“Since you won’t have any regrets even in death, then you can die right now.”
When the fat cultivator was about to kiss Luo Bing, an ice-cold voice reverberated.
The fat and thin cultivators had been completely focused on their impending activities and their vigilance had been overwhelmed by their base instincts, so it wasn’t until they heard another person’s voice that they reacted in terror.
The fat cultivator leapt to his feet, but he didn’t get to see who was talking before he saw a fist coming at him. It was a fist covered in Saint Qi, exuding a vicious force.
He could clearly see the fist getting larger as it approached him, shrouding his entire vision. He wanted to dodge this strike, but couldn’t. It looked like his opponent’s cultivation vastly surpassed his…
*Peng…*
A soft noise echoed out, followed shortly by the fat cultivator’s miserable scream. His fat body had been sent flying through the air, and his head burst open like a watermelon soon after, spurting scarlet and white fluid around.
“Ah!”
When this incident had just begun, the thin cultivator let out a surprised cry, only to see his Brother quickly dying right in front of his eyes. Everything ended before he could respond.
He raised his head and saw that a muscular man had appeared at some point. The muscular man’s body was now drenched in blood, as if he had just come out of a battle. Half of his face was swollen and blood was dripping from it. It was a pretty ghastly sight and ordinary people wouldn’t dare to look straight at him, especially because one of the man’s eyes was completely white, without any pupils or iris. It was quite terrifying to behold!
“Who… Who are you?” When the thin cultivator swept this newcomer with his Divine Sense, his heart couldn’t help clenching because he discovered that he was a Third-Order Origin King.
The thin and fat cultivators were just First-Order Origin Kings, and the enemy’s cultivation was higher than theirs by two Minor Realms. The enemy didn’t look to be in his best state, but he was still able to kill the fat cultivator with a single punch; therefore, the thin cultivator knew he was no match for him.
“I’m the man who will send you to the underworld,” the muscular man snorted coldly and his large body instantly disappeared.
Upon seeing this, the thin cultivator shouted, “Friend, let’s have a civil conversion! We have no grievance or grudge with you, so why are you assaulting us?”
Even though he said so, the thin man had already summoned his defensive artifact, forming a luminous shield around himself.
The muscular man’s voice reverberated behind the thin man’s back, his voice cold and indifferent, like a whisper of a reaper of death, “What else is there to discuss with scum that oppresses people and assaults women? Die!”
As his voice fell, a sabre appeared in his hand. As he imbued his Saint Qi into it, it let out a sonorous roar while the phantom image of a giant tiger’s head appeared above the blade. This tiger phantom opened its maw to devour the thin man.
The thin man turned pale with fright and shouted sharply, “I’ll fight!”
His cultivation was lower than his opponents by two small realms, but if he gave it his all, then he might still have a chance to survive. The fat cultivator had gotten killed by a single punch only because he had been careless back then, and didn’t even get a chance to summon his artifact.
Now, he was protected by his defensive artifact, the thin man was sure he wouldn’t be killed so easily.
But, matters didn’t develop as he expected. As his opponent hacked him with his blade, all his defences were cut down and his body was quickly sliced apart.
“That’s… Impossible!” The thin man stood there in a daze. He took a look at the large wound that went from his shoulder to his belly, then gazed at the muscular man and said in a bitter voice, “Are you a Dao Source Master?”
A while ago, he clearly detected a special power possessed only by those in the Dao Source Realm coming out from this muscular man’s body. Meanwhile, his weapon was also a Dao Source Artifact. This was why he managed to so easily break through his defence and inflict a fatal wound upon him.
“You’ll die shortly, so why are you still so inquisitive?” The muscular man snorted coldly in response.
As his voice fell, the thin man’s blood spurted out like a fountain. His body had been chopped into two halves, and even his internal organs were exposed to the air.
A bloody smell started pervading the air!
Luo Bing laid on the ground with her body shivering and teeth chattering, while her eyes were wide open; however, a moment later she turned her head and began throwing up.
She had always lived like a princess and had never seen such a bloody sight before. She had been greatly shocked by it and couldn’t stomach it.
She didn’t recover until she had thrown up for a while. It felt like she had thrown up everything she had eaten. She turned around her pale face and looked at the muscular man with a grateful look, asking in a trembling voice, “Did they… Did they both die?”
The muscular man looked coldly at her with faint hatred flashing past his sole eye. He didn’t reply and just snorted coldly in response before putting away his sabre.
Shortly after, he walked toward Luo Bing and poked several points on her body.
Luo Bing’s cultivation had been unsealed and Saint Qi started flowing back into her meridians again. The young girl stood up, faltering, and looked in fright at the corpses of the thin and fat cultivators then averted her eyes off them and covered up her small mouth for a moment then started throwing up again.
The muscular man didn’t utter a word and just stood there in silence, observing everything coldly.
After a long while, Luo Bing raised her head and looked at the muscular man, “Thank you, thank you…”
She expressed her heartfelt thanks to him repeatedly.
After all, if the muscular man hadn’t shown up, then a miserable fate awaited her. She had never suffered such danger, and she had been praying for someone to save her at that precarious juncture.
Now, someone had really come to save her. Even though this person had a hideous and frightening look, Luo Bing didn’t find him scary for some unknown reason and she felt safe next to his large and muscular body. She felt that as long as she was under his protection, she would never suffer such dangers again.
This was a feeling she did not get even from her father or Qiu Yu.
The young girl’s heart started beating strongly, and some peculiar feelings started welling up in her heart.
“You… What’s your name?” Luo Bing looked timidly at the man and questioned him in a soft voice.
The muscular man cast a glance at her with his sole eye, as coldly as before.
Upon facing the man’s gaze, Luo Bing couldn’t help but shiver and she quickly lowered her head. She didn’t dare to look at him again.
“Chai Hu!” The muscular man suddenly blurted out his name.
Upon hearing this, Luo Bing was delighted and she raised her head with a smile, “So, it is Brother Chai, I’m Luo Bing, the City Lord’s daughter. Have you ever heard of me?”
After she said so, she was startled by her own actions.
Other than Qiu Yu, she had never called another man so intimately. Yet, in the face of this man, she called him ‘Brother’ so naturally. She felt at ease with him, and after she addressed him as such, she even felt a little delighted and excited, as if she had just done something exceptional.
[What’s wrong with me?] Luo Bing’s confusion was apparent in her pretty eyes.
“I know who you are,” Chai Hu replied calmly, then averted his gaze, as if he didn’t want to scare her with his hideous face.
“That’s a matter of course, even though I rarely go out, as long as you live in Sky Crane City, you must have heard of me.” Luo Bing pursed her lips and revealed a smile, a smile that brightened up the whole world around her.
Luo Bing hesitated for a moment then said, “Brother Chai, I have… gotten lost. Can you send me back home?”
She put on such a delicate act with her face still a little pale because of the terrifying ordeal she had just gone through. No man would be able to refuse her request!
Chai Hu nodded and said, “I can.”
Luo Bing was delighted and she said, “Many thanks.”
“But not today,” Chai Hu added coldly.
Luo Bing’s smile stiffened on her face and she looked in a daze at Chai Hu, then asked, “Brother Chai, what… What do you mean?”
Chai Hu said, “Young Lady Luo, I have to ask for your help with something and you’ll have to take a trip with me.”
Luo Bing was terrified and she couldn’t help but recall the way the previous two men had treated her. Her face, which had just regained some vigour, turned pale again and she shook her head repeatedly as she moved back, calling out in alarm, “You… You also want to do the same thing to me as those two men?”
“Nonsense, I won’t hurt you as long as you cooperate with me,” saying so Chai Hu stretched his hand toward Luo Bing.
“No!” Luo Bing shouted, but Chai Hu’s cultivation was a lot higher than even the previous two men’s, so how could she fight back? She was instantly restrained.
Luo Bing felt like she had just fallen into an ice hole. On this day, she had suffered more ordeals than what she had been through in her whole life. She had just gotten rid of wolves and didn’t expect that she had only made way for a tiger. She beat Chai Hu’s arm repeatedly and scolded, “You’re a bad man, a bad bad man! You’re all bad men!”
Chai Hu was unmoved and he just spoke coldly in response, “If you make another move, then I won’t be polite with you anymore.”
Upon hearing this, Luo Bing’s body stiffened, but she quickly opened her mouth and bit the back of Chai Hu’s hand.
Luo Bing bit him so forcefully and strongly that her mouth quickly was overflowing with blood, and a bloody odour started to reek from it, but she still didn’t let go of him despite this.
Chai Hu was a Third-Order Origin King. Therefore, if he wanted to get rid of Luo Bing, then he would just have to use a little bit of his force, and her teeth would shatter.
But, he didn’t do so for some unknown reason. He just stared at Luo Bing, who kept biting at his hand and swallowing down any blood coming her way. She had done so just to protect herself.
Upon seeing this, a complex gleam flashed past his eye, but Chai Hu quickly let out a sigh and raised his palm before chopping the back of Luo Bing’s neck.
He had a good grasp over his power, so after Luo Bing let out a soft groan, she just fell weakly to the ground. She had already lost consciousness, yet two trails of tears were still streaming down her face.
Soon after, Chai Hu lifted her like a sack and his body flickered, disappearing from where he stood, leaving behind the corpses of the fat and thin cultivators.
…
Inside Heavenly Puppet Workshop.
Yang Kai had just returned leisurely, only to see Ye Jing Han standing at the entrance, looking around anxiously. When she finally spotted Yang Kai, she heaved a sigh of relief and went toward him to ask, “Young Master Yang, where did you go?”
Yang Kai said, “I just took a stroll.”
Then cast a glance at Ye Jing Han and spoke with a smile, “What’s wrong? Were you afraid that I just left without bidding you farewell?”
Ye Jing Han waved her arms in denial, “No, not at all. I just didn’t see you and the others had no inkling as to where you had gone…”
Yang Kai spoke, “You can set your mind at ease, since I have already given you a promise, I won’t go back on my word. I wanted to notify you before leaving, but I noticed that someone else was in your room and didn’t want to disturb you, heh heh!”
Ye Jing Han’s face got flushed and she spat, “Hateful!”
She stomped her foot, then rushed into the inner hall, as if she was running away from him.
The next day, the entire City Lord’s Mansion was decorated with lanterns and colourful banners. Happy voices bubbled about as the whole place bustled with extraordinary liveliness.
Today was the day when the Sky Crane City’s City Lord was going to get married to his new concubine. Guests and visitors streamed in from all directions to give their congratulations, while carriages filled to the brim with congratulatory gifts formed an endless chain ushered in by the City Lord’s Mansion’s subordinates. These gifts were directed to the rear courtyard, where dedicated personnel were present to record, differentiate and store them into appropriate storehouses.
All of the people within the City Lord’s Mansion had smiles plastered on their faces, as though they too were getting married.
At the entrance of the City Lord’s Mansion, handsome male servants and beautiful maidservants welcomed the incoming guests and visitors, their faces beaming with smiles, their actions refined and courteous.
Any guests who arrived here would have the Sect or power they hailed from loudly announced by the master of ceremonies, attracting the gazes of the public. Heading into the City Lord’s Mansion, they would be led by people into the inner hall, where they were arranged into different seating positions based on the status of their identities.
The representatives from the few prominent and powerful nearby Sects were naturally arranged to sit right at the front of the venue while those of lower status were seated further away.
No one dared to raise any issues towards this method of arrangement, as the more capable and powerful one was, the nearer to the front they would be seated. Everyone present knew very well how powerful the various local aristocratic families and Sects were.
The City Lord Mansion had definitely considered this during their planning, so it would naturally not incite unhappiness in others.
Following the members of Thousand Leaves Sect to the venue, Yang Kai started to size up his surroundings with curiosity.
This was the first time he was attending another person’s wedding. Although it was just a marriage with a concubine, this was a matter that would concern the entire lives of two people, which greatly piqued his interest. Looking at the lively festive scenery, he could not help reminiscing about Su Yan, Xia Ning Chang, Shan Qing Luo, and Xue Yue.
Waves of guilt welled up from the depths of his heart. He should have made proper arrangements for such a ceremony, allowing them to enjoy the happiness a woman deserved from her life partner.
Just thinking about this made Yang Kai feel that he owed them a great deal.
Originally, he did not plan to come here; however, after being invited several times by Ye Jing Han, Yang Kai had followed along with the Thousand Leave Sect disciples to avoid her developing wild fears of him leaving without informing her.
Du Xian and the others had also brought along some congratulatory gifts from their Sect. Although they weren’t extremely precious, they were still quite numerous. Therefore, they had carried them via carriage, handing them over to the City Lord’s Mansion subordinates to sort in the rear courtyard.
They were then guided by another subordinate to the inner hall where the ceremony would be held.
The inner hall was exceedingly large, and wasn’t crowded despite having over a hundred dining tables arranged within. When the Thousand Leaves Sect disciples arrived, the inner hall was already bustling with activity, with masters from various families and Sects either dining, drinking, or engaging in merry conversation. A place and event like this was precisely what many great powers used to forge connections, foster a good image, as well as take advantage of the opportunity to widen their social circle.
The subordinate leading the way for Ye Jing Han and the others came to a stop at a dining table situated in the middle area before saying with a faint smile, “Honoured guests, these are your seats. Please wait for a short while as the ceremony is about to begin.”
After saying those words, the person proceeded to leave.
Hearing those words and seeing the person’s subsequent actions, a sliver of anger flashed across Wu Ma’s eyes. Extending his hand, he grabbed a hold of that person’s collar, he growled, “These are our seats? Are you sure of that?”
The location of this dining table wasn’t anywhere near the front of the hall. In fact, it was located nearer to the back of the middle section. Other than Thousand Leaves Sect, the dining tables surrounding this table were occupied by small families and third-class Sects that, at best, had one Dao Source Realm Master assuming command, similar to the few big families of Maplewood City.
Although the Thousand Leaves Sect did not have any Emperor Realm Masters, it still had quite a few Dao Source Realm Masters. No matter what, they couldn’t be seated at this dining table. Even if they weren’t at the front few dining tables, they would still be somewhere close.
This arrangement was a clear sign of contempt and humiliation towards Thousand Leaves Sect.
Frightened by Wu Ma, that servant fell into a panic, “This lowly one is only in charge of guiding our honoured guests to their respective dining tables. This lowly one doesn’t know anything other than that! Please spare my life, sir, please spare my life!”
“Release him, Wu Ma!” Du Xian frowned deeply before giving an order with an indifferent tone.
“But, Senior Brother…” Wu Ma seemed to have something to say, but upon seeing the look Du Xian was giving him, he quickly swept his eyes around and discovered that quite a few people in the hall were staring at him with wide eyes. Clearly, his actions had already attracted the attention of these people.
“Since we’re already here, just let it go!” Du Xian said in a soft voice.
Hearing Du Xian’s words, Wu Ma clenched his teeth before releasing the servant’s collar in regret, a look of unwillingness present in his eyes.
The other Thousand Leaves Sect disciples proceed to quietly sit down, though ugly expressions filled their faces.
Wu Ma growled under his breath, “Senior Brother, Senior Sister, they’re clearly trying to humiliate us… how can we endure this?”
Du Xian looked at him and replied, “So, what are you going to do if you can’t endure it? Are you going to smash this place and kill that old fart?”
Wu Ma mumbled, “That isn’t what I meant… However, there were so many people who saw them arranging such a far seating location for us. This is no doubt a deliberate attempt to embarrass us in front of them.”
Ye Jing Han interjected, “What can we do? In the end, this is their territory, it won’t bring us any advantage if we start an argument here.”
Du Xian snorted coldly, “Luo Jin has planned this to make sure that we have no choice but to swallow these grievances. Just remember the humiliation we have suffered today and make sure to pay them back ten-fold next time around.”
An extremely angry look surfaced on Wu Ma’s face, but nevertheless, he knew that he had no way of changing the situation before them. Despite that, the strange gazes and hushed whispers coming from the surrounding cultivators made him feel as though they were mocking him, making him feel exceedingly uncomfortable, as though he was sitting on pins and needles.
Right at this moment, Du Xuan gave Ye Jing Han a stealthy tap on her shoulder before whispering in her ear, “There’s a person that has been watching you ever since you stepped into this place.”
“Who?” A look of doubt appeared on Ye Jing Han’s face as she scanned around. Soon though, she discovered Qiu Yu seated at the frontmost table, and indeed, his eyes were shining like luminous torches as he continued to stare at her.
She hastily made a spitting action, “Don’t talk nonsense. As if he’s looking at me.”
Du Xian let out a laugh in response, “Who else would he be looking at but you! How can that little bastard Qiu Yu resist Junior Sister Ye’er outstanding beauty and charm?”
Ye Jing Han blushed in embarrassment as she replied in a displeased tone, “Your words are getting more and more improper. You’re the Eldest Senior Brother, so you have to make sure you’re a proper role model for others to follow!”
Du Xian couldn’t help but flash an embarrassed chuckle.
Despite commenting on his behaviour, Ye Jing Han’s face was brimming with sweetness. How would she not know that Du Xian was feeling jealous?
Wu Ma suddenly interjected, “That bastard’s actually sending someone over here!”
Du Xian and Ye Jing Han turned their heads to look and immediately saw the old man who always stood by Qiu Yu’s side was currently moving in their direction at an unhurried pace.
A frown appeared on Du Xian’s face. “What is that little brat planning on doing?”
Ye Jing Han snorted, “Don’t worry about him. We’ll head back to our Sect right after this ceremony ends. I don’t plan on remaining in this place any longer than I need to.”
As she said those words, that old man arrived before their dining table. Cupping his hands slightly, “Sorry to disturb you all.”
Despite being a Senior, he was showing this much courtesy to them, so maintaining a polite demeanour, Du Xian also cupped his fist and replied, “You’re too polite, Senior Li.” He paused for an instant, before asking, “May I know what Senior Li is here for?”
The old man surnamed Li replied in an indifferent tone, “I’ve come on the order of my Young Lord to invite someone over.”
Hearing his words, Du Xian could not help but to shoot a look at Ye Jing Han.
This caused her to reply in annoyance, “Go back and tell your Young Lord that I don’t have any interest!”
A weird expression appeared on the old man’s face as he looked at Ye Jing Han, before smiling faintly, “Young Lady Ye is thinking too much. The one my Young Lord wishes to invite is this Little Brother.”
As he said those words, he raised his hand and pointed towards Yang Kai.
“Ah…” Ye Jing Han’s face turned red with embarrassment from the fuss she kicked up before saying in an awkward tone, “Why… does he want to invite him?”
Stunned looks were also present on the faces of Du Xian and the others, as all of them had made the same assumptions as Ye Jing Han, that this old man had come over here to invite her. After all, Qiu Yu had always shown interest in Ye Jing Han. Who would have thought that such an unforeseen change would occur, causing Ye Jing Han to feel embarrassed for putting herself in such an awkward spot.
The old man continued indifferently, “My Young Lord did not say anything, so this old man doesn’t know the reason. The only thing the Young Master instructed was for this old man to bring this Little Brother over.”
After hearing his explanation, everyone turned their eyes towards Yang Kai.
Upon looking over, they could not stop the corners of their mouths from twitching.
Unknown to everyone, Yang Kai had at some point brought the spirit fruit platter that had been set down on the dining table and placed it right in front of himself. Grabbing one spirit fruit in each hand, he proceeded to gorge himself heartily with an exceedingly satisfied look on his face. Furthermore, there were a few fruit cores present on the dining table. No one knew when he had started to eat, but he had actually managed to eat half of all the spirit fruits that had been on the platter.
The smile he had, coupled with his table manners as he wolfed down those spirit fruits, made him seem just like the reincarnation of a hungry ghost that had starved for several hundred years, leaving the Thousand Leaves Sect disciples utterly dumbstruck.
What’s more, the old man’s sudden visit to this dining table had caused quite a few people to look over out of curiosity. Upon seeing the way Yang Kai ate, they could not help but shake their heads and sigh, revealing looks of contempt in their eyes as they secretly assumed that he was some country bumpkin that had never seen the outside world before, causing him to react so greatly to a mere spirit fruit platter.
The Thousand Leaves Sect disciples felt a deep sense of discomfort.
“Young Master Yang!” Her face turning as red as a glowing oven, Ye Jing Han gave Yang Kai a light prod, indicating that he should restrain himself a little.
Turning his head around, Yang Kai’s mouth was currently stuffed with the pulp of some unknown fruit which he was eating with great relish. Smacking his lips in satisfaction, he waved the fruit platter in his hand before Ye Jing Han and said, “Do you want one? Take it if you want it.”
Ye Jing Han’s face twitched in response, while the redness of her face grew even more intense.
Despite that, Yang Kai appeared to not notice the current situation around him, as he offered the fruit platter to the other Thousand Leaves Sect disciples, “Don’t be courteous. They taste really good. Furthermore, eating them will aid in one’s cultivation. These spirit fruits should have been harvested recently, as they are really fresh and delicious.”
The few Thousand Leaves Sect disciples didn’t know whether to laugh or to cry. They did not know about Yang Kai’s background, nor did they know exactly why Ye Jing Han had brought him along with her. Seeing such unsightly behaviour from him, all of them proceeded to turn their heads away, appearing as though they did not recognize him at all.
“Ahem…” Du Xiao gave a slight cough, “Young Master Yang, this Senior Li has a matter to discuss with you.”
“Senior Li?” Yang Kai asked. “What Senior Li?”
“We meet again, Little Brother.” The veins on the old man’s forehead bulged as Yang Kai had treated him as air, despite him already standing here for quite a while. Being a Third-Order Dao Source Realm Master, flames of anger naturally started burning in his heart.
Only then did Yang Kai raise his head, looking at the old man and smiling, “So it’s you. Aren’t you supposed to be with Qiu Yu? What did you run all the way over here for?”
“My Young Master has invited Little Brother over to discuss some matters.” Suppressing the displeasure in his heart, the old man replied with a deep voice.
“Not interested!” Yang Kai immediately rejected the invitation without any consideration at all.
Shock filled the entire hall as his words rang out.
The surrounding cultivators who were enjoying the show all had their eyes wide open as they stared dumbly at Yang Kai. He didn’t appear to be from Thousand Leaves Sect, but just how powerful of a background must he have for him to dare to reject Qiu Yu’s invitation like that? The bustling and lively inner hall was suddenly filled with a moment of silence.
The old man had similarly not expected that Yang Kai would actually refuse in such a straightforward manner. In the next instant, his old face sank as he quickly said, “Little Brother, seeing that you’re still young, the strength of your ears might not be sufficient, so this old master will repeat…”
Yang Kai gave a meaningful grin and cut him off, “I’m not going even if you repeat it a hundred times. Can’t you see that I’m busy?”
After saying those words, he picked up another spirit fruit and shoved it into his mouth.
The old man’s expression sunk even deeper, “You’d best think carefully before answering again, Little Brother.”
Yang Kai raised his eyebrow and replied in defiance, “What’s wrong? Are you threatening me? This is City Lord’s concubine marriage ceremony! If you dare to create trouble, do you think I won’t dare to report you to the City Lord and make him kick you out?”
He raised his voice quite a bit while replying, causing even more guests who were seated further away to look over in curiosity.
Cold sweat immediately appeared on the old man’s forehead as waves of embarrassment and shame surged in his heart. Although he didn’t fear Luo Jin much, if he was to do something forcefully like oppressing the weak in front of so many people’s eyes, it would damage the honour and reputation of Sky Illumination Palace.
Continuing to munch on spirit fruits, Yang Kai squeezed his words through his fruit-filled mouth, “Big Brother, you’re already not young, and yet you still frequently provoke people’s anger. Are you planning on living like a dog for the rest of your life?”
*Pu…*
Upon hearing his reply, Ye Jing Han immediately spat out the mouthful of water she was about to drink to cover up the elation she had felt just a moment ago.
“You…” The old man grew agitated with anger.
Yang Kai snorted, “Don’t ‘you’ me, ah!? If Qiu Yu wants to talk to me, tell him to come here in person. You’ve got to get your facts right here, it’s him that wants to find this Young Master, not the other way around!”
After saying those words, a look of disdain appeared on his face as he mumbled, “He really has a problem! Heaven knows where his insufferable ego came from!”
Then, he proceeded to engage in a battle with the fruit platter once again.
“You’re very good, little brat! This old master will remember you!” The old man was filled with unbearable anger. After hearing Yang Kai’s response, he flung his sleeves and left in fury. No matter what, he was still a Third-Order Dao Source Realm Master, and was recognised for his worth by the Sky Illumination Palace’s Palace Master. Yet today, he had been rebuked and humiliated by this youth in front of everyone! If not for his apprehension towards blowing this matter up, he would have already taken action to teach Yang Kai a lesson.
However, he would remember today’s embarrassment in his heart. He would wait till the end of this ceremony before teaching Yang Kai a good lesson.
After the old man had left, Wu Ma’s eyes shone like torches as he looked at Yang Kai. With a face brimming with excitement, he exclaimed, “Brother Yang, I really like you a lot!”
A cold shiver ran through Yang Kai’s entire body, his face turning somewhat pale as he stared at Wu Ma, gulping down his saliva, he hastily replied, “I’m only interested in women!”
Embarrassment and helplessness instantly appeared on Wu Ma’s face, “I don’t mean like that, Brother Yang! I’m just saying that… the way you’ve handled this matter truly makes people feel satisfied!”
Ever since coming into the city yesterday, Wu Ma’s stomach was filled to the brim with grievances; however, watching the earlier matter unfold had left his heart feeling satisfied. The Thousand Leaves Sect disciples were carrying many grievances but were incapable of handling matters in such a satisfying manner as Yang Kai had just done, leaving them with no other choice but to endure the humiliation in silence, but Yang Kai didn’t have any such apprehensions and just did whatever he pleased.
Although Du Xian also had a look of satisfaction present on his face, his heart was now filled with worry; after all, with Yang Kai embarrassing the old man in front of everyone, he did not know whether Sky Illumination Palace was going to let this matter slide or not. Furthermore, with Sky Illumination Palace and Sky Crane City colluding with one another, just the chance that the two parties would take action against the Thousand Leaves Sect disciples on their way back would be a huge trouble for his Thousand Leaves Sect to deal with.
Just as he was immersed in his worries, he felt a pair of soft hands encasing his large hand. Du Xian raised his head and saw Ye Jing Han looking at him with a smile on her beautiful face, “Don’t worry, Senior Brother. Young Master Yang… has his reasons behind his actions.”
Du Xian’s expression changed. Although he did not know why Ye Jing Had had this level of confidence towards Yang Kai, he had been infected by her belief, causing him to nod lightly as his heart started to relax.
On the other side, the old man had returned to Qiu Yu’s side, before whispering in the latter’s ear for a moment.
Raising his head to look towards the direction of Yang Kai, a frown proceeded to appear on Qiu Yu’s face. After remaining silent for a while, he slowly stood up.
He was actually going to walk over.
The expressions of the Thousand Leaves Sect disciples changed drastically, looking as if they were about to face their greatest enemies. Yang Kai was the only exception, as he continued to munch on spirit fruits, causing clear crunching noises to echo.
After a short while, Qiu Yu, accompanied by two old men, arrived before the table where the Thousand Leaves Sect disciples sat.
Du Xian immediately stood up and growled, “Brother Qiu, this is the place where the City Lord will wed his concubine, and the ceremony is about to start. Are you planning on creating a disturbance for the City Lord?”
Qiu Yu looked at him and replied, “Rest assured. I’m not here to cause trouble. I’m here just to say a few words to Brother Yang!”
“Just a few words?” Du Xian frowned, as he really wasn’t able to comprehend the reason behind Qiu Yu personally coming over to their table just to talk with Yang Kai. After all, based on yesterday’s events, these two people clearly didn’t know each other beforehand, so how could any grudge or grievance form between them?
Qiu Yu patted Du Xian’s shoulder to indicate for him to sit down. Walking over to Yang Kai’s side, he shot a look at the Thousand Leaves Sect disciple who was seated beside the latter.
The Thousand Leaves Sect disciple frowned, but nevertheless still vacated his seat.
Qiu Yu tapped his folding fan against his arm, closing it up. Sitting down beside Yang Kai, he proceeded to speak, “Brother Yang, right?”
Yang Kai replied without raising his head, “Brother Qiu, I see that the spot between your eyebrows has turned dark, your pupils look distracted, your lips and tongue look charred, your spirit is dispersing, and there’s a dark red shade on your face. I’m afraid that you’re about to face impending death.”
Qiu Yu gawked in response, before opening the corner of his mouth slightly to sneer, “So Brother Yang’s also adept at face reading, and proficient in the art of divination?”
Yang Kai tilted his head to look at him, “Not really. However, there’s a strand of Death Qi winding around your body, and it is indicating that great danger will surely befall you today.”
“What a joke,” Qiu Yu sneered, “Today is the City Lord’s concubine marriage ceremony. With such jubilation filling the air, how could an omen of great danger appear?”
“It’s up to you to believe it or not.” Yang Kai spat in disdain.
A slight frown appeared on Qiu Yu’s face, “Then from Brother Yang’s point of view, what should I do to dispel this ill omen?”
“Tidy up your things and leave here without delay,” Yang Kai replied casually, “Do you really need me to teach you something as simple as that?”
Qiu Yu was struck by a wave of speechlessness as he shook his head, “Enough with this nonsense. This Young Master has come over here to ask Brother Yang a question.”
“What?”
Qiu Yu proceeded to open his mouth, though no sounds rang out. Clearly, he was using a sound-transmitting Secret Technique to communicate.
This piqued the curiosity of Du Xian and Ye Jing Han, as they did not know exactly what question Qiu Yu had raised to Yang Kai.
After their scrutiny, Yang Kai revealed a crafty smile after listening to Qiu Yu’s words, before replying, “Never came back? You’re in deep trouble, Brother Qiu!”
“Can’t you speak a little softer?’ Qiu Yu growled between his clenched teeth at Yang Kai.
Yang Kai nodded, “Sure, sure.”
After saying those words, he transmitted, “That little girl by the name of Luo Bing didn’t return after following you out yesterday? Are you sure about that?”
Qiu Yu nodded, “I went out yesterday night to find her; however, her personal maidservant did not see her come back. Today, I went out again to find her, but there’s still no trace of her…”
Yang Kai smiled, “Does the City Lord know about this matter?”
Qiu Yu replied, “Do you think the City Lord knows about it? He has fourteen concubines, yet has no other children other than that daughter of his. Every other day, he would treat her like a treasure. If he knew that Luo Bing was missing, the entire Sky Crane City would be turned upside down by now. How would you and I be able to sit here in peace then?”
“Since she’s missing, shouldn’t you go and find her? Why are you here asking me this?” Yang Kai asked with a puzzled look on his face.
“That’s because Luo Bing had followed behind you after you left that store yesterday,” Qiu Yu replied.
Yang Kai narrowed his eyes, “Brother Qiu, your words seem to indicate that I’ve done something improper to Young Lady Luo Bing.”
“Naturally, it would be great if that wasn’t the case. I only hope that she’s able to return safely by today if possible. If that happens, the issue can be forgotten without any further incident; however, if she loses even a single hair, this Young Master will definitely let the person who injured her enjoy the taste of torture,” As Qiu Yu said those words, a chilling intent gleamed within his eyes.
Yang Kai sneered in response, “Brother Qiu is threatening the wrong person. After leaving that store yesterday, I immediately headed for Heavenly Puppet Workshop, and I did not see Young Lady Luo Bing at all. You can verify this fact with the people of Heavenly Puppet Workshop, as well as the Thousand Leaves Sect disciples here. This is my first time here, and I don’t have any grudge or grievance with Sky Crane City, so why would I find trouble with Young Lady Luo Bing?”
“Is that true?” Qiu Yu focused his gaze.
Yang Kai snorted, “If someone really provokes me, I’ll personally take action and let them understand the consequences of doing so. Do you think that I’ll do something as despicable as kidnapping their daughter?”
Qiu Yu’s gaze wavered, “Good, I believe you. Although our conversation has been short, this Young Master can understand that with Brother Yang’s straightforward character, you would of course not do something as despicable as that. Nevertheless, Brother Yang, if you receive any news of Luo Bing, this Qiu would be grateful if you can pass on the information.”
“No problem.” Yang Kai nodded lightly.
“Farewell!” Cupping his hands, Qiu Yu proceeded to stand.
However, before he could leave, Yang Kai pressed him right back into his seat.
“Does Brother Yang still have other matters to talk about?” Qiu Yu asked with a frown.
“It isn’t a serious matter, just a small request for Brother Qiu,” Yang Kai gave a meaningful grin, his smile brimming with sinister and devious intent. This caused Qiu Yu’s heart to jump, while a feeling of unease welled up inside him.
“What request…” Qiu Yu whispered.
Yang Kai followed up, “Is it possible for Brother Qiu to help us change seats?”
Qiu Yu asked with some doubt, “Change seats?”
“Indeed!” Yang Kai nodded his head and replied with a faint smile, “The light here is bad and I really don’t like it, so I was hoping to change to another place with better illumination.”
The corners of Qiu Yu’s mouth twitched in response, while beads of cold sweat appeared on his forehead. Extending his hand, he wiped them off, “Where… would you like to move to?”
Yang Kai extended his hand and pointed, “I feel that it’s pretty good over there. That table also just so happens to be empty.”
Qiu Yu’s face immediately sunk, “Do you know which person that seat is for?”
Yang Kai smiled and replied, “A seat is a seat, right?”
“No, no, this matter absolutely cannot be done,” Qiu Yu hastily waved his hands in response.
Yang Kai’s face immediately turned chilly, “How can you be like that, Brother Qiu? I’ve immediately accepted the matter you’ve entrusted to me. Now, when I ask you for a small request, you continue to throw out all sorts of excuses. Aren’t you too lacking in the spirit of loyalty?”
Qiu Yu’s eyes snapped wide open as he thought, [What spirit of loyalty is there between us?] Furthermore, Yang Kai just replied casually to the earlier matter! Was there even a shred of sincerity in Yang Kai’s reply at all?
Qiu Yu sighed, “You’re placing me in a difficult spot, Brother Yang.”
Yang Kai smiled and replied, “Don’t speak as though I’m an outsider, okay? It’ll only take you a little bit of effort to accomplish this matter. Furthermore, it’s not as if I’m asking you to take off your clothes and run around naked, right? Be more straightforward, okay? So, is it possible to change it or not?”
Qiu Yu’s face twitched as he stared at Yang Kai, “Changing it or not, what difference does it make?”
Giving a chuckle, Yang Kai patted on Qiu Yu’s shoulder, while conveniently wiping off the fruit juice on Qiu Yu’s clothes, “If we can change seats, we’ll become good friends. You’re happy, I’m happy, everyone’s happy. If it’s not possible, this Young Master will have no choice but to look for the City Lord to have a good chat, asking him about the whereabouts of his precious daughter…”
“Enough!” An icy expression flashed across Qiu Yu’s face as he smacked Yang Kai’s hand away. Staring at the Yang Kai, he growled between his clenched teeth, “Are you threatening me?!”
“Am I?” Yang Kai blinked, “You’re misunderstanding me, Brother Qiu. I’m just negotiating with you, that’s all.”
Qiu Yu replied in extreme anger, “I should have known not to ask you about Luo Bing’s whereabouts, you despicable person!”
Yang Kai grinned, “Young man, it’s not good to flare up so easily! It’s damaging to your body!”
Qiu Yu shot a glare at Yang Kai that lasted for a long while before he finally turned around and left. Arriving by the side of a man that had the makings of a steward, Qiu Yu whispered a few words into his ears.
Upon hearing those words, a slight frown appeared on the steward’s face, as if he had been placed in a difficult position. Nevertheless, he shot a few looks at the location where the Thousand Leaves Sect disciples were seated before shaking his head slightly.
However, no one knew what Qiu Yu said next, as the steward seemed to agree to his request while keeping the ugly expression on his face.
After an instant, the steward arrived before the Thousand Leaves Sect disciples, cupped his hands and said, “Honoured guests, due to the many matters that needed to be dealt with today, our subordinates seemed to have been somewhat negligent and issued you all the wrong seats. Please follow this old man to your correct seats and forgive us for our negligence in this matter.”
Du Xian and Ye Jing Han gawked in response to his words, as they did not know what the hell this steward was talking about.
On the contrary, Yang Kai grinned meaningfully and cupped his hands towards the steward, “Many thanks!”
After giving his thanks, he shot a look at Ye Jing Han and the others.
Although everyone was baffled by the development of events, they still proceeded to stand up. Under the guidance of the steward, they headed towards the empty table at the foremost position in the inner hall, before taking their seats at the new table.
After making sure everything was fine, the steward left.
It was only then that Ye Jing Han turned around, looked at Yang Kai, and asked, “Young Master Yang, what exactly did you say to Qiu Yu?”
She knew that with Thousand Leaves Sect’s current level of strength, as well as their relationship with Sky Crane City, it was impossible for them to receive such a level of treatment. The only plausible explanation was the secret exchange Yang Kai had with Qiu Yu.
After all, once he left, Qiu Yu went to find that steward to immediately get their seats changed.
Du Xian and the others also had inquisitive looks on their faces as they stared at Yang Kai, waiting in anticipation for his reply.
Yang Kai broke out a smile, “It’s nothing much. I simply told Brother Qiu that we felt like old friends the moment we met and he felt that the City Lord’s Mansion was too negligent in their treatment of you all, so he took the initiative to raise the request to get your seats changed.”
Obviously, no one was going to buy that.
Ye Jing Han snapped, “As if I’m going to believe that!”
Yang Kai simply replied innocently, “Brother Qiu’s a pretty good person.”
The series of abnormal activities had caught the eyes of quite a few guests, as they quietly felt shock in response to the outcome; after all, everyone had some level of understanding towards the relationship between Thousand Leaves Sect and Sky Crane City. As such, it was unavoidable that even a small matter like the sudden changing of seats to the foremost dining table would cause suspicion and doubt to surface in people’s hearts. People started to secretly guess that Thousand Leaves Sect and Sky Crane City had set their grievances aside. If that was really the case, they might have to re-evaluate whether or not they should patch up their relationship with Thousand Leaves Sect as well.
The atmosphere within the inner hall turned weird in an instant.
The Thousand Leaves Sect disciples were also unable to sit in peace as they were constantly sensing peculiar gazes being shot at them, causing discomfort to run through their whole bodies.
As time gradually went by, the empty seats in the inner hall were gradually filled by the incoming guests, slowly restoring the lively bustling atmosphere originally present.
All of a sudden, someone announced in a loud voice, “The City Lord had arrived!”
Right as those words rang out, the entire inner hall turned silent, as everyone turned their eyes in the same direction.
The first thing they saw was a man dressed in large red robes. Striding over, a joyous smile was plastered on his face as he proceeded to cup hands towards everyone around him.
“Sir City Lord!”
“It has been a while! City Lord, your bearing has grown even more graceful!”
“Congratulations to Sir City Lord for marrying a beautiful lady! You’re the role model for my generation!”
“On this joyous occasion, I wish Sir City Lord good health, a prosperous journey in your Martial Dao, an endless chain of heirs, and a family lasting through eternity!”
…
Congratulatory words from guests streamed in from all directions, smiles plastered on all of their faces as they did their utmost to flatter the City Lord.
The man dressed in elegant red robes also continued to exchange greetings with them, the smile on his face appearing exceedingly carefree and filled with delight.
“Is that Luo Jin?” Yang Kai stared with his eyes wide open as he whispered towards Ye Jing Han.
With a gloomy expression on her face, Ye Jing Han nodded, “That’s the man himself!”
Yang Kai’s mouth twitched, “If you didn’t confirm it, I would have assumed he was Luo Jin’s father…”
This was the first time Yang Kai had seen the Sky Crane City’s City Lord. Originally, from his knowledge that this fellow had fifteen concubines, Yang Kai assumed that the City Lord would definitely be maintaining a youthful appearance, brimming with energy and vigour. Even with a Third-Order Dao Source Realm cultivation, he definitely wouldn’t have an old and withered appearance.
However, the man he saw today was elderly looking with white hair that grew sparsely from his head. Although he possessed an impressive cultivation, his vitality appeared superficial. Clearly, he had already passed the prime of his life, with no hope of ever reaching the Emperor Realm.
The loose red robes he wore further emphasized his age.
“Whoever this lady is, she must be truly blind!” Wu Ma couldn’t stop himself from shaking his head, as he felt mournful for the lady who was going to get married to Luo Jin today.
“Shut up! Don’t let your words get you into trouble!” Du Xuan shot a fierce glare at Wu Ma and whispered, “Did any of Luo Jin’s concubines willingly get married to him? As if you don’t know about that!”
Wu Ma snorted, “It’s due to his evil ways of oppressing people and seizing women that led to him having no offspring. One will always receive the seed of karma that they sow! The Heavenly Way is just!”
“And you’re still talking!?”
Wu Ma pursed his lip, “Okay, okay. I’ll shut up.”
The entire venue was bustling with liveliness, filled with a festive atmosphere.
This lasted for quite a while before a loud voice rang out, “The auspicious hour has arrived!”
In an instant, the sound of wind instruments rang out in all directions, accompanied by gongs and drums that shook the Heavens; it seemed as though they wanted to blow off the roof of this inner hall.
Luo Jin’s face radiated with a reddish glow as he tied his robes and looked towards the outside of the hall with a smile on his face.
Festive music started to play from the outside. As the music played on, the concubine escort group gradually appeared before everyone’s eyes, with a female matchmaker walking in the front. Gyrating her tub-like waist, a nauseatingly sweet smile hung on her face. Present by her side was a bridal sedan carried by four people as she slowly headed towards the inner hall, all while doing her utmost to display the result of her abilities.
The bridal boy and girl followed behind the bridal sedan, sprinkling flower petals from the baskets held in their hands.
Flower petals trailed behind the bridal sedan, causing the fragrance of flowers to perfuse throughout the air.
Following behind the flower petal sprinkling boy and girl were two columns of little boys and girls who held lanterns in their hands. The lanterns they held had various auspicious words like “May you live a long and happy life together” and “May your marriage last long”.
The procession took the time one would take to drink a cup of tea to travel several dozen metres, before the bridal sedan finally arrived at the entrance of the inner hall.
“Lower the sedan!” A loud voice rang out, before the bridal sedan proceeded to lower steadily.
The matchmaker went forward, pushed aside the drapes, and extended a hand into the sedan. In the next moment, a white and soft hand peeked out from within.
Just the sight of this hand was enough to cause the eyes of quite a few men to light up.
That jade white hand was perfect and devoid of blemishes, her skin as pure as snow. Just the sight of her delicate skin was enough to make people become lost in wild and fanciful thoughts, that the owner of that jade white hand would definitely be exceedingly beautiful and enchanting. However, this person just so happened to be Luo Jin’s future fifteenth concubine, causing people to wring their hands and lament in envy and jealousy.
This was followed up by an elegant red embroidered shoe. Landing on the red carpet at the front of the door, a dazzlingly beautiful figure was imprinted in the eyes of everyone present.
The new bride wore a phoenix coronet with a red veil covering her face. Brilliant phoenixes in flight were embroidered on her gown, while the gem-laden phoenix coronet and red veil obscured the face that made people become lost in wild and fanciful thoughts.
At this moment, countless people were cursing out in their hearts.
This couldn’t be helped, as the phoenix coronet and red veil that the new bride wore over her head unexpectedly had the ability to block off the intrusion of Divine Sense! It was impressively an extraordinary artifact!
All of the cultivators who had secretly sent out their Divine Sense to take a peek at the face of this new bride were blocked by an invisible barrier, leaving them utterly incapable of uncovering what her face really looked like.
Seemingly aware of the ideas the crowd would have, Luo Jin shot a gaze towards his left and right as a silent warming, before giving a satisfied faint smile in response.
Right at this moment, Yang Kai’s mouth twitched fiercely.
Unlike the others present, if he had forcefully sent his Divine Sense out, he might be able to break through the artifact’s barrier and catch a glimpse of the bride’s true appearance; however, with this being a marriage ceremony, doing so would definitely attract attention and would cause unnecessary trouble for him.
Therefore, after his first attempt, he did not try it again, choosing to quietly spectate the ceremony.
At this moment, under the guidance and assistance from the matchmaker, the new bride took step after step towards the inner hall.
Although her face could not be seen, the outline of her figure faintly visible beneath her bridal gown had revealed her stunning body line, one that was brimming with grace and elegance.
Yang Kai continued to size this woman up, before a frown suddenly appeared on his face, as though he felt that something wasn’t quite right. Nevertheless, he wasn’t able to identify exactly what gave him this feeling.
More importantly, the heart palpitations and jitters he had felt yesterday had surfaced abruptly once again, causing his frown to deepen.
He turned his head around to look at Ye Jing Han and the others, only to see not a single reaction from them.
However, the spectacle happening before them seemed to have caused some kind of desire to surge out from the depths of Ye Jing Han’s heart. Looking at the new bride taking step after step forward, a look of anticipation gleamed across her beautiful eyes, as though she was imagining the day when she would be able to wear that phoenix coronet and red veil, and get married to her beloved.
She sneaked a look at Du Xian, while her small face turned slightly flushed.
Not long after, the procession group finally arrived at the head of the inner hall. Handing the new bride’s hand to Luo Jin, the matchmaker said with a smile, “Sir, I’ll hand the new bride to you. Make sure to take good care of her, okay?”
With a hearty chuckle, Luo Jin replied, “I definitely won’t let her be shamed.”
The matchmaker replied, “The new bride is so blessed! Why is my life so unfortunate, to never meet a male like Sir!?”
The people in the inner hall burst into laughter, instantly raising the atmosphere within.
In the inner hall, Luo Jin held his new bride’s hand, and with a faint smile, turned around and walked towards the interior of the hall.
At this moment, a white-haired old man seated on the left of Yang Kai and the others suddenly stood up, smiled faintly while walking towards the couple, before coming to a stand in front of them.
The woodwind instruments, gongs and drums stopped playing, and the entire atmosphere turned solemn and serious.
With a faint smile, the old man said, “It is this old master’s great honour to be able to be a witness for our City Lord’s marriage.”
After a pause, he continued, “On this fine and beautiful day, the two of you will be wed in a blissful marriage. I hope that you two will love each other, and be harmonious for hundreds of years, with mutual respect for the marriage you two will form. Do you two agree?”
Luo Jin smiled, “This Luo agrees!”
The old man nodded, before turning to look at the new bride, “What about you?”
The faint tremble shook through the body of the new bride, before a beautiful voice rang out from beneath the phoenix coronet, “I…”
Right as her voice rang out, Yang Kai’s expression suddenly changed, while the feeling of unease present in the depths of his heart grew increasingly intense! He was absolutely certain that he had heard this voice somewhere before!
Before he could hear more of her voice in order to determine just who it was, a delicate shout suddenly rang out within the inner hall, “I object!”
The instant those words rang out, shock filled the entire hall.
Everyone proceeded to turn to look at where the voice originated from, secretly thinking about which utterly fearless person actually dared to embarrass the City Lord in front of the countless Masters present.
Rage flashed across Luo Jin’s face as he turned around and roared, “Who dares!”
His expression had turned so malevolent that it had warped and distorted his face. Today was the day of his marriage with his concubine, so it never occurred to him that someone would actually wreck the celebratory ceremony, causing him to be unable to control the thick murderous intent surging out from his heart.
His eyes radiated with a chilling glow as he shot a look at where that voice had originated from and snorted coldly, “What’s wrong? You have the guts to spoil this King’s good mood, yet have no guts to stand up and admit it?”
Some guests seated on the sides immediately shouted, “Obediently stand up and apologise to the City Lord! You might be able to keep your life if you do so! If you dare to remain stubborn, this day next year will be your death anniversary!”
Luo Jin added, “Today is an auspicious day for this King, so this King does not wish to take another’s life. If you stand up obediently, this King will not make things difficult for you!”
Right as those words rang out, a person suddenly stood up within the crowd.
This person was covered from head to toe in a black robe, causing people to be unable to see their real appearance. Nevertheless, from their figure, it was clearly a lady under those robes.
“Capture her!” Seeing the culprit stand up, Luo Jing waved his hand fiercely in response.
*Xiu xiu xiu…*
In an instant, a few of the City Lord’s Mansion’s guards rushed out towards that person.
The lady continued to stand there, appearing not one bit flustered at all. Right as the guards were about to capture her, she abruptly removed the black shawl above her head, revealing her face for all to see.
As this scene unfolded, everyone’s eyes suddenly snapped wide open as dumbstruck and tongue-tied expressions appeared on their faces.
“Huh?”
“This…”
“Eldest Young Lady?”
Originally, those City Lord Mansion’s guards who were rushing over with raging auras radiating from their bodies, were all prepared to capture this girl and bring her to a secret location to give her a good taste of torture; however, right as they saw her true appearance, all of their expressions changed drastically as they dispelled their auras mid-air, causing them to drop down clumsily onto the ground, dumbstruck.
That was because they discovered that the person who had disrupted the marriage ceremony at such a critical moment wasn’t some stranger, but the City Lord’s Eldest Young Lady, Luo Bing!
Qiu Yu leapt out from his seat, a stunned look on his face as he looked over towards Luo Bing. He never expected that Luo Bing would actually be in this inner hall, moreover, disrupt the City Lord’s marriage ceremony.
Yesterday, when he and Luo Bing had gone their separate ways, she was doing just fine. Therefore, he was utterly incapable of understanding why Luo Bing would do something like this after just a single night by herself.
For a moment, deathly silence filled the entire inner hall, as everyone shot strange looks at Luo Bing, all them confused over what kind of disturbance she was planning on causing.
“Bing’er!” Luo Jin’s body shook as he stared at Luo Bing with his eyes wide open, “Why are you…”
Before he completed his question, he appeared to have suddenly discovered something and sharply asked, “Who has bullied you?”
He noticed that his precious daughter’s eyes were red and swollen, a clear indication that she had been crying for a very long period of time. Furthermore, her voice had turned hoarse, resulting in him not recognizing her voice earlier.
He instinctively assumed that Luo Bing had been bullied by someone.
Qiu Yu quietly gulped down his saliva, for fear of Luo Bing saying his name, as he believed that it was somehow his fault.
“No one bullied me.” Luo Bing pursed her lips before replying.
“Really?” Luo Jin’s eyes narrowed as he asked in a solemn voice.
“Really!” Luo Bing shook her head, remaining silent for a moment before continuing, “Father, this daughter has something to request of you.”
Luo Jin gave a sigh, “Let’s talk about this later. Go back to your room first and rest.” A wave of anger and frustration surged about in the depths of his heart, as he blamed Luo Bing for not recognizing the current situation and spoiling his authority and face before so many powerful people. At this moment, the only thought he had was to hurry up and get this ceremony over and done with, before having a good talk with Luo Bing about this matter.
Nevertheless, he didn’t expect Luo Bing to not listen obediently to his words. Shaking her head, she replied, “No, I need to make this request right now, if not it’ll be too late by then.”
“Bing’er!” A look of anger flashed across Luo Jin’s face as he growled out in a deep voice.
Luo Bing’s body instinctually shivered, frightened. Nevertheless, her eyes were filled with an extremely resolute gleam, as she continued to look back at a father with a pleading gaze.
Seeing her like that, Luo Jin immediately knew that he would definitely be unable to change her mind, leaving him no choice but to sigh, before letting out a laugh towards the surrounding guests, “I apologise to everyone. This King has spoiled his little daughter too much, resulting in this wilful behaviour. I hope that this won’t spoil everyone’s mood.”
Upon hearing his words, everyone could not help but to relax their facial expressions, as they had already known about how much the City Lord doted on Luo Bing. However, they didn’t know that it would be to the extent where she would actually dare to create such trouble during a major event like his wedding.
Everyone showed their acceptance, giving looks as though they cared greatly for Luo Jin’s face.
It was only then that Luo Jin looked towards Luo Bing, “Speak, what do you want from your father? To actually choose such a time to put forth your request… if it’s something outrageous, let see how I’ll deal with you when this is over!” Although he said those threatening words, a smile was present on his face. Clearly, he did not have any intent to threaten her, and this was just a show of love towards her.
Genial laughter rang out from the guests, as they praised the City Lord for his fatherly love.
Luo Bing bit her lip, before extending her finger to point towards Luo Jin’s side, “Your daughter begs of you to let her go!”
Right as her words rang out, the atmosphere within the inner hall, which had just regained a bit of its earlier festive air, sunk into a weird silence once again, as quite a few guests had their mouths hanging wide open, not daring to believe what they had just heard. Furthermore, the few people who immediately knew that the marriage ceremony might have encountered some difficulties instantly felt restless, as they quietly checked the expression on Luo Jin’s face.
In that instant, the smile on Luo Jin’s face turned stiff, before slowly fading away, being replaced by an expression so cold and gloomy it seemed as though a blizzard had arrived, before the smile within his eyes gradually turned into fury.
It took a while before Luo Jin finally spoke, “Go and take a rest, Bing’er! I think you’re too tired!”
Originally, he had assumed that his daughter had disagreed with his marriage in an attempt to coerce him to accept some difficult request that she wanted to make of him. He had thereby prepared himself sufficiently for this; however, what she wanted now was something that he had utterly not considered, as Luo Bing was completely in opposition to his marriage to his new concubine.
How could Luo Jin agree to that? No matter how much he spoiled Luo Bing, he would not just let his would-be bride go in front of everyone’s eyes! If he were to do that, how would he have the face to continue living on? What would happen to his reputation? If this were to happen, he might no longer be able to rule Sky Crane City and continue being the City Lord.
“Please promise me that, Father!” Luo Bing pleaded.
“Impudence!” Luo Jin roared before shooting a furious and regretful glare at Luo Bing, “It looks like I’ve spoiled you too much in the past, and let you get away with anything! Now scram off to your room! You’re not allowed to take a single step out of your room unless I give you the permission to do so!”
“Father…” Luo Bing started to cry, “It is not her choice to get married. How can you force people to do something like that! Just let her go, please…”
*Siii…*
Successive hisses from people sucking in mouthfuls of cold air rang out within the inner hall.
It was an open secret that not a single one of Luo Jin’s concubines had voluntarily chosen to get married to him, and everyone had kept that knowledge locked up in the recesses of their minds; no one was willing to bring it to light. However, it would be a totally different story if this information was revealed in the presence of everyone.
Yet, it was utterly unexpected that Luo Bing would be the one who revealed it!
Upon hearing what Luo Bing had said, all of the cultivators in the inner hall felt their hearts fiercely clench; it felt as if a massive storm was brewing, causing them to feel uneasy and restless.
“Just let her go. I’ll make sure to always stay by your side, be filial to you and listen to your words. I’ll no longer go and cause any more trouble, and I’ll definitely be on my best behavior,” Luo Bing continued to plead through her tears.
Luo Jin’s face continued to warp and distort, turning incomparably ashen before he roared out, “What nonsense are you talking about!?”
Luo Bing replied, “I’m not talking nonsense. I know who she is, and also know why she is being forced to marry you. Just let her go, please father…”
Luo Jin roared back in anger, “What the hell are you all looking at!? The Young Lady has clearly lost her mind! Hurry up and bring her away to get proper care!”
Hearing his command, the few City Lord Mansion’s guards, who hadn’t known what to do, started to take action and lunged towards Luo Bing.
However, right at that instant, a person who had been seated beside Luo Bing suddenly stood up, immediately proceeding to grab her throat, and shot a steely-eyed glare towards the people around him while giving a cold snort, “If anyone dares to approach, I’ll snap her neck!”
