But, your situation is quite special and you don’t have to follow the numerous rules of the temple. You can live as usual and the temple won’t interfere in your life too much. Understood?”
Upon hearing this, Yang Kai rejoiced, “Understood!”
“However, whatever you do in the future, it’s only your business and you don’t represent our temple. If you dare to make any trouble for our temple, then… hmph, you know what will happen to you,” Gao Xue Ting looked at him with her dignified gaze then snorted coldly.
“I know, I know…” Yang Kai nodded repeatedly, while his face broke into cold sweat again.
“I have nothing else to say, you have already taken the Identity Token and you’re now a disciple of the Temple. If you face any issues in your cultivation, then I can help you resolve them in my free time,” Gao Xue Ting said in an amicable manner.
Yang Kai was taken aback and he quickly began asking her about some questions he had regarding his recent cultivation.
Gao Xue Ting was quite conscientious and she replied carefully, not concealing anything about her own experiences and comprehensions of the Heaven Dao and Martial Dao.
Gao Xue Ting had assumed that it would be easy to guide a Second-Order Dao Source Realm Junior, but after she chatted with Yang Kai for a while, she became far more serious. All the questions raised by Yang Kai were related to some crucial and profound points that even she had yet to understand thoroughly. And so, the teaching session quickly turned into an equal discussion about their respective Martial Daos.
Yang Kai stayed in the City Lord’s Mansion until dawn before leaving and returning to his courtyard in the Qin Family Residence, seeking Qin Zhao Yang and asking for a private room he could use for secluded cultivation.
…..
Time quickly elapsed and a month or more passed in the blink of an eye.
On this day, Yang Kai finished his secluded cultivation, having already consolidated his cultivation that had just reached the Second-Order Dao Source Realm not long ago.
In his secluded room, Yang Kai had just inspected his body and he was very satisfied with his progress. Yet all of a sudden, he detected something and his expression turned strange. He quickly took out the Insect Enslavement Bracelet then entered it with his Soul Avatar to check it.
When he had been in Azure Sun Temple, he had asked for a lot of Facetless Profound Grass from Gao Xue Ting and he had used them to nurture his Soul Devouring Insects. Over the last period, the Soul Devouring Insects had been devouring each other in the large jar and engaging a kind of evolution.
But, it was only on this day that they finally showed some substantial progress.
The Soul Devouring Insects were ranked eleventh in the Heaven List of the Exotic Insect List, a very high place, and they had been very useful to him in the Divine Ascension Mirror. It was due to this that Yang Kai now placed more hopes on them.
After he detected some disturbance, he quickly went to check on them.
The jar was as peaceful as ever, as if all Soul Devouring Insects were still asleep, but Yang Kai had refined the Insect Enslavement Bracelet and he had a thorough understanding of all insects in its sealed space. That’s why he knew clearly that the stillness was only a facade.
Yang Kai’s expression turned solemn and he waited for a long time before he made up his mind. Weaving a seat of seals with his hands, he opened the jar.
When he peeked inside to take a look, he found out that it was filled completely with milky-white cocoons. There were cracks in many cocoons and evolved Soul Devouring Insects were crawling out of them, eating the remains.
As time elapsed, more Soul Devouring Insects emerged from their cocoons and a buzzing noise continued to echo inside the jar, as if a myriad of insects were gnawing on something.
“They’re so big!” Yang Kai was startled.
Originally, the Soul Devouring Insects were tiny organisms that couldn’t be seen with the naked eye and could only be discovered with Divine Sense. But, after they devoured each other and evolved this time, their size had increased greatly.
Each one was as big as a grain of rice and its body was covered by black patterns. These patterns had a demonic aura and it was obviously because they had once devoured an Ancient Demon’s Pure Demon Qi.
It wasn’t limited to just this, the Soul Devouring Insects looked more vicious than before and even Yang Kai was a little scared of them.
In less than a quarter of an hour, all of the Soul Devouring Insects broke free of their cocoons. Having gotten enough nutrition, those insects flapped their wings and flew out of the jar.
Yang Kai moved back warily and observed them from afar.
A cloud of insects quickly formed above the jar. The number of Soul Devouring Insects was obviously lower than before by a large margin, but their power and size were vastly improved.
Yang Kai was quite surprised. If he had travelled in the Divine Ascension Mirror with these insects, even if he ran into an Emperor Realm Master like Ban Qing, he wouldn’t have had to resort to cheap ruses and could have simply repelled him head-on.
After Yang Kai observed the Soul Devouring Insects for a long while, he suddenly issued them a command.
The flying Soul Devouring Insects flew towards Yang Kai, emitting a ceaseless buzzing noise. Yang Kai stood in place with a solemn look plastered on his face, raising his guard against them in preparation for any unexpected accidents.
In a short while, he was surrounded by Soul Devouring Insects, and one of them landed on him and stopped flapping its wings, laying there calmly, shortly followed by more of them.
A large mass of insects fell upon him, wrapping him completely and hiding his body, but these Soul Devouring Insects only laid there peacefully and didn’t mount an attack against Yang Kai. They all obeyed the orders Yang Kai issued due to the formless connection between them.
“Hahaha!” Yang Kai laughed loudly. The Insect Enslavement Bracelet was really a precious treasure.
In the Divine Ascension Mirror World, he had detected that his original batch of Soul Devouring Insects was starting to resist his control, and he didn’t have any mental connection with the new batch he obtained from Tian Yan. Yet now, all of the Soul Devouring Insects that had evolved obeyed his commands and he was able to perfectly order them around. This was all thanks to the Insect Enslavement Bracelet!
This Emperor Artifact didn’t have any offensive or defence power, yet it could control all forms of Exotic Insects in this world. It was the fruit of the Insect Emperor’s lifetime of work. Naturally, it was supremely effective against the Soul Devouring Insects.
Now, Yang Kai didn’t have any more qualms, as even if he ran into a powerful enemy in the future, he would be able to deal with them with these Soul Devouring Insects.
It looked like the inner space of the Insect Enslavement Bracelet was able to nurture Exotic Insects. The Exotic Insects in it wouldn’t weaken and die, only grow stronger.
However, Yang Kai obviously had to feed the Soul Devouring Insects enough Facetless Profound Grass to raise their growth speed.
The Facetless Profound Grass wasn’t a precious spirit grass and many Sects could cultivate it, so it wasn’t difficult to obtain. However, Yang Kai needed a large amount and he would have to pay a large sum to purchase them.
If it was in the past, Yang Kai might not have been able to afford such expenses, but now, he had gotten his hands on a Source Crystal lode and he wouldn’t have to worry about a shortage of Source Crystals in the near future. Therefore, he could carry out large purchases without any restraints.
As he thought of this, Yang Kai quickly left the Insect Enslavement Bracelet and opened his eyes, then stood up and opened the door of the room. He planned to make a trip to the city and buy Facetless Profound Grass.
But, as he pushed open the door and left, he detected unusual World Energy in the vicinity. It looked like the density of the World Energy in Maplewood City had increased greatly during his secluded cultivation.
Yang Kai was very surprised by this. Lou Chi had used the Emperor Artifact, Unified Ceremonial Record, to seal the Spirit Lake, so the World Energy should have turned thinner, going back to its normal state.
But, the opposite had occurred. The density of World Energy didn’t drop, but rather it increased further. This was bewildering!
At this moment, a pretty silhouette rushed toward him and landed in front of him. It was Ye Jing Han!
“Young Master Yang, you finally exited your retreat!” Ye Jing Han sized him up with her eyes and she noticed that his aura had turned more stable and restrained. She couldn’t help but say out of envy, “Young Master Yang, it looks like you have made pretty good progress.”
“It’s not much.” Yang Kai grinned in response. He had already decided to leave for Thousand Leaves Sect with Ye Jing Han so he didn’t shun her as before.
Yang Kai’s expression suddenly changed and he asked in surprise, “Did you stand guard here all along?”
Ye Jing Han smiled sheepishly, “In any case, I have nothing else to do.”
“You can set your mind at ease, I have already accepted your request so I won’t run away. I’ll surely take a trip to your Thousand Leaves Sect with you.”
“I wasn’t keeping watch on you…” Ye Jing Han quickly waved her hand with a flustered look, “It’s just… It’s just that…”
She stammered for a long while, yet couldn’t come with any excuse, and she only got more flustered, as she was afraid to incur Yang Kai’s wrath.
Yang Kai smiled, “Just forget it! Let’s go together to make some purchases. We’ll set off right away after I’m done with them.”
Delight appeared on the face of Ye Jing Han and she quickly nodded, then said, “Good, good…”
As such, they both rushed into the city. On the way, Yang Kai noticed that there were fewer cultivators in Maplewood City than before, and it wasn’t as lively as usual. But, every cultivator in the street was beaming, as if they all had a fortuitous encounter lately. He was puzzled by this and could only ask, “Why are they all smiling? Did something good occur recently?”
Ye Jing Han pursed her lips and said with a smile, “The current Maplewood City isn’t the same as before. Its World Energy is denser than before by at least three or fivefold, that’s why they’re all happy.”
“By the way, I was just about to ask about this,” Yang Kai turned his head and looked at her, “What happened to the World Energy here? Why did it become so dense?”
Ye Jing Han said, “Young Master Yang, you have been in seclusion for the last month so you obviously have no idea about the latest changes of Maplewood City. A month ago, Star Soul Palace’s Senior Xiao and several other Seniors carried out a discussion that lasted several days and decided to turn the Spirit Lake into a public cultivation paradise.”
“They summoned manpower from each of their Sects for this project and finished the work ten days ago. The Spirit Lake has already made a name for itself in the Southern Territory as a wondrous cultivation paradise and many cultivators have swarmed over to make use of it. Numerous residents of Maplewood City have also gone there to observe it and that’s why the city is so deserted.”
Upon hearing her explanation, Yang Kai finally understood why so few people were present in Maplewood City. They had all gone to observe the Spirit Lake and join in the fun.
“That land has been named the Spirit Lake Palace by Xiao Yu Yang and the other Seniors. The land has a large expanse and numerous rooms were built there, rooms suitable for secluded cultivation.”
“Spirit Lake Palace?” Yang Kai raised his brows
Ye Jing Han said with a smile, “That’s right.”
Yang Kai said with a pensive look, “Who is the manager of the Spirit Lake Palace and… Who is its owner?”
Ye Jing Han said, “The great Sects don’t plan to seize it and it is jointly managed by Maplewood City, Star Soul Palace, and the other great Sects. It is open to the entire Southern Territory. Anyone can enter it and cultivate there as long as they pay enough Source Crystals.”
“Huh?” Yang Kai was surprised, “Even Maplewood City has the right to manage it?”
“That’s a matter of course. The Spirit Lake Palace is next to Maplewood City and it is best to have the City Lord manage certain aspects of it. Now, Maplewood City has already made a name for itself with this amazing exploit.”
Yang Kai chuckled, “I can bet that City Lord Duan is thrilled right now.”
Ye Jing Han pursed her lips, “Actually, even though City Lord Duan is still at the Third-Order Dao Source Realm, his status has risen greatly thanks to the Spirit Lake Palace and he’s already on equal standing with the Sect Masters of first-class Sects.”
“His status is pretty high, but his cultivation base is still low and he can’t deter the masses,” Yang Kai furrowed his brow. He was quite worried about Duan Yuan Shan.
Ye Jing Han cast a glance at him. “Young Master Yang, you don’t have to worry about him. Senior Xiao has already taken care of this by accepting City Lord Duan and Vice City Lord Drunkard as Outer Disciples of Star Soul Palace. Those two have also gotten a sinecure in Azure Sun Temple, Heavenly Martial Holy Land, and the other top Sects.”
Upon hearing this, a startled look showed up on the face of Yang Kai, “Is that alright?”
Ye Jing Han covered her mouth and chuckled. She said, “They probably had no other choice.”
“Those Seniors are all quite sharp,” Yang Kai shook his head and smiled bitterly. “I have never heard about a similar occurrence, but I can still bet that none will dare to belittle City Lord Duan and Drunkard now, much less oppose them.”
The cultivations of Duan Yuan Shan and Drunkard weren’t high, but their backers were all the top Sects of the Southern Territory, so it wouldn’t be difficult for them to manage Maplewood City and the Spirit Lake Palace.
If anyone dared to violate their commands, it would be equivalent to opposing all the top factions of the Southern Territory. Which daredevil had the guts to attempt this?
“Senior Xiao is a virtuous and magnanimous person. As expected of Star Soul Palace, the overlord of the Southern Territory. They have outstanding bearing,” Yang Kai said sincerely.
If Star Soul Palace wanted to seize the Spirit Lake Palace, then none would dare to fight back; after all, Star Soul Palace was overseen by Bright Moon Great Emperor and the other top Sects couldn’t contend against them.
But Star Soul Palace didn’t do so and instead led the various factions to turn the Spirit Lake Palace into a Cultivation Paradise open to the entire Southern Territory. From this deed alone, one could see the magnanimity and integrity of this hegemon Sect.
Not every sect would do the same. If Azure Sun Temple’s Wen Zi Shan got his hand on this Cultivation Paradise, then he would likely hide it away and use it for just the disciples of Azure Sun Temple.
That wasn’t a strange matter, as people had different priorities and none would put thoughts into the issues of other people for no reason.
“Go on,” Yang Kai said.
“The Spirit Lake Palace has imitated the structure of the Cultivation Paradise of Star Soul Palace and is divided into three grades: Mortal, Earth, and Heaven. The Mortal Grade Cultivation Paradise is open to cultivators at the Origin Returning Realm or below, while the Earth Grade Cultivation Paradise is open to cultivators at the Dao Source Realm or below. As for the Heaven Grade rooms, they are only open to Emperor Realm Masters.”
As Ye Jing Han spoke up to here, a longing look appeared on her face, as if she yearned for the supreme Emperor Realm, “The entry fee of every grade is higher than the one below it, and it’s said that the Heaven Grade Cultivation Paradise costs a thousand High-Rank Source Crystals for a day and you can only pay with High-Rank Source Crystals. You can’t use an equivalent amount of Mid-Rank or Low-Rank Source Crystal.”
“This price is too… horrifying!” Yang Kai said with a distressed look.
A thousand High-Rank Source Crystals was tantamount to a hundred thousand Mid-Rank or ten million Low-Rank Source Crystals, and that was the fee for a single day. When someone entered secluded cultivation, the shortest it normally lasted was half a month.
Moreover, if they wanted to study and comprehend some Secret Techniques or Arts, they would spend an entire year or more in cultivation, and this was even more obvious for Emperor Realm Masters, as they might easily spend several or dozens of years in secluded cultivation.
The number of Source Crystals they would have to pay for this was almost immeasurable.
Moreover, they were still limited to only High-Rank Source Crystals. The conditions were quite severe.
“But, I guess most Emperor Realm Masters are wealthy, and if they wanted to advance further on the Martial Dao, they might not mind wasting mere worldly possessions to do so,” Yang Kai said with a pensive look.
“You’re right, the Heaven Grade Cultivation Paradise of the Spirit Lake Palace is probably on par with the Heaven Grade ones in Star Soul Palace, and all Emperor Realm Masters would want to give it a try. If they managed to make a breakthrough during their occupancy, it would be worth it no matter how high the price,” Ye Jing Han approved of the opinion of Yang Kai and she said. “But, there are only thirty Heaven Grade Cultivation Rooms.”
“Thirty rooms… Then those Seniors would have an intense fight over them.” Yang Kai nodded.
Thirty rooms seemed plenty, but it really was not. Emperor Realm Masters weren’t commonly seen, but even if there weren’t a thousand in the Southern Territory, there were at least eight hundred, and only those from Star Soul Palace wouldn’t be interested in the Heaven Grade Cultivation Rooms here. As for the rest, they would all covet a secluded cultivation in those rooms.
Once news about it spread out, thirty rooms wouldn’t be nearly enough!
“That’s those Seniors’ business and it isn’t something the likes of me has to agonize over,” Ye Jing Han pursed her lips and smiled.
“What’s the number of Earth and Mortal Grade Rooms?” Yang Kai asked next.
“It looks like there are 500 Earth Grade Rooms and 3,000 Mortal Grade Rooms…”
Upon hearing this, Yang Kai nodded lightly. The number of rooms looked low and far from enough, but not every person could afford a cultivation session in the Spirit Lake Palace and could only observe those rooms from afar.
The income of Maplewood City would reach an astronomical figure thanks to those rooms, but it would likely be divided between the top Sects and only a little would be left for the city. Despite this, Duan Yuan Shan and the others would quickly get rich.
“It is as you say…” Ye Jing Han’s voice suddenly turned low and she spoke in a mystifying tone, “However, this is only a rumour, but it is said that the Spirit Lake Palace has some additional rooms left for the top Sects, which aren’t open to the public. Disciples of those Sects can use those rooms for free, and they can stay there as long as they want.”
“Huh?” Yang Kai raised his brows, “Is that true?”
Ye Jing Han said, “The source of this information isn’t known, but it seems to be quite reliable; after all, the Spirit Lake Palace was built by those top Sects, so it only makes sense for them to reserve some rooms for themselves.”
“That’s understandable!” Yang Kai nodded lightly.
Now, he was also a disciple of Azure Sun Temple and he had an Identity Token in his hands. If the news was reliable, then he could use the token to cultivate in one of those rooms for free.
“In addition, the great Sects arranged a powerful Spirit Array that would lead the World Energy leaking out from the Spirit Lake Palace into Maplewood City, which is why the density of the World Energy in Maplewood City has risen so much.”
“So that’s what happened…” Yang Kai suddenly understood the reason why the density of the World Energy in Maplewood City had risen greatly rather than decreasing. It turned out that it was because an array was leading the World Energy of the Spirit Lake Palace here.
Now, Maplewood City was also much more suitable for cultivation than before. Even if it wasn’t on par with the Spirit Lake Palace, it was still a good fortune for the cultivators residing in Maplewood City.
“Maplewood City will become one of the greatest cities of the Southern Territory in less than two years. I heard that the two great chambers of commerce will also establish branches here.”
Yang Kai chuckled, “The two chambers of commerce wouldn’t miss any chance to make money.”
As they chatted, they quickly reached Spirit Pill Plaza. The shop wasn’t any different from before and there weren’t many customers shopping at the moment. In fact, only the shop-hand was present while the shopkeeper was nowhere to be seen.
Since Kang Si Ran had been transferred, Yang Kai had not visited Spirit Pill Plaza again until now and he couldn’t help sighing inwardly upon seeing it.
After all, Spirit Pill Plaza was the first place he ‘settled’ in Maplewood City.
“Are you… Grandmaster Yang?” A surprised cry reached the ears of Yang Kai and pulled him out of his trance. He raised his head to take a look and saw the shop hand gazing at him excitedly.
“Shop hand, how have you been lately?” Yang Kai greeted him with a smile.
When he had been refining pills in Spirit Pill Plaza, he often contacted this shop hand so, naturally, they weren’t strangers. However, due to various circumstances Yang Kai never actually learned this young lad’s name.
“Good, very good!” The shop-hand said excitedly and incoherently from Yang Kai even remembering his appearance, “Many thanks, Grandmaster Yang, for your concern.”
After he spoke, he quickly ran into the store, shouting, “Grandmaster Yang has come back. Shopkeeper, Grandmaster Yang has come back!”
“Why is he acting like that?” Ye Jing Han looked in confusion at Yang Kai, wondering what was wrong with the shop-hand.
Yang Kai said, “I refined pills in this Spirit Pill Plaza for a couple of months in the past.”
“So that’s the reason.”
“Let’s go in,” Yang Kai gestured to her lightly. He had noticed that after the crazy shouts of the shop-hand, the few customers who were here to make purchases of pills all turned to give him strange gazes, which was why he urged Ye Jing Han to head further inside.
After he walked past the lobby, he ran into a fatty with a gleaming face clad in luxurious clothes on his way to the back of the store. This fat man looked about forty years old and had an impressive belly.
This was obviously the new shopkeeper of Spirit Pill Plaza and he was also a Third-Order Origin King cultivator, the same as Kang Si Ran before his recent breakthrough.
The fatty wiped off the sweat from his forehead and said anxiously, “Where is Grandmaster Yang?”
As his voice fell, he suddenly raised his head and sighted upon Yang Kai. He quickly cupped his fists at him and said, “Greetings Grandmaster Yang, I am the current shopkeeper of Spirit Pill Plaza, Zhou Fu, I apologize sincerely for failing to welcome you personally, please don’t take offense.”
Yang Kai cupped his fists to him and said with a smile, “Shopkeeper Zhou is too polite. It was I who came unannounced.”
As they exchanged greetings, two more people raced out from the back rooms shouting anxiously, “Who is Grandmaster Yang, where is he?”
One of them surveyed the surroundings before his gaze fell upon Yang Kai and he immediately asked, “Are you Grandmaster Yang?”
Yang Kai cast a glance at him. This man had dishevelled hair and sunken, bloodshot eyes, as if he hadn’t rested in a long while. The other man standing next to him was in similar condition.
What’s more, Yang Kai could smell a faint pill fragrance lingering around this pair’s bodies.
Yang Kai quickly realized their occupations and he smiled at them, “I don’t dare to call myself a Grandmaster, but this one is indeed surnamed Yang.”
Upon hearing this, the eyes of the two people shone brightly and they stared at Yang Kai with an ardent gaze. Cupping their fists, they bowed deeply, “Greetings, Grandmaster Yang.”
“Two friends are too polite,” Yang Kai smiled before he turned to Zhou Fu, “Shopkeeper Zhou, can we go inside to have a chat?”
He gestured lightly toward the people in the vicinity. The customers making purchases in the store were all observing them in confusion, making guesses about the identity of Yang Kai and why the members of Spirit Pill Plaza were so respectful to him.
Zhou Fu said awkwardly, “How negligent of me! Grandmaster Yang, please come in.”
“Yes, yes, Grandmaster Yang, please come inside,” the two men behind him quickly made way for Yang Kai respectfully.
“Have the best spirit tea prepared immediately,” as Zhou Fu said so, he kicked the shop-hand observing them, sending the latter scurrying to complete his task.
After a short while, Yang Kai sat down in the backroom with Ye Jing Han standing behind him like a bodyguard, while Zhou Fu and his companions stood before him.
“Friends, please sit,” Yang Kai said and gestured to them lightly.
“No, we don’t have the right to sit in the presence of Grandmaster Yang, we’ll just stand!” Zhou Fu quickly waved his hand in refusal.
“That’s right, that’s right.”
“Kneeling is also fine!” One of the two Alchemists suddenly suggested, drawing light laughter from Ye Jing Han’s lips. She simply couldn’t understand why Yang Kai had so much prestige here.
Yang Kai didn’t force them to sit down anymore and instead asked, “Have you received any instructions from Shopkeeper Kang?”
Zhou Fu’s expression turned austere as he said, “Shopkeeper Kang has contacted us multiple times, inquiring about Grandmaster Yang, but until today none of us had seen Your Excellency, nor could we obtain any information about you. Fortunately, news spread from the Four Seasons Realm about Grandmaster Yang, allowing us to give a confession to Shopkeeper Kang,” Zhou Fu said and chuckled bitterly.
Yang Kai nodded, “Shopkeeper Kang is quite considerate, how is he doing now?”
Zhou Fu explained, “Very good, I heard that he’ll shortly return to Maplewood City.”
Yang Kai’s expression changed and he said, “Is it because of the matter about Violet Source Chamber of Commerce setting up a branch here?”
Zhou Fu said, “Grandmaster Yang, you are indeed well-informed. Violet Source Chamber of Commerce decided to open a branch in Maplewood City and they decided to assign Kang Si Ran as a Manager. He has been conducting business here for many years and has an extensive network of contacts, making it easier to deal with diverse affairs in this city.”
Yang Kai said with a smile, “Brother Kang will finally be rewarded for his hard work.”
In the past, Maplewood City was just an insignificant city, the likes of which could be found anywhere, so Kang Si Ran had been eager to transfer away after reaching the Dao Source Realm. However, the current Maplewood City was on the cusp of becoming a great city, which was why Violet Source Chamber of Commerce was transferring Kang Si Ran back here. They obviously trusted his ability and the latter would surely obtain many benefits and a prominent status as a result.