The faces of the few City Lord’s Mansion cultivators rushing over immediately turned pale with shock before they froze once again in a fluster.
The other guests who were here to celebrate the marriage ceremony had their eyeballs almost pop out of their sockets once again, as never in their wildest dreams did they expect such a series of shocking events to occur here today.
“It’s him!” A wrinkle appeared on Yang Kai’s forehead as he looked towards the one-eyed, sturdily built male who had grabbed onto Luo Bing’s throat, while a sliver of a pensive look flashed across his face.
He could recall bumping into this man in the restaurant yesterday. That fellow seemed to go by the name of Chai Hu, and it was precisely due to this man starting a conflict with a group of people that ended up in a fight, which had caused Yang Kai to leave the restaurant early.
However, he never expected that this fellow would actually intrude into this marriage ceremony, and even dared to seize the City Lord’s daughter by the neck in front of everyone!
Nevertheless… this person was only a Third-Order Origin King. Even though he had Luo Bing’s neck in his grasp, his fate appeared to be bleak.
After considering all of these details, Yang Kai shot another look at the new bride standing beside Luo Jin. Ever since seeing this new bride, he was being nagged by a strange feeling. Furthermore, right at this moment when he had looked over to her, he saw her tender body shake, as though she was struggling with something.
Chai Hu placed one hand against Luo Bing’s slender throat, and the other on her back. Saint Qi surged out from his body, as though he was prepared to take action at any moment.
The City Lord Mansion guards looked at one another, looks of indignation and frustration on their faces. Their Eldest Young Lady was now being held hostage, leaving them wary of making any reckless moves that might provoke Chai Hu into injuring Luo Bing. If that were to happen, they wouldn’t be far from their deathbeds.
Brimming with anxiety, they looked towards Luo Jin, waiting for his instructions to proceed.
What greeted them were Luo Jin’s narrowed eyes, as he inconspicuously shot them a look. Understanding his intentions intuitively, the guards silently spread out, surrounding Chai Hu on all sides to prevent him from escaping.
The guests that were seated at the same dining table as Chai Hu and Luo Bing had long scattered the instant Chai Hu had stood up to seize Luo Bing.
“Old Dog Luo Jin! If you still care about your daughter’s life, let them know their place!” Chai Hu’s sole eye gleamed with a malevolent lustre as he shot a vigilant look at his surroundings while growling towards Luo Jin.
Luo Jing snorted coldly in response. He raised a clenched fist to signal to the guards to calm down before looking towards Chai Hu, “This King seems to have seen you somewhere!”
With a sneer, Chai Hu replied in a ridiculing tone, “This one is just a nameless member of the younger generation, so Sir City Lord naturally wouldn’t remember me.”
Luo Jin continued, “Regardless of any grudge or grievances between this King and you, my daughter is completely unrelated to them. Let her go, and this King will promise to have a good talk with you.”
Chai Hu burst into a hearty chuckle, “Talk? What’s there to talk with a despicable and shameless person like you? Do you think I’m a three-year-old child?”
Luo Jin responded, “From the looks of it, you’ve been holding a grudge against this King for a long time. Those words that Bing’er was saying earlier, was it all a result of your coercion?”
Hearing his words, looks of understanding flashed across the faces of the surrounding guests. So, this was why Luo Bing would set her father up in such an embarrassing situation! She was being threatened by someone! If that was the case, it would explain why Luo Bing seemed to be incapable of grasping the larger picture here.
“Think what you want!” Chai Hu snorted coldly, showing no intention to provide an explanation.
“I’m not being forced by him…” Right at that moment, Luo Bing suddenly spoke out, “Father, I meant what I said. Please let that lady go! What wrong did she do?”
Luo Jin’s face sank abruptly upon those words ringing out.
Spectacular expressions also appeared on the faces of the surrounding guests, as they were utterly confused about exactly what was happening right before their eyes! Luo Bing had been seized by that one-eyed man, with her life resting in his hands, and yet, she was siding with him?
Luo Jin took a deep breath and quickly assured, “Bing’er, don’t be afraid. Your father will rescue you.” After saying those words, he looked back at Chai Hu. “Your Excellency, you truly don’t fear the Heavens, to dare to intrude upon this marriage ceremony and capture this King’s beloved daughter. Exactly what do you want?”
Chai Hu sneered, “Why do you need to ask this when you know the answer, Sir City Lord? Although other people might not understand why I’ve come here, how could you not know?”
Luo Jin frowned and narrowed his eyes, “Why not just state it clearly, Your Excellency? If it’s possible, why would this King not accept? As long as my daughter is safe and sound, this King is willing to give anything in return!”
He replied in a righteous and solemn manner, causing the surrounding guests to applaud and praise his character.
Someone immediately said to Chai Hu, “Friend, aren’t you being too impulsive and reckless with your actions? Sir City Lord has always loved the common people as his own children, has been diligent in his civic duties, and is praised by the public. Young Lady Luo Bing is innocent, pure, and kind-hearted. Can’t you just talk this out? Do you really have to embarrass everyone like this? Just hear me out. Let Young Lady Luo Bing go, and City Lord Sir will not be difficult with you.”
“That’s right, just let Young Lady Luo go. Everything can be discussed.”
“Hurry up and let her go! If Sir City Lord doesn’t want to punish you, all of us will give you a good beating instead!”
A ruckus surged up in the surroundings, as some people proceeded to give advice with kind words, while others used malicious tones towards Chai Hu. In an instant, Chai Hu seemed to grow anxious, causing him to grip Luo Bing with slightly more force, making Luo Bing’s face to turn pale as her breathing became more difficult.
“All of you shut up!” Chai Hu let out a furious roar. At this moment, it was as if he was in a prison, enemies surrounding him on all sides, his already taut state of mind grew increasingly distraught with anxiety from all the shouting directed at him.
“If anyone says another word, I’ll immediately choke her to death! I mean what I say!” Chai Hu opened his sole eye wide as he let out a violent roar.
Seeing this, how would any of the guests dare to continue speaking? All of them proceeded to shut their mouths, afraid that they might provoke this fellow who had lost his mind to injure Luo Bing.
Luo Jin’s face sank even further as he growled, “Speak! Exactly what do you want this King to do!”
Turning his head, Chai Hu shot a furious glare at Luo Jin, “Release the person beside you!”
“Who are you talking about?” Luo Jin asked despite perfectly knowing the answer.
Chai Hu roared in reply, “If you dare to act so shamelessly again, I’ll immediately take your daughter’s life!”
Luo Jin’s expression changed slightly, “Is your Excellency doing this… to steal my bride?”
Chai Hu sneered, “She isn’t marrying you out of her own will, so how could I be stealing her? I’m just here to save her life!”
Luo Jin replied, “How would you know if she’s willing or not when you didn’t even ask her?”
Chai Hu shot back, “How would she be willing to marry you? Stop daydreaming!”
Luo Jin laughed out before replying, “Are you misunderstanding something? Although this King doesn’t recognise you, I can tell that you and my humble wife… should be friends, right? This King really admires how far you would stick your neck out for your friend. How about this… you can ask my humble wife if she is willingly marrying this King or not. If she isn’t, this King will immediately release her, and not force her against her will. How about that?”
Chai Hu’s expression flickered and changed. He seemed as if he didn’t dare to believe his own ears, causing him to ask in a suspicious tone, “Is that true?”
Luo Jin smiled, “With all of the guests present, how would this King dare to lie before everyone’s eyes?” After a slight pause, he continued, “Or, are you saying that you’ve come here to disrupt and stain this King’s reputation? If that’s the case… this King will definitely not let you off lightly.”
Someone added, “That’s right! We’re willing to bear witness for the City Lord!”
“Little brat, you aren’t here purely for the sake of causing trouble, right? If that’s the case, you really are too despicable.”
Chai Hu’s face turned gloomy as he no longer responded to the shouts coming from his surroundings. After remaining silent for a while, he nodded his head, “Fine, I’ll believe you this once.”
After saying those words, he turned his head towards the new bride and quickly shouted, “Fifth Sister, you should have heard what the City Lord had just said. Tell me, are you doing this on your own will or… did he threaten you! Rest assured, if he really forced you into this, your Fourth Brother will make sure to rescue you, even if he must risk his life to do so!”
“This King can’t thank Your Excellency for the effort you’re putting in for my humble wife!” Luo Jin gave a faint smile, appearing calm and undisturbed.
“Shut your mouth!” Chai Hu growled.
Luo Jin smiled but did not reply.
The new bride, who had not moved an inch as she stood by Luo Jin’s side, even staying still throughout Chai Hu’s disturbance, had now become the focal point of everyone’s eyes. Everyone turned to look at her, wanting to know what kind of answer she would give.
Right in front of everyone’s eyes, the body of the new bride shook slightly for a while, before a pleasant-sounding voice rang out from beneath the red veil, “I… am willing!”
“What!” Chai Hu’s body shook as he was instantly dumbstruck, utterly not expecting that he would receive such an answer from her.
However, that voice was without a doubt his Fifth Sister, and it was not something just anyone could imitate.
For a moment, he was somewhat incapable of accepting this result.
Luo Jin looked at him, “Your Excellency should understand by now, right? This King and my humble wife felt like kindred souls since we met, and we fell in love at our first meeting. If not, this King would not marry her.”
“Big Brother Chai…” Luo Bing turned her head around and looked blankly at Chai Hu, somewhat unable to understand why the series of events were not like what Chai Hu had described them to be. After all, Chai Hu had told her that the new bride had been forced to marry her father. However, the new bride had just told her a completely different answer to his words.
“Impossible! That’s absolutely impossible!” Chai Hu shouted out loudly.
Luo Jin’s expression turned dark before roaring out, “This King has already given face to Your Excellency. For the sake of Your Excellency’s friendship with my humble wife, I won’t cause difficulties for you. I hope that you’ll do what’s best for yourself!”
“That’s right. Don’t continue being an annoying troublemaker, friend. If not, you’ll not be giving everyone face.”
“That’s right. Let Young Lady Luo Bing off. I believe in City Lord Sir’s magnanimity. He will not cause difficulties for you. Let everyone sit down and celebrate with wine. Won’t that be better?”
“Stop before you go too far, little brat! If you wish to die, this old master doesn’t mind granting your wish!”
A noisy cacophony of voices rang out from the surrounding guests, with their impression of Chai Hu dropping to the very bottom.
“That’s impossible.” Chai Hi continued to mumble. “It’s impossible for Fifth Sister to be willing to get married to you. She’s definitely being forced by you to do so!” Saying that, he seemed to have thought of something, causing him to roar out, “It’s definitely because of Big Brother and Second Brother right!?”
“Exactly what the hell are you talking about, you brat!” Blank looks appeared on the faces of the surrounding people.
Chuckling heartily towards the sky, Chai Hu’s laughter rumbled out like thunder, sounding exceedingly carefree, as though he had managed to come to a realisation and untied the knot in his heart. After quite a while, he snapped his head towards Luo Jin and growled, “You really are sinister, you old dog, to actually use Big Brother, Second Brother, and Third Brother as hostages to force Fifth Sister to marry you! If you don’t want the blood of your daughter to flow in this place, you better listen obediently to what I say!”
Luo Jin growled deeply in anger, “You dare to go back on your word?”
Chai Hu sneered, “What’s the point of talking about trustworthiness when talking with a despicably vile person like you? Regardless of anything, I’ll take Fifth Sister away today! If anyone dares to obstruct me, I’ll kill her!” Saying those words, he increased his grip on her throat by a fair bit.
Luo Bing gasped in shock.
Luo Jin’s face lost colour in shock as he hastily said, “Wait!”
“Are you going to let her go!?” Chai Hu shouted.
A deeply profound look appeared on Luo Jin’s face, as though an imminent storm was coming, with the atmosphere within the inner hall growing exceedingly stifling. After gritting his teeth for quite a while, he said, “Since you’re that overly suspicious, I’ll let my humble wife give you a clear reply!”
After saying that, he looked at the new bride beside him.
Upon hearing that, Chai Hu’s face lit up and he shouted, “Come over here, Fifth Sister.”
After hesitating for an instant, the new bride took step after step towards Chai Hu.
“That little brat’s is about to be out of luck!” All of a sudden, Yang Kai, who had been watching from the side with a detached point of view, suddenly mumbled out softly.
Everyone from the Thousand Leaves Sect was having a blast of a time watching the good show unfold before their eyes, being filled with jubilation regardless of the outcome from the disturbance Chai Hu had caused today. After all, no matter the outcome, it had already done damage to Luo Jin’s reputation. After today, this matter would be widely talked about in teahouses and restaurants, and people who were unclear about the inside story would still come to know that Luo Jin was someone vile enough to oppress men and seize women.
Hearing what Yang Kai had said, the members of the Thousand Leaves Sect looked at him in doubt, blank looks on their faces.
With a grin, Yang Kai whispered, “From the confident attitude the City Lord is giving off, how would he not have made any preparations?”
Du Xian’s face changed slightly, as though he had thought about something, before whispering, “What Young Master Yang means is that he is prepared to…”
Yang Kai shook his head, before indicating they should quietly watch the spectacle.
Over there, the phoenix coronet shook slightly as the red-veiled bride walked towards Chai Hu. Looking at her, a shade of happiness appeared in his sole eye as he opened his mouth to say, “Come and stand here to help me hold the fort, and force that old dog to let Big Brother and the others go. After that, we can escape from here and never return to this damned Sky Crane City.”
The new bride didn’t say a single word back as she obediently walked and stood by Chai Hu’s side.
“After creating such a huge disturbance today in my City Lord’s Mansion, and damaging this King’s face, do you think… you can escape, Your Excellency?” A ridiculing expression appeared on Luo Jin’s face as he snorted coldly in response.
“Everything can be achieved with effort!” Chai Hu sneered in reply.
Luo Jin gave an ambiguous laugh and said, “This King feels… that it’s best that you remain here!”
Chai Hu’s expression instantly changed. Just as he was able to say something, he suddenly felt a chilling intent hurtling towards his back. In the next instant, a palm was pressed against his back and a burst of power surged into his body, sending him flying with a jolt.
Flying through the air, his eye snapped wide open in absolute shock as he turned his head around. Upon looking at the owner of the palm, misery and despair flooded his lone eye.
*Peng…*
Landing on the ground, Chai Hu smashed into tables and chairs, yet he quickly climbed back up. However, it seemed as though he had suffered quite a serious blow from that attack, causing him to immediately spurt out a mouthful of blood upon standing up.
*Xiu xiu xiu…*
The Masters from the City Lord’s Mansion lunged over at the same time, with a few palms pressing simultaneously on Chai Hu’s body. Power surged out of their palms, though nothing exploded forth from them.
After all, this was the City Lord’s great wedding ceremony, so it was truly inappropriate to let blood be spilt here. If not, Chai Hu would have died on the spot.
After being suppressed, Chai Hu staggered backwards, seemingly about to lose his balance. With a face filled with pain and sorrow, he looked towards the new bride, blood flowing out of his mouth as he said in grief, “Fifth Sister… why…”
Shockingly, it was the new bride, whom he wanted to save, that had unleashed a sneak attack and landed a serious blow on him. Even now, he couldn’t believe that what had happened was real.
Everything had happened in a split second. Not only did it shock Chai Hu, but it had also left all of the surrounding guests with their mouths agape, dumbfounded looks appearing on their faces. The only exception was Luo Jin, who seemed to have anticipated it, a faint smile hanging on his face.
All of a sudden, Yang Kai stood up and shot a burning gaze at the new bride, while a myriad of emotions flashed across his eyes.
“Monster Qi?” A frown appeared on Ye Jing Han’s face, as she covered her mouth and whispered, “This new bride’s actually a person of the Monster Race?”
Just now, despite it being incomparably short, the instant the new bride took action, the strength she displayed was completely different from a human’s Source Qi, as there was a pure Monster Yuan Qi aura present within.
Although cultivators of the human race could cultivate Secret Arts or Secret Techniques from the Monster Race, and allow the energies of their bodies to grow similar to that of Monster Qi, it would absolutely not be as pure as what the new bride had unleashed. From the looks of it, this new bride was unexpectedly not a human, but a member of the Monster Race.
Although there were Monster Races present within the Star Boundary, it was extremely rare for them to move about within human-populated cities. Furthermore, other than the extremely small percentage that would do so, they would also do their utmost to conceal their movements; after all, due to the difference in race, it was unavoidable for humans to have negative feelings towards those of the Monster Race.
There were quite a few people other than Ye Jing Han who had discovered this, causing them to shoot curious looks towards the new bride.
Furthermore, from the energy fluctuations radiating from the new bride when she had taken action, she was impressively a First-Order Dao Source Realm cultivator.
“What’s the matter, Young Master Yang?” Noticing that something was amiss with Yang Kai, Du Xian hastily asked out of concern.
However, Yang Kai paid no attention to him, continuing to lock his eyes right at the new bride, his body trembling slightly, as though he had discovered something incredible.
“Take him away and make sure to look after him properly! After the ceremony, this King will have a good talk with him!” Luo Jin waved his hand and gave his orders.
Nodding their heads, the few City Lord Mansion guards proceeded to take action and seal Chai Hu’s cultivation, before detaining him.
“No!” No one expected for a high pitched shout to ring out at that moment before everyone saw Luo Bing, who had just escaped from the deadly grasp of Chai Hu, rush straight towards him. Unleashing a flurry of punches and kicks at the few guards, she exerted all her might to push them away, proceeding to spread her arms and stand before Chai Hu, before shaking her head continuously, “Don’t come over!”
Her stance of wanting to protect Chai Hu left all of the guests in shock once again, as they were utterly incapable of understanding exactly what she was thinking. After all, Chai Hu had just used her life to threaten everyone, so shouldn’t she be fleeing as far away from Chai Hu as possible after extricating herself? Why did she jump right back into the net?
“What are you doing, Bing’er!” Luo Jin roared with great fury. He had grown quite angry with his daughter today, as she had already gone against him multiple times. Furthermore, she was now trying to protect the person that had caused a disturbance at his marriage ceremony! How could he not be angry?
“Father, Big Brother Chai saved me yesterday, so he’s my saviour! Please don’t make things difficult for him.” Luo Bing sobbed and pleaded.
Luo Jin’s eyes narrowed, “Saviour?”
Luo Bing replied, “That’s right. Yesterday, I was facing a life and death situation, and it was Big Brother Chai who saved me…”
“Yesterday?” A frown appeared on Luo Jin’s face as he said in a cold voice, “Didn’t you go out with Young Master Qiu yesterday? How did this person end up saving you?”
Luo Bing shook her head and answered, “I’ll tell you about the whole matter in detail later, so can you not make things difficult for him, and let him go, alright?”
The face of Qiu Yu, who had been listening on the side, instantly turned pale, and with a flash, appeared right before Luo Bing. Extending his hand, he grabbed hold of her arm, “Don’t cause a fuss anymore, Little Sister Bing. Didn’t Sir City Lord say that he would not hurt him? Just be a darling and be obedient, alright?”
However, Luo Bing shook her head, “Then you should let him go right now!”
A flash of impatience flickered across Luo Jin’s eyes as he spoke towards Qiu Yu, “Young Master Qiu, my little girl is being immature. Please take her away to rest.”
Qiu Yu nodded, “Yes sir!”
After saying that, he extended his hand out to give Luo Bing a pat on her body, causing her to immediately collapse limply. Although she was still conscious, she was incapable of moving. Carrying her by her waist, Qiu Yu proceeded to head towards the back of the inner hall.
After being struck by the new bride, Chai Hu seemed to have lost his soul, as he did not respond to the series of events that had just happened before him. At this moment, his sole eye turned red as he growled, “Fifth Sister, tell me, exactly why are you doing this! Could it be that you really are willingly getting married to this old dog?”
Luo Jin sneered, “This King has already given you enough face. If you can’t appreciate this King’s kindness, don’t blame this King for being discourteous towards you.”
A guest by the side shouted out, “City Lord, there’s no need for you to be overly kind to him! This person is guilty without a doubt!”
“That’s right! The City Lord and the new bride are bound by love, and will be blessed for hundreds of years. They are a Heaven-blessed pair, created by the earth, and not something that can be destroyed easily by a despicable, vile person like you.”
“I don’t believe it! I don’t believe it!” Chai Hu roared with all his might.
“Stubborn-headed fool!” Luo Jin snorted coldly before speaking in a deep voice. “Then go and stand by the side and observe in detail whether my humble wife is willing to marry this King or not!”
After saying those words, Luo Jin turned his head and scanned his surroundings, before speaking out with a gloomy look on his face, “Any friend who does not accept this union, please step forward, and this King will give you a satisfactory answer.”
Having his marriage ceremony disrupted by people had caused damage to his face. Therefore, for the sake of regaining it, he had said those words with a face brimming with murderous intent.
Who dared to step up and go against him yet again?
“You must be joking, right, City Lord? There are bound to be a few people in this world that can’t appreciate other people’s kindness. Don’t take offence to that, sir.”
“That’s right, it’s not worth it to spoil one’s mood over people like this. Let’s continue, let’s continue!”
Only after hearing these responses did Luo Jin’s complexion turn slightly for the better as he snorted coldly, “Today is a day of celebrations, so this King isn’t willing to make a big fuss about it. If there’s anyone that still objects, you can just speak forthrightly.”
He surveyed his surroundings, with everyone around putting up apologetic smiles in response.
“I…” A person’s voice suddenly rang out, causing the nervous atmosphere, which was gradually easing away, to reappear once again. There were even quite a few people that sucked in a breath of cold air, as they looked towards the direction where the voice came from, quietly thinking that there really were people who were not afraid to die in this world, to actually dare to object at such a moment.
Luo Jin’s expression also turned fierce, anger gushing forth as he turned a gaze filled to the brim with murderous intent towards the direction of the voice.
He looked over, only to see a youth standing at the table nearest to the front, grinning. Raising his hand, the youth said, “I… have just a very small request, and I hope City Lord Sir won’t get angry over it.”
“It’s a member of Thousand Leaves Sect!”
“It’s actually a disciple of Thousand Leaves Sect! He isn’t choosing to do so now just to add insult to injury, right?”
“That’s a very unfamiliar face. Is he really a member of Thousand Leaves Sect?”
“How could he not be? Don’t you see him sitting together with Ye Jing Han and Du Xian?”
“This will be interesting.”
Hushed whispers proceeded to ring out. When the guests noticed that the person who had just spoken out was seated together with the disciples of Thousand Leaves Sects, they immediately knew that today’s matter would get even more complicated than before. After all, Chai Hu had only represented himself, had failed in snatching the bride away, and had even gotten injured while making a fool of himself. However, if Thousand Leaves Sect was to get involved, the whole issue might end up with a confrontation between the two great forces if it was not settled properly. If that were to happen, it would become a major issue that would affect everyone who lived within ten thousand kilometres of this place.
Upon hearing that voice, Qin Yu, who had carried the immobilised Luo Bing to the entrance of the inner hall, instantly came to a halt and turned around. Right as he saw who had just spoken out, his expression immediately changed, “How can it be that little bastard! He’s really too audacious!”
“Young Master… Young Master Yang…” Ye Jing Han was caught off guard as she stared blankly at Yang Kai, who had stood up, covering her mouth as she blurted out in shock, utterly confused as to why Yang Kai had the nerve to speak out after that shocking series of events.
“What are you doing, Young Master Yang?” Du Xian’s expression had also changed, as he immediately realized the severity of the current situation. Although they knew that Young Master Yang was not a disciple of their Thousand Leaves Sect, others did not know about this. Since they were all sitting at the same table, other people would definitely assume that they were together. Yang Kai standing up at this moment to object to the marriage would definitely cause others to assume that this was the stance that Thousand Leaves Sect was taking.
Once this misunderstanding developed, they might not be able to leave Sky Crane City anymore.
In an instant, beads of cold sweat surfaced on Du Xian’s forehead.
“It’s just a personal matter! It’s purely a private affair!” Sending a faint smile towards the two, Yang Kai proceeded to raise his head to look towards Luo Jin.
Clearly, Luo Jin was also utterly confused by Yang Kai’s words. After staring at the latter for a while, he asked, “Is Your Excellency also from Thousand Leaves Sect? How come this King has never greeted you before?”
What made Luo Jin even more confused was that the group of people from Thousand Leaves Sect were actually seated at the frontmost table. What exactly was happening here?
“Would you believe it if I were to say that I’m not from Thousand Leaves Sect?”
Pained looks appeared on the faces of Ye Jing Han and Du Xian as they wiped away the beads of cold sweat that appeared continuously on their foreheads, nervousness and unease radiating from their entire beings.
Taking this in, Luo Jin gave a slight frown before quickly saying, “So, how do I address Your Excellency?”
Although Yang Kai only had a Second-Order Dao Source cultivation, which was a Minor Realm lower than his, he could make out that Yang Kai’s was still quite young. Having such a cultivation while being at that age forced Luo Jin to have no choice but to not treat Yang Kai lightly. Therefore, just to be safe, Luo Jin felt that it was better for him to probe Yang Kai before taking any hasty action.
“Yang Kai!” When he gave his reply, Yang Kai did not look at Luo Jin. Instead, he continued to stare at the new bride, looking for her reaction, before speaking in a clear voice. “High Heaven Sect’s… Yang Kai!”
“High Heaven Sect? What Sect is that?”
“Is there such a Sect in our Southern Territory? How have I never heard of it before?”
“Perhaps it’s a Sect from some distant place. There are so many Sects under the Heavens, so it isn’t a mystery for us to have never heard of one before.”
Hushed whispers echoed from the surrounding guests, with even Ye Jing Han and the others wrinkling their foreheads in pensive thought. Not a single person here had heard of this High Heaven Sect before, so it was unavoidable for them to be filled with curiosity.
After hearing the way Yang Kai had introduced himself, a fierce tremor shook through the new bride’s body, appearing as though her state of mind had suffered some kind of shock.
Seeing this, Yang Kai’s eyes lit up, as he felt with increasing certainty that his guess was correct.
Earlier, at the instant when the new bride had taken action against Chai Hu, Yang Kai had felt that the energy fluctuations radiating from her seemed somewhat familiar, as though it came from someone that he knew. Now, her reaction had reinforced this feeling in his heart.
Obviously having never heard of a Sect like High Heaven Sect before, a frown appeared on Luo Jin’s face, “So, Little Brother Yang, what objection do you have against this King’s marriage ceremony? How about telling this King?”
With a grin, Yang Kai replied, “Truthfully speaking, it isn’t anything like an objection; rather, this one is just quite curious about this new bride’s appearance… Sir City Lord, would it be alright if you could let this new bride remove her veil so we can see her gorgeous countenance?”
Right as his words rang out, weird looks appeared on everyone’s face as they looked at Yang Kai, wondering in their hearts about which new bride would remove their veil before entering the bridal room. On their day of marriage, the veils worn by the girls would only be removed by the grooms after entering the bridal rooms. This had always been the tradition, and breaking this would bring misfortune to the couple.
If the new bride’s face was to be revealed to everyone on the day of marriage, what purpose would the red veil have any more?
Despite such thoughts present in everyone’s heart, in all honesty, all of them were definitely curious about the new bride’s appearance, and wanted to take a glimpse of her face. However, not a single one of them had the courage to actually ask for it. Therefore, Yang Kai’s words had caused silent anticipation to well up in everyone’s heart.
Luo Jin’s eyes were solemn as he continued to stare at Yang Kai, remaining silent for a long time before giving a laugh, “You really are humorous, Little Brother Yang. You definitely are trying to make a joke just now to defuse the overly nervous atmosphere, right? This Old Master appreciates Little Brother’s thoughts!”
After saying those words, he cupped his hands slightly to show his understanding, though his eyes were brimming with a threatening stance, probably indicating to Yang Kai that he would suffer if he didn’t stop obstructing the process of the marriage ceremony.
However, right as he ended his speech, Yang Kai smiled and replied, “You’re misunderstanding me, Sir City Lord. This one did not just make a joke, I truly wish to see how the new bride looks!”
The smile on Luo Jin’s face instantly disappeared, replaced by a look of deep profundity.
Appearing to not notice it, Yang Kai continued, “Everyone knows that the City Lord is blessed with good fortune, having fourteen beautiful concubines with different styles of beauty, being able to enjoy the blessed fortunes of having those beauties all around him. Yet, no one knows exactly how those City Lord Madams look, as all of them wear black veils whenever they head outside. Guards would be there to part the roads, leaving people with no way to see their true faces; however, I think that everyone here definitely thinks that these City Lord Madams are absolute beauties, as only then would be able to match up to Sir City Lord’s majestic and awe-inspiring prestige.”
Hearing his words, Luo Jin laughed. “You’re too polite, Little Brother!”
Inwardly, he thought that this little brat was not trying to find trouble, but had done so for the sake of flattery. If that was the case, there was no harm for him to cooperate a bit.
“Now, there’s already going to be another City Lord Madam, you can’t conceal her yet again and stir people’s appetite, right?” Yang Kai winked at Luo Jin, “There isn’t any harm in letting us get a feast for our eyes, when all of the guests from all directions have gathered today, right? It will also help accomplish this wish of mine. If that is possible, we would also be able to soak in the good fortune that surrounds Sir City Lord. Who knows if this might cause an endless stream of fortune, and bless us with a wonderful life. Isn’t that right, everyone?”
Although the guests quietly listened and didn’t participate in the conversation, looks of anticipation appeared on the faces of quite a few people, as though they really wished to see exactly how this new bride looked.
With a smile, Luo Jin replied, “Little Brother, this Luo and my Madams share the same heart, and are matches made in Heaven. If you really wish to get lucky with women, this King seriously recommends you to visit our city’s Thousand Revelries House! You will definitely be able to obtain whatever you wish for, as there are many beautiful and lovable ladies there!”
Right as his words rang out, hearty chuckles rang out from the surrounding guests, as they bowed over from the humour in what Luo Jin had just said.
Nevertheless, some people were able to catch the hidden meaning behind Luo Jin’s words. What he was trying to say was that his Madams were not ladies you could pay for services like in a brothel. If the guests really were too bored of life and dared to continue causing trouble, it would be equivalent to humiliating him. Therefore, don’t blame him for becoming angry as a result.
“Good! The auspicious hour is about to arrive! Let the ceremony continue!” With a wave, Luo Jin prepared to end this farce that had caused his impatience to bubble forth.
All of a sudden, Yang Kai took a step forward and quickly said, “What if I really want to take a look at the new bride?”
Turning his head around, Luo Jin shot a cold look at Yang Kai and said in an emotionless voice, “It’s best that you go back and take a seat, Little Brother!”
“Young Master Yang… what are you doing?” Ye Jing Han was on the brink of going mad as she was utterly clueless as to why Yang Kai would continue to provoke Luo Jin time and time again at such a critical juncture. She could clearly see Luo Jin’s impatience and anger, and was well aware that if this situation continued, there would be no way for them to pull back any more.
“Young Master Yang, please come back,” Du Xian urged.
Turning his head towards them, Yang Kai replied in an indifferent tone, “This is my personal affair. If you all are afraid of being implicated by me, leave right now; however, do not criticize or give orders to me.”
A frown appeared on Du Xian’s face, though he did not continue to urge the latter.
On the contrary, a flustered look appeared on Ye Jing Han’s face as she waved her hands, “That was not my intention, but…”
Before waiting for her to finish her sentence, Yang Kai had already left from his seat, taking step after step towards the new bride. Moving at an unhurried pace, with a carefree look on his face, he looked at Luo Jin and said, “Sir City Lord, if this one isn’t able to see the true face of your new bride, I might not be able to sleep well at night. Sir City Lord, please let me fulfil my wish.”
“Have you gone crazy, you brat?” Hugging on to Luo Bing, Qiu Yu stood dumbly at his original position, a burning look in his eyes. He was utterly incapable of understanding why Yang Kai would cause such a ruckus; after all, from their earlier meeting, he could tell that Yang Kai was not some brainless troublemaker.
At this moment, the eye of Chai Hu, who was originally filled with despair as he was being suppressed by the City Lord Mansion guards, suddenly lit up as he shot a burning gaze at Yang Kai, as though he had managed to grasp onto a life-saving stalk in his despair. Struggling about, he shouted, “Little Brother, help me take her away! She’s just having a momentary confusion! You have to take her away!”
“Impudence!” Luo Jin roared out as he sent a furious and imposing glare at Yang Kai, “Little brat, I see that you’re purposefully trying to start a fight, huh.”
Continuing to walk towards the new bride, Yang Kai shook his head and replied, “You misunderstand me. I just wish to take a look at the new bride, that’s all. If you don’t agree, I’ll just have to do it myself.”
Luo Jin shouted out angrily, “Capture him!”
As his command rang out, a dozen cultivators suddenly leapt out from all directions, lunging aggressively towards Yang Kai. There were two Second-Order Dao Source Realm Masters among their ranks, one on the left and one on the right, both of them entering an attacking stance.
Seeing a fight about to break out before their eyes, the faces of the surrounding guests changed as they proceeded to retreat in fear of getting involved. There were even more people that looked towards Yang Kai with pitying expressions appearing on their faces, as they silently felt that the latter had lost his mind to actually cause such disturbance during the City Lord’s marriage ceremony. Wasn’t this equivalent to courting death?
In the blink of an eye, the dozen cultivators appeared before Yang Kai. Taking the lead, the two Second-Order Dao Source Realm Masters unleashed their attacks in a ruthless fashion. In an instant, Source Qi burst forth within the inner hall as energy fluctuations surged out.
In the next moment, a flurry of bangs rang out, followed by successive miserable howls, as all of the City Lord Mansion’s guards that lunged at Yang Kai were sent flying backwards. Smashing heavily against the surrounding walls, causing the entire inner hall to be filled with holes.
“What?”
“What happened?”
“Am I seeing things? My eyes have no problems, right?”
Astonished shouts rang out as the surrounding guests were utterly incapable of believing what they had just witnessed. There were even people who started to rub their eyes in an attempt to clear their vision, but were nevertheless unable to change the result that had appeared before their eyes.
The dozen cultivators, including the two Second-Order Dao Source Realm Masters, had all been sent flying in a single instant.
It was impossible for something like that to have happened for no reason. Therefore, the only explanation was that they had all been sent flying by Yang Kai.
However, no one had seen exactly how Yang Kai had taken action; the only thing they caught was a faint glimpse of Yang Kai’s figure turning blurry.
Only the exceedingly small handful of Third-Order Dao Source Realm Masters present narrowed their eyes and revealed solemn expressions on their faces as they realised how extraordinary Yang Kai was.
This was the same for Luo Jin. Originally, he had assumed that Yang Kai was just a little brat that had yet to grasp the immensity of the Heavens and Earth. However, he never expected that Yang Kai would have concealed his strength like this. In an instant, Luo Jin realised that he was facing serious trouble.
After knocking those dozen City Lord Mansion guards back, Yang Kai continued to wear a calm and relaxed expression on his face, as though nothing had happened as he continued to walk towards the new bride.
“What are you all staring at?!” Realising that the situation was worsening, Luo Jin roared out a command.
In the next instant, even more masters from the City Lord’s Mansion flew out and hurtled towards Yang Kai.
Yang Kai made an abrupt stop, turned his head towards his surroundings, a cold gaze gleaming within his eyes before he spoke in a grim tone, “If anyone dares to come over again, don’t blame me for being ruthless.”
As his words rang out, looks of hesitation appeared on the faces of many of the cultivators lunging towards him, in fear of losing their lives here; however, with Luo Jin glaring at them, they had no choice but to clench their teeth and summon their artifacts and use their Secret Techniques to attack Yang Kai.
In an instant, multi-coloured lights enveloped the place where Yang Kai stood, as surging energies intersected and collided together. Intense explosions rang out, shaking the entire inner hall to the point where it appeared to teeter on the brink of collapse.
Everyone’s eyes snapped wide open as they looked towards where the various energies were surging out from, wanting to know how Yang Kai would deal with this danger. Nevertheless, they were greatly disappointed that Yang Kai actually didn’t escape, and not a single trace of movement could be seen within.
“Young Master Yang!” Ye Jing Han’s expression changed drastically as she shouted out in shock.
Faced with such ferocious attacks, it was utterly impossible for Yang Kai, with his Second-Order Dao Source Realm cultivation, to block all of them. Therefore, she believed that Yang Kai would definitely be in a disastrous situation.
On the other side, Luo Jin gave a sneer, while a ridiculing look appeared on his face.
After a short while, the energy storm dissipated, revealing a gigantic hole where Yang Kai once stood. However, not a single trace of Yang Kai was present.
“Where is he? Where did he go?”
“Is he dead? Could he have been turned into dust?”
“It’s possible. That little brat was a walking joke, all bark and no bite!”
“With so many cultivators from the City Lord’s Mansion taking action, even a Third-Order Dao Source Realm would be killed without a doubt. How could that inexperienced little brat defend against those attacks? He has definitely died without the chance of being buried.”
With such a sight before them, everyone couldn’t help themselves from discussing the current situation, with some feeling pity for Yang Kai dying before reaching his prime, and others mocking him for overestimating his own strength. The greater majority of the people immediately proceeded to flatter and laud Luo Jin to the best of their abilities.
A faint smile hung on Luo Jin’s face, though a faint feeling that something was amiss started to grow within his heart, causing unease to radiate through his entire being.
Chai Hu’s face had turned ashen, and it took him quite a while to recover from the shock he had experienced.
On the other table, Du Xian’s face had turned deathly pale as he continued to gulp down his saliva, also taking quite a while to recover from his shock. After a long while, he finally snapped awake from his absent-mindedness before whispering, “We should hurry up and leave; if not, it’ll be too late for us.”
Now that Yang Kai had died, although there weren’t any connections between Yang Kai and their Thousand Leave Sect, he had been sitting together with them around the same table earlier. Therefore, it was unavoidable for people to have some misunderstandings about their relationship, especially Luo Jin. No one could tell whether he would take this chance to make things difficult for Thousand Leaves Sects by forcing them to stay behind.
If Luo Jin really chose to do so, with what just transpired, he wouldn’t suffer any repercussions.
Considering all of this, Du Xian started to get flustered, causing him to grab Ye Jing Han in haste, wanting to sneak away while everyone was still distracted by the earlier events.
How could he have thought that Ye Jing Han wouldn’t budge an inch though as she continued to sweep her beautiful eyes around the nearby void.
“What are you doing, Ye’er?” Du Xian was filled with anxiousness.
Ye Jing Han replied, “Young Master Yang hasn’t died. It’s impossible for him to have died that easily.”
Not knowing where she was getting this confidence from, Du Xian clenched his teeth and whispered, “His body has already turned into nothingness! What are you still looking for!”
Ye Jing Han replied, “I’m well aware of Young Master Yang’s abilities, so I know, how could he possibly die just like that?”
Yang Kai had agreed to follow her back to Thousand Leaves Sect to repair their World-Crossing Space Array. This involved the very future of Thousand Leaves Sect, so how could Ye Jing Han not care about him? Before she had personally seen Yang Kai’s corpse, she absolutely refused to believe Yang Kai had died.
“So what if he’s formidable? Two fists can’t block four strikes, Ye’er!” Du Xian attempted to persuade her.
“I believe in him!” Ye Jing Han said as she bit her lip, continuing to search among the void. All of a sudden, she seemed to have discovered something, as she stared firmly in a certain direction, gasping in shock as she quickly covered her mouth with her hands.
A stunned look appeared on Du Xian’s face, before he looked towards the direction she was staring at, only to see a cultivator from the City Lord’s Mansion. This person was one of the two Second-Order Dao Source Realm Masters that had participated in the bombardment of attacks against Yang Kai.
Right at this instant, an illusionary phantom-like form appeared behind this person’s back, gradually solidifying into the appearance of Yang Kai.
“This….” Du Xian’s eyeballs were practically popping out of their sockets as he said in a trembling voice, “He’s really… not dead?”
A wave of palpitations rocked the depths of his heart; just how strong would one have to be to be able to escape from that bombardment of attacks without anyone noticing? Not only was Yang Kai still alive, but he was also completely uninjured! In fact, there wasn’t even any damage to his robes.
A large number of Divine Senses intersected within the inner hall, as the few Third-Order Dao Source Realm Masters hadn’t lowered their vigilance at all from the start. As such, the moment Yang Kai reappeared, he had been detected by them and their gazes all shot over towards him.
Upon seeing Yang Kai’s figure, Luo Jin’s expression drastically changed as he roared out, “Boy, what do you think you’re doing!?”
Standing behind the Second-Order Dao Source Realm Master, Yang Kai sent a malevolent smile towards Luo Jin. Extending his hand out in front of himself, he palmed, causing faintly visible Space Principle fluctuations to ripple, before they disappeared quietly.
As he acted, he finally replied, “As I said earlier, don’t blame me for being impolite towards anyone who dares take action against me!”
As his words rang out, an inexplicable shiver racked through Luo Jin’s body as an extreme feeling of unease surfaced within his heart.
Right at this moment, the Second-Order Dao Source Realm Master who stood in front of Yang Kai suddenly collapsed forward. Before his body made contact with the ground, blood spurted out from his neck as his head flew high into the air.
Astonished cries rang out from all directions, as countless people looked at Yang Kai with extreme dread while they retreated back to increase the distance between them and him.
The person who had just died was a well-known master in Sky Crane City, serving as one of Luo Jin’s arms, helping him in the management of Sky Crane City, one of the Vice City Lords.
However, such a Master had actually been killed by Yang Kai just like that! From the blank look in his eyes, that person seemed to be fully unaware of what had happened, even at the point of death!
Shock filled everyone’s hearts and minds. Exactly how strong was this youth to be able to kill a Second-Order Dao Source Realm without any sign of attacking at all? To the point that the person killed didn’t even sense his impending death!
Looking towards Luo Jin, Yang Kai said in an emotionless tone, “I truly apologise for letting blood be spilt at Sir City Lord’s wedding. I hope that there will be no one else that wants to obstruct me!”
After saying those words, he continued to make his way towards the new bride, who had remained at her original location since the beginning.
As he walked by, everyone subconsciously moved aside and gave way, letting him pass. Despite the extremely ugly looks on their faces, even those cultivators from the City Lord’s Mansion proceeded to retreat, not a single one of them daring to stand up and bar Yang Kai’s way.
With a deeply profound look on his face, Luo Jin stared Yang Kai’s figure while thick murderous intent flashed within his eyes.
The disturbance caused by this youth named Yang Kai during his wedding ceremony was bound to cause serious damage to his reputation and dignity. If he wasn’t able to regain his face, how would he be able to raise his head high in Sky Crane City in the future?
However, even with the few Second-Order Dao Source Realm Masters taking action together, it was still insufficient to deal with Yang Kai, so there was no choice left but to take action personally to deal with him.
As that thought settled in his mind, Luo Jin shot an inconspicuous glance towards a certain location within the crowd of guests.
On the other hand, Yang Kai had already walked all the way before the new bride. With a slightly complicated and nervous look on his face, he extended his hand towards the red veil covering the new bride’s face while apologising, “Forgive me!”
The eyes of all of the surrounding guests snapped wide open. On one hand, they wished to know how this situation would develop, and on the other hand, they felt curious about the actual appearance of this new bride.
Yang Kai had caused this entire debacle for the sake of seeing what this new bride looked like. In fact, he didn’t care about offending the City Lord’s Mansion and killing a Vice City Lord to do so. This development of events caused interest to grow even in the people who were originally uninterested in the appearance of the new bride.
At this moment, everyone’s eyes were wide open, with deathly silence filling the inner hall to the point that one could hear a pin drop if it was to occur. Seemingly everyone had held their breath, waiting to bear witness to that critical instant that was about to happen.
Just when Yang Kai’s hand was about to grab hold of that red veil, the new bride suddenly extended her jade white hand out and grabbed ahold of his arm. At the same time, Monster Qi surged out from her tender body and she sent her palm hurtling viciously towards Yang Kai’s chest. Energy fluctuations gushed out from her palm, a clear indication of the powerful force behind this attack.
“Careful!” Chai Hu suddenly shouted out, as he had suffered a huge loss precisely due to a sneak attack from the new bride. If he had not had a hostage in his hands, how could he be easily captured?
Ye Jing Han had also cried out in shock upon seeing this.
With ample power behind this palm strike, Yang Kai was apprehensive to block it for fear of injuring the new bride. Therefore, he allowed the jade white hand to smash against his chest. He was immediately sent flying backwards as though he was struck by lightning, with blood flowing out from the corner of his mouth, as his organs shifted from the shock.
Right at this instant, Luo Jin had somehow managed to appear behind Yang Kai. Summoning a jade sceptre-like artifact in his hand, he proceeded to smash it fiercely towards Yang Kai, all while laughing malevolently, “Let this King send you on your way!”
As his words rang out, the jade sceptre had already made contact with Yang Kai’s body. Blossoming with intense radiance, it let out an extremely strange power. In the next instant, a black hole appeared in the air that proceeded to devour Yang Kai’s body.
In the blink of an eye, Yang Kai’s entire body was torn into bits.
Achieving his goal with one strike, Luo Jin laughed heartily, “This is the end for anyone who dares to go against this King!”
The surrounding guests kept their mouths shut out of fear. Staring at the jade scepter in Luo Jin’s hand, looks of dread appeared on their faces, as though they were staring at an extremely powerful artifact.
However, in the next instant, Luo Jin’s smile froze as he suddenly discovered that there was not a single drop of blood flowing out from the pieces of Yang Kai’s body. On the contrary, they started to distort before his very eyes, before dissipating away like puffs of smoke.
“Just an afterimage!?” Luo Jin’s face changed drastically, as never in his wildest dreams did he expect to fail in his sneak attack.
“So, you’re the one behind all this!” All of sudden, Yang Kai’s voice rang out from within the crowd of people, causing the colour to drain from the faces of the nearby guests who retreated. Upon turning their heads around, they noticed Yang Kai extending his hand to grab the neck of a middle-aged man, a sneer present on his face.
The crowd seemed to not recognize this middle-aged man. Nevertheless, they could not help but reveal looks of pity on their faces upon seeing the misfortune that had befallen him, despite not knowing what he had done to be targeted by Yang Kai.
This middle-aged man had a First-Order Dao Source Realm cultivation, which was considered to be pretty good; however, after personally witnessing Yang Kai kill a Vice City Lord in front of everyone, how could he dare to resist? The only reaction he could make was to tremble as he looked at Yang Kai in terror and shout, “We can talk this over, Little Brother, right! What is this all about?”
Increasing his grip ever so slightly, Yang Kai squeezed the man’s neck till cracking sounds echoed before sneering, “Stop acting and tell me exactly what you are using to control the new bride!”
Right as those words rang out, the middle-aged man’s face changed drastically, though he tried his best to conceal it, “You… I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
“You know very clearly what I’m talking about! I’ll give you ten breaths to obediently dispel whatever Secret Technique you’re using, or you’ll never dispel anything else ever again!”
The middle-aged man became flustered as he shot a pleading gaze at Luo Jin.
As the despair-filled Chai Hu heard Yang Kai’s remark, he seemed to have come to some sort of realisation. Struggling to climb up, he looked towards Yang Kai, “This friend, what do you mean…”
Yang Kai faintly smiled as he looked at Chai Hu in pity. Instead of replying, he asked, “Are you feeling hurt and filled with despair? The person that you’ve risked your life to save actually attacked you instead. Doesn’t feel good, does it?”
Chai Hu’s face turned ashen as he locked his eyes firmly on Yang Kai.
Yang Kai continued, “She didn’t attack you of her own free will.”
Chai Hu gasped in shock, before speaking through clenched teeth, “Are you saying… that she’s being controlled by someone?” As he spoke those words, he shot a hate-filled glare at the middle-aged man grasped by Yang Kai, murderous intent surging without restraint on his face as he growled, “Is it him?”
With a hearty laugh, Yang Kai replied, “You finally understand.”
The hatred-filled look on Chai Hu’s face worsened, “I should have understood earlier! I should have understood all along! How could it be possible for Fifth Sister to sneak attack me!? Dammit! I should have understood! Why am I so stupid!? Chai Hu, you’re the dumbest person alive!”
He shouted out loudly, filled with guilt and self-blame.
“Big Brother Chai…” Luo Bing’s face was streaked with tears, and seemed to be in shock as she rushed up and pushed away the City Lord Mansion guards who were restraining Chai Hu. She proceeded to extend her hands and stood protectively before him like a mother hen and shouted, “Hurry up and go, Big Brother Chai! I’ll hold them back!”
She didn’t know exactly why she did such a thing. Before the incident yesterday that resulted in her meeting Chai Hu, she was the princess of the City Lord’s Mansion and had experienced the privilege of being protected and being free of worry as she lived in happiness. However, after yesterday’s experience, she seemed to feel that she had grown much more mature. After seeing the self-rebuke, sadness and despair that Chai Hu had shown earlier, she felt her heart inexplicably starting to hurt. This resulted in her body moving on its own, and not thinking about the smaller details.
“Bing’er!” Luo Jin erupted in fury, his eyes shooting out flames of anger as he stared viciously at his daughter. Never in his wildest dreams did he expect his ever-so obedient daughter to go against him time and time again while under public scrutiny, to the point of defending the perpetrator that had caused a disturbance at his own marriage ceremony! He felt as though the sky had started to revolve around the earth, as intense flames of anger roared furiously in the depths of his heart.
“Father, please let Big Brother Chai go! I’m begging you! He’s my saviour! You can’t hurt him!” Luo Bing knelt down on the ground, tears spilling out from her eyes as she pleaded earnestly.
A complicated expression surfaced within Chai Hu’s sole eye as he stared blankly at the frail and delicate figure kneeling before him, a swirl of confusing emotions churning in his heart.
A range of expressions also appeared on the faces of the surrounding guests, as a deep veneration and respect surfaced in their hearts as they concentrated their gazes on the crying Luo Bing.
“You’re a good person, Junior Sister Bing,” Yang Kai gave a hearty chuckle as he gave a big thumbs up towards Luo Bing. He had a totally new respect for her, “Rest assured, your Big Brother Chai definitely won’t be injured further today! This Yang guarantees that with his life!”
Hearing his words, Luo Bing’s eyes lit up as she turned to look at Yang Kai, “Really? Can you really guarantee it?”
Yang Kai replied in a solemn voice, “I give you my word!”
Rubbing the tears from the corners of her eyes, Luo Bing exclaimed in elation, “Thank you. Thank you! Hurry up and take him away. Big Brother Chai’s cultivation has been sealed by them, so he can’t leave on his own. You’re so formidable, so you definitely can bring him and leave.”
Yang Kai shook his head slowly, “I can’t do that. I’ve yet to complete my matters here. I’ll naturally bring him away from here after I’m done.” After a slight pause, he gave a faint smile, “Naturally, if Junior Sister Bing wishes to leave together, you can come along with us.”
“Me?” Luo Bing gawked at his words before she turned to look at her father, then back at Chai Hu behind her. Giving a melancholic smile, she replied, “I cannot do that, I must stay by my father’s side.”
Luo Jin closed his eyes and replied in a deep tone, one that was filled with pain, “Bing’er, if you don’t return to your room right now, and continue spouting nonsense here, your father will no longer consider you his daughter!”
He had enough of this! He felt that he had spoiled Luo Bing too much in the past, which resulted in her damaging his dignity in such a manner today. The pain he felt from her actions had far eclipsed the fury he felt towards Yang Kai and Chai Hu for disrupting his marriage ceremony.
Luo Bing’s tender body shook, tears pooling in her eyes as she looked pitifully at her father before the tears splashed onto the ground like broken strings of pearls. Luo Jin had never treated her this strictly and had never said such ruthless words to her before. This led to her reaching an unbearable point as she collapsed onto the ground.
“As for you two…” Although Luo Jin was frustrated with the nonsense his daughter had done, he didn’t have the heart to continue looking at her after noticing the sorry figure she was cutting right now. Instead, he tossed all of his anger towards Yang Kai. Turning his head to look at him, he roared out in vicious anger, “None of you will be leaving today! Start the array!”
As his voice rang out, a humming noise suddenly rang out from the City Lord’s Mansion, before a powerful surge of energy erupted from within. In the next instant, the entire exterior of the City Lord’s Mansion was surrounded by a light barrier. Clearly, a Spirit Array had been activated, sealing the entire City Lord’s Mansion.
“Just how I like it!” Yang Kai replied with a hearty laugh, “Before the matter has been settled, no one is allowed to leave this place.”
“This little brat’s mad! He’s really gone mad!”
“He actually dares to defy the City Lord’s Mansion by himself! Where is he finding the courage to do so? From the looks of it, he wants to settle this right here and right now.”
“What’s the point of caring so much? Just watch and enjoy the show.”
A flurry of discussion rang out, with the surrounding guests already retreating far away following the series of unusual events playing out. This resulted in a large empty space within the inner hall, with Yang Kai and the middle-aged man grasped in his hand left within.
“Speak! What method did you use to control the new bride? I’m not patient at all. If you aren’t able to give me a satisfactory answer, I’ll kill you immediately…” Source Qi gushed out from Yang Kai’s palm as he shot a cold and emotionless look at the middle-aged man.
The middle-aged man was only a First-Order Dao Source Realm cultivator, which was lower than Yang Kai by a Minor Realm. Upon Yang Kai’s declaration, this man’s expression changed drastically as sweat poured out from his forehead, speaking in a trembling voice, “Little Brother, you… you’re misunderstanding something…”
Before he could finish his reply, Yang Kai suddenly raised his hand, before making a slight chopping action.
*Pu…*
A soft sound rang out as the man witnessed his arm flying out from his body before exploding in a cloud of blood mist in the air. In the next instant, a fountain of blood gushed out from the stump.
“Ahh! My arm!” The middle-aged man shrieked in misery as the intense pain set in, his face warping madly.
“This is just a small warning to you. If you don’t give me a satisfactory answer to my next question, it’ll be your head that flies off!” Yang Kai’s eyes gleamed with a chilling glint as he said in an exceedingly cold voice. “I don’t really care what method you used to control the new bride. After all, if you die… the new bride should be released, right?”
A shiver ran down the middle-aged man’s body as terror and dread filled his face. As he cried out in pain, he shot multiple looks towards Luo Jin, only to see the latter shake his head.
Clenching his teeth, he shouted out, “It’s… it’s useless to kill me! If I die, the new bride will die without a doubt!”
As his words rang out, the surrounding guests instantly clamoured in shock, while Luo Jin’s face sank and turned incomparably ashen.
Although the middle-aged man did not directly reveal any information with his reply, his words were already enough to answer some questions. If the new bride did not agree to this marriage, why would Luo Jin need to let this man control her? If she was truly willing, there was simply no need for any of this.
In other words, the new bride was truly being forced to get married to Luo Jin against her will.
Upon hearing the middle-aged man’s words, Chai Hu’s sole eye erupted with an astonishing splendour, before laughing foolishly, as though he had managed to clear the knot in his heart.
Seeing the happiness Chai Hu exuded, Luo Bing could not help but smile, which painted a desolately beautiful image when paired with her tear-stricken face.
“You’re trying to deceive me?” Yang Kai snorted coldly before speaking in a sinister tone, “Do you know the price you’ll pay for lying?”
“I’m not lying to you!” The middle-aged man shouted loudly, “Everything I say is the truth.”
Yang Kai stared coldly at him, though he was not able to sense the slightest sign of a lie in the man’s eyes. Nodding his head, he said, “Good, since that’s the case, dispel that Secret Technique of yours.”
Upon hearing that, a look of difficulty surfaced on the man’s face as he shook his head continuously.
“Do you wish to die?” Yang Kai roared.
The middle-aged man replied, “As long as I don’t dispel it, you won’t dare to kill me! If I do dispel it, I’ll definitely die!”
The crowd immediately realised what he meant as soon as he said those words.
If he did not dispel the Secret Technique, Yang Kai would act cautiously lest the new bride gets injured, and thus naturally wouldn’t take his life. However, if the man were to dispel the Secret Technique, regardless of whether Yang Kai backed out of his promise or not, Luo Jin would absolutely not let him go.
With Luo Jin already losing all of his face today, how could he be willing to take things lying down if the middle-aged man did something that he didn’t want? Although he could pardon Luo Bing, and could not do anything to Yang Kai, he would definitely grind the middle-aged man into a paste.
Yang Kai raised his eyebrows, “You’re quite sharp!”
The middle-aged man gave a miserable smile, “I’m being forced by circumstances, so I hope little brother won’t feel offended!”
“Then tell me exactly what Secret Technique you used?” Yang Kai asked once again.
The middle-aged man looked sheepishly at Luo Jin, only to spot the latter’s cold and gloomy expression, causing him to turn his gaze away in haste.
“Looks like you’ve steeled your heart to not cooperate with me, huh? That’s alright. I won’t take your life, but I can cut off your four limbs!” Yang Kai gave a deep, cold smile, raising his hand.
“Wait!” The middle-aged man’s face turned pale in fright. Maybe due to his loss of blood, he replied with a loud shout.
“Do you have anything else to say?” Yang Kai asked in a stern voice.
The middle-aged man hesitated for quite a while before speaking between his clenched teeth, “It’s not a Secret Technique…”
“Not a Secret Technique?” Yang Kai raised his eyebrows, “Then what method did you use to control the new bride?”
The middle-aged man wailed, “I can’t say! Please let me go, Little Brother! That’s all I can tell you! This one still has Elders and descendants to take care of in my family, and they all live in Sky Crane City. Please be magnanimous, Little Brother…”
Yang Kai stared coldly at him, though he knew that nothing good would result in him forcing the middle-aged man again. Therefore, he threw this man hatefully towards the Thousand Leaves Sect’s people and shouted, “Sister Ye, help me look after him. If he dares to pull any stunts, kill him!”
“Good!” Upon hearing his words, Ye Jing Han snapped out of her daze and hastily caught the flying middle-aged man, before keeping him suppressed by her side.
After this, Yang Kai turned around and returned to the side of the new bride.
This time around, the new bride did not take action against him, simply standing still like a statue. As Yang Kai drew close, her breathing started to quicken, as if she was getting excited, to the point where her tender body started to tremble.
At this moment, Yang Kai finally arrived before the new bride, extending his hand to tug away the red veil covering her face.
Luo Jin’s expression changed slightly, though he remained still and didn’t take any action, giving no indication of what he was planning at all.
The surrounding guests opened their eyes wide as they focused their attention on the new bride, quietly waiting for the impending heart-stirring moment.
With a whoosh, the red veil flew up, revealing an absolutely enchanting and beautiful face, lighting up the eyes of many guests while envy and admiration surged in their hearts.
The instant the new bride’s face was revealed, her beautiful eyes immediately pointed towards Yang Kai, brimming with excitement and rebuke, as though she was blaming Yang Kai for taking so long to remove the veil from her head.
Taking a deep breath, Yang Kai felt as though a large stone had been removed from his heart. Sending a smile towards the new bride, he said with relief, “It really is you, Senior!”
“Fifth Sister!” Chai Hu shouted from the back.
The new bride turned her pupils and shot a look at Chai Hu, her eyes brimming with grateful emotions. Although she could not move right now, she had witnessed everything Chai Hu had done today. Under the middle-aged man’s control, she had launched a sneak attack against Chai Hu, causing her to be filled with guilt, as well as anger for not being able to prevent it from happening.
“You can’t speak, Senior?” Yang Kai asked as he smiled towards the new bride.
The new bride shot a fierce glare at Yang Kai, as though she was asking him why he was asking this even though he already knew the answer.
Despite feeling embarrassed, Yang Kai continued, “So, you can’t move?”
The new bride blinked her eyes.
After hearing Yang Kai’s questions, looks of doubt and suspicion appeared on the faces of many guests. This was about the way Yang Kai had addressed the new bride. Although Yang Kai’s was a Second-Order Dao Source Realm cultivator, he had actually addressed the new bride, who only was at the First-Order Dao Source Realm, as Senior.
What kind of situation was this?
A blank look appeared on Chai Hu’s face as he looked towards Yang Kai, “Does Little Brother know my Fifth Sister?” Despite already having his guesses earlier, Chai Hu was still somewhat astonished to personally see Yang Kai and his Fifth Sister looking as though they were exceedingly familiar with each other. That was because from what he knew, his Fifth Sister, Big Brother and the others did not have any friends in the Star Boundary.
Yang Kai smiled in response, while an odd expression appeared on his face, “Of course I know her! Senior Chi Yue… is my mother-in-law!”
Shocked cries immediately rang out.
Countless guests went slack-jawed as they stared dumbly at Yang Kai, assuming that they had just misheard something. There were even quite a few people with odd expressions on their faces as they alternated their gazes between Chi Yue and Luo Jin, their emotions wavering.
If Yang Kai addressed the new bride as mother-in-law, didn’t that mean that this would-be bride was already a mother? Had the prestigious and famous Sky Crane City City Lord actually not known about this fact, and had even wanted to take her as his concubine?
Thinking about that, quite a few of the cultivators that had issues against the City Lord’s Mansion quietly revealed satisfied looks on their faces as they observed the ashen-faced Luo Jin. At this moment, they seem to be able to see a huge green hat sitting on his head, radiating with a bright lustre.
After saying those words, Yang Kai finally managed to calm his surging emotions. The new bride right before his eyes was impressively Monster Emperor Star’s Monster King, Chi Yue, whom he had met after finally journeying beyond Shadowed Star back in the Star Field! She was also the adoptive mother of Shan Qing Luo.
In the beginning, he didn’t care too much after seeing the new bride for the first time, with the exception of feeling that something wasn’t quite right. However, after the new bride had used her strength to ambush Chai Hu, he discovered that he was somewhat familiar with the Monster Qi fluctuations that she radiated. This made him start to speculate that he was familiar with this new bride.
After careful consideration, he felt that there was a possibility that she was Chi Yue, which prompted him to absolutely insist on taking a look at the new bride’s face. He had purposefully mentioned High Heaven Sect in order to observe the new bride’s reactions. With her reacting as he had expected, it confirmed his guess, only for him to be obstructed by Luo Jin, resulting in some trouble.
It was only upon seeing Chi Yue’s face that Yang Kai finally breathed a sigh of relief, with elation surging up from the depths of his heart.
Back in the Starlight Corridor, he and the other five Third-Order Origin King Masters were separated due to some circumstances. In fact, even Liu Yan and the Stone Puppet Xiao Xiao’s whereabouts became unknown.
After such a long time, he had only managed to find Liu Yan by chance. However, the whereabouts of Xiao Xiao and the others were still a mystery.
Yang Kai had always been very concerned about them and how their lives were in this foreign Star Boundary. However, due to the vastness of the Star Boundary, with no power or force to rely on, it was utterly impossible for him to conduct any kind of large scale investigation to find them.
This time, it was a minor miracle to be able to encounter Chi Yue in Sky Crane City.
If not for him agreeing to Ye Jing Han’s request to come to Thousand Leaves Sect, he would absolutely not have known about Sky Crane City. If not for Ye Jing Han receiving Ye Hen’s message halfway during the trip to participate in this marriage ceremony, Yang Kai would also have missed this chance to reconnect with Chi Yue.
Various coincidences had led to today’s meeting. Life truly was unpredictable, just like the Heavenly Ways. For a moment, Yang Kai could not help but sigh in admiration.
“What nonsense are you talking about, Boy!?” As expected, Luo Jin was unable to endure this kind of embarrassment, leading to him suddenly exploding out with a roar after a moment of silence.
Chai Hu was also shocked by Yang Kai’s words and shot a stunned look at Chi Yue. Gulping down mouthfuls of saliva as he asked awkwardly, “Fifth Sister… already has children?”
Although she stood quietly and not making a sound, Chi Yue’s face had already turned red as she stared at Yang Kai in anger, as though she was blaming him for damaging her reputation.
Yang Kai smiled sheepishly and replied, “You’re misunderstanding, Brother Chai. Senior Chi Yue has an adopted daughter, an adopted daughter!”
Hearing Yang Kai’s reply, Chai Hu gave a carefree smile, “Regardless of whether it is an adopted daughter or a biological one, we’re still one big family!”
Yang Kai said, “This Yang has seen everything Brother Chai has done. This one represents my mother-in-law to thank Brother Chai for your help!” Cupping his fists, he bowed in respect towards Chai Hu.
Chai Hu waved his hands, “When Fifth Sister is facing trouble, it ought to be my duty to help her. Little Brother, you must dispel the technique that’s restricting Fifth Sister’s freedom!”
Yang Kai nodded, taking a look at Chi Yue, he quickly apologised, “Forgive my disrespect, Senior!”
After saying those words, he grabbed Chi Yue’s delicate hand, before sending the Source Qi from his body into her meridians.
Chi Yue’s tender body shook slightly as she looked at Yang Kai in shock. Due to the red veil that she wore earlier, which prevented her from seeing clearly what happened around her, she was only able to sense that Yang Kai had fought against quite a few people just now; however, it was only at this moment that she discovered the purity and density of his Source Qi, causing shock to run through her face, as well as admiration to well up within her heart.
Currently, she also had a Dao Source Realm cultivation, so she naturally knew the disparity in strength between Minor Realms of this Great Realm. She could clearly sense that all of the Source Qi in Yang Kai’s body was extremely pure and rich compared to her own.
She thought about the time they had just arrived in the Star Boundary, where her cultivation was still higher than his. Now, after their reunion, Yang Kai’s cultivation had already far surpassed hers.
But it had only been a short span of two or three years!
Chi Yue felt extremely curious about what Yang Kai had experienced during their short period of separation, to be able to achieve such growth.
Just as Chi Yue was dwelling in deep shock, Yang Kai had already sunk his Divine Sense deeply into her body to investigate. After a short moment, Yang Kai’s forehead wrinkled slightly before he mumbled, “Indeed, there’s no Secret Technique, and no traces of any seals or restrictions…”
Upon hearing his words, Chi Yue continued to shoot an irritated look at Yang Kai, as though she wanted to tell him something. However, with her Divine Sense unable to be propagated out, and her inability to talk or move, anxiety filled her heart.
Looking over from the distance, Luo Jin merely continued to sneer, yet did not show the slightest bit of wanting to disturb Yang Kai. It seemed as though he was filled with ample confidence towards the method the middle-aged man had used, and also felt that it was impossible for Yang Kai to dispel it.
“Exactly what is this…” Yang Kai’s forehead bunched up as he investigated in detail. Not daring to overlook any slight bit of suspicion or doubt he had. The surrounding guests continued to observe curiously, as well as feeling a deep sense of dread towards that middle-aged man.
All of them had personally witnessed how strong Yang Kai was. However, despite his strength, he was still unable to identify the method this man had used to control the new bride, showing how strange the man’s method was.
One would need to be careful and vigilant when interacting with such a person. If not, once he was allowed to unleash his strange technique to gain control, one would become a dead man walking.
“Exactly what method did you use to control the new bride?” Seeing Yang Kai toiling away but unable to find the root of the problem, Ye Jing Han could not help but to ask in curiosity.
The man shook his head continuously upon hearing her question, “Don’t ask me. I don’t know anything.”
How could he dare to reveal any details? His entire family lived in Sky Crane City; if he revealed his secrets, it would result in a disaster for his family, as Luo Jin would definitely not let him off lightly.
“Spineless coward!” Ye Jing Han snorted in disdain.
A look of defeat appeared on the middle-aged male’s face, though he was helpless to refute, leaving him with no other choice but to remain silent, his eyes filled with dread as he looked towards Yang Kai.
“Eh…” All of a sudden, Yang Kai seemed to have discovered something, as a shocked look appeared on his face while his Divine Sense proceeded to scan a portion of Chi Yuan’s dantian region in detail.
After a short while, his eyes lit up as he mumbled, “Puppet Bug? It’s actually a Puppet Bug?”
Right as his words rang out, the middle-aged man’s jaw dropped, his eyes filled with shock as he looked towards Yang Kai as he cried out, “How is that possible? How can you recognise it!? This is something that went extinct a long time ago! It’s impossible for anyone to recognise it.”
“So, it’s really a Puppet Bug, huh?” He noticed Yang Kai turning around to give him a grin, “I was originally unable to confirm anything; however, seeing your response, I’m sure that it’s the Puppet Bug without a doubt.”
The middle-aged man’s face turned blank, before subsequently bursting out in anger, “You swindled me!”
Du Xian chopped his palm against the middle-aged man’s head, beating him into a stumble before sneering, “Your brain is your shortcoming, tsk!”
Yang Kai chuckled, “Many thanks!”
The middle-aged man fell into a depressed daze as unease filled his entire being. He felt the malice coming from the world bearing down on him, causing him to turn his head in terror to look at Luo Jin, “Sir City Lord! I didn’t tell him! I didn’t reveal any information to him! He discovered it all by himself!”
“Waste!” Luo Jin snorted coldly.
The middle-aged man’s face turned stiff as he collapsed limply onto the ground, as though all of his strength had left his body. However, this did not last more than an instant as he suddenly remembered something. Attempting to put up a strong front, he shouted out loudly towards Yang Kai, “So what if you know about it? Without my Secret Technique, it’s impossible to remove it! If you want your mother-in-law to remain safe and sound, ask them to obediently let me go, and apologize to Sir City Lord!”
Even at this moment, he still continued to side with Luo Jin, in hope that Luo Jin would make allowances for his earlier actions.
“Shut him up!” Yang Kai growled with impatience.
Ye Jing Han simply proceeded with a chop, knocking the middle-aged man unconscious.
Puppet Bug, ranked 52nd on the Exotic Insect List’s Earth List. Covered in thin and soft fur, it lives in the dark, 30,000 meters below ground. Extremely hard to find. It has the ability to control others after fusing with its Master’s Dantian and Soul.
These few lines of information from the Exotic Insect Record flashed across Yang Kai’s mind, before he quickly remembered the way to deal with this insect.
It was all thanks to the Insect Enslavement Bracelet that the Insect Emperor had left behind, which the Exotic Insect Record had been kept within. If not for the Insect Emperor’s vast array of experience, Yang Kai would definitely have been helpless in this current situation.
The Puppet Bug wasn’t ranked high within the Exotic Insect List, and was actually nearing the bottom of the list. Despite its thin and soft fur that acted as camouflage, making it hard to detect, and its ability to turn the person who ingested it into a puppet that would listen to any command, it possessed several weaknesses, resulting in its low ranking.
After recalling the method to dispel it, Yang Kai hastily sunk his Divine Sense into his Space Ring, taking a short amount of time to find the few stalks of herbs he needed.
The surrounding guests continued to observe him in curiosity, not knowing exactly what he was doing. In fact, they were utterly confused as to what the Puppet Bug that Yang Kai had mentioned actually was.
After seeing him retrieve the few herbs from his Space Ring, all of them quietly speculated whether those were to be used to dispel that Puppet Bug.
“Sister Ye, do you have an Earth Attribute Monster Beast Core that is equivalent to Dao Source Grade or above? Would you mind lending one to me?” Yang Kai suddenly turned his head to ask Ye Jing Han.
Ye Jing Han gawked for a moment before hastily searching her Space Ring. However, before she could find what she was looking for, Du Xian retrieved a spherical yellow coloured Monster Core and looked towards Yang Kai, “This Du just so happens to have one. If Young Master Yang is alright with it, please take it.”
Right as his voice rang out, Luo Jin suddenly roared out, “Du Xian, if you still care about the relationship between Sky Crane City and your Thousand Leaves Sect, take your Junior Brothers and Sisters and leave this place! If you do so, this King will not pursue this matter!”
Hearing his words, Du Xian frowned and shot a look at Ye Jing Han. Seeing her nod slightly, he gave a faint smile and replied, “Young Master Yang is a friend of our Thousand Leaves Sect. When a friend is in need, this Du naturally won’t sit and watch by the side.”
Luo Jin’s face turned ashen before nodding in response, “Good! Very good! This King will remember this, and make sure to head to your Thousand Leaves Sect to have a good talk with Ye Hen.”
Du Xian frowned slightly towards the latter’s response, though he replied in a tone that was neither servile nor overbearing, “Whatever suits Sir City Lord’s fancy.”
After he said those words, he tossed the Earth Attribute Monster Beast Core towards Yang Kai.
Catching it, Yang Kai inspected the Monster Core for its grade and quality, which left him greatly satisfied. In the next instant, he proceeded to sit down and cross his legs. While doing so, he waved his hand, causing a pill furnace to appear abruptly before him.
The pill furnace proceeded to expand in size, quickly growing to the height of a human. Dragons and Phoenixes emblazoned the outer surface of the pill furnace seemed to swim about as intense energy fluctuations radiated from it. Just a single look was enough for people to tell how extraordinary this furnace was.
“Could he also be an Alchemist?”
“Goodness gracious! That looks like a Dao Source Grade High-Rank Alchemy Furnace. If he’s able to use such an Alchemy Furnace, wouldn’t that mean that he’s a Dao Source Grade Alchemist?”
“Where did he say he was from?”
“Yang Kai, High Heaven Sect’s Yang Kai!”
“Yang Kai… that name sounds rather familiar. Where did I hear it before?”
Tongues started wagging among the guests, as shocked expressions appeared on the faces of quite a few people. They had already personally witnessed the strength Yang Kai had displayed earlier; however, after seeing him retrieve a Dao Source Grade High-Rank Alchemy Furnace, all of them were shocked and started to make guesses in reaction.
There were already quite a few people who had drawn a link to the hot news about the person that had refined the Extraordinary Treasure Pill within the Four Seasons Realm and the lad in front of them.
After all, both of them shared the same name, Dao Source Realm cultivation, and were both Masters in Alchemy. Although the world was vast, it would still be rather difficult to find two people with so many similarities.
Before everyone’s eyes, Yang Kai lit a fire within the furnace, which immediately increased the temperature of the inner hall by quite a bit.
Luo Jin narrowed his eyes, though he did not show any intention of wanting to take action, appearing as though he was filled with interest towards what Yang Kai was going to do.
Yang Kai continued forming hand seals, portraying various Spirit Arrays as he tossed the few herbs and the Earth Attribute Monster Core into the furnace, before controlling the fire to a boil.
After about the time it would take to make a pot of tea, Yang Kai suddenly extended his hand towards the side. Source Qi surged out, sucking a bowl over.
In the next moment, he jumped up and appeared before the Black Jade Furnace. Giving it a pat, he shook its cover open. Extending his hand, he made a pulling action, causing something to fly out from within the furnace.
What appeared in his hand was a jade-green half-congealed medicinal liquid that appeared sticky and was exceedingly strange in texture.
From the point of an Alchemist, it was a failure to open the furnace at this point in the refinement process; however, this was precisely what he needed to remove the Puppet Bug.
Placing the strange and odd-smelling medicinal liquid into the bowl, he carefully carried it before Chi Yue and said with a serious expression on his face, “Please drink this, Senior.”
Chi Yue’s forehead scrunched up as her face turned pale.
When Yang Kai had carried the seemingly half-completed medicinal liquid before her, she immediately smelt an awful scent, one that seemed like socks that have not been washed for dozens of years. Just a whiff of this smell would cause people to feel nauseous.
Such a thing was going to enter her throat?
Seeing the disgusted look in her eyes, Yang Kai grinned, “Good medicine tastes bitter. You’ll be alright after drinking this.”
Chi Yue narrowed her beautiful eyes at Yang Kai, seemingly saying to him that he would definitely die if he dared to lie to her.
Ignoring her glare, Yang Kai took the stance one would take to coax a kid, “Come, be good and finish this!”
As he said those words, he extended one hand to open Chi Yue’s mouth, raised the bowl in the other, before pouring its contents into her mouth. While doing so, he quietly sent his Source Qi out to aid Chi Yue with the consumption of the medicinal liquid.
*Gudong gudong…*
Their gazes unwavering, the surrounding guests felt their stomachs churn as unease surged within their bodies.
“Urgh…” All of a sudden, Chi Yue suddenly vomited and fell on one knee. An extremely awful look was present on her face, as though she was trying to vomit out all of her internal organs.
Yang Kai grinned as he stood by the side. Tossing the bowl in his hand away, he extended his hand to pat on Chi Yue’s back.
“Smelly brat! You dare to make me drink such a thing!” Chi Yue turned her head and growled angrily at Yang Kai.
Having lived for so long, this was still the first time she had tasted something that awful. If not for her not being in control of her body, she would have never needed to suffer this much.
“Calm down, Senior. I’m just forced by the circumstances.” Yang Kai gave a meaningful grin.
“Fifth Sister…” by the side, Chai Hu stared blankly at Chi Yue before exclaiming in elation, “You can move?”
Chi Yue gawked, and only then did she move her body just like one would do after awakening from a dream. Standing up slowly, she gave a faint smile, “I’m not being controlled anymore!” Saying those words, she turned her head, restored her solemn expression and said in a stern voice, “Looks like you were not lying, so I’ll forgive you this time. If you dare to make me drink something like that again though…”
Halfway through her admonishment of Yang Kai, Chi Yue hastily covered her mouth, her face turning pale as though she had just recalled something extremely unpleasant.
However, she quickly turned her gaze to look at Chai Hu and said with a guilt-ridden expression, “I’ve caused harm for you, Fourth Brother.”
Chai Hu chuckled, “What are you talking about? We’re all one family, right? I believe that you all won’t sit back and watch if such a thing were to happen to me.”
Chi Yue nodded her head, gratitude surfacing on her face, before she shot a chilling gaze at the middle-aged man that was being suppressed by Ye Jing Han, “He actually dared to make me suffer like that! I want him dead!”
A blank look was present on the middle-aged man as stared blankly at Chi Yue, all while mumbling, “That’s impossible, that’s impossible. The Puppet Bug is already extinct. How can there be someone in this world who can remove it…”
He appeared to be unable to accept the fact that his secret had been dealt with so easily, causing a massive shock to his psyche, leaving him absent-minded for a period of time.
By the side, Yang Kai grinned, “You’re a few hundred years too young to play with insects before me! Hahaha!”
As he let off extremely hearty chuckles, quite a few people turned frowns to him, all of them thinking he had gone crazy.
As he laughed, Yang Kai extended his hand, before letting off a blast of energy. The energy turned into flames, which burned everything Chi Yue had vomited out into nothingness.
As that happened, the middle-aged man appeared to have suffered a serious injury, as his entire body suddenly shook violently, spurting blood from his mouth. In the next instant, his face turned deathly pale, while the strength of his aura shrank substantially.
Although the Puppet Bug had been expelled, it hadn’t died immediately. Therefore, the man was still unscathed from the removal process.
However, Yang Kai’s blast had not only destroyed the Puppet Bug, it had also caused a backlash to the middle-aged man due to his Divine Sense connection with the Puppet Bug, which naturally made him suffer such consequences.
The reason the Puppet Bug was not ranked high on the Exotic Insect List was due to the fact that its vitality was not as strong or as powerful as the other Exotic Insects, leaving it extremely vulnerable to being killed. This was not the case for Soul Devouring Insects, as it was an extremely difficult matter to completely kill them off.
If it was possible, Yang Kai wanted to keep that Puppet Bug within his Insect Enslavement Bracelet, as there might come a time where he could put it to use.
However, an Ancient Exotic Insect like the Puppet Bug was extremely rare, and it was impossible for another person to use it once someone had left an imprint on its body. Therefore, Yang Kai did not hesitate one bit when destroying it.
Seeing the miserable condition the middle-aged man was in, Chi Yue’s brow scrunched up slightly, though she did not show any intent to continue finding fault with him. Instead, she turned to shoot a cold glare at Luo Jin.
He was the main perpetrator of everything she had faced today. If not for Yang Kai’s miraculous appearance to save her from this ordeal, not only would she be incapable of escaping her earlier predicament, Chai Hu might have ended up in a horrible predicament.
Therefore, she naturally had a deep-seated hatred for a vile person like Luo Jin.
“Little Xue, there’s still time for you to come to this King’s side. If you do so, this King will guarantee to you that I’ll forget all this and let bygones be bygones for everything that happened earlier!” Luo Jin said in an indifferent tone towards Chi Yue.
“Little… Xue!” Yang Kai’s eyes snapped open as he was utterly dumbstruck by what he had just heard.
He thought back to the time on Monster Emperor Star, where Monster King Chi Yue was in control of the entire Star, with millions of Monster Races utterly loyal to her commands. Now, in the Star Boundary, she had actually been called ‘Little Xue’ by someone! If news of this happening were to be known by the few Monster Race overlords on Monster Emperor Star, who knows what kind of thoughts they would have.
Seeming to notice the minute changes to Yang Kai’s expression, Chi Yue gave him a fierce glare before snorting coldly, “Old dog! You imprisoned Big Brother and the others, forced me to marry you, and now you actually want me to go to your side! Are you still sleeping?”
Luo Jin’s expression immediately sunk down, as anger filled his face.
He knew that his face had dropped to rock bottom already. Originally, he had planned to redeem himself by seizing Chi Yue for himself. However, he did not expect her to reject him with such bluntness, causing anger to immediately burst out of him due to his embarrassment, while a murderous intent gushed out from his body.
“Big Brother and the others have really been imprisoned by this old dog?” Anger filled Chai Hu’s face as he roared out.
“Of course!” Chi Yue growled, as a glimmer of gloominess flashed across her face, “It’s all because of me falling for this old dog’s cheap words, causing Big Brother and the others to get captured by him.”
“Despicable! What a vile person!” Chai Hu cursed and spat fiercely at the ground. Although he was seriously injured, he still spat his mouthful of blood and saliva at Luo Jin. Nevertheless, the latter stood there without moving an inch, relying on a little extrusion of power to block the incoming blood and saliva, as his gaze grew exceedingly gloomy.
Yang Kai frowned, “Senior, the Big Brother you are talking about… who are you referring to?”
Although he had faintly guessed it in his heart, he did not dare to confirm it, resulting in him tossing this question out.
Chi Yue replied, “It’s your High Heaven Sect’s Supreme Elder, Gui Zu!”
“Eh?” Yang Kai’s eyebrows rose in elation, “So, Supreme Elder is here?”
“En. Not only is he here, but he’s also currently imprisoned in a certain place within this City Lord Mansion, which I’m not privy to,” Chi Yue gave a slight sigh.
“What about the others? Are they also here?” Yang Kai asked impatiently.
Chi Yue replied, “Union Master Gu and President Ai Ou are also here.”
Observing her expression, Yang Kai noticed something strange, causing him to feel slightly shocked and prompting him to continue his line of questioning, “What… about Senior Wu Dao?”
When they had set off from Shadowed Star, their group was six strong. Other than Yang Kai and Chi Yue, their group comprised the Heng Luo Chamber of Commerce’s President Ai Ou, Sword Union’s Union Master Gu Cang Yun, High Heaven Sect’s Supreme Elder Gui Zu, and the last one being the strongest person in the Star Field, Senior Wu Dao.
Other than Yang Kai, who was only a Second-Order Origin King back then, the rest were Third-Order Origin Kings, possessing the strongest combat power within the Star Field!
Relying on the Star Emperor Tokens left behind by Yang Yan, the six of them opened the Starlight Corridor, and after many trials and tribulations, they arrived at the Star Boundary, only to be met with an ambush within the corridor, leading to a chaotic fight which they lost.
Yang Kai had thought that the other five were very likely to be together. At this moment, after hearing Chi Yue mention Gui Zu, Ai Ou, and Gu Cang Yun, he immediately knew that his guess wasn’t wrong.
However, it was unavoidable for him to get a feeling of unease due to her exclusion of Wu Dao.
Indeed, after hearing Yang Kai’s question, Chi Yue’s expression turned gloomy, “Senior Wu Dao… has already passed away!”
“What?” Yang Kai’s expression changed drastically, somewhat unable to believe what he had just heard.
Wu Dao was universally recognised as the strongest person in the Origin King Realm in his native Star Field, a peak Third-Order Origin King, lacking only one step to enter the Dao Source Realm. The only thing stopping him was the insufficient World Principles within the Star Field, which led to his inability to promote his cultivation realm.
Even Heng Luo Chamber of Commerce’s Supreme Elder, Long Tian Shang, was extremely respectful to Wu Dao.
Chi Yue and the others regarded him as the strongest Master among their ranks.
However, never in his wildest dreams did Yang Kai expect that Wu Dao would actually die! The person hailed as the strongest Master had actually passed away.
“How did Senior Wu Dao pass away?” Yang Kai’s expression turned cold as he turned to look at Luo Jin, “Was it due to him?”
Although he did not have much interaction with Wu Dao, they had gone through a life and death battle together after leaving the Star Field. Therefore, Yang Kai felt incomparably angry and pained upon hearing news of his passing.
There were only six of them that had left the Star Field to come here, yet one of them had passed away. This caused Yang Kai to feel sadness in his heart.
Chi Yue, however, shook her head, “This matter isn’t related to him. Senior Wu Dao… failed his breakthrough to the Dao Source Realm and passed away under the World Energy Baptism.”
Yang Kai turned absent-minded for a moment after hearing her reply, before finally giving a long sigh, “Such is fate!”
Originally, Yang Kai had assumed that with Wu Dao’s cultivation and background, it should not be a problem for him to break through to the Dao Source Realm after arriving in the Star Boundary. Although he was not a hundred percent confident, Yang Kai felt that it should be a guarantee that Wu Dao would have succeeded. However, from what he had heard from Chi Yue, the latter had actually passed away during his attempt to break through.
If not for receiving this news personally from Chi Yue, Yang Kai would absolutely not believe that this could happen.
That was because Chi Yue had already broken through to the Dao Source Realm. So, to him, it was unbelievable that Wu Dao had failed.
Fate was the only explanation for this, as that was something that could not be countered by the power of man.
“What about Gui Zu and the others?” Yang Kai asked again.
Chi Yue answered, “They were alright the last time we were together. Furthermore, all of them have already reached the Dao Source Realm, though I don’t know their current situation.”
Yang Kai nodded lightly.
Right at this moment, Chai Hu, who had been listening by the side, suddenly interjected, “Little Brother, you actually recognize my Big Brother and my other Brothers?”
Hearing his question, Yang Kai laughed, “Your Big Brother is the Supreme Elder of my High Heaven Sect, and I am the Sect Master of the High Heaven Sect. Of course I know him.”
Chai Hu gawked and looked at Chi Yue, “Could he also be…”
Chi Yue nodded her head gently.
Chai Hu’s expression turned solemn and full of respect as he cupped his hands, “Forgive me for all the disrespect I’ve shown.”
Clearly, Chai Hu had known that Chi Yue and the others had come from a lower Star Field, and had now realised that Yang Kai had also come from there. Furthermore, he could not help but feel incomparable respect towards Yang Kai, who had actually been able to reach such a level of strength in such a short amount of time.
Yang Kai smiled, “Don’t worry about it, Brother Chai.” After a slight pause, Yang Kai appeared to have thought about something once again, as he asked, “Ah, that’s right, Senior, where’s my Xiao Xiao?”
“Xiao Xiao?” Chi Yue wrinkled her brows, “Are you talking about that stone… didn’t he follow you?”
Yang Kai’s expression sank, “I’ve yet to find him.”
“We also haven’t encountered him. Since the day we were separated, the few of us have always been together. Even if we did separate occasionally, we always stuck close together. It took us only two days to gather together after we emerged from that place, after which we tried to find you, but we never did. Until now.”
“So, Xiao Xiao isn’t with all of you,” Yang Kai felt depressed and incomparably worried about him.
Although their cultivation realms weren’t high, Chi Yue and the others had lived for at least a thousand or so years. As such, they were flexible and capable of adapting to their circumstances, which naturally meant that it wasn’t a problem for them to survive after arriving in the Star Field. However, things were different for Xiao Xiao. Xiao Xiao’s sentience wasn’t high. Furthermore, he was a special kind of existence. If people were to run into him, it would be unavoidable for him to be captured by them in the name of research. Xiao Xiao’s safety had been weighing on Yang Kai’s mind the most over the past few years. Nevertheless, he was still unable to obtain any news of him after meeting up with Chi Yue.
Seeing his depressed mood, Chi Yue tried to console him, “There’s no need for you to be overly worried about him. Although Xiao Xiao is a little special, he would not die even if someone were to take him away. The only thing you can do is to continue searching. You’ll find him eventually.”
Yang Kai nodded, “I can only hope so.”
The two did not intentionally lower the volume for their conversation, resulting in the surrounding crowd being able to clearly hear what they were talking about.
Although they were not able to completely understand exactly what the two were talking about, they knew that these two had just been reunited after a long time, and had a very tight-knit relationship.
Luo Jin suddenly grinned, “Since you all are such close-knit friends, this King will send you all to meet them. How about that?”
Chi Yue burst into an angry roar, “Old dog, be tactful and release Big Brother and the others obediently, if not, I’ll raze your City Lord Mansion to the ground!”
Luo Jin replied, “You should restrain your anger, Little Yue. It’s highly improper for a lady like you to have such a fiery temper.”
Chi Yue sneered in response, “That would have to depend on what kind person I’m talking to. Being such a despicable and vile person, you dare to instruct me about how to behave appropriately?”
Luo Jin gave a cold snort, “This King can give you one chance to return obediently to this King’s side! Do so, and I won’t pursue anything that has happened today. If you still remain stubborn, don’t blame this King for being discourteous.”
Yang Kai burst into a hearty chuckle, “I really want to see how discourteous the City Lord can be. Could it be that you will be relying on the seventy subordinates that you’ve secretly arranged in the surroundings?”
“So, you’ve actually discovered them. Then, there’s nothing else for me to say. Begin!” With a loud roar, several dozen figures suddenly appeared from all directions, all of them possessing Dao Source Realm cultivations. These cultivators wore solemn expressions on their faces as their hands rapidly formed seals.
As they continued to form hand seals, the Source Qi within their bodies seemed to form a unique resonance with each other.
Yang Kai’s expression changed slightly as he mumbled in slight surprise, “A Formation?”
It only took a single look for him to realise that these people seemed to be preparing to use some kind of Spirit Array. Just like the Seven Points Black Tortoise Formation, this Secret Technique also used the cultivators’ own bodies as a base for its formation.
Right as his words rang out, the recently appeared cultivators proceeded to take action in succession. They unleashed their power in pairs, taking only an instant to connect together to form a large net visible to the naked eye that covered Yang Kai and the others.
The large net was formed completely out of Source Qi. Nevertheless, it possessed an extremely powerful sealing capability. Once it enveloped its target, it would be capable of sealing an entire region.
Chai Hu and Chi Yue suddenly felt their shoulders sink down, causing them to feel as though they were being pressed down by large mountains. The circulation of Qi within their bodies turned sluggish, their meridians became blocked, and a stifling feeling filled their chests, making them gasp for air.
Compared to them, Yang Kai seemed to be in a slightly better condition, though his body had also shrunk in height slightly.
As the large net descended, it caught Yang Kai and the others off guard as it instantly trapped all of them within.
“Young Master Yang!” Ye Jing Han’s face drained of all colour as she shouted out in shock. Du Xian’s expression also turned ugly as thoughts started to whirl rapidly in his heart.
Today, he had aided Yang Kai in front of everyone’s eyes, and thus had gone against Luo Jin, which meant that he had completely entered into a confrontation against the City Lord’s Mansion. He had only done so for the sake of going along with Ye Jing Han’s wishes. If not, how could he have possibly taken such actions? He was starting to blame himself for being too impulsive upon seeing Yang Kai in a situation that was far from good now. If they were unable to escape from the City Lord’s Mansion today, the few of them might have to stay here forever.
Thinking this way, he clenched his teeth and sneakily transmitted a message to Ye Jing Han, “Ye’er, later, on my signal, we’ll rush out of here together.”
Hearing his words, Ye Jing Han shook her head, “We have to rescue Young Master Yang.”
Du Xian replied, “That’s impossible. Later, when Luo Jin finishes up with Young Master Yang, we will be the next ones on his list. It’ll be too late for us to leave by then.”
“If Young Master Yang is unable to escape from here, we will also definitely be unable to leave. If you wish to leave, the only choice will be to rescue Young Master Yang.”
Du Xian stared at her in stunned shock, “You have that much confidence in him? He’s only a Second-Order Dao Source Realm cultivator!”
Ye Jing Han gave a bitter laugh, “You will know in the future that some people will be able to achieve what others can’t despite their cultivation realm. Furthermore, Young Master Yang is related to the future rise or fall of our Thousand Leaves Sect, so we have to rescue him even if we die doing so.”
A myriad of expressions flashed across Du Xian’s face, as he went into a daze for a while. From what he could see, Ye Jing Han insisted on leaving with Yang Kai; however, how would he and the other Thousand Leaves Sect disciples save him in the face of so many Masters from the City Lord’s Mansion? Furthermore, Yang Kai and the others had already been surrounded, making it extremely difficult to rescue them.
“Hahahaha!” Seeing Yang Kai and the others being trapped by the Spirit Array, Luo Jin could not help but burst into a hearty chuckle, before saying with a look of contempt blanketing his face, “You young people don’t know the immensity of Heaven and Earth. Do you think that this King’s City Lord Mansion is a place you can act rashly and wantonly in without consequence?”
The faces of the surrounding guests turned pale, as they knew that Luo Jin was using this as an example of how he would deal with anyone who dared to follow Yang Kai’s footsteps. He had lost an immense amount of face today, so if he could not prevent Yang Kai and his group from leaving, he would really be unable to maintain his authority in Sky Crane City.
The secret command he had sent out earlier had finally come into effect at the most critical moment, causing Luo Jin’s heart to fill with glee and a glint of hatred to flash across his eyes as he stared firmly at Yang Kai. Thoughts of how to alleviate the hatred in his heart now filled his head.
Within the inner hall, the Spirit Array formed by the several dozen Dao Source Realm Masters instantly imprisoned Yang Kai, Chi Yue and Chai Hu.
Luo Jin chuckled heartily. Surveying his surroundings, he revealed a haughty look and shouted out, “Is there any friend out there willing to help this King kill off this boy? This King will be deeply grateful if there is!”
He did not have any intention of personally taking action; it wasn’t due to him being afraid of Yang Kai’s strength, but rather an attempt to regain some of his lost face and re-solidify his status as a figure of authority.
Indeed, right as his words rang out, a person immediately cupped his hands and volunteered, “White Cloud Tower’s Mu Zheng is willing to offer aid to the City Lord.”
Yet another person stood up and cupped his fists, “Heart Seeking Pavilion’s Guo Zhe Yuan is willing.”
A third person followed suit, “That boy is vile and despicable, he attempted to mislead the public with lies! I, Soul Devouring Sword Sect’s Yuan Mo, can’t put up with him any more, and am willing to take his head to serve as a warning!”
In an instant, eight people stood up, each representing a different force as they used this as a way to express their heartfelt support to Luo Jin.
Luo Jin’s pent-up frustrations finally gained some relief. With a smile, he nodded, “Good, then I shall trouble all of you.”
The few people replied together, “Please rest assured, Sir City Lord! We definitely won’t let Sir down.”
As they gave their replies, the few people turned around and smiled malevolently towards Yang Kai.
Although Yang Kai’s earlier performance was somewhat extraordinary, he was now being imprisoned by a Formation arranged by the City Lord Mansion’s guards, leaving him utterly incapable of moving. He stood there rigidly, just like a piece of meat on the chopping board, waiting for them to kill him in whatever method they chose to do so.
All of a sudden, the White Clouds Tower’s Mu Zheng gave a light smile, “Everyone, it wouldn’t be good if news of us bullying others through superior numbers were to be spread through the outside world. Furthermore, with so many guests present, it would be unfair even if we were to triumph over him in such a manner.”
Guo Zhe spoke out, “With what Brother Mu has just said, what are you suggesting we do?”
The other people looked curiously at him, not knowing what he had in mind.
With a faint smile, Mu Zheng continued, “This Mu’s intent is to have just one person to take action, while the other friends just stand by the side in support. How about that?”
Hearing his reply, everyone smiled. After understanding what he was implying, everyone immediately nodded their heads in agreement, “Brother Mu’s words are reasonable.”
Mu Zheng added, “So… who would be the one to take action?”
The Soul Devouring Sword Sect’s Yuan Mo came forward, “Since Brother Mu is the one who raised this arrangement, it would be best for Brother Mu to take action.”
The others did not show objections in light of this suggestion, as they had already expressed their support to City Lord Luo. Being the one to kill Yang Kai off was no longer something of importance, since he would die no matter who took action.
Mu Zhen revealed an eager look and smiled, “Since everyone agrees, this Mu will not shrink back from his responsibilities.”
As he said those words, the corners of his mouth curled up as he floated his gaze towards Yang Kai. With a look as though he was about to devour Yang Kai, he proceeded to move at a leisurely pace towards him.
“Yang Kai!” Chi Yue could not help but turn anxious as she desperately tried to circulate the Source Qi in her body. Nevertheless, regardless of what she did, she was unable to break out of the fetters that bound her, causing her anxious face to turn pale as she warned, “You should hurry up and leave if you can. Don’t worry about me. There will always be hope if you live.”
Chai Hu also chimed in, “That’s right, Little Brother. Just remember to take revenge for us.”
“Hahaha! Do you think you can leave in your current state?” Mu Zheng let out a mocking laugh as he looked towards Chi Yue, “Rest assured, Madam. This one’s actions are always on point, so you won’t suffer any injuries.”
At this moment in time, he still did not forget to express his goodwill towards Luo Jin.
Standing close by, Luo Jin nodded his head in satisfaction upon hearing those words.
“Do you think you can kill me with the ability you possess?” Standing at his original position, Yang Kai remained as calm as he was earlier, grinning at Mu Zheng, who was taking step after step towards him.
The grin reflected in Mu Zheng’s eyes caused his heart to jump in shock, while a feeling of unease started to rise from within, causing him to feel rather flustered. Clenching his teeth though, he tried to put up a strong front and roared, “You’re still acting rambunctiously before your impending death huh!? Look clearly at how I reap your life!”
As he roared out, he summoned a large sword into his hand and poured his Source Qi into it, causing a brilliant Blade Qi to appear. After-images of the blade appeared as it slashed down towards Yang Kai’s head.
Clearly, he did not want to drag this on and planned to wrap this matter up quickly. Therefore, he had unleashed his strike with his full strength.
His strike instantly encompassed Yang Kai and Chai Hu, but avoided Chi Yue. Obviously, he had taken Luo Jin’s wish into consideration, leaving behind the Madam while killing off the irrelevant two.
Seeing the incoming blade, a chilling glint flashed across Yang Kai’s eyes as he said in a cold voice, “How dare a trivial First-Order Dao Source Realm show such impudence before this Young Master!”
As words rang out, his body flickered before disappearing from everyone’s sight, as though he was utterly unaffected by the binding power of the Formation around him. Space Principles fluctuated without restraint, as Yang Kai leapt across space to appear right before Mu Zheng. Using his finger like a sword, Five Elements Indestructible Sword Qi surrounded his hand as he stabbed it forwards.
“Ah!” Mu Zheng cried out in shock, his face immediately draining of all colour, utterly incapable of believing what he just saw with his eyes.
After seeing Yang Kai’s ferocious performance earlier, how could he, with his mere First-Order Dao Source Realm cultivation, dare to take the initiative to smack the tiger’s butt if Yang Kai hadn’t been imprisoned within the Formation?
However, the sudden change in situation, with Yang Kai unexpectedly being able to extricate himself from the Spirit Array, had instantly scared the life out of Mu Zheng. Shivers racked his entire being as the might behind his all-out attack completely vanished.
As the Blade Qi and Sword Qi smashed into each other, a flurry of metallic clangs rang out, and in the next moment, appearing to have suffered a serious blow, Mu Zheng was sent flying back, travelling in the air as he coughed up blood.
Yang Kai roared out in a stern voice, “Since you all don’t know to write the worth ‘Death’ is written, this Young Master will give you all a lesson!”
As he said those words, Five Elements Indestructible Sword Qi gushed out from his hand. Travelling forward like a roaring dragon, rushing straight towards Mu Zheng before unleashing havoc on his body.
Mu Zheng’s miserable shrieks rang out across the hall, causing people’s blood to run cold, though they were clueless as to exactly what kind of torture he was suffering that led to such miserable howls.
Not a single one of the surrounding guests said anything out of fear.
Even Ye Jing Han, who was prepared to sacrifice everything to save Yang Kai, was dumbfounded by what she was seeing. Although she knew Yang Kai was extraordinary, she did not expect him to be at this level.
The Formation the City Lord had secretly arranged was unexpectedly unable to do anything to him.
However, thinking about Yang Kai’s mastery of Space Principles, Ye Jing Han found an answer to her question. Despite not being invincible, with the ability to freely traverse space at his disposal, it obviously would be no problem for Yang Kai to flee from this place. Only if an Emperor Realm Master were to personally take action to forcefully suppress him, preventing him from being able to use his mastery of Space Principles, would Yang Kai be truly trapped.
After a short moment, Mu Zheng smashed heavily against the wall, vomiting yet another mouthful of blood that was mixed with crushed organ parts, while his body remained still, not a single trace of aura radiating from him.
He had died.
Right at this moment, Yang Kai suddenly snapped his fingers.
With a splat, Mu Zheng’s body exploded, his corpse turning into a cloud of blood mist. However, for some mysterious reason, the mist did not dissipate. On the contrary, it was plastered to the wall by some inexplicable force, dyeing the wall with a blood-red shade, as though someone had lathered blood-red paint on it.
The strong smell of blood gushed out, making people feel nauseous.
*Sii…*
Gasps sounded along with heavy gulps as everyone’s eyes bulged, staring at Yang Kai in utter disbelief.
Everything had happened in the blink of an eye, causing people to turn dizzy by the unexpected series of events. Before people could snap back to their senses, Mu Zheng, who had put up an imposing front in preparation to kill Yang Kai, had already been killed.
How strong would one need to be to be capable of accomplishing such a feat?
“Come, come, come!” Yang Kai shouted out as loudly as he could, pointing towards the blood-smeared wall, “For those who are illiterate, take a clear look at this to see exactly how the word ‘death’ is written!” He continued with a cold sneer, “Don’t say that this Young Master didn’t teach you, if not, it will be meaningless if you die with unfinished business.”
The crowd proceeded to look towards the direction he had pointed to, which immediately caused their legs to cramp up.
Present on the blood-smeared wall was a large ‘death’ character, written in bright red. Blood continued to drip from the wall, causing clear sounds to ring out when it hit the ground. Every time a single drop landed on the ground, it struck fear and terror in people’s hearts. Furthermore, there were countless bits of flesh also present within the strokes of this character.
Thinking back to Yang Kai’s earlier actions, everyone was terrified in the realisation that he had actually used his finger as a pen and Mu Zheng’s body as the ink to write the word on the wall.
This was a universal provocation, as well as an ample indication of his might.
Yet, there was no one that dared to stand up and speak out.
Luo Jin’s expression turned exceedingly ugly. Originally, he had hoped to be able to remove Yang Kai through other people’s hands, to use this matter as a deterrence to the guests that were present here, and to redeem some of his lost face. However, he never imagined that his attempt would backfire like this, causing his face to scrunch up so much that it started to cramp.
“Just now, there was someone who said that I was vile, despicable, and trying to delude the public with lies!” With a flicker, Yang Kai suddenly appeared right by the side of the Soul Devouring Sword Sect’s Yuan Mo. Swinging his arm around the latter’s neck as though they were long lost friends, Yang Kai sent a deep grin towards him.
Yuan Mo did not respond at all towards Yang Kai’s actions, as he was still caught in the shock of witnessing the death of Mu Zheng. When he returned to his senses and thought about escaping, it was already too late. Yang Kai was already right next to him.
On the contrary, the other people around him were frightened by this walking disaster appearing beside them. All of them proceeded to retreat, while sending looks of extreme dread as they looked at Yang Kai, terrified that he might choose them as his next target.
With Yang Kai’s earlier performance, they would definitely be incapable of resisting if he really decided to kill them.
All of their hearts were filled to the brim with terror, dread, and regret that they had chosen a side too early, leading to all of the trouble they were about to face.
Tremors racked Yuan Mo’s entire being as his legs shook uncontrollably. All colour drained from his face as he stammered, “Young Master Yang… this one had spoken irresponsibly earlier and offended Young Master Yang. Young Master Yang… please be magnanimous and don’t find fault with this one.”
“Spoken irresponsibly?” Yang Kai raised his brow, “This Young Master will give you the time to properly think it over. Tell me, exactly who is vile, despicable, and has deceived the public with lies?”
Yuan Mo trembled violently as he lowered his head, not daring to raise it as he replied in a trembling voice, “It’s me, it was me! It was all me! I’m the vile and despicable one who deceived everyone with lies!”
“Hm?” Yang Kai snorted coldly and said in an emotionless voice, “Looks like you still don’t know how the word ‘death’ is written! Do you want me to teach you one more time?”
Yuan Mo felt like bursting into tears. In an instant, he knelt down on the ground and sobbed, “It is Sir City Lord that’s vile, despicable, and deceived the masses with his lies! He lied to us! Please spare my life, Young Master Yang! Please spare my life, Young Master Yang!”
Despite knowing that he would offend Luo Jin by saying this in public, how could he care about that when his life or death would be decided at this very moment?
“A promising young lad!” Yang Kai let out a hearty chuckle and patted Yuan Mo on the head a few times.
However, Yuan Mo thought that Yang Kai was about to take lethal action against him, and was so frightened that his entire body shook, his eyeballs flipping as he fainted.
“Waste!” Luo Jin cursed out between his clenched teeth.
Yang Kai turned around to look at the few others, his eyes gleaming with a chilling glow.
Before he could say anything, they started to blurt out, “Young Master Yang, this one already knows how to write the word ‘death’!”
“It’s this one’s extreme honor to be able to witness Young Master Yang’s calligraphy.”
“Young Master Yang is a true genius! Being able to use blood as a substitute for ink to write such a wonderful character! You have my utmost respect!”
These few people gave their all in their attempts at flattery. Although they tossed various kinds of praises from their mouths, the smiles present on their face were uglier than if they were crying. Clearly, extreme fear had overtaken their hearts, all of them terrified that Yang Kai would kill them off from any displeasure he felt.
The surrounding guests shot looks of contempt at these people, their hearts hurting from the shamelessness shown by them.
However, thinking about it, would they have put up a better reaction when faced with such a situation? When a knife was placed at their neck, neither shame nor loyalty mattered, as the most important thing was to continue living! Considering all these factors, many people proceeded to sigh, as they knew that those few people weren’t cowardly, but just faced with a dire circumstance.
“Since you all know how to write the word death, then hurry up and scram! Don’t continue staying here, fouling this Young Master’s eyes!” Yang Kai retracted his smile and gave an impatient shout.
Like eunuchs that had just been granted pardon, the few men ran back into the crowd, no longer daring to reveal themselves.
Only after this happened did Yang Kai turn around and sneer coldly towards Luo Jin, “Hand them over, if not, you’ll know the consequences!”
Remaining unmoved, Luo Jin replied with a cold snort, “Is that how your family’s Elders taught you to treat your Seniors?”
Yang Kai replied, “I’ve always respected the old and cherished the young. However, you, Sir City Lord, can’t appreciate kindness, so don’t blame me for beating you till your mother can’t recognise you.”
As he said those words, he started walking towards Luo Jin at a steady pace. Clearly, he did not wish to drag this matter out and wanted to end this fight quickly and decisively.
Luo Jin could not help but let a sliver of anxiety flash across his face. Although his cultivation was a Minor Realm higher than Yang Kai’s, Yang Kai’s earlier display made him realize that this youth was not someone he could easily offend. Seeing him continue to move closer, Luo Jin immediately looked towards a certain location, “Sir Ke, please assist me! This Luo will be grateful for your help!”
He knew that it was already totally meaningless to call those in the First or Second-Order Dao Source Realms for aid. Therefore, he immediately requested help from a Third-Order Dao Source Realm Master that he knew and had a close relationship with. In this current situation, only a Third-Order Source Realm Master would be able to suppress Yang Kai.
As Luo Jin said those words, an old man proceeded to step out from the crowd. The old man had a beard full of white hair, a restrained aura, an exceedingly bright gaze, and a rosy expression, giving off the impression of a wise sage.
With a faint smile, he gave a nod, “Since Sir Luo has invited me, this Old Master will naturally comply.”
A sliver of delight flashed across Luo Jin’s eyes as he nodded, “Many thanks!”
At this point, Yang Kai came to a stop, raised his head to look at the old man, and grinned, “Old man, you want to interfere in this matter?”
With a smile, the old man surnamed Ke replied, “Parties in conflict should resolve the problem through talk instead of inflaming tensions. If Little Brother is okay with it, how about everyone sit down and have a nice conversation? This old man’s bones are already creaking and can’t be compared to you youngsters. If possible, this Old Master doesn’t wish to take action against you, Little Brother.”
“Very good!” Yang Kai replied with a smile, “Then how about you sit down and watch from the side, drinking some wine and eating some food?”
The old man shook his head, “I’m afraid that isn’t possible. Since Sir Luo has spoken, this Old Master can’t sit by the side and watch.”
Yang Kai sighed, “It’s not easy to live up to your age, old man. The king of hell is still unwilling to receive you, so why do you insist on knocking on his door?”
The old man narrowed his eyes, “Youngsters are indeed full of vitality and are always very arrogant in their speech. If this Old Master’s guess is right, this Little Brother should be the rumoured Grandmaster Yang that recently refined the Extraordinary Treasure Pill, yes?”
It wasn’t strange that the old man surnamed Ke was able to guess the identity of Yang Kai, as Yang Kai’s name had already spread widely across the entire Southern Territory. Earlier, he had revealed his name in front of everyone, causing suspicion to rise in quite a few people. Coupled with his sudden use of Space Principles to escape from the bindings of the City Lord’s Formation, this old man was naturally able to confirm Yang Kai’s identity.
The old man wasn’t the only one who had guessed Yang Kai’s origins; it was just that others did not say it out loud.
On the contrary, a few cultivators who did not know about it exclaimed in astonishment upon hearing this, their eyes filling with shock and fiery greed as they looked at Yang Kai.
The Extraordinary Treasure Pill wasn’t widely known to the public; however, after news of what happened in the Four Seasons Realm started to spread, this pill’s efficacy was already known by everyone. It was a long-lost divine Spirit Pill that was able to aid people in reaching the Emperor Realm! Other than the few pills that Yang Kai had refined previously, it was utterly impossible for it to appear anywhere else.
“What? He’s the one who had refined the Extraordinary Treasure Pill?” Luo Jin’s face changed slightly as he gasped in astonishment.
The old man replied, “They have the same name, same cultivation, and are both proficient in the Alchemic Dao. Other than that Grandmaster, this Old Master can’t think of anyone with such capabilities.”
Yang Kai raised his eyebrows, “There’s no need to mention my trivial name!”