As a matter of fact, this was really what happened. Kang Si Ran had stayed in this city for so many years and he had a good relationship with the City Lord’s Mansion and the Patriarchs of the various great families, which was why he was a perfect candidate to become a Manager in Maplewood City’s branch.
After they chatted for a while, Yang Kai suddenly changed the topic of discussion and said, “Shopkeeper Zhou, I visited Spirit Pill Plaza today to ask for your help.”
Zhou Fu’s face became rosy and he said in a deep voice, “Grandmaster Yang, what instructions do you have for me? Please feel free to speak. This Zhou will walk through fire and cross oceans for you!”
“Hehe, it’s nothing so grave.” Yang Kai chuckled and waved his hand, “I want to purchase some Facetless Profound Grass, you know of it, don’t you?”
“Facetless Profound Grass?” Shopkeeper Zhou raised his brows and said, “I am indeed familiar with it and our Spirit Pill Plaza has some in stock. If Grandmaster Yang has need of it, he may take all of it as a gift.”
Yang Kai shook his head and said, “The stock in Spirit Pill Plaza is far from enough.”
Zhou Fu said, “How much do you want?”
“The more the better!”
“I’ll send people to collect it from the other shops in the city. Grandmaster Yang will not be disappointed by the results.”
“Many thanks, Shopkeeper Zhou,” Yang Kai said and cupped his fists.
Zhou Fu smiled, “Grandmaster Yang is far too polite. Grandmaster Yang is the saviour of our Spirit Pill Plaza as well as a former member of it, it is only natural that this Zhou fulfils your little request.”
Zhou Fu quickly went to handle matters related to the Facetless Profound Grass.
Actually, Yang Kai could have handled this and purchased them by himself, but he would have wasted a lot of time and energy on it; on the other hand, Zhou Fu was in touch with the shopkeepers of the other stores in Maplewood City and he could quickly get any materials from them, making him more efficient than Yang Kai.
After Zhou Fu left, the two men with dishevelled hair looked at Yang Kai excitedly, “Grandmaster Yang, do you need Facetless Profound Grass to refine pills?”
Yang Kai smiled, “You could say so. Friends, it looks like you are also Alchemists, aren’t you?”
“Indeed! We’re very honoured to undertake the same craft as Grandmaster Yang,” one of them replied with a fawning smile.
As for the other person, “Grandmaster Yang, we’ve looked up to you for so long, yet never had the chance to meet you and didn’t expect that we’d be fortunate to run into you today.”
The two Alchemists were both slick-tongued and they spoke one after the other with a respectful and humble look plastered on their faces. It was almost like they were worshipping Yang Kai!
Ye Jing Han observed this in shock. She felt like her worldview had been toppled and she almost couldn’t believe what she had just seen.
As far as she knew, Alchemists were arrogant and prideful people and she never got to see them praising and flattering someone.
But, as she gave more thought to this, she realized that Alchemists only gave respect to better Alchemists. Yang Kai had refined the Extraordinary Treasure Pill, so it wasn’t strange for two Origin King Grade Alchemists to treat him so respectfully.
Even at this moment, the two Alchemists were still showering Yang Kai with flattery and praising him to the highest Heavens.
Yang Kai let out a hollow cough, “Friends, don’t you have any questions for me? I have some free time now…”
Upon hearing this, the two Alchemists exchanged a glance and they could both see the excitement apparent in each other’s eyes. One of them then took the initiative to speak up, “Grandmaster Yang, you are indeed sharp and insightful! We have heard that the Source Condensing Pills refined by Grandmaster Yang when he worked at Spirit Pill Plaza were quite popular. But, since we took over, we noticed that our Source Condensing Pills lacked something and many customers were dissatisfied with that, which is why the number of our store’s customers has gone down lately.”
“We just want… Want to… Grandmaster Yang, if you have some free time, can you please share your insights into the Alchemic Dao with us?”
Upon hearing this, Yang Kai asked, “Does Spirit Pill Plaza still use the improved recipe for Source Condensing Pills? The one improved by Grandmaster Huang Fu?”
“That’s right, Grandmaster Huang Fu is an Emperor Grade Alchemist, and he is the foundation of our Violet Source Chamber of Commerce’s Alchemists.”
“Since you are still using Grandmaster Huang Fu’s recipe, then there is no issue with the ingredients or process, so the problem must be in your refining methods. It won’t be useful to just explain it to you in words… Why don’t you refine a batch of Source Condensing Pills while I observe?” Yang Kai proposed.
Upon hearing this, the two Alchemists became fired up. They had both realized that Yang Kai was planning to give them practical guidance, a rare opportunity far from the reach of most people, so how could they refuse his request? They both shouted at the same time, “We will obey Grandmaster’s instructions! Grandmaster, please come this way.”
Yang Kai nodded and stood up, allowing the two Alchemists to guide him to the underground Pill Room. Ye Jing Han also followed them closely out of curiosity.
She was a Second-Order Dao Source Realm cultivator, but she had never observed someone refine pills up close before so she was quite interested in this.
After a short while, the small group reached the blazing hot underground Pill Room. There was a Spirit Array here for drawing out Earth Fire used in Alchemy, and Yang Kai was quite familiar with it because he had worked here for a few months.
The two Alchemists took out a batch of materials and started refining pills, while Yang Kai stood in front of them and observed carefully.
It wasn’t difficult for him to guide two High-Rank Origin King Grade Alchemists with his current attainments in Alchemy. Refining technique, Spirit Array portrayal, heat control, each aspect could influence the quality of Spirit Pills.
During the process, Yang Kai offered suggestions frequently and the two Alchemists accepted his advice humbly.
In the twinkling of an eye, half a day elapsed. The Alchemists opened their furnaces and they had both refined five or six pills of decent quality. They were quite delighted by the results and were very grateful to Yang Kai.
At this moment, Zhou Fu passed a message to Yang Kai, telling him that he had acquired the Facetless Profound Grass.
Yang Kai excused himself, leaving the two Alchemists to digest the gains from this brief instructional session, and returned to the plaza’s backroom.
Upon seeing Yang Kai, Zhou Fu, who had been waiting, quickly took out a Space Ring, “I have fulfilled your task. This ring has 2,000 stalks of Facetless Profound Grass. Please accept it!”
Yang Kai raised his brows and nodded, “Shopkeeper Zhou, you work quite fast.”
2,000 stalks of Facetless Profound Grass would sustain his needs for a long time, and Zhou Fu had used only half a day to collect them. He obviously put a lot of effort into this. If Yang Kai had done it by himself, he wouldn’t have been able to purchase so much in half a day.
“About the price…” Yang Kai took the Space Ring then raised his head to ask.
Zhou Fu hurriedly replied, “The Facetless Profound Grass isn’t worth much, just take it as a token of my regards for you. Please don’t reject it!”
Yang Kai said with a smile, “You don’t have to do so, you deserve proper remuneration.”
Saying so, Yang Kai suddenly waved his hand and a small mountain of Source Crystals appeared on a nearby table.
Yang Kai didn’t wait for the response from Zhou Fu before his body flickered and disappeared from the room. Even Ye Jing Han had disappeared along with him.
But, his voice still reverberated in Zhou Fu’s ears, “Whenever Shopkeeper Kang returns to Maplewood City, please notify me. When we meet again, we’ll have to drink to celebrate.”
Zhou Fu stared in a daze at the Source Crystals on the table and let out a bitter laugh.
…..
In one of the city’s streets, Yang Kai and Ye Jing Han suddenly appeared.
When Ye Jing Han re-appeared, she stumbled on the ground and almost fell. Her face was quite pale as she looked aghast at Yang Kai and asked, “Young Master Yang, is this your… teleportation ability?”
“Are you alright?” Yang Kai didn’t reply to her question and instead inquired about her well-being.
“It is my first time experiencing such a teleportation and I could clearly feel the chaotic flow of the Void around me. I still feel some lingering fear,” Ye Jing Han said.
Yang Kai said with a smile, “Then you’re still fine.”
Saying so, he took out a communication artifact and started sending his Divine Sense into it.
“Young Master Yang, who are you speaking to?” Ye Jing Han asked.
“Oh, I was planning to set out now so I need to leave a message for Patriarch Qin.”
“You don’t want to bid farewell to him in person?” Ye Jing Han looked strangely at him.
“There’s no need. In any case, I will return here in the future and Patriarch Qin is quite busy right now. Didn’t you tell me that the Patriarchs of Maplewood City’s families had all followed City Lord Duan to manage the Spirit Lake Palace?”
Ye Jing Han said, “If it’s only about Patriarch Qin, then I suppose that’s fine, but what about Young Lady Qin…”
“What’s about her?” Yang Kai turned his head and cast a glance at her, saying, “When I exited my retreat, I checked her aura stealthily and she seemed fine. Her state is already stable and her vitality is quite abundant.”
Ye Jing Han pursed her lips and smiled, “Young Master Yang, while you were in seclusion, Young Lady Qin came to your room daily and waited for no less than two hours each time. She probably has something she wishes to tell you, so why not give her a chance?”
Yang Kai cast a glance at her and his mouth twitched slightly, “Are all women so gossipy?”
As his voice fell, he used the communication artifact to leave a message for Qin Zhao Yang, telling him he would be leaving Maplewood City for a while and would come back again if there was a chance.
The Myriads Sword of the Qin Family was still in his hands, but he already had an agreement with Qin Zhao Yang about it. Once Qin Yu reached the Emperor Realm, he would return the Myriads Sword to the Qin Family. He couldn’t break his relationship with the Qin Family due to this, but he didn’t know when Qin Yu would reach the Emperor Realm, or whether she ever would.
Soon after, he took out the Identity Token of Azure Sun Temple to inform Gao Xue Ting that he would shortly leave. This token wasn’t just proof of his status and identity, it also served as a communication artifact. As long as there was another member of Azure Sun Temple in the vicinity, he could communicate with them through this token.
“That’s…” Ye Jing Han’s pretty eyes stared at the golden token with a pensive look, but when she saw the ‘Azure Sun’ characters carved on it, her body shivered and she cried out in alarm, “An Azure Sun Golden Token!”
Yang Kai looked in surprise at her, wondering why she had such a strong reaction.
“Young Master Yang, it turns out you’re a Core Disciple of Azure Sun Temple! Please forgive me for my previous disrespect…” Ye Jing Han laughed bitterly while an envious look surfaced on her face.
“A Core Disciple?” Yang Kai raised his brows, “How do you know that?”
Ye Jing Han looked strangely at Yang Kai and said, “Young Master Yang, you’re a member of Azure Sun Temple, so how come you don’t know how they classify their disciples?”
The corners of Yang Kai’s mouth twitched and he could only say awkwardly, “I’m only an in-name disciple of Azure Sun Temple, not a real disciple.”
“Then this golden token…” Ye Jing Han’s forehead filled with cold sweat as she felt her head spinning, her whole body shivering greatly. She couldn’t help but wonder whether Yang Kai had stolen this token from someone. If he had done so, then she would incur a disaster for Thousand Leaves Sect by inviting this man into it.
“Elder Gao forced it onto me,” Yang Kai said resentfully.
“She forced it… onto you…” Ye Jing Han almost fainted. Numerous talented youths of the Southern Territory fought with their lives on the line just to obtain the most common Identity Token from Azure Sun Temple, while a Core Disciples token had been ‘forced’ into Yang Kai’s hands by Elder Gao, as if he had accepted it only reluctantly.
Ye Jing Han suddenly felt quite unwell, while she got a dizzy spell and her vision turned blurry. She couldn’t help but wonder whether it was due to the previous teleportation or something else.
“Huh? Why is your face so pale? Did you eat something bad this morning?” Yang Kai cast a glance at her and spoke.
“Young Master Yang…” Ye Jing Han looked entreatingly at Yang Kai, “Please don’t make such terrible jokes, I’m quite excitable, so please stop trying to scare me.”
“What are you talking about?”
“Young Master Yang, don’t you know what this Azure Sun Golden Token represents?”
Yang Kai said sternly, “I only received it a month ago and have been in seclusion since then. What’s so special about this token?”
Ye Jing Han took a deep breath, causing her tall peaks to heave up and down heavily, like they were about to break through her dress.
Upon seeing this, Yang Kai couldn’t help but cast some frequent glances just below her neck.
After Ye Jing Han calmed herself, she explained, “The Identity Tokens of Azure Sun Temple’s disciples are all made of the same materials, but they are divided into three grades, bronze, silver, and gold. In the Temple, only a few top disciples of the Inner Sect possess an Azure Sun Golden Token, and with it, they are able to command all disciples with lower grade tokens. A person with a golden token has status equal to an ordinary Elder and they can even mobilize the personnel of the various industries of Azure Sun Temple across the entire Southern Territory. Whether it is requesting support, issuing commands, or borrowing resources, this token grants such authority. It is incredibly precious!”
“Oh, really?”
Upon hearing all of this, a stupefied look appeared on Yang Kai’s face. He didn’t know that the Identity Tokens of Azure Sun Temple’s disciples were divided into several grades.
It looked like the Azure Sun Golden Token given to him by Gao Xue Ting was anything but ordinary, and it was a symbol of her trust in him, as well as her recognition of his potential.
“Young Master Yang, you really didn’t know anything?” Ye Jing Han laughed bitterly.
“It’s just a token,” Yang Kai replied casually before he infused his Divine Sense into the token then sent a notification for Gao Xue Ting before placing it back. “Let’s go!”
The complex look apparent on the face of Ye Jing Han was quickly replaced by excitement and she nodded, “Okay!”
As her voice fell, Yang Kai’s power had already enveloped her and they teleported outside the city. Soon after, Yang Kai took out the wooden boat Artifact and stepped on it then beckoned to her, waiting for her to get on before weaving a set of hand seals and setting off.
The wooden boat wasn’t big, but it was still more than enough to accommodate two people standing on it. Besides, this was a Dao Source Grade High-Rank Flight Artifact, an artifact close to Emperor Grade, so its speed was quite outstanding.
Prior to this ordeal, he didn’t even remember where he had once heard the name of Thousand Leaves Sect and he had no understanding of it. That’s why he briefly questioned Ye Jing Han about it on the journey.
According to what Ye Jing Han had said, the Thousand Leaves Sect had been one of the first-class Sects of the Southern Territory long ago. It hadn’t been on par with peak-level sects such as Azure Sun Temple and Heavenly Martial Holy Land, but it still wasn’t too far from them.
However, since the entrance to its Sealed World had been sealed, the Sect lost access to abundant World Energy, as well as numerous pieces of its core inheritance. As a result, it had quickly declined and it grew weaker with each passing year.
In the current generation of Ye Jing Han’s father, the Sect had already declined thoroughly and the only Third-Order Dao Source Realm cultivator remaining was Sect Master Ye Han. In other words, they were weaker than the Blue Feather Sect!
Blue Feather Sect didn’t have an Emperor Realm Master assuming command, but it still had four Third-Order Dao Source Realm cultivators the last time Yang Kai visited it.
In the previous opening of the Four Seasons Realm, Blue Feather Sect had still been awarded two entry quotas, while Thousand Leaves Sect didn’t even have one. One could clearly see the disparity between them from this.
Thousand Leaves Sect was located in Thousand Leaves Mountain Range in the Southern Territory’s Jiang Province, and it was around half a month’s journey away from Maplewood City.
Previously, Maplewood City had a Space Array leading to Jiang Province, but it had been destroyed by Drunkard during the desperate fight against the Demon Qi shrouding the city and it hadn’t been repaired since then.
After all, Maplewood City was quite small and the words of Duan Yuan Shan and his companions counted for little. They couldn’t invite competent Array Masters to repair the Space Array.
But, this wasn’t an issue any longer. After settling the Spirit Lake Palace’s affairs, Xiao Yu Yang and the other Emperors would surely dispatch Array Masters from their Sects to repair the Space Array.
Maplewood City would become one of the greatest cities of the Southern Territory and its Space Array would surely be connected to every major city it could.
Yang Kai reckoned that it would be easy for him to return to Maplewood City next time as he would just have to seek any medium-sized city and use its Space Array to instantly travel into Maplewood City.
Along the way, Yang Kai and Ye Jing Han spent their free time chatting, and he learned that the Thousand Leaves Sect was actually a Puppet Refinement Sect, and most of its disciples cultivated the Dao of Puppetry.
This was the first time Yang Kai had run into such a type of Sect in the Star Boundary. There were three thousand Daos which comprised the Martial Dao. Puppet Techniques weren’t weak, but they had strict cultivation requirements and refining puppets was a pretty complex process, which was why few people had any good achievements in this Dao.
But, if one cultivated the Dao of Puppetry to its pinnacle, then they would also be extremely powerful.
“Since your Thousand Leaves Sect mainly cultivates Puppet Techniques, why haven’t I ever seen you use them?” Yang Kai asked in confusion.
When they had run into danger below the eighteen Spirit Springs, Ye Jing Han didn’t use her puppets once.
Upon hearing Yang Kai’s question, an embarrassed look appeared on Ye Jing Han’s face and she said awkwardly, “If I tell you, then you would laugh at us. Our Thousand Leaves Sect is known for its Puppet Techniques, but we lost most of our core Puppet Control Techniques after the Sect Master of that generation brought numerous Secret Technique Manuals and books into the Sealed World. As a result, the puppets refined by our Thousand Leaves Sect currently… Aren’t very useful.”
Saying so, she pursed her rosy lips and weaved some hand signs, summoning a little blue bird into her palm.
Yang Kai observed the bird carefully. This was a perfect lifelike imitation of a bird and even had distinctive feathers that gave off a natural lustre. But, if one observed it with their Divine Sense, they would realize that this bird didn’t have a body of flesh and blood and it was just a puppet crafted out of various materials.
Amazement surfaced in Yang Kai’s eyes. If he didn’t observe the bird carefully with his Divine Sense, then he wouldn’t have been able to distinguish it from the real deal.
Soon after, Ye Jing Han weaved hand seals again and pointed her jade-white finger at the bird.
In the next moment, the bird shone brightly and it flapped its little wings, turning its head around and flying up into the air before it started circling around Ye Jing Han, letting out authentic-sounding chirps.
Upon seeing this, Yang Kai gasped in amazement and nodded at her with praise, “Your Noble Sect’s Puppet Techniques are outstanding.”
Ye Jing Han’s face got flushed, “Many thanks, Young Master Yang, for the undeserved praise. Our Sect’s current Puppet Techniques could only craft puppets like the one before your eyes. They are useful for gathering intelligence and stealthily tracking, but they are pretty much useless in real battles. This is why… Some of the Elders of our Sect have already started cultivating other methods and Secret Techniques as they believe Puppet Techniques are useless.”
Yang Kai sneered and said, “They are all just too short-sighted.”
Ye Jing Han’s eyes lit up, “Young Master Yang, do you truly believe the Dao of Puppetry is good?”
Yang Kai said firmly, “I haven’t delved into this Dao, but I still know that powerful puppets shouldn’t be underestimated. It’s said that the Star Boundary has some pretty strong puppets, ones so strong that even Emperor Realm Masters would avoid fighting them if they could.”
Upon hearing this, Ye Jing Han smiled bitterly, “I don’t aspire to craft such strong puppets, I just wish to halt the decline of our Thousand Leaves Sect. But it’s a pity… The crux of Puppet Refining is the availability of Spirit Energy Hearts and our Sect doesn’t have any methods left to craft High-Grade Spirit Energy Hearts. If we could at least obtain such a method, then regaining our former glory wouldn’t be so impossible.”
“Spirit Energy Hearts?” Yang Kai raised his brow as he suddenly recalled something. Stretching out his hand, he summoned several egg-sized crystals which emitted a strange radiance into his palm.
Ye Jing Han cried out in alarm and without waiting for him to explain anything shouted, “Spirit Energy Hearts? Young Master Yang, why do you have such objects in your possession?”
“I obtained them in the Four Seasons Realm,” Yang Kai replied.
In the Flowing Time Temple, the first trial faced by the crowd was numerous puppets, and after Yang Kai had defeated said puppets, he collected their Spirit Energy Hearts. He only had a few of them though and hadn’t decided what to do with them yet.
“The Four Seasons Realm…”
Upon hearing this, Ye Jing Han’s expression turned gloomy, but she quickly recovered and asked excitedly, “Young Master Yang, can I have a look at those Spirit Energy Hearts?”
Yang Kai cast a glance at her lightly before tossing one of them over.
Ye Jing Han caught it in delight and started playing with it in her hands while observing it carefully like a little kid who had just gotten a new toy. The woman’s delight was apparent on her face!
“The Spirit Arrays engraved on this Spirit Energy Heart look very old, the techniques to engrave the Spirit Veins have already been lost, but this Spirit Energy Heart’s grade is pretty high. If I’m not mistaken, this should have belonged to a Dao Source Grade Puppet, yes?”
Yang Kai nodded and said, “That’s right, you’re still able to appraise and identify them accurately it seems.”
“Young Master Yang, please don’t make fun of me. I have been involved in the Dao of Puppetry since my childhood and I have studied it ever since then. If I have this Spirit Energy Heart, then I can craft a Dao Source Grade Puppet…”
Saying so, she clenched the Spirit Energy Heart tightly and looked expectantly at Yang Kai, “Young Master Yang, I have a presumptuous request.”
“Since you know it’s a presumptuous request, don’t raise it,” Yang Kai knew very well what she wanted to ask and swiftly snatched the Spirit Energy Heart back from her, grinning as he said, “I have only a few of these and I want to keep them.”
“Young Master Yang…” Ye Jing Han wore a sorrowful look, as if Yang Kai had now thoughtlessly abandoned her after casually sleeping with her, “Why don’t you sell it to me? This object is pretty much useless to you.”
Now, she was only a Second-Order Dao Source Realm cultivator, the same as Yang Kai, but if she could refine a Dao Source Grade Puppet, then she would be able to raise her combat strength significantly. This wasn’t any different than a Heaven-sent blessing for a person who was engrossed in Puppet Techniques since her childhood.
Moreover, it wasn’t limited to just this. She could still study the internal structure of this Spirit Energy Heart and might be able to comprehend some of its secrets, ultimately enabling her to reproduce it. If she could achieve this feat, then she would be able to raise the power of Thousand Leaves Sect by several-fold.
“Young Master Yang, can you sell one of them to me? I beg of you.”
Upon noticing that Yang Kai was turning a deaf ear to her pleas, Ye Jing Han gripped Yang Kai’s arm and started shaking it repeatedly like a little girl throwing a tantrum.
Yang Kai curled the corners of his lips and revealed an evil grin, chuckling as he said, “Young Lady Ye, we’re now in a desolate area, so is it really appropriate for you to stick so close to me?”
Upon hearing this, Ye Jing Han’s face got flushed and she immediately realized how inappropriate her current actions were. She quickly let go of him then asked piteously, “Young Master Yang, what do you want in exchange for one of them?”
“I won’t sell it for now,” Yang Kai replied.
“For now?”
Upon hearing this, Ye Jing Han raised her brow and she took keen notice of the implication behind Yang Kai’s words, her eyes suddenly lighting up as she asked, “Then when will you sell them?”
Yang Kai chuckled, “That depends on the situation. I may not ever sell them, or I may decide to sell them at a passing opportunity.”
“You’re so…” Ye Jing Han was so enraged that she stamped her feet. She had no way to deal with Yang Kai.
She didn’t get to finish her words though as Yang Kai’s expression suddenly turned grave and he stopped the boat. Ye Jing Han who had been standing behind him almost knocked into his back, but she reacted pretty quickly and used her Source Qi to keep her balance. Afterwards, she couldn’t help but ask angrily, “Young Master Yang, what are you up to?”
Yang Kai didn’t reply and just looked coldly into the void in the vicinity with a mocking grin on his face.
“What’s wrong?”
Upon seeing this, Ye Jing Han couldn’t help but question him, while a chill suddenly ran down her spine, as if she was being eyed by some dangerous beast.
A light breeze blew over the serene wilderness and brought with it an austere air.
Ye Jing Han had noticed that something was amiss, but couldn’t pinpoint what it was. She just wrapped her outer clothing around herself and stood there with a nervous look on her face.
“Friends, will you show yourselves obediently… Or will I have to make a move and pull you out?” Yang Kai sneered suddenly and shouted at the void.
“What? There is someone here?” Ye Jing Han was alarmed by what she had just heard and she suddenly understood why she felt nervous for no reason. She asked in surprise, “What’s going on?”
“Someone is staring at us,” Yang Kai said with a casual tone without even an ounce of nervousness.
Yang Kai waited for a long while, yet no one responded, so he could only sneer, “It looks like you’re quite confident in your Concealment Technique and you think that I’m just playing tricks with you.”
As his last word echoed out, Yang Kai’s figure suddenly turned fuzzy and he appeared in the next moment a hundred metres ahead of where he stood earlier, palming towards empty space.
*Hong…*
An explosion echoed out, closely followed by an alarmed cry. A silhouette suddenly jumped out of the void and moved back thirty metres before it could regain its balance.
After this one move, Yang Kai returned to the wooden boat and stood with his hands clasped behind his back, calmly stating, “The rest of you should also come out. Don’t waste my time. I don’t want to expose you one by one. You’re not little children, so don’t play such games with me.”
Less than three breaths had elapsed since his voice fell when two more figures revealed themselves. If the one Yang Kai attacked was added to their number, it would make them a group of three.
Ye Jing Han observed in shock. If she didn’t get a warning from Yang Kai, then she wouldn’t have noticed that someone was hiding here. She already knew that Yang Kai was far stronger than her, yet she still didn’t expect that the disparity between them was this great.
After all, she was still a Second-Order Dao Source Realm cultivator, yet she did not manage to detect any danger lurking around them. If those three people had targeted her, then she would have been…
As she thought of this, Ye Jing Han’s whole body got drenched in a cold sweat.
“Hehe…” Yang Kai suddenly laughed and didn’t bother with observing the three that showed themselves, instead turning his head toward an empty region and asking, “Friend, you think your concealment skill is that good? Don’t you know that you’re standing opposite of where the wind is blowing and I can clearly sniff out your scent even though you’re standing that far away from me?”
After Yang Kai said so, another person showed up.
“Is there anyone else?” Ye Jing Han’s pretty face turned pale. After she released her Divine Sense, she realized that the auras of these four were hidden but it was obvious they were all powerful. They were most likely Third-Order Dao Source Realm cultivators. Anyone among them could easily kill her, yet, they had to face four of them at the same time.
Even though she had a good understanding of Yang Kai’s power, she still got worried for him and she wondered whether he could contend against four of them.
Those four were strange. They did not utter a single word after showing themselves and they all wore hideous ghost masks that hid their facial features.
It still wasn’t limited to just this, the masks were obviously some kind of special artifacts that obstructed the probing of Divine Sense. When Yang Kai had released his Divine Sense to try and see their true faces, he was obstructed by the masks.
Other than the masks, the four wore the same clothing. They all looked capable and experienced and they wore the same black attire with the sole difference between them being the character embroidered on their chests. They were respectively Wind, Thunder, Fire, and Mountain.
The aura emanating from these four was also somewhat unusual. It looked like they had some kind of subtle connection and resonance between them.
Upon noticing this, Yang Kai’s face fell. He had realized that those four people weren’t pushovers and they likely cultivated some sort of Formation Technique.
“Wind, Thunder, Fire, and Mountain?” Ye Jing Han furrowed her brows and a pensive look appeared on her face, as if she had just recalled something.
“Friends, why were you waiting for us here? What do you want with us?” Yang Kai asked with a smile.
Upon hearing this, they still stood there motionless for a long while, before the Ghost Masked Man with the ‘Wind’ character depicted on his clothes suddenly spoke, “Come with us!”
Yang Kai raised his brows and asked, “Who are you? And where do you plan to take us?”
The Thunder-titled cultivator said in a deep voice, “Don’t waste time questioning, you’ll know once you get there.”
Yang Kai chuckled, “Sorry, but I’m quite afraid of strangers. I have never met you and I won’t go with you. Hope to see you again.”
As he spoke, he pushed his boat to try to escape, but a sizzling noise rang out at that moment and an arc of lightning flashed from the Thunder-titled cultivator, barring the path forward as he snorted coldly, “This isn’t up to you.”
Yang Kai’s pupils contracted. He was quite amazed by this person’s speed. His short distance movement speed wasn’t any weaker than his own teleportation technique, and from the looks of the Source Qi emitted from this man’s body, he obviously cultivated some sort of Thunder Attribute Secret Art.
Thunder was strong and swift, so it wasn’t strange for this person to possess such high speed.
Yang Kai’s face sank. Those people had obviously hidden here for a long while, and from their attitude and what they had said so far, it was obvious they were here for him.
But, Yang Kai had no idea about the origins of these four, nor their objectives.
The factions he offended lately were only the Flying Saint Palace and the Evil Moon Valley, but those two Sects didn’t have such powerful cultivators and they wouldn’t dare make a move against him.
Yang Kai couldn’t help but wonder if it was the Myriad Swords that had brought trouble to him. But upon giving it more thought, he realized that it was quite unlikely. If they were simply after his sword, they wouldn’t have asked him to accompany them, they could just kill him and steal his treasures.
As Yang Kai mulled this over, he said with a smile, “Friend, you’re quite swift. May I ask what I’ll have to do for you after accompanying you?”
“We have nothing to tell you,” The Thunder-titled cultivator replied coldly.
“You’re all so haughty! I see that there is no more room for discussion between us.” Yang Kai’s mouth twitched.
“Don’t waste your breath with him, just take him down.” The Fire-titled cultivator had a hot temper, probably because he cultivated a Fire Attribute Secret Art.
Upon hearing Yang Kai’s blubbering, he let out a shout and a blood-red dagger appeared in his hand. Pushing his Source Qi, the Fire-titled cultivator sent a cloud of flames towards Yang Kai.
In an instant, the temperature of the area rose drastically and the sky had been dyed by a blazing scarlet colour.
“Blood Dagger!” Ye Jing Han covered her mouth with her little hand and cried in alarm while her pretty eyes flashed in fright!
Yang Kai furrowed his brow and moved away along with Ye Jing Han. He dodged that terrifying strike and appeared again dozens of metres from his former position, staring coldly at the four people around him as he asked, “Do you know the origins of these people?”
“The Blood Dagger, they are from Blood Dagger!” Ye Jing Han replied in alarm.
“Look, I’m asking what this ‘Blood Dagger’ is.” Yang Kai shouted impatiently.
Ye Jing Han took a deep breath, trying to calm down, “Blood Dagger isn’t a Sect per se, but rather an organization, yet it’s more powerful than most top Sects. It isn’t known where its headquarters is located, but its activities span all four Territories of the Star Boundary. They would frequently sell their services and help people resolve their troubles for a fee. As long as you can afford to pay them, they will assassinate anyone for you, and once they make a move, they won’t stop until they eliminate their target.”
As she spoke up to here, Ye Jing Han said in a shivering voice, “Young Master Yang, why is Blood Dagger targeting you?”
Yang Kai’s brow twitched as he replied, “I’m as confused as you.” He really didn’t even know an organization like Blood Dagger existed prior to this.
Saying so, he shouted at the four, “Friends from Blood Dagger, may I ask you who is after my life?”
“No one!”
Surprisingly enough, the Wind-titled cultivator replied to this question, “We have just received an order from our superiors to bring you to our headquarters. So, please cooperate with us.”
Yang Kai chuckled and said, “It looks like getting into the limelight is not such a good thing after all.”
“Young Master Yang, you’re still in the mood to joke around?” Ye Jing Han stamped her feet.
“Just take a look at me,” Yang Kai stared at Ye Jing Han earnestly and said in a deep voice, “Does it look like I’m joking around? Am I not in the limelight?”
“You… You… You drive me crazy!” Ye Jing Han was choking back so much rage that her face got flushed.
*Xiu xiu xiu…*
The sound of something flying through the air suddenly rang out as the Wind-titled cultivator took the opportunity when Yang Kai was talking to Ye Jing Han to suddenly take out his dagger and make a move. He summoned several red blades of wind, which contained a sickening smell of iron, as if they had been formed by fresh blood.
Who knew how many people these cultivators had killed! Their attacks were all bloody and ruthless and had the same vicious aura.
Yang Kai’s body flickered again and he easily dodged the attack. He looked in mockery at the members of Blood Dagger, “If your powers are limited to just this, then go back home. It isn’t that easy to make a living in this world and you may lose your life at any moment.”
Upon hearing Yang Kai’s mockery, those four cultivators remained unmoved with the sole exception being the Fire-titled cultivator, who obviously showed anger in his eyes.
The Wind-titled cultivator nodded, “As expected, he’s proficient in the Dao of Space as the rumours say. It won’t be easy to deal with him.”
The Thunder-titled cultivator added, “That’s the reason why he’s so valuable. We have to take him back with us.”
“Let’s begin!” The Fire-titled cultivation shouted impatiently.
“Go!” As the Wind-titled cultivator shouted, his body shook and his wind surged. As the sound of the air being cut rang out again, a whirlwind started enveloping his body. The man was weaving hand seals with a heavy expression on his face as if he was using a powerful Secret Technique.
Meanwhile, the other three acted similarly, but the force surging out of their bodies was naturally different.
Yang Kai’s expression turned grave and he shouted at Ye Jing Han, “Protect yourself!”
As his voice fell, he flew toward his opponents with the Myriads Sword in his hand. An Emperor Pressure emanated from it while abundant Sword Qi and Sword Intent pervaded the region, as if it would shortly slice off a piece of the world. Yang Kai focused his strike towards the Wind-titled cultivator.
The opponents knew that he was proficient in Space Force, yet they still dared to obstruct him, so obviously they had a trump card up their sleeves and it was likely some Formation Technique.
Yang Kai had no idea about their power and skills, so how could he allow them to cast such a Secret Technique?
As he thrust out his sword, the world shook, like space itself was about to collapse.
The sword light had yet to reach the Wind character cultivator, but its bone-chilling murderous intent had already assaulted him. The man’s pupils contracted as he felt like death was looming over him, but he still didn’t dodge the strike and instead a resolute look flashed across his eyes and he started weaving hand seals at an even higher speed.
Meanwhile, the other three Blood Dagger Masters were still weaving their own hand seals with solemn looks on their faces.
*Weng…*
A faint yet strange noise suddenly echoed out, while the Source Qi of those people surged and a faint halo emerged around them.
Yang Kai’s expression changed. He suddenly discovered that the forces of those four cultivators resonated and connected tightly.
“Motionless… As Mountains…” The Mountain-titled cultivator who hadn’t uttered a word until now suddenly shouted with his face flushed. He patted the void below him with both his hands, letting out a loud slapping noise, followed shortly by a mountain phantom that appeared behind him for a brief moment before it disappeared into his body.
Formless ripples started spreading around the man and they turned into a peculiar power that sealed this region. Sitting cross-legged mid-air, the Mountain man closed his eyes like a monk in meditation, becoming deaf and blind to the outside world.
*Hong…*
In the face of Yang Kai’s Myriads Sword strike, the Wind-titled cultivator curled up the corners of his mouth and revealed a mocking smile.
*Pa…*
The sword strike stopped before the Wind-titled cultivator, but its sharp Sword Qi cut off his black bangs and left a bloody streak on his forehead, yet it still couldn’t take his life with one strike as Yang Kai intended.
The Myriads Sword was blocked by a formless barrier!
“What the hell is this?” Yang Kai’s pupils contracted as he stared in disbelief at the Wind-titled cultivator. He noticed clearly that the opponent didn’t even try to defend against his assault, yet his deadly strike was still obstructed.
The Wind-titled cultivator didn’t wait for Yang Kai to get over his shock before pointing his finger at his chest. A whirlwind containing indomitable power was formed at the tip of his finger.
Yang Kai could only place his sword in front of him in a fluster to defend against this assault, allowing the finger strike to fall upon the Myriads Sword’s blade.
The next moment, Yang Kai’s expression changed. He could feel that tremendous power was contained in this strike, as if a great mountain had slammed into him. He was sent flying away, the Source Qi flow within his body becoming disturbed.
A scarlet figure closed in on him silently. The Fire-titled cultivator attacked with his dagger in hand, bringing with him clouds of flames that swept towards Yang Kai.
“Young Master Yang, be careful!” Ye Jing Han’s pretty face turned pale and she cried out in alarm.
*Swoosh!*
The clouds of fire were assisted by a gust of wind. These two powers of different attributes overlapped and fused perfectly. In an instant, the whole sky was dyed in blazing scarlet colour.
Yang Kai could clearly feel the ferocious power contained in this move and his face fell. Just as he planned to teleport away, a sudden crackling noise echoed out, followed closely by the Thunder-titled cultivator who had appeared behind him and thrust his palm at his back.
The palm strike fell upon him directly before Yang Kai had a chance to dodge it. In an instant, arcs of lightning started dancing around him, while Yang Kai who had been obstructed by the lightning quickly got engulfed by the clouds of fire.
The Wind, Thunder, and Fire-titled cultivators cooperated skilfully and their timing was perfect. It was as if he was facing Soul Clones of the same person, rather than three different people. They had cornered Yang Kai with only a few moves.
Upon seeing this, Ye Jing Han’s face turned deathly pale, while her eyes shivered. She observed the raging clouds of fire in silence and asked herself inwardly, [Did he die? Did he die just like that?]
She couldn’t deny that Yang Kai was the strongest Dao Source Realm cultivator she had ever seen. He was prideful and arrogant, with an unyielding nature, but he also had many strange methods she could not begin to comprehend. She had always yearned to make some great achievements in the future like Yang Kai, yet such a great person was suddenly killed before her eyes.
He died so easily, to the point she couldn’t even believe it.
*Shua shua shua…*
The bodies of the Wind, Thunder, and Fire-titled cultivators suddenly flickered and they stood shoulder-to-shoulder in the air. They were coldly observing the region below them.
“Did our superiors make a big fuss over nothing? This boy doesn’t amount to much,” The Fire-titled cultivator snorted coldly and said disdainfully.
The Wind-titled cultivator was still observing the clouds of fire with furrowed brows, yet upon hearing the words of the Fire-titled cultivator, he couldn’t help but reprimand angrily, “You attacked him too viciously. Our superiors asked us to bring him back alive! They don’t want a corpse. If he really died, then how are we going to report this?”
The expression of the Fire-titled cultivator changed, as if he just realized that this was anything but good news for them; however, he still said obstinately, “I didn’t know that he was so frail, he couldn’t even take a single move… What should we do now?”
The Wind-titled cultivator snorted coldly, “You should solve the trouble you have made by yourself. Once we get back, I’ll report everything to them truthfully.”
The Thunder-titled cultivator furrowed, “Don’t make a fuss here, we aren’t even sure if he is dead. That brat is quite tough and he probably just suffered heavy injuries. Fire, go down and have a look at him.”
Upon hearing this, the Fire-titled cultivator got irritated, but he still rushed into the clouds of fire to inspect them.
The Wind and Thunder-titled cultivators waited nervously. They were all afraid that Yang Kai had really died; after all, their superiors asked them to bring him back alive, so if they killed him by mistake, it could very well be their final days in Blood Dagger. They all couldn’t withstand the punishment Blood Dagger would mete out.
The clouds of fire were still burning like before, as if they would continue burning until the end of the world, but the inner region was quite serene and the Fire-titled cultivator didn’t make a sound after he entered.
The Thunder and Wind-titled cultivators exchanged a glance, both realizing something was amiss.
At this moment, an incident suddenly occurred. A muffled groan transmitted from the clouds of fire. Shortly after, the Fire-titled cultivator flew out of the clouds, coughing up mouthfuls of blood mid-air.
“What?” The faces of the Thunder and Wind-titled cultivators darkened.
*Shua shua shua…*
A peculiar noise transmitted from the clouds of fire, as if Sword Qi and Sword Intent were running amok there. Shortly after, the raging flames suddenly got scattered and were replaced by a single figure shrouded by a multi-coloured radiance.
“Young Master Yang!”
Upon seeing the silhouette shrouded by seven-coloured light, Ye Jing Han wept in delight.
“That’s impossible!”
Upon seeing Yang Kai’s current state, the Thunder and Wind-titled cultivators cried out in alarm. They had noticed that even though it looked like Yang Kai was quite dishevelled, he didn’t sustain any injuries.
Moreover, the multi-coloured radiance emanating from him contained some great and mysterious power. They could clearly feel the power of the Five Elements around Yang Kai at this moment, causing his aura to rise sharply. The Five Elements coexisted in a single person body, supporting and nourishing each other in a virtuous cycle.
“Be careful, this brat isn’t easy to deal with,” The Fire-titled cultivator suddenly returned to his companions and wiped the blood at the corners of his mouth before turning an eager look towards Yang Kai.
“We don’t need your warning,” The Thunder and Wind-titled cultivators glared at the Fire-titled cultivator.
“Friends, many thanks for your concern,” Yang Kai swung the Myriads Sword and erased the Five Element Sword Qi around him as he revealed a grin. “I took a good rest and managed to learn the essence of your Formation Technique. Mountain, Thunder, Fire, and Wind. Your attributes resonate and fuse together, allowing you to enhance one another’s abilities.”
Saying so, Yang Kai cast a glance at the Mountain-titled cultivator sitting in the void who had turned a deaf ear to everything and said with an appreciative look on his face, “The Mountain man is in charge of sealing this region and protecting you, isn’t he? It’s no wonder my teleportation didn’t work a while ago. If I didn’t have a tough body, then I would have sustained some injuries already. The one who invented this Formation Technique is a true genius.”
The expression of the Wind-titled cultivator changed, “And you discovered all of that in such a short time?”
“That’s not quite right,” Yang Kai patted his clothes. “I also took some time to change into a new set of clean clothes. Do they look good on me?”
The Wind-titled cultivator’s expression turned unsightly as he suddenly noticed that Yang Kai had really changed into a new set of clothes and wasn’t just joking.
The Thunder-titled cultivator said with a gloomy look plastered on his face, “It looks like our superiors have their own reasons for sending all of us after him. This boy cannot be assessed with common sense.”
“No matter how strong he is, he’s only a Second-Order Dao Source Realm boy. If we join hands, we can contend even against an Emperor Realm Master, so we don’t have to fear him,” The Fire-titled cultivator flew into a rage out of shame.
Upon hearing this, Ye Jing Han, who had just calmed down, got nervous again.
If these four cultivators could really contend against an Emperor Realm Master, then Yang Kai had no chance of success. No matter how strong Yang Kai was, he was only a powerful Dao Source Realm cultivator and he couldn’t defeat an Emperor.
After the three chatted for a while, they suddenly quieted down and looked at Yang Kai with a grave gaze.
On the other side, Yang Kai only smiled in response, as carefree as ever.
An austere air filled the region.
Ye Jing Han suddenly shivered as if she had just fallen into a blizzard, feeling the tangible murderous intent pervading the air and assailing her skin, making her feel quite uncomfortable.
She was aware that she couldn’t provide any help to Yang Kai in a fight of this calibre, so she just hid far away to not cause more trouble to him.
Soon, their murderous intent suddenly collided in the air and burst out. The ambience changed and the Fire-titled cultivator shouted, “Charge!”
Following his shout, the Thunder-titled cultivator, who was the swiftest, suddenly appeared in front of Yang Kai and raised his hand, which had been shrouded by Lightning to swat at him, while a sizzling noise ringing out loudly
Yang Kai’s pupils contracted, but he still just coldly snorted, “Three Thousand Sword Dao, Seal!”
As he made a move, Sword Light sliced the void open and spread to the surroundings to assail the Thunder-titled cultivator.
The Thunder-titled cultivator was still unfazed and he just raised the corners of his mouth in response. His body suddenly turned fuzzy and he disappeared from his former location, shortly replaced by the Fire-titled cultivator, who was dozens of meters away.
“Location swapping?” Yang Kai’s expression changed.
The Fire-titled cultivator thrust his blade at him, followed closely by a cloud of fire, “Raging Flames Burn The Plains!”
*Hong hong hong…*
As the Sword Qi and flames collided, an intense explosion echoed out, while the World Energy in the region was stirred up chaotically. Space trembled as shockwaves spread far and wide.
“Thunderstorm!” The Thunder-titled cultivator appeared on the left side of Yang Kai at some unknown time and thrust his palm at him, while several thick arcs of lightning suddenly appeared atop Yang Kai’s head and descended upon him.
After Yang Kai had broken through the raging cloud of fire, several arcs of lightning fell upon him. His body couldn’t help but shiver, while a burnt odour emanated from him.
Lightning possessed great might, and if Yang Kai didn’t have a tough body thanks to his Five Elements Indestructible Sword Tempering Art, then he would have been knocked out on the spot. But despite this, the flow of his Source Qi was obstructed and wasn’t as smooth as before.
“Spring Breeze… Rain!” The Wind-titled cultivator suddenly appeared next to Yang Kai and thrust his dagger at him. The dagger brought with it a breeze that engulfed Yang Kai, one that contained a sleep-inducing power that would make one’s will to resist fade.
As the breeze invaded Yang Kai’s body, a confused and blank look appeared in his eyes, but at the critical moment, he bit his tongue and Space Principle swirled around his body.
Yang Kai waved his hand and sent out several large Moon Blades into the surroundings.
“Dodge them!” The expression of the Wind-titled cultivator changed and he shouted in a deep voice.
It looked like the Thunder and Fire-titled cultivators also had some understanding of Yang Kai and a grave look surfaced on their faces upon seeing this Space Secret Technique. All of them swiftly used their Movement Skills to dodge it.
*Huala…*
A soft sound echoed out as a pair of wings suddenly appeared on Yang Kai’s back. These wings contained the power of wind and thunder and they increased Yang Kai’s speed greatly.
The Wind and Thunder Wings!
Yang Kai hadn’t used them for a long time. Along with the increase of his strength, and his grasp over the Space Principles, his Wind and Thunder Wings weren’t as useful to him as before.
But, at this moment, with this region being sealed by the Mountain-titled cultivator, limiting Yang Kai’s ability to teleport around, he could only summon his Wind and Thunder Wings to compensate.
The wind hovered around him, while the thunder surged about. The Wind and Thunder-titled cultivators were both surprised by the appearance of Yang Kai’s wings, neither of them having expected him to possess such a treasure on top of his mastery over the Five Elements and Space Principles.
At this moment, the members of Blood Dagger realized that the number ‘Daos’ Yang Kai had touched upon had reached an astounding number.
*Shua…*
Yang Kai managed to increase his speed further with the Wind and Thunder Wings. As his body flickered, he suddenly appeared next to the Fire-titled cultivator and his face was almost stuck to his opponent’s.
The Fire-titled cultivator was startled by this, but upon seeing the mockery and murderous intent apparent in Yang Kai’s eyes, he flew into a rage out of shame and shouted, “What are you staring at!?”
“Isn’t it obvious that I’ll start with the weakest one?” Yang Kai chuckled.
The expression of the Fire-titled cultivator changed, “Are you implying that dealing with me is the easiest?”
“Who knows!?” Yang Kai grinned.
It was a fact that he decided to assault the Fire-titled cultivator first, mainly because it was easier to deal with him as he said.
The Mountain-titled cultivator was out of the question, as it could be discerned with a glance that he had exceptional defence. If this Mountain man was assisted by his resonance with his three companions, Yang Kai believed that it wouldn’t be possible for him to break through his defence in a short time. As for the Wind and Thunder-titled cultivators, they were both endowed with high speed and could dodge easily, so dealing with the Fire-titled cultivator was indeed the easiest option.
Saying so, Yang Kai stretched his hand ahead and shouted, “Freeze!”
Manipulating the local Space Principles, even though they were affected by the Divine Ability of the Mountain-titled cultivator, Yang Kai could still lock the body of the Fire-titled cultivator in place somewhat.
When Masters exchanged moves, lives could be lost in an instant.
In this short moment, the Fire-titled cultivator felt death looming over him and his face turned deathly pale.
“Die!” Yang Kai shouted as he slashed out with his Myriads Sword.
The Fire-titled cultivator couldn’t even put a defence against this strike and the sword quickly reached him.
At this critical juncture, the eyes of the Mountain-titled cultivator snapped open.
A mountain phantom image suddenly appeared between Yang Kai and the Fire-titled cultivator and it quickly solidified. The Myriads Sword fell upon the mountain and let out a jarring metallic clank. The mountain quickly collapsed but managed to absorb all of Yang Kai’s strike.