“You really are him!” Luo Jin’s eyes suddenly erupted with dazzling brilliance, as he suddenly started to burn with enthusiasm, as though Yang Kai had turned into a delicious piece of meat before his very eyes.
The old man added, “This Old Master is well aware of the reputation of Grandmaster Yang, and I have the utmost admiration for you. Furthermore, today is the day the City Lord is hosting his wedding ceremony, so it really is not appropriate for me to take any action. Grandmaster Yang, would you be so kind as to give this Old Master some face and leave this matter as it is?”
Yang Kai smiled and replied, “Give you face? Then who will give me face? If the City Lord insisted on forcefully marrying your mother-in-law, what would you do?”
The old man retracted his smile and said with a mildly angry tone, “This Old Master is already old in years, and my mother-in-law has already returned to Earth. Your tongue shouldn’t be so vicious, Little Brother.”
“Sorry!” Yang Kai gave an apologetic look, as though he acknowledged his mistake with sincerity, before continuing, “Then, what if the City Lord wanted to marry your wife?”
The tremor shook through the old man’s entire body as his aura surged, accompanied by a furious roar, “Impudence!”
Yang Kai sneered in response, “He didn’t even want to marry your wife, and yet just the talk about it has left you with such anger to the point that you look like you’re about to kill someone. With him trying to do such a despicable thing to my mother-in-law, do you think I’ll let him off leniently?”
Luo Jin interjected with an angry voice, “Sir Ke, there’s no need to listen to his nonsense! Let’s take action together to take him!”
The old man replied, “Good!”
Exchanging glances, the two men were no longer willing to listen to any of the nonsense Yang Kai was spouting. Luo Jin summoned his Jade Sceptre artifact once again, and with the flip of his wrist, the old man summoned a token-like artifact. This token was the size of his palm; however, lightning arcs were dancing across its surface, causing everyone to feel a sense of danger upon seeing it.
“Be careful, Young Master Yang. Ke Tian is the Great Elder of Sky Peak Temple! That Sky Thunder Command seals Nine Heavens Divine Thunder within it! You must not face it head-on!” Ye Jing Han shouted a word of caution from the side.
Hearing her words, Ke Tian shot a furious gaze at Ye Jing Han and shouted, “Shut your mouth little girl! If not, this Old Master will make you!”
Hearing his threat, Ye Jing Han replied in a contemptuous tone, “Bullying others using superior numbers, oppressing the weak with superior cultivation. So, Great Elder Ke is such a vile and despicable man. It’s absurd that I used to hold you with high regard. I was truly blind!”
Ke Tian’s entire being tingled with discomfort after being stung by her words, causing him to become angry out of shame, “What the hell do you know!? Scram!”
After saying those words, he proceeded to collaborate with Luo Jin. An abundance of a mysterious power surged from Luo Jin’s jade sceptre as he gave a slight wave at Yang Kai. Immediately, Yang Kai felt as though he had been smashed by a giant mountain, the ferocious power appearing to crush the void as it came pressing down on him.
Not daring to resist head-on, Yang Kai had no choice but to shift his body to evade. However, it was right at this moment when Ke Tian took action. Holding up the Sky Thunder Command, a huge bolt of lightning surged out of it. Transforming into snakes of lightning, they enveloped Yang Kai, sending crackling sounds as they did so.
“Exile!” Right at the critical moment, Yang Kai let off a powerful roar. Extending his hand forward, he grasped the Void and caused a black hole to form mid-air. Chaotic power churned from this black hole, devouring all of the lightning that surged out from the Sky Thunder Command, leaving them unable to hurt him at all.
“What!?” Ke Tian cried out in shock. Sensing the waning power of his Sky Thunder Command, he hastily retrieved it, not daring to release the lightning anymore. The lightning contained within the Sky Thunder Command had been collected by him over many years and was actually a consumable resource. If he consumed all of it, he would need to spend time replenishing it. With the large amount of lightning being devoured by the void just now, the might of his Sky Thunder Command had weakened significantly, something that naturally caused incomparable pain in his heart.
This exchange had only lasted a blink of the eye, yet it had shaken the whole inner hall, causing it to teeter on the verge of collapse.
All of the surrounding cultivators fled in shock, terror filling their hearts.
Although Ke Tian’s attack had failed, Luo Jin used his jade sceptre to tap a few times against the void.
Waves of invisible power rushed towards Yang Kai. Floating in the air, Yang Kai’s eyes narrowed, as a chilling feeling gushed out from his heart. With a snap of his fingers, a few Moon Blades came slicing out.
The jet-black Moon Blades brought along an invincible might, scaring Luo Jin. Nevertheless, with a few bangs, they collided against the incoming invisible attacks launched by the jade sceptre, before mutually cancelling each other out.
“Formless Thunder, Invisible Thunder!” With an explosive roar, lightning arcs surfaced and danced furiously across Ke Tian’s body. Travelling across his body, they transformed into a lasso of lightning before wrapping around Yang Kai in an attempt to bind him.
Yang Kai flickered about evasively once again; however, right at the critical moment, a sly smile surfaced on Luo Jin’s face as he tapped his jade sceptre heavily against the air.
In the next instant, Yang Kai’s body suddenly sunk down, as he felt as though a giant mountain was pressing down on him, to the point of him seemingly becoming incapable of straightening up his body.
With that split second of immobilization, the lasso of lightning wrapped around and bound Yang Kai tightly. Crackling sounds rang out, accompanied by the smell of burnt flesh.
With a hearty chuckle, Luo Jin shouted, “You youngsters don’t know the immensity of Heaven and Earth! You all need to suffer some losses before being able to see your strength clearly.”
With a look of victory on his face, his words brimmed with incomparable haughtiness.
Ke Tian wiped away the sweat covering his forehead as he silently felt shocked by Yang Kai’s strength.
Both he and Luo Jin’s cultivation were a Minor Realm higher than Yang Kai’s, so taking a few dozen breaths to capture Yang Kai was already something inconceivable.
It should have been utterly impossible for a Second-Order Dao Source Realm Junior to last more than three moves against them.
“Grandmaster Yang, the outcome of this fight has been determined. This Old Master hopes that you will not struggle obstinately, otherwise, you will really get hurt.” Ke Tian wore a solemn face as he looked at Yang Kai.
With a grin, Yang Kai replied, “What’s wrong? Are you trying to proclaim your chastity after being a whore?”
Ke Tian’s face sank, “This Old Master is just giving you a kind reminder.”
Yang Kai burst into laughter, “Since that’s the case, I also have something for you, Sir.”
“What?” Ke Tian asked with a slight frown.
Yang Kai’s gaze turned cold as he quickly said, “If you really are tactful, you would hurry up and withdraw. If not, I’m afraid that you, Sir, might not be able to enjoy the fruits of your labour!”
Ke Tian’s heart jumped upon hearing his words, while Luo Jin felt some unease surging through his heart, before quickly turning quietly to shoot a look towards a certain location within the crowd.
In the next instant, a burst of Sword Qi erupted from within the crowd, as the Sky Illumination Palace’s Qiu Yu came lunging out, sword in his hand as he flew like a bolt towards Yang Kai. This sword seemed to shatter through space and it was clear that Qiu Yu had used his full strength to unleash it.
As everyone’s attention had been focused on the earlier fight, not a single one of them had expected Qiu Yu to take action at this very moment. By the time they had noticed the sword glow, they suddenly realised that Qiu Yu had clearly been colluding with Luo Jin from the beginning.
Although Qiu Yu’s cultivation was only at the First-Order Dao Source Realm, his sneak attack was decisive and as quick as a thunderbolt, taking only a split second to appear before Yang Kai in an imposing fashion.
However, Yang Kai did not show any shock at all. On the contrary, he simply smirked, “Finally unable to resist taking action, huh?”
“What?” Qiu Yu’s expression changed drastically upon hearing those words. He raised his head to take a look, only to see Yang Kai shooting a look brimming with contempt back at him, as though he had long expected this to happen.
“Not good!” Qiu Yu’s face turned pale with fright. A tremor shook through his sword as he attempted to pull back; however, would he be able to do so in such an abrupt fashion?
Cracking sounds proceeded to ring out, as a five-coloured light suddenly blossomed from Yang Kai’s body. As this happened, his body appeared to swell, while an aura that far exceeded that of Second-Order Dao Source Realm started to radiate out.
*Kacha…*
In an instant, the lasso of lightning binding Yang Kai snapped. Ke Tian’s body shook as he looked dumbly before him, while subconsciously retreating a few steps.
“Be careful, Young Master Qiu!” Luo Jin shouted.
Qiu Yu instantly felt coldness grip his heart as he looked on helplessly as Yang Kai made a fist and sent it rumbling towards him.
Faced with such immense danger, he turned his long sword and waved it, unleashing a sword glow that shielded his body in the hopes of being able to extricate himself from the danger.
Smashing into the incoming fist, a loud bang resounded.
The surrounding space shook slightly, while the dazzling sword glow shattered apart instantly under the might of the fist, which continued to travel at its original speed towards Qiu Yu’s body.
“Outrageous!” A powerful roar rang out, as the two old Third-Order Dao Source Realm Masters that were by Qiu Yu’s side took action. One of them extended his fingers and pointed towards Yang Kai, while the other lunged towards Qiu Yu in an attempt to save him.
Nevertheless, Yang Kai did not retreat. Disregarding the might behind the finger, his fist continued forward unimpeded.
A loud bang rang out, as chaotic energy erupted madly in all directions.
This was followed by a muffled groan and the sounds of bones snapping, as Qiu Yu was flung away like a ragdoll.
Despite being promptly saved by one of the old men following by his side, Yang Kai’s fist had still caused him serious injuries as countless jets of blood spurted out from his body as he flew through the air, the aura radiating from his body declining drastically.
In that instant, Qiu Yu could not help but think back to the words Yang Kai had said to him earlier.
“Brother Qiu, I see that the spot between your brows has turned dark, your pupils look distracted, your lip and tongue look charred, your spirit scattering, and darkness covering your face. I’m afraid that you’re about to face impending death.”
Incomparable grief and indignation filled Qiu Yu’s heart as he thought to himself that the impending death he was about to face was all due to this fellow.
Before he could think about anything else, his head tilted to the side as he fell unconscious, his life or death unknown.
“Young Master!” The expression of the old man who had caught Qiu Yu changed drastically before turning a deathly pale shade.
The other old man looked over absentmindedly, taking a very long time before he snapped back to his senses. Earlier, when Qiu Yu had taken action, they were secretly coordinating from the back; however, never in their wildest dreams did they expect Qiu Yu to get injured by Yang Kai like this. Not only was this a massive loss of face for them, they would also be incapable of explaining this matter to the Palace Master once they returned to the Sky Illumination Palace.
Before this old man could recover from his shock, Yang Kai suddenly appeared by his side. Brandishing the Myriad Sword, Sword Qi surging forth from him.
“Myriad Sword Arts, Radiant Moon Swallows the Wolf.”
*Chi chi chi chi…*
The sounds of something breaking through the air rang out incessantly.
Endless beams of Sword Qi flowed forth with maddened fury.
“Emperor Artifact!” The old man’s eyes shrank as a sliver of shock flashed across the depths of his eyes. After being exposed to the Emperor Intent gushing out freely from the Myriad Sword, his entire being started to tremble.
Under the terrifying Emperor Intent, over thirty percent of his cultivation was suppressed. Coupled with Yang Kai’s sneak attack, how could he escape?
With danger looming right before his eyes, the old man had no choice but to unleash all of the Source Qi around his body to defend himself while retreating with all his might.
*Pu pu pu…*
A bloody glow blossomed, its radiance piercing through the void, as the old man’s body appeared just like a lonely little boat in the middle of a stormy sea, teetering on the brink of collapse.
*Hong long long…*
A massive rumble erupted, as the entire inner hall crumbled apart, throwing dust and debris in all directions, curses being strewn by the various guests as they fled from within.
By the time the dust had settled, everyone could not help but draw in a mouthful of cold air as they laid their eyes on the inner hall.
Standing at his original position was Yang Kai, completely safe and sound, with the gigantic Myriad Sword held in his hand, Sword Qi swirling around it. He cut an imposing figure with his appearance, a cold and callous expression on his face.
Not far away from him was the old man from the Sky Illumination Palace, with his entire body drenched in blood as he stood there, gasping for air as he struggled to remain standing. Clearly, he had suffered substantial injuries, while an extremely ugly look hung on his face.
The other Sky Illumination Palace Master was protecting the seriously injured Qiu Yu. Although he was unharmed, he did not dare to recklessly unleash an attack against Yang Kai.
If he did take action, there would be no one left to protect Qiu Yu. With Yang Kai’s phenomenal speed, he could reap Qiu Yu’s life anytime he wished if the latter was left unprotected.
All of the guests were overwhelmed with shock, utterly incapable of believing what they were seeing as they stared at Yang Kai, who stood tall like a mountain, bearing down on them with immense pressure.
In this short conflict, Yang Kai had been attacked from all directions by as many as four Third-Order Dao Source Realm Masters; however, not only was he totally unharmed, he had even managed to deal a severe blow to one of them.
How many people out there were able to achieve such a feat?
The corners of Du Xian’s mouth twitched as he whispered towards Ye Qing Han, “Young Master Yang… is he really only a Second-Order Dao Source Realm? Is he not some Emperor Realm Senior that’s disguising himself to toy with his prey?”
His words seem to represent the feelings present in everyone’s hearts, as there were no Dao Source Realm cultivators out there who could achieve such a result with their own strength. Therefore, it was unavoidable for people to question if Yang Kai was concealing his true cultivation.
With a bitter laugh, Ye Jing Han replied, “He entered the Four Seasons Realm recently. At that time, he was just a First-Order Dao Source Realm. Within such a short period of time, how could it be possible for him to reach the Emperor Realm?”
Her words made sense to Du Xian. All of the cultivators that entered the Four Seasons Realms would need to undergo the detailed inspection conducted by the Masters from the various top Sects. If Yang Kai was really concealing his cultivation, it would have been utterly impossible for him to escape the keen senses of those Masters.
Considering this, Du Xian felt even more shocked. He discovered that when he compared himself to Yang Kai, he felt like an utter joke, causing an extremely complicated feeling to fill his heart.
“Sir Yang, our Sky Illumination Palace will remember this debt, and will make sure to return it back in the future,” the old man holding Qiu Yu glared hatefully at Yang Kai as he growled out between his clenched teeth.
Looking back at him, Yang Kai sneered, “You were the ones who launched a sneak attack on me, yet now you have the nerve to try to flip our positions around? Are all of you nothing but whipped dogs?”
The old man was placed in an exceedingly uncomfortable spot from Yang Kai’s rebuttal, yet he did not dare to argue back, causing his face to flush with embarrassment and anger. Left with no choice, he could only clench his teeth and snap at the other old man, “Let’s go!”
As those words left his mouth, the two men carried the unconscious Qiu Yu and fled.
The sealing barrier that surrounded the City Lord’s Mansion was smashed apart by the earlier fight, allowing the two to effortlessly leave this place, disappearing without a trace in a blink of an eye. From the looks of it, they were in a rush to head back to Sky Illumination Palace to give Qiu Yu treatment.
Seeing them leave with such haste, Luo Jin’s expression turned ugly.
Although he had opened his mouth to invite Ke Tian to assist him, he had already secretly contacted the people from Sky Illumination Palace long before and came to an agreement with them to unleash a sneak attack. Originally, with the collaboration of four Third-Order Dao Source Realm Masters, it should have been impossible for Yang Kai to flip the situation around, no matter how strong he was.
Who could have known that the unexpected circumstances that Qiu Yu had ended up in would lead to the two powerhouses from Sky Illumination Palace leaving the fight?
In an instant, the situation had reverted to him and Ke Tian against Yang Kai. Beads of cold sweat covered Luo Jin’s forehead as he felt immense pressure.
As Sky Illumination Palace’s members were leaving, Yang Kai did not take action to obstruct them, as he knew the consequences of cornering an injured opponent. At this moment, the most important thing was to let Luo Jin release Gui Zu and the others, so he did not have the heart to care for other people.
After the two Elders from Sky Illumination Palace left, Yang Kai turned his head to look at Ke Tian and said with a grin, “Old dog, are you still planning on continuing? Do you believe this Young Master won’t split you in two?”
Anger filled Ke Tian’s expression.
If anyone dared to say such words to him, he would definitely not take it lying down, and would absolutely teach that person a good lesson; however, the person who said those words was Yang Kai, which left him with no confidence to unleash his anger.
Even his Sky Thunder Command was unable to deal with Yang Kai, leaving Ke Tian with absolutely no way to triumph in battle.
As his expression fluctuated, Luo Jin hastily interjected, “Don’t listen to his threats, Sir Ke! With you and me joining hands, he will die without a doubt!”
Hearing his words, Yang Kai let out a sneer, “If that’s the case, why is this Young Master still standing here, completely unharmed? Have your eyes gone blind, City Lord Luo? You didn’t even evaluate the situation before speaking.”
Ignoring Yang Kai’s words, Luo Jin continued to persuade Ke Tian, “Sir Ke, if we’re able to kill him today, this Luo will offer five years of my Sky Crane City’s revenue to your noble Sect!”
Right now, he couldn’t care about his face at all and proceeded to strike a deal with Ke Tian before the countless guests.
Indeed Ke Tian was moved by the offer. With how Sky Crane City was flourishing, five years worth of revenue was absolutely not a small sum. However, with a cursory glance that showed Yang Kai looking at him with an ambiguous smile, drums started to beat yet again in his heart.
Seeing this, Luo Jin clenched his teeth, “Sir Ke, don’t tell me that a mere brat is causing you to be frozen in fear. If that’s the case, Sir Ke’s Martial Dao will stop here, with no hope of ever reaching a greater realm.”
Ke Tian’s expression shook as he heard those words, knowing what Luo Jin said was right. If he continued to hesitate, today’s matter would definitely become a Heart Demon for him, interfering with his cultivation, as well as removing any hope for him to break through to the Emperor Realm. If he didn’t manage this well, it might even cause a cultivation dissonance to occur whenever he thought back to this day.
Thinking to this point, Ke Tian’s expression turned resolute before growling through his clenched teeth, “Good! This Ke will risk his life to accompany you! Let’s give this youngster a proper lesson on how to show respect.”
Luo Jin grew excited upon seeing Ke Tian agreeing to his deal, “With Sir Ke’s help, this Luo can feel assured.”
Yang Kai sneered, “I really don’t know where you two are getting your confidence from. Since there was a path to Heaven but you two refused to take it and stubbornly chose to knock on the gates of Hell, this Young Master will grant you two your wishes!”
As his words rang out, Yang Kai flickered as he shot straight towards Ke Tian.
Ke Tian’s expression changed drastically. Appearing to not have considered how fast Yang Kai’s speed was, he hastily pulled back in retreat.
Showing no intention to stop him, Yang Kai proceeded to shoot him a cold glare, “Look into my eyes!”
Hearing his words, Ke Tian subconsciously looked towards Yang Kai’s eyes.
However, he quickly realized that he had fallen into Yang Kai’s trap. The instant he looked over, Yang Kai’s left eye suddenly erupted in a sparkling golden glow, and a vertical pupil brimming with awe imposing might appeared, sending chills through his entire being.
He attempted to avert the incoming gaze but found himself utterly incapable of doing so. The mysterious power erupting from that golden pupil had locked up his own gaze, leaving him no choice but to stare right into it. Not only that, he could even feel his Soul trembling, while his Knowledge Sea churned.
“Blossoming Lotus!” With a cold snort, a pure white lotus bud flashed out from within Yang Kai’s Demon Eye of Annihilation.
As though he was struck by lightning, intense trembling instantly racked through Ke Tian’s body. Clutching his head while letting out miserable cries as if he was experiencing some kind of tremendous torture.
The surrounding guests turned silent in fear, the gazes they sent towards Yang Kai brimming with dread and terror.
Being utterly confused as to what had happened, the only thing they saw was Yang Kai and Ke Tian exchanging glances, before Ke Tian ended up in his current situation.
However, in that instant, Luo Jin had sensed a concealed burst of Spiritual Energy and immediately realized that Yang Kai had used some kind of Soul-type Secret Technique, he shouted out in panic, “Sir Ke, protect your mind!”
As he shouted, the jade sceptre in his hand instantly grew large, before smashing down on Yang Kai like a gigantic boulder.
Yang Kai couldn’t help sneering in response as he grabbed Ke Tian, who was still struggling in pain against the Blossom Lotus Secret Technique, and tossed him straight over.
“Ah!” Luo Jin’s expression changed drastically as he immediately proceeded to form hands seals in an attempt to pull his artifact back. Unfortunately, with him unleashing the strike at full power, how could he recall it in an instant? This left him with no choice but to watch as Ke Tian faced the full brunt of his own artifact’s attack.
*Honglong…*
As the bang rang out, Ke Tian turned into a clump of blood mist, not a single bone or piece of flesh remaining. The blood and bits of flesh shot in all directions, drenching the entire area with a crimson shade.
Luo Jin turned dumb like a wooden chicken, completely incapable of believing his own eyes.
Astonished cries rang out from the surrounding guests, as not a single one of them had expected Ke Tian, a Third-Order Dao Source Realm Master, to die in such a clear cut manner.
Just now, he had joined hands with Luo Jin once again in preparation to strike Yang Kai. At that time, everyone still believed that Yang Kai would be hard-pressed to escape the calamity that had befallen him; however, who would have thought that Ke Tian was the first one to die, in the blink of an eye. Furthermore, he had perished to Luo Jin’s jade sceptre.
Not a single person could accept the utterly odd series of developments that had just occurred.
“Ho ho…” Yang Kai let out an eccentric laugh before looking at Luo Jin, “Sir Luo really is ruthless to not even let his own ally go. Elder Ke left this world in such misery. So this is the ‘destroy the bridge after crossing the river’ metaphor that people always use.”
He portrayed a grieving appearance, which appeared amusing yet horrifying to the spectating guests.
After all, everyone had seen that Ke Tian had died partially due to Luo Jin being unable to pull back his jade sceptre in time. However, the main reason was due to Ke Tian getting struck by an unknown Secret Technique that Yang Kai had unleashed, resulting in him being unable to evade after being thrown into the path of Luo Jin’s attack.
Therefore, the one truly responsible for Ke Tian’s death was still Yang Kai. Now though, Yang Kai was pushing all the blame onto Luo Jin, and added words that made it seem as though it did not involve him at all.
Luo Jin was dumbfounded by everything, as he had originally assumed that Yang Kai was only lucky to be able to drive off two Sky Illumination Palace Elders away because he had wounded Qiu Yu. If not for this, those two Elders would not have retreated so easily and Ke Tian would not have died like this.
However, it was only at this moment that Luo Jin realized that Yang Kai’s strength could not be comprehended through ordinary means. Being able to render Ke Tian incapable of mustering any resistance in an instant was already proof of his astonishing strength.
After hearing Yang Kai’s words, Luo Jin shouted back hastily, “Bullshit! It was clearly due to you that Sir Ke…”
Yang Kai gave a heavy snort in response, “Old Sir Ke was clearly killed by Sir Luo’s artifact. Everyone here witnessed that, and all of the guests present can testify to that, so how does it concern me? I really don’t know what hatred or resentment Sir Luo had with Sir Ke to actually be so ruthless.”
Luo Jin was angered so much by Yang Kai’s words that his Source Qi churned violently while his face turned flushed. Despite wanting to refute, he didn’t know where to start. As feelings of vexation within him reached his limit, he exploded with anger, “This King and you cannot exist under the same sky!”
As he shouted, Luo Jin spat out a mouthful of Blood Essence onto his jade sceptre. In the next instant, rays of light blossomed from the jade sceptre, accompanied by energy fluctuations that surged out in all directions, as an extremely powerful and dangerous aura started to radiate from it.
Revealing a sneer, Yang Kai shifted his body and, with a surge of Space Principles, appeared right before Luo Jin’s face. Under the latter’s dumbfounded expression, Yang Kai unleashed a stab with his sword.
With his mind shaken by Ke Tian’s death, coupled with the incriminating words from Yang Kai that made his anger blow through the roof and Source Qi churn unstably, Luo Jin was incapable of maintaining his usual state of mind.
Therefore, he was unable to react when Yang Kai’s sword stabbed towards him.
With a soft piercing sound, Luo Jin’s body turned stiff, and all of the hot blood coursing through his body turned cold as he looked blankly before him.
With a demonic smile hanging on his face, Yang Kai sneered, “It’s best for Sir Luo to not move. I’m actually quite timid, so if you make any sudden movements, my hand may shake and I might accidentally pierce through your heart. That won’t be any good for you.”
Beads of cold sweat dripped down from Luo Jin’s head as he felt the Myriads Sword had pierced through his body, stopping only a finger width from his heart. How would he dare to make any sudden movements? The only thing he could do was to continue gulping his saliva down in anxiety.
“No!” All of a sudden, Luo Bing rushed forward in a crazed fashion, standing between Yang Kai and Luo Jin, spreading her hands out to shield her father while sobbing fiercely, “Senior Brother, please don’t kill my father! Bing’er begs of you! Please don’t kill my father!”
She continued to shout while sobbing, drenching her exquisite looking face with tears.
Looking at her, Chai Hu wanted to say something, but stopped and gave a great sigh.
Solemn expressions appeared on the surrounding guests’ faces as they felt sorrow for Luo Bing.
Through the many twists and turns that have happened today, Chai Hu, who had started this whole storm, Yang Kai who had carried it to a new height, and even the seriously injured Luo Jin were not the ones who suffered the most.
Instead, it was Luo Bing!
When Chai Hu was injured, she had given her all to beg her father to let him go. Being her saviour, she did not wish for her father to hurt Chai Hu.
When Luo Jin was injured, she came before Yang Kai and begged him to let her father go. After all, ‘blood is thicker than water’, and Luo Jin’s blood flowed within her.
Just yesterday, she was the carefree and happy-go-lucky princess of Sky Crane City.
However, in a single day, she had seen so much blood, so much violence, and so many terrifying circumstances. Between familial relationships and life-saving kindness, she was at a loss about just what to do.
Her weak figure seemed to be incapable of handling such successive impacts.
Yang Kai frowned as he stared at her, a cold emotionless expression blanketing his face.
Truthfully speaking, he did not have a good first impression of Luo Bing at all, as he felt that this princess was overly spoiled and overly willful.
However, today’s matter had changed his impression of her by quite a bit.
The scene of her risking her own life to protect Chai Hu was still vivid in his mind.
Although she was ignorant of how the world worked, she at least knew the meaning of gratitude.
“Please, I beg of you! Don’t hurt my father! Let him go, and I’ll bear everything in his place!” Sobbing as she cried out, Luo Bing knelt on the ground, hugging Yang Kai’s foot like a dog, refusing to let go.
How could the guests present not be touched by her actions? All of them proceeded to shoot complicated looks at Luo Bing, as this was the first time they had seen her like this.
Unable to bear what he saw, Chai Hu’s throat shook as a hoarse voice rang out from him, “Little Brother Yang…”
“Ha…” Yang Kai gave a sigh, before speaking in an indifferent tone, “Don’t worry, your father isn’t dead yet.”
With the attitude he had shown and the various atrocities Luo Jin had committed, Yang Kai felt that it wasn’t enough to kill him once and be done with. However, Luo Bing’s pleas had touched his heart, making him somewhat unable to proceed with what he had originally planned for Luo Jin.
Dragging his injured body towards Luo Bing, Chai Hu extended his hand to help her up, “Stand up before we talk.”
Raising her head, Luo Bing revealed her tear-stricken face towards Yang Kai and cried, “Please don’t kill my father…”
Yang Kai replied, “That would depend on how he treated my friends. If I see a single hair on them harmed…”
Luo Jin hastily interjected, “I’ve only sealed their cultivation and locked them in the prison. I didn’t harm them.”
Yang Kai shot a look at him, “Then, you should know what to do.”
Luo Jin trembled upon hearing his words, before hurriedly shouting, “Escort those few Sirs out!”
With his life in the hands of another, he could no longer keep up his obstinance. All he could do now was conform to live another day.
Hearing Luo Jin’s command, how would the City Lord Mansion guards hesitate? They immediately sprang into action.
The surrounding guests looked in a certain direction in curiosity, wishing to see what kind of people Yang Kai would risk kicking up such a big fuss for.
After a short while, under the guidance of the City Lord Mansion’s cultivators, a group of three walked out.
The lead of the trio radiated an exceedingly gloomy aura, as though he had cultivated some kind of sinister art, causing discomfort for anyone who felt it. This person was not young; in fact, he had the appearance of an old man, but the wicked grin that hung at the corners of his mouth caused chills to people who saw him.
Following closely behind the evil-looking old man was another old man of similar age. However, this person stood ramrod straight, just like a sharp sword. Invisible Sword Intent lingered around his entire body. A single look was enough to tell that this person was an expert of the Sword Dao.
The last person was tall and sturdily built, with a face that was imposing and dignified. A fierce gleam was present in his eyes as he scanned his surroundings.
All of these three people were in the First-Order Dao Source Realm.
The three clearly did not know what had happened here as they scanned their surroundings in vigilance and curiosity. Their Divine Senses continued to intersect each other, a clear indication of a secret conversation that was ongoing between them.
“Big Brother, Second Brother, Third Brother!” After seeing the trio, Chai Hu immediately let out an emotional shout.
The trio’s eyes lit up upon looking over. Hurrying over, the evil-looking old man at the front asked, “Why are you here, Fourth Brother?”
As he posed his question, he continued to shoot a look at Chai Hu, as though wanting the latter to hurry up and flee.
With a smile, Chi Yue interjected, “Fourth Brother is here to save you.”
“Fourth Brother, you idiot!” A frown appeared on the second old man’s face as he started to berate Chai Hu.
On the contrary, the fierce-looking middle-aged male at the back of the trio gave a hearty chuckle, “Since he’s already here, let us flip the Heavens upside down!”
As he said those words, he really prepared to take action.
Seeing that they had yet to understand the situation they were currently in, a speechless look appeared on Chi Yue’s face, “Slow down. You three, take a look at who’s here.”
The trio gawked in response. Only then did they proceed to look in the direction she was pointing.
Upon looking over, shocked expressions appeared on their faces, their eyes snapped wide open, before inconceivable expressions replaced the shocked ones, as though they had just seen a ghost.
“It has been a while, Seniors!” Yang Kai grinned as he cupped his hands.
“Sect Master?” Gui Zu cried out in shock. Despite being used to unexpected and drastic changes in his life, he couldn’t help but tremble from the emotions surging through his body.
“Sect Master Yang?”
“Yang Boy?”
Gu Cang Yun and President Ai Ou both cried out in shock, both of them feeling as though they had entered some kind of dream world.
Chi Yue smiled, “It’s all due to his actions today that you three are free.”
Hearing her words, the trio’s expression turned serious as they hastily sent their Divine Sense out to check Yang Kai’s cultivation. After discovering that Yang Kai had reached the Second-Order Dao Source Realm, all of them couldn’t help but suck in a mouthful of cold air.
All of them clearly remembered that Yang Kai was just a Second-Order Origin King when they had set off from the Star Field. Never in their wildest dreams would they expect that after being separated for just two or three years, his cultivation would already surpass theirs.
Such a rate of growth would simply make others blush in shame.
Ignoring his cultivation, from what Chi Yue had said, everything that had happened today had been started and completed by Yang Kai.
A thick bloody smell hung in the air, while the word ‘Death’, written using flesh and blood, was present on the wall, a sight that would shock anyone who saw it. Furthermore, Sky Crane City’s City Lord Luo Jin had a gigantic sword embedded in his chest, which caused him to not dare to make any random movements, while the surrounding guests had eyes brimming with shock and dread.
Being veterans of the world, the trio needed only a single look to gain an almost complete understanding of what had happened earlier, which in turn caused more shock to rise in their hearts.
How did a Second-Order Dao Source Realm accomplish such a magnificent feat in someone else’s territory? Gui Zu and the other two were utterly incapable of imagining how that was even possible.
“Are you Seniors in good health?” Yang Kai asked.
Gui Zu replied, “Many thanks, for your concern, Sect Master. We’re all right.”
Yang Kai’s investigation also revealed that they were in pretty good shape. Indeed, Luo Jin did not mistreat them, other than sealing their cultivation and locking them up in his prison. After removing the seals on their bodies, they would fully recover.
After all, with all three of them only at the First-Order Dao Source Realm, it was not something that Luo Jin, with the strength he controlled, the City Lord’s Mansion, would care about. So, there was no need for the latter to be overly vigilant with them.
“Let’s talk about the details later. We should leave here first,” Chi Yue interjected.
Gui Zu raised his brow before giving a sinister laugh as he looked towards Luo Jin, “This Third-Order Dao Source Realm’s Soul, this King will go ahead and take it.”
As he said those words, he summoned his Ten Thousand Soul Banner. In an instant, an evil wind started to whip up within the City Lord’s Mansion. As cries and howls rang out, slivers of a black aura visible to the naked eye started to perfuse out, transforming into blurry human figures that proceeded to move about in all directions.
The faces of the surrounding guests changed drastically as they sensed the sinister aura radiating from this artifact, which caused their hearts to sink in dread. Who knows exactly what sinister art this old fellow cultivated, for his artifact to be this malevolent.
“Don’t come over!” Although Luo Bing was so frightened that all colour had drained from her beautiful face, she still continued to stand protectively before Luo Jin while crying out loud.
Panicking from Gui Zu’s actions, Luo Jin looked towards Yang Kai, “Young Master Yang… I really did not harm them. Furthermore, I’ve already released them in accordance with your instructions. You can’t go back on your words.”
Yang Kai shot a cold glare at him, before lifting his hand to stop Gui Zu’s actions.
Although Gui Zu didn’t know what Yang Kai wanted to do, he did not continue. Instead, he started to chuckle evilly, causing spectators’ hairs to stand on their ends.
Chai Hu gulped, before speaking up, “Little Brother, Young Lady Luo has helped me quite a lot. She also helped me enter this place, so please don’t harm her.”
After hearing his words, Gui Zu and the others could not help but shoot a weird look towards Chai Hu.
Chai Hu added, “One has to make sure to distinguish gratitude and grudges, right?”
Chi Yue smiled, “What Fourth Brother said is right.”
After muttering to himself for a moment, Yang Kai pulled his hand back slightly, removing the Myriads Sword from Luo Jin, causing a burst of blood to spew out from the latter’s mouth.
Luo Jin hastily said in relief, “Many thanks, Young Master Yang!”
However, right as his words rang out, Yang Kai suddenly sent a palm rumbling towards him, which smashed right into his chest. Caught totally off guard, Luo Jin did not react at all when the massive force knocked him through the air. Another mouthful of blood mist spurted out from his lips as he tumbled before smashing back down onto the ground, his aura waning drastically.
“Father!” With a shrill shriek, Luo Bing clawed and crawled as she hurtled towards her father.
As he struggled to get up, Luo Jin shot a look of pure shock at Yang Kai.
After being struck by Yang Kai, he finally had a full understanding of how powerful the former was. The density and purity of Yang Kai’s Source Qi in that strike was at a level that he could not compete against.
[How is he just a Second-Order Dao Source Realm?]
[If he broke through to the Third-Order Dao Source Realm, just how powerful would he be? He might just be invincible beneath the Emperor Realm!] Such thoughts caused cold sweat to drip down Luo Jin’s back, as the terror of him offending such a monster struck his heart.
“You should rejoice you have such a good daughter!” Yang Kai snorted coldly, before shouting towards Gui Zu and the others, “Let’s go!”
As he said those words, he started to walk out. Not a single person dared to obstruct him, with everyone proceeding to give way as though they were fleeing from a devil, leaving a wide gulf between them and Yang Kai.
Gui Zu and the others followed suit behind him, with Ye Jing Han also shouting out, “We’re going as well!”
As she said that, she, Du Xian, and the others hastily followed.
Silence filled the City Lord’s Mansion and continued after Yang Kai and the others had left, as not a single person dared to open their mouths to say anything. Some people were shooting complicated looks at Luo Jin, with some taking pleasure in his misfortune. Some felt sympathy, while others frowned deeply, as though they were pondering something.
Regardless of anything else, Luo Jin’s face had taken a massive hit today. During his wedding ceremony, not only did his would-be-concubine escape, all of his scandals had been exposed to the public. Furthermore, he had been greatly injured in the process.
Who would submit to such a City Lord anymore?
Quite a few people started to feel that a great turmoil was about to take place in Sky Crane City.
Many of the cultivators present no longer had any interest in exchanging pleasantries with Luo Jin as they proceeded to leave. Such a well-planned ceremony had turned from bustling liveliness into a deserted place, leaving behind a tear-ridden Luo Bing to take care of her father.
Looking in the direction Yang Kai and the others had left, Luo Jin clenched his fists as hatred and anger filled his face, flames of fury bursting out from his eyes.
…
On a ship artifact, Du Xian arranged a room for Yang Kai and the others, letting them have a private place to chat after their reunion.
Having all come here from the Star Field, they naturally did not need to hide anything from each other.
Through their conversation, Yang Kai finally understood the various experiences his Seniors had after their separation.
According to them, when the Starlight Corridor shattered, they had been thrown out and landed in the vicinity of Sky Crane City. Although they were utterly unfamiliar with the Star Boundary, they had concealed themselves well, not letting anyone discover their identities or ignorance.
After two days of various encounters and experiences, they had managed to regroup and then began searching for Yang Kai.
However, regardless of how they searched, they were still unable to discover even any trace of Yang Kai, nor were they able to find Liu Yan or Xiao Xiao at all.
After trying for two months, they had no choice but to give up and start making plans for themselves.
The initial period of living in Sky Crane City was exceedingly difficult for them. Although they were peak-level Masters in their native Star Field, they had to start from the bottom in the Star Boundary. Their Third-Order Origin King cultivation wasn’t considered strong in Sky Crane City, and one could find any number of people stronger than them here.
They were now in a completely foreign environment without any relationships or experience, so they had to learn how to walk again just like newborn babies. Carefully concealing their identities as travellers from the Star Field, they worked hard to acquire Source Crystals to buy cultivation materials.
Fortunately, they managed to find a spot roughly ten thousand kilometres from Sky Crane City where they could hunt Monster Beasts for parts to sell.
Through steady efforts, they slowly accumulated Source Crystals, while buying cultivation materials bit by bit, not daring to waste a single bit of money.
It was at that time they bumped into Chai Hu.
Although Chai Hu was rather crude and rough, he was quite open-minded, so after cooperating a few times, they grew familiar with each other. Being a native Sky Crane City cultivator, Chai Hu’s understanding of the situation of the city was vastly superior, and with his guidance and planning, the few of them were able to obtain Source Crystals much faster than before.
After repeated life or death encounters in which they had to depend on each other to survive, they struck up a strong friendship with Chai Hu.
After a big fight, Wu Dao suddenly managed to gain a bout of enlightenment, and with that, a chance to break through.
However, none of them had imagined that Wu Dao would actually fail at the most critical moment of his breakthrough! His fall brought immense pain to the group.
This incident strengthened the already strong ties between them, however, and they decided to take the oath to become sworn siblings. After two or three years of hard work, all of them managed to break through to the First-Order Dao Source Realm.
As they were already Third-Order Origin Kings while in the Star Field, Gui Zu and the others would not have gone through so much trouble to head into the Star Boundary to seek a greater Martial Dao realm if not for the lack of World Principles in the Star Field.
Therefore, their breakthrough was more or less guaranteed, with not many twists and turns in between.
“Wait!” All of sudden, Yang Kai interjected, “What do you mean? Senior Chai is also a Dao Source Realm Master?”
After becoming sworn siblings with Gui Zu and the others, Chai Hu would be considered Yang Kai’s Elder. Therefore, he naturally had to use ‘Senior’ to address the former.
As he said those words, his Divine Sense continued to scan Chai Hu’s body, as he had clearly sensed that the latter’s cultivation was only at the Third-Order Origin King Realm. Why did this differ from what Gui Zu and the others were saying?
This was something that confused him.
However, regardless of how Yang Kai scanned with his Divine Sense, he still sensed that Chai Hu was just a Third-Order Origin King, and not a Dao Source Realm cultivator.
A glimmer of sadness flashed across Chai Hu’s face after hearing Yang Kai’s questions, while looks of guilt appeared on the faces of Gui Zu and the others.
“Eh…” All of a sudden, Yang Kai made a weird noise, as though he had discovered something. Extending his hand out to the latter, he said, “Pardon me!”
As he said that, he extended his hand towards Chai Hu’s arm, before sending Source Qi out to investigate.
After a moment, he raised his head to look towards Chai Hu, “Senior Chai’s cultivation has dropped?”
He could sense the presence of pure Source Qi within Chai Hu’s body! It was at a level that was simply impossible to occur. After all, with his Third-Order Origin King cultivation, this level of purity in Source Qi should have forced him to break through by now.
However, that was not the case. There was only one explanation for this, Chai Hu was once in the Dao Source Realm, therefore his Source Qi purity was still retained. The only mystery was the reason that resulted in his dropped cultivation realm.
Chai Hu gave a bitter laugh, “You’re right.”
Gui Zu gave a deep sigh, “Half a year ago, while we were training, we bumped into a horde of Eleventh-Order Monster Beasts. Unable to deal with them, we proceeded to flee. For the sake of buying time, Fourth Brother had stayed behind, and while that happened, suffered a serious injury to his dantian. He became like that after recuperating for a while. Fourth Brother’s eye was also lost during that fight.”
A look of self rebuke appeared on Chi Yue’s face, “If we had stayed behind, this might not have happened at all.”
Although Gu Cang Yuan and Ai Ou didn’t say anything, their faces were filled with guilt and remorse. Clearly, they were also unable to forget about this matter, as they felt that they were the ones responsible for Chai Hu’s mishap.
A drop in cultivation was not a small matter, as there was a possibility of never being able to recover one’s cultivation once that happened, halting one’s path on the Martial Dao at that point. For cultivators in pursuit of a higher realm, that was equivalent to a death sentence, and might even be worse than that.
Seeing their depressed expressions, Chai Hu prompted, “Why are you guys bringing out such expressions? It’s not like I’ve died, right? It’s just a drop in cultivation, and it’s not like I’m unable to regain my cultivation at all.”
Although he appeared open-minded and optimistic about it, how could anyone present here not know the bleak chance of ever regaining his former cultivation realm?
In an instant, the atmosphere within the room turned exceedingly stifling.
All of a sudden, Yang Kai opened his mouth, “Senior Chai, did your dantian hurt during this past half-year whenever you exerted your strength?”
Chai Hui gawked, as he did not know why Yang Kai had asked such a question. Nevertheless, he answered truthfully, “Occasionally; after all, I indeed suffered a serious injury to my dantian during that fight half a year ago, so there’s definitely some lasting effects from that.”
Yang Kai continued to ask, “When you use your strength, do you also have the feeling as though something is obstructed?”
“That’s right. There are times when my meridians will feel swollen and sore, and the circulation of my Source Qi will become sluggish,” Chai Hu replied in a respectful tone. Although Yang Kai was higher in cultivation compared to him, being able to understand his condition with just a slight investigation, showing how strong and powerful his Divine Sense was.
Chi Yue’s expression changed as she turned and set a hopeful gaze towards Yang Kai, “Did you discover something?”
Yang Kai continued to remain silent for a while, replying after pulling his hand back, “It’s possible that Senior Chai’s current situation isn’t due to an injury he sustained to his dantian.”
“Then what can it possibly be?” Chai Hu’s eyes snapped wide open, while the others sent curious looks at Yang Kai, all of them wanting to know exactly what he meant.
“Senior Chai, would you take off your shirt to let me take a look at your abdomen?” Yang Kai replied with a question.
Chai Hu nodded his head and proceeded to lift his top up. However, he quickly seemed to realise something as he raised his head to look towards Chi Yue, “Turn around, Fifth Sister.”
Chi Yue curled her lip in disdain, “What’s the matter with me seeing? Are you that embarrassed?”
Chai Hu snapped back, “Men and women that aren’t married shouldn’t show skin to one another.”
Chi Yue’s face turned blank as she snorted, “Are you going to take off or not? If you’re not going to, I’ll do it.”
“Okay okay okay! I’ll do it myself!” Chai Hu was truly afraid of her fiery temper. Knowing that she might really take action to strip him if he continued to be this indecisive, he no longer hesitated and took off his top.
After an instant, a few pairs of eyes shot towards his abdomen.
“Eh? What’s that?” Chi Yue cried out as her beautiful eyes were locked on the location of Chai Hu’s dantian.
“What?” Chai Hu gawked in response and proceeded to lower his head to take a look. In the next instant, he couldn’t refrain from snapping his eyes wide open as he gasped, “What the hell is this?”
Present on his abdomen were a few dark red intersecting strips that seemed to conceal some kind of profound mystery. These stripes were clearly formed from an unnatural source.
“You don’t know about these, Fourth Brother?” Gui Zu looked at Chai Hu in astonishment.
Chai Hu shook his head, a blank look present on his face.
Chi Yue instantly shot a disdainful look at him, “How long has it been since you’ve taken a bath? You aren’t even clear if there’s something on your body. No wonder there’s a smell coming from you.”
Chai Hu gave an embarrassed laugh, “I’ll take a bath in a bit, in a bit!”
A thoughtful look appeared on Yang Kai’s face, “Ah, so it’s like that.”
Hearing his words, Ai Ou immediately looked towards him and said in an enthusiastic tone, “Do you know something, Yang Boy? Hurry up and spit it out.”
The others also proceeded to send the same looks over towards Yang Kai.
Yang Kai replied, ‘Senior Chai’s drop in cultivation is most likely not due to the injury he sustained to his dantian.”
“Then what could it be?” A few voices rang out at the same time.
“He’s been poisoned!” Yang Kai replied.
Chai Hu was stunned, before gawking out, “Poisoned? How did I get poisoned?”
A look of utter confusion appeared on his face, as he clearly did not dare to believe what Yang Kai had just said. As he thought back in detail, he also wasn’t able to identify any moment when he had come across any poisonous substance, nor did he ever feel the sensation of being poisoned.
Yang Kai replied, “Were the Monster Beasts that you all encountered previously Profound Heavenly Wolf Spiders?”
The group’s eyes snapped wide open as they exclaimed in surprise, “How did you know?”
Yang Kai looked at Chai Hu, “Senior Chai, did you drink the blood of a Profound Heavenly Wolf Spider?”
Chai Hu nodded and replied, “I bit one to death.”
Upon hearing this, the corners of everyone’s mouth twitched as they all shot an incredulous look at Chai Hu.
Chai Hu continued, “There were quite a few of those damn things. I had no choice but to bite one to death.”
“It makes sense then. The blood of the Profound Heavenly Wolf Spider is poisonous, and should not be ingested!”
A look of shock flashed across Gu Cang Yun’s face as he said, “Sect Master Yang, what you mean is that Fourth Brother’s cultivation drop is due to him drinking the blood of the Profound Heavenly Wolf Spider?”
“That’s right. The blood of the Profound Heavenly Wolf Spider has the effect of suppressing one’s cultivation. It is an ingredient for Alchemy and can be combined with certain herbs to refine the Profound Wolf Pill. A single pill is enough to completely wipe away the cultivation of a Dao Source Realm cultivator and shatter their foundation, leaving them unable to cultivate ever again.”
As those words rang out, everyone’s expression changed drastically as the colour drained from their faces.
If what Yang Kai had said was the truth, Chai Hu’s fate…
The group did not dare to continue this line of thinking. Originally, they had only assumed that he had dropped down to a Third-Order Origin King, with the possibility of him regaining his cultivation in the future; however, never in their wildest dream did they expect for this matter to be this serious. If this was really the case, it would be impossible for Chai Hu to regain his former cultivation realm. Furthermore, as time passed, his cultivation would continue to regress until he became a complete cripple.
Seeing the ugly expressions on their faces, Yang Kai spoke out with a smile, “That’s only the efficacy of the Profound Wolf Pill. The blood of the Profound Heavenly Wolf Spider doesn’t have such a formidable effect by itself.”
Ai Ou hastily interjected, “Is there a way to dispel it?”
Yang Kai turned his head and shot a look at Chi Yue.
“Why are you looking at me?” Chi Yue asked with a blank look on her face.
Yang Kai replied, “Senior Chi Yue’s blood has the ability to suppress that poison.”
“Hm?” The confused looks on the other people grew deeper, as they did not know exactly what Yang Kai was talking about.
On the contrary, Chi Yue’s eyes lit up, “I see.”
Being the Monster King of Monster Emperor Star, she was the descendant of the Ancient Divine Spirit Heavenly Moon Demon Spider. Therefore, its bloodline flowed within her body. Despite both being Monster Beasts, the Heavenly Moon Demon Spider far, far outclassed the Profound Heavenly Wolf Spider in rank.
The aura of the Heavenly Moon Demon Spider was sufficient to suppress the lower-ranked Profound Heavenly Wolf Spider.
As she said those words, Chi Yue did not hesitate one bit and used her finger as a knife to give a fierce slice at her own wrist. In the next instant, bright red blood flowed out from her fair wrist.
Extending her wrist to Chai Hu, she ordered, “Drink it, Fourth Brother.”
Dumbfounded by her actions, Chai Hu stared at her as his face turned flushed, “What are you doing?”
With a faint smile, Chi Yue replied, “Don’t be embarrassed and stop being troublesome! Hurry up and drink!”
As she said those words, she proceeded to shove her wrist towards Chai Hu’s mouth.
At this point, Yang Kai spoke out, “If Senior Chai wants to restore his cultivation, it’s best that you do not reject her.”
Hearing his words, a myriad of emotions flashed through Chai Hu’s face, before he clenched his teeth and started to suck her blood on his own accord.
Yang Kai said, “Although Senior Chi Yue’s blood has a slight suppressive effect, you would still need a Coagulation Pill if you want to completely remove the effects of the poison. I’ll refine the pill, but before it is finished, it would be best for Senior Chai to not exert any strength. If not, it’ll make the matter more troublesome to deal with.”
After Yang Kai had finished with his explanation, Chai Hu had already let Chi Yue’s hand go. Wiping the leftover blood from his mouth, he said, “Okay. Then I shall trouble you, Little Brother.”
Yang Kai grinned, “Senior and my Sect’s Elder, my father-in-law, and my mother-in-law are sworn siblings. That makes us all one family, so there’s no need for you to be this courteous.”
“Father-in-law? Mother-in-law?” A strange look appeared on Chai Hu’s face as he turned his head to Chi Yue, “Are you married, Fifth Sister?”
Chi Yue snapped back at him, “Stop your nonsense and don’t soil my good name.”
By the side, Ai Ou gave a cold snort, “I’m that brat’s father-in-law! This brat is so unscrupulous, only the Heavens know what despicable methods he used to get so many girls to fall for him! This one’s precious daughter wasn’t able to escape his treacherous hands! Ah, my heart!”
Yang Kai flung his head up and replied in a haughty manner, “It’s all because of my natural charm!”
Chi Yue gave a cold snort, “After coming to this Star Boundary, far away from any supervision, you should have plucked quite a few flowers, right? Come, tell mother-in-law how many innocent girls you’ve fooled around with over the last two years!”
An aggrieved look appeared on Yang Kai’s face, “How is that possible? After coming to the Star Boundary, I’ve always maintained my purity and chastity.”
Chi Yue shot a slanted look at him, before saying in a cold voice, “That would be best. If you let me find out you’ve been fooling around with girls here, this Queen will first chop that girl into a thousand bits, before dicing you up into meat sauce.”
Wiping the cold sweat forming on his forehead, Yang Kai said, “That absolutely won’t happen.”
He mentioned that Source Qi is only converted after the cultivator breakthrough, but we know that is not the case. So, I took the liberty to change it.
The next half-day went by with Gui Zu and the others asking Yang Kai about the matters that happened to him after entering the Star Boundary.
Yang Kai didn’t conceal much as he started narrating his experiences. After hearing his stories, Gui Zu and the others could not help but sweat, despite knowing in their shocked hearts that Yang Kai had managed to safely avert the various dangers that he had encountered.
It was only then that they discovered that Yang Kai’s experience during these past few years was much richer, and far more dangerous than what they had gone through. However, Yang Kai’s progress in his cultivation was much quicker and far-reaching than theirs. They could not help but perspire and have a youthful, heroic feeling surge within their hearts.
Another half a day passed before they dispersed and retreated to their rooms to rest and recuperate.
Yang Kai went to find Ye Jing Han for her assistance to find a few herbs.
It was not a difficult task to refine a Coagulation Pill, though Yang Kai was lacking in the necessary materials to do so. If not, he would have already taken out his furnace on the ship to refine it. The few herbs he needed weren’t too difficult to find, so Yang Kai was naturally confident to let Ye Jing Han deal with procuring them.
She naturally accepted this small matter without the slightest hesitation and proceeded to transmit a message back to her Sect.
As the ship proceeded to move along, it took them less than two days to reach Thousand Leaves Mountain Range.
All of a sudden, Yang Kai, who was seated, felt a tremor rock through the ship. In the next instant, a humming noise rang out, before the ship came to a halt.
Opening his eyes, he sensed that they should have reached their destination. Just as this thought crossed his mind, a knocking sound came from the door, before Ye Jing Han’s voice called out, “Young Master Yang, we’ve arrived.”
Standing up, Yang Kai lightly smiled at Ye Jing Han, indicating for her to lead the way.
After a short while, the two arrived on the deck. Gui Zu, the others, as well as the Thousand Leaves Sect disciples were all present, with him being the last one to arrive.
Seeing him appear, Gui Zu and the others turned towards him, faint smiles present on their faces.
“Father!” With a sudden shout, Ye Jing Han leapt off the ship and lunged into the arms of an old man, hugging him tightly as she raised her head and said, “Why did you come out?”
The old man seemed to be past his prime, with a head full of white hair. Although a lively aura radiated from him, the strength of his vitality had already started to wane. In other words, his journey on the Martial Dao was already at its end. As time passed, his cultivation would only grow weaker and weaker, alongside his waning lifeforce. If he could not break through to the Emperor Realm, he would pass away within ten years.
From the looks of it, Ye Jing Han and the old man shared some facial similarities.
Yang Kai immediately realized that this old man was Thousand Leaves Sect’s Sect Master, Ye Hen; Ye Jing Han’s father.
A faint smile on his face, Ye Hen gave Ye Jing Han a light pat on her shoulder, “With the arrival of our honoured guests, it’s natural for me to come out to welcome them. On the contrary, you’re not young anymore, yet you still fawn over your father like this. You’re making the guests laugh at you.”
Ye Jing Han wrinkled her brows, “Why say that I’m not young? I am not married yet.”
Ye Hen chuckled, “Then I’ll marry you off tomorrow.”
Ye Jing Han pouted and snapped back, “You dare!?”
As she said those words, Du Xian and the others flew down from the ship, arriving before Ye Hen before cupping their fists, “Greetings, Sect Master.”
Ye Hen nodded his head and replied, “Many thanks for your hard work.”
Du Xian replied, “You’re too courteous, Sect Master. It is our duty to accomplish tasks for the Sect, so we don’t dare to claim credit for it.”
Ye Hen nodded his head in satisfaction, before turning his head towards Yang Kai and the others. After a cursory sweep, he focused on Yang Kai, a faint smile adorning his face as he cupped his fists, “You must be Grandmaster Yang, right? You’re young indeed, a true dragon amongst men.”