The body of the Mountain-titled cultivator flinched slightly, but he quickly closed his eyes again as he sat cross-legged as before.
As for the Fire-titled cultivator who had just escaped death, his forehead was perspiring profusely and his body flickered, making a quick escape.
Meanwhile, the Thunder and Wind-titled cultivators had also arrived. After this short confrontation, they had both realized that Yang Kai was far from ordinary. They both exchanged a glance then started pushing their strength while weaving hand seals.
As the force of wind and thunder surged out, they both swung their daggers and formed a thunderstorm that engulfed Yang Kai.
In an instant, Yang Kai found himself in a precarious situation. His clothes had been torn by the sharp blades of wind and his sturdy muscles were revealed. As for the sizzling lightning, it was swimming across his flesh, paralyzing him. He could move only with great difficulty and couldn’t fight back, leading to a situation where he had to passively defend against this move.
The Mountain-titled cultivator in the distance suddenly waved his hand and a mountain phantom image suddenly appeared above Yang Kai, threatening to fall upon him and trap him.
As a rumbling noise echoed out, the mountain phantom image descended upon Yang Kai and pushed him down, while the ground beneath his feet cracked open, forming many spider-web like patterns.
However, Yang Kai suddenly raised his hands to hold up the mountain.
The Mountain-titled cultivator’s composed look finally had a subtle change and shock flashed past his face for a short moment.
The other three wore solemn looks as well. After this short confrontation, they all didn’t dare to close in on Yang Kai again and they only observed him from afar.
“Is this brat really… Human?” The Fire-titled cultivator had just escaped death and his heart was still beating loudly because of it. He stared ahead with wide eyes and spoke, “He could withstand the Mountain’s Mt. Xumi Technique with his fleshly body. Mt. Xumi weighs at least a hundred thousand kilograms and even ordinary Emperor Realm Masters can’t lift it. What’s more, it has the ability to seal its targets.”
“His flesh body is too strong!” The Wind-titled cultivator spoke enviously.
The Thunder-titled cultivator sighed, “I now understand why our superiors want him alive… This person is worth studying. He’s only a Second-Order Dao Source Realm cultivator, yet he’s already so strong. If we can learn his secrets, then we will gain unimaginable benefits.”
Upon hearing this, the eyes of the Wind-titled cultivator and the Fire-titled cultivator lit up, as if they had suddenly seen a bright future awaiting them.
“But, it still ends here.” The Thunder-titled cultivator snorted, “No matter how much he resists it, he’ll still be suppressed by Mountain’s Mt. Xumi.”
The Wind-titled cultivator and the Fire-titled cultivator gave him an approving nod. They were both aware of the great power of the Mountain-titled cultivator’s Mt. Xumi.
“Ha… hahaha…”
Meanwhile, Yang Kai suddenly sneered. He had been surrounded and attacked by these four cultivators for so long and he was already in a sorry state, yet he still laughed as freely as before.
The Fire-titled cultivator shouted, “Little brat, laugh while you can, I’ll make you cry soon enough!”
“If this is the limit of your powers, then it will be you who is crying shortly,” Yang Kai cast a glance at the Fire-titled cultivator and calmly spoke.
The expression of the Wind-titled cultivator changed and he shouted, “Bad! We need to act now, he still has another trump card.”
Saying so, he already charged ahead, winder swirling around his body while a certain Principle Force started pervading the surroundings.
A loud Dragon Roar reverberated at that moment, accompanied by the manifestation of a giant golden phantom behind Yang Kai. The phantom quickly took the shape of a Golden Dragon, one that floated atop Yang Kai’s head and looked down on its surroundings disdainfully with its giant Dragon Eyes.
“Dragon Transformation!” Yang Kai didn’t wait for his enemies to reach him and roared madly.
The body of the Wind-titled cultivator who had been charging toward Yang Kai suddenly came to a stop and he couldn’t help but draw a sharp, cold breath as he was forced to retreat.
“This is…” The eyes of the Thunder-titled cultivator trembled.
“Dragon Pressure!” The eyes of the Fire-titled cultivator bulged as he shouted hysterically.
The trio wore shocked looks, as if they had just sighted upon an Emperor Realm Master. They all felt dizzy and their feet started cramping up.
As for Ye Jing Han, she didn’t look any less shocked than them. Upon seeing Yang Kai being pushed down by Mt. Xumi, she planned to go forward and help him, yet the situation changed again before she could make a move.
In an instant, Dragon Pressure filled the air and a pure Dragon Aura began pervading the surroundings. This was a lofty, noble aura that forced myriad beings to cower in fright, even evoking primordial fear in the hearts of the four from Blood Dagger.
*Kachaca…*
A cracking noise echoed out as Dragon Scales started emerging on Yang Kai’s arms, and even his exposed muscles were covered by dragon scales. As for the phantom image of the Golden Dragon, it rushed into Yang Kai’s body and disappeared. A moment later, a partially dragonized Yang Kai appeared.
Yang Kai’s aura rose markedly, touching upon that of a true Emperor Realm Master.
Yang Kai started slowly clenching one of his fists with an ice-cold look plastered on his face while he lifted Mt. Xumi with a single hand. It wasn’t a difficult feat for him like just now, seemingly as simple as lifting a brush.
Soon, he thrust his free fist and struck the bottom of Mt. Xumi.
As a rumbling noise echoed and Mt. Xumi, which weighed a hundred thousand kilograms, was sent flying into the air, flickering erratically.
The face of the Mountain-titled cultivator fell and he almost bit his tongue. He quickly weaved more hand seals, turning his Mt. Xumi into a ray of light which he quickly collected.
“You’re all going to die miserably!” Yang Kai wasn’t suppressed by Mt. Xumi any longer and he regained his freedom, not forgetting to taunt the three members of Blood Dagger with a nasty grin.
“Kill him!” The Wind-titled cultivator shouted, “Wind Dagger and Snow Sword!”
Using all of his Source Qi, he formed a large dagger and a sword, sending them after Yang Kai. The two weapons seemed to possess a might great enough to slice open the world.
Meanwhile, the Fire-titled cultivator and the Thunder-titled cultivator also used up their own trump cards to attack Yang Kai.
The Formation Technique used by the Wind, Thunder, Fire, and Mountain men resonated with each other, strengthening and supporting one another, combining to reveal an indomitable might!
They were truly able to exchange moves with an Emperor Realm Master, but on this day, they witnessed an even more shocking sight.
In the face of their three Divine Abilities, Yang Kai simply charged ahead and faced them head-on.
As a cracking noise echoed out, the three cultivators could only look on helplessly as Yang Kai shattered the Wind Dagger and Snow Sword with his fists then continued making his way through the gales and thunderstorms.
In just several breaths of time, the three cultivators’ Divine Abilities had been broken and extinguished.
As the body of the demi-dragon Yang Kai flickered, he suddenly reached the three cultivators and thrust out his Dragon Claw, which could rival the sharpest Artifacts in the world, straight towards the chest of the Wind-titled cultivator.
“Wind Escape!”
At this critical juncture, the Wind-titled cultivator let out a shout and his body flickered, turning into a gust of wind that shortly disappeared and escaped somewhere else. This was a brilliant and profound Escape Technique.
Yang Kai sneered and stretched out his Dragon Claw to grasp the void. A formless power emanated off his claw and it sealed a region with the power of Space Principles.
The Wind-titled cultivator stumbled out, cutting a sorry figure. An astounded look was apparent on his face, as if he didn’t expect that Yang Kai could easily counter his best life-saving technique.
“Ah!” The Thunder-titled cultivator and the Fire-titled cultivator cried out in alarm.
“Die!” Yang Kai shouted and slashed his hand at the Wind-titled cultivator. A large Moon Blade suddenly appeared and shot towards the Wind-titled cultivator in an indomitable imposing manner.
The Wind-titled cultivator’s face suddenly turned pale and he gasped nervously. He had been locked in place by the surrounding Space Principles and couldn’t evade the strike. He could only look on helplessly as death rapidly closed in on him.
“A Mass of Soil Forms a Mountain!” The Mountain-titled cultivator several hundred metres away let out a shout and weaved a series of hand seals. Mt. Xumi appeared once again, precisely between the Moon Blade and the Wind-titled cultivator. A dense aura of the Earth Element emanated from the mountain and drew in rubble and soil towards it. In the blink of an eye, an indestructible barrier was formed in front of the Wind-titled cultivator.
*Hong…*
As the Moon Blade fell upon the earth barrier, it cut a path through it, but it lost most of its power in the process.
At this crucial moment, a crackling noise echoed out and the Thunder-titled cultivator turned into a bolt of lightning, quickly saving the Wind-titled cultivator and escaping away.
Yang Kai’s face fell and he could only look viciously at the Mountain-titled cultivator.
He had been fighting with the members of Blood Dagger for some time now, but each time he gained an advantage, the Mountain-titled cultivator thwarted his attacks. If they weren’t protected by the strong defensive methods of the Mountain-titled cultivator, then the three other members of Blood Dagger wouldn’t be a match for him and they wouldn’t have been able to persist for so long.
Yang Kai realized now that if he wanted to win this battle, he would have to kill the Mountain-titled cultivator first. As long as the latter was in charge of defence, Yang Kai wouldn’t be able to kill any of the other three.
Moreover, the Mountain-titled cultivator was connected to the others and was overseeing this region, sealing it off completely, making it impossible for Yang Kai to teleport freely.
As this idea flashed, Yang Kai immediately made up his mind and revealed a profound grin, sneering as he said, “Friends, your means are truly outstanding and have widened my horizons today.”
“Brat, enough talk.” The Fire-titled cultivator had been stunned by Yang Kai’s great power; however, his side still had a numeral advantage so he wasn’t that afraid of him, “You still have a chance to surrender. We may not be able to guarantee your survival if this battle continues.”
The Thunder-titled cultivator gave a nod, “That’s right, if we go all out to kill you, then we won’t be able to complete our superiors’ orders, so just give up and surrender.”
The Wind-titled cultivator didn’t utter a single word as his face was still quite pale. He had just escaped death and was still somewhat unsettled.
“Haha…” Yang Kai sneered again.
The Fire-titled cultivator snorted coldly, “Bluffing again…”
Yang Kai’s smile disappeared and he glared at him coldly then snorted, “Open your eyes wide and see for yourself if I am just bluffing.”
Saying so, he pushed his Spiritual Energy madly and shouted, “Come out!”
As his voice reverberated, a small mountain suddenly appeared above the plain and fell to the ground, shaking it violently while kicking up a massive cloud of dust.
The four members of Blood Daggers were taken aback as they all looked up in confusion at the small mountain. They couldn’t understand what kind of Divine Ability Yang Kai had used and how he managed to summon this mountain.
“What the hell is that?” The Wind-titled cultivator gradually calmed down and he immediately waved his hand impatiently upon looking at the mountain. As a gust of wind blew over the mountain, the dust was cleared and they got a clear look at it.
In the next moment, the members of Blood Dagger stared wide-eyed at the small mountain with stunned looks plastered on their faces.
“Hey… I’m not seeing things, am I?” The Fire-titled cultivator couldn’t help but gulp, “Why does this small mountain look like… A human with four limbs.”
*Gudong!*
The other three people gulped as well as anxious looks filled their faces.
“What the hell is this?” The Wind-titled cultivator cried out in alarm.
“There’s also a woman up there!” The Thunder-titled cultivator’s pupils contracted as he spotted a beautiful figure sitting atop the shoulder of the small mountain.
“An illusion, it must be an illusion!” The Fire-titled cultivator was startled and his face had turned red as he shouted at his companions, “Did that mountain smile at me a moment ago? It must be a goddamn illusion.”
“En, that must be the case!” The Wind-titled cultivator frowned, “This boy must have used an Illusion Technique.”
Saying so, he turned his head to cast a glance at Yang Kai, only to see a meaningful grin appearing on the other side’s face. Upon seeing this look, the Wind-titled cultivator suddenly had a bad feeling fill his heart.
“You should have summoned us long ago,” Hua Qing Si sat atop the Embodiment’s shoulder and swung her legs lightly, curling her lips as she called out, “Why were you even fighting against them alone? You were just wasting time and energy.”
It looked like she had seen the whole fight from the Small Sealed World.
The Embodiment curled his mouth into a smile and spoke in a thunderous voice, “Didn’t we get out already?”
Upon hearing the woman and the mountain talking, the members of Blood Dagger were startled and their faces turned pale. They all felt like everything they could hear and see was real. It was as if the woman and mountain really existed, and they weren’t just some kind of illusion.
Yang Kai chuckled and replied, “I didn’t expect that these four would be this strong. I wanted to test my strength a bit by fighting against them alone.”
“And then you were almost beaten to a pulp,” Hua Qing Si snorted.
Yang Kai’s mouth twitched as he muttered, “It wasn’t that bad… Just a few bruises here and there. Sister Hua, pick one of them.”
Hua Qing Si chuckled and checked the members of Blood Dagger with her pretty eyes before she settled on the Fire-titled cultivator and pointed at him.
“Seems everyone is fond of bullying the weakest one,” Yang Kai laughed involuntarily.
Upon hearing this, the Fire-titled cultivator flew into a rage, “Boy! I’m warning you, if you say I’m the weakest one more, I’ll kill you!”
The Mountain, Thunder, Fire and Wind-titled cultivators had equal power and equal status in Blood Dagger, yet the Fire-titled cultivator had been repeatedly called the weakest by Yang Kai. He had been infuriated by this and felt like Yang Kai looked down on him.
Hua Qing Si said with a smile, “Out of the other three people, one is focusing on defence, while the other two have incredible speed, I don’t want to deal with troublesome characters, so I choose him.”
“Good!” Yang Kai nodded
“Then… You’ll be in charge of the Mountain-titled cultivator, alright?” Yang Kai looked at the Embodiment and spoke.
The Embodiment chuckled and replied, “That’s what I was hoping for!”
The Mountain-titled cultivator focused on defence, while the Embodiment was endowed with extraordinary strength but was lacking in speed, so the two were a good match.
“Make your move then!” Yang Kai spoke casually, as if he had just finished picking dishes and placing them on the table and was calling his friends over to ‘have a meal’.
Hua Qing Si chuckled and her body flashed, leaping off the shoulder of the Embodiment and flying towards the Fire-titled cultivator. A glowing Ribbon Artifact appeared in her hands and danced in her fingers.
“Little Brother, let’s play,” Hua Qing Si beckoned at the Fire-titled cultivator enthusiastically.
Upon hearing this, the Fire-titled cultivator’s expression turned solemn and he cast a glance at the Wind and Thunder-titled cultivators.
After the Wind-titled cultivator nodded at him, the Fire-titled cultivator pushed his Source Qi to engulf his whole body in flames, setting himself alight. He spoke sharply, “It doesn’t matter if you’re an illusion or not, since you dared to seek me, then prepare to meet your demise. I won’t show any mercy even if you are a woman!”
“Wu, so scary!” Hua Qing Si covered up her rosy lips with her hand and put on a frightened look, calling out sweetly, “Please don’t threaten me, I’m easily frightened…”
“Go to hell!” The Fire-titled cultivator was unmoved and he waved his dagger, sending a wave of flames out that condensed into a hideous fire dragon before pouncing towards Hua Qing Si.
Hua Qing Si’s face fell and she said through gnashed teeth, “Are you coming at me for real, even though I’m just a weak woman? Fine then!”
Saying so, she infused her Source Qi into the ribbon and it quickly began slashing it through the air, weaving a gorgeous dance that swiftly enveloped the Fire-titled cultivator.
In an instant, the two were locked in an intense battle and began exchanging vicious moves.
Meanwhile, the Wind and Thunder-titled cultivators suddenly felt that their bodies had gotten heavier, as if a great mountain was weighing on them, while a buzzing sound emanated from the space around them and innumerable pitch-black Void Cracks flitted about like living creatures.
The two people both gazed at Yang Kai.
Yang Kai only grinned in response, “The two of you better not make a move. After I send off your companion, I’ll come back to exchange some pointers with you.”
The face of the Wind-titled cultivator darkened and he said, “You want to take our life with just illusions? Don’t be ridiculous!”
“Illusions huh… hah,” Yang Kai chuckled in response.
Upon seeing this, the Wind and Thunder-titled cultivators were infuriated and they really wished to rush at him and viciously beat him up.
It wasn’t just the members of Blood Dagger who believed this was just a mere illusion, even Ye Jing Han thought so too. She had been observing the battle from afar and saw the moment the small mountain emerged along with a young woman. She had been taken aback and she stood there in a daze for a long while.
At this moment, she was rubbing her eyes and telling herself repeatedly that this was just an illusion.
But, no matter how hard she tried, she couldn’t find any flaw in this illusion. The small mountain and young woman simply looked too realistic.
*Dong dong dong…*
The Embodiment strode forward towards the Mountain-titled cultivator step by step.
The Mountain-titled cultivator had been telling himself repeatedly that this was just an illusion, but once the Embodiment started walking toward him, his face turned pale and he couldn’t help but gulp hard.
The colossal body of the Embodiment was too intimidating!
The Embodiment arrived in front of the Mountain-titled cultivator with only three steps.
If one looked at them from afar, it would seem that the Mountain-titled cultivator was sitting cross-legged in front of the Embodiment’s nose, and his little body formed a clear contrast with the colossus before him.
“Heh heh…” The Embodiment suddenly grinned at the Mountain-titled cultivator.
The Mountain-titled cultivator started sweating profusely, and he couldn’t help but gulp nervously. “Wind, something feels off. This doesn’t look like an illusion.”
The Wind-titled cultivator’s face turned black and he shouted sharply, “Steady your mind, don’t let it affect your senses.”
Even at this moment, he still believed that everything before his eyes was a mere illusion, and it was simply because as far as he was concerned, no one should be able to summon a giant stone man and a young woman out of thin air, not even one of the Ten Great Emperors.
Upon hearing this, the Mountain-titled cultivator took a deep breath and quelled his emotions.
At this moment, Yang Kai revealed a queer smile at the Wind and Thunder-titled cultivators then spoke, “Can you guess how many strikes that Mountain guy can take?”
The Thunder-titled cultivator snorted coldly, “Can’t you live without cheap tricks? Even if an Emperor Realm Master arrives, Mountain would still be able to stand his ground against him for ten breaths, let alone a mere illusion.”
The Wind-titled cultivator also spoke, “Little brat, don’t look down on Blood Dagger’s Four Ghosts!”
Yang Kai laughed then said, “You’ll shortly turn into real ghosts then.”
Saying so, he shouted at the Embodiment, “Did you hear him? He’s claiming that Mountain guy can stand his ground against an Emperor Realm Master for ten breaths of time.”
“Ten breaths…” The Embodiment revealed a nasty smile and shouted, “Three breaths is enough for me.”
Saying so, he thrust his fist at the Mountain-titled cultivator.
From the moment the Mountain-titled cultivator had shown himself until now, he had never moved away from his current position, and this might have been some sort of restriction put on him by the Formation Technique. He had always been sitting cross-legged mid-air, taking charge of defence and sealing this region. It also looked like he was the one in charge of maintaining the group’s formation like some kind of core node.
Therefore, upon seeing the fist of the Embodiment approaching him, he didn’t plan to dodge the strike at all. Instead, his expression had already turned grave and he pointed his hand ahead of him, summoning Mt. Xumi again.
This time, it looked like the shining Mt. Xumi had almost taken a complete physical form, as if a real mountain was sitting in front of him.
“You’re overestimating yourself!” The Embodiment coldly said and thrust his hill-like fist forward.
*Hong…*
A loud rumble reverberated and the land shook. When the Embodiment’s fist fell upon Mt. Xumi, it gave rise to a shockwave of luminous energy waves that spread to the surroundings.
The Mountain-titled cultivator’s grave expression instantly turned pale and he sprayed out a thick mist of blood, while his aura turned feeble. As for Mt. Xumi standing between him and the Embodiment, it was shattered apart and turned into dispersing specks of light.
“What!” The Wind-titled cultivator’s expression changed.
“That’s impossible!” The Thunder-titled cultivator cried out in alarm.
They both couldn’t believe what they had just seen.
The Mountain-titled cultivator had been known for his innately strong defence, yet his impenetrable barrier had been broken by a single strike from the Giant Stone Man. Mt. Xumi had been shattered, while the Mountain-titled cultivator sustained heavy injuries. The two of them couldn’t help but question themselves again. [Is this also an illusion? If so, then isn’t it too realistic?]
The scent of the Mountain-titled cultivator’s blood pervaded the air and the bodies of the Wind and Thunder-titled cultivators couldn’t help shivering when it reached their noses.
The Embodiment didn’t stop with just a single move though, and soon thrust his other fist out.
*Hong…*
A deafening explosion echoed. This time, the Mountain-titled cultivator didn’t protect himself with Mt. Xumi and resorted to a different method. He revealed more of his Divine Abilities as Earth Attribute energy surged around him. At the same time, Earth Principles lingered around him, transforming into a giant shield that protected him.
*Kachaca…*
As cracking noises echoed out, a luminous membrane covering a perimeter of several hundred metres appeared. But this membrane was already covered with cracks like a shattered mirror and it didn’t take more than a blink of an eye for it to burst open and turn into specks of light, shortly dissipating.
All of a sudden, Yang Kai found that his body became lighter, as if he had just been freed from some kind of shackle. He grinned at the Wind and Thunder-titled cultivators, “It looks like the seal has been broken. Are you still so sure that this is just an illusion?”
The faces of Wind and Thunder-titled cultivators turned gloomy and confused. They were clearly dismayed by what they had just witnessed and heard. They were no longer certain that it was an illusion.
*Pu…*
On the other side, the Mountain-titled cultivator spouted another mouth of blood with his face as pale as paper, and his aura turned even more feeble and unstable. He gazed over at the Wind-titled cultivator and Thunder-titled cultivator and spoke with great difficulty, “Save… me!”
The Embodiment laughed wantonly and thrust his fist for the third time.
At this moment, the Mountain-titled cultivator couldn’t put up any more resistance and had to helplessly watch as the hill-like fist descended. He felt his body go cold, while his limbs cramped up.
The fist fell upon the Mountain-titled cultivator, and his body burst into a blood fog which then sprinkled lightly on the ground, his aura disappearing completely.
“See, it has been just three breaths of time.” After the Embodiment settled the fight, he grinned at Yang Kai.
In response, Yang Kai gave him a thumbs up.
The Wind and Thunder-titled cultivators exchanged a glance. They both realized that the current situation was anything but reassuring and they couldn’t bother with paying heed to the Void Cracks around them any longer. They both pushed the Principles around them to break through the Space Principle blockade and escaped in two different directions.
“Since you’ve come, don’t even dream about leaving!” As Yang Kai let out a chuckle, his body flickered and appeared suddenly in front of the Wind-titled cultivator, stretching his Dragon Claw toward him.
The Wind-titled cultivator’s face turned pale from fright and he raised the dagger in his hand, trying to parry Yang Kai’s claw with it. Wind Principles swirled around the dagger and it gave off a domineering might.
A vicious glint flashed past Yang Kai’s eyes as he directly caught the dagger with his Dragon Claw, leading to a jarring metallic reverberation.
“What the hell is this…” The Wind-titled cultivator’s eyes all but popped out of their sockets. He discovered in shock that his opponent had managed to block his strike with his flesh body without sustaining any injuries.
His dagger was a Dao Source Grade Artifact, one that even an Emperor Realm Master wouldn’t dare to catch with their bare hands, yet this boy managed to do so.
The Wind-titled cultivator had fallen into a trance for a short moment, but this short moment had been more than enough for Yang Kai to place his other palm on his chest. Yang Kai’s berserk Source Qi erupted and flooded the Wind-titled cultivator’s body.
As a splurting sound echoed out, the Wind-titled cultivator’s blood burst from his body like he had been struck by lightning, while the wind shrouding his body quickly weakened.
Yang Kai shortly closed in on him and weaved a series of hand seals, suppressing the Wind-titled cultivator’s cultivation.
Even though a disheartened look was plastered on the Wind-titled cultivator’s face, he still looked at Yang Kai coldly and said aggressively, “If you want to kill me, then just do so. Blood Dagger’s headquarters will shortly obtain word about our failure and they will send more powerful people after you next time.”
“If I kill all of you, then who will divulge any information about me?” Yang Kai sneered coldly in response.
The Wind-titled cultivator replied, “Thunder’s Movement Skill is second to none in the world, you won’t be able to catch him.”
“Did you lose your mind from fear?” Yang Kai smiled in mockery.
“Wind…”
At this moment, a dispirited shout echoed out near him. Upon hearing it, the Wind-titled cultivator turned his head around to see the Thunder-titled cultivator. He was trapped in mid-air between countless pitch-black buzzing Moon Blades, not daring to make any rash movements.
“How did you…” The Wind-titled cultivator looked in disbelief at the Thunder-titled cultivator. He didn’t expect that the Thunder-titled cultivator would also fail to escape.
“I was outmatched!” The Thunder-titled cultivator sighed and looked at Yang Kai with a complex gaze, saying, “Our superiors underestimated him, we aren’t… his opponent.”
“So, that’s how it is…” The Wind-titled cultivator revealed a miserable smile.
“I’ll be going on ahead,” The Thunder-titled cultivator suddenly spoke in a deep voice and weaved a series of hand seals, his body’s Source Qi fluctuating wildly as his body started swelling up.
Yang Kai’s expression changed and he shouted, “You dare!?”
The Thunder-titled cultivator revealed a mocking smile, “I’m not a match for you, but I can still choose how I want to die.”
Saying so, his body blew up, not leaving anything behind.
After he was trapped, he decisively chose to self-destruct. He was a decisive man with a firm resolve and Yang Kai couldn’t obstruct him in time.
The might of a Third-Order Dao Source Realm cultivator’s self-destruction was dreadful!
An unstable black hole opened, causing chaotic currents to flood the surrounding region. Even though Yang Kai was still far from the explosion, he was knocked off balance because of the shockwaves. As for the Wind-titled cultivator, whose cultivation base had been sealed, he just let out a soft groan before breathing his last breath. His bones had been shattered and he bled to death through his seven orifices.
As for Ye Jing Han, her pretty face had turned deathly pale. She had been sent flying by the shockwaves and had to use all her Source Qi just to defend herself.
After a long while, the shockwaves finally died out.
As Yang Kai’s body flickered, he went to check in the Wind-titled cultivator only to find his body lifeless. He couldn’t be any more dead than this.
“Damn it!” Yang Kai couldn’t help but curse out loud as he raised his head to gaze at Hua Qing Si and shouted, “Sister Hua, don’t take his life!”
Yang Kai had no idea what kind of organization Blood Dagger was nor why they were looking for him. If he could capture one or two of them alive, then he might be able to extract some information from them.
He didn’t kill the Wind-titled cultivator and instead sealed his cultivation mainly for this purpose; however, even Yang Kai didn’t expect that he would end up dead due to the Thunder-titled cultivator’s self-destruction.
The Mountain-titled cultivator had already been turned into a blood fog, so the sole survivor was the Fire-titled cultivator. As such, Yang Kai couldn’t afford to have him die too.
But shortly after he shouted those said words, he stood in a daze.
Hua Qing Si standing next to her bright-coloured ribbon turned her head and looked with a bitter smile at him while shouting, “That… won’t be easy!”
Not too far from her, the Fire-titled cultivator was laughing nastily with his mouth overflowing with blood and his dagger plunged into his heart. Great pain was apparent on his face, but he still laughed heartily, “Once Blood Dagger makes a move, it won’t stop until its target is dead. Hahaha!”
It looked like he had chosen to kill himself after witnessing his companions’ deaths. He obviously realized that he wouldn’t get a chance to escape, so he did not hesitate to stab himself through the heart.
Even an Emperor Realm Master wouldn’t live for long after receiving this kind of mortal injury, let alone the Fire-titled cultivator who was just a Third-Order Dao Source Realm cultivator. If Yang Kai simply did nothing, then he would soon die.
The ashen face of Yang Kai changed colour several times before he gritted his teeth and snapped, “Trying to seek death without my permission? In your dreams!”
Saying so, his body flickered and he arrived in front of the Fire-titled cultivator before tapping his body with his palm, sealing his cultivation. If this man self-destructed like the Thunder-titled cultivator, then Yang Kai wouldn’t be able to reverse the situation and save him.
“You… what are you doing?” Even though the Fire-titled cultivator had already heard death’s call, he still got scared by Yang Kai’s malicious look.
Yang Kai sneered. “Isn’t it obvious? I’m trying to save you, no need to thank me.”
“You’re… trying to save me?” The Fire-titled man’s eyes, which had already started losing their lustre, bulged and a dumbfounded look surfaced on his face.
Yang Kai grabbed the Fire man by his collar and his body disappeared along with him.
A reeking scent of blood pervaded the prairie, and the vestiges of this great battle were everywhere. It was a terrifying sight!
“Young Master Yang…” Ye Jing Han flew over with her face as pale as paper and surveyed the surroundings, but she was unable to spot Yang Kai anywhere. She could only question Hua Qing Si anxiously, “Sister, where did Young Master Yang go?”
Hua Qing Si exchanged a glance with the Embodiment then moved behind Ye Jing Han in a flash and struck the back of her neck with her palm.
Ye Jing Han would have never imagined that Hua Qing Si would suddenly attack her; after all, it was obvious that Hua Qing Si was one of Yang Kai’s companions and that was why she didn’t guard against her. Upon suffering this palm strike though, Ye Jing Han dropped down weakly on the ground.
“Did you kill her?” The Embodiment was startled by this sight.
“Like hell I did!” Hua Qing Si rolled her eyes at him then curled her lips, saying, “I just knocked her out.” She paused for a moment then looked suspiciously at the Embodiment and asked, “What are you doing?”
As she spoke, she suddenly noticed that the Embodiment moved next to the dead Wind titled man and picked his corpse up from the ground.
The Embodiment grinned and said, “What do you think? This is a pretty good tonic. Tsk, tsk, a Third-Order Dao Source Realm Cultivator!”
Upon hearing this, Hua Qing Si’s pretty face turned pale, as if she had just recalled some pretty bad memory and she couldn’t help but say in alarm, “You’re going to use that evil technique to devour his physical essence?”
The Embodiment nodded, “I can’t let good food go to waste!”
“It’s so sickening, don’t do it in front of me, or I’ll break off relations with you,” Hua Qing Si spoke with her disgust apparent on her face.
At this moment, Yang Kai’s body suddenly flickered and appeared again on the prairie before he beckoned to the Embodiment and Hua Qing Si, “Come back!”
After he said so, he looked at the unconscious Ye Jing Han on the ground and nodded in understanding, “Knocking her out is also a pretty good solution.”
He waved his hand and sent Ye Jing Han into the Sealed World Bead, then opened a Void Crack and had Hua Qing Si and the Embodiment also go back in.
…..
Inside the Sealed World Bead, Yang Kai and the Embodiment appeared next to the medicine garden.
The Fire-titled man’s aura was already pretty feeble, with next to no vitality left. The dagger which had been stabbed into his chest was still drawing out a constant stream of blood. This man was already in a sorry state and he obviously wouldn’t be able to survive, yet he still laughed in mockery, “I have sustained a mortal wound, nothing can save me other than some extraordinary healing pills that are essentially legends now. Don’t waste your time on this, cough, cough…”
Saying so, he coughed loudly with blood flowing out of his mouth and nostrils.
Yang Kai snorted and said, “I can’t help you make a full recovery, but I can still preserve your life.”
Saying so, he walked directly over to the Fire man and opened his mouth before tossing a large number of healing pills into it.
The Fire-titled man was still quite stubborn and didn’t plan to cooperate, constantly shaking his head to resist. However, with his cultivation already sealed, there was no way he could stop Yang Kai. After a short bout of futile struggle, he swallowed down the Spirit Pills.
The Fire-titled cultivator’s vicious gaze still remained full of mockery though, obviously not believing that Yang Kai could preserve his life. He could feel his vitality leaving his body quickly, which was also a pretty scary experience, but it was still better than the torment awaiting him if he fell in the enemy’s hand.
Yang Kai sat down cross-legged in front of the Fire-titled man and started weaving hand seals under his gaze before striking his chest with his palm. After this strike, the dagger in his chest flew out, together with a large spurt of blood. This violent act caused the Fire-titled man to groan in pain, while his body trembled, feeling like he would shortly die.
But in the next moment, the Fire-titled cultivator felt a clear stream of rich vitality flowing into his body and pulling him back from the gates of death.
A numb feeling started spreading from his chest and the bleeding instantly stopped, while his lost vitality had also been replenished greatly.
He opened his eyes widely to take a look around and his gaze soon landed on a small green tree that couldn’t have been taller than a little child. This tiny tree emitted a green aura that was visible to the naked eye, and Yang Kai was clearly using some kind of technique to draw this green aura into his body.
“What… What is this?” The Fire-titled man was aware that he would surely die, but he was still stunned by this sight and his body shivered involuntarily. He could feel an unimaginable amount of vitality coming from this little tree, and he knew he had avoided death only thanks to the green aura it was emitting.
He was dumbstruck and he quickly realized that there was much more to this little tree than meets the eye.
“The Immortal Tree, ever heard about it?” Yang Kai gave him a wicked grin.
“The Immortal Tree?” The Fire-titled man’s body shivered as he stared at Yang Kai in shock before vehemently denying, “Nonsense, it’s said that the Immortal Tree was formed at the birth of the Universe and is condensed from the purest vital energy between Heaven and Earth. It is said to be able to revive even the dead and if one is able to refine it, they will obtain an immortal and indestructible body. How could you possess such a divine treasure…”
“You’re pretty knowledgeable,” Yang Kai chuckled in response.
“The Immortal Tree? Hmph, who are you trying to fool?” The Fire-titled cultivator snorted disdainfully.
“It’s up to you whether you believe it or not,” Yang Kai cast a glance at him then revealed a nasty smile as he said, “You already have enough vigour to bicker with me. Not bad, not bad, it looks like you still have some life left to live.”
After Yang Kai said so, the Fire-titled man was dumbstruck and his face changed colours repeatedly. A spectacular look was plastered on his face!
He discovered in shock that just this tiny bit of green aura from the small tree had healed all of his wounds and brought him back from the brink of death. Didn’t that mean that if he were to refine this strange tree, he would be able to make a complete recovery?
Once this thought ran across his mind, the Fire-titled cultivator was stunned and beads of sweat started dripping off his forehead. He didn’t want to believe it, but he had already felt it himself. If everything he just experienced was real, then this little tree might really be the legendary Immortal Tree.
*Gudong…*
The Fire Ghost couldn’t help gulping hard while his gaze turned hot as he stared at the Immortal Tree.
Yang Kai didn’t bother with him and he just told the Embodiment, “I’ll hand him over to you, get something useful out of him.”
“Relax, I’ll make him talk,” the Embodiment let out a peal of sinister laughter.
When this laughter fell upon the ears of the Fire-titled man, he couldn’t help shivering as he turned his eyes back to Yang Kai, yet at this moment only the Giant Stone man remained, sitting down cross-legged on the ground with a corpse in his hand.
“Wind…” The Fire-titled man looked aggrievedly at his companion’s corpse and couldn’t help but sympathize with him. However, his gaze quickly turned cold as he shouted at the Embodiment, “I don’t care what the hell you are, but don’t dream of getting any information out of me.”
“You’ve got some spine!” The Embodiment praised him and said, “I like unyielding people. So, you can be at ease, I won’t embarrass you.”
The Fire-titled man only sneered coldly in response. He obviously didn’t believe a word of what the Embodiment had said.
But surprisingly enough, the Embodiment didn’t pay heed to him and he didn’t even bother with torturing and interrogating him. He just put down the Wind titled man’s corpse in front of him and covered it with his giant stone hand.
“What are you planning to do with the Wind’s corpse?” The Fire man’s expression changed as he questioned him sharply.
“What am I planning to do? Hehehe…” The Embodiment let out a burst of strange laughter.
Blue veins bulged out of the Fire-titled man’s forehead as he became somewhat anxious for some unknown reason. The Embodiment hadn’t given him a single decent answer to any question he asked, so he couldn’t help but get angry over this.
While the Fire man was still fretting over this, he witnessed the Embodiment’s expression turn solemn before it shouted, “Heaven Devouring Battle Law!”
In an instant, the Fire-titled cultivator’s eyes widened and he shouted in shock through clenched teeth, “Heaven… Heaven Devouring Battle Law!?”
…..
The Fire-titled man wasn’t as tough as he claimed, or rather, he had just witnessed a scene far more frightening than death. He could stab his heart with his own dagger without the least bit of hesitation and seek death on his own, but upon seeing the Embodiment using the Heaven Devouring Battle Law on the Wind titled cultivator’s corpse, he instantly broke down and gave in.
None wished for his flesh and essence to end up being devoured. This was far crueller than simply being killed, so the Fire-titled man quickly divulged everything he knew.
Those four people were really cultivators from Blood Dagger, and they had received orders from their superiors to bring back Yang Kai alive to their headquarters. As for the reason behind this, the Fire-titled man had no idea and was simply following orders. Blood Dagger had a strict hierarchy and people below a certain level weren’t privy to the organization’s core secrets.
The four of them didn’t even know who it was among their superiors that issued this order, they only received their mission at a certain time at a specific location.
After the interrogation, Yang Kai got a rough idea about the colossal size of Blood Dagger. Blood Dagger had many members and had branches established in every territory. They even had members who belonged to other great Sects who would seem perfectly ordinary until they received a mission, after which they would carry out their orders as members of Blood Dagger without question.
Once the mission ended, these members would go back into hiding and none would be the wiser.
Once the Embodiment questioned the Fire man about the location of the Blood Dagger’s headquarters in the Southern Territory though, the latter’s Knowledge Sea burst open and he died before he could give any reply. It looked like a powerful Master had placed a restriction on him to prevent him from divulging Blood Dagger’s more sensitive secrets.
Upon getting this intel from the Embodiment, Yang Kai’s face turned gloomy.
He had come in contact with Blood Dagger for the first time today, and from what he had seen so far from the powerful Four Ghosts, this wasn’t an organization to be trifled with. They had already set their eyes on him, yet he didn’t even know the reason behind this, let alone any useful information about his new enemy.
Yang Kai’s mood became pretty bad because of this and he felt like a bone was now stuck in his throat.
Once Blood Dagger made a move, they would keep fighting until their last breath. This mission was obviously a great failure and Blood Dagger wouldn’t take things lying down, they would surely send more powerful Masters after him next time. Yang Kai could deal with the Wind, Thunder, Fire, and Mountain Ghosts, but what about the next batch? If they sent Emperor Realm Masters after him, what could he do?
In a flash, Yang Kai’s mind became fraught with concerns.
While Yang Kai was still fretting, he heard a soft groan behind him and turned his head back to take a look there and saw Ye Jing Han sitting atop the boat with furrowed brows and a confused look plastered on her face.
She was a little confused by her current situation.
But, she quickly recalled what had happened before she got knocked out. She suddenly stood up and shouted, “Young Master Yang!”
“You finally woke up!” Yang Kai cast a glance at her and spoke calmly, “Don’t move around, you should first check your body and see if you have suffered any injuries.”
Upon hearing him, Ye Jing Han nodded and closed her eyes to observe the state of her body for a moment then opened them again, “I’m fine.”
She had just been knocked out by Hua Qing Si, and even though she was swept by the shockwaves of the Thunder-titled cultivator’s self-destruction, she hadn’t sustained any serious injuries. It was just her vitality that had gotten a bit feebler. Consuming some pills would be more than enough for her to make a full recovery.
“Yang Kai, where did that Elder Sister and the Big Stone Man go?” Ye Jing Han observed the surroundings, yet she couldn’t see Hua Qing Si or the Embodiment at all, so she couldn’t help but inquire about them.
“What Elder Sister and Big Stone Man?”
“Those…” Ye Jing Han was just about to describe them, yet she suddenly furrowed her brows and spoke with an odd look on her face, “Was it just an… Illusion?”
As she started mulling over the emergence of Hua Qing Si and the Embodiment, she felt like everything looked surreal, and she couldn’t help but suspect that she had fallen victim to an illusion.
“I used a special Secret Technique earlier to deal with those four; you must have seen an illusion because of it.”
“So that’s what happened!” Ye Jing Han let out a breath and said in self-mockery, “Young Master Yang, you’re endowed with remarkable abilities and I couldn’t provide any help to you. I’m really ashamed of myself.”
“Don’t brood over it, Blood Dagger’s so-called Four Ghosts are all quite strong. If you had meddled in the battle, you wouldn’t be alive right now.”
Upon hearing this, Ye Jing Han broke down into cold sweat and she realized the large disparity between Yang Kai and her.
The Blood Dagger’s Four Ghosts were all Third-Order Dao Source Realm cultivators and they had even used a Formation Technique to join their strengths together. In that state, they could fight evenly against an Emperor Realm Master for a time, yet they had all been killed by Yang Kai.
It was an amazing feat!
They were both Second-Order Dao Source Realm cultivators, yet the disparity between them was like Heaven and Earth. She couldn’t help but feel gloomy over this and she started longing for the great power possessed by Yang Kai.
She suddenly chuckled bitterly and she reached her hand back to rub her neck as she felt some slight pain on it. This was another point she was dumbstruck by!
She suddenly recalled how the ‘illusionary’ woman had knocked her out and she continued to have doubts, wondering if everything she had seen was real or not.
The rest of the road was crossed in silence!
Yang Kai had just suffered the attack of Four Ghosts, and it looked like Ye Jing Han was still in a low mood because of it. She didn’t bother him on the way and she just gave him some directions, then sat down on the boat to rest.
After around ten days, they finally saw a mountain range in the distance.
At this moment, Ye Jing Han stood up on the boat cheerfully and pointed at the mountain range, “Young Master Yang, this is the Thousand Leaves Mountain where my Thousand Leaves Sect is located. We’ll reach it in half a day.”
“En!” Yang Kai replied casually.
Ye Jing Han added, “I’ll send a message to my father, he must be worried about me.”
She had spent several months alone outside and her relatives would probably be worried about her. She had already returned safely, so she wanted to quickly get in touch with them.
Yang Kai didn’t pay heed to her and just sat at the front of the boat and observed the surroundings.
Ye Jing Han took out a communication artifact and inputted some information into it. Shortly after, she got a response.
After Ye Jing Han checked it, she couldn’t help but furrow her brow and a displeased look showed up on her face.
Yang Kai had detected that her expression had turned for the worse and he inquired over this, “What happened?”
Ye Jing Han pouted and grumbled, “My father asked me to participate in the wedding ceremony of Sky Crane City’s Lord with his new concubine. It’s so infuriating! If I had known this earlier, I wouldn’t have told him I had come back so I could avoid this troublesome matter.”
“It looks like you don’t want to go,” Yang Kai looked at her with a smile.
Ye Jing Han snorted coldly, “I don’t want to mingle with a man who betrayed his allies. If he wants to take a new concubine, then that’s his matter. Why does my father even bother with such a man, even sending our Sect disciples to this ceremony.”
Ye Jing Han’s expression turned cold, “That man is just a treacherous and ungrateful scum. He only obtained the City Lord’s position thanks to our Thousand Leaves Sect’s support, yet he quickly sought another backer after he got it and didn’t put us in his eyes anymore. He had even chased off many of our already established industries in Sky Crane City. He’s just a vile man!”
Yang Kai wasn’t really interested in this matter, so he just inquired about it briefly then dropped it.
Ye Jing Han had also realized that it wasn’t really proper for her to grumble about this to Yang Kai and apologized, “Young Master Yang, I apologize, I let my frustrations get the better of me.”
“It’s no bother, there are many vile and infuriating people in this world,” Yang Kai waved his hand in response.
“Young Master Yang, just wait for a little while. I’ll notify my father, then bring you back to the Sect and arrange residence for you,” Ye Jing Han said then started composing a new message.
“You don’t have to bother,” Yang Kai grinned in response. “I’ll just take a trip with you there, it’ll be less troublesome and I’ll just take it for a brief outing to loosen up a little.”
Upon hearing this, Ye Jing Han spoke in delight, “Many thanks, Young Master Yang; if you experience something unpleasant during this situation, please don’t take offence.”
“It’s fine!”
Saying so, they adjusted the direction and headed off to Sky Crane City.
Sky Crane City was located three thousand kilometres from Thousand Leaves Mountain. It wasn’t a big city, but it was still a lot better than Maplewood City, and it could be said that it was medium-scale.
According to what Ye Jing Han had said, Sky Crane City’s City Lord Mansion had around a dozen Dao Source Realm Masters, including its City Lord, Luo Jin, who was a powerful Third-Order Dao Source Realm Master. Luo Jin wasn’t any weaker than some second-class Sect Masters in the vicinity, and he had been able to take a firm hold of the City Lord’s position with his power.
When Yang Kai and Ye Jing Han reached the city gates, they found it bustling with activity with many carriages loaded with goods waiting for their turns to enter the city. Those carriages were loaded with precious treasures and Yang Kai had even sniffed the odour of some pills and spirit medicines.
Those carriages were all decorated with festive ornaments, and they were obviously loaded with congratulatory gifts prepared by the local forces.
Sky Crane City was one of the most powerful forces within a hundred thousand kilometres, and all of this region’s Sects had to send delegations to congratulate the City Lord for taking in a new concubine.
The guards standing next to the gates were all spirited and delighted. They welcomed the guests with a smile, then inspected the goods before letting them pass.
Yang Kai and Ye Jing Han didn’t rush into the city and just waited at a spot a hundred metres or so from the city entrance. They were doing so because Ye Jing Han told him that disciples of the Thousand Leaves Sect would shortly arrive.
Ye Jing Han had gotten this assignment by pure chance. If she didn’t come back today, she wouldn’t have been given this hateful mission by Ye Hen.
She was still the Young Lady of Thousand Leaves Sect and it wouldn’t be unseemly for her to lead the group of envoys to congratulate the City Lord.
After they waited for a short while, Ye Jing Han’s eyes lit up and she pointed in a certain direction, “They’re here!”
Yang Kai gazed over there and saw a ray of light streaking across the sky, one that became clear as it approached. This was a ship-shaped Flight-Type Artifact with several cultivators in matching uniforms atop it. The person standing near the ship’s bow was looking around and upon seeing Ye Jing Han, he grinned and waved at her amicably.
Ye Jing Han responded in the same way as the ship landed shortly after. The man who had been waving at Ye Jing Han a while ago descended and waited for the others to disembark before he waved his hand and collected the ship.
“Ye’er, you’ve finally returned. If you didn’t come back, I would have gone to Maplewood City to look for you.” The man went toward Ye Jing Han directly then gazed at her affectionately with his bright eyes. He had ignored Yang Kai completely!
“Senior Brother Du Xian!”
Upon facing his ardent gaze, Ye Jing Han’s face got flushed and she couldn’t help but lower her head bashfully.
Upon seeing this, Yang Kai couldn’t help but smile. He had realized right away that these two had a ‘meaningful’ relationship.
One of the other men stuck his head out behind Du Xian and grinned, “Senior Sister Ye, you have no idea what Senior Brother has been like since you left for Maplewood City. He didn’t even get a proper meal and he wasn’t even in the mood to cultivate! He was scolded plenty of times by our Master.”
“Enough of your babbling!” Du Xian glared at him with a smile in his eyes.
Ye Jing Han pursed her lips and said in a low voice, “This is unacceptable… You must still cultivate…”
Du Xian looked affectionately at Ye Jing Han and said softly, “I have been trying to cultivate… but, I couldn’t calm down, I couldn’t stop thinking about someone.”
“And who… was that….” Ye Jing Han’s body trembled as her cheeks flushed even more.
“Who else could it be but you!?” A sneaky man butted in and continued, “Senior Sister Ye, I have also missed you, I missed you so much that I couldn’t get proper sleep at night…”
Saying so, he put on a pained look and started twisting around, which incurred a peal of laughter from the other disciples of the Thousand Leaves Sect.
“Wu Ma, get lost!” Du Xian stretched his hand and struck Wu Man’s head. The latter couldn’t help but lower his head and grumble, “You can do whatever you want, but we can’t even flirt a little? How can you be so unreasonable? Senior Sister, you must seek justice for me.”
Ye Jing Han spat and spoke, “You deserve it, who told you to keep jabbering on and on? Senior Brother, you must teach him an unforgettable lesson.”