Clearly, he had already received quite a few pieces of information from Ye Jing Han, and also knew why she had brought Yang Kai back to Thousand Leaves Sect. As such, he was clearly emotional when he said these words, though no one was able to notice it due to his masterful poise.
Cupping his fists, Yang Kai replied, “Junior Yang Kai greets Sect Master Ye!”
Yang Kai had always been respectful towards the elderly and those who were senior to him, and would never underestimate anyone despite his rise in his strength.
“This Ye is truly grateful to Grandmaster Yang for making the arduous journey here,” Ye Hen quickly said.
Du Xian and the others gawked upon hearing his words, as they did not know why their Sect Master was displaying such an attitude. All of them assumed that Ye Hen had uttered the wrong words in the heat of the moment, instantly causing weird looks to appear on their faces.
Ye Jing Han did not tell them the real purpose she had invited Yang Kai, so they naturally wouldn’t understand.
This wasn’t due to her not being able to trust them, but this matter concerned the future rise or fall of Thousand Leaves Sect, so it was best if fewer people knew about it.
“Many thanks, Sect Master Ye, for your kind words,” Yang Kai exchanged pleasantries before his gaze turned slightly towards the figure of another old man standing by Ye Hen’s side, asking in doubt, “This Senior is…”
This old man was dressed in a black robe, and stood by Ye Hen’s side. He did not utter a single word the whole time and his gaze was sharp, while his cultivation was also at the Third-Order Dao Source Realm. From the looks of it, the Source Qi in his body was strong and pure, while his cultivation realm was not far off from Ye Hen’s. While Yang Kai was chatting with Ye Hen, this old man had been shooting a cold glare towards him while showing no intention of interrupting, nor wanting to exchange greetings with Yang Kai at all.
However, from what Yang Kai could tell, since this old man’s cultivation was at the Third-Order Dao Source Realm, and stood by Ye Hen’s side, his status should not be low. Therefore, out of respect, he naturally had to ask.
A faint wrinkle appeared on Ye Hen’s forehead, though he quickly smiled and proceeded with the introductions, “This is…”
“This Old Master is Thousand Leaves Sect’s Vice Sect Master, Shi Cang Ying!” The old man immediately interrupted Ye Hen and shot a gloomy look at Yang Kai.
Yang Kai frowned, as he could instinctually sense that this old man was radiating with hostility and repulsion. Therefore, he could not help himself from sizing the latter up in detail. He was very sure that he had never greeted this person before, nor did he have any dealing with him at all. Did he somehow offend this old man in some way?
Ye Hen quickly tried to mediate the situation, “Vice Sect Master Shi is a pillar of our Sect. It is due to his contribution over these years that our Thousand Leaves Sect has been able to continue surviving.”
“So, it is Vice Master Shi. This Junior has been disrespectful.” Yang Kai didn’t take much issue with the situation and replied by cupping his fists and putting on a faint smile.
Nevertheless, Shi Cang Ying did not have any intention of giving Yang Kai face and responded with a cold snort before turning towards Ye Hen, “Sect Master, this Old Master had assumed that it was the arrival of an extraordinary young genius that made you go all the way out personally. However, it doesn’t seem so from the looks of it. How is this trivial brat able to make you raise such a big fuss? You have gone senile, Sect Master.”
Not only did he treat Yang Kai as an insignificant flea, he had even cursed Ye Hen in the process.
The entire atmosphere turned suffocating as soon as his words rang out. Nevertheless, despite their faces brimming with anger, the few Thousand Leaves Sect disciples present did not dare to refute Shi Cang Ying.
A look of embarrassment covered Ye Hen’s face as he clearly did not expect Shi Cang Ying to be this tactless and say such words in front of Yang Kai, leaving no place left to manoeuvre.
Shi Cang Ying continued, “Furthermore, these few people have caused such a huge ruckus in the City Lord’s Mansion just two days ago. Not only did they offend City Lord Luo, they also offended many important guests in the process. This Old Master even heard that Sky Peak Temple’s Sir Ke was beaten to death by them! On top of that, Sky Illumination Palace’s Young Palace Master Qiu has suffered serious injuries during the scuffle! How could such walking disasters be allowed to enter our Thousand Leaves Sect?”
Ye Hen frowned and replied, “Brother Shi, the matter isn’t what you made it to be. There are some underlying circumstances…”
Shi Cang Ying abruptly interrupted, “This Old Master has a clear understanding of the whole matter, so there’s no need for Sect Master to explain it to me. What crime did City Lord Luo commit when taking in a mere concubine for him to suffer such humiliation before so many guests!? Sect Master, you will be letting wolves in the house if you let these few people into our Sect! When the time comes, Sky Crane City, Sky Peak Temple, and Sky Illumination Palace will definitely not leave the matter at that. When that happens, our Thousand Leaves Sect will be hopeless to deal with them!”
Right as those words rang out, Ye Hen’s face changed slightly, a clear indication of the extreme dread he had towards those few great forces.
By the side, Gui Zu let off a weird cackle that sounded incomparably sinister. Black Qi started to swirl around his body before a pair of pupils burning with a ghostly fire locked onto Shi Cang Ying’s body, “From this Friend’s words, we’re the ones that have done something wrong? When that Luo Jin forced my Fifth Sister to be his concubine against her will, we were supposed to cooperate obediently and not treat it as something humiliating but something honourable?”
Shi Cang Ying shot a cold look back at him, “Strength is king. Your cultivation is mediocre, so it is your good fortune to have the opportunity to seek shelter under the big tree that is the City Lord’s Mansion. However, not only did you all not appreciate it, you even managed to cause a disaster and create trouble for yourselves. What a joke.”
“Shut your trap, you old dog!” Chi Yue’s face turned red with rage as she cursed out between her clenched teeth, “Why don’t you marry your wife or daughter to that old bastard and lean on his big tree then? You dare accuse others without any self-conscience?”
Rage filled Shi Cang Yang’s face as soon as he heard her words and Source Qi started to gush out from his body. Despite being a mere First-Order Dao Source Realm cultivator, Chi Yue still dared to say such words to him. As such, he was naturally unable to endure it and subconsciously thought about taking action to teach her a good lesson.
However, before he could gather his strength, he suddenly felt an exceedingly contemptuous gaze bearing down on him. Under that gaze, Shi Cang Ying could not help feeling a mysterious shiver run up his spine while a feeling that he would end up in an exceedingly miserable state if he was to take action surged within his heart.
Turning his head around, he just so happened to see Yang Kai grinning while looking right at him.
This made him frown, though he did not dare to recklessly take action. With a haughty look, he said, “This Old Master is a Third-Order Dao Source Realm Master, so there is no need for me to move according to Luo Jin’s whims. If you all reach this realm of cultivation, you would naturally be able to do what this Old Master does.”
Speaking to this point, Yang Kai finally realized why Shi Cang Ying had shown such hostility and repulsion to them despite meeting them for the first time.
He was clearly afraid of drawing trouble to himself.
After all, Yang Kai had offended quite a few powerful influences due to the massive ruckus he had created in Sky Crane City’s City Lord Mansion two days ago, where he had killed a number of people. Among them were important members of several powerful forces that Thousand Leaves Sect needed to be wary of, especially Sky Peak Temple and Sky Illumination Palace, both of which were overseen by strong Masters.
From the attitude Shi Cang Ying had shown, Yang Kai and the others weren’t the ones he truly feared would bring disaster to his Thousand Leaves Sect. On the contrary, he was afraid of trouble falling on him due to associating with Yang Kai and his group. Therefore, he was very unwelcoming to them, wanting to use this as an attempt to chase them away and not let them have any association with Thousand Leaves Sect.
This made him treat Ye Hen with utter disregard and not show any face to Yang Kai and the others.
“What you say does make sense, old Sir!” All of a sudden, Yang Kai said this sentence with a faint smile on his face.
“Smelly brat!” Chi Yue’s face sank as she shot a wicked look at Yang Kai. Not only did Yang Kai not say anything to back her up, he had actually agreed with this horrid old fart. This was something she never expected, and was truly unable to accept.
Yang Kai winked back at her, “Strength is king, while seniority is only to be respected. Whoever has the biggest fist has the most say. Regardless of the time, this is the law that never changes. Isn’t that right?”
Shi Cang Ying sneered, “It’s rare for a young little brat like you to be able to see so clearly. Good, very good.”
With a faint smile, Yang Kai said, “Everyone can speak about reason. However, there aren’t many who can actually put it into action.”
Shi Cang Ying looked at him and replied, “Looks like you’re not bad to actually be able to say such words. From the looks of it, you’re sensible and reasonable, so this Old Master will get straight to the point…” Talking up to here, his expression sank as he waved his hand, “Thousand Leaves Sect does not welcome you all. Scram back to wherever you came from.”
“Vice Sect Master Shi!” Ye Hen could not help himself from letting out a cold shout, his face blanketed in fury.
It wasn’t easy for Ye Jing Han to invite Yang Kai to come over to repair that World-Crossing Space Array. If this attempt was successful, Thousand Leaves Sect would definitely be able to turn their current situation around and would no longer have to struggle just to eke out a living for themselves. This was the most important matter for the future of their Sect! If not, why would he personally come out to welcome Yang Kai and his group? However, never in his wildest dreams did he expect Shi Cang Ying to cause havoc regarding this matter. Therefore, there was no way for him to not be infuriated by this development.
Ye Jing Han’s pretty face also sunk as she looked over towards Shi Cang Ying, “Martial Uncle, Young Master Yang is a friend I’ve invited over, so would you please treat them with more courtesy.”
Shi Cang Ying sneered, “This Old Master would naturally be courteous if they were your genuine friends; however, this Old Master doesn’t wish to see people that will cause disaster to befall our Sect. Make them leave.”
Ye Jing Han shouted back, “That is impossible. Martial Uncle, please hurry up and apologize to Young Master Yang.”
“Impudence!” Shi Cang Ying burst into anger, before glaring at Ye Hen, “Is this the good daughter that you’ve brought up, Sect Master? She’s so rude and disrespectful to actually shout at her Martial Uncle like that! Highly improper!”
A gloomy look descended on Ye Hen’s face as he replied, “Jing Han has always been kind and gentle. Therefore, she definitely has her reasons to be this angry.”
“You… You…” Shi Cang Ying’s beard shook as an utterly infuriated appearance radiated from his entire being.
“From the looks of it… this Young Master’s appearance has caused some disharmonious notes to appear in your noble Sect.” Yang Kai said with a faint smile while rubbing his nose.
“Stop with your cynical remarks, you brat,” Shi Cang Ying growled and shot an exceedingly foul look towards Yang Kai.
This caused Yang Kai to laugh, “Old thing, you’re already advanced in age, it would be better for you to not get too worked up and injure your body as a result.”
“Stop with your false pity. If you really are Ye Girl’s friend, you should be considerate to her and quickly leave our Thousand Leaves Sect!” Shi Cang Ying seemed to be hell-bent on wanting to chase Yang Kai away as he made no attempt to hide that thought, with the word ‘leave’ being in almost every sentence coming out from his mouth.
Yang Kai grinned in response, “I already told you to not get worked up, right? Just a few days ago, an old fellow by the name of Ke Tian got worked up like you, just before… He died!”
Shi Cang Yang’s expression changed drastically immediately upon hearing those words, before he retreated vigilantly a few steps and shouted anxious, “What is your meaning here?”
Although Yang Kai’s words carried no malicious intent with them, the hairs on Shi Cang Yang’s body stood on their ends when they echoed in his ears while cold sweat drenched through his robes. Even Ye Hen’s expression had drastically changed, appearing as though he was afraid that Yang Kai would really take action right here.
All of them had received news of Yang Kai killing quite a few people in the City Lord’s Mansion. Among those killed was Sky Peak Temple’s Ke Tian. Originally, they did not dare to believe the information they had received; however, after hearing those words from Yang Kai’s mouth, they had no other choice but to believe them.
Yang Kai sneered, “According to what you said earlier, Seniority demands respect, but strength is always king. This Young Master is stronger than you, so you should know your place before this Young Master. If not… this Young Master doesn’t mind showing to you the disparity between us.”
As soon as she heard his words, Chi Yue immediately proceeded to stir up even more trouble, “Yang Boy is a big tree. Do you want to lean on him, old fart? Don’t miss out on this opportunity, if not, you’ll regret it when it’s too late.”
Gui Zu sniggered and chimed in, “If you have any daughters or granddaughters you can try to push them to get married to Young Master Yang. You’d best understand how lucky you are to have this opportunity before it’s gone.”
These words immediately caused Ai Ou and Chi Yue eyes to shoot daggers at him and snap simultaneously, “Big Brother! Are you still wishing for people to look after you during your last days!?”
Cold sweat appeared on Gui Zu’s forehead as he replied in embarrassment, “Just treat it as my nonsensical rambling.”
Their words unleashed a series of stabs and beatings as they took turns to ridicule Shi Cang Ying, causing the latter’s face to alternate between green and red with rage and embarrassment. Source Qi proceeded to gush out from his entire body, and he appeared to be on the brink of taking action; however, the thought of Ke Tian dying at Yang Kai’s hand and how the youth’s true strength could not be judged by his cultivation realm caused fear to fill his heart, preventing him from really making a move. This vexed Shi Cang Ying so much that he nearly coughed out blood as a result. Unable to do anything, he had no other choice but to clench his teeth and growled angrily at Ye Hen, “Sect Master! Are you going to stand by and watch these outsiders humiliate your Vice Sect Master like this?”
Ye Hen quickly replied, “Brother Shi, if you really are thinking about the Sect, you should withdraw. Young Master Yang is a friend that Jing Han specially invited over, which means he is our Sect’s guest. Our Sect does not treat our guests like this!”
“You…” Shi Cang Ying glared furiously at Ye Hen. Suppressing the rampant Qi within his body, he roared out, “Since Sect Master treats this Old Master’s good intentions as farts, you can deal with this on your own!”
Finishing his sentence, he turned around, flung his sleeves, and walked off, disappearing without a trace in the blink of an eye.
Seeing Shi Cang Ying leave just like that, Ye Jing Han could not help but exhale deeply, before looking sheepishly towards Yang Kai and said, “Young Master Yang…”
Right as she was about to speak, the words she was trying to say became stuck in her throat as she noticed Yang Kai staring coldly right back at her with an exceedingly unhappy look on his face.
“Sister Ye, you’d best give me a proper explanation for this. If you are unable to give this Young Master a satisfactory answer, he will immediately turn around and leave!” Yang Kai said in a cold voice.
At this moment, he had a stomach full of grievances.
Originally, he had accepted to come to Thousand Leaves Sect to repair their World-Crossing Space Array only due to Ye Jing Han’s persistent efforts; however, no one could have expected that he would be threatened by their Vice Sect Master before he had even set foot into their Sect. Although he did not suffer any losses from this incident, nor lose any face, it had made Yang Kai feeling exceedingly irritated.
If not for the miraculous coincidence of being able to find Chi Yue and his other Seniors, which could be counted as a contribution by Ye Jing Han, Yang Kai would not have been that long-winded with them at all. With the attitude and tone Shi Cang Ying had used earlier, he would have already taken action to kill him.
The faces of Ye Jing Han and Ye Hen changed drastically upon hearing Yang Kai’s words. Brimming with dread, Ye Jing Han hastily replied, “Please calm yourself, Young Master Yang. Martial Uncle Shi has always been at odds with father, which resulted in…”
Ye Hen patted on Ye Jing Han’s shoulder to interrupt her explanation. Looking at Yang Kai, he gave a sigh, “This Ye can understand the anger Young Master Yang is feeling right now. All of this is this Ye’s fault for the unsatisfactory reception that caused grievances for Young Master Yang. This Ye apologizes to Young Master Yang and his companions and hopes Young Master Yang will give one more chance to our Sect.”
After finishing his apology, he made a deep bow in a show of extreme sincerity.
A slight frown appeared on Yang Kai’s face. Sensing the sincerity from Ye Hen had extinguished the majority of the flames of anger burning in his heart, “There’s no need for Sect Master Ye to do this. Truthfully speaking, I’m just very curious why a trivial Vice Sect Master is able to be that arrogant before the Sect Master, that’s all.”
Ye Hen gave a bitter laugh in response, “Will anyone be afraid… of an old tiger that has lost its fangs?”
“Father…” Ye Jing Han let out a sob-filled cry as tears filled her eyes.
Ye Hen smiled at her and said, “To be born, grow old, get sick and die is part of life, there is no need for you to feel sad.” After saying those words, he turned back to look at Yang Kai, “During our prime, our Thousand Leaves Sect excelled in the Dao of Puppetry and our reputation was well known throughout the Southern Territory. However, due to our failure, we lost our core inheritance and gradually declined. Despite assuming command of Thousand Leaves Sect, it is all due to this Ye’s inability that the Sect has yet to be returned to its former glory. Therefore, it is unavoidable for some dissenting voices to appear within the Sect. Vice Master Shi’s faction feels that we should discard the Dao of Puppetry and seek out other paths, learning other Secret Arts or Techniques in order to rebuild our Thousand Leaves Sect. However, the Dao of Puppetry is something that our ancestors passed down to us, so how could this Ye dare to abandon it? If I did so, not only would I be unfilial, unrighteous, and unbelieving, I would also have no face to meet our ancestors when I enter the next life.”
A pensive look appeared on Chi Yue’s face, “When the Sect Master and Vice Sect Master have different plans, how could the Sect develop successfully?”
Ye Hen followed up with yet another bitter laugh, “That is precisely the point. The current Thousand Leaves Sect has already been split into two factions, one of which wishes to preserve our heritage, the other which hopes for change. Although these two factions aren’t completely incompatible like fire and water, there is some disharmony between them.”
“Combined with your old age, that allows your Vice Sect Master to show not a single bit of face to you? To the point of wanting to suppress your authority?” Ai Ou was gradually understanding the current situation within Thousand Leaves Sect.
“I apologize for airing such unpleasant matters of our Sect before you all,” Ye Hen replied with a depressed look on his face.
Standing to the side, Du Xian and the other Thousand Leaves Sect disciples had ashen looks on their faces, with their fists all tightly clenched. Clearly, they were not feeling very well after the whole spectacle.
Ye Hen continued to speak, “Although this isn’t this Ye’s intention, being the Sect Master of the Thousand Leaves Sect, this Ye cannot escape from this responsibility. If Young Master Yang really does not want to work with our Thousand Leaves Sect ever again, this Ye will not continue to impose. Though, I truly hope for Young Master Yang to be magnanimous and give our Sect one more chance.”
Looking right back at him, Yang Kai replied with an indifferent tone, “Although Vice Master Shi has irritated me, his words were not completely incorrect. I have just offended quite a few people. Is Sect Master Ye not afraid of drawing danger to befall your noble Sect?”
Ye Hen lightly replied, “Even without Young Master Yang coming here, our Sect has already become a thorn in those people’s eyes. It is just a matter of time before they take us to the chopping board. Furthermore, many have already witnessed Young Master Yang and my daughter working together during the matter that happened in the City Lord’s Mansion, so even if Young Master Yang leaves right now, our Thousand Leaves Sect will not be able to extricate ourselves from this matter.”
Yang Kai grinned in response, “It seems Sect Master Ye has better foresight than Vice Sect Master Shi.”
Ye Hen continued, “Vice Sect Master Shi believes that everything will be fine if he takes the initiative to rebuff you. The only thing this Ye can say is that he is too naive in his thinking.”
Yang Kai asked, “And what if I am incapable of successfully completing the matter you wish to cooperate on?”
Ye Hen turned silent for a while before replying, “Time and fate are interlinked, let nature take its course and do not force what is impossible. At the very least, when I meet my Sect’s ancestors in the next life, I can say to them with conviction that this Ye did his best!”
“Alright. This Young Master will make an effort then,” Yang Kai said and nodded his head.
Ye Jing Han cried out in excitement upon hearing his reply, “You’re staying, Young Master Yang?”
Ye Hen chuckled heartily, “Why are you still asking? Silly girl.” As he said those words, he stood aside, “Please, Young Master Yang.”
No longer putting up the imposing and intimidating front like he did earlier, Yang Kai gave a courteous reply, “Alright then, Sect Master Ye.”
Ye Hen hesitated for a bit before proceeding to walk alongside Yang Kai into Thousand Leaves Sect.
As they travelled along, Gui Zu and the others glanced around in curiosity, while shocked looks gleamed constantly within their eyes.
Although they had already been in the Star Boundary for two to three years, they had only been moving about in the vicinity of Sky Crane City and had never seen a big Sect in the Star Boundary.
Although Thousand Leaves Sect was currently in decline, it had once been a first-class force in the Southern Territory. As such, the heritage present within could not be matched by other small Sects. The lofty and ancient constructions as well as the continuous and twisting paths seemed to transcend space and time, linking the past and the present, allowing people to have a taste of the various splendours of the time hundreds and thousands of years ago.
Although the current Thousand Leaves Sect couldn’t compare to a real peak Sect at the moment, they were still able to carve out an impressive image due to the various inheritances passed down from ten thousand years ago. This left Yang Kai relishing in satisfaction as he travelled along.
Nevertheless, he was able to sense that the World Energy within Thousand Leaves Sect was indeed quite sparse, giving the impression of a treasured spiritual mountain without the corresponding World Energy that should encircle it. This meant that the Earth Vein present here was not outstanding. Such a piece of land ideally wouldn’t be used as a place to establish a Sect; however, the Ancestral Founders of Thousand Leaves Sect had still chosen to take root here. Clearly, this was due to the existence of the Sealed World.
This was just like Wen Zi Shan choosing to establish the Azure Sun Temple within the Azure Sun Mountain Range. The existence of the Divine Ascension Mirror was the deciding factor.
The group flew along the undulating mountain paths, which, alongside the swirling sea of clouds beneath, provided for a beautiful sight to behold.
“Eh… Look at that small mountain. It looks like a Monster Beast.” All of a sudden, Chi Yue appeared to have discovered something as she pointed towards a small mountain peak that was approximately fifty metres tall.
“The one by its side is also a little interesting, it looks like a person standing with a sword in his hand!” Gu Cang Yun’s eyes lit up like torches as he looked towards another small mountain peak with an exceedingly excited look on his face.
The group turned their heads to look and quickly discovered that those two peaks were not the only interesting peaks present. There were at least several dozen peculiar-looking mountain peaks present within the inner sanctum of Thousand Leaves Sect. These peaks were all quite short in height, with only a few of them towering over a thousand metres tall. What’s more, all of them appeared to be shaped like living creatures, albeit ones that were magnified countless times over.
Feeling interested, Yang Kai could not help but to take a few more looks at these mountain peaks; however, his expression quickly changed as he released his Divine Sense to investigate these strangely shaped mountain peaks.
After a moment, his expression changed again as he suddenly asked, “Sect Master Ye, those small mountain peaks… aren’t as simple as they look, right?”
Ye Hen gave a faint smile and replied, “Young Master Yang’s vision is indeed sharp to be able to notice this. This Ye is impressed.”
“Is it really as I’ve imagined?” Yang Kai’s expression instantly turned solemn.
Ye Hen nodded and replied, “Indeed, it is what Young Master Yang is thinking.”
“Father, what are you two talking about?” A blank look appeared on Ye Jing Han’s face as she looked towards her father, not knowing what mysterious thing he was talking about with Yang Kai.
Chi Yue and the rest were also confused by the conversation, though it felt awkward for them to interject so they held their curiosity.
Yang Kai could not help but let a respectful look appear on his face before giving praise, “Your noble Sect’s Ancestors are indeed extraordinary. Originally, I had assumed that Sister Ye’s praise for the past grandeur of your Thousand Leaves Sect was somewhat exaggerated; however, from the looks of it, she was actually being quite reserved.”
Ye Hen sighed, “Although our heritage still exists, the core inheritance has already disappeared. This Ye feels extremely guilty about this.”
Ye Jing Han interjected, “This isn’t your fault, father! If not for that generation’s Ancestor losing our Sect’s inheritance, how would we end up in this state?”
“Impudence!” Ye Hen shot a fierce glare at Ye Jing Han, “How can you recklessly judge the matters of our Ancestors like that?”
Ye Jing Han pouted in response, while a look of unhappiness appeared on her face.
Seeing the darkening of Ye Hen’s mood, Yang Kai did not say anything else, though his impression of Thousand Leaves Sect had grown by quite a bit. He felt that if the Thousand Leaves Sect was able to regain some of its core inheritance, they might be able to reach the same level as the other first-class Sects after just a hundred years. Those unassuming, weirdly shaped mountain peaks were more than sufficient to show the potential present within those lost inheritances.
After a short while, the group arrived at the main peak of Thousand Leaves Mountain Range, Thousand Leaves Peak. Just like other Sects, luxurious buildings and pavilions were constructed here, brimming with an awe-inspiring grandeur. Clearly, this was an extremely important location for Thousand Leaves Sect.
Present on the apex of the mountain peak was an ancient-looking great hall that had an ancient and imposing aura gushing out from it.
The group landed right before the great hall.
The other members of Thousand Leaves Sect were already present here, appearing to have received news of their impending arrival. Upon the arrival of Ye Hen and the others, they proceeded to bow in respect, though Shi Cang Ying was absent.
Ye Hen proceeded to introduce every high-ranking member of Thousand Leaves Sect to Yang Kai.
After breaking the ice, Ye Hen led the group into the great hall for a reception.
Along the sides of the great hall stood two rows of spear-wielding guards. Not only that, they were accompanied by a few strange looking Monster Beasts that sat still on the ground, not moving even an inch.
As Yang Kai and the group walked past these guards, they noticed that they were not moving even an inch, to the point where they were not even blinking, nor did they show any intent of greeting the group at all.
This strange phenomenon piqued Yang Kai’s interest, and after taking a few more looks at the guards, his entire body shook as he immediately came to a halt before sending out his Divine Sense to sweep across the bodies of those guards in shock.
Seeing this, Ye Hen also proceeded to stop and grinned as he looked at Yang Kai.
“What happened, Sect Master Yang?” Gu Cang Yun asked in doubt, confused over what Yang Kai had discovered.
Yang Kai shot a look to his left and right. Only then did he take a deep breath, before looking towards Ye Hen to ask, “Sect Master Ye… are all of these guards puppets?”
“What?” The eyes of Chi Yue and the others snapped wide open as they looked incredulously towards the row of guards by their sides, proceeding to send their Divine Sense out to investigate.
After a short while, all of them had their eyes wide open with looks of disbelief blanketing their faces.
Earlier, other than feeling that they appeared somewhat weird, no one had too much of an impression after seeing those guards. It was only after Yang Kai’s question did everyone realise that all of those black armoured, weapon-wielding guards were not living beings, but exceedingly lifelike puppets.
They appeared to be completely identical to living humans. Even the skin exposed between the gaps of their armour was of the same shade as a human being’s.
Chi Yue and the others turned their heads to look around and discovered that the weirdly-shaped Monster Beasts lying on the ground also seemed to be puppets.
This left them in utter shock from their discovery.
With a faint smile, Ye Hen said, “These are a small number of the Earth Grade puppets present in our Sect. I apologize to Young Master Yang for our lacking display.”
Although his words were humble, an unmistakable hint of pride was present within his eyes. Clearly, he was extremely proud of his Sect’s heritage.
The other higher-ups from Thousand Leaves Sect also wore proud looks on their faces.
Yang Kai’s eyebrows rose up as he asked, “Puppets are also categorized into different grades?”
Ye Hen replied, “Of course. Within our Thousand Leaves Sect, all of the puppets here are classified into the four grades, Heaven, Earth, Black and Yellow. Every category is further split into three ranks. The higher the grade, the stronger the puppet.”
“Then those Earth Grade puppets…” Chi Yue asked in curiosity as she pointed to the approximately thirty puppets present here, “What is the level of combat strength they can display?”
With a solemn voice, Ye Hen replied, “The strongest ones are able to rival Third-Order Dao Source Realm cultivators, with the weakest being able to rival First-Order Dao Source Realms!”
A series of gasps rang out as the group looked at Ye Hen in disbelief.
If everything was as what he had said, the over thirty puppets present here would equate to the same number of Dao Source Realm Masters, with some Third-Order-rivalling existences among their ranks.
How powerful would such a force be?
Furthermore, that was just the combat strength of the puppets! The cultivators controlling them had not been accounted for yet.
If a First-Order Dao Source Realm cultivator was able to control a Third-Order Dao Source Realm puppet, they should be able to put up a fight even if they were up against an enemy at the peak of the Dao Source Realm.
Gu Zu said with a face covered in shock, “Despite how extraordinary the Dao of Puppetry is for your noble Sect, there are still people who want to find other Secret Arts and Techniques to replace it? They’re basically blind and don’t know how blessed they are!”
Ye Hen’s face dimmed, “Our Sect no longer has the methods to control these puppets. As of now, the only thing we can do is to display them here.”
The group of Thousand Leaves Sect leaders all turned silent and depressed, their expressions crestfallen, with no trace of the earlier pride they had shown.
“That’s enough gossip. Young Master Yang and our guests have just arrived from afar. Our Sect has prepared water and wine to help our honoured guests wash away their weariness. Please, do not reject our hospitality! This way!” Ye Hen quickly changed the subject, clearly not wanting to continue talking about this painful spot any longer.
Yang Kai and the others did not reject the hospitality, as it would not look good on them if they were to refuse other people’s good intentions. Therefore, they followed Ye Hen and entered the great hall.
The higher-realm Thousand Leaves Sect cultivators did not know why their Sect Master was treating Yang Kai with such importance, to the point of going all the way out to greet the latter at the entrance of the Sect. Nevertheless, they did not dare to ask too many questions. This let a good atmosphere develop in the reception hall, and coupled with the repeated cheers and drinking, left the guests brimming with happiness.
Seated beside each other, both Yang Kai and Ye Hen did not keep a reserved stance as they maintained an exceedingly outspoken attitude. They drank and laughed with anyone who came forward to drink with them, giving people an impression of them being very open-minded and friendly.
Only after three rounds of drinks did people begin to leave.
Yang Kai and the others were arranged to rest in a large courtyard on the main peak.
Other than a few maidservants and service-related personnel, there was no one else present, as all of the Thousand Leaves Sect disciples had already taken their leave.
Chi Yue and the others retreated to their assigned rooms, with Yang Kai also arriving at his assigned room through the guidance of a maidservant. After instructing her to not disturb him unless he called for her, Yang Kai proceeded to open the room’s barriers.
After doing so, he waved his hand before an elegant looking beauty appeared in front of him.
After taking a look at her surroundings, Hua Qing Si said in a discontented tone, “I’m at the critical period of my cultivation. Why did you summon me?”
As of now, the Small Seal World had been saturated with World Energy. Other than the incomplete World Principles, the environment within it was better for cultivation than even Star Soul Palace’s Heaven Grade Cultivation Paradises’ rooms. This was a matter of great joy for Hua Qing Si and Zhang Ruo Xi, who had been cultivating within it.
This was especially significant for Zhang Ruo Xi, whose cultivation had soared upwards. At this moment, she had impressively broken through to the Origin King Realm, something which Yang Kai had taken keen notice of. After the awakening of the bloodline present within her, Zhang Ruo Xi simply appeared to be a completely new person.
Although Hua Qing Si had yet to break through, the Source Qi circulating within her body had grown substantially purer than before, forming a rather strong foundation that was absolutely beneficial to her impending breakthrough to the Emperor Realm.
Therefore, she was naturally unhappy with Yang Kai’s sudden summoning.
“How is Sister Hua’s cultivation going?” Yang Kai asked in interest. The greater her strength, the greater the help she would be able to provide to him; therefore, he naturally hoped for Hua Qing Si to break through to the Emperor Realm as soon as possible.
If she managed to break through, it would mean that he would have an Emperor Realm goon by his side at all times that could fight anyone he wanted to fight against.
Hua Qing Si frowned in response, “I’m still lacking a little bit. I feel as if I am still missing something. Perhaps my opportunity has yet to arrive.”
Shades of vexation were present in her tone; after all, with Yang Kai handing an exceedingly precious treasure like the Extraordinary Treasure Pill to her to consume, it would be inexcusable for her to not break through into the Emperor Realm.
“Being too hasty during cultivation might have the opposite effect,” Yang Kai smiled faintly, having also realised the pressing issue that plagued Hua Qing Si.
“As if I don’t know that. You’ll know how I feel only when you reach the same realm as me,” Hua Qing Si gave a sigh before waving her hand. “Forget about it, let’s not talk about it. What is this place and what did you summon me for?”
“This is Thousand Leaves Sect.”
“Thousand Leaves Sect?” Hua Qing Si raised her brow, sinking into silent thought for a while before saying, “Are you talking about the Thousand Leaves Sect that gained their name through their Puppet Arts?”
“Does Sister Hua know about this Sect?” Yang Kai asked in shock.
Hua Qing Si replied, “Although Thousand Leaves Sect isn’t a first-class Sect, they are still quite famous within the Southern Territory, so how could I have not heard of them? In the past, I was even quite interested in their Puppet Arts and did a little research about them for a while. Nevertheless, it’s a pity as I heard they’ve already lost their inheritance and have been in decline for quite a few years. Currently, they can’t even control the puppets left within their Sect.”
“En, that’s about right, from what I’ve heard.” Upon hearing her reply, Yang Kai immediately knew that Hua Qing Si had quite a good understanding of Thousand Leaves Sect.
“Why did you come to the Thousand Leave Sect? Are you coveting their Puppet Arts?” Asked Hua Qing Si in curiosity.
“I’m here to help on someone’s behest.” Yang Kai smiled faintly and gave a brief explanation of the matter.
Surprised by the development of events, Hua Qing Si asked, “There’s actually a Sealed World within Thousand Leaves Sect? That’s the first time I’ve heard of this matter; so that’s why Thousand Leaves Sect entered a decline. It’s also very plausible that their Sealed World’s entrance has been sealed. Reasonably speaking, it would not be a hard task for you to use your knowledge of the Dao of Space to repair that connection.”
“I’ll have to give my all,” Yang Kai shrugged.
All of a sudden, a crafty smile appeared on Hua Qing Si’s face, “Young Master Yang, if you are able to find the Thousand Leaves Sect’s inheritance within the Sealed World, would it be possible for you to make a copy for me to take a look?”
“That doesn’t seem like a great idea…” Yang Kai cast a sidelong gaze at her, “After all, it’s their inheritance. What are you trying to do by trying to comprehend it?”
Hua Qing Si curled her lips, “You make it sound like you aren’t interested in it at all. All right then. In any case, it won’t take me long before I break through to the Emperor Realm, so I don’t have any time now to comprehend it anyway.”
Yang Kai gave a meaningful grin, “I can give it a try.”
Hua Qing Si replied, “That’s more like it. I’ve heard that the puppets of Thousand Leaves Sect are classified into four grades, Heaven, Earth, Profound and Yellow. As of now, the members of this Sect are only able to control puppets of the Profound Grade and below, as the controlling method for puppets of Earth Grade and above had been lost over time.”
“That’s right. There are over thirty Earth Grade puppets present on their main peak, but Ye Hen and the others were incapable of controlling them. From the looks of it, they also have quite a few Heaven Grade Puppets.” A look of pity appeared on Yang Kai’s face as he recalled the deep shock that he had felt in his heart upon seeing those strange little mountain peaks that greeted him when he had first entered Thousand Leaves Sect.
Hua Qing Si smiled, “Do you know that there’s also a Spirit Grade Puppet, which is a grade above Heaven Grade Puppets?”
Yang Kai’s eyes snapped wide open as he gasped in shock, “Spirit Grade Puppets?”
Hua Qing Si nodded her head and replied, “I don’t know if those puppets actually existed or not, as I obtained the information on them from a few ancient books kept in Star Soul Palace’s library. The information there wasn’t complete either. You should know that being overlord of the Southern Territory, Star Soul Palace has conducted some research on the Secret Techniques of the various major Sects across the entire Star Boundary.”
“En…” Yang Kai’s interest was immediately piqued.
Hua Qing Si replied with a solemn tone, “Every single one of the Thousand Leaves Sect’s Heaven Grade Puppets was said to be able to display a combat strength rivalling an Emperor Realm Master. The strongest of the Heaven Grade Puppets weren’t even inferior to Third-Order Emperors. This was the reason why they were able to become a top Sect within the Southern Territory. But regarding Spirit Grade Puppets… they seemed to have already gained spirituality, were capable of independent thought, and possessed their own consciousness. They were said to be capable of cultivating Secret Arts and Techniques, allowing them to continuously increase their combat strength, just like… your Big Stone!”
The Big Stone she was talking about was naturally his Embodiment.
Yang Kai was so shocked by Hua Qing Si’s words that he shot an utterly dumbfounded look at her.
Puppets were called puppets because they lacked sentience and required cultivators to control their movements. If they were able to possess their own consciousness and were even able to increase their combat strength through cultivation, how could they still be classified as puppets? Those were clearly the benefits only living creatures possessed.
Hua Qing Si smiled faintly, “I don’t know whether they actually exist or not. In any case, that is how they were described in the ancient books I’ve read. During those years, although Thousand Leaves Sect had achieved universal acclaim for their mastery of the Dao of Puppetry, they didn’t seem to have too many Spirit Grade Puppets in hand. Furthermore, no one knew where those Spirit Grade Puppets had disappeared to over these years.”
Yang Kai remained silent for a long time.
A puppet with sentience; just the idea of it seemed so outrageous; however, upon deeper thought, it did not seem to be utterly impossible. With how vast this world was, and the endless myriad of strange and peculiar things present within, even an Artifact Spirit, Liu Yan, was able to assume human form; so why would it be impossible for a puppet to gain sentience?
The only problem was the incredible amount of conditions and coincidences that had to align for this to happen.
“Oh, by the way, why did you summon me? If there isn’t anything else, I want to go back and cultivate.” Hua Qing Si could not help but ask after seeing Yang Kai staying in a daze for a long time.
Coming back to his senses, Yang Kai replied, “Sister Hua, I need you to stay here temporarily, as I have something I need your help with.”
“What is it?”
“During this trip to Thousand Leaves Sect, I managed to find some of my old friends; however, Thousand Leaves Sect’s Vice Sect Master doesn’t seem to have a good impression of us. I’m afraid that he might try to do something nefarious to them when I’m not around.”
Yang Kai needed to repair Thousand Leaves Sect’s Space Array, and if the opportunity presented itself, he even wished to take a look at the interior of the Sealed World. When that happened, it would naturally be impossible for him to be next to Chi Yue and the others.
At this moment, Chi Yue and the others were only First-Order Dao Source Realm cultivators, while Shi Cang Ying was a Third-Order Dao Source Realm Master. There was a rather big gap in their cultivations, so if Yang Kai was not by their side, Chi Yue and the others would be utterly incapable of putting up any resistance should Shi Cang Ying choose to move against them.
As such, Yang Kai had summoned Hua Qing Si with the intention of having her secretly protect Chi Yue and the others.
After explaining his intentions to Hua QIng Si, she immediately accepted, “That’s not a problem. You should just worry about your own matters, Young Master Yang. It’s just a Third-Order Dao Source Realm. If he really wants to seek death, I don’t mind assisting him in doing so.”
As she said those words, a chilling glint flashed across her eyes. Clearly, she was feeling extremely unhappy and frustrated at that fellow for causing interference with her cultivation.
Although Hua Qing Si and Shi Cang Ying had the same cultivation, their backgrounds were completely different. Shi Cang Ying was just the Vice Sect Master of Thousand Leaves Sect; how could his Secret Arts and Secret Techniques rival those of Hua Qing Si, who originated from Star Soul Palace?
If the two of them were to engage in a life or death fight, there was absolutely no possibility for Shi Cang Ying to obtain victory.
“Then I shall trouble you, Sister Hua,” Yang Kai replied with a grin.
Shooting an annoyed glare at Yang Kai, Hua Qing Si said in a gloomy tone, “After handing my Soul Imprint to you, your ‘Sister Hua’ has already resigned herself to her fate. The only thing I hope is for you to treat your Sister Hua well in the future. As long as you don’t resort to beating or scolding me, that will be enough.”
Following her words, she rubbed the corners of her eyes, all while looking as if she was suffering from a cruel fate.
Cold sweat erupted from Yang Kai’s body as he hurriedly wiped his forehead and warned, “Sister Hua, you better not say those words in front of Chi Yue. If you do, I’ll be dead for sure.”
A bitter look blanketed Hua Qing Si’s face as she pursed her lips, “Young Master Yang, are you not satisfied even after having this Sister Hua, Ruo Xi and Liu Yan? You even went out to harass other women!? How are we sisters inferior to others?”
Torrents of cold sweat dripped down from Yang Kai’s forehead as he replied in embarrassment, “Stop fooling around. If not, I’ll kill you.”
Hua Qing Si let out a peal of enchanting laughter and moved towards the door with a twist of her body, turning around as she smiled, “Seeing how afraid Young Master Yang is of that woman, it looks like she has some kind of upper hand against you, huh?”
“What are you going to do!?” Yang Kai cried out in shock, “Are you going to look for her?”
Hua Qing Si replied, “Rest assured, I’ll protect them in secret. There’re so many rooms here, I’ll just find one to sit down in.”
After saying that, she opened the door and disappeared from view with a deft move.
Apprehension filling his face, Yang Kai sent his Divine Sense out. Only after sensing that Hua Qing Si had really found a room to cultivate in, did he finally relax.
…
The next day, Ye Jing Han came over to find Yang Kai; however, to his surprise, she did not ask him about the matter of repairing the Space Array. On the contrary, she had come over to pass him some herbs.
He had requested these herbs from her as they were the ingredients needed to detoxify Chai Hu.
Although obtaining these few herbs weren’t too difficult, they were not that simple to find either. Therefore, Yang Kai did not expect Thousand Leaves Sect to have collected all of them in just a day’s time. Nevertheless, since he already had all of the herbs in hand, Yang Kai naturally started to refine the Coagulation Pill for Chai Hu.
After saying a word of thanks to Ye Jing Han, Yang Kai immediately took out his furnace to start the refining.
Within half a day, the Coagulation Pill was successfully refined.
Upon hearing the news, Chi Yue and the others gathered in Chai Hu’s room, everyone shooting anxious gazes at him.
Present in Chai Hu’s hand was a jade bottle with six spherical Spirit Pills inside. Seated on the ground, Chai Hu appeared to be somewhat absentminded as he clutched the bottle.
“Yang Kai, are these the Coagulation Pills that you spoke of?” Chi Yue turned her head towards Yang Kai and asked.
“En,” Yang Kai nodded his head and replied in a serious tone. “Senior Chai needs to consume one pill now, and I need you all to assist him in refining the medicinal efficacies. Every three days after today, he will need to consume one more pill. In this way, the Monster Beast’s poison will be dispelled in half a month.”
A tremor shook through Chai Hu’s body upon hearing these words. Raising his head to look at Yang Kai, he gulped hard, “After the poison is dispelled, my cultivation…”
“Will still be in the Third-Order Origin King Realm,” Yang Kai replied with a faint smile.
Chai Hu couldn’t help but feel depressed upon hearing his words. The rest of the group also turned gloomy as they assumed that Chai Hu would forever remain at this cultivation realm, with no possibility of regaining his former strength at all.
Yang Kai continued, “However, if he continues to cultivate, he’ll quickly be able to regain his former cultivation.”
Chai Hu’s eyes instantly burst forth with radiance as he shot a burning gaze at Yang Kai, “What Young Master Yang is saying… is that I’m able to restore my former cultivation?”
Yang Kai replied, “Naturally. Senior Chai’s cultivation has only been suppressed due to the poison. Since it has not been too long, it did not harm your foundation. As long as you work hard, you’ll regain your cultivation.”
Gui Zu spoke out anxiously, “Are you sure, Sect Master?”
Yang Kai smiled and replied, “Do you think I’d joke about something like this?”
“That’s great!” Chi Yue immediately felt relieved, as though a large stone had been lifted from her heart. If it had been truly impossible for Chai Hu to improve his cultivation any further, everyone, including her, would definitely be tormented by it for the rest of their lives; after all, Chai Hu had suffered such a consequence because he stayed behind to buy time for them to escape.
Therefore, they were elated to hear from Yang Kai that there was no obstruction in Chai Hu’s cultivation path.
After gaining Yang Kai’s confirmation, Chai Hu did not hesitate any longer and immediately consumed a Coagulation Pill. Extremely anxious looks were present on Chi Yue and the others’ faces as they sat by his side, aiding him in absorbing the pill’s medicinal efficacies.
Within the Thousand Leaves Sect was a majestic great palace located on a mountain peak approximately three hundred kilometres from the main peak.
Within a room in the great hall stood Shi Cang Ying, with his hands behind his back, a gloomy expression covering his face as he listened to the report from a disciple standing behind him.
After a moment, he opened his mouth, “You’re saying that those outsiders are staying in the main palace?”
The disciple replied respectfully, “Yes, Vice Sect Master. That is indeed the case.”
“Did they make any trips outside during the last two days?”
“They did not leave at all. On the contrary, it has only been Sect Master who has gone over there.”
“Were you able to find out exactly what they came here for?” Asked Shi Cang Ying.
“This disciple is useless and cannot find out any clues as to why they are here. However…”
“However?”
“However, I’ve heard that the one named Yang Kai is proficient in the Alchemic Dao, and is the person who had refined the Extraordinary Treasure Pill within the Four Seasons Realm. He is a Dao Source Grade Alchemy Grandmaster. This disciple guesses that they are here most probably due to something related to Alchemy.”
“Alchemy!” Shi Cang Ying’s eyes lit up before nodding slightly, “That seems plausible. Ye Hen is advanced in his years, yet his cultivation has not increased. Perhaps he’s trying to find a way to break through with the assistance of pills. However, if it’s just about Alchemy, why would Ye Hen treat that little brat with such importance, to the point of letting this Old Master lose face?”
That disciple replied, “Is there a possibility… that Yang Kai still has an Extraordinary Treasure Pill on him?”
Right as those words left his mouth, it caused Shi Cang Ying’s entire body to shake, while intense radiance burst forth from his eyes.
Thinking about it, Ye Hen was now in the Third-Order Dao Source Realm and required something precisely like the Extraordinary Treasure Pill. If Yang Kai had such a Heaven-defying pill on him, everything would make sense.
There was no Third-Order Dao Source Realm who wouldn’t covet such a Spirit Pill, as it was an exceptional treasure that would give them the possibility to break through to the Emperor Realm! Ye Hen definitely knew this, therefore, he had treated that little brat with such courtesy, to the point of not caring about Shi Cang Ying at all.
Considering all of this, flames immediately erupted within Shi Cang Ying’s heart.
He was also a Third-Order Dao Source Realm Master, but the Emperor Realm was still distant and remote for the current him. If he could obtain an Extraordinary Treasure Pill, it would present him with a chance to peer into the Heavenly Way and within an extremely short amount of time allow him to rise up!
“Vice Sect Master, there is also another matter…” Seeing Shi Cang Ying remaining silent for quite a long while, the disciple spoke out once more.
“What matter?” Shi Cang Ying asked.
“It is said that there is some movement from Sky Illumination Palace and Sky Peak Temple, and they seem to be unfavourable towards our Thousand Leaves Sect!”
Shi Cang Ying’s body shook once again as he turned around to look at the disciple, “Is this news genuine?”
The disciple replied, “It is just some rumours. Exactly how much of it is true, this disciple isn’t clear.”
“Go and investigate! Do everything possible to find out what the truth is. As long as you get the slightest whiff of the facts, immediately report back to me!” Shi Cang Ying spoke out in a slightly flustered voice.
If Sky Peak Temple and Sky Illumination Palace really wanted to take action against Thousand Leaves Sect, they couldn’t resist with their current strength. Each of the other two Sects was no weaker than the Thousand Leaves Sect alone. This was especially true for Sky Illumination Palace as it was rumoured that their Palace Master, Qiu Ze, had been attempting to break through to the Emperor Realm over the past few years, though he was still unable to do so. If Qiu Ze really entered the Emperor Realm, the ranking of the great forces within a hundred thousand kilometre radius would instantly change, with every Sect living or dying by the will of Sky Illumination Palace.
Shi Cang Ying was instantly flustered upon hearing about those two Sects possibly wanting to take action against Thousand Leaves Sect. After the disciple had left, he continued to pace up and down with unease.
After a long while, he suddenly came to a halt, before a chilling glint flashed within his eyes. Clenching his teeth, he growled, “Ye Hen, Ye Hen! You’ve really gone senile to actually be willing to let the wolves into the Sect, disregarding this Old Master’s advice! Since that’s the case, don’t blame this Old Master for not considering our long friendship! This Old Master also has to make plans for the future of our Thousand Leaves Sect! The work of our Ancestors cannot be destroyed by your hands! Otherwise, how would this Old Master face our various Ancestors when I head to the underworld!”
After saying those words, he seemed to have made some kind of decision, as his gaze grew resolute.
After a short while, he sent his Divine Sense out to summon a few of his trusted disciples. After receiving the secret commands, they proceeded to quickly leave.
…
On the third day since Yang Kai and the others arrived in Thousand Leaves Sect, Chai Hu’s condition had already gotten much better.
Although the poison within his body had not been completely removed, it was no longer continuously corroding his dantian and meridians like before. As long as he continued to consume the pills as per Yang Kai’s instructions, the poison within his body would be completely dispelled after half a month.
Naturally, Chai Hu was incomparably grateful to Yang Kai.
On the contrary, Chi Yue and the others did not say anything much to Yang Kai. Originating from the same Star Field, the relationship between them had already become incomparably tight. Chai Hu was their sworn brother, which meant that he was Yang Kai’s Senior. Therefore, it was all the more natural for Yang Kai to help him.
Yang Kai was also very glad that Chi Yue and the others had made friends with Chai Hu upon arriving at the Star Boundary. According to the scenario they had described, their lives in the Star Boundary would not have been as smooth as it was if not for the two years Chai Hu had spent helping them.
Furthermore, for the sake of saving Chi Yue, Chai Hu had totally disregarded his personal safety, putting himself in harm’s way as a result. Despite knowing the low chance of success, he still went ahead boldly without any hesitation, rushing straight to the City Lord’s Mansion.
This matter also proved that Chai Hu would have died for nothing if Yang Kai hadn’t been there.
Clearly, he was a person who had the utmost regard for loyalty and relationships.
One would truly need a friend or Brother like that in their lifetime; no need for many, just one would suffice! Yang Kai was truly happy for Chi Yue and the others.
On the third day, Yang Kai was seated in meditation when he heard the faint sounds of footsteps from outside of his door before they came to a stop right before his room.
Without waiting for the person to knock on the door, Yang Kai extended his hand and opened the door, only to see Ye Jing Han standing right outside his room.
As their eyes met, Ye Jing Han said in a soft voice, “Young Master Yang.”
“Come in and talk.” Yang Kai replied.
Ye Jing Han nodded her head, before stepping forward.
Entering the room, Ye Jing Han found a chair to sit in, before asking, “How has your stay here been, Young Master Yang?”
Yang Kai smiled faintly, “Sister Ye has not come over just to ask this question, am I right?”
Seeing that Yang Kai appeared to have guessed the reason behind her visit, Ye Jing Han couldn’t help but blush in embarrassment and turn speechless as a result.
Yang Kai opened his mouth, “Please lead the way, Sister Ye.”
Happiness gushed out from Ye Jing Han’s face upon hearing those words, before asking, “Isn’t there anything else Young Master Yang has to do?”
Yang Kai replied, “What else do I have to do? I’ve come here for the sake of that Sealed World. Could it be that the Thousand Leaves Sect has not completed their preparations?”
“No, no, no!” Ye Jing Han hastily waved her hands in denial, “Thousand Leaves Sect can take action at any time. Father has also been waiting patiently for this. Please follow me, Young Master Yang.”
As she said that, she immediately stood up to lead the way.
Yang Kai followed behind Ye Jing Han as the duo flew within the Thousand Leaves Mountain Range. After a short while, they arrived before a mountain valley surrounded by extraordinarily beautiful sceneries and landscapes, as beautiful and refreshing as a spring day, all of them vying for the most beautiful spot.
Upon arriving, Yang Kai could not help but raise his brow as he stared deeply at the scenery of the mountain valley before him, a peculiar glint sparkling within the depths of his eyes.
He could instinctually sense that there was something not quite right about this mountain valley. However, he was unable to pinpoint exactly what it was.
Ye Jing Han took the initiative to explain, “This is an Illusion Array, and it was arranged by an Ancestor of our Thousand Leaves Sect. Please wait for a bit, Young Master Yang. I’ve already contacted Father to lift the barrier.”
[So it is an Illusion Array!] Yang Kai finally understood why he felt as though there was something off with this mountain valley.
Currently, he had reached a reasonably strong cultivation, while his Divine Sense had become even more powerful than before. Nevertheless, he was still unable to see through the mysteries of this Illusion Array. This was proof of how mysterious this Spirit Array was. The person who had arranged it was definitely an Emperor Realm Master, as only an Emperor could achieve such a feat.
Yang Kai was instantly curious after coming to a realization. He proceeded to send his Divine Sense out to scan the mountain valley in an attempt to gain a comprehension of the mysteries within.
Nevertheless, despite his efforts, he was unable to gain even the slightest bit of insight.
The Illusion Array that covered this entire mountain valley appeared to resemble nature itself, leaving utterly no weakness to exploit.
This truly shocked Yang Kai to the core.
Since Thousand Leaves Sect had been on the decline for so many years, this meant that this Illusion Array should also have been created countless years ago. After weathering the vicissitudes of time, this Illusion Array continued to stand mightily. This not only showed how powerful a cultivation its creator had, but how incomparable their achievements in the Dao of Spirit Arrays was.
To the side, Ye Jing Han carefully sent her Divine Sense out to scan the surroundings. Only after confirming that there was no one in the vicinity did she retrieve a communication artifact and send her Divine Sense in. Clearly, she was sending a message to Ye Hen.
After a short while, ripples suddenly started to appear in the space before her, appearing just like the waves formed on the surface of a tranquil lake after someone had thrown a pebble into it.
Seeing this, Ye Jing Han hastily spoke out in a solemn tone, “Young Master Yang, please follow exactly in my steps, if you step off the path, you will trigger the Killing Array within this mountain valley.
“I understand.” Yang Kai replied with a nod.
Yang Kai followed behind her and took a step forward. In the next instant, the scenery before him suddenly changed.
He was still in front of the mountain valley. However, the beautiful scenery around him had changed into an exceedingly bleak and desolate one, with not a single plant in sight. The entire area was composed of barren land.
Standing quietly in the front, Ye Jing Han nodded slightly towards Yang Kai upon his entry, before quickly moving forward to lead the way.
Clearly, she had entered here quite a few times before, resulting in her confidence towards knowing the safe route within this Illusion Array. Moving step by step forwards, she made exceedingly precise and nimble movements.
Originally, she was worried that Yang Kai might not be able to keep up with her, causing her to slow down; however, after travelling for a while, she noticed Yang Kai appeared to be exceedingly relaxed. Immediately, she knew that her worries were unnecessary, resulting in her increasing her travelling speed substantially.
Yang Kai continued to follow closely behind her, travelling like a shadow and not straying an inch off the path she took.
The duo travelled for a stick of incense’s worth of time within the Illusion Array before appearing in a wide clearing. Right before them was a gigantic platform, one that was clearly man-made, with traces of carvings present. This platform radiated an ancient aura, a clear sign of the countless years it had endured.
Present here was Thousand Leaves Sect’s Sect Master Ye Hen, who stood on the platform with a depressed and guilt-ridden look on his face.