Upon hearing this, a dejected and dismayed look surfaced on Wu Ma’s face.
Yang Kai had just been observing this from the side and found the disciples of the Thousand Leaves Sect to be pretty interesting, feeling that they all had close ties with each other. He couldn’t help but chuckle and sigh slightly. The smaller a Sect, and the more precarious its situation, the more united its disciples would be, but once a Sect grew larger, then they would start trying to outwit each other and they would even put on fake acts of civility.
At this moment, Du Xian finally noticed Yang Kai and a surprised glint flashed past his eyes. Cupping his fists, he introduced himself, “Du Xian of Thousand Leaves Sect greets this friend, may I ask for your noble name?”
Upon raising this question, Du Xian revealed a bewildered look. He didn’t know why this stranger, Yang Kai, was with Ye Jing Han, but he still didn’t show any animosity toward him, and it was the same for the other disciples of Thousand Leaves Sect. They were just sizing up Yang Kai curiously.
Yang Kai revealed a smile and cupped his fist at him, then spoke, “Yang Kai greets Brother Du.”
Ye Jing Han said, “Young Master Yang is my distinguished guest. I planned to bring him back to the Sect to discuss a certain matter with my father, but I was dispatched by him to Sky Crane City midway. Junior and Senior Brothers, you must never slight him!”
She spoke solemnly, as if Yang Kai had some kind of prominent status, so Du Xian and Wu Ma couldn’t help exchanging strange glances, some doubt welling up in their hearts.
Upon releasing their Divine Senses, they discovered that Yang Kai was just a Second-Order Dao Source Realm cultivator. He was also not clad in luxurious robes and did not look like a disciple from one of the top Sects, so why was Ye Jing Han being so cautious around him?
They had many doubts about this, but they still didn’t raise any questions and just nodded lightly in response.
“Since everyone has arrived, let’s enter the city. That old thing’s wedding ceremony is tomorrow, isn’t it?” Ye Jing Han looked at Du Xian and asked without providing any further explanation about Yang Kai.
After all, she had invited Yang Kai to repair the World Crossing Space Array, which was an extremely delicate matter which was best kept secret. She didn’t even notify and report it to Ye Hen yet.
At this moment, Du Xian finally averted his attention from Yang Kai and spoke with a grave look, “Ye’er, watch your tongue.”
Ye Jing Han spat out her tongue in response, “It’s already polite of me to call him an old thing, he’s already got half a foot into the grave, yet he’s still taking in new concubines. I wonder which ignorant girl had been deceived by him this time?”
Wu Ma revealed a bitter smile and spoke, “She might not have been deceived, but rather forced. These past years, the City Lord has been taking in new concubines over and over again, yet he still hasn’t gotten any male descendants… I wonder if his body can keep up with this for much longer… Hehehe…”
“It’s divine retribution!” Ye Jing Han said with a pleased look.
Du Xian rubbed his forehead, “Fine, you have already vented your frustrations so leave it there. We have come to congratulate him, not stir up trouble. Before setting off, Master warned me repeatedly and he urged me to not cause any trouble; after all, the representatives of all the big Sects and forces in the area will be attending.”
Ye Jing Han just pouted in response with a displeased look on her face and didn’t say anything else.
Du Xian smiled at Yang Kai, “Brother Yang, we must have made a mockery of ourselves in front of you.”
“It’s fine,” Yang Kai waved his hand in response.
“Let’s tidy up and enter the city,” Du Xian shouted at the other people.
The crowd straightened out their clothes a little then went toward the city gate under the lead of Du Xian.
The gifts the Thousand Leaves Sect brought were all stored in their Space Rings, so they didn’t really have anything to ‘tidy up’. Only people trying to openly flatter Luo Jin would use carriages to carry their goods. This way, as soon as they arrived at the City Lord Mansion, everyone would be able to clearly see the gifts they brought.
There was a long line of people in front of the city gate and the members of Thousand Leaves Sect did not plan to cut the line, so they just joined the queue and waited for their turn to enter the city.
Meanwhile, Ye Jing Han started apologizing to Yang Kai, as she was afraid to incur his displeasure.
The others didn’t know what kind of power and means Yang Kai had, but she was clear.
Just ten days ago, the Blood Dagger’s Four Ghosts had been slaughtered by Yang Kai, the scene of which was still vivid in her memory. If Yang Kai didn’t want to line up, he could just force his way into the city and no guard would be able to obstruct him, but doing so would incur a calamity for Thousand Leaves Sect.
Fortunately, it looked like Yang Kai was quite relaxed and didn’t seem irritated.
Upon seeing this, the expressions of Du Xian and Wu Man turned even more doubtful. They both couldn’t understand why Ye Jing Han treated Yang Kai so prudently, as if she was dealing with an Emperor Realm Master.
The line advanced quickly, and in less than half a cup of tea’s time, it was their turn.
At the city gate, the man in charge of checking goods and visitors grinned upon seeing Ye Jing Han and cupped his fists at her, “So it is Thousand Leaves Sect’s Young Lady, excuse our disrespect for not offering a proper welcome.”
He was an average-looking middle-aged man clad in festive clothes with a smile plastered on his face, a very fake one at that.
He could be considered to be decent in strength, a First-Order Dao Source Realm cultivator, and it looked like he held some important position in Sky Crane City.
Usually, it wouldn’t be up to such an expert supervising the gates, but this wasn’t an ordinary time. All the factions in the nearby area were gathering at Sky Crane City to congratulate the City Lord, so someone of status needed to be present to welcome them.
He was that man!
As per what he had just said, he had recognized Ye Jing Han, which wasn’t really strange by itself, as Ye Jing Han had already stated that Sky Crane City’s Lord got his position only thanks to the support of Thousand Leaves Sect. The residents of Sky Crane City had obviously gotten a lot of chances to interact with the members of Thousand Leaves Sect, so the daughter of Thousand Leaves Sect’s Sect Master was a well-known figure.
Ye Jing Han replied calmly with an ice-cold look plastered on her face, “Elder Si Ming, just do your job, there’s no need for false courtesy!”
Upon hearing this, the middle-aged man called Si Ming smiled, “Young Lady Ye, thank you for your understanding. Our Sky Crane City is honoured by your presence at the wedding of our City Lord. If Sir City Lord learns of it, he’ll be surely pleased. Please come in!”
Saying so, he beckoned at her and invited her into the city. He didn’t try to embarrass Ye Jing Han.
Ye Jing Han didn’t stand on ceremony and she just walked into the city directly.
But, when Du Xian, as well as the other people behind Ye Jing Han were about to enter the city, Si Ming suddenly raised his hand and blocked Du Xian’s way then shouted coldly, “What are your intentions here, are you trying to force your way into the city?”
Upon hearing this, Du Xian furrowed his brow, while Ye Jing Han who had been walking ahead stopped midway and turned over to gaze at them.
Si Ming shouted arrogantly, “Bold! You haven’t obtained my permission, yet you want to enter the city? Are you looking down on my Sky Crane City?”
Du Xian said with a displeased look on his face, “Elder Si Ming, are you blind or has your brain gotten worse with age? Didn’t you see that we came here together with our Sect’s Young Lady?”
“A brat like you still dares to curse at me?” Si Ming flew into a rage and snorted coldly, saying, “Do you think I don’t dare to arrest you right now?”
Du Xian squinted his eyes and sneered, “Elder Si Ming… What is your meaning here?”
Si Ming snorted and replied, “What do you think?”
Du Xian took a deep breath, trying hard to curb his anger, “We have come under our Sect Master’s order to congratulate City Lord Luo, are you trying to bar our way at the gate and make a joke of yourself in front of the masses?”
“You’ve come to congratulate our City Lord?” Si Ming said with feigned surprise then started sizing up Du Xian, his mouth curling into a sneer, “You’re clad in such cheap rags, which Sect do you belong to?”
“You… old dog, how shameless can you be!?” Upon hearing him, Wu Man flew into a rage. As long as one wasn’t blind, he would have noticed that they came with Ye Jing Han and they were all disciples of Thousand Leaves Sect, yet Si Ming still acted as if he didn’t recognize them. He didn’t just obstruct Du Xian and his companions, he openly mocked and disdained them.
He obviously wanted to humiliate Thousand Leaves Sect!
Upon seeing this, the cultivators lining up behind them to enter the city had also understood the other party’s intentions and they started whispering to each other.
Upon hearing the whispers of the crowd, the expression of the members of Thousand Leaves Sect turned ashen and unsightly.
They had just followed orders and came to congratulate the City Lord, yet they had been insulted so viciously at the city gate. No one would be able to bear this humiliation in silence and the few disciples of Thousand Leaves Sect had all started circulating their Source Qi, as if they were prepared to start a fight right here.
Si Ming jumped back in fright and spoke warily, “What are you doing? Are you trying to resort to violence? This is Sky Crane City, not the desolate wilderness you have come from. Even bumpkins like you dare to wreak havoc here?”
He shouted so solemnly, as if everything he said was pure truth, and the cultivators behind him couldn’t help but laugh in response. They all understood that this old man was playing the fool to shame Thousand Leaves Sect, but the latter still couldn’t fight back.
“Elder Si Ming!” Ye Jing Han cast a glance at him with the same cold look as before and spoke, “Elder Si Ming, have you already gone amnesiac? Can you not recognize our Thousand Leaves Sect’s emblem? Does my father have to come here in person to tell you this?”
Upon hearing this, Si Ming revealed a surprised look and looked at Ye Jing Han then said, “Young Lady Ye, what you are saying is…”
Saying so, he turned his head to observe Du Xian and the others and glanced at the Thousand Leaves Sect’s emblem on their robes. He then struck his forehead and said sheepishly, “Ah! Young Lady Ye, forgive my mistake, I didn’t notice it. So, those are the talented youths of your Thousand Leaves Sect. When my eyes fell upon them earlier, I thought they were just some bumpk… Cough… Cough…”
He put on such a serious act, as if he had just realized this for real and he kept apologizing to Ye Jing Han, as if he had just realized that Du Xian and the others were disciples of the Thousand Leaves Sect.
“Hmph!” Ye Jing Han had been infuriated by this and her pretty face went dark then flushed red. It was frustrating and she couldn’t even vent her pent-up emotions.
“Since you are the talented youths of the Thousand Leaves Sect, then you just have to register to enter the city. This has just flown out of my mind, please don’t take offence.” Si Ming beckoned at Du Xian and the others with a bright smile on his face.
“Register? What should we register for?” Ye Jing Han was surprised by what she had just heard.
Si Ming said with a smile, “Your name, Sect, as well as some other basic information. Young Lady Ye, you’re also aware that the City Lord’s wedding will be held tomorrow and it’s a very important event. These days, not just anyone can enter the city and any person who enters the city has to register. This is an important matter regarding the city’s order.”
Ye Jing Han spoke coldly, “Then why didn’t I see any of the people before us registering?”
Si Ming said with a smile, “Young Lady Ye, you have such sharp eyes. Those people… I recognize them all and I know of their backgrounds. So, they don’t have to register.”
“Are you implying that you don’t recognize our Thousand Leaves Sect’s disciples?” Ye Jing Han spoke through gnashed teeth with her fury apparent on her face. Si Ming had been embarrassing the Thousand Leaves Sect repeatedly and she couldn’t help but get angry. She didn’t even want to visit Sky Crane City and attend the wedding in the first place, yet she still suffered a lot of trouble for it. She couldn’t help but be filled with regret and hatred for coming here even more.
What was even more infuriating was that Si Ming was deliberately shaming her precious Thousand Leaves Sect in front of the whole crowd.
“Young Lady Ye, please don’t embarrass me. I’m just following orders,” Si Ming said solemnly with a smile plastered on his face, “If you enter the city without registering then the City Lord will condemn me upon getting wind of this, and I won’t be able to take responsibility for this.”
“Fine, fine,” Ye Jing Han couldn’t bear this any longer and she was so infuriated that she broke into laughter, “Sky Crane City, I’ll bear this in mind. We aren’t so adamant about entering the city. Senior Brother, let’s leave.”
Upon hearing her, Si Ming didn’t get flustered, but rather, his smile turned wider.
Ye Jing Han had already turned around, as if she would really leave, but Du Xian suddenly held her arm and shook his head at her, asking her to calm down.
Luo Jin’s wedding was just a normal celebration, but it had great significance as all factions within a hundred thousand kilometres would attend it, and if the members of Thousand Leaves Sect left, it would be an open insult to Sky Crane City, giving them the perfect excuse to have a fallout with Thousand Leaves Sect.
This was the reason why Ye Hen had admonished and urged Du Xian and his companions before they left to bear any hardships and insults they might face during their trip.
Du Xian was a mature and worldly individual, so upon seeing Si Ming’s delighted smile, he realized right away that all of this was a trap set out for them. Si Ming probably wanted to send back the members of Thousand Leaves Sect to fan the flames of conflict between Sky Crane City and their Sect.
Upon realizing this, Du Xian resolved himself to thwart his plans. He just pulled Ye Jing Han and moved his lips, sending a message directly to her ear.
Ye Jing Han had been gnashing her teeth out of fury, while her chest heaved up and down, but upon hearing Du Xian’s words, she quieted for a moment then nodded.
Du Xian revealed a smile and cupped his fists then said, “Elder Si Ming, we just have to register, don’t we?”
Si Ming furrowed his brows and replied, “That’s right!”
“Then isn’t it quite simple?” Du Xian nodded and walked toward the scarlet registration paper next to him and wrote his name, as well as his Sect’s name.
Under his lead, the other disciples of Thousand Leaves Sect followed suit, even though they were all irritated and angry.
The disciples of Thousand Leaves Sect quickly discovered an infuriating matter. Only the members of some weak families and third-class Sects had written their names on this registrar. Any faction with a little bit of influence didn’t have to do so, with their Thousand Leaves Sect as the sole exception to this rule.
In other words, they were placing the Thousand Leaves Sect at the same level as those weak families and Sects.
The members of Thousand Leaves Sect were all infuriated, but they could only bear this in silence.
Soon the registration process was finished.
When it was Yang Kai’s turn, Ye Jing Han’s pretty eyes flickered and she looked at him in worry, yet she quickly noticed that he just went to the table obediently and wrote his name with the brush.
Upon seeing this, she let out a sigh of relief. She was afraid that Yang Kai wouldn’t cooperate and would just leave in a huff.
“Wait!” Si Ming shouted and looked at Yang Kai with his ardent gaze, sizing him up before asking, “Friend, you have an unfamiliar face. Are you also a disciple of Thousand Leaves Sect?”
Yang Kai grinned and said, “That’s right!”
Si Ming snorted coldly, “Friend, you should give this more thought before replying. Our Sky Crane City is now heavily guarded, so if you want to use the Thousand Leaves Sect’s name to sneak into the city, then we must have a little chat.”
Yang Kai raised his brows and spoke with a smile, “Elder Si Ming, why are you so sure that I’m not a member of Thousand Leaves Sect? Can you recognize all members of the Thousand Leaves Sect?”
Si Ming replied, “I don’t dare to claim that I know all of them, but I have still seen most of them, especially those with a cultivation such as yours.”
Yang Kai said curiously, “Is that so? Since you recognize most people with my level of cultivation, then how did you fail to recognize Senior Brother Du Xian? Brother Du is our Sect’s Eldest Senior Brother, so how could you not recognize him?”
Du Xian next to them sneered, “I’m also curious about this as well. I may not have been friends with Elder Si Ming in the past, but I have still chatted with you once or twice, so how could you act like you didn’t recognize me just now?”
Si Ming let out a light cough and wiped off the sweat on his forehead before explaining, “I simply didn’t get a clear look of you a while ago.”
“Elder Si Ming, it looks like you have gotten a serious eye ailment. You must treat quickly, or you won’t be in this world for long,” Du Xian spoke mockingly.
Si Ming’s expression changed, “But your clothes don’t have the Thousand Leaves Sect’s symbol. How can you explain this?”
“I changed into a new set of clothes for the City Lord’s wedding and have yet to embroider the Sect’s symbol on it,” Yang Kai grinned and lied without a single pause.
“I’m afraid this explanation is… Far from satisfactory!” Si Ming sneered coldly in response.
“Si Ming, what are you implying?” Ye Jing Han had discerned that Si Ming didn’t plan to let go of Yang Kai and she couldn’t help becoming anxious. She had invited Yang Kai to repair the World Crossing Space Array, which was a critical matter that might even help Thousand Leaves Sect rise up once again, so she attached the utmost importance to Yang Kai.
Moreover, Yang Kai, just as an individual, was extremely strong so if he flew into a rage, then the city gates would be dyed in blood. That was why Ye Jing Han quickly stood up for him and glared at Si Ming aggressively, “Since we arrived, you have targeted us repeatedly, do you think it’s so easy to bully our Thousand Leaves Sect? We have come to congratulate Luo Jin, yet you obstructed our way here and intentionally embarrassed us. If we leave right now, then none will be able to blame our Thousand Leaves Sect as it is clearly your Sky Crane City that has slighted its guests.”
Si Ming furrowed his brows and wondered why Ye Jing Han got so angry. Even when he tried to embarrass Du Xian and the others, she didn’t get so irritated, yet she had now directly called the City Lord’s great name without an ounce of respect. She had obviously lost all patience.
As this thought ran across his mind, Si Ming smiled sheepishly, “Young Miss Ye, please calm down, I was just upholding my duty with caution and I just wanted to have a little chat with this little friend.”
“If you don’t allow us to pass, then we’ll immediately leave. I’ll give you three breaths, the decision is yours!” Ye Jing Han glared at Si Ming coldly with a stern look.
Si Ming’s expression changed. He really hoped for the members of the Thousand Leaves Sect to just leave, as he could use it as an excuse to break off all relations between Sky Crane City and the Thousand Leaves Sect and annex its numerous industries in the city, but he suddenly felt that something was amiss and his instincts were telling him that having a falling-out with them right now would result in something terrible befalling him.
This stranger sent a shiver up his back!
“I was just wondering who is so arrogant and aggressive, it turns out it was Ye’er.”
At this moment, a voice drifted over from afar as a streak of light flew over and landed nearby, revealing two old and one young man.
The two old men were both Third-Order Dao Source Realm Masters and they wore composed and restrained expressions on their faces. As for the youth, he looked like he was in his thirties and was a First-Order of the Dao Source Realm. He was a handsome young man with rosy lips, pearly white teeth, and a folding fan in his hand. As he stood there fanning himself, he looked quite graceful and elegant.
“Qiu Yu!” Upon seeing this person, Du Xian’s expression turned grave, as if this young man had some exceptional background. On top of that, it also looked like Du Xian was pretty displeased by the way Qiu Yu addressed Ye Jing Han.
Qiu Yu’s expression turned cold as he gazed at Du Xian and said, “My noble name is not something the likes of you can utter, slap him!”
After he said so, all cultivators outside the city widened their mouths with a shocked look on their faces.
After all, Du Xian was a Second-Order Dao Source Realm cultivator, yet Qiu Yu planned to slap him just for uttering his name. If Du Xian really suffered such an insult here, his Martial Heart might crumble and he wouldn’t have the face to see people in the future.
Upon hearing this, the expressions of the disciples of Thousand Leaves Sect changed and they all openly began pushing their Source Qi, preparing to fight.
But, before the crowd could get over their shock, Qiu Yu laughed loudly and said, “I’m just joking. Brother Du, don’t be so nervous!”
Du Xian’s expression fluctuated rapidly, a pretty spectacular sight to see. Flames of anger raged in his heart, but he couldn’t do anything other than endure; after all, his opponent had two Third-Order Dao Source Realm Masters protecting him, so if he rushed out to fight against them, then the losing side would definitely be Thousand Leaves Sect.
Qiu Yu didn’t bother with Du Xian anymore and turned his ardent gaze back to Ye Jing Han, speaking intimately, “Ye’er, it has been a long time since I last saw you but you are more graceful than ever.”
He had been so bossy a moment ago, yet his bearing changed so drastically that it shocked the crowd, making them wonder if he was still the same person.
“You’re still as repulsive as before.” Ye Jing Han sneered in response.
After she said so, the eyes of the two old men next to Qiu Yu shone brightly and two powerful waves of pressure engulfed Ye Jing Han. She couldn’t help but groan softly, while her face turned a little pale.
“Stop!” Qiu Yu’s face fell and he shouted sharply.
Thereupon, the two old men next to him restrained their pressure.
“How dare you act without my permission?” Qiu Yu turned around and rebuked the two old men. “What if you hurt Ye’er? Without my permission, you are not to act, or don’t bother following me from now on.”
“Young Master, please forgive us!” The two old men that had just gotten rebuked didn’t get angry; instead, they lowered their heads and admitted their mistakes. It was a pretty shocking sight!
“Ye’er, are you all right?” Qiu Yu gazed at Ye Jing Han with concern.
Ye Jing Han took a deep breath and said through gnashed teeth, “You should put a tight leash on your family’s dogs so they don’t run around and bite others randomly.”
Qiu Yu revealed a smile and folded his fan before nodding to Ye Jing Han and saying, “I have always loved your straightforward and outspoken nature.”
“And I’ve always despised you.”
“It isn’t a problem, it isn’t a problem,” Qiu Yu said with a smile, “I believe that as long as there is a will, there’s a way.”
“Come back to reality, even if you’re the only man left in this world, I still wouldn’t spare you a glance!” Ye Jing Han sneered coldly in response.
Qiu Yu’s face fell, but he still just smiled gracefully and didn’t bicker with her. He looked at Si Ming and asked, “What have you done to incur Ye’er’s wrath?”
Upon hearing this, Si Ming wiped off his cold sweat, clearly afraid of Qiu Yu, then said, “Nothing, it’s nothing. It’s just a routine procedure.”
“Hmph, then hurry up and apologize to Ye’er.” Qiu Yu snorted coldly.
Upon hearing this, Si Ming ran toward Ye Jing Han and spoke servilely, “Young Lady Ye, if I have offended you a moment ago, then please don’t take it to heart and forgive me.”
Ye Jing Han cast a glance at him then gestured at him indifferently, “Elder Si Ming, you were just upholding your duty. So, let’s just forget this.”
“A planned meeting cannot compare to one destined by fate! Ye’er, why don’t we enter the city together? I have obtained some excellent Dark Blood Tea, and was eagerly seeking someone to taste it with. Would you do me the honour?” Qiu Yu turned around and said with a smile.
Ye Jing Han replied coldly, “The path we are taking is different. So, no!”
Saying so, she called out to Du Xian and the others, “Senior Brother, let’s go.”
Du Xian nodded lightly then smiled at Qiu Yu, as if he had won, “Young Master Qiu, you should slowly enjoy your tea alone, be careful to not choke on it.”
“Hehe, Brother Du, many thanks for your concern,” Qiu Yu didn’t get angry and just replied with a smile.
After a short moment, the members of Thousand Leaves Sect all entered the city. Likewise, Qiu Yu, who was already bored of this place, headed back to the city with the two old men and disappeared among the crowd.
“What kind of background does that Qiu Yu have? It seemed like his status was not simple,” upon entering the city, Yang Kai asked curiously.
Ye Jing Han let out a sigh and replied, “He’s the Young Master of Sky Illumination Palace, a Sect at odds with our Thousand Leaves Sect. They have repeatedly tried to suppress us, but we are still here. I also heard that Sky Illumination Palace’s Master, Qiu Ze, has gone into secluded cultivation in an attempt to break through to the Emperor Realm. If he were to succeed, then…”
Saying so, a worried look appeared on Ye Jing Han’s face.
Du Xian spoke, “Sky Crane City and Sky Illumination Palace are working together, so if Qiu Ze becomes an Emperor Realm Master, our Thousand Leaves Sect’s future will be bleak.”
Upon hearing this, Yang Kai realized that the City Lord’s new backer was none other than Sky Illumination Palace.
Wu Ma continued, “It isn’t that easy to enter the Emperor Realm. That old man Qiu Ze will probably suffer cultivation dissonance during his breakthrough and die.”
The crowd clearly discerned that he had just cursed him to die. However, since Qiu Ze dared to attempt a breakthrough to the Emperor Realm, then he surely had the confidence to succeed, and if he really did, the Thousand Leaves Sect would be in big trouble.
“Our Master has his own plans regarding this, so we just have to diligently perform our own duties,” Du Xian had realized that his Fellow Brothers had fallen into a low mood and he quickly consoled them.
…..
In Sky Crane City, the members of Thousand Leaves Sect stopped in front of a store called the Heavenly Puppet Workshop.
Ye Jing Han introduced it to Yang Kai, “This is our greatest industry in Sky Crane City. If you don’t mind, you can stay here for two days. Once tomorrow’s wedding comes to an end, we’ll return to the Main Sect.”
“En!” Yang Kai gazed at the grandiose and luxurious Heavenly Puppet Workshop then nodded.
He could clearly discern that the Heavenly Puppet Workshop’s business had once been amazing, as any store built in such an expensive plot of land would be as bustling with plenty of business.
But, this was clearly a matter of the past. The current Heavenly Puppet Workshop was completely deserted and the goods on the shelves were left to collect dust. Even the clerk was just dozing off behind the counter. This clerk was laughing in his sleep while drooling. Obviously, he must be having a pretty good dream.
“The business here is quite… bleak.” Yang Kai sighed with emotions.
Ye Jing Han smiled bitterly, “If a store is usually surrounded by a few vicious-looking men, using the name of the City Lord, it would naturally make our customers feel uncomfortable. Over time, who would dare buy anything from us?”
Upon hearing her, Yang Kai noticed a few thugs near the store and they were all looking at the doors of Heavenly Puppet Workshop with a sneer, as if they were ready to make a move at any moment. However, upon seeing the badge of the Thousand Leaves Sect on the robes of Ye Jing Han and her companions, these thugs hurriedly averted their gazes.
Yang Kai let out a chuckle, “Your Sect’s standing and businesses in Sky Crane City are in quite the conundrum.”
Ye Jing Han’s expression turned gloomy, “En… It’s gotten even worse than before… Young Master Yang, please come in!”
Yang Kai nodded and entered the store under the lead of Ye Jing Han.
Du Xian, Wu Man, and the others exchanged glances in confusion. They had all noticed that Ye Jing Han valued Yang Kai greatly, and she treated him respectfully, as if he was some important and noble guest. But, no matter how much they observed Yang Kai, he looked like an ordinary Second-Order Dao Source Realm cultivator. Therefore, they could not understand why Ye Jing Han was treating him with so much care.
But, this wasn’t time for questions. After they entered the store, Wu Ma rushed over to the counter and struck it several times to wake up the sleeping clerk.
The clerk must have also been a disciple of Thousand Leaves Sect, but his cultivation wasn’t high and his status was also pretty low. Upon seeing Ye Jing Han and her companions, he was scared out of his mind and his face turned pale. He could only lower his head and acknowledge his mistake.
Ye Jing Han waved her hand at him impatiently, “Ask the shopkeeper to arrange several rooms for us.”
“Understood, I’ll go right away to call the shopkeeper. Young Lady, please wait for a short while.” The clerk was scared witless and he rushed quickly to the back room as if he had just gotten amnesty.
After a short moment, an old man who seemed to be in his fifties walked out of the back room and went toward Ye Jing Han and her companions in quick strides. He bowed to them then brought them to the back room and made appropriate arrangements for them.
The wedding ceremony was being held tomorrow and there were no other important events today, so after Ye Jing Han helped Yang Kai settle down in his room, she went back to her room and waited for a short while, until she heard someone knocking on her door.
She moved toward the door with light steps and opened it only to see Du Xian standing there with a bright smile. The young woman’s face got flushed and she invited him into the room bashfully, a room which would be shortly drowned in sugary words of love.
…..
Yang Kai was sitting cross-legged in his room, resting.
He had come to Sky Crane City with Ye Jing Han only by pure chance and he planned to just spend his days here in peace.
But, he still felt uneasy for some unknown reason, and he felt like something major would shortly occur, making it impossible for him to calm down.
This was the first time he had such a feeling, he had never experienced something like this when cultivating.
He didn’t dare to take this lightly and he started examining his body repeatedly with his Divine Sense, out of fear that he suffered some hidden damage during his cultivation or he formed a Heart Demon unknowingly.
But, he still didn’t find any issue no matter how much he inspected his body. Rather, his uneasiness had only gotten stronger.
He furrowed his brows and started mulling this over. He noticed that he got this feeling ever since he had entered Sky Crane City, as if something here was affecting him.
It was a very peculiar feeling, but Yang Kai did not dismiss this sensation as irrelevant. He had already reached a fairly high realm and no external event would be able to perturb his inner peace without it being of true significance.
Yang Kai mulled this over for a long time, yet couldn’t come up with an answer and he could only let out a sigh and stand up.
He planned to greet Ye Jing Han and tell her that he would go out for a walk, but upon releasing his Divine Sense, he saw Ye Jing Han and Du Xian flirting in the room and his face had immediately darkened.
They weren’t really doing anything overboard. Du Xian was just holding Ye Jing Han’s hand and looking at her affectionately while showering her with words expressing his deep yearning for her. As for Ye Jing Han, she just lowered her head with her cheeks and neck flushed.
Yang Kai quickly took back his Divine Sense, as he was afraid that he would shortly gouge his eyes out if he continued watching this sight.
He didn’t tell anyone about what he had just seen and his body quickly flickered as he left Heavenly Puppet Workshop to appear in the crowded main street.
Sky Crane City could be considered one of the Southern Territory’s medium-sized cities, so both its overall layout and scale were far above Maplewood City. Its streets were big enough for eight carriages to pass side by side and they were filled with a throng of cultivators.
There were many stores set up at the sides of the street with loud shouts reverberating in them.
The whole city had a special festive air and was decorated with coloured lanterns and banners, which was most likely because of the wedding ceremony tomorrow. The city was bustling with activity and all cultivators wore bright smiles across their faces. One could make a guess as to why they were so cheerful.
Yang Kai walked along with the crowd and he quickly entered a restaurant filled with guests.
He was quickly welcomed by a cordial waiter. This waiter was also a cultivator, but his cultivation was pretty low, only in the Saint Realm. The waiter bowed to Yang Kai with a smile plastered across his face, “Sir, please come in. You look like a new face here, did you come to drink alone, or are you here to meet a friend?”
Yang Kai cast a glance at him and said with a smile, “I’m just by myself!”
The waiter smiled in understanding, “Understood, please have a seat here.”
Saying so, he brought Yang Kai to the third floor and offered a table next to the window to him then said with a smile, “Sir, what would you like to order? I’m not trying to brag, but there aren’t any restaurants in Sky Crane City better than ours. All ingredients used by us are from fresh Monster Beasts, cooked with exquisite Spirit Herbs and Fruits. If you can consume them all year long, then even someone at your esteemed realm will receive some consolidation effects. If one is lucky enough, then one may even achieve a breakthrough. This has occurred in our restaurant a few times already.”
“Oh?” Yang Kai raised his brows in surprise and spoke with a smile, “What do you think someone at my cultivation should have?”
The waiter chuckled, “Sir, I can guess with a glance that you’re a Dao Source Realm cultivator, so you should obviously have the best dishes and wine. The only thing missing would be the company of a beauty.”
The waiter had been working here for many years and he had already gotten a pair of pretty discerning eyes. He was just a Saint Realm cultivator, yet he still discerned that Yang Kai was at the Dao Source Realm. He wasn’t just decent looking, he was also slick-tongued and could easily get on people’s good side.
Yang Kai chuckled, “Alright, I’ll leave it to you.”
Upon hearing this, delight surfaced on the waiter’s face and he declared, “Sir, I won’t disappoint you, and if you don’t leave in satisfaction, then you can break my legs to make a stew out of them.”
Yang Kai nodded and spoke, “I’ll take you at your word, if I am dissatisfied by any little thing, then I’ll fulfil your wish.”
The waiter’s face darkened and he could only say, “Then I’ll have to do my best!”
Saying so, he quickly left to arrange and handle this.
Yang Kai sat down next to the window and looked outside while waiting. He found this pretty amusing and he regained his spirits. He had been pretty despondent for the past few days and he still got pretty uneasy a while ago, yet all of those gloomy feelings were swept away now.
It wasn’t limited to just this. Yang Kai also felt that his body had turned lighter. He felt refreshed and full of vigour, and his body’s Source Qi started circulating quicker than before.
Upon noticing this, Yang Kai was taken aback, but he quickly understood what happened. His state of mind seemed to have achieved a subtle breakthrough.
Realizing this, his delight quickly surfaced on his face. Going for a walk had been a wise decision.
If he stayed in the Heavenly Puppet Workshop and cultivated, then he would’ve just racked his brain over this in vain and wouldn’t have gotten this fortuitous encounter.
After a short while, the waiter served him top-notch dishes and wine. Even though Yang Kai felt that the waiter was just bragging somewhat, he couldn’t deny that the dishes of this restaurant were pretty delicious and they were all made from special ingredients rich in energy. If one consumed those dishes all year long, then it was theoretically possible to increase their cultivation.
But it was quite an insignificant increase and it wouldn’t be as pure and refined as meditative cultivation.
So, cultivators would usually avoid such methods to increase their cultivation. They would have to spend a large amount of Source Crystals to eat here every day, just to obtain limited growth. It would be far better to just sit down and cultivate.
But, Yang Kai didn’t bother with nitpicking over tiny details with the waiter. He just praised him with a few words and tipped him with a few Source Crystals then asked him to leave. Yang Kai then just sat there by himself and enjoyed his drink alone.
The third floor of the restaurant was packed with guests sitting down in groups. At worst, the patrons were pairs, with the sole exception being Yang Kai.
Everyone was drinking cheerfully and discussing miscellaneous matters in loud voices, touching upon many of lands’ affairs and oddities.
Yang Kai had been listening to them with full interest.
The topic of discussions quickly focused, however, on the new concubine being taken by the City Lord, Luo Jin. The reasons for this were most likely rooted in the curiosities of men.
“Now that you mention it, the City Lord is already so old, yet he’s still enjoying himself.”
“You’re right, the City Lord has already taken in fourteen concubines and he’s planning on marrying a fifteenth tomorrow! I really wonder where he gets all the energy to keep up? Hahaha!”
“Leaving beauties to spend their nights in solitude is pretty cruel and sinful. If Sir Luo can’t pamper them all equally, then his harem may stray off-road.”
“Huh? Brother, from what you have said so far, it seems that you’re harbouring some desires for them?”
“Hehe, I won’t dare. I would never dare, I’m just speaking randomly.”
“It looked like you were sympathizing with them, as if you wanted to help the old City Lord… Hehe…”
“If I get a chance, I may give it a try. As the saying goes, if you can die beneath a beauty, then you won’t have any regrets.”
“Don’t you think you had enough drinks? If you don’t zip your mouth, then a calamity may befall you. Don’t forget that walls have ears,” someone suddenly spoke in a cold voice and warned them.
Upon hearing this, the expressions of the two people caught in a heated discussion changed and they said sheepishly, “We have really drunk more than we should, what did we say a while ago?”
“Nothing, we didn’t say anything. Come on, let’s have another drink.”
The topic of the discussion had suddenly shifted.
But, after a short while, someone brought it up again, “Now that I think about it, it’s said that his fourteen concubines are all outstanding beauties. If one can live as Sir Luo, then he won’t have any more regrets in life.”
“Well, he’s the City Lord after all. But from what you said, you must have gotten to see the City Lord’s concubines, didn’t you?”
“He’s got a point there, the City Lord keeps all of his concubines hidden in the City Lord’s Mansion. Even if they were to come out, they would be escorted by guards, clearing the way for them. Their faces are always covered by black veils. Friend, tell me. How did you get to see them?”
That person revealed a faint smile, “Hehe, I didn’t get to see them, but my niece is working as a maid in the City Lord’s Mansion and she got the opportunity to serve his concubines. According to her, they are all exceptionally beautiful, especially the newest one. She’s a lot prettier than the others and the City Lord is quite fond of her.”
“Huh? Do you have information about the new bride? Hurry up and tell us. What does she look like?”
“That’s right, we’re all curious about her.”
That man said with a smile, “I don’t mind telling you, but I don’t have any wine on my table…”
“I’ll take charge of it! Waiter, serve us a few bottles of your best wine,” someone suddenly shouted.
The man cupped his fists at him, “Friend, you’re pretty straightforward. I won’t keep you in suspense and I’ll tell you everything in detail.”
Saying so, he wiped off his mouth and started describing the City Lord’s new bride with his silver tongue. As the man described it, the crowd felt like they could see a graceful and alluring woman stroking her hair coquettishly and walking out of the void toward them. They had all revealed captivated looks and some had almost started drooling.
“Hmph!” At this moment, someone let out a cold snort and slammed his mug onto the table heavily, letting out a loud rumble.
The crowd lost in their fanciful dreams and they all looked angrily at that said person.
Yang Kai had also been listening to the previous man’s tale eagerly, and he quickly looked at the source of the noise. He sighted upon a muscular man stinking off alcohol with a vicious glare in his eye.
Upon sweeping him with his Divine Sense, Yang Kai discovered that this man was only a Third-Order Origin King, and his aura seemed pretty unstable. It seemed like he had suffered some kind of serious injury recently.
The man’s right eye was completely white without a pupil, as if it had been blinded by some unknown substance. The man looked pretty vicious, and his strange eye only made him scarier.
At this moment, anger was apparent on the one-eyed man’s face. He had even destroyed the cup in his hand, causing sweet liquor to drip through his fingers.
“I was just wondering who it was, it’s the lone tiger who has just left his mountain, Brother Hu Chai,” the person who had been speaking a while ago laughed then covered his mouth, “No, he’s now the One-Eyed Tiger! Hahaha!”
The man didn’t even bother with hiding his mockery, and he laughed along with the crowd. It looked like they all didn’t like the man surnamed Chai.
“Brother Chai, I’m pretty curious. Who blinded you?” After that man had his fill of laughter, he questioned him.
Chai Hu snorted and didn’t bother with replying. He just sat there with a vicious look on his face and rolled his sole eye at that person, “If you continue making things up, then I’ll tear you apart.”
The expression of that person changed and he shouted, “Making things up? What do you mean by that?”
Chai Hu said, “That woman… doesn’t look anything like that.”
“Which woman?” That person furrowed his brows, but he quickly came back to his senses and responded. Squinting as he said, “Chai Hu, are you talking about… The City Lord’s new bride?”
Chai Hu snorted coldly then raised a wine bottle on the table to drink it down in one gulp.
That man still didn’t let go of this, “You’re talking like you have seen the bride. Did you?”
Chai Hu’s hand suddenly stiffened and a reminiscent look flashed past his sole eye, but he still said coldly, “It’s none of your business!”
That person was taken aback and he clapped with a smile, “I suddenly understand how you got blinded.” He stopped for a moment, leaving those around him in suspense, then laughed aloud, “You must have peeped on the City Lord’s bride when she was bathing and your eye got blinded by her.”
After he said so, the whole place broke into laughter.
Chai Hu suddenly stood up and flipped up the table. As his body moved, he rushed at the man like a ferocious tiger with a sabre in his hand, swinging it out.
The current Chai Hu was shrouded in a dense murderous intent. This matter must have poked a sore point. As for his opponent, he was startled by this and he quickly summoned up all his might to defend against the unexpected attack.
These two were both Third-Order Origin Kings, so their moves possessed indomitable might. As their Saint Qi surged, the battle’s shockwaves flipped up all tables on the third floor and the whole restaurant started shaking. It had almost crumbled apart!
Upon noticing this disturbance, the owner of the restaurant quickly rushed over and sighted upon the two men fighting to the death. His face turned pale and he entreated them to leave and finish their fight outside, but his pleas didn’t reach them.
Yang Kai shook his head with a helpless look on his face then picked the wine bottle on the table, draining off anything left in one gulp. Shortly after, he left some Source Crystals on the table, then his body flickered away. He had left the restaurant and was making his way through the crowd.
Fights between cultivators were a common occurrence and every cultivator’s hands were stained in blood. On this day, Chai Hu or his opponent might get killed in the fight, but that was their business.
Yang Kai didn’t plan to intervene. He just wanted to get back to Heavenly Puppet Workshop, but when he passed by a pill store on the way, he suddenly stopped, then turned around and went inside.
This pill store was one of Violet Source Chamber of Commerce’s industries, as it had its symbol on its signboard.
Yang Kai planned to purchase some herbs. He had a lot of materials in his Space Ring, but he had consumed a lot of pills lately, and he was short of some secondary ingredients to refine replacements. Purchasing what he needed was the simplest method.
The Violet Source Chamber of Commerce’s pill store in Sky Crane City was a lot larger than the one in Maplewood City, and it had a much wider variety of goods than the latter. Yang Kai began purchasing a lot of herbs he needed with the help of the store’s attendant, and this attendant was very delighted by this. He realized that he had run into a pretty wealthy man, so he served him meticulously and respectfully.
After Yang Kai spent an hour there, he finally finished his purchases and he asked the attendant to pack all the goods then went to the counter to settle the bill.
The shopkeeper had also realized that they had run into someone with deep pockets and wore an amiable smile across his face.
But, while they were still counting the price of goods, a shadow fell upon the entrance and someone came inside.
The shopkeeper raised his head to take a look then said in surprise, “Young Lady Luo? We are honoured by your presence, please forgive us for not coming out to greet you.”
Upon hearing this, the expression of Yang Kai’s changed and he realized that ‘Young Lady Luo’ was most likely the daughter of Sky Crane City’s Lord, Luo Jin.
Those two had the same surname and the shopkeeper would likely treat only those from the City Lord’s Mansion so respectfully; after all, the shopkeeper here was a member of Violet Source Chamber of Commerce. With such backing, he didn’t have to treat guests without very special status with such courtesy.
Yang Kai turned his head and gazed at this ‘Young Lady Luo’ curiously. What he saw was a graceful young girl clad in a flashy dress. She had come here with a smile and waved her hand at the shopkeeper in response, “Shopkeeper, just take care of your business. I only came here for a stroll!”
“Young Lady Luo, please help yourself!” The shopkeeper revealed a faint smile.
The young girl walked in, accompanied by a handsome young man with rosy lips, white teeth, and a fan in his hand. This graceful young man was none other than the Sky Illumination Palace’s Qiu Yu.
When Yang Kai’s gaze met Qiu Yu’s, the latter was taken aback a little and he said with a smile, “It’s you?”
Yang Kai covered his face with his hand and turned around, saying, “It’s not me. I think you’ve got the wrong person.”
Qiu Yu was startled and he couldn’t help but wonder what Yang Kai was playing at.
The young girl sized up Yang Kai curiously then gazed at Qiu Yu, asking him, “Brother Yu, do you know this man?”
Qiu Yu smiled, “I know him, but I’m not that close to him.”
“Eh!” The young girl nodded, then patted Yang Kai’s shoulder boldly and said, “Hey, Brother Yu is talking with you, how dare you ignore him?”
Yang Kai moved his shoulder aside and shook off her hand, then looked at her in irritation, “Men and women should avoid any intimate body contact, didn’t your parents teach you this? Why are you patting someone else’s shoulders so casually? What are you up to?”
The young girl’s face got flushed and she said through gnashed teeth, “You dare to rebuke me?”
Qiu Yu said with a smile, “Little Sister Bing, don’t lower yourself to his level, this person has always been so guileful. He was also like this at the city’s gate. He even sneaked into the city under Thousand Leaves Sect’s name, who knows what he’s up to?”
“He is with Thousand Leaves Sect?” Luo Bing’s face fell upon hearing this, as if she had a very bad impression of Thousand Leaves Sect.
“That’s right!” Qiu Yu nodded lightly.
Luo Bing spoke promptly, “Then he surely has some malicious plan. Hey, tell me honestly, what did you sneak into the city for? Are you concocting some devious plot?”
She had unexpectedly started interrogating Yang Kai directly.
Yang Kai looked at the young girl with a helpless look on his face. [This little girl must have been spoiled to the bone and is completely oblivious to the ways of the world.]
Thinking so, Yang Kai suddenly let out a nasty laugh.
Luo Bing spoke out of disgust, “Your laugh is so sickening… Hurry up and blurt it out, what did you come to the city for?”
Yang Kai let out a peal of lecherous laughter and spoke, “What else other than that? I heard that Sky Crane City got so many beauties and I have just come here to enjoy myself, I’m especially interested in young girls with tender skin.”
Saying so, he took a deep sniff of the air with an infatuated look at his face then spoke again, “What a rich fragrance! What taste, so sweet and delicious! Ze ze ze…”
Luo Bing had been so frightened that her face turned deathly pale. She couldn’t help but move back several steps and she couldn’t utter another word.
Qiu Yu furrowed his brows and moved in front of Luo Bing, hiding her behind him, then snorted coldly, “Friend, pay attention to your words. You can eat whatever you want, but you can’t say whatever you want. Some words may cost you your life.”
Yang Kai chuckled and shrugged his shoulders, “It’s you who forced such a label on me, insinuating that I sneaked into the city with ulterior motives. So, I just played along with you.”
At this moment, Luo Bing had come back to her senses and she jumped from behind Qiu Yu and shouted in a sweet voice, “You dared to scare me? Do you know who I am?”
Yang Kai cast a glance at her then brushed off her threats, “Don’t know, please don’t bother me. You’re a nuisance!”
“He dared to… Shoo me off?” Luo Bing widened up her pretty eyes and she got so angry that her chest heaved up and down. She was the daughter of Sky Crane City’s Lord, she was from a family with great influence, and had a prominent status. She was also a great beauty with many suitors pestering her, Qiu Yu being one of them. Every time Qiu Yu visited Sky Crane City, he would accompany her and would follow her closely like her shadow.
Moreover, Luo Jin spoiled her and satisfied every little request of hers. She had always lived with the world revolving around her, where everyone treated her with the utmost care. She had never been so shunned by a man before.
She felt quite aggrieved and she stamped her foot, “You… You… I’ll teach you a lesson!”
Upon hearing this, Yang Kai’s face fell.
He wasn’t afraid of Sky Crane City, but if he got into a conflict with Luo Bing, then he would implicate the members of the Thousand Leaves Sect and he didn’t hope to see this.
Luo Bing shouted then jumped toward Yang Kai with her head held high, staring at him viciously.
When Yang Kai had just gotten wary, she turned her head around and pointed at the goods on the counter then spoke with the shopkeeper, “Did he buy those goods?”
Upon hearing this, the shopkeeper nodded without giving any thought to this, “That’s right.”
“Good!” Luo Bing gnashed her teeth, “Then I want all of them, don’t sell off any of them to him.”
Yang Kai’s expression turned gloomy, while Qiu Yu was taken aback. [Does she plan to teach him a lesson through this? Isn’t this lesson a bit too petty?]
An embarrassed look appeared on the shopkeeper’s face, “Young Lady Luo, those goods have already been picked by this guest, and we have just calculated the cost.”
Luo Bing said, “Then he didn’t pay for them yet, right?”
The shopkeeper hesitated for a moment, “He hasn’t done so. Yet….”
“Then, that’s fine, I want all of them,” Luo Bing snorted and looked at Yang Kai with a complacent look, as if she was saying, [Do you dare to fight with me?]
Yang Kai was dumbfounded by this, and he only got more certain that this little girl had been spoiled rotten to the bone. Even when she got angry, she didn’t know how to vent her anger.
The shopkeeper took a deep breath, “Young Miss Luo, those goods had been selected by him already, and if he wants to buy them, then I have to sell them off to him. So, I’m afraid that I can’t satisfy your request.”
“What?” Luo Bing pulled a long face and glared at the shopkeeper, “Didn’t you hear what I have just said?”
The shopkeeper explained calmly, “Those are our store’s rules, we hope for your understanding.”
This store wasn’t big, but it was still a branch of Violet Source Chamber of Commerce and it represented its face. So, the shopkeeper wasn’t really afraid of the daughter of Sky Crane City’s Lord, Luo Bing, and he also wouldn’t offend a guest for her and ruin the reputation of Violet Source Chamber of Commerce.
As for the consequences of offending the Young Lady of the City Lord’s Mansion? It would be up to his superiors to handle this. Besides, even if Luo Jin learned of this, he likely wouldn’t make any trouble for the store.
“You…” Luo Bing got so angry that her small face got flushed red.