Hearing their arrival, Ye Hen turned his head around. Seeing his daughter arriving with Yang Kai, he hastily cupped his hands, “Young Master Yang.”
“Sect Master Ye!” Returning the greeting, Yang Kai’s attention was immediately captured by the gigantic platform before him. Scanning the platform with a focused gaze, he proceeded to keenly observe it, his eyes gleaming as he did so.
“Young Master Yang…” Right as Ye Jing Han was about to say something, Ye Hen suddenly extended his hand to stop her, before making a sign for her to keep quiet.
Knowing that she had overstepped her boundaries, Ye Jing Han stuck her tongue out playfully. Moving to stand beside her father, she proceeded to wait in apprehension.
The three on the platform remained silent for a long while, with Ye Hen and his daughter focusing on every change that happened to Yang Kai’s gaze and expression, while the latter focused all of his senses towards the platform before him.
Clearly, the platform before him was a gigantic array foundation.
Yang Kai did not have much of an understanding towards the Dao of Spirit Arrays. The only kinds of Spirit Array he excelled in were Space Arrays, and this was due to the help of Yang Yan. He had spent quite a bit of effort to arrange the Space Arrays on Shadowed Star in his native Star Field, and the method of their arrangement was taught to him by Yang Yan.
Therefore, Yang Kai’s understanding of Space Arrays was both profound yet shallow.
Scanning his surroundings with his Divine Sense, Yang Kai immediately realized that there were countless patterns engraved into this array base platform. Each and every one of them was connected together, forming the network that would maintain the passageway between the Star Boundary and the Sealed World.
Those interlinked arrays were extraordinarily abstruse, and although they were very different from the diagrams that were familiar to Yang Kai, he was able to gain a clear understanding after a period of analysis. Not only that, but he was also able to comprehend some additional details from the various diagrams that triggered some deep thoughts in his mind.
Without a doubt, the knowledge of arrays that Yang Yan had taught him was top-notch and had some absolute superiorities to the array base platform before him.
Nevertheless, there was always something to learn from other sources of knowledge, and Yang Kai was still able to gain a lot from the array carved on this base.
After a long while, Yang Kai finally exhaled deeply and pulled his Divine Sense back, his eyes now gleaming with brilliance.
“Young Master Yang…” Seeing him come back to his senses, Ye Jing Han called out to him in a voice brimming with nervousness.
Ye Hen also asked out in anxiety, “Has Young Master Yang discovered something?”
Yang Kai nodded his head and replied, “Your noble Sect’s Ancestor was indeed an extraordinary person. The one who arranged this Spirit Array definitely was an Array Grandmaster. How do I put it, there’s absolutely nothing wrong with this Space Array, the only problem is that its energy is completely depleted. As long as you supplement it with some Source Crystals, it will start operating immediately.”
Ye Hen’s eyes lit up as an emotional voice rang out from his mouth, “Are you able to confirm that, Young Master Yang?” After an instant, he awkwardly added, “It isn’t that this Ye doesn’t trust Young Master Yang, but this matter concerns our entire Thousand Leaves Sect…”
Yang Kai replied with a faint smile, “I understand, so there’s no need for Sect Master Ye to continue explaining yourself. Nevertheless, I can tell you definitively that there’s absolutely no damage present on this array. Furthermore… even if it was damaged, I can repair it as long as I obtain the appropriate materials.”
A tremor shook through Ye Hen’s entire being as he shot an incredulous look at Yang Kai. Only now did he realize that he had still underestimated Yang Kai’s achievements in the Dao of Space. He had originally assumed that despite the latter’s achievements, Yang Kai would not be too accomplished due to his age and cultivation; however, it was only after hearing Yang Kai’s words that he realized how wrong he was. Yang Kai’s achievements in the Dao of Space could only be rivalled by a handful of people within the Star Boundary.
Otherwise, it would be absolutely impossible for Yang Kai to be this confident about repairing the array base platform.
Ye Jing Han then asked, “If there is no problem with the array base platform here, why would the Sealed World’s entrance become sealed?”
Yang Kai replied, “A Space Array connects two different points, so if there is no problem with this end, it means something must be wrong on the other side, rendering this one inactive.”
“On the other side…” Ye Hen frowned, before gasping in shock, “Is Young Master Yang trying to say that the array in the Seal World is damaged?”
“That’s most likely the case.”
“Then what should we do?” Ye Jing Han’s pretty face turned pale, “If the array on the other side is damaged, and we’re utterly incapable of transmitting over to that side, there’s no way for us to repair it.”
Ye Hen looked at Yang Kai in anticipation, “Does Young Master Yang have any solutions?”
With a grin, Yang Kai replied, “To an average person, they would naturally be unable to go to the other side if the other array is damaged; however, if one can utilize Space Principles, it isn’t entirely impossible to follow the connection between the two arrays and directly open up a path. Therefore… I could give it a try.”
Although he wasn’t fully confident in the matter, he had at least eighty percent confidence in achieving this. Nevertheless, Yang Kai didn’t want to give the other party too much hope before the matter was completed, as it would make them more likely to get disappointed.
He had always been a careful and vigilant person.
Ye Hen could not help but become emotional after hearing Yang Kai’s words. Cupping his fists, he said, “If Young Master Yang is able to repair this Space Array, you will be our Thousand Leaves Sect’s most honoured benefactor. In the future, if Young Master Yang needs anything, our Thousand Leaves Sect will definitely answer your call!”
Yang Kai replied in a casual tone, “You’re being too serious, Sect Master Ye. However… Although I can make an attempt, I would need to spend some time on it. Therefore, I’ll have to ask Sect Master Ye to take care of my friends that will be staying in your Thousand Leaves Sect for the time being.”
“Absolutely,” Ye Hen nodded his head. Appearing to understand what Yang Kai was having apprehensions about, he immediately added, “This Ye will definitely make sure to take good care of them. Young Master Yang can hold me accountable if they suffer even the slightest bit of injury.”
“Alright then,” Yang Kai nodded his head, before continuing. “Does Sect Master Ye have a map of the Sealed World on hand? If I manage to successfully transmit over, I might need to repair the array there. To do so, I may need to search the Sealed World for some materials.”
Yang Kai had some of the materials required to arrange a Space Array in his Space Ring, materials left over from the Space Arrays he arranged in his native Star Field. Although these materials weren’t of high grade or quality, it would definitely not be a problem to use them for repairs. During his earlier observation of the array base platform, he had managed to memorize all of the array diagrams.
As such, the reason he had said those words to Ye Hen was due to his deep interest in the Sealed World.
This Sealed World was the absolute secret of Thousand Leaves Sect, and only a handful of people per generation would know about it, while the rest were not privy to this secret. There should definitely be some good stuff present within such a Sealed World. Therefore, Yang Kai naturally wanted to explore around and see if he could obtain any good opportunities.
Furthermore, according to what Ye Jing Han had mentioned before, there was a place called Emperor Heaven Valley located within this Sealed World, an exceptional place where comprehending the Heavenly Ways and Emperor Intent were much easier. If Dao Source Realm cultivators were able to successfully comprehend these, it would be extremely useful for them when they tried to break through to the Emperor Realm.
How could Yang Kai miss out on such an opportunity?
Finding materials was just an excuse.
Clearly, Ye Hen also knew this, nevertheless, he did not have even the slightest hesitation. On the contrary, he quickly pulled out a yellowed beast skin map. Handing it to Yang Kai, he said, “You don’t have to mention it, Young Master Yang. This Ye was already prepared to hand this map to you.”
Taking it, Yang Kai only shot a cursory glance at it to know that it was the genuine article before putting it in his Space Ring.
“I’ll have to thank Young Master Yang for your trouble,” Ye Hen said in a solemn tone as he cupped his hands.
Yang Kai replied, “I’ll try my best.”
After saying those words, his body flickered, before he shot straight towards the top of the array base platform and proceeded to take a seat.
In the next instant, Space Principles suddenly rippled out, surrounding his body from all directions. In a split second, the space within a thirty-metre wide sphere around Yang Kai collapsed abruptly, causing minuscule jet-black Void Cracks to appear like a school of fish swimming randomly.
The expressions of Ye Hen and Ye Jing Han changed drastically, as both of them could sense how dangerous these Void Cracks were. Retreating backwards, shock filled their faces as they stared in front of themselves.
“These are Space Principles?” Ye Jing Han’s beautiful eyes went wide as she cried out in amazement. She attempted to sense exactly what was happening through the Void Cracks but was still unable to sense anything at all, despite how hard she tried. The only thing she could sense was the mysterious principles that were continuously surrounding Yang Kai’s body, preventing her from gaining even the slightest bit of comprehension.
Ye Hen sighed in admiration, “Cultivators who have mastered the Dao of Space are universally recognized to be the hardest cultivators to catch within the Star Boundary. I never imagined that Young Master Yang would actually have such a level of mastery over Space Principles. One day, he might even be able to reach the peak of the Martial Dao through the Dao of Space.”
Ye Jing Han’s petite body shook as she looked incredulously at her father, seemingly unable to comprehend why her father would give Yang Kai such high praise. Nevertheless, she gave it a thought. Before meeting Yang Kai, had she ever seen such an extraordinary Dao Source Realm cultivator?
Being in the same cultivation realm, she naturally knew what a Dao Source Realm’s level of strength was supposed to be; however, Yang Kai’s strength was so completely off the charts compared to the norm. Most Dao Source Realm cultivators were so weak before him that it was laughable, just like infants trying to compare to an adult. Even those Third-Order Dao Source Realm Masters could not match up to him; on the contrary, she had seen Yang Kai easily kill a number of such Masters.
Every single one of the legendary Masters that ruled between the Heavens and Earth was astonishing during their youths and were leaders of the masses. Wasn’t Yang Kai also the same?
Perhaps… in the future, he might really achieve what her Lord Father had said, reaching the apex of the Martial Dao, with his name shocking the entire Star Boundary.
Thinking about that, Ye Jing Han could not help but let her body shake with the emotions surging out from her heart.
That was because she was able to get to know Yang Kai during his youth, and had a chance to properly recognise the growth and rise of this legendary figure. Despite how her relationship with him wasn’t close at all, she still felt proud to witness it.
*Weng…*
Just as Ye Jing Han was lost in her nonsensical thoughts, a peculiar sound suddenly rang out from the Void. As it did so, her face instantly turned pale, as she noticed that the surrounding space had completely solidified in an instant, making it appear as though she had been frozen up within a block of ice. Not only did it become hard to breathe, she discovered that the circulation of Source Qi within her body had also turned sluggish.
Turning her head around, she noticed that her father seemed to be in a similar condition to her, his expression turning laboured as he resisted against the pressure coming from the surrounding Space Principles.
Just as anxiety flooded her heart and mind, Yang Kai suddenly opened his eyes. With a solemn look on his face, he extended his hands out towards the space before him.
Under Ye Jing Han’s gaze, Yang Kai’s hands disappeared in the most peculiar way, as though they had pierced through space and entered another dimension.
A look of strain appeared on Yang Kai’s face as he seemed to be trying to pry his hands apart as he gave a loud roar.
*Chi Chi Chi Chi…*
As Yang Kai acted, a larger jet-black Void Crack suddenly appeared before him, before an exceedingly fear-inducing aura gushed out from within, brimming with so much chaotic power that it appeared to devour everything around it.
“A Void Corridor!” Ye Hen cried out in shock, his eyes locked on to that jet black crack while incomparable shock filled his heart. This was the first time he had seen such a gigantic Void Crack. Clearly sensing the magnitude of danger posed by such a crack, he was instantly stunned by what he was witnessing.
Under Yang Kai’s hard work, the Void Crack continued to grow in size, before quickly becoming a passageway one could squeeze through. The passageway connected into the chaotic Void, appearing to extend all the way to the ends of the Earth.
“Is this a Void Corridor?” Ye Jing Han cried out softly, her hand covering her mouth.
Although she had used Space Arrays quite a few times to traverse between places, and knew that Void Corridors were the connecting structures between Space Arrays, she had never witnessed one with her own eyes before.
This was a genuine first for her.
Although Ye Hen was also exceedingly shocked by what he was seeing, he continued to lock his gaze on the Void Corridor, seemingly wanting to comprehend something from it.
It was not an easy opportunity to personally see a Void Corridor, especially one that was forced open by a person, as the formation lesions were conspicuous. It would benefit him immeasurably if he was able to comprehend anything from it.
However, regardless of how he tried, he was still unable to understand anything from those fluctuating Space Principles, causing him to feel exceedingly frustrated.
At this point in time, Yang Kai had already stood up, and with a flicker, moved right into the middle of the Void Corridor. Right as he disappeared, the Void Corridor seemed to have lost the power that was supporting it and immediately started to close.
Worried looks were present on the father and daughter, as they did not know whether Yang Kai would be able to traverse smoothly to the other side, or whether he would become lost in the Void, never to find his way out again.
Within the Void Corridor, Yang Kai continued to walk forward.
The chaotic space rushed towards him from all directions but it was repelled by a mysterious power radiating from his body, rendering it incapable of hurting him.
Yang Kai’s mastery of the Dao of Space had long surpassed his accomplishments during his earlier years. It had already seeped into the depths of his bones. Therefore, this trivial chaotic turbulence was utterly incapable of doing anything to him.
At this moment, the only thing that he had some trouble with was finding the exit to the Sealed World.
Although the two arrays were faintly connected, the array in the Sealed World had been damaged for an unknown amount of time. Therefore, Yang Kai could only somewhat make out the direction of this Void Corridor but was unable to confirm it with absolute certainty.
Within the Void Corridor, he could only follow along the faint connection to lead the way as he hurried along.
Fortunately, as time went by, the connection grew increasingly clear, allowing Yang Kai to confirm that he was heading the right way.
After travelling for who knows how long, Yang Kai suddenly stopped at a certain spot. Sending his Divine Sense out, he mumbled, “This should be it.”
Saying those words, he moved the Space Principles around him once again. Slowly extending his hands out, he reached into the chaotic Void before him. Ripples formed as his hands travelled forward, before the chaotic Void seemed to turn tranquil, like a crumpled sheet of paper being pulled straight from all directions.
As Yang Kai pulled his hands apart, a sliver of light suddenly appeared before him.
Yang Kai’s brow rose up. Knowing that his senses were right, he proceeded to greatly increase the strength he was exerting.
After a short while, a crack was pulled apart by Yang Kai once again. Yang Kai was able to faintly make out a myriad of landscapes from the Void Crack, leaving him feeling ecstatic. Not hesitating any longer, he proceeded to jump straight into the Void Crack.
After a faint feeling of weightlessness, Yang Kai quickly stabilised himself. When his field of view was restored, he discovered that he had already entered another world.
The World Energy here was exceedingly dense, to the point that it was not any inferior to his Sealed World Bead. In fact, the World Energy here was actually showing signs of forming into mist. Anyone who saw it would sigh in admiration. Due to the density of World Energy, the vegetation here grew extremely well, with dense and luscious plants covering the entire landscape.
The place where Yang Kai appeared just so happened to be above an array base platform.
This array base platform was identical to the one Yang Kai had seen in the mountain valley situated within Thousand Leaves Sect’s Illusion Array. Clearly, it had been constructed by the same person and was the connecting piece to the other array base platform.
However, due to countless years of neglect, the whole array base platform was now covered with vegetation, which had caused some obvious damage to it.
Looking at this array base platform, Yang Kai knew that he had arrived at the right place. This should be the Thousand Leaves Sect’s Sealed World, and was the foundation behind the flourishing grandeur the Thousand Leaves Sect had managed to reach thousands of years ago. At the same time, it was also the reason behind the decline of the current Thousand Leaves Sect.
Yang Kai extended his hand to touch the array base platform. A scorching power started to perfuse out, quickly burning all of the vegetation into a crisp, revealing the platform in its entirety.
Extending his Divine Sense, Yang Kai examined the platform to determine the underlying problem that had resulted in the broken connection between the two arrays.
Not long after, he seemed to have made some discoveries that left him sighing as a result.
Although the reason wasn’t far off from his expectations, it still somewhat exceeded it.
Yang Kai discovered that there was a sword scar that had cleaved through the entire array base platform, including the array diagrams carved into it. It was precisely due to the damage suffered by those few array diagrams that the entire array base platform stopped working.
[What happened?] Yang Kai could not help but become suspicious.
According to what Ye Jing Han had said before, the reason behind the Thousand Leaves Sect’s gradual decline was due to the sudden closure of this Sealed World. However, merely the closure of a Sealed World would not have caused the Thousand Leaves Sect to fall to their current state. The critical point to note was that when the Sealed World’s entrance was lost, the Thousand Leaves Sect Master was in the Sealed World, and had brought along the majority of the Sect’s Secret Arts and Techniques. This resulted in the severance of the Thousand Leaves Sect’s inheritance, hence leading to their gradual decline.
Currently, the Thousand Leaves Sect was unable to even control the Earth Grade puppets in their possession, leaving them no choice but to let the puppets weather the elements in the open space before the main palace.
Originally Yang Kai had assumed that it was just an unlucky coincidence that the Thousand Leaves Sect Master of that generation happened to be in the Sealed World when its entrance was lost.
He had never expected the actual events to differ so much from his conjectures.
The array base platform in the Sealed World had been destroyed by someone, and from the precision of the scar left on it, it was definitely a conscious decision by the attacker. They did not cause wanton destruction, only leaving a scar on the array base platform that severed its connection with the other array.
Paired with the information he had obtained from Ye Jing Han, Yang Kai was certain this sword mark was the result of that generation’s Thousand Leaves Sect Master. Furthermore, he did not become trapped here due to the sudden closure of the Space Array. Instead, with the intent of staying here and not getting disturbed by anyone, he had gone so far as to destroy the World-Crossing Space Array.
[Why did he bring the majority of the Thousand Leaves Sects’ Secret Arts and Techniques here with him? Could it be that he was comprehending some kind of Secret Technique and did not want to be disturbed by others?] A look of confusion covered Yang Kai’s face.
If that was the case, everything would make sense! The sword scar on this array base platform was not deep; however, it just so happened to be able to sever the connection between the two worlds. With the adequate materials, anyone with sufficient ability should be able to repair it.
If it was the Sect Master of the Thousand Leaves Sect at the time, he would be at least in the Emperor Realm. In fact, it might even be possible that he was a Third-Order Emperor Realm Master. Even if he had damaged this array base platform, he definitely wouldn’t be worried about being unable to repair it back to working condition.
[But… What kind of Secret Technique was he cultivating, to go to the extent of cutting off all methods to access a place like this?] Even after pondering about it for a great deal of time, Yang Kai was unable to come up with a plausible explanation, leaving him no choice but to shake his head and sigh.
Not rushing to repair the sword scar on the array base platform, Yang Kai retrieved the map Ye Hen had given him earlier and took a look at it.
As this Sealed World wasn’t large, approximately the same size as his Small Sealed World, the map didn’t appear complicated. Nevertheless, the World Energy present here was exceedingly outstanding, a clear indication of the existence of an outstanding Earth Vein.
If he were able to repair the array and reconnect the Thousand Leaves Sect with this Sealed World, the World Energy here would be free for the Thousand Leaves Sect to use. When that happened, there would be a gargantuan change in the cultivation environment for the Thousand Leaves Sect disciples!
With clear indications present on the map, Yang Kai quickly found where the Emperor Heaven Valley was located.
After a short while, Yang Kai kept the map, summoned his flying boat, and started heading in that direction.
As he travelled, Yang Kai could not contain his excitement, stopping time after time to fly down to the ground.
That was because there were plenty of precious herbs present in this Sealed World.
The fact that this place had been undisturbed for ten thousand years, coupled with the exceedingly dense World Energy, it meant that the Thousand Leaves Sect’s Sealed World had naturally become an absolutely outstanding place for Spirit Grasses and Medicines to grow and flourish. Many precious Spirit Grasses had grown into large patches, perfusing the air with their medicinal fragrance. Yang Kai didn’t even need to spend any time searching and only needed to fly down and harvest them.
Furthermore, the Spirit Grasses and Medicines here had already reached sufficient maturity!
All of the herbs that Yang Kai had harvested were at least a few thousand years old in medicinal age, with some even reaching ten thousand years. Every single Spirit Grass or Medicine was filled with rich medicinal properties, making them the best materials to use for Alchemy.
Yang Kai was all too happy to harvest them!
Ye Hen might not have expected his Sect’s Sealed World to contain so many precious herbs. If he had, he might have gone along with Yang Kai and not allowed Yang Kai to simply collect so many.
Just these herbs alone were enough to double the wealth of the Thousand Leaves Sect.
All of the herbs along Yang Kai’s path of travel ended up in his pockets.
Moreover, this was just the tip of the iceberg that was this Sealed World. If he did a detailed search, Yang Kai reckoned that he would no longer need to worry about lacking materials for Alchemy in the future.
Within the span of two days, Yang Kai had already filled the medicine garden in his Sealed World Bead to the brim. He even had no choice but to harvest some of the lesser-valued herbs from his Small Sealed World and store them in his Space Ring.
The Thousand Leaves Sect was sitting on a treasure trove but were incapable of unlocking it. If not, they wouldn’t have fallen to their current state. Although they might not be able to rival the top few Sects in the Southern Territory right away, as long as they had just one Emperor Realm Master assuming command, they would be able to deter all the other second-class forces from bullying them.
Currently, the greatest weakness of Thousand Leaves Sect was the lack of any Emperor Realm Masters among their ranks. This was also the greatest hurdle faced by the majority of the second-class forces in the Star Boundary.
After all, there were too few Emperors!
After another day of travel, a gigantic mountain valley suddenly appeared in Yang Kai’s field of vision. The mountain valley was beautiful and scenic, with strange and peculiar fragrances saturating the air. Before arriving, Yang Kai could already smell the fragrances of many different Spirit Grasses and Medicines. After comparing the shape of this mountain valley to that of the Emperor Heaven Valley indicated on the map, Yang Kai gave a happy smile. Knowing that he had found the right location, he proceeded to increase his speed.
A short while later, Yang Kai descended. Standing within the Emperor Heaven Valley, he started to focus his senses. Unfortunately, he could not help but feel awkward a moment later, “Were they lying? Where is the Emperor Aura?”
The reason he had accepted Ye Jing Han’s request to take the trip to the Thousand Leaves Sect and repair their World-Crossing Space Array was due to his interest in this Emperor Heaven Valley.
He wished to cast a solid foundation for his future breakthrough to the Emperor Realm.
After all, based on Ye Jing Han’s description, this Emperor Heaven Valley was perfused with Emperor Pressure and Emperor Intent, making it the best location to comprehend the Heavenly Ways and Martial Dao, as well as being the most important place in the Thousand Leaves Sect’s Sealed World.
Yang Kai had originally planned to remain here for a while to properly comprehend and reap the benefits that this place offered. However, upon arriving here, other than the dense medicinal fragrance in the air, there was not a single trace of Emperor Intent!
The Emperor Heaven Valley did not live up to its name at all, and it was utterly useless to Yang Kai.
It was impossible for Ye Jing Han to have lied to him though, Yang Kai was confident about that. Ever since they had become acquainted, he knew that she was always careful and respectful towards him. Therefore, how would it be possible for her to deceive him about something so important?
The only plausible explanation would be that the Emperor Heaven Valley truly had Emperor Intent present in it, but for some unknown reason, it had vanished.
With ten thousand years of time, seas can change into lands and vice versa, so anything could happen.
Yang Kai stood still and pondered over it for a while. Nevertheless, thinking about the many spirit grasses and medicines he had harvested, he did not suffer any losses from this trip. In fact, it was still a net benefit. As he thought about this, he no longer felt as annoyed as before.
This mountain valley was perfused with strange fragrances, a clear indication of the many spirit grasses and medicines present.
Since he had already arrived at this place, Yang Kai did not plan to suffer a loss, and started to scour the mountain valley.
It did not take long for Yang Kai to obtain a great harvest.
When he was plucking a dark red fruit from a tree half the height of a human, and was planning to shove it into his Space Ring, Yang Kai suddenly discovered something. Sending his Divine Sense out, he proceeded to investigate the fruit in detail.
After an instant, he could not help but feel slightly surprised.
This was a fruit that he recognized, a Dao Source Grade High-Rank Spirit Fruit, the Vermillion Bird Fruit. It was the main ingredient in the refining of the Meridian Cleansing Pill. After consuming this pill, a cultivator would be able to cleanse their meridians, allowing their Qi to become purer than before.
Yang Kai would not have been surprised just from this discovery, rather, it was precisely due to him sensing a clear sliver of the Principle Strength in this fruit that caught him by surprise.
Despite how high ranking a Dao Source Grade Spirit Fruit was, it couldn’t contain any trace of Principle Strength. This left him in deep shock.
After another round of detailed investigations, Yang Kai discovered the Principle Strength present within this Vermillion Bird Fruit had already coalesced and was giving off a faint Emperor Intent.
Yang Kai’s eyebrows suddenly shot up as his eyes sparkled, mumbling, “Could it be…”
Appearing to have thought of something, he hastily retrieved all of the spirit grasses and medicines he had harvested from his Space Ring and proceeded to inspect them in detail.
After an incense’s worth of time, Yang Kai revealed a look of understanding, as he finally realized exactly what had happened to this place.
A long time ago, there was indeed a dense Emperor Intent present within this Emperor Heaven Valley, where cultivators could come here to cultivate and gain comprehension, thereby forging a foundation for their future breakthrough to the Emperor Realm.
However, after ten thousand years, the Emperor Intent present here had been completely absorbed by the spirit grasses and medicines that were growing here. All of the Emperor Intent had fused together with them, no longer being able to be separated!
All of the spirit grasses and medicines he had harvested in this mountain valley were just like the Vermillion Bird Fruit earlier, containing Emperor Intent within them!
Contrary to this, the few herbs he had harvested before coming here did not possess this unique trait. One glance gave Yang Kai the confirmation he needed.
After understanding this, Yang Kai could not help but feel excited.
Spirit grasses and medicines that contained Emperor Intent. He hadn’t even heard of such a thing, not to mention the possibility of such a phenomenon occurring. If these herbs were refined into Spirit Pills, those pills would definitely contain the Emperor Intent within them. When consumed, they would allow a cultivator an opportunity to comprehend the power of Principle Strength.
This method was much more effective than trying to comprehend Emperor Intent while cultivating in the Emperor Heaven Valley because that method of comprehension was classified as external comprehension, while internal comprehension was a method where one would comprehend Emperor Intent through the ingestion of Spirit Pills. With every single cell and meridian absorbing Emperor Intent from the inside, a cultivator’s sensitivity and comprehension efficiency would increase dramatically.
Only a unique place like this Emperor Heaven Valley could give birth to such unique spirit grasses and medicines.
Yang Kai could imagine that, if the pills refined from these herbs were to circulate around the Star Boundary, they would incite a blood-frenzied competition among Third-Order Dao Source Realm cultivators. With the pill’s medicinal efficacies relegated to being a secondary concern, just the Emperor Intent and the Principle Strength would be considered. Naturally, it would be sought after by Third-Order Dao Source Realm cultivators incapable of breaking through their realm, as the Principle Strength was the most important thing they would need to comprehend to enhance their strength.
Great excitement filled Yang Kai’s heart as he quietly felt that the greatest reward he had gained in this trip was the herbs harvested within the Emperor Heaven Valley. Without any further hesitation, he immediately started his intense harvesting.
He decided to not let a single Spirit Grass go. Anything that had reached maturity would be harvested whole.
Although the mountain valley was not large, the lack of human contact for ten thousand years, coupled with the nourishment from the dense World Energy, led to the growth of numerous spirit grasses and medicines. Searching thoroughly, Yang Kai toiled for a day’s worth of time before finally managing to clean out the entire mountain valley.
All of the spirit grasses and medicines had been harvested by him.
For the sake of distinguishing these herbs from those that he had harvested earlier, Yang Kai made special note of the locations he had kept them, all in preparation to refine them into pills as quickly as possible once this matter was over.
With all those Emperor Intent-infused spirit grasses and medicines already harvested, Yang Kai was now worried that the Emperor Intent within them would gradually dissipate away if he did not refine them as quickly as possible.
Sister Hua would be very interested in those Spirit Pills. With their aid, her breakthrough to the Emperor Realm would definitely speed up substantially.
A day later, Yang Kai stood before a mountain cave, a serious expression present on his face.
While harvesting the spirit grasses and medicines growing within the Emperor Heaven Valley, he had discovered this mountain cave. Nevertheless, he did not do a detailed inspection of it, waiting till he had harvested all of the herbs before once again focusing on it.
This mountain cave seemed to be naturally formed; however, with his acute senses, Yang Kai discovered that it showed traces of having been artificially remodelled, though the person who did so was exceedingly proficient. Coupled with the passing of time, it was not easy for anyone to spot these traces.
This mountain cave could have been remodelled by the Thousand Leaves Sect disciples who had come here to cultivate ten thousand years ago. In any case, Yang Kai could sense a dangerous aura radiating from within a mountain cave.
He could instinctually sense that something incredible was hidden within this mountain cave.
However, he did not even discover the existence of a single Monster Beast while travelling around this place. Therefore, he wasn’t too worried. This Sealed World wasn’t too large; furthermore, being the place for the Thousand Leaves Sect disciples to cultivate, there definitely wouldn’t be any life-threatening dangers present.
Therefore, after just a slight moment of hesitation, he headed into the mountain cave.
The interior of the mountain cave was perfused with a dusky glow. Luminous stones were inlaid along the two walls, though they had lost their effectiveness throughout the years. The surrounding air did not appear turbid, and in fact, was extremely dry and hot.
Not long after entering the mountain cave, Yang Kai’s nose suddenly wrinkled as he smelt something strange coming from up ahead. This was not a pleasant fragrance, but rather something putrid and rotting, like dead fish.
This caused a wrinkle to form on his forehead.
According to normal reasoning, with the density of World Energy in this place, any living creature present here would be able to grow exceedingly well, making it impossible for such a smell to develop.
As this thought appeared in his mind, Yang Kai suddenly felt that something wasn’t right. In the next instant, his vision turned blurry while he seemed to be floating as he walked forwards, which led to him stumbling about.
“Poison?” Gasping in shock, Yang Kai hastily pushed his Source Qi to protect his body while simultaneously removing a fruit from his Space Ring and shoving it down his throat.
This fruit was an Emperor Grade spirit fruit that had exorbitant value, and it was harvested by him in this place; however, at this instant, Yang Kai could not care that much. This mountain cave had greatly piqued his interest, so if he wanted to continue investigating it, he had no choice but to devour this spirit fruit to resist the poison.
With the spirit fruit entering his body, reinforced by the protection of his Source Qi, Yang Kai felt much better, allowing him to continue walking forward.
As he headed deeper, the awful smell grew increasingly conspicuous. Not only that, the poison present in the air grew increasingly potent. Yang Kai knew that he would not be able to endure much longer. He couldn’t tell just what this poison was, as even he was somewhat helpless against it. Furthermore, this was just its gaseous form. Wouldn’t he be killed if he came into contact with its concentrated liquid form?
Therefore, he silently decided that he would immediately retreat if he did not discover anything within a short while.
However, just as he made that decision, he noticed a sliver of light glimmering not far away. This caused a shock to ripple through his face as he instinctively increased his speed.
After a short while, Yang Kai abruptly arrived at an even bigger mountain cave.
A sparkling luminous stone was inlaid on the interior of this mountain cave and despite the years, it still gave off light, illuminating the interior of the cave.
Looking around, Yang Kai quickly focused on a certain location, before subconsciously drawing a sharp breath.
Up ahead, he discovered an emancipated corpse in a seated position. Clearly, this person had been dead for an extremely long time as there was not a single trace of life present on the corpse. Even the flesh had withered to an incredible state, causing the corpse to appear to be merely skin and bone. The eye sockets had sunken in, the hair was messy and dulled, appearing just like dried grass.
Nevertheless, the clothing on the corpse was somewhat familiar to Yang Kai’s eyes.
After a while, Yang Kai realized that it seemed to be similar to the robes that Ye Hen was wearing.
This caused him to raise his brow as he came to a sudden realisation about the identity of the dead person before him.
This fellow was obviously the previous Sect Master of Thousand Leaves Sect that had entered the Sealed World that year. It was precisely this person that had taken the majority of Thousand Leaves Sect’s Secret Arts and Techniques and entered this place, resulting in the severing of Thousand Leaves Sect’s inheritance. It was definitely also this man who destroyed the array base platform within the Sealed World, causing the entrance to close.
This person was the main perpetrator behind the decline of the Thousand Leaves Sect!
Yang Kai didn’t know exactly why this person had done such things; however, since he had already died, there was no point in pursuing his reasons. Furthermore, Yang Kai was not a member of the Thousand Leaves Sect, so he simply had no need to do such a thing.
He had made this trip into this Sealed World for the sole purpose of repairing the array base platform. Being able to discover the Sect Master of Thousand Leaves Sect from ten thousand years ago was just a coincidence.
Considering all of this, Yang Kai cupped his fists, “Forgive this Junior for accidentally intruding on Senior’s resting place.”
After saying that, he took a step forward.
No one knew what this Thousand Leaves Sect Senior was doing before his death; however, Yang Kai discovered a gigantic and exceedingly mysterious Spirit Array outline beneath his corpse. On top of that, there was a substantial pile of ores and other strange and peculiar Artifact Refining materials laying by his side.
These materials were extremely rare and valuable, of Dao Source Grade at the very least, with quite a few actually being of Emperor Grade.
Any Artifact Refiner would go crazy in delight if they were to witness this.
Nevertheless, Yang Kai didn’t react much to this discovery. Regardless of how valuable those materials were, they would be devoured and refined by his Embodiment, so quantity was the only thing he was concerned about.
Without any courtesy, he walked up and quickly gathered all of the materials on the ground before tossing them into his Small Sealed World for his Embodiment to consume at leisure.
After doing so, Yang Kai turned his gaze to the Space Ring present on the corpse’s finger.
This person was definitely an Emperor Realm Master before his death, and was extremely likely to be a Third-Order Emperor. Furthermore, he was also the Thousand Leaves Sect’s Sect Master. Therefore, how could there not be anything valuable in that Space Ring? If Yang Kai’s guess was right, the Thousand Leaves Sect’s Secret Arts and Techniques would definitely be stored within this ring.
Yang Kai was still rather interested in the various Secret Arts and Techniques of the Thousand Leaves Sect; after all, the Dao of Puppetry was a domain that he had little knowledge of.
Furthermore, these things were right in front of his eyes, so Yang Kai was naturally drawn to them.
However, he had also made the decision to only observe and comprehend these things for a short while before bringing them out to hand to Ye Hen. He did not have the intention of hoarding them for himself.
With these considerations, Yang Kai proceeded to focus and extended his hand to grab at the Space Ring on the corpse’s finger.
However, right at that instant, his heart suddenly clenched as an exceedingly strong sense of unease surged through his entire body. This caused all of the hairs on Yang Kai’s body to stand on end and he subconsciously leapt back, increasing the distance between him and the corpse.
In the next instant, his eyes narrowed as he witnessed a harrowing scene.
Right at that moment, the Spirit Array beneath the corpse suddenly hummed while bursting with dazzling radiance, as though it had been activated for some unknown reason. In the next instant, various runes started to surface on the body of the corpse, followed by array lines, creating a mysterious Spirit Array pattern. As this happened, the withered surface of the corpse started to be suffused with a metallic lustre.
*Hong…*
The array on the ground began to rotate while sounds akin to bones cracking rang out, before the corpse’s eyes, which had been closed for countless years, snapped open.
The eyes gleamed with a dark green lustre, appearing just like two clumps of ghostly fire, causing fear in anyone who saw them.
The powerful aura of an Emperor Realm Master suddenly erupted from the corpse, bearing down on Yang Kai and smashing into him like a solid wall.
Yang Kai felt as though a giant mountain was squashing down on his chest, inciting a feeling of suffocation in him.
He knew that something wasn’t right. It was very likely that this corpse, which had been dead for countless years, possessed sentience, and had become an existence akin to a Corpse Spirit.
In the past, he had come across a similar type of monster on Shadowed Star. At that time, when the Corpse Spirit Race had revealed themselves and created chaos throughout Shadowed Star, countless cultivators had been infected by their Corpse Poison, turning them into one of their own. In the end, it was Yang Kai who had gone all out to counter the desperate situation and managed to kill the main perpetrator of the entire incident.
However, the strongest existence within the Corpse Spirit race at that time was just a Thousand-Year Corpse General whose cultivation was merely peak Origin Returning Realm. There was utterly no way to compare it to the existence that was present before his eyes.
The existence before Yang Kai was a genuine Ten-Thousand-Year Corpse King!
Furthermore, it was an Emperor Realm Ten-Thousand-Year Corpse King. The Emperor Intent radiating from it was something that definitely could not be faked.
Just thinking about it caused cold sweat to drench Yang Kai’s entire body. Knowing that his current situation wasn’t optimistic, he no longer dared to hesitate. Moving the Space Principles around him, he hastily retreated out of the cave.
In the next instant, his body turned blurry.
However, before he could flee from the mountain cave, the seated Corpse King opened its mouth and let off a piercing shriek. The shriek was perfused with some kind of unique power and as it travelled in all directions, it transformed the entire surrounding area into a sealed space.
Yang Kai’s body turned stiff, causing his blurry figure to reappear!
His expression changed drastically. Knowing that his teleportation had been unexpectedly defeated, how could he dare to show any neglect? The only thing he could do was to rush out as quickly as he could.
A chilling gleam burst forth from the ghostly eyes of the Corpse King as it locked onto Yang Kai. Opening its mouth, a verdant coloured aura suddenly shot out from within.
“Corpse Poison!” Yang Kai gasped in shock. Finally, he understood exactly what the awful smell that had perfused the entire mountain cave was.
This smell clearly originated from the Corpse King’s Corpse Poison. However, that smell was a result of just a sliver of it leaking out from its body. Just a slight leak was already enough to cause Yang Kai to show signs of being poisoned and causing his vision to turn blurry, so the mouthful launched by the Corpse King would definitely result in his death if he were to carelessly breathe it in.
As his heart was filled up with fear, Yang Kai did not dare to take any breaths as he unleashed the full might of his Source Qi to form a barrier around his body, all while retreating like an arrow.
Despite his swift actions though, the Corpse Poison was also not one bit slower, chasing after him like a shadow. In the blink of an eye, it had caught up to him, smashing against the Source Qi that was protecting his body.
A piercing crack rang out as a large hole was formed in Yang Kai’s protective Source Qi, causing it to melt like a snowflake under the scorching sun. Unexpectedly, it was unable to offer an ounce of resistance against the Corpse Poison, which proceeded to drill through the gaping hole that had formed.
[It possesses such potent corrosive strength?] Yang Kai was utterly incapable of believing what he was seeing.
Faced with such a dangerous situation, his eyes opened wider as he extended his hand. Pushing the surrounding Space Principles to their limits, he shouted out, “Exile!”
As he did so, something similar to a black hole appeared before him, devouring all of the Corpse Poison that was hurtling towards him. Continuing to move, Yang Kai rushed out of the mountain cave, returning to the mountain valley.
However, before he could catch his breath, a bestial roar resounded from the mountain cave before the vilest and most ruthless aura unleashed by the Corpse King rushed out from within. The entire mountain shook as the sounds of falling and crumbling stones proceeded to ring out from within.
“What kind of grudge do you have with me!?” Yang Kai complained out loud with a bitter look on his face as he knew that he was in serious trouble. If he had known this would happen, he wouldn’t have entered the mountain cave to investigate, leading to him provoking such a monster.
There was no need to fight; Yang Kai knew that he would absolutely be unable to match up against this foe. The only plan he had right now was to flee back to the Sealed World’s Space Array as fast as he could, repair it, and flee from here. Only then would he be able to survive this ordeal.
However, it would take time to repair the platform, despite his deep achievements in the Dao of Space. The time it would take him just to refine the materials to patch the gouge left by the sword on the array base would be enough for this Corpse King to kill him a hundred times over!
That was a Corpse King formed from the corpse of a Third-Order Emperor Realm Master! Yang Kai was totally clueless as to how much strength it could unleash.
*Hong…*
With a loud bang, the Corpse King rushed out of the mountain cave. Spirit Array patterns continued to swirl on the surface of its body as a strange radiance blossomed from it. With a flicker, it appeared right in front of Yang Kai. Revealing its fangs that gleamed with a chilling radiance, it sent a fierce punch towards him.
Yang Kai’s face was instantly drained of colour as he sensed the terrifying might contained within the incoming fist. Being too late to evade it, he had no other choice but to summon his Myriads Sword. Sending his Source Qi into it, he shouted, “Myriad Sword Arts, One Man As A Mountain!”
This was the Myriads Sword’s strongest defensive sword technique. Having displayed it a few times, Yang Kai naturally knew how formidable it was.
A series of sword silhouettes blossomed as it left afterimages in the air, transforming into a strong and resilient defence in front of Yang Kai. The countless Sword Qi blades composed a fortified wall, blocking the dangerous punch hurtling towards Yang Kai.
*Hong…*
As the Corpse King’s fist struck, Yang Kai’s all-out sword barrier was shattered like a thin piece of paper, completely incapable of withstanding the incoming strike. An unimaginable force continued smashing over, causing Yang Kai to feel as though a large mountain was descending on him. Against this level of power, his Second-Order Dao Source Realm cultivation was as puny as an ant.
[I’m going to die!] Such a thought popped up within Yang Kai’s heart.
Regardless of how tough or resilient his physical body was, regardless of how vigorous his Source Qi was, he would die without a doubt if he received this punch, and his life would be over in an instant.
This was just an instinctive reaction, but Yang Kai believed it with absolute certainty.
With his life hanging precariously in the balance, Yang Kai forcefully warped the surrounding Space Principles, shifting his position just a slight bit backwards, thereby evading the centre of the punch’s impact zone.
It wasn’t because he didn’t want to shift himself further to completely evade the incoming punch, but rather that he was powerless against the suppression of his enemy’s Emperor Pressure, with this action being the limit of what he could achieve at this very instant.
An explosive boom rang out, as the surrounding space collapsed. Cracking sounds rang out from Yang Kai’s body as his ribs snapped, while his entire body was sent flying through the air, blood spewing out of his mouth as his aura declined drastically.
With a bang, Yang Kai smashed onto the ground. Despite that, he hastily got back up, his hands clutching his chest as a pained look covered his face.
Just a single exchange was enough for him to know how freakishly strong this Corpse King was. If his enemy decided to chase after him and launch another attack, it would absolutely multiply the despair he faced in his current situation.
Nevertheless, Yang Kai felt slightly relieved that the Corpse King had remained at its original position after launching that punch, no longer moving. The ghostly fire orb-like eyes continued to flicker while the expression on its face started to fluctuate, giving it an exceedingly malevolent and terrifying appearance.
[What is going on?]
Although Yang Kai didn’t understand what it was doing, this was something that he desperately hoped to see. He immediately proceeded to take out recovery Spirit Pills from his Space Ring and tossed them into his mouth, taking this critical opportunity to stabilize his condition.
He did not dare to make any reckless moves for fear of provoking the Corpse King and thereby ruining this essential break for his recovery.
While adjusting his breathing, he also took the time to observe the actions of the Corpse King.
He discovered that the Corpse Poison spewing out from the Corpse King started to disperse out in all directions after its exit from the mountain cave. Upon contact with the Corpse Poison, the vegetation within this mountain valley, which had existed here for countless of years all started to wither and die. This was clear evidence of how toxic the Corpse Poison was.
Nevertheless, Yang Kai managed to notice something strange, which was that the Ten-Thousand-Year Corpse King… didn’t seem to possess any consciousness.
This was something that he could not fathom. Even the trivial Hundred Year Corpse Soldiers that he had encountered in the past on Shadowed Star had already possessed sentience and were capable of independent thought. However, this Corpse King didn’t despite having existed for thousands of years.
Furthermore… The Spirit Arrays on the surface of its body were exceedingly conspicuous and, coupled with the golden lustre radiating from its withered body, it was an exceedingly strange sight to behold.
As he continued to observe, Yang Kai’s eyes suddenly snapped wide open as a hair-raising thought suddenly flashed through his mind that caused him to cry out in shock, “A Corpse Puppet?”
Although Yang Kai had not done much research into the Dao of Puppetry, having cultivated for so many years, he had more or less heard about Corpse Puppets before.
Generally speaking, various kinds of precious treasures and special methods were needed for the refining of puppets. The puppets that guarded the main palace of Thousand Leaves Sect, as well as those that Yang Kai had encountered in the Flowing Time Temple, were all produced in this fashion.
However, there was another type of puppet that did not require the use of such precious treasures, instead using the bodies of cultivators as their base material.
The bodies of powerful cultivators were the best materials for the refining of powerful puppets. The intricacy of the human body, their powerful cultivations and wills before death, were all traits that were difficult for normal precious treasures to replicate.
Some evil cultivators were exceedingly fond of using the bodies of powerful Masters to refine puppets that would heed their every call. Furthermore, after being refined into puppets, they could retain the majority of their cultivations and abilities from before their deaths, granting them exceedingly powerful combat strength.
Such evil cultivators were extremely fond of plundering the graves of Masters, as every corpse they obtained would boost their strength. It was precisely because of this reason that those cultivators were detested and abhorred no matter where they went. The art of refining Corpse Puppets was also regarded as the most forbidden of forbidden techniques; knowledge that one should absolutely not dip their fingers into.
However, despite that, it was impossible to eradicate it entirely; regardless of time and place, there would always be some who were willing to commit the most heinous of deeds under Heaven and defy the natural order of things to gain strength.
Yang Kai had never imagined that there would actually be such people in a Sect like Thousand Leaves Sect that would have attempted Corpse Puppet refining.
It was one thing for this Corpse King to not have any consciousness at all; however, the critical factor was the Spirit Arrays present across its body. These arrays, coupled with the golden lustre radiating from its body would make it instantly identifiable as a Corpse Puppet that someone had refined!
Furthermore, it was an Emperor Realm Corpse Puppet!
What kind of person would refine the body of such a powerful cultivator into a Corpse Puppet without a single shred of sentience? Yang Kai was utterly incapable of recovering from the shock that was rocking his heart.
However, he quickly realized that something wasn’t right. According to what Ye Hen had said, the Thousand Leaves Sect Master of that generation had entered the Sealed World by himself, before the entrance was closed. From those words, that meant that there was no one except for the Sect Master present within this Sealed World during that point in time countless years ago.
Yang Kai had also not discovered any traces of the existence of a second person.
Furthermore, with that past generation’s Thousand Leaves Sect Master being a Third-Order Emperor Realm Master, who possessed such terrifyingly powerful capabilities to refine him into a Corpse Puppet?
[Could it be… that he refined himself into a puppet?]
Yang Kai was instantly frightened when this thought flashed through his mind. If that was truly the case, that would mean that the previous generation’s Thousand Leaves Sect Master had already reached an incredible height in the Dao of Puppetry, while also possessing a level of determination and far surpassed normal Masters.
After all, just the thought of refining oneself into a puppet would cause horror and fear to gush out of people’s hearts. Furthermore, exactly how much pain and suffering would one need to bear throughout the entire refining process?
Although this was just his guess, Yang Kai felt that he was not far from the truth.
Just as he was overwhelmed by his thoughts, the Corpse Puppet, which had remained still with a fluctuating expression on its face, suddenly turned its head towards the direction of Yang Kai, a chilling glow beaming out of its ghostly fire orb-like eyes.
Yang Kai immediately knew that his situation had worsened, as his enemy seemed to have broken out of whatever was restraining it and was about to hunt and kill him.
Before he could digest that thought, the Corpse Puppet had already appeared right before him with a flicker. In the next instant, a terrifying fist came towards Yang Kai.
Yang Kai felt as though his life was flashing before him. Despite not possessing any sentience, resulting in its exceedingly simple and unchanging way of combat using its fists to strike its targets, just a single punch from the Corpse Puppet, with its overwhelming strength was more than what Yang Kai could contend against.
The ferocity of that fist perfectly displayed the might of an Emperor Realm Master. Swirls of energy visible to the naked eye accompanied this fist, seemingly wanting to tear the surrounding space apart and collapse the entire world.
Yang Kai’s scalp turned numb as he roared, “Dragon Transformation!”
In the next instant, a high-pitched dragon roar rang out as a dazzling golden phantom of a dragon surfaced behind him. With a shake of its head and swish of its tail, the Golden Dragon rushed into his body. Cracking sounds rang out while Yang Kai’s arms turned to dragon-like claws, while the outer surface of his body was covered to the brim with Dragon Scales. Not only that, with a sharp tearing sound, a pure dragon aura gushed out from his backbone as it lengthened abruptly, as though he had turned into a large dragon and was attempting to take to the skies.
Yang Kai had unleashed his Dragon Transformation Secret Technique to its utmost limits!
Having refined the three dragon artifacts, A Dragon Scale, Dragon Bone, and Dragon Bead, supplemented with his already incredibly powerful flesh body, Yang Kai’s current strength immediately skyrocketed.
Not yet done, while he was unleashing his Dragon Transformation, Yang Kai had also summoned his Five Elements Indestructible Sword Qi. In a breath, a five-coloured radiance blossomed, as the power of the Five Elements gushed out. Crossing his arms before his body, he entered into a defensive stance.
Yang Kai absolutely did not dare to launch any attacks, as he felt that he was just like a small wooden boat shaking before the roaring storm that was the powerful might of his enemy. Any howling wind or large wave could send him capsizing and drowning as a result.
*Hong…”
As the Corpse Puppet’s punch made contact, Yang Kai felt as though he was struck by lightning as his entire body shook. Cracking sounds rang out from his arms as they were snapped and bent into unnatural shapes. At the same time, his body was sent flying by the massive force, adding to his pre-existing injuries.
All of these happened even after he had unleashed his Dragon Transformation and Five Elements Indestructible Sword Qi to its utmost limit.
If he had not prepared defensively against the punch, Yang Kai reckoned that he would have already been turned into dust.
He was experiencing first-hand just how powerful the Corpse Puppet before him was.
As he flew through the air, Yang Kai forcefully suppressed the pain ripping through his body and roared out between his clenched teeth, “Come out!”
With his roar, a massive mountain-like figure descended from the sky, sending an explosive boom as it landed on the ground, shaking the earth in a flurry as it did so.
The Embodiment had entered the stage.
His appearance was so sudden that he did not even know exactly where he was, or what kind of danger Yang Kai had gotten into; however, in the next instant, his giant body turned stiff as he could sense the vile aura radiating from the body of the Corpse Puppet. The might of this aura was so powerful it almost made him lose the will to fight.
Nevertheless, every single time he had been summoned was due to Yang Kai encountering a strong foe, so he quickly managed to regain his senses and composure. Extending his hand into the void, he clenched it, catching the flying Yang Kai.
“Cough cough…” Half kneeling on the Embodiment’s hand, Yang Kai continued to cough out blood as his face grew paler by the second.
“Master!” Appearing alongside the Embodiment, Liu Yan’s beautiful face instantly drained of all colour upon seeing the miserable shape Yang Kai was in. She immediately headed towards Yang Kai and helped him up.
“What in the world is that thing!?” The Embodiment’s eyes were wide open as it stared at the problem, which was as small as an ant in his eyes, yet making him not dare to look down on it at all, to the point that his voice turned slightly shaky.
“A Corpse Puppet!” Yang Kai stood up and explained, “A Third-Order Emperor Realm Corpse Puppet!”
“What?” Both the Embodiment and Liu Yan cried out in shock, intense tremors rocking their souls. After being stunned for a while, the Embodiment finally responded with a bitter tone, “How did you provoke such a monster?”
“It’s a long story…” Yang Kai’s mouth twitched as he gave a reply. Shaking his arms, cracking sounds rang out as his broken arms were reconnected together. Lowering his head, he noticed that his hands had snapped apart at the wrists, clearly revealing the golden bones within. Just a single look was enough to tell him how formidable that Corpse Puppet’s punch was.
Fortunately, due to his Dragon Transformation Secret Technique and Five Elements Indestructible Sword Tempering Art coming together to reinforce his flesh body, coupled with his originally powerful physique and Golden Blood, this level of injury wasn’t able to hamper him.
“It’s coming!” All of a sudden, the Embodiment shouted out. As those words left his mouth, the Corpse Puppet had already leapt up from its original position, rushed towards the Embodiment, and sent a punch towards him.
In terms of size, the Corpse Puppet was utterly dwarfed by the Embodiment, just like a little stalk of grass before a large tree, so insignificant it was not even worth comparing.
Nevertheless, the Embodiment’s expression remained solemn as he did not dare to underestimate the punch heading his way.
Faced with such danger, he proceeded to launch a punch in response.
The gigantic fist smashed against the puny figure, causing a Heaven shaking boom to ring out. Shockwaves caused by the powerful collision rippled out, kicking up chaotic winds in the process.
The Embodiment’s mountain-sized body was sent flying backwards. He waved his hands and legs futilely in response, creating an exceedingly comical sight to behold.
Nevertheless, the Corpse Puppet clearly did not end up unscathed after receiving the Embodiment’s punch head-on. Flying backwards at a faster speed than the Embodiment, it smashed into the cliff wall behind and disappeared without a trace.
After a split second, a loud bang rang out as a human-shaped hole was created on the cliff wall, with the Corpse Puppet present in the middle. Spiderwebs of cracks formed with it in the centre, rocks crumbling and falling down as they spread outwards.
Yang Kai sucked in a mouth of cold air as he was utterly incapable of believing what he had just witnessed.
He was all too clear of the Embodiment’s strength. The latter was born after fusing with an entire continent and despite the continent not being very large in mass, it was still born from World Energy and possessed its own source.
In other words, every strike from the Embodiment possessed the might of a world behind it.
With his current realm of strength, the Embodiment should be able to even kill Emperor Realm Masters with ease if they were to eat his strikes head-on; however, after taking his punch, the Corpse Puppet had actually not sustained too much damage, with the only result being sent smashing into the cliffside.
Exactly how resilient was this Corpse Puppet body?
Not only that, it had actually managed to send the Embodiment flying with its punch. The strength it possessed was enough to destroy Heaven and shatter the Earth.
“Liu Yan!” Yang Kai shouted.
Without needing any instructions from him, Liu Yan already knew what she needed to do. With a slight shake of her body, she immediately transformed into her Firebird form. Flapping her wings, she hurtled towards the Corpse Puppet. Letting off a clear cry, she opened her mouth and exhaled a torrent of roaring flames towards the Corpse Puppet.
The flames unleashed by Liu Yan were exceedingly powerful, being composed of her natal fire that had fused with the Heavenly Thunder Fire, Azure Ice Fire, Sun’s True Fire, and even the Divine Spirit Luan Feng’s World Extinguishing Black Flames.
Her flames were exceedingly dangerous.
With that breath, the cliff face swiftly melted away, transforming into red hot lava that emitted boiling hot gases as it flowed down.
Although the Embodiment’s punch wasn’t able to do anything to the Corpse Puppet, Liu Yan’s flames had caused a considerable amount of damage to it, as a series of deep roars and cries quickly rang out from beneath the roaring flames.
Quickly, angry howls started to ring out, before a dark green radiance blossomed within the intense flames and started to advance forwards.
Yang Kai was shocked by what he saw, as he realized that the Corpse Puppet had actually started to spew out Corpse Poison to defend against Liu Yan’s intense flames. Not only that, it seemed to show signs of gaining an advantage.
For a moment, the dark green Corpse Poison fought neck and neck against the fiery red flames as they collided in the air.
Nevertheless, Yang Kai knew that this was just a false hope; once the Corpse Puppet managed to extricate itself, Liu Yan would not be able to contend against it. Although she had experienced many extraordinary encounters, there was still a disparity in strength between her and a Third-Order Emperor Realm Corpse Puppet, despite its lack of sentience.
Yang Kai was secretly breathing a sigh of relief that the Corpse Puppet did not possess any sentience. Otherwise, with its cultivation and the Divine Abilities mastered in its previous life, the three of them would definitely be incapable of contending with it at all.
[No, something is wrong!] Yang Kai’s expression changed slightly after coming to a sudden realization.
A genuine Corpse Puppet should possess some of the Divine Abilities and Secret Techniques from its previous life; however, ever since it had started to move, Yang Kai had not seen this Corpse Puppet display any powerful moves at all. All of its attacks were either simple and straightforward punches or releasing Corpse Poison out when forced into a corner.
He had yet to see it displaying the unique strengths of a Corpse Puppet.
The Corpse Puppet before him… Seemed like a flawed product! Yang Kai came to this sudden realization.
In other words, this Corpse Puppet was unfinished, a failure that had not been refined to completion. Thinking more about it, Yang Kai felt he was right on the dot. Regardless of a cultivator’s strength, even if they were at the Third-Order Emperor Realm, they couldn’t endure all the pain and suffering from refining their body into a puppet. Even a slight change in refining conditions would cause the refining process to fail.
Yang Kai guessed that the previous Thousand Leaves Sect Master was unable to finish the refining process, resulting in him becoming a failed product.
Having considered all of these, a tremor shook through Yang Kai’s mind.
If this was a genuine Third-Order Emperor Realm Corpse Puppet, he would have utterly no chance of obtaining victory. However, if it was a failure, a flawed product, it wasn’t impossible to triumph. The only thing he needed to do now was to find and attack its weak spot.
Considering all of this, Yang Kai hastily shouted out, “You two hold it down and buy some time for me.”
After saying that, Yang Kai immediately activated his Demon Eye of Annihilation before taking a detailed look at the Corpse Puppet. Golden light blossomed from his left eye as everything came into view for him, enabling him to see the Corpse Puppet’s inner workings and construction.
Although Liu Yan and the Embodiment did not know what Yang Kai was planning, they managed to glean some information from the tone Yang Kai had used. In the next instant, Liu Yan proceeded to unleash her flames at the Corpse Puppet without restraint to contend against its Corpse Poison.
Jumping up, the Embodiment stomped the ground. This time, he did not dare to rush directly at the Corpse Puppet. Instead, he proceeded to extend a fist towards the ground beneath and clench it tightly. In the next instant, Earth Principles started to fluctuate before the ground beneath him turned into quicksand and gathered around him.
In the blink of an eye, a spear made of Earth that appeared to be capable of propping up Heaven formed in his hand. Although this spear was composed fully of the surrounding Earth, due to the Principle Strength circulating around it, it was not one bit inferior to a Dao Source Grade Artifact.
Wielding the spear, the Embodiment proceeded to hurl it forwards.
*Hong…*
A vacuum visible to the naked eye formed as the spear smashed straight into the Corpse Puppet. A flurry of sparks accompanied loud metallic clangs as they erupted from its body.
Nevertheless, that strike only managed to leave a tiny dent on its body, and was not able to pierce through it.
“It’s this tough?” The Embodiment cried out in shock.
He was clear how destructive his attack was, and was absolutely sure it would be able to severely injure Emperor Realms Masters. However, it was utterly useless against this Corpse Puppet! This showed exactly how tough the Corpse Puppet’s body was; it was even more outstanding than an Emperor Grade Defensive Artifact.
[If an attack like that was incapable of harming it, how will we be able to contend against it?] The Embodiment started to get a headache just thinking about this.
Nevertheless, it seemed that the earlier strike had infuriated the Corpse Puppet. After the spear that had struck its body had shattered apart, the Corpse Puppet let off a furious roar before spewing Corpse Poison at an even more furious rate. Originally, it was in a deadlock with Liu Yan’s flames; however, at this moment, the dark green Corpse Poison was advancing towards Liu Yan at a rapid pace visible to the naked eye, with her flames seemingly incapable of contending against it.
The Embodiment’s face changed drastically upon seeing this. Extending his hand into the void, he grasped. In the next instant, a gigantic War Hammer appeared abruptly in his hand. A dense, jet black and malevolent aura gushed out and circled around it, bringing forth the darkest and most negative emotions present at the depth of everyone’s hearts, causing them to tremble in fear!
The Demonic Armament War Hammer!
This was a Demonic weapon wielded by the giant demon from ancient antiquity. Wrapped in Demon Qi, it had already gained sentience and had been tossed into the Sealed World Bead by Yang Kai for the Embodiment to look after. Who knew that the Embodiment had actually managed to refine it!
However, from the looks of it, the Embodiment didn’t seem to have completely refined it yet. That was because the Embodiment’s eyes started to tremble intensely upon summoning the War Hammer. In the next instant, they turned into a blood-red shade that was brimming with violent tendencies. Clearly, he was being affected by the Ancient Demon Qi present within the war hammer.
The jet-black aura proceeded to twine around the Embodiment’s large arm like a living creature, continuing to extend out across his body, gradually turning his body a jet-black shade.
With the War Hammer in his hand, the Embodiment’s aura immediately soared. In the blink of an eye, he seemed to have transformed into that ancient Giant Demon, standing arrogantly as he looked down on everyone under the Heavens with contempt.
All of the World Energy within this Sealed World started to hum and vibrate as the World Principles descended into chaos.
These changes left Yang Kai utterly dumbstruck.
He was completely in the dark about the Embodiment having started to refine this War Hammer; however, looking at the Embodiment’s condition, Yang Kai knew that he had to finish this fight as soon as possible. If not, when the Demon Qi dyed the Embodiment completely black, he would become the puppet of the War Hammer.
As this thought appeared, he no longer dared to hesitate and proceeded to focus fully on finding the Corpse Puppet’s weaknesses.
On the other side, the Embodiment had already raised his War Hammer, shaking slightly as he took aim at the Corpse Puppet.
Seemingly sensing that something was amiss, the Corpse Puppet, which was being pressed into the cliffside, started to howl in exertion as it attempted to move away from its current position.
However, before it could make any movements, the Embodiment had already cleaved his War Hammer downwards.
The War Hammer sliced through the air as though it did not exist. It appeared as though it had pierced through ancient antiquity, smashing through space and time, causing the world to turn chaotic.
The War Hammer slammed down right onto the Corpse Puppet’s body.
*Hong long long…*
The cliffside was split apart, leaving a fissure so wide it appeared as though the world had been broken apart. Violent energies wreaked havoc where the War Hammer had passed by, destroying the Earth as though it was tofu, leaving deep intersecting gulches as the surrounding space turned chaotic.
Liu Yan had long fled before the strike landed. Nevertheless, the powerful chaotic energy storm rampaging behind her still managed to affect her to the point of threatening to devour her into its midst. In a moment of panic, she had no choice but to transform into her human form, and with a flicker, barely managed to extricate herself.
After launching that strike, the towering aura radiating from the Embodiment disappeared abruptly as he swayed about from where he stood. Just a single glance was enough to see how much that strike had exhausted him.
Not only that, the black Qi that had wrapped around his arm started to extend across his body at an exceedingly fast pace.
“What a blunder!” The Embodiment did not expect that this Demonic Armament War Hammer would exhaust so much of his strength. If he had been aware, he would not have used it at this moment.
Having underestimated the price he had to pay to use this Demonic Armament War Hammer, he was now being encroached on by the Ancient Demon Qi.
Right at this critical moment, Yang Kai appeared before the Embodiment with a flicker. Exchanging glances, there was no need for them to communicate through words to know what was going through each other’s minds.
In the next instant, Yang Kai released his Divine Sense, sending the Embodiment and his War Hammer into the Sealed World Bead, by the side of the medicine garden.
With a shift of her body, Liu Yan arrived by Yang Kai’s side. Shifting her beautiful eyes to look into the distance, she spoke out in a worried tone, “Master…”
Having lost the support from the Embodiment, she was incapable of dealing with the powerful Corpse Puppet alone, making it unavoidable for feelings of worry to rise within her heart.
With a grin, Yang Kai replied, “Don’t worry. I’ve already found its weak spot.”
Liu Yan finally felt relieved after hearing his words.
In the deep gorge before them, the Corpse Puppet had fallen on its face. Although the earlier Heaven shaking strike by the Embodiment had drained him of all his strength, having paid such a high price to launch it, the Corpse Puppet naturally didn’t escape unscathed.
As it struggled to stand up, Liu Yan immediately discovered that there was a massive wound present on the body of the Corpse Puppet. The wound started from the shoulder and extended down all the way to its leg. The edges of the wound were moving about as Corpse Poison seeped out from within. There was not a single trace of blood present, though she was able to see its bones within the wound.
At a certain location, she seemed to be able to make out an extremely complex pattern that was sparkling with a luminous glow.
Liu Yan immediately understood that it was the centre of all of the arrays present within the body of the Corpse Puppet. If they were able to break this core, the Corpse Puppet would no longer be able to move. Previously, due to its incredibly tough and powerful body, they were unable to see what was within it; however, the Embodiment’s strike had revealed this weak point in a single blow.
It could be said that the Embodiment had achieved a great feat with that strike.
“Back off a bit.” As he said those words, Yang Kai had already shot straight towards the Corpse Puppet.
Despite its severe injury, Yang Kai did not dare to act recklessly against the Corpse Puppet; after all, no matter how severe an injury it had sustained, being a lifeless puppet, the injury would not affect its combat power as long as its weakness was not targeted.
Any carelessness would result in unrecoverable circumstances for Yang Kai.
Along the way, Yang Kai’s hand shifted slightly, before a faint bluish circular bead the size of a pigeon egg appeared within his fingers. The bead appeared unassuming and inconspicuous, yet a silver arc of hair-raising lightning danced faintly within it.
Annihilation Thunder Bead!
One of the two Emperor Artifacts Yang Yan had left behind.
Ever since he arrived at the Star Boundary, Yang Kai had not used the Annihilation Thunder Bead. The first reason was him not daring to reveal its existence, with the second being that there were no strong enemies that required him to use it.
However, the Corpse Puppet was absolutely qualified for its usage.
Therefore, he was prepared to use this trump card to neutralize the Corpse Puppet.
During the earlier long-range bombardment, Yang Kai had remained behind until the Corpse Puppet had seemingly been knocked down by the Embodiment’s strike. From the looks of it, it would take a while for it to recover. As it staggered about while standing back up, Yang Kai had already travelled to a suitable location and poured all of his Source Qi into the Annihilation Thunder Bead without restraint.
Unlike other Emperor Artifacts, Yang Kai was able to use the Annihilation Thunder Bead even when he was just an Origin Returning Realm cultivator. However, the might that this Emperor Artifact could unleash depended on the cultivation realm of its user. Therefore, the stronger the user’s cultivation was, the greater might they could unleash from it.
When he was an Origin Realm cultivator, Yang Kai’s complete effort allowed him to destroy an Origin King with it. Currently, being in the Second-Order Dao Source Realm, the might he could unleash was night and day when compared to his past self.
As he unleashed his Source Qi, Yang Kai’s face suddenly turned pale.
It felt like the Annihilation Thunder Bead had turned into a black hole, with an extremely powerful suction force coming from within, as though it was finally able to eat after starving for countless years, greedily devouring the Source Qi Yang Kai was channelling into it.
Shock filled his heart, though he did not dare to stop, leaving him no choice but to clench his teeth and continue sending his Source Qi into it.
Source Qi rapidly drained from Yang Kai at a speed faster than he had imagined. In the blink of an eye, he had already felt as though he had been completely drained.
[I knew it would be like this!] Yang Kai’s face turned into one of bitterness.
Every time he had used the Annihilation Thunder Bead, it would always end up with him becoming completely exhausted. This was the biggest reason why he chose not to use it at any given moment. Using it was a double-edged sword, as it would be his demise were it to fail. Therefore, it had become the last trump card in his arsenal.
Perhaps, if his cultivation became stronger, he might be able to unleash the might of the Annihilation Thunder Bead as he wished without suffering its adverse effects.
However, he was still unable to do so at this moment.
After draining all of Yang Kai’s strength, the lightning arcs dancing on the surface of the Thunder Bead grew increasingly active. It was as if they possessed their own spirituality, creating an exceedingly mysterious sight to behold. Furthermore, a might that caused people’s hair to stand started to radiate from within those thin lightning arcs.
“Let’s see if you’ll die from this!” Yang Kai growled between his clenched teeth. Sending his Divine Sense out, he unleashed the Annihilation Thunder Bead.
*Chi…*
A soft crackle rang out, before the thin-looking lightning arc jumped and struck the Corpse Puppet.
*Kacha…*
Incredibly loud booms began to ring out incessantly as the Corpse Puppet was struck by the lightning, until its body started to twitch violently. Lightning arcs covered the surface of its body, sparkling with radiance. A lightning field formed around it in the blink of an eye as countless lightning arcs travelled around its body, leaving destruction wherever they went.
An exceedingly awful and gag-inducing smell began to appear in the surroundings.
In a few short breaths, the lightning arcs dissipated away, before the Corpse Puppet collapsed face down onto the ground, smoke wafting from its entire body.
Seeing this, Yang Kai finally breathed a sigh of relief, his body turning wobbly as he staggered about. A soft body supported him from behind at that moment; it was Liu Yan.
“I’m alright, just a little drained, so I need to recover for a while.” Not waiting for Liu Yan to speak, Yang Kai spoke before swaying slightly as he sat down, his entire body limp and devoid of strength.
If anyone tried to ambush him right now, forget about a Dao Source Realm cultivator, he might even be helpless against an Origin Returning Realm cultivator.
“I’ll stand guard for Master!” Liu Yan replied before her body suddenly turned stiff.
“What’s wrong?” Sensing that something wasn’t right, Yang Kai hastily asked.
However, before Liu Yan could reply, his eyes had already snapped wide open as a look of terror filled them.
That was because he saw that the Corpse Puppet, which had collapsed onto the ground earlier, had started to stand back up. With a roar, an increasingly powerful and violent aura erupted from it.
“It’s not dead yet?” Yang Kai’s face changed drastically as he was utterly incapable of believing his eyes.
The Annihilation Thunder Bead was currently the most potent weapon in his arsenal. However, even that was incapable of taking down the Corpse Puppet. One could see how resilient it was.
Despite the other trump cards Yang Kai had up his sleeves, how would he be able to unleash them with the current level of exhaustion he was facing right now?
Across from him, the Corpse Puppet’s body was in an utter mess, and its withered body had become charred. The various array diagrams present on its body had turned dim, while the weak spot that Yang Kai had uncovered earlier had already been completely destroyed.
[That should be the core of all of the Spirit Arrays supporting the Corpse Puppet’s body! It’s been destroyed! The Corpse Puppet should no longer be functioning! Why is it still able to stand up?]
As he was wallowing in terror, Yang Kai noticed something strange in the chest area of the Corpse Puppet. Looking over, his eyes immediately shook as he let out a bitter laugh. That was because he had actually spotted another array core radiating with brilliance there!
It was precisely due to this still-functioning array core that allowed the Corpse Puppet to continue displaying its combat might.
“Master!” Liu Yan was scared out of her life. Without the aid of Yang Kai and the Embodiment, she couldn’t resist against an enemy of such might; however, she quickly calmed herself down and a resolute look appeared on her face, “Master, please leave first. I’ll hold him back for a while.”
She felt that as long as she was able to buy Yang Kai a little bit of time, he should be able to repair the array base platform enough to allow him to leave this Sealed World.
After saying that, she stepped in front of Yang Kai while making a stance of wanting to protect him even at the risk of her life.
Yang Kai extended his hand to stop her, but before he could, turning around, Liu Yan gave him a sad smile, “It has been an amazing journey for this servant. My life has been blessed to be able to enjoy Master’s sincere care for these years. Please take care of yourself in the future.”
“Don’t say such sad words,” Yang Kai felt something sour in his mouth, though he continued to maintain a faint smile, “It’s still uncertain who will live and who will die here today.”
Liu Yan’s eyes lit up as she asked, “Does Master still have another trump card?”
Yang Kai did not give a reply in words. Instead, flipping his wrist, he summoned a Spirit Pill like item into his grasp. Pressing this thing into Liu Yan’s hand, he said, “Unleash its strength. If even that fails, we’ll just hide in the Sealed World Bead to rest and wait.”
“This is…” Liu Yan’s eyes lit up after seeing the pill-like object in her hand, before crying out softly, “An Emperor Authority Bead?”
This Emperor Authority Bead was obtained by Yang Kai through an exchange with the Extraordinary Treasure Pill while in the Four Seasons Realm. Sealed within it was a full-power strike from the Flowing Time Great Emperor, though Yang Kai was not clear exactly how powerful this strike would be.
Unlike an Emperor Artifact like the Annihilation Thunder Bead, this Emperor Authority Bead was a single-use item.
Yang Kai had kept it for all this time, not willing to use it; however, it was hard for him not to use it in this current situation.
With the Emperor Authority Bead in her hand, Liu Yan’s chaotic emotions turned calm. Exhaling softly, she clenched the Emperor Authority Bead tightly and channelled her strength into it.
On the other side, the Corpse Puppet appeared somewhat stiff after standing up, with its movements no longer as smooth as before. It was obvious that the strike from the Annihilation Thunder Bead had affected it quite a bit.
Appearing to have discovered something, the Corpse Puppet gave a low roar before shooting over towards Liu Yan like an arrow. As it travelled along, that dense putrid smell had already wafted over as it aimed its seemingly visible cold, murderous intent towards Liu Yan.
Liu Yan’s petite body shook slightly as a result, though she still continued to remain stationary as the power within her body gushed without restraint into the Emperor Authority Bead.
As the distance between the two shrank, beads of cold sweat formed on Yang Kai’s forehead. He clenched the Sealed World Bead in his hands, preparing to bring himself and Liu Yan away from the impending danger.
Right as the Corpse Puppet was about to reach Liu Yan, she finally started to move. With a flick of her wrist, the Emperor Authority Bead shot out like a beam of light towards the Corpse Puppet.
The Corpse Puppet sent a punch out with enough destructive force present to shatter the Emperor Authority Bead into pieces.
However…
A mysterious Principle Strength rumbled as it expanded out in all directions.
Within the mountain valley, all of the withered and dead vegetation as a result of the Corpse Poison seemed to have their life force replenished as they came back to life in an instant. In the blink of an eye, the entire mountain valley turned back into a full stretch of verdant green.
Not only that, the mysterious strength continued to propagate even further, causing all of the vegetation that came into contact with it to sway gently in vibrancy and sending out notes of joy.
Yang Kai and Liu Yan were enveloped by this power.
This power flowed through their limbs and fused with their bodies, making the weak and exhausted Yang Kai feel as though he had been gorged with life force. In the next instant, his entire spirit started to tremble fervently, while the injuries he had sustained in his earlier exchange with the Corpse Puppet proceeded to heal in an exceedingly short amount of time
“This is…” Liu Yan’s beautiful eyes turned round with shock as she cried out.
“The Principle of Spring!” Yang Kai was utterly gobsmacked with shock, his eyes gleaming as he clearly understood the source of the phenomena happening to and around him.
Not daring to waste any time, Yang Kai hastily expanded his senses to start comprehending what he was feeling right now.
This was the Principle Strength that the Flowing Time Great Emperor had comprehended, which was exceedingly deep and profound. Unleashing the Emperor Authority Bead was the equivalent of the Flowing Time Great Emperor unleashing an all-out strike. If he was able to utilise this chance to comprehend it, it would definitely be a benefit for him.
At this instant, Yang Kai had completely tossed the battle against the Corpse Puppet out of his mind and focused entirely on experiencing the mysterious Principle Strength that surrounded him.
The Principle of Spring surged out without restraint, returning the mountain valley to its luscious and vibrant state. However, in the blink of an eye, an unbearable scorching aura descended, making it feel as though one had entered the hottest period of the year, with the faint sounds of cicadas chirping ringing about, the feeling of dryness and heat being unbearable under the scorching sun.
The Principle of Summer!
As he continued to comprehend, Yang Kai increasingly felt that this was an opportunity that he should not let go of.
All of a sudden, a chilly breeze started whipping within the mountain valley, as the leaves on the surrounding trees turned yellow or red and dropped to the ground. Fruits and melons turned ripe, while a delightful aura of a bumper harvest came rushing out.
The Principle of Autumn!
A frigid wind began to howl about next, turning the surroundings abruptly into a bone-chilling cold. White snow blanketed everything within their field of view, just like being wrapped in a silvery blanket. Within the nail-biting cold, even the most resistant of ferocious beasts would retreat back to their caves, not daring to step out recklessly.
The Principle of Winter!
The four seasons followed each other in turn, fusing tightly together, throughout the times, continuing on and on, forming an exceedingly special energy that circulated within the mountain valley. This caused people to lose track of time, as though everything had happened in an instant, yet also appearing as though tens of thousands of years have passed…
Yang Kai’s entire being had sunk into this mire so deep that he would be unable to extricate himself.
Under the influence of the Principles of the four seasons, he continued to view the passing and intermingling of spring, summer, autumn and winter. This made him forget where he was, what he was doing, with the only thing he knew being that it would absolutely be his loss if he were to miss out on this.
A cracking sound rang out after an unknown amount of time had elapsed. Yang Kai’s body suddenly shuddered, as the meridians and dantian in his body expanded substantially. Source Qi flowed torrentially like a gushing river, rapidly filling up his meridians.
An exceedingly powerful aura started to radiate out from him!
A breakthrough!
He had actually broken through to the Third-Order Dao Source Realm!
The commotion of his promotion caused Yang Kai to regain his senses. He immediately spotted the Corpse Puppet, which was in a seated position, causing him to recall everything he was doing right before this.
His expression changed drastically as he leapt up, all while keeping a vigilant gaze at the stationary Corpse Puppet.
“Master!” Liu Yan hastily shouted out upon seeing the worrying look on his face.
“How long has it been?” Yang Kai frowned as he asked in a doubtful tone.
“What do you mean how long?” A blank look appeared on Liu Yan’s face.
“Since you used the Emperor Authority Bead, how long has it been?”
Liu Yan replied in a confused tone, “That just happened. After I used the Emperor Authority Bead, you proceeded to sit down, and… suddenly broke through.”
“Just happened?” Yang Kai’s jaw dropped wide open. He clearly felt that he had spent a long, long time comprehending those Principle Strengths! However, from what Liu Yan was saying, it had all happened in an instant?
He gasped in shock and immediately realized that this misconception was born due to the influence of the Principle of the four seasons.
The Four Seasons Principles was a type of Principle Strength that the Flowing Time Great Emperor comprehended and mastered. When using this ability, the four seasons would keep changing and fluctuating. This was a Time Principle that was completely different from the Space Principles that Yang Kai studied.
However, the Time Principles and Space Principles were similar in that they were both extremely esoteric powers that were extraordinarily difficult to comprehend. Any cultivator who managed to gain insight into such powers would become a famous powerhouse.
Yang Kai originally thought that Flowing Time Great Emperor had simply created a Divine Ability that was related to the four seasons, but it now seemed that he had been wrong. Flowing Time Great Emperor had understood the essence of Time Principles, a concept that had vastly surpassed Four Seasons Principles.
The Emperor Authority Bead must have been a treasure that the Flowing Time Great Emperor created while he was in the Third-Order Emperor realm. The Emperor Authority Bead’s attack was the equivalent of an attack from the Flowing Time Great Emperor back when he was in that Realm. It would be impossible to survive such a hit.
Time Principles could make a person instantly feel as if an incredibly long period of time had passed. If the attack hit a living person, wouldn’t the Flowing Time Force instantly cause that person to rapidly age?
For instance, in just that one instant, Yang Kai felt as if he had just cultivated for several years. He instantly broke through from Second-Order Dao Source Realm to Third-Order, and not through sudden insight but rather through a kind of solid accumulation gained over time. Although it was only the blink of an eye in real life, several years had already passed in Yang Kai’s consciousness.
Yang Kai couldn’t even begin to imagine just how powerful Flowing Time Great Emperor must have been at his peak.
Yang Kai suddenly became excited as he thought about this.
He had obtained three beads back in the Four Seasons Realm, the Beads of Spring, Summer, and Autumn. His inference back then was that there should also be a Bead of Winter; however, his time in the Four Seasons Realm had ended too fast, and he had no idea where the Bead of Winter was or how to find it.
Now that he looked at them, the three beads all contained some aura of Flowing Time Force. If he could gather all of the Four Seasons Beads, perhaps the Flowing Time Great Emperor’s Divine Ability would appear again and he could obtain the Flowing Time Great Emperor’s inheritance!
The Flowing Time Great Emperor’s inheritance would be different from Heaven Devouring Great Emperor’s inheritance. Yang Kai didn’t even dare to cultivate the latter’s Heaven Devouring Battle Law, so he left it to his Embodiment. It was proven later on that he had made the correct decision. According to the Embodiment, although the Heaven Devouring Battle Law was incomparably powerful, there were also significant drawbacks to cultivating it. If it wasn’t for the Embodiment having a unique body that was capable of refining all sorts of impurities and cleansing negative effects, it likely would have long since been taken over by the Heaven Devouring Battle Law.
However, Yang Kai would benefit significantly if he could obtain the Flowing Time Great Emperor’s inheritance. If he comprehended Time Principles and controlled the Power of Four Seasons, then Yang Kai could use a shorter amount of time to reach a higher realm since, with Time Principles, his cultivating for one year would likely be equivalent to others cultivating for ten or even a hundred years!
Yang Kai felt a fire igniting in his heart.
However, when he thought about how the Bead of Winter’s whereabouts were unknown, it was as if a bucket of cold water had suddenly been poured on him, making Yang Kai feel like ice had flooded in his heart.
It was unknown when the Four Seasons Realm would open up again. Even if it opened up again, Yang Kai definitely would have exceeded the Dao Source Realm by then, so it would be impossible for him to enter.
In other words, it was likely that he would never be able to find the Bead of Winter in his life and gather all four seasons’ powers in order to reconstruct the Flowing Time Great Emperor’s Divine Ability.
“Master, that guy still isn’t dead yet!” Liu Yan’s astonished shout suddenly rang in Yang Kai’s ears.
“Impossible!” Yang Kai was instantly brought back to his senses.
He had used the Annihilation Thunder Bead and Emperor Authority Bead in this battle, two of his biggest trump cards. The Embodiment had also used the Demonic Armament. Even if there really had been a Third-Order Emperor Realm Master here, he wouldn’t even have a corpse remaining. No matter how powerful a Corpse Puppet was, it was impossible for it to still be alive after such an onslaught.
That was why he didn’t believe Liu Yan’s words at all.
However, Yang Kai was instantly stunned when he glanced over.
Not far away, the Corpse Puppet had sat down cross-legged with a wretched appearance at an unknown time. Perhaps due to the influence of the Flowing Time Force, the Corpse Puppet’s originally dry and withered body had now become pale white like flour. When Yang Kai looked over, the Corpse Puppet’s body was constantly losing pieces of flesh that would disintegrate before they hit the ground. In just a few short moments, the Corpse Puppet appeared like half a skeleton that had its white bones exposed.
The Flowing Time Force was truly powerful. Previously, Yang Kai had tried everything that he could, but only the attack from the Annihilation Thunder Bead had managed to damage the Corpse Puppet at all. However, when Yang Kai used the Emperor Authority Bead, it actually destroyed the Corpse Puppet’s body to such an extent. This definitely wasn’t because of its pure power, but rather the influence of Time Principles. Flowing Time Force had quietly flooded the Corpse Puppet’s body, making it experience tens of thousands of years in an instant. Even the strongest physical body would be destroyed without obtaining any nourishment for so long.
Yang Kai could clearly discern that the Spirit Arrays in the Corpse Puppet were all dimming and beginning to shut down.
Still, Liu Yan was correct. The Corpse Puppet had yet to die, since its green ghost-fire-like eyes kept flickering. It seemed as if it was struggling as it constantly growled in a low voice.
Yang Kai instantly felt his hairs standing on end as he remained vigilant out of fear that the Corpse Puppet would try something else right before it died.
Yang Kai could tell that even if the Corpse Puppet wasn’t dead yet, it was like an arrow at the end of its flight. As long as Yang Kai stalled for a bit, the Corpse Puppet would definitely die soon.
That was why Yang Kai didn’t try to leave in a hurry. He had suddenly improved to the Third-Order Dao Source Realm and had his Source Qi restored as well as recovered from his injuries. Even if the Corpse Puppet did launch one last attack, he was confident that he could dodge it.
Yang Kai didn’t move, so Liu Yan stood by his side and remained on guard without a word as a vigilant look flashed through her pretty eyes.
Suddenly, the Corpse Puppet’s eyes violently shook as a frantic roar came from its throat, as if it was struggling against something. Soon, its green eyes calmed down as the Corpse Puppet’s vicious and frightening expression also gradually receded.
Its ghost-fire-like eyes were now actually shining with the light of spirituality as it looked around in confusion. When he saw Yang Kai, he focused his attention on him.
“Master!” Liu Yan adopted a posture ready for combat at any time.
Yang Kai on the other hand furrowed his brow as he suddenly met the Corpse Puppet’s eyes. He swiftly realized something, as unimaginable as it seemed, and politely cupped his fists and called out, “Junior Yang Kai greets Senior!”
“Master, you’re…” Liu Yan looked at Yang Kai with confusion, not knowing what he wanted to do. It was obvious to see that the Corpse Puppet was the type with no sentience, knowing only to viciously fight under the urging of the Spirit Arrays in its body. The Corpse Puppet wouldn’t have any self-consciousness at all, so what meaning was there to Yang Kai’s actions?
However, what Liu Yan never expected was that after Yang Kai spoke, the Corpse Puppet sitting cross-legged on the ground actually opened its mouth and uttered some sounds with great difficulty that were hard to understand.
The Corpse Puppet’s body was severely withered and damaged, which was why Liu Yan couldn’t understand his words.
Despite this, Liu Yan was thoroughly astonished.
The Corpse Puppet had actually responded to Yang Kai. Didn’t this mean that the Corpse Puppet had its own sentience? If that was the case, then why hadn’t the Corpse Puppet shown any sentience earlier?
Meanwhile, the Corpse Puppet was still attempting to speak. It tried hard for quite a while before it somewhat managed to succeed, although its voice was raspy and sounded like metallic banging that was incredibly discomforting to hear.
“Are you a Thousand Leaves Sect disciple?”
It was a simple sentence, but it seemed as if the Corpse Puppet used all his strength to speak it. After he asked the question, he actually began to pant heavily, although it was unknown if breathing would be of any use in his current condition.
Yang Kai’s eyes lit up as he felt his earlier guess had definitely been correct, “This Junior is not a Thousand Leaves Sect disciple!”
The Corpse Puppet asked, “If you’re not a Thousand Leaves Sect disciple, why are you here?”
Maybe due to succeeding at speaking earlier, the Corpse Puppet’s words became clearer and clearer.
Yang Kai answered honestly, “This Junior was requested by the current Thousand Leaves Sect Master to fix the Space Array located here.”
When the Corpse Puppet heard this, he tried hard to recall distant memories before finally replying, “Yes, this King destroyed the platform back then…” He paused for a moment before asking incredulously, “If you’re able to fix it, does that mean you’re well versed in the Dao of Space?”
“Junior knows a little something,” Yang Kai answered humbly.
However, the Corpse Puppet knew that he was being humble. Nobody who knew only a little something could possibly enter this Sealed World when the array had already been destroyed. It was quite clear that this boy’s achievements in the Dao of Space were incredible.
Still, the Corpse Puppet had no intentions of prying.
Yang Kai’s eyes lit up as he asked, “Senior, could you be the past Thousand Leaves Sect Master who entered this place?”
Yang Kai had already guessed it when he discovered that there was some spirituality in the Corpse Puppet’s eyes. When Yang Kai heard the Corpse admitting that he had destroyed the platform himself, Yang Kai instantly became certain.
This Corpse Puppet was definitely the Thousand Leaves Sect Master from that generation.
The Corpse Puppet gently nodded, causing creaking sounds from the white bones on his neck. Yang Kai felt really scared as he watched, worried that the Corpse Puppet’s head would suddenly fall off.
The Corpse Puppet declared, “This King is Ye Chong!”
“Senior has yet to die?” Yang Kai was still incredibly surprised even though he had already guessed it. Ye Chong was a Third-Order Emperor Realm Master who was the last Thousand Leaves Sect Master to enter the Sealed World.
Ye Chong quickly denied, however, “I am just a Remnant Soul. This King used his own body to create this puppet and died while trying to reach the peak of the Dao of Puppetry. Only a sliver of a Remnant Soul remained in this body awaiting a Thousand Leaves Sect descendant’s arrival.”
Yang Kai nodded and was about to ask something when Ye Chong continued, “I don’t have much time left. I was able to wake up thanks to you destroying this body. Although I’m not quite clear on how you managed to do so with your current cultivation, I don’t have the time to ask, as this King wants to ask for your help.”
“Senior, please ask!”
“Since the Ye Family’s current descendant has asked you to come here to fix the Space Array, you must be a trustworthy person. I want to ask you to give this Space Ring to the current generation’s Thousand Leaves Sect Master!” As Ye Chong said this, he shakily removed a ring from his hand and gently flicked it towards Yang Kai.
Yang Kai grabbed the ring and instantly felt an ancient aura emanating from his hand.
This was a Space Ring from ten thousand years ago. Yang Kai could also guess at what good things were inside. Ye Hen and his daughter had both mentioned the Thousand Leaves Sect’s various Secret Arts and Secret Techniques, which were definitely inside this ring.
Ye Chong followed up, “This ring has a Soul Brand that this King etched into it. Only someone from my Ye Family’s bloodline can open it safely. Any other forceful method used to open this ring will result in the ring’s destruction.”
Yang Kai could immediately tell that Ye Chong didn’t trust him completely and was afraid that he would covet the treasures in the ring for himself, which was why Ye Chong had put a bloodline seal on the ring.
Of course, Ye Chong wasn’t specifically targeting him, as it was obvious that this seal had been placed ten thousand years ago.
Even though Yang Kai understood this, he still felt displeased inside.
Ye Chong was clearly the one asking for help handing over an item, yet he was acting like Yang Kai was a thief. Who would feel good about that?
However, Yang Kai didn’t show this on his face. He simply took the ring and said, “Rest assured, Senior, I’ll definitely hand this to Sect Master Ye.”
“Very good, very good!” Ye Chong gently sighed, as if a great weight had been removed from his heart, “Of course, this King won’t ask for your help for free.”
Yang Kai’s eyes couldn’t help but light up when he heard this. He knew that Ye Chong was going to give him something good, so he immediately looked forward to what it was.
However, Ye Chong didn’t immediately say what he was going to give Yang Kai and instead directed a contemplatively look towards Liu Yan as a highly complex light flashed in his green eyes.
Although Liu Yan was only an Artifact Spirit, she still felt like her hair was standing on end being stared at like this. She couldn’t help but hide behind Yang Kai’s body. Ye Chong was a Third-Order Emperor Realm Master, after all. Even if he was an arrow at the end of its flight, who knew what else he might be capable of?
After a long while, it seemed as if Ye Chong made up his mind as he said, “You should enter the cave that this King previously stayed in. Perhaps you can find an opportunity there.”
Yang Kai hurriedly asked, “Senior, please explain.”
Ye Chong told him, “You’ll naturally know when the opportunity comes. If the opportunity doesn’t arrive, then asking is useless!”
Yang Kai’s face went black. Ye Chong’s words were the same as saying nothing at all. Ye Chong was giving him something good, but not explaining anything at all and instead hiding information, which seemed too stingy.
Still, Ye Chong was an Old Master from ten thousand years ago, so Yang Kai couldn’t be bothered to argue with him, nor did Yang Kai want to thank him. To Yang Kai, he only came here to help Thousand Leaves Sect repair their World-Crossing Space Array. It was only a coincidence that he had been able to talk to Ye Chong.
Yang Kai hadn’t intended on keeping Ye Chong’s ring for himself to begin with. Of course… if it wasn’t for Ye Chong placing a bloodline seal on the ring, Yang Kai would first ‘borrow’ what was in the ring to ‘study’ before giving it to Ye Hen.
Yang Kai was quite interested in Dao of Puppetry as well.
But since there was the bloodline restriction, Yang Kai naturally wouldn’t investigate what good things were inside the ring. If he actually tried to do so, it was likely that he would receive some type of backlash. Ye Chong was a Third-Order Emperor Realm Master. Who knew what dangerous trap he might have left behind on that bloodline seal?
Just as Yang Kai was secretly thinking such things to himself, Ye Chong suddenly asked, “How much time has passed?”
Yang Kai furrowed his eyebrows, “I don’t know the specific number of years, but it’s been at least ten thousand years.”
“Ten thousand years…” Ye Chong was astonished before he began to chuckle bitterly, “How is Thousand Leaves Sect’s current situation, then? Are there many experts in the Sect?”
Yang Kai replied honestly, “If Senior is asking about Dao Source Realm experts, there are quite a few, but as for Emperors, there’s not a single one.”
Ye Chong sighed, “This King has wronged the Sect!”
His tone contained strong self-blame and regret. If it wasn’t for his stubbornness back then in taking all the Secret Arts and Secret Techniques into the Sealed World despite others’ objections, because he had wanted to attempt to refine his own body into that of a puppet and reach the peak of his Dao of Puppetry, Thousand Leaves Sect wouldn’t have become like how it was today.
And in the end, Ye Chong had failed.
Right when he failed, he realized that he had been wrong. He had underestimated the Heavenly Way when he felt that he would definitely succeed. Ye Chong then predicted the decline of Thousand Leaves Sect, which was why he did everything he could to leave a sliver of Remnant Soul in the Corpse Puppet. Ten thousand years later, his efforts allowed him to meet Yang Kai.
Yang Kai couldn’t really say anything about Ye Chong’s current condition.
After Ye Chong sighed, his head suddenly fell down listlessly on his chest as the green light in his eyes gradually dimmed and then vanished. A black aura then flew out from the Corpse Puppet’s head and transformed into nothingness.
Yang Kai knew that this former Thousand Leaves Sect Master from ten thousand years ago had now completely died, with not even a single sliver of Remnant Soul remaining.
After the Corpse Puppet lost its last bit of Remnant Soul, it suddenly clattered all over as it collapsed into a pile of white ash.
Yang Kai could only stare silently.
Even the strongest cultivator would eventually die. Ye Chong had wanted to use his body to defy the Heavenly Way and obtain an immortal body. Unfortunately, even though he was a Heaven defying genius, he was still unable to break free from the restrictions of reality.
It was like this even for a Third-Order Emperor Realm Masters, so just how difficult would it be to truly achieve eternal indestructibility? It was unknown if even the Ten Great Emperors were capable of achieving this.
Yang Kai then slowly shook his head when he thought of this. The Ten Great Emperors definitely couldn’t achieve such a feat either. If they had been capable of doing so, then Heaven Devouring Great Emperor and Flowing Time Great Emperor wouldn’t have died.
Yang Kai actually had some hope of achieving immortality, although the prerequisite was for him to refine the Immortal Tree. According to legends, a person could become immortal and indestructible after refining the Immortal Tree, although it was unknown if there was any basis for the rumours.
After pondering for quite a while, Yang Kai brought Liu Yan with him to bury Ye Chong’s bones.
Yang Kai didn’t spend too much effort on the burial, since Ye Hen would definitely come here after the Space Array was fixed. As Ye Chong was Ye Hen’s ancestor, Yang Kai could just leave the formal burial to him. It was likely that Ye Hen would hold a grander burial ceremony.
After he finished burying Ye Chong’s bones, Yang Kai took Liu Yan with him to the cave where he previously met Ye Chong.
Yang Kai was rather doubtful about the opportunity that Ye Chong mentioned inside the cave. Although Yang Kai hadn’t carefully investigated the cave when he entered last time, he also hadn’t found anything special about the cave.
Liu Yan also really wondered as she followed Yang Kai. “Master, why was that Senior Ye staring at me when he said that there was an opportunity?”
“Because you’re pretty,” Yang Kai answered flippantly.
“Be more serious!” Liu Yan glared at Yang Kai. Although Liu Yan felt that her illusionary human form wasn’t ugly, why would Ye Chong stare at her just because of that? He was a Sect Leader for one of the top Sects back in his day, so of course, he would have seen all sorts of beautiful women before.
Yang Kai chuckled, “He must have seen what your true form was, which was why he was focused on you. There’s nothing strange about it.”
“I think that’s probably the reason as well,” Liu Yan nodded in agreement.
They soon reached the cave again as they chatted. Since Ye Chong said that there was an opportunity here, Yang Kai came in this time with Divine Sense fully released, searching around carefully.
But, even as he reached the end of the cave, he still hadn’t found anything suspicious at all.
“Could he have been lying to me?” Yang Kai felt rather frustrated. It was fine if Ye Chong was on guard as if he was a thief by placing a bloodline seal on the ring, since that wasn’t really targeting him specifically, but if Ye Chong had lied about an opportunity here, then that was really just too much.
Yang Kai hadn’t been counting on getting anything from Ye Chong to begin with; however, if Ye Chong had voluntarily mentioned giving him an opportunity but also lied to him, then that would be a simple issue of morality.
Yang Kai refused to believe this or give up though, and searched the deepest depths of the cave several more times. He even sent his Divine Sense through the stone walls to search deeper into the mountain, but still discovered nothing.
Meanwhile, Liu Yan suddenly stopped and kept staring at an oval-shaped rock.
“Did you find something?” Yang Kai inquired.
Liu Yan told him, “Master, it seems like this rock is no ordinary rock.”
Upon hearing this, Yang Kai arched his brow and immediately sent his Divine Sense to scan the oval rock. He had already checked this rock earlier but hadn’t paid it much attention, since this rock didn’t even have any discernible energy or aura, so it obviously wasn’t any precious treasure.
Yet, Yang Kai noticed something unusual when he checked it again.
This rock was actually absorbing his Divine Sense as he scanned it, causing a slight stinging in his Knowledge Sea.
“Em…?” Yang Kai was astonished, “Is the opportunity that Ye Chong mentioned actually this rock?”
There was nothing else suspicious in the entire cave. The oval-shaped rock was the only strange thing here. If there really was an opportunity here, then this rock had to be the opportunity.
But, what could a rock even do? Could it be a High-Grade Artifact Refining material? Yang Kai had a confused look. He didn’t need Artifact Refining resources and he already possessed several Emperor Artifacts, so he had no need to create any more artifacts.
Liu Yan also had a confused expression as she reached with her hand towards the rock. She wanted to see just what strange attributes this rock had.
“Wait!” Yang Kai hurriedly tried to stop her. Although he didn’t know what strange attributes this rock had, it obviously wouldn’t be good to touch it until its true nature was identified. Besides, this was a strange rock that could even devour his Divine Sense.
However, he shouted just a little too late.
Liu Yan had already touched the strange rock. When she heard Yang Kai’s shout, she instinctively tried to retract her hand, but at this time, a powerful suction force suddenly came from the strange rock. The suction force was so strong that Liu Yan couldn’t resist at all. She only had the time to shout out in surprise before she was absorbed into the rock and instantly disappeared.
Yang Kai’s expression immediately changed. Although Liu Yan was capable of assuming a human form that made others see her as a living beauty, she didn’t actually have a physical body and didn’t even count as living. Her body was made from pure energy, although the energy was dense enough that she seemed corporeal.
[Just what the hell is this strange rock? How did it absorb Liu Yan!?] Yang Kai couldn’t possibly stand back and do nothing.
Yang Kai didn’t hesitate at all as he pushed his Source Qi and hit the strange rock.
With a loud boom from Yang Kai’s attack, a clear handprint was left on the strange rock; however, the abnormal part was that the rock didn’t actually shatter. Instead, it actually began repairing itself after Yang Kai’s attack.
In less than ten breaths, the strange rock restored itself to its original form. It was impossible to tell that Yang Kai had just attacked it.
“Free-Flowing Memory Metal?” Yang Kai’s expression changed slightly, but he soon realized that he was wrong.
Although Free-Flowing Memory Metal was one of the best Artifact Refining materials, and any artifact with just a little bit of Free-Flowing Memory Metal would gain miraculous restorative abilities, even rendering the most severe damage easily fixable, the Free-Flowing Memory Metal that Yang Kai knew about definitely wasn’t like this strange rock.
Yang Kai had originally wanted to destroy the strange rock and save Liu Yan, but he instantly realized that wouldn’t work after his attack. This strange rock wasn’t hard, but it was incredibly durable and impossible to shatter.
Not only that, Yang Kai sensed that his mysterious connection to Liu Yan, which had remained since they met, had suddenly been cut off after Liu Yan was absorbed into this strange rock.
Liu Yan was an Artifact Spirit. Back when Yang Kai first refined her Natal Body Artifact Refining Furnace, the two of them had forged an invisible connection that hadn’t broken for so many years now, yet the connection had suddenly just vanished.
Yang Kai’s face paled as he thought that Liu Yan had just died.
That was the only explanation for why the connection between the two of them had suddenly been severed.
Yang Kai instantly felt as if his heart had been stabbed through and his mood became incredibly gloomy.
Liu Yan had been with him for many years. The two of them had always protected and helped each other for all this time. Yang Kai really wouldn’t be able to accept it if she died just like that because of this strange rock.
If that really happened, then he would definitely unearth Ye Chong’s corpse and destroy it in order to vent his anger.
But upon careful consideration, he felt that this wasn’t very likely. Ye Chong wanted Yang Kai’s help, so there was no reason for him to direct Yang Kai to the strange rock here just to harm him.
[Yet… why was he constantly staring at Liu Yan when he mentioned the opportunity in this cave earlier?]
Yang Kai’s heart was in utter chaos. At this moment, he suddenly detected a sliver of familiar aura from that strange rock.
Yang Kai’s spirits instantly perked up when he detected this aura, “Liu Yan!”
This was definitely Liu Yan’s aura, although it was really weak. Yang Kai wouldn’t have been able to notice it if it wasn’t for Liu Yan accompanying him for so long that he became really familiar with her aura.
Her aura still being around meant that Liu Yan hadn’t died yet. She had simply been sealed in the strange rock. After he realized this, Yang Kai didn’t dare to randomly attack the strange rock anymore out of fear that he would harm Liu Yan.
However, Liu Yan wouldn’t respond at all when he tried to call her. Not only that, Yang Kai sensed from that trace amount of aura that Liu Yan was okay. Although the fluctuations were incredibly weak, there was no sign of her being injured.
It seemed as if she had gone into hibernation.
[What just happened?] Yang Kai couldn’t figure it out at all.
He carefully released his Divine Sense to investigate again, but just like last time, his Divine Sense seemed to get bitten off by a large and invisible mouth right when it entered the strange rock. Not only was his investigation fruitless, his Knowledge Sea even felt some slight pain.
It was unknown just what the strange rock was. Since it could even devour Divine Sense, it must have been extraordinary.
A tiny sliver of almost imperceptible red was spreading out from inside the strange rock and reaching its surface. Yang Kai’s eyes lit up, as he was incomparably familiar with this red aura. This was obviously the incredibly complex power of fire that Liu Yan possessed, which contained various exotic flames that were perfectly combined together. Liu Yan was the only one in the world with such an ability, with no other ability out there like it.
[Could Liu Yan be attacking the seal from inside the rock?]
Considering all this, Yang Kai’s nervousness was lessened significantly as he forced himself to calm down and carefully observe to try and think of some way to help Liu Yan.
When the red colour spread out, the strange rock suddenly vibrated as it then sent out a powerful suction force that madly absorbed all the World Energy in the surrounding area.
At this moment, a wild wind suddenly whipped up inside the cave and made a wailing sound. The incredibly dense World Energy in this Sealed World all entered the strange rock and seemed to completely disappear.
As the World Energy disappeared, the red colour on the surface of the strange rock became brighter and brighter. Liu Yan’s aura also became clearer and clearer.
Did the strange rock need World Energy? Yang Kai’s brow twitched. He didn’t hesitate at all as he waved his hand and scattered millions of Source Crystals all around the strange rock. There were so many that they almost completely filled the cave. These Source Crystals were all Mid-Rank or High-Rank, with no Low-Rank Source Crystals at all. Yang Kai had obtained all of them from that Source Crystals Lode.
Yang Kai punched again and shattered the Source Crystals into dust which enveloped the strange stone in a sea of World Energy.
It could be seen with the naked eye that the strange rock was constantly absorbing the energy around it, as if it would never stop.
…
At the same time that Liu Yan met with danger, the winds whistled outside the Thousand Leaves Sect as the grass was covered with enemies.
Thousands of cultivators arrived in front of the Thousand Leaves Sect’s Defending Array and stared with hostility at the Thousand Leaves Sect.
These thousands of cultivators belonged to different great forces, but they seemed to all be led by a middle-aged blue-haired man. This middle-aged man had cultivated an unknown Secret Art that caused his water-blue long hair to cascade freely down his shoulder as he struck a brave and heroic figure with an authoritative expression.
He was sitting on a topless large rickshaw which was being carried by sixteen people. The rickshaw was quite wide and even gave off a strong aura, so it was evident that it was a High-Grade Artifact. At this moment, the blue-haired man was calmly sipping on some tea, as if he was simply here on a carefree vacation.
Many Masters had gathered around his side.
Sky Crane City Lord Luo Jin, whom Yang Kai had taught a vicious lesson to before, was included among them. Only a short period of time had passed, but Luo Jin had taken some unknown elixirs which actually managed to heal all his injuries. It couldn’t be seen at all that Yang Kai had previously injured him, as he had an energetic expression and healthy appearance.
The two Elders who had previously been in charge of protecting Sky Illumination Palace Young Palace Master Qiu Yu were also by the blue-haired man’s side with their heads bowed. They seemed to be really deferential to the blue-haired man.
There was also an eye-catching man whose cultivation was no worse than anyone else’s. He had a back like a tiger’s and a waist like a bear’s. He had a wild appearance along with an aura all over his body that seemed highly violent. He seemed to be about forty to fifty years old.
This man stood to the side and kept glancing at the blue-haired middle-aged man while chuckling coldly. It seemed as if he really couldn’t stand the blue-haired man’s way of doing things.
These people were all Sect Masters from nearby Sects. They had similar power levels and status, but this blue-haired middle-aged man acted really high and mighty, like a crane amongst chickens, which would naturally make the others displeased.
If someone who didn’t know what was going on saw this scene, they would likely think that all the cultivators here were being led by that blue-haired middle-aged man.
The thousands of cultivators belonged to five or six great forces. After gathering here, they didn’t say a single word, as if they were silently waiting for something.
Luo Jin’s face was filled with hatred as he kept staring in front of him with both fists tightly clenched.
A few days ago, he had been holding a concubine welcoming ceremony at his City Lord’s Mansion, but someone ruined the ceremony in the middle of it. Not only was his concubine stolen away in front of everyone’s eyes, but he was also seriously injured. He likely would have died already if it wasn’t for his luck.
Although only a few days had passed, everyone in the nearby area had already heard about this incident. All the cultivators in Sky Crane City also learned about this incident.
His reputation in Sky Crane City had fallen to rock bottom. Everywhere that he went, he could sense people pointing at him behind his back. Not only that, there were now even voices of dissatisfaction inside the city who were clamouring for his removal.
Luo Jin would never be able to tolerate such a matter. He had worked hard at running Sky Crane City for so many years, and it seemed that he would soon be viewed as an equal to the Sect Leaders of the nearby Sects, so of course, he wouldn’t stand for losing everything at the final moment.
The culprit behind all of this was that little brat named Yang Kai! As long as he could kill Yang Kai and wash away his previous humiliation, Luo Jin believed that he could stabilize Sky Crane City again, and nobody would dare to say no to him again!
Luo Jin loathed Yang Kai, so he didn’t have any good feelings towards the Thousand Leaves Sect that was protecting Yang Kai. Luo Jin secretly swore that it would be fine if Ye Hen knew what was good for him, but if Ye Hen didn’t, then he would teach Ye Hen the consequences.
*Hu hu hu…*
At this moment, a beam of light shot forth from the front. The beam then descended to reveal the Thousand Leaves Sect’s higher-ups, with Ye Hen leading them. The Vice Sect Master, Elders, and so on were all behind him.
Although Ye Hen and the others had already learned of this beforehand, their expressions still changed significantly when they saw so many Masters gathered in front of their Sect Defending Array.
This was the strength of five or six great forces gathered here. There were already more than two hundred Dao Source Realm Masters present, and more than ten Third-Order Dao Source Realm individuals. The current Thousand Leaves Sect wouldn’t possibly be able to stop such a force.
Ye Hen calmed himself down, cupped his fists, and asked, “Friends, it is our Sect’s honour to have so many of you visit us. May I ask why all of you have come here without informing us first?”
He also knew that the cultivators had come with hostile intentions, and that it was likely things wouldn’t be resolved in a friendly manner; however, he wasn’t afraid because of the Sect Defending Array. A normal Sect Defending Array would never be able to stop so many Masters’ attacks.
However, Thousand Leaves Sect’s Defending Array was from when they were still a top Sect, and was of an extremely high grade. No ordinary Sect Defending Array could compare. If it wasn’t for the current Thousand Leaves Sect being weak, then the Sect Defending Array’s defensive prowess could have been raised by several more levels. Not even a dozen Emperor Realms Masters combined would be able to break through its defence once the Sect Defending Array reached that level.
Even so, the current Sect Defending Array was likely more than enough to defend against the people before them. This was why even though Thousand Leaves Sect had declined greatly, they had continued to exist without being defeated.
Without being able to break through the Sect Defending Array, nobody would dare to truly confront Thousand Leaves Sect.
Right after Ye Hen finished speaking, Luo Jin was the first to jump out as he shouted, “Sect Master Ye, stop playing dumb. You really don’t know why we’re here? If you know what’s good for you, then obediently give us the little brat named Yang Kai and his friends. Otherwise, don’t blame us for not being polite.”
When Ye Hen heard this, he furrowed his eyebrows and answered, “City Lord Luo, what grudge do you have against Young Master Yang to make you so furious?”
Luo Jin felt as if he would explode in anger since Ye Hen was intentionally asking something he already knew. Luo Jin’s face was steely as he replied, “Ye Hen, are you trying to insult this Luo? You really don’t know what happened a few days ago at my City Lord’s Mansion? Or, are you trying to humiliate me on purpose!?”
Ye Hen calmly responded, “I know a little bit, but not the details!”
Luo Jin replied furiously, “That little brat caused a huge ruckus at my City Lord’s Mansion, stole my concubine, and injured my guests. This King could never possibly let him go!”
Ye Hen answered, “Why is it somewhat different from what this Ye heard? This Ye heard that City Lord Luo was taking advantage of your strength to bully the weak, oppressing men and seizing women, imprisoning Young Master Yang’s friends, and forcing Young Master Yang’s mother-in-law to get married to you. That was why Young Master Yang was forced to have a major battle against City Lord Luo. Although Young Master Yang won in the end, he still magnanimously spared your life… Forget about not being thankful to him, City Lord Luo, how come you’re now repaying kindness with enmity after just a few days?”