Upon seeing this, Qiu Yu started to try and appease her, “Little Sister Bing, just forget about it. It’s just a few herbs. If they don’t want to sell them, we can just buy them from another place.”
“That’s out of the question! I have set my mind on this! So, I’ll buy them no matter what!” Luo Bing puffed up her cheeks, then said through gnashed teeth, “Shopkeeper, just tell me how much do those goods cost? I’ll pay double for them.”
The shopkeeper rubbed his forehead and said with a bitter smile, “I still can’t break the store’s rules.”
Yang Kai suddenly smiled, “Shopkeeper, how can you miss free money? Since this little girl wants to pay double the price, then just sell them to her.”
Upon hearing this, the shopkeeper cast a grateful glance at Yang Kai and bowed at him, “Dear guest, many thanks for your understanding.”
Luo Bing shouted, “Why are you talking as if he let me have them? I snatched them away, you know?”
“You’re right, you’re right, you have snatched them and I have just conceded in defeat,” Yang Kai nodded repeatedly.
“That’s more like it,” Luo Bing’s expression turned for the better and she raised her head complacently then knocked on the table, saying, “Speak! How much do they cost?”
The shopkeeper quickly calculated the cost and said, “The original price would be 18,604,300 Source Crystals, but we can just round it to 18,600,000. So, Young Lady Luo, you’ll have to pay 37,200,000 Source Crystals.”
*Gudong…*
Luo Bing gulped hard and said with great difficulty, “How… How much again?”
The shopkeeper raised his head and repeated the price with a composed look.
At this moment, even Qiu Yu winded up his eyes and he looked in shock at Yang Kai.
He would have never imagined that the things Yang Kai bought were so expensive. Such an astronomical amount of Source Crystals would shock most Dao Source Realm cultivators. Even Qiu Yu, who was the Young Palace Master of the Sky Illumination Palace, didn’t have such a large number of Source Crystals.
Since Yang Kai was this wealthy, to the point that he would casually carry that amount around, then he surely was no ordinary cultivator.
Luo Bing was completely dumbstruck as she stood there in a daze for a long time.
After a long while, Luo Bing asked bitterly, “Shopkeeper, are you sure you didn’t make some mistake while calculating?”
The shopkeeper replied calmly, “I have been managing this store for thirty years and I have never made such a mistake.”
Yang Kai next to them grinned, “Little girl, what’s wrong? Can you not afford it?”
“Who says I can’t?” Upon hearing this, Luo Bing stomped her foot, as if she was a little rabbit that got its tail stepped on. “I wouldn’t… put such a small amount of Source Crystals in… my eyes. The allowance given to me by my father is a lot more than this…”
“Great!” Yang Kai nodded and cupped his fists at her, saying, “The Young Lady is so rich and imposing, I can’t help but admire you.”
Luo Bing said in a low voice, “But I left home in a hurry today and didn’t bring that much with me.”
Yang Kai smiled and cast a sidelong glance at her then spoke, “Young Lady Luo, are you planning to purchase on credit?”
“Who said anything about purchasing on credit?” Luo Bing’s face got flushed. She really planned to do this just now, but having been mocked by Yang Kai, she no longer felt she had the face to do so. With no other choice, she turned expectantly to Qiu Yu, “Brother Qiu…”
Qiu Yu stroked his Space Ring subconsciously and twitched his lips as he spoke, “Little Sister Bing, I only have a million in hand…”
Upon hearing this, Luo Bing stomped her foot, “Why didn’t you bring more Source Crystals with you?”
A dumbfounded look appeared on Qiu Yu’s face as he couldn’t help but wonder, [A million is more than enough, and I have saved up for so long to accumulate this much. Where can I get more of it? Even if I had more, I wouldn’t take it out now….]
She was trying to buy herbs at double their price in a fit of anger, yet she wanted to use his Source Crystals. Luo Bing’s family would surely not return such a sum to him.
Upon thinking of this, Qiu Yu glared resentfully at Yang Kai. If this man hadn’t caused so much mischief, he wouldn’t have found himself in such an awkward position.
As for Yang Kai, he just turned a blind eye to his glare and laughed loudly, “Young Lady Luo, it seems you didn’t bring enough with you. Then, I can only take these herbs for myself.”
“Stop!” Luo Bing shouted and jumped between him and the counter, using her body as a shield like she was protecting some precious treasure, shouting desperately at Yang Kai, “Just wait for a little while, I’ll go back and ask for the Source Crystals from my father.”
“Would the City Lord give such a sum to you?” Yang Kai curled his lips.
As long as Luo Jin didn’t lose his mind, he wouldn’t give Luo Bing such a large sum for her petty quarrel. At most, he would send some people after Yang Kai to teach him a lesson.
Qiu Yu couldn’t just continue to observe in silence. He stretched out his hand to pull Luo Bing and warned, “Little Sister Bing, don’t make a scene, the City Lord is completely focused on preparing for the wedding ceremony tomorrow, and he probably doesn’t have time to meet with you.”
“I’m not making a scene, I just want to make a purchase,” Luo Bing said obstinately.
Yang Kai shook his head and took the medicinal ingredients then put them in his Space Ring. Shortly after, he paid the shopkeeper enough Source Crystals and turned around to leave.
He didn’t bother with quarrelling with the two!
“Stop!” Luo Bing ordered, but her shout was futile. Upon seeing that Yang Kai would shortly leave, she quickly pulled at Qiu Yu and entreated him, “Brother Yu, please block him for me, I have to buy those medicinal ingredients today.”
“Just forget about it!” An irritated look flashed past Qiu Yu’s eyes. He had already accompanied this insensible little girl for so long and he couldn’t stand her temper tantrum any longer; however, Sky Crane City was a fairly powerful force and Sky Illumination Palace wanted to have a better relationship with them, so every time he visited Sky Crane City, he needed to keep Luo Bing company. “If the City Lord learned of this, it won’t be a good end for you.”
“What? What did I do wrong? I can take and do whatever I want in Sky Crane City, and if anything goes wrong, I’ll take responsibility,” Luo Bing said bossily. “What’s more, isn’t he with Thousand Leaves Sect? We can take this opportunity to ask him the reason why he sneaked into the city, and what he is plotting.”
“Haa!” Qiu Yu let out a helpless sigh. She kept pestering him as before, and he could only brace himself and agree. In any case, he also wanted to know how Yang Kai was related to Thousand Leaves Sect. After all, he knew that the Thousand Leaves Sect didn’t have any disciples or Elders called ‘Yang Kai’.
However, Ye Jing Han had claimed that he was part of the Sect, so he couldn’t help but get a little wary and eventually nodded, “Good, but if the City Lord asks about this…”
“I won’t mention your name. Brother Yu, you’re the best!” Luo Bing revealed a delighted look.
Qiu Yu’s expression turned grave and he shouted, “Elders, I’ll have to trouble you with this.”
He seemed to be talking to the air, those who saw this would question who he was talking to…
Luo Bing stood there with a smile and observed Yang Kai’s back in anticipation, and she started daydreaming about taking him down and interrogating him until he would kneel and beg for forgiveness. Finally, she would get him to hand over the herbs to her. But, as she continued observing, her smile quickly disappeared. Yang Kai had just walked out of the door leisurely then turned around and disappeared into the crowd.
“He… He ran away!” Luo Bing shook Qiu Yu’s arm and reminded him.
A startled look appeared on Qiu Yu’s face and he shouted to the void, “Elders, what’s wrong?”
When his voice just fell, two silhouettes flickered and appeared in front of them. The two Third-Order Dao Source Realm Masters, who had been at the city gate with him appeared, but they were now drenched in a cold sweat with faces as pale as paper, as if they just experienced some terrible fright.
“Why didn’t you make a move?” Anger was apparent on Qiu Yu’s face. He felt like he had just embarrassed himself in front of Luo Bing and was in an awful mood.
The two old men exchanged a glance then one of them spoke, “Young Master, you must know, we didn’t wish to disobey your orders, we simply couldn’t make a move.”
“What’s wrong?” Qiu Yu’s face fell.
The old man continued, “I also can’t say why, when we were about to act against that boy, we suddenly felt an ominous premonition, as though the shadow of death was looming over us… It was as if… As if….”
Saying so, clear fear appeared on his face.
The other old man added, “If we had really made a move, we would now be corpses.”
“Are you cracking a joke with me?” Qiu Yu’s jaw dropped as he glared at the two old men in disbelief.
The old man who had spoken first responded, “Young Master, we have followed you for so many years and we have never disobeyed your orders, but this time… Things are just not as they seem!”
“That’s right, please forgive us,” the other old man pleaded.
Qiu Yu observed them for long then said bitterly, “What you are implying is that he’s hiding his true strength, and he’s likely an… Emperor Realm Master?”
Upon saying so, Qiu Yu couldn’t help but gulp hard as cold sweat dripped down his back, his face turning deathly pale.
The two old men were both Third-Order Dao Source Realm Masters, and even though they had already grown old, their power had only grown more refined and vigorous with time. No one other than an Emperor Realm Master could instantly take them down and deter them from making a move.
Upon thinking he may have just provoked an Emperor Realm Master, Qiu Yu suddenly felt feeble and his legs started shivering, making it impossible for him to stand straight.
“No, no, no…” The old man that spoke a while ago shook his head and said. “He is fairly young so he is unlikely to be an Emperor Realm Master. What’s more, we have observed him with our Divine Senses carefully, and he’s really just in the Second-Order Dao Source Realm.”
“Then there is an Emperor Realm Master in the dark protecting him?” Qiu Yu was surprised again.
“It isn’t the case, that feeling we felt… It didn’t seem like it was from an Emperor Realm Master…” The other old man shook his head.
Qiu Yu knitted his brow, “Then aren’t your senses betraying you?”
The old man who spoke first asked, “Young Master, don’t you believe us?”
“I didn’t say so,” Upon hearing this, Qiu Yu quickly waved his hand in denial. “It’s just… This matter must have a reasonable explanation, is it because that young man could easily defeat you?”
The old man sneered, “He’s one hundred years too young to defeat us with his current cultivation.”
Luo Bing, who had been listening to this for such a long time, was confused. so, she butted in, “What are you talking about? That man has already left. You two old men are so useless, Brother Yu has taken care of you in vain.”
Qiu Yu’s expression turned cold and he glared at Luo Bing, “Shut up!”
Luo Bing was startled by this. Qiu Yu had never treated her like this since she became acquainted with him and she had never seen him so angry. In addition, she had just been thwarted a while ago; therefore, she couldn’t take it any longer and shouted hysterically, “Did you just scold me? You dare to scold me!?”
Qiu Yu snorted coldly, “These two are as close to me as my own Grandparents! You don’t have the right to insult them!”
Luo Bing’s eyes got flushed and she broke into tears. She gnashed her teeth and glared at Qiu Yu resentfully then pounced at him, raining kicks and punches on him as she shouted, “I hate you, I hate you, you’re the worst. I hate you so much!”
After she beat him for a while, she turned around and ran outside of the store and quickly disappeared among the crowd.
“Young Master, go after her!” Upon seeing this, the expression of one of the old men changed and he advised.
Qiu Yu snorted coldly, “That little girl has been spoiled to the core, just let her be. Hopefully, she will reflect on her actions after this.”
“But, if Lady Bing suffers any mishap, then…” The old man spoke with a worried look.
Qiu Yu didn’t take this seriously and he just explained, “She’s the daughter of the City Lord, so who would dare to harm her in Sky Crane City? She probably ran back to the City Lord’s Mansion. I know her temperament, you don’t have to worry over this.”
Upon hearing this, the two old men quieted down and didn’t say more.
“About that young man… We should pay more attention to him,” Qiu Yu said with a grave look on his face, “He probably has some great secrets, and I’m also pretty curious about his origins.”
“Young Master, you can rest assured, I will go to investigate this right away,” After one of the old men cupped his fist and spoke, his body flickered and disappeared.
…..
In one of Sky Crane City’s streets, a heartbroken young girl was rushing ahead through the crowd in tears, knocking into some people along the way. Her careless actions caused many to shout and curse at her.
Luo Bing was deeply hurt. She didn’t just get mocked by someone, she had also been shamed in that store. Worse, now even Qiu Yu, who she saw as her closest friend, had publicly scolded her.
She had never suffered so much in her life and she felt immensely aggrieved. The young girl’s tears flowed without stop and her eyes quickly got flushed and swollen.
As she ran away in tears, she still didn’t forget to frequently look back, as if she was expecting someone, but she didn’t see him chasing after her. Upon realizing this, she felt even more hurt and felt like she was the most miserable and pitiful person in Sky Crane City.
As she mulled this over repeatedly and eventually realized that the chief culprit was that wicked young man. If he had just given up the herbs to her, then she wouldn’t have found herself in such an awkward position and she also wouldn’t get scolded by Qiu Yu.
Upon realizing this, she cursed Yang Kai viciously in her mind and vowed to teach him a memorable lesson.
Luo Bing had been running in tears for a long time, and when she finally came back to her senses, she discovered in shock that she had gotten lost.
She was the daughter of Sky Crane City’s Lord and she had lived her whole life here; however, she was always accompanied by guards when she went out into the city, so she never paid any attention to her surroundings, only caring about her own amusement. After she was done with what she wanted to do, she would be escorted home.
Moreover, all regions she visited were the most prosperous areas of Sky Crane City!
But, at this moment, she ended up in a deserted region with narrow roads and filthy air. A sickening odour pervaded this place and many broken stalls and run-down shops surrounded her.
There was also a wretched beggar covered in filth trying to pick the lice off of himself, tossing each one he caught into his mouth, chewing them in delight…
Luo Bing quickly looked away and she felt like she would soon throw up. She couldn’t help but question whether this was still the prosperous Sky Crane City? Did she run so far away and end up in another unknown city?
Upon thinking of this, Luo Bing was terrified.
If it was so, then she wouldn’t be able to find her way back home. She had just calmed down, yet she quickly succumbed to despair again and started crying.
At this moment, she sighted upon two men walking in front of her and she quickly ran toward them in tears, as if they were the last straw she could clutch onto. She shouted in a desperate voice, “Sirs, please wait!”
Upon hearing this, the two men halted and turned their heads to take a look at Luo Bing.
Upon seeing her, their eyes lit up.
Luo Bing was quite pretty and had an alluring figure. She had always lived like a princess so she had a naturally authoritative air, and even though her face was tear-stained, this only added a kind of special charm to her.
It was no wonder that the two men couldn’t take their eyes off her and they had even started drooling. Usually, any woman with decent looks wouldn’t step into this region of Sky Crane City, yet a great beauty had arrived on this day. So, how could they resist the temptation?
Upon checking the young girl with their Divine Senses, the two men discovered that she was just a Third-Order Origin Returning Realm cultivator. They then exchanged a glance and could clearly see the eagerness apparent in each other’s eyes.
One of the two men, a slightly fat cultivator, revealed a friendly-looking smile and asked in a soft voice, “Little girl, what’s wrong? Did you… Get lost? Hehehe…”
Upon hearing this, Luo Bing’s pretty eyes lit up and she looked in surprise at the fat cultivator, then spoke, “How did you know? I have gotten lost and don’t know how to get back home.”
“Huh?” The fat cultivator was taken aback. He had just blurted out whatever came into his mind, yet it actually hit the nail on the head. Besides, the young girl looked so delighted and innocent that it was obvious she wasn’t putting on an act.
He quickly understood that the young girl in front of him was the kind of sheltered flower that rarely left her home and she didn’t know the ways of the world. He just let out a cough and put on a compassionate look, “Young Lady, don’t be afraid, no one will hurt you with us here.”
Luo Bing wiped her tears, then broke into a smile, as if she had just been relieved from a heavy burden, “That’s great, I knew there was still hope.”
As she smiled, she looked like a beautiful blossoming flower, and the two cultivators couldn’t avert their eyes from her, gulping as their bodies started heating up.
“You two, hurry up and send me home. Once I get back home, I’ll reward you generously,” Luo Bing quickly recovered her bossy attitude and she started yelling at the two cultivators.
The two men exchanged a glance, and the thinner one said with a smile, “Understood, we’ll send you back home. Young Lady, please follow us.”
Luo Bing nodded and waved her hand, “Lead the way!”
She didn’t even bother asking them whether they knew her or the location of her home and she just followed after them.
Those two men also didn’t plan to engage in any conversion with her, and they just walked forward in silence.
Luo Bing’s mood quickly turned for the better, and she forgot all the mishaps she had just suffered. She had even started humming a tune like a happy little bird.
After the time it would take to brew a cup of tea, Luo Bing suddenly realized that something was off and she stopped in her tracks. When she turned her head and looked around, she noticed that this area was even more deserted and she couldn’t see a single soul here. The houses here were all in ruins with many broken walls left behind, as if it was a ghost town. She was a little intimidated by this and she spoke in a shivering voice, “What… What is this place? Didn’t I ask you to bring me back home… Why did you bring me here?”
Upon hearing this, the two cultivators in front of her stopped and turned their heads around to gaze at her, letting out sinister laughter.
Even if Luo Bing wasn’t the brightest, she still realized by now that something was amiss. She quickly realized that these two men were anything but good-hearted and that they never planned to bring her home.
“You… What do you want to do?” Luo Bing’s face turned pale from fright and she started moving back, stumbling on something and losing her balance, falling on her butt.
Fright and pain overwhelmed her fragile heart and she started weeping on the spot.
“Heh heh heh…” The fat cultivator sneered and approached Luo Bing step by step, his looming figure putting a lot of pressure on Luo Bing’s fragile nerves, causing her heart to start beating loudly, like it was trying to leap out of her chest.
“I… I’m warning you… don’t… don’t you dare come closer, or else… or else, you’ll pay for it!” Luo Bing bit her rosy lips and assembled the best words she could to threaten them.
But, matters had already developed up to here, so how could those two people just give up?
The thin cultivator said with a smile, “Little girl, you’re pretty interesting, do your parents know how naive you are?”
The fat cultivator let out lecherous laughter, “Scream all you want, even if you shout yourself hoarse, no one will come for you.”
Saying so, the fat cultivator jumped at Luo Bing and stretched his hand toward her fair neck.
Luo Bing cried out in fright and pushed her palms forward, summoning up her Saint Qi. She had unexpectedly launched a strike with pretty considerable might.
But in the end, she was just a Third-Order Origin Returning Realm cultivator, and she had never been fond of cultivating. She had only gotten to her current realm thanks to a large supply of precious treasures, causing her Saint Qi to be impure and her techniques to be quite sloppy.
As for the fat and thin cultivators, they were both Origin Kings, so facing this messy strike, the fat cultivator simply waved his hand to casually disperse it before he swiftly slapped Luo Bing’s shoulder.
Luo Bing fell weakly to the ground and she couldn’t summon up even a little bit of strength. Her cultivation had been sealed and she could only look on helplessly as the fat cultivator pulled off her belt and started removing her clothes.
“Don’t… Please don’t…” Luo Bing started entreating him in sobs.
The fat cultivator’s most vile desires were only stimulated by Luo Bing’s cries though. He couldn’t help letting out a hot snort from his nose as he gulped hard, his eyes flashing as he muttered, “Her voice is so alluring! The Heavens have not forsaken us, sending us such a beauty!”
The body of the thin cultivator had also started heating up and he jumped toward Luo Bing then pinched her face repeatedly, saying, “Her skin is so soft, I wonder which family this little girl is from? Hehe, we struck it lucky this time!”
Upon hearing this, Luo Bing suddenly found newfound strength and shouted, “I’m the daughter of the City Lord! Hurry up and let go of me! If my father learns of this, you’ll both die miserably!”
After she said so, the body of the fat and thin cultivators stiffened and their faces turned deathly pale.
Cold sweat started dripping down the fat cultivator’s forehead and it wouldn’t stop no matter how much he wiped it off. He muttered in a bitter voice, “No… It can’t be… The City Lord’s daughter?”
Fright was also apparent on the thin cultivator’s face as he stared at Luo Bing and stuttered, “What… What’s your name?”
Luo Bing looked at them coldly and spoke through gnashed teeth, “Luo Bing!”
Upon hearing this, a chill ran down the two cultivators’ spines and they couldn’t help trembling. The fat cultivator started sizing up Luo Bing earnestly before he spoke haltingly, “She… She really does look like the Young Lady of the City Lord’s Mansion, I have seen her once from afar…”
“We’re done for… done for…” The thin cultivator couldn’t take this heavy blow and he started muttering to himself. He had even fallen on his butt with a dispirited look on his face.
The body of the fat cultivator shivered intensely and he quickly pulled back his hands, which were trying to take off Luo Bing’s clothes, then gazed at Luo Bing, and tried to squeeze out a fawning smile, yet couldn’t do so, his expression even more unsightly than a crying face.
After they learned that she was the daughter of the City Lord, they were both scared witless.
They assumed that Luo Bing was just an ordinary girl that got lost and never dreamed she had such a huge background. If they had known earlier, then they wouldn’t have dared to do this.
Upon seeing this, Luo Bing’s eyes lit up and she shouted, “You’re afraid now? If you don’t want to die, then send me back to the City Lord’s Mansion!”
The fat cultivator quickly crawled toward Luo Bing and kowtowed to her so heavily that his head quickly got drenched in blood. “Young Lady Luo, we must have been blind to affront you, please don’t take it to heart and forgive us!”
At this moment, the thin cultivator had also come back to his senses and he crawled in front of her and started kowtowing to her, without forgetting to beg for mercy.
Luo Bing looked in disgust at them then snorted coldly and said, “Send me back to the City Lord’s Mansion and I’ll spare your lives.”
“Are you serious?” Upon hearing this, the fat cultivator rejoiced and he raised his head to look at Luo Bing with relief and delight on his face.
Luo Bing nodded and declared, “I can spare your lives, but you must still be punished for your actions! I also want to punish you properly…” Saying so, she tilted her head sideways and mulled this over for a moment then said, “I’ll ask my father to lock you up for eight or nine years.”
The expression of the fat and thin cultivators turned spectacular and they looked at Luo Bing with odd expressions on their faces.
“What are you looking at? Keep your eyes to yourselves or I’ll gouge them out,” Luo Bing glared viciously at them, as if everything was under her control.
“Big Brother…” The thin cultivator turned to the fat cultivator and said in a low voice, “This girl… Is she messed up in the head?”
If she wasn’t crazy, she would have known not to start threatening them before she got away from them. Any person with a little bit of common sense wouldn’t do this.
The fat cultivator nodded earnestly, “I also think so… The City Lord is so pitiful… He is a great man with an illustrious name, yet he has such a daughter…”
“Then what should we do?”
A vicious glint flashed past the fat cultivator’s eyes and he said in a low voice, “What else can we do? We’ve already come this far, so we can only follow through to the end…” Saying so, a murderous look appeared on his face.
Upon hearing this, the fat cultivator gave it some thought then nodded, “Good… this is the only way…”
The two men’s voices were pretty low, but Luo Bing could still hear them clearly. She assumed that she would shortly get away from them, yet matters didn’t develop as she had expected. Besides, from what they said so far, they didn’t just plan to violate her anymore, they also planned to take her life. She got scared by this and her face turned deathly pale, calling out in a fluster, “What are you planning to do? Don’t do this. If you send me back to the City Lord’s Mansion, I won’t punish you, okay?”
“Too late!” The fat cultivator sneered coldly in response. He had already made up his mind and was no longer afraid. The City Lord was not a person to be trifled with, but they were now in a deserted region, so as long as they cleaned up the scene, any sins they committed could not be traced back to them.
He quickly crawled toward Luo Bing and knelt in front of her. He could clearly smell her sweet maiden fragrance and his body started heating up once more. He spoke in an indistinct voice and leaned closer to her, going after her lips with his large mouth, “She’s so beautiful, if I can have her even once, then I won’t regret dying right after it.”
“No… No!” Luo Bing shook her head repeatedly, as she wanted to avoid his sickening face, but with her cultivation having been sealed and her movements restricted, she could only look on helplessly as his large mouth approached hers.
She could already smell its nasty odour.
Luo Bing’s mind turned blank at that moment. At this precarious juncture, it wasn’t the image of her compassionate father that ran across her mind, nor Qiu Yu who obeyed her every whim, but rather the hateful silhouette of Yang Kai.
[If I wasn’t for him, if it wasn’t for him… Then I wouldn’t have suffered like this…]