Luo Jin’s face kept changing colours with anger as he roared, “You’re spouting nonsense!”
Ye Hen replied coldly, “Countless guests were present that day, and everyone witnessed what happened. Is this Ye spouting nonsense, or is City Lord Luo the one who’s repaying kindness with enmity? I believe that everyone here should know for themselves.”
Luo Jin felt hot blood boiling in his heart which he almost spat out of his mouth. This was the greatest humiliation of his life, so he was furious that Ye Hen was mentioning it in front of everyone. If it wasn’t for the Sect Defending Array blocking his way, he would have charged forward to try and kill Ye Hen already.
Ye Hen cupped his fists and glanced all around him, “Friends, you should know about this matter as well. You should have a talk with City Lord Luo in order to prevent him from misunderstanding anything and doing something that both the people and Heaven would look down upon.”
The cultivators who came here seemed like none of them wanted to speak when they heard this. They hadn’t come here in order to win a debate against Ye Hen. So what if Ye Hen was speaking the truth? Yang Kai had killed the elites and Elders of their Sects. Since they knew that Yang Kai was at Thousand Leaves Sect, they naturally couldn’t leave this matter alone.
Seeing that nobody was answering, Ye Hen calmly stated, “Luo Jin’s behaviour is shameless. Friends, are you really going to stand together with such a person?”
Due to his anger, he no longer acted polite with Luo Jin and directly called out his name.
The man with a back like a tiger’s and a waist like a bear’s coldly snorted when he heard this, “Forget about City Lord Luo’s matter. This King wants to ask that little brat surnamed Yang just what grudge my Sky Peak Temple’s Vice Temple Master Ke Tian has with him for him to kill Ke Tian at the City Lord’s Mansion!”
With his tone, it was obvious that he was Ruan Hong Bo, the Temple Master of Sky Peak Temple.
Ruan Hong Bo was a Third-Order Dao Source Realm, just like Ye Hen. It was impossible for him to do nothing since his Vice Temple Master had been killed by Yang Kai. That was why he still came along to take revenge even though he didn’t like Luo Jin’s character.
When Ruan Hong Bo finished speaking, someone else immediately added, “That’s right, that villain even killed my son Mu Zheng. I, Mu Guan, am absolutely irreconcilable with him!”
Ye Hen turned to see that the speaker was Mu Guan, the Tower Master of White Clouds Tower.
Ye Hen had questioned Ye Jing Han in detail before about what happened that day at the City Lord’s Mansion. He knew that Yang Kai had indeed killed Mu Zheng and even used his physique to write a large ‘death’ character on the wall to scare all the guests.
However, this matter was Mu Zheng courting death himself. He insisted on taking action despite not having any abilities. Who else’s fault was it that Yang Kai killed him to strike fear into the others? Still, it was obvious that the White Clouds Tower wouldn’t just let this go.
“That little brat injured my Heart Seeking Pavilion’s disciple. This Pavilion Master came here to ask him for a reasonable explanation,” The Heart Seeking Pavilion’s Pavilion Master also came out.
“Sect Master Ye, just give Yang Kai to us. That will give face to all of us.”
As various Third-Order Dao Source Realm Masters levelled their accusations, the higher-ups of Thousand Leaves Sect all gradually changed expressions. However, Ye Hen still maintained a calm expression. He turned to look at the blue-haired man who was sitting on the rickshaw, “Palace Lord Qiu, is this also your intention?”
Ye Hen wasn’t afraid of everyone else here, but the one he couldn’t ignore was this blue-haired man. He was Palace Master Qiu Ze of the Sky Illumination Palace, and was a peak Dao Source Realm Master. It was said that he had been in retreat to try and peer into the secrets of the Emperor Realm over the past ten years in hopes of a breakthrough.
No news had been heard over the past ten plus years of him going outside, so it was unexpected that he would actually come to the Thousand Leaves Sect today.
Ye Hen didn’t dare to relax his guard against this person, since it was highly likely that he would reach the Emperor Realm. Once he was an Emperor, not a single person within a radius of a hundred thousand kilometres would be capable of challenging him.
Qiu Ze smiled slightly, “My son Qiu Yu is unskilled and suffered against that little brat surnamed Yang. This King came here to invite him to be a guest at my Sky Illumination Palace for a few days to teach Qiu Yu how to cultivate. They’re both youngsters, so they should be able to find some common topics to talk about. Please don’t refuse, Sect Master Ye.”
His words sounded polite, but everyone knew that this was only an excuse.
Yang Kai had indeed seriously injured Qiu Yu at the City Lord’s Mansion on that day. However, Qiu Ze wouldn’t personally act just for that alone. Sky Illumination Palace and Thousand Leaves Sect had a longstanding grudge with each other. Sky Illumination Palace was a new Sect that had hope of becoming the leader of this region, while the Thousand Leaves Sect was an old great force that was currently declining. If the prior wanted to gain authority, it would obviously benefit them to attack the latter.
As long as Qiu Ze could eliminate the Thousand Leaves Sect, Sky Illumination Palace’s authority would be untouchable and he would become the ruler of this entire area.
“Give him up!”
“Sect Master Ye, we have no grudge with your Thousand Leaves Sect and don’t want to make things difficult for you; however, that bastard surnamed Yang can’t be forgiven that easily. Sect Master Ye, don’t shelter him!”
The major Sect Masters all began to speak up and pressure Thousand Leaves Sect.
Ye Hen furrowed his brow. The higher-ups of the Thousand Leaves Sect who came with him all felt panic in their hearts as their expressions changed.
Although the Sect Defending Array was protecting them, and the people here probably couldn’t do anything to them, Thousand Leaves Sect’s disciples would need to go out eventually. It was impossible to hide behind their Array forever. If they antagonized so many great forces, Thousand Leaves Sect would never know peace afterwards.
The Thousand Leaves Sect’s higher-ups all glanced at Ye Hen as they thought of this.
They didn’t know just what kind of relationship Yang Kai and Ye Hen had, or why Yang Kai came to hide at Thousand Leaves Sect after causing so much trouble, which brought trouble to the Sect. Also, why did Ye Hen still accept Yang Kai despite clearly knowing about all of this!
This obviously didn’t seem like a wise decision.
“Sect Master…” A Second-Order Dao Source Realm Elder gently called out to Ye Hen. Although he didn’t say anything, his meaning was quite obvious.
Yang Kai wasn’t related at all to Thousand Leaves Sect, so the Elder felt that they should cooperate here and give Yang Kai to the others in exchange for safety, which was better than having so many hostile people blocking their doorstep.
Ye Hen glanced at the Elder and calmly declared, “I know what I’m doing.”
When the Elder heard this, he could only heavily sigh without saying anything more. He was from an older generation of Thousand Leaves Sect and had watched Ye Hen grow up. He understood Ye Hen’s temperament and knew that the latter wouldn’t do anything ridiculous. Thus, he chose to believe that Ye Hen wouldn’t harm the Sect, even though he was still really worried.
“Sect Master!” Thousand Leaves Sect Vice Sect Master Shi Cang Ying suddenly came over and cupped his fists as he quickly said, “This Shi feels that our foreign friends’ words are reasonable. That little brat surnamed Yang doesn’t know any respect and dared to act as he pleased in the City Lord’s Mansion, which is too ridiculous. He even killed someone as venerated as Sir Ke Tian, so he’s clearly a bloodthirsty person who relishes in murder. No matter what his goals are, he definitely doesn’t have good intentions in coming to our Thousand Leaves Sect. This Shi asks the Sect Master to give that boy over to our friends here to deal with so that others don’t speak bad about us by making claims such as our Thousand Leaves Sect being in collusion with him, which will ruin our reputation.”
Qiu Ze smiled, “Vice Sect Master Shi understands well. Very good, very good!”
Shi Cang Ying smiled, “Heaven is watching us. This Shi is simply acting according to the will of Heaven. Palace Lord Qiu is too polite.”
Ye Hen spoke coldly, “Brother Shi, this Ye previously declared that Young Master Yang is an honoured guest of our Thousand Leaves Sect, and that no one is allowed to do anything to him. If you still view me as the Sect Master, then don’t speak of this again.”
Shi Cang Ying’s expression changed slightly, “Sect Master, are you going to ignore the ten thousand years of foundation that our Ancestors left to us?”
Ye Hen replied, “It is precisely because I care about that foundation that I can’t give Young Master Yang to anyone.”
Only Ye Hen and Ye Jing Han knew that Yang Kai had gone to repair the Sealed World’s entrance. Ye Hen hadn’t mentioned this matter to anyone else, so even Shi Cang Ying didn’t know why Ye Hen insisted so much on protecting Yang Kai.
Shi Cang Ying’s heart jumped when he saw Ye Hen’s adamant expression and demeanour that seemed like Ye Hen would fight him if he said anything more about this topic. In Shi Cang Ying’s mind, Ye Hen wasn’t such a forceful person, as Ye Hen was already old and his cultivation wasn’t making any more progress. Ye Hen had always been polite to him over the years, so logically speaking, Ye Hen should have carefully considered anything that he said. Even if he objected, Ye Hen shouldn’t have used such a harsh tone to refuse. So, it made him wonder as to the reasons Ye Hen was so adamant on the topic related to that brat surnamed Yang?
Shi Cang Ying instinctively felt that there was more to this matter, but he didn’t have the time to carefully think it over. His expression darkened as he warned, “Sect Master, you insist on doing this despite everyone’s objections. Must you endanger the Sect like this? Have you thought about our three thousand disciples’ feelings and their future? One mistaken decision from you could ruin our entire Sect! This Shi is Thousand Leaves Sect Vice Sect Master, so I have the duty and responsibility to think about the future of our Sect and our disciples.”
Ye Hen answered coldly, “Are you thinking for your own sake, or for the Sect’s sake?”
Before Shi Cang Ying could reply, Ye Hen shouted in a harsh tone, “I’ve made my decision. Stand back!”
Shi Cang Ying was so surprised to hear this that his body trembled reflexively. It was as if he had just remembered that Ye Hen was the Thousand Leaves Sect Master, while he was only a Vice Sect Master.
Outside the Sect Defending Array, all the Masters watched the show while chuckling coldly in their hearts. It was rumoured that Thousand Leaves Sect was unstable internally and that Ye Hen and Shi Cang Ying didn’t get along well. It now seemed like those rumours were true after all. These two people were the pillars of Thousand Leaves Sect, yet they were actually arguing at such a time, so it was apparent just how much Thousand Leaves Sect had rotted away internally.
Such a Sect wasn’t likely to survive for much longer.
Everyone kept chuckling mentally as they thought about this. They felt as if they could envision the moment of the Thousand Leaves Sect’s destruction.
Shi Cang Ying naturally felt like he lost face since Ye Hen had reprimanded him like this in front of everyone’s eyes. He became angry out of shame as he declared, “Fine, since Sect Master won’t listen to advice and insists on doing things his way without care for the Sect’s safety, then don’t blame this Shi for no longer viewing you as the Sect Master.”
Ye Hen was somewhat astonished as he coldly shouted, “What are you planning to do?”
Shi Cang Ying smiled, “The little brat surnamed Yang antagonized so many Sects, yet he is hiding in our Thousand Leaves Sect and bringing trouble to our doorstep. This Shi is naturally going to hand him over for the Sect’s disciples’ sake. Sect Master, rest assured, this matter has nothing to do with you. Even if anyone wants to assign blame in the future, this Shi will take all responsibility, which won’t soil your reputation!”
He acted all justified, as if he was heroically willing to take a tainted reputation for the Sect’s sake. This instantly gained him the favour of several Thousand Leaves Sect’s higher-ups, who all felt that Ye Hen was indeed insisting on having his way despite everyone’s objections.
Ye Hen seemed to suddenly realize something as he exclaimed, “You dare to send people to capture them?”
Only now did Ye Hen realize that three Elders loyal to Shi Cang Ying had disappeared. Those three Elders were all Second-Order Dao Source Realm Masters, so Yang Kai’s friends wouldn’t be able to stop them at all.
Yang Kai’s friends were only First-Order Dao Source Realm cultivators, and although their rooms had barriers set up, the Elders were highly knowledgeable about the barriers and could easily remove them.
After Ye Hen considered all this, his expression greatly changed as he really wanted to kill Shi Cang Ying with a single blow right here.
Ye Hen’s daughter had worked so hard on inviting Yang Kai to Thousand Leaves Sect to fix the Sealed World’s entrance, yet his own Vice Sect Master was going to attack Yang Kai’s friends now. How was he supposed to explain this to Yang Kai if the latter learned about this?
Ye Hen had already made his calculations that even if he antagonized all these Sects this time, as long as Yang Kai could repair the Sealed World’s entrance and help the Thousand Leaves Sect recover their Secret Arts and Secret Techniques, it would all be worth it.
At most, the Thousand Leaves Sect would remain on their mountain for several years and have their Sect’s cultivators learn those Secret Arts and Secret Techniques. As long as they could control the thirty or so Dao Source Grade puppets in the plaza, Thousand Leaves Sect wouldn’t need to be afraid of any nearby Sect and they would also gain breathing room. And as time passed, wouldn’t they also be able to control the Heaven Grade puppets as well?
Once the Thousand Leaves Sect could control the Heaven Grade Puppets, they would instantly become a First-Class Sect. They would have nothing to fear then from a trifling Sky Illumination Palace. Every Sect within a radius of a hundred thousand kilometres would have to look up to and respect Thousand Leaves Sect or perish.
However, Ye Hen never expected that Shi Cang Ying would be so underhanded and wicked as to send his subordinates to capture Yang Kai’s friends. Once Yang Kai’s friends were captured, of course Yang Kai would never let it be. The Thousand Leaves Sect also wouldn’t be able to ever get its lost Secret Arts and Secret Techniques then, which would truly be the end of the Thousand Leaves Sect.
Ye Hen felt both panic and anger as he considered all this, “Shi Cang Ying, if you’re really thinking about the Sect’s future, then immediately call those people back.”
Shi Cang Ying coldly snorted, “It’s already too late!”
Shi Cang Ying could already guess why all the Masters outside had come here when he heard about the news, so he secretly told his loyal followers to wait in hiding for his command. When he saw that Ye Hen was unwilling to give Yang Kai up, he had secretly given the command to capture Yang Kai’s friends, so it was too late to mention it now.
“You…” Ye Hen felt some hot blood rushing up to his throat. He almost spat it out in his anger as he pointed at Shi Cang Ying and ground his teeth, “Do you know what a huge mistake you’re making!? If anything at all happens to Yang Kai’s friends, this Sect Master will make you take full responsibility!”
Shi Cang Ying’s expression darkened as he said, “This Shi’s intentions are solely for the sake of the Sect, which Heaven can bear witness to. Even if our Ancestors were standing here, now, they would also feel that this Shi is making the right decision!”
Ye Hen finally spat out some blood when he saw that Shi Cang Ying was so unwilling to back down.
Shi Cang Yang glanced at him coldly and calmly declared, “Sect Master, you’re getting old and you’re no longer suited to lead Thousand Leaves Sect. Your stubborn and antiquated way of thinking will only cause Thousand Leaves Sect to stop making any progress.”
Everyone’s expressions really changed when they heard this. They realized that Shi Cang Ying wanted to take this opportunity to seize power for himself. The Elders all had panicked expressions and didn’t know what to do.
Du Xian angrily shouted, “Old Dog Shi, how dare you do something so treacherous? Today, I shall clean up the Sect on my Master’s behalf!”
He was standing behind Ye Hen as he witnessed everything clearly. Although he also didn’t know why Ye Hen valued Yang Kai so much, Ye Hen was still his Master. Of course, Du Xian felt his heart ache when his Master had been angered so much by Shi Cang Ying to the point where he even coughed up blood.
As he spoke, a longsword with a chilling light suddenly appeared in his hand. The sword flashed as he directly stabbed the sword towards Shi Cang Ying.
Shi Cang Ying stood where he was with a condescending expression. He reached out with his hand and viciously slapped, “As a Sect disciple, you dare to attack a Senior and make a move against this King? Ye Hen really has raised such a fine disciple!”
As he spoke, the Source Qi from his hand crashed against the sword.
There was a boom as the sword shattered and a palm print struck Du Xian’s body, causing him to spit out blood and fly backwards.
This all happened in just the blink of an eye. Although there was a Sect Defending Array between them, Qiu Ze and the others could see everything quite clearly. They all began to smile sarcastically. They had banded together to make things difficult for Thousand Leaves Sect today while expecting a hard battle, but they hadn’t expected that Thousand Leaves Sect would start to fall apart from the inside before they even did anything. The Sect Master and Vice Sect Master kept arguing, while a disciple attacked first without respect for a Senior and was injured.
At this rate, it seemed that they could conquer Thousand Leaves Sect without even needing to do anything apart from stand here and watch the good show.
When everyone thought about this, they all had expressions as if things were already over.
“Sect Master Shi is courageous and just. This Qiu is impressed!” Qiu Ze smiled towards Shi Cang Ying and cupped his fists from afar. Qiu Ze was already calling Shi Cang Ying ‘Sect Master’, making it obvious that he felt Ye Hen had no power to overturn the situation.
When Shi Cang Ying heard this, he also cupped his fists in return, “Palace Lord Qiu is exaggerating. This Shi is simply thinking for the sake of his Sect, unlike a certain person whose eyes are clouded as he dares to go against Heaven and bring trouble to his own Sect.”
Qiu Ze said, “This King feels that Thousand Leaves Sect will definitely have a bright future under Sect Master Shi’s leadership.”
Shi Cang Ying smiled lightly and took a humble tone, “I’ll have to ask Palace Lord Qiu to take care of my Sect often in the future.”
His words made it evident that he would often be interacting with Sky Illumination Palace and subordinating himself to them in the future. Ye Hen spat out some more blood when he heard this as he angrily roared, “Shi Cang Ying, you will regret this. The ten thousand year foundation that our Ancestors left us will all be ruined in your hands. What face will you have to see our Ancestors on the day that you die?”
Shi Cang Yang laughed coldly, “I wonder who it will be that doesn’t have face to see our Ancestors? This Shi has nothing to feel guilty about. Even if my soul goes to hell, our Ancestors won’t blame me for anything!”
Ye Hen’s face was pale white and his aura seemed quite withered. However, he gritted his teeth and didn’t say a word as he glared at Shi Cang Ying with such hatred that it seemed he wanted to devour the latter.
Meanwhile, Qiu Ze nodded in satisfaction, “Sect Master Shi should first give us that boy Yang Kai. We’ve waited here for quite some time already.”
“But of course.” Shi Cang Ying smiled slightly, “Calculating the time, they should be here soon.”
He then glanced towards a certain direction and smiled, “See, they’re here as expected.”
When everyone heard him say this, they all glanced in that direction. Ye Hen felt even more panicked as he secretly circulated his Source Qi to prepare for any moment that Shi Cang Ying was distracted to attack. No matter what, Ye Hen wouldn’t allow Yang Kai’s friends to be given over.
However, Ye Hen’s expression flickered and he furrowed his brow when he peered into the distance.
Shi Cang Ying had a strange expression as well as it seemed he too noticed that something was off.
A beam of light crookedly flew over from the direction everyone was staring and a moment later, the beam of light landed in front of everyone to reveal a Second-Order Dao Source Realm cultivator. This man seemed to be around fifty years old, and was one of the loyal followers of Shi Cang Ying, as well as an elite of Thousand Leaves Sect’s progressive faction.
But at this moment, this Elder was actually covered in blood with a wretched appearance. Not only that, but his aura was also fluctuating unstably, so it was obvious to all that he was seriously injured.
Ye Hen couldn’t help but stare in confusion when he saw this Elder. Shi Cang Ying’s expression greatly changed as well as he hurried over and supported his follower and asked, “What happened? Who injured you? Didn’t you go to capture those five? Where are the others?”
When the Elder heard this, he exclaimed with fear, “There was a Master at the Third-Order Dao Source Realm. We couldn’t defeat that person. Seventh Elder and Ninth Elder were captured…”
“What?” Shi Cang Ying’s expression greatly changed, “They were captured?”
He barely dared to believe what his ears just heard. His expression was one of ‘are you kidding me?’ as he looked at the injured Elder.
Shi Cang Ying obviously knew the cultivation level of Yang Kai’s friends. They were all at the First-Order Dao Source Realm, with one person being in the Origin King Realm. How could such weaklings possibly be any opponent for his three subordinates? However, the current situation was that two had been captured, while the third escaped here while being seriously injured.
If it wasn’t for the fact that this Elder had always been really loyal to him, Shi Cang Ying almost would have suspected that he was lying to try and rattle him.
“Who captured them?” Shi Cang Ying asked with astonishment.
“A woman!”
“Woman?” Shi Cang Ying had a thoroughly surprised expression as he seemed to think of something that caused him to grit his teeth, “They were just pretending to be weak?”
He was under the impression that Chi Yue had concealed her true cultivation level, which was why his three loyal Elders had been unable to win and were captured.
However, the Elder shook his head, “No, I’ve never seen that woman before. I don’t even know when she arrived in the Sect.”
“Never seen her before?” Shi Cang Ying was even more confused. He then immediately became angry, “Even if she is a Third-Order Dao Source Realm Master, the three of you shouldn’t have been defeated in such a pathetic manner, right?”
Shi Cang Ying seemed to be so angry that he was almost on the verge of cursing at the Elder for being a useless piece of trash.
The Elder answered pitifully, “That woman is definitely at the peak of the Dao Source Realm. There was also… also some slight Emperor Intent contained in her attacks. If it wasn’t for that, even if we couldn’t win, we obviously wouldn’t have been defeated by her in a single moment.”
“Emperor Intent?” Shi Cang Ying was really astonished now.
Having Emperor Intent in her attacks meant that she already understood some secrets of the Emperor Realm. In other words, as long as that woman had enough time, she would definitely break through to the Emperor Realm!
Thousand Leaves Sect could not afford to antagonize a future Emperor Realm Master.
Shi Cang Ying instantly felt like his heart was in chaos as he contemplatively looked at Ye Hen. He felt that Ye Hen must have arranged for that woman to protect Yang Kai’s friends, but then he immediately knew his thoughts were mistaken when he looked over, because Ye Hen also had a look of confusion on his face. It was obvious that he didn’t know when this mysterious peak Dao Source Realm woman had appeared.
The Sect Master and Vice Sect Master had no idea that such a Master had arrived in their Thousand Leaves Sect. It was likely that nobody would believe them if they swore to it.
Qiu Ze suddenly chuckled coldly, “Sect Master Shi, your subordinates seem to be a bit unreliable. They can’t even capture some trivial ants.”
Shi Cang Ying was feeling frustrated to begin with, so he instantly became angry upon hearing the sarcasm, “Palace Lord Qiu simply needs to watch our Sect’s matters without speaking too much about them.”
Qiu Ze snorted and slowly stood up from the rickshaw. He then walked over towards the Sect Defending Array while saying, “Originally, this Qiu didn’t want to get involved in your noble Sect’s affairs; however, this matter is related to the great forces in this area, so this King as a leader of the forces within a hundred thousand kilometres cannot ignore it, can he?”
Right after he spoke, an unimaginable aura suddenly shot out explosively from his body. At that instant, it seemed as if all the space around him froze over as the World Principles began to shake.
Everyone enveloped by this power felt as if a large mountain was pressing down on them, making it difficult to breathe or use the power in their bodies.
Visible ripples even appeared on the Thousand Leaves Sect’s Defending Array because of this power.
At this instant, Qiu Ze seemed to become the ruler of this land who could decide everyone’s life or death at his whim, with no one able to resist him.
“E… Emperor… Realm!” White Clouds Tower’s Mu Guan’s legs started to tremble. He almost kneeled as his eyes shook violently as he stared in disbelief at Qiu Ze.
The others also had shocked and pale expressions.
This was even more so for Ruan Hong Bo of Sky Peak Temple. Blood seemed to instantly drain out of his face. Before, he hadn’t cared much about Qiu Ze, since they were both Third-Order Dao Source Realm cultivators. Although rumours said that Qiu Ze had been in retreat for the past ten years to study the secrets of the Emperor Realm, Qiu Ze hadn’t shown any signs of success, so as long as he didn’t succeed, everyone would still be equals.
Earlier, Ruan Hong Bo had been quite displeased to see Qiu Ze acting all high and mighty, feeling the latter was far too arrogant. If Qiu Ze was already behaving like this before reaching the Emperor Realm, just how much worse would his behaviour become after he became an Emperor?
However, he now knew why Qiu Ze hadn’t even glanced at him from the start. It turned out that Qiu Ze had already made a breakthrough to the Emperor Realm at some unknown time.
Considering all this, large beads of sweat the size of beans began dripping down Ruan Hong Bo’s forehead. He knew that life in Sky Peak Temple would be difficult for him in the future. Originally, Sky Peak Temple and Sky Illumination Palace were similar in strength, but an Emperor had appeared in the latter. If Sky Peak Temple wanted to survive now, they would have to show their sincerity.
Qiu Ze had become a veritable overlord! No wonder he came over so rampantly and smugly.
Inside the Sect Defending Array, Ye Hen and the others had all paled in despair. The Sect was already in turmoil and split into two because of that opportunist Shi Cang Ying, and now, Qiu Ze had actually reached the Emperor Realm and was standing right outside their Sect Defending Array. How could they withstand all of this?
Shi Cang Ying was also horrified. He no longer dared to be reckless with Qiu Ze and congratulated fearfully, “So, Palace Lord Qiu has already advanced to the Emperor Realm. This Shi congratulates Palace Lord Qiu!”
Ruan Hong Bo and Mu Zheng also said in unison, “Congratulations to Palace Lord Qiu for ascending to the Emperor Realm!”
Qiu Ze laughed loudly, the sound of his laughter deafening, sending chills down everyone’s spine.
…..
Inside the mountain cave, Yang Kai was staring at the strange oval stone, not daring to miss even the slightest of changes.
After smashing tens of millions of Mid-Rank and High-Rank Source Crystals and turning them into a mist of World Energy, an even more powerful devouring power emerged from within the strange stone, constantly swallowing up this energy. And, as time went by, the crimson light on the surface of the stone became even more exuberant while Liu Yan’s aura also became clearer and clearer.
A few days passed and Yang Kai gradually realized that things were different from what he expected.
Liu Yan was not in danger. Even though she had been swallowed up by the strange stone, Yang Kai could sense that Liu Yan was sleeping within it. She was in an extremely peaceful state, and traces of cheerfulness were even mixed into her unconsciously releasing aura.
It seemed like this encounter was not a bad thing for her, but rather, a good thing.
[Could it be that Ye Chong’s words were true? That there really is an opportunity here, but that this opportunity is for Liu Yan?]
Remembering that Ye Chong had been staring at Liu Yan when he mentioned the opportunity, Yang Kai believed it might really be the case.
Though, whatever the opportunity was, was still a mystery to Yang Kai. So, all he could do now was to watch over Liu Yan and see what happened.
A day later, the sea of World Energy in the cave had become extremely thin. Even though the World Energy in this Sealed World was also very dense, the strange stone didn’t seem full yet.
Yang Kai crushed another million Source Crystals and allowed the strange stone to swallow it up with the same method.
At this moment, the entire stone had already become crimson red, as if it had just been fished out of a pool of lava. The cave had also become extremely hot, so much so that even the surrounding walls were melting.
Meanwhile, Liu Yan’s aura was becoming clearer, but what surprised Yang Kai was the fact that Liu Yan’s aura seemed to be much stronger than before, and there was also another type of feeling to it… an indescribable feeling.
Looking at it, a thought suddenly came to Yang Kai’s mind and he exclaimed, “Isn’t this an egg!?”
He was preoccupied before and didn’t care much, but now that he looked at it carefully, he discovered that the oval shape of the strange stone was just like that of an egg.
Considering all of this, Yang Kai then remembered that Xiao Xiao and his own Embodiment had emerged from a black stone previously. It was the special way Stone Puppets were naturally born. Could it be that Liu Yan would also emerge from this strange stone?
This strange stone was different from the two he got back then, so this was not produced by the Stone Puppet race. Yang Kai also couldn’t say what sort of thing this stone was, but after this guess came to mind, Yang Kai couldn’t help but feel excited.
If his guess was correct, then Liu Yan would eventually emerge from the shell, and who knows what would become of her when that time came.
This really was a priceless opportunity for Liu Yan.
Another two days went by.
The speed at which the strange stone absorbed World Energy had clearly decreased and was growing slower as time went on. Yang Kai knew that the stone must have become saturated. What had happened to Liu Yan would be revealed at any moment, so he just stared at the stone without moving a muscle, heart pounding heavily.
Half a day later, just as Yang Kai was growing apprehensive, a crisp sound suddenly came from the strange stone.
Yang Kai was startled and quickly looked towards the stone. There, he found that a small crack had actually formed on the surface.
*Kacha…*
When the crack appeared, it seemed to have caused a chain reaction. More cracking noises rang out as a dense spider web of cracks appeared on the egg’s surface.
Yang Kai’s expression focused. He watched the stone even more closely, ready to lend Liu Yan a helping hand at any time.
*Huala…*
After that noise, the strange stone suddenly split into several pieces, then into countless tiny pieces, and fell to the ground.
Yang Kai was shocked. He thought that something had happened to Liu Yan, but only when he saw the crimson glow in place where the strange stone was, did his heart finally relax.
That light was clearly transmitting Liu Yan’s aura, indicating that she was fine.
The light was strong and drenched the entire cave in red. Squinting his eyes to observe it, Yang Kai couldn’t find any clues. Probing with his Divine Sense also came up as a blur. It was as if the light had inherited the strange stone’s ability to swallow up Divine Sense so that he could not investigate clearly.
It was only after an incense stick of time that the red glow waned and the cave returned to darkness.
Only then did Yang Kai get a clear view of the scene before him.
In the next moment, his eyes suddenly turned round and his jaw went slack. He looked as shocked as if he had just seen a ghost in daylight.
Because the figure of a girl appeared where that strange stone once sat!
This little girl looked about seven or eight and was lying on her side, her small body curled up with her two hands pillowing her head, sleeping peacefully.
Yang Kai could clearly hear her breathing.
That in itself was surprising enough, but what was even more unbelievable to Yang Kai was the fact that he could actually feel Liu Yan’s aura coming from the little girl’s body.
[Is this Liu Yan?]
Yang Kai’s eyes almost popped out.
Ever since Liu Yan was able to assume human form, she had always appeared before Yang Kai as a beautiful woman with revealing clothes, a pair of plump peaks and a well-defined bottom that could stimulate one’s imaginations. But after this sudden change, she ended up like this.
Yang Kai simply could not accept this.
But it wouldn’t make sense if this was not Liu Yan either, because Liu Yan’s aura was in fact radiating from the little girl. Not only that, but she also perfectly inherited Liu Yan’s fiery red hair. The smooth red hair was draped over her body, covering up the small figure conservatively.
Only then did Yang Kai notice that there were no clothes on the little girl’s body. The red hair had been covering her up, so he obviously didn’t notice it before.
While Yang Kai was bewildered, the long lashes of the girl in front of him quivered a little, then she slowly opened her eyes. She still seemed a little confused at the situation at hand. Glancing around, she soon found a dumbfounded face in front of her, and only then did she sit up.
Once she sat up, her long hair slipped down, revealing her fair white body; however, she was clearly still quite confused and her face looked dazed.
Yang Kai quickly turned away and rummaged around his Space Ring, taking out a piece of clothing before tossing it directly to her.
In a flash, the wide fabric covered her up.
“Master, what are you doing?” The little girl mumbled in dissatisfaction as she reached up to pull the clothes off her head.
But as soon as the words came out, she froze.
Her beautiful eyes trembled fiercely for a while, then she brought her two hands in front of her and stared at them in a daze…
A few moments later, a tragic scream rang out from inside the cave.
…..
An hour later, Yang Kai and the little girl gradually calmed themselves down. The two sat face to face, one with a strange expression, and the other teary-eyed, mouth pursed into a line.
The little girl was indeed Liu Yan, but she had no idea why she had turned into this form.
Liu Yan had already put on the clothes Yang Kai’s gave her, but they were far too big for her current size. The loose clothes matched with that pitiful expression on her face was enough to melt anyone’s heart, making one want to gently comfort and coax her not to cry.
Appearance-wise, she did have some trace of Liu Yan in her, but it was the child version of Liu Yan. She had a pink and delicate face like jade, just like an exquisite porcelain doll. She had fair and rosy skin still with some baby fat on her cheeks, making it hard to resist reaching out to give them a pinch to test the texture.
“Seen enough yet?” Liu Yan glared at Yang Kai with an unhappy expression.
Yang Kai shrugged and spoke calmly, “You do know you’re completely not intimidating in your current appearance, right?”
Liu Yan gnashed her teeth.
After turning out like this, even her voice had become child-like. It was crisp and pleasant, no longer the cold but sultry voice she had before.
“Alright, alright,” Yang Kai consoled her, saying solemnly. “Let me ask you, do you feel anything wrong after transforming?”
“Not really. It’s just a little hard to get used to,” Liu Yan responded softly.
“Can’t you transform back to how you were before?” Yang Kai asked.
Liu Yan responded, “Perhaps you haven’t noticed yet Master, but I… have my own body now.”
“What?” Yang Kai was shocked at those words and immediately probed with his Divine Sense. However, his Divine Sense was swallowed up as soon as it reached Liu Yan’s body. He couldn’t investigate the situation at all. It was the same as before, that was why Yang Kai couldn’t figure out much about Liu Yan’s current situation.
Now that he heard her say so did Yang Kai remember to take a closer look, but since his Divine Sense didn’t work, he could only use his hands.
Considering this, Yang Kai immediately reached out to pinch Liu Yan’s little cheek.
Once he made contact, he knew what Liu Yan said was true.
She did in fact have her own body now, because the sensation on his fingers was not just pure energy, it was real and solid! Not only that, but Liu Yan’s face was just like a human’s, very elastic and was soft to the touch. Yang Kai believed few people in this world could compare to her.
Yang Kai couldn’t help but squeeze it even more.
Liu Yan slapped his hand away in disgust, “That hurts!” She rubbed her cheek while pouting.
“How can this be?” Yang Kai frowned. Liu Yan was an Artifact Spirit that assumed human form. She was supposed to be a being of pure energy, so she couldn’t have her own physical body. As far as he knew, there existed a Spirit Pill called the Flesh Incarnation Pill that could help a cultivator who has lost their physical body regain one, but the refinement of that pill required the Flesh Incarnation Fruit, a spirit fruit that had already gone extinct.
Liu Yan was swallowed up by that strange stone, but after breaking out of the shell, she now had her own body.
No matter how Yang Kai thought about it, it was unbelievable.
Does that mean that the stone had a similar effect to the Flesh Incarnation Fruit? What sort of Heaven-defying thing was this?
Liu Yan frowned, “I think I understand a little bit about the situation now… I can’t tell why, but I get the feeling this body feels a bit like a puppet.”
“A puppet?” Yang Kai raised his brows.
Liu Yan gently nodded, “En. There are many array diagrams and subtle refinement traces inside my body, but the traces seem completely natural and very old. It should have been refined by a Grandmaster many years ago.”
Yang Kai was piqued. Seemingly having remembered something, he exclaimed, “Spirit-Grade Puppet?”
He previously heard from Hua Qing Si that the puppets of the Thousand Leaves Sect were divided into several grades. Other than the Earth Grade and Heaven Grade puppets he had seen before, there was an even higher grade of puppet called Spirit Grade, and it was rumoured that these Spirit-Grade Puppets had their own sentience. Not only could they think for themselves, but they could also become even stronger by cultivating. However, even at their peak, the Thousand Leaves Sect did not have many Spirit-Grade Puppets. After their decline, who knows where these Spirit-Grade puppets had gone.
Yang Kai did not believe it before, but Liu Yan’s current situation can only be explained by the existence of Spirit-Grade puppets.
The strange stone wasn’t something that came from nature, it was something refined by one generation of the Thousand Leaves Sect’s Grandmasters and was likely a prototype for Spirit-Grade Puppets. After Liu Yan’s Soul entered and broke out of it, this was the final state she transformed into.
In that case, it seems these Spirit-Grade Puppets were not born sentient, but rather by a fusion similar to a living being’s Soul and a puppet’s body.
Considering all this, Yang Kai understood. Now, he felt even more certain that his guesses were correct.
It was no wonder Ye Chong kept staring at Liu Yan when he talked about the opportunity.
With his senses, he could naturally see at a glance that Liu Yan was not a physical entity, but rather an Artifact Spirit that assumed human form. And, the prototype of the Spirit-Grade Puppet inside the cave was undoubtedly the best choice to become Liu Yan’s body.
In that case, if he hadn’t seen Liu Yan back then, this opportunity may not have been mentioned. It was precisely because he saw Liu Yan that he pointed it out.
But he didn’t mention it too clearly. It was likely there was still some reluctance in his heart. That strange stone was likely the last Spirit-Grade Puppet prototype. Perhaps no one would be able to refine such a thing again in the future, so he naturally would want to leave such a thing to the descendants of Thousand Leaves Sect.
[That guy is a bit sentimental, but it’s just useless baggage if no one can really use it…] Yang Kai secretly criticized him.
But very soon, he put his thoughts aside. No matter what, it was a fact that Liu Yan possessed her own body now. Even though her body was a little odd, compared to her previous human form, it was undoubtedly much better.
Having a physical body and not having one are two completely different things.
Liu Yan also seemed to finally be rejoicing. She tossed aside the inconvenience that this little body would bring to her in the future and brought her two hands before her eyes, turning them over and examining them, smiles covering her face.
“How is the integration of your Soul to this body? Any signs of incompatibility?” Yang Kai asked in concern.
This Spirit-Grade Puppet was not Liu Yan’s natural body after all, so if the fusion of body and Soul was not perfect, it was likely to come with serious consequences in the future. Just like possession, the reason why that was difficult and the success rate low was because of a compatibility problem between the Soul and the possessed body.
If a powerful Soul wishes to possess a cultivator, it must find a body that is highly compatible with them. Even so, it was not always possible to succeed, and a slight mistake could ruin everything.
Hearing this, Liu Yan shook her head, “There aren’t any problems. It feels… like I was just born, like this body was made just for me.”
[Is that so?] Yang Kai had watched with his own eyes as she broke out of the shell and gained new life. But hearing Liu Yan say this did reassure him a lot.
He was afraid that the body wouldn’t integrate well with Liu Yan’s Soul, but now it seemed Thousand Leaves Sect must have considered these problems perfectly when their Grandmaster refined the strange stone and managed to solve the issue through some special means.
Otherwise, how could they refine a human-shaped puppet and force a living Soul into it?
It was precisely because of this shell-breaking experience that Liu Yan’s Soul was able to merge perfectly with her present body.
Yang Kai couldn’t help but feel impressed inside.
“Hehe, now I will be able to have a childhood.” Liu Yan smiled as prettily as a flower.
“Be careful, you might not be able to grow at all and look like this for the rest of your life.” Yang Kai poured cold water on her.
Liu Yan’s face went dark instantly. After pausing for a while though, she easily nodded, “Then I’ll just accept it for what it is.”
…
After a day of experimentation, Yang Kai finally learned of the might of a Spirit-Grade Puppet. The current Liu Yan could actually cultivate to enhance her own strength. If it were before, this would have been impossible.
Before this, Liu Yan could only assume human form and devour Fire Attribute precious treasures to enhance her strength. She had been using the Sun’s True Essence that Yang Kai obtained long ago, and now the energy inside of it had already been depleted by half.
But now, Liu Yan could absorb World Energy and refine it for herself.
Not only that, but Liu Yan even had a strong cultivation at the level of Third-Order Dao Source Realm! That meant that as long as she was given a suitable Secret Art, then she would be able to cultivate and become stronger like a normal person. One day, she may even be able to advance to the Emperor Realm!
She was currently a completely separate entity. The moment she was swallowed up by the strange stone, her connection with Yang Kai had been cut off.
Liu Yan had truly been reborn!
Yang Kai was happy for her from the bottom of his heart. He had originally planned to build a body for Liu Yan in the future when he was strong enough to go and find a Flesh Incarnation Fruit and refine a Flesh Incarnation Pill for her, but he didn’t expect such a joyful event to come so quickly. This Spirit-Grade Puppet body had perfectly solved this problem.
Yang Kai gave Liu Yan a Space Ring containing many Source Crystals, various healing pills, cultivation pills, as well as several artifacts he couldn’t use but were of good quality. There was even the Emperor Artifact, Annihilation Thunder Bead, that he passed to her for her use. That was because the Annihilation Thunder Bead did not need much refining and only needed to be filled with power to use, which was perfect for Liu Yan.
It was the first time Liu Yan got to have her own Space Ring and even so many things that belonged to her, so she was overjoyed. She was playing non-stop with the Space Ring, enjoying herself massively.
A day later, the two of them returned to the base platform of the Space Array.
Yang Kai did not intend to continue exploring this Sealed World as he had already gotten a lot out of this trip, so he took it for what it was worth. There were no grudges between him and Thousand Leaves Sect and this Sealed World belonged to them after all. Yang Kai couldn’t just take away all the good things from here, that would be far too rude of him.
It wasn’t too much trouble for Yang Kai to repair the base platform of the array. In just four hours, the marks were completely gone from the base platform, and the entire thing looked just like new. Yang Kai took out a few Source Crystals and placed them in the grooves of the platform and began circulating his Source Qi.
After a flash of light, the platform was empty.
Thousand Leaves Sect, in a nameless mountain valley.
The beauty that was refreshing like a spring day from before had all disappeared. The entire place was a wreck and traces of battle could be seen all over. Many cultivator corpses could be seen strewn across the mountain valley and the ground was dyed red with blood. The stench of blood in the air alone was enough to make a person gag.
There, at the base platform, Ye Jing Han’s face was as pale as a sheet of paper, and her tender body was covered in blood. A bone-deep wound spread from her shoulder blade down to her arm, a shocking sight to behold.
Beside her, Hua Qing Si, Chi Yue, Gui Ze, Ai Ou, and Gu Cang Yun all looked exhausted. They more or less had traces of injuries on their bodies, and among them, Hua Qing Si seemed to be the most heavily injured. She seemed to have suffered internal injuries and her face was drained of blood.
At this moment, Thousand Leaves Sect had encountered their greatest crisis ever, Vice Sect Master Shi Cang Ying had betrayed them and colluded with Palace Master Qiu Ze from Sky Illumination Palace. Together, they broke through the Sect Defending Array of Thousand Leaves Sect and slaughtered more than a thousand of their disciples.
Ye Hen led several Elders to meet the enemy, but they were outnumbered and outmatched. Many died and many more who were injured. The Sect disciples who were able to run had also fled. If they couldn’t, they were either killed or captured. It took only half a day to turn a Sect into a ghost town. Battle scars could be seen all throughout the entire Thousand Leaves Mountain Range with countless lives claimed.
Hua Qing Si and the others were also embroiled in the mess. Even though Hua Qing Si had already touched upon Emperor Intent, the disparity between her and Qiu Ze was still great. After a great battle, Hua Qing Si was lucky to come out of it with her life. Under Ye Jing Han’s aid, they brought Chi Yue and the others with them and fled to this nameless mountain valley.
This place has now become the last refuge of Thousand Leaves Sect.
The Masters of various foreign Sects gathered together with Qiu Ze in the lead outside the mountain valley, staring intently into it.
“This is the Restricted Area of your noble Sect?” Qiu Ze stood outside the mountain valley with his hands behind his back, looking on coldly before him while he asked the men at his side.
His face was not as rosy as before. Even though he had an absolute advantage in the battle with Hua Qing Si, he never would have thought a fight with a Third-Order Dao Source Realm cultivator would nearly injure him.
[That woman is no ordinary cultivator! She likely comes from one of the top Sects. Otherwise, she would not have such power.]
If there was someone Qiu Ze was most afraid of right now, then it was undoubtedly Hua Qing Si.
He was afraid of provoking someone he should not provoke, but in this situation, he had no choice but to cut the weeds and pull out the roots. Otherwise, once the news spreads to the Sect behind this woman, then there was no way Sky Illumination Palace could withstand the consequences. So, he led his men all the way here in pursuit of her, but they were blocked by the many mysterious Spirit Arrays protecting this place. After many attempts to attack it, he was shocked to find that the Spirit Arrays within this valley were not something he could break.
So, he could only ask the man beside him.
Upon hearing this, Shi Cang Ying had a flattering smile on his face and bowed, “Reporting to Palace Lord Qiu, this is indeed the Sect’s Restricted Area. For generations, no one except the Sect Master could step foot inside.”
“Not even you?” Qiu Ze glanced lightly at Shi Cang Ying.
Shi Cang Ying said with some embarrassment, “Not even I have been inside before.”
“From now on, you will be able to come and go here as you please,” Qiu Ze declared.
Shi Cang Ying was overjoyed at his words. He knew that Qiu Ze was now finally treating him as Thousand Leaves Sect’s Sect Master, under the premise that he bowed down to him. If he dared to have any ideas, however, Shi Cang Ying would definitely die a miserable death.
Qiu Ze’s advancement to the Emperor Realm was not good news for any nearby Sect, but for Shi Cang Ying, the most important thing was to ensure his life first.
The Sect Master of Sky Peak Temple and the others standing behind Qiu Ze had hearts filled with fear. This was the authority an Emperor Realm Master possessed. Just by standing there, his pressure was great enough that the others didn’t even dare to breathe too loudly.
The Sect Masters all felt angry inside. Why was it not them who advanced to the Emperor Realm? It just had to be that old dog Qiu Ze.
At this moment, an old man suddenly rushed over, stopping behind Qiu Ze and cupping his fists, “Palace Master, Ye Hen is unwilling to reveal the way into the mountain valley.”
Before Qiu Ze had even spoken, Ruan Hong Bo from Sky Peak Temple began cursing, “Ye Hen, that old bastard really doesn’t know how to appreciate kindness. Palace Lord Qiu was kind enough not to ask for his life, but he’s still being so stubborn.”
Mu Guan of White Clouds Tower also chimed in, “Indeed. Since Ye Hen refuses the toast, then he must drink the loss. Palace Lord Qiu needn’t be polite with him anymore. If we all act together, I don’t believe we won’t be able to break the Spirit Array of this mountain valley!”
As he spoke, he put on an eager pose to begin.
Qiu Ze blunt rebuked, “Do you know how long Thousand Leaves Sect has inherited these lands? Even some of the top Sects in the Southern Territory have not been around as long as Thousand Leaves Sect. The Spirit Array in this mountain valley was personally set up by Grandmasters over ten thousand years ago. Even this King does not have confidence he can break it, yet the few of you believe you have such capability?”
He had a derisive look on his face, but Mu Guan and the others did not dare retort and could only laugh in embarrassment.
“What do you think, Sect Master Shi?” Qiu Ze turned to Shi Cang Ying and asked.
Shi Cang Ying pondered for a moment before he quickly said, “Ye Hen is a hard-headed man. This Shi has worked with him for many years so this Shi can say that he understands his temperament and character well. Not to mention torturing him, even if you really killed him, he would never reveal the way to break this array!”
“Oh? Sect Master Shi’s opinion of Ye Hen is so high?” Qiu Ze looked a little surprised at Shi Cang Ying.
Shi Cang Ying replied seriously, “He is nothing more than a stubborn old goat. If not for that, my Thousand Leaves Sect would not have been in a constant decline…”
“Enough, this King is not interested in the affairs of your Thousand Leaves Sect, you just need to tell me how to destroy the array,” Qiu Ze interrupted him impatiently.
Shi Cang Ying responded, “Since there is nothing we can do directly with Ye Hen, then we may as well try to find a breakthrough point from the people at his side…” When he spoke up to this point, he put on a sly smile and continued, “Ye Hen has only had his daughter for many years, and their relationship is much better than your average father and daughter.”
Upon hearing this, Qiu Ze turned to look at him, a profound glow in his eyes.
Shi Cang Ying’s heart jumped. He thought he had said something wrong and was covered in cold sweat from the look he was given. Just as he was starting to get uneasy, Qiu Ze suddenly laughed, “Sect Master Shi. I believe you watched Ye Jing Han grow up as well, didn’t you? Do you feel no pity for her at all?”
Shi Cang Ying’s expression turned solemn, “That little girl does not know the immensity of Heaven and Earth. If she dares stand in the way of Palace Lord Qiu’s great unification efforts, she must naturally pay the price. It is precisely because this Shi is her Elder that he wishes for her to mature early. This can also be considered a test of her inner temperament.”
“So to say, you are doing this for her sake?” Qiu Ze’s lips curved up into a derisive smile.
Shi Cang Ying responded resolutely, “This Shi hopes she can understand this Shi’s efforts.”
Ruan Hong Bo and the others standing to the side were all covered in cold sweat as they listened to their conversation, all throwing frequent glances at Shi Cang Ying. It seemed as if they did not realize Shi Cang Ying’s true nature until this moment, and at the same time, felt pity for Ye Hen to have raised such a monster by his side. But on second thought, they and Thousand Leaves Sect were now foes rather than friends. They were simply in no position to sympathize with them, nor did they see a need to.
“Good, this King will leave this matter in your hands. I trust Sect Master Shi won’t disappoint this King!”
“This Shi will give his utmost in this matter!” Shi Cang Ying cupped his fists and answered quickly before turning back and beckoning, “Bring them over!”
In the blink of an eye, Ye Hen and several high-level Sect members who followed him were brought to the entrance to the mountain valley. Naturally, they began hurling insults at Shi Cang Ying as soon as they got here, their eyes bloodshot and wanting nothing more than to bite Shi Cang Ying to death. But Shi Cang Ying was completely unfazed. He stood there calmly as if he didn’t hear anything they said and yelled into the mountain valley, “Martial Niece Ye, open your eyes and take a good look at who I have beside me!”
His voice spread loud and clear in all directions, and apparently reached deep into the mountain valley.
Soon after his words came out, the scenery in the mountain valley suddenly changed. In a blink of an eye, the Illusion Array which had been maintained for ten thousand years was lifted, and the true scenery of the mountain valley was revealed to the crowd.
Looking over, the figures of Ye Jing Han, Chi Yue, and the others could clearly be seen. They stood only several thousand metres away from Shi Cang Ying and them. Then right behind them was an array base platform.
“Hm?” Qiu Ze’s eyes narrowed as he stared at the array base platform for a moment before he exclaimed, “A Space Array?”
Naturally, with his eyesight, he was able to see that the array base platform was that of a Space Array, and a very old one at that. However, what he couldn’t understand was why such a thing would appear in this mountain valley.
[Where does this Space Array connect to?]
Qiu Ze could not help but look towards Shi Cang Ying with suspicion.
Shi Cang Ying also stared in confusion. Even though he knew that the mountain valley was a Restricted Area of Thousand Leaves Sect, one only the Sect Masters were able to step foot inside, he had no idea what was hidden here.
He always thought that this Restricted Area was where the Sect Masters of Thousand Leaves Sect were buried, and that was why no one was allowed to enter, but now it seemed his guesses were wrong.
This Restricted Area seemed to be connected with some other place.
Noticing Qiu Ze’s gaze, Shi Cang Ying laughed embarrassedly, “This Shi is also seeing this for the first time. This Shi had no idea what mysteries were hidden inside.”
Qiu Ze coldly snorted, clearly very displeased with this answer, but he still said without much concern, “That Space Array is likely damaged, otherwise they would have long escaped from here.”
Shi Cang Ying hurriedly said, “Palace Lord Qiu’s vision is truly sharp to have already thought of this!”
While the two were talking, Ye Jing Han had already seen the sight outside of the mountain valley, and Ye Hen who was forced to kneel on the ground. Ye Hen’s body was covered in blood at this moment and his aura had waned to a miserable degree. His cultivation also seemed to be sealed off so he had no power to resist at all.
Ye Hen was old to begin with, so being tortured now just made things worse. The way he was coughing up blood incessantly was unbearable to watch.
“Father!” Ye Jing Han cried out in a trembling voice as tears flowed down her cheeks. Her heart was aching so much she could hardly breathe.
When Hua Qing Si and the others saw this scene, their faces had all become very ugly to look at and they felt a deep sense of pity for this young girl.
After Ye Jing Han shouted, she glared at Shi Cang Ying, “Let my father go!”
Shi Cang Ying smirked, “Martial Niece, you are a big girl now so Martial Uncle will not waste any words with you. I can let your father go, but you should know what you have to do for that to happen.”
Then, speaking up to this point, his face turned grim as he shouted, “Disable the Spirit Array around this mountain valley and Martial Uncle will spare their lives!”
Before Ye Jing Yan could say anything, Ye Hen shouted, “Jing Han, don’t! Never dispel the Spirit Array no matter what…”
Shi Cang Ying’s face sank and he raised his hand and struck Ye Hen’s body with his palm, restricting him completely so that he could not even speak anymore.
When she saw this, Ye Jing Han immediately exclaimed, “Do not hurt my father… Martial Uncle Shi, you are also from Thousand Leaves Sect, you are our Sect’s Vice Sect Master, why must you do such a thing? Has Father ever mistreated you? Let him go, please! I beg of you!”
She begged him with all her heart and soul. It was a completely tragic sight.
But Shi Cang Ying was still unmoved. He just shook his head regretfully, “Martial Uncle hopes he can spare your father’s life too, but my hands are tied. I hope you can understand!”
As he spoke, he slowly walked behind a Second-Order Dao Source Realm Elder. Putting one hand on top of the Elder’s head, he looked at Ye Jing Han and said without hurry, “Watch properly, Martial Niece. For every ten breaths you do not open the Spirit Array… Martial Uncle will kill one person!”
After he said that, he pushed the Source Qi in his palm and the head of the bound Thousand Leaves Sect Elder burst open without even so much as a sound from him, his body falling stiffly to the ground.
Not only did the sudden kill cause Ye Jing Han’s face to pale and her eyes to grow desperate, even Ruan Hong Bo and the others were shocked. After all, the person he killed was an Elder of Thousand Leaves Sect, a fellow disciple he had known for many years whom he had worked with for centuries. But now, his face didn’t even change when he killed him, showing how ruthless and cruel Shi Cang Ying was.
Only Qiu Ze’s face was filled with a satisfied smile.
“Martial Uncle does not have much time, so think carefully,” after killing one person, Shi Cang Ying came behind another Elder and also put his hand similarly on the Elder’s head. Then, without saying a word, he looked quietly up at Ye Jing Han.
Ye Jing Han was biting her red lips so hard that they bled. She looked at Ye Hen, only to see the man constantly shaking his head at her. She knew that her father did not approve of her disabling the Spirit Array.
Ye Jing Han felt tormented. Even though she knew things would never end well if the Spirit Array was dispelled, nor improve her father’s current situation, she could not help feeling guilty when she thought of the Elder who had just been killed.
She couldn’t help but feel that she was the one who caused that Elder’s death.
That Elder was someone who watched her grow up and showed her so much love. He would often bring her out to play while she was little and taught her to cultivate when she was older, but now, he had died right before her eyes.
Yet she could only watch from afar, powerless to help.
Time gradually went by and Shi Cang Ying was about to kill another man. Ye Jing Han instantly became distraught, having no idea what to do.
Right at that moment, a sly smile suddenly rose up Shi Cang Ying’s lips. He moved his hand away from the second Elder and put it on the head of the man next to him instead.
Ye Jing Han’s face paled instantly and her tender body began trembling fiercely.
Shi Cang Ying’s bloodstained hand was now placed over Du Xian’s head.
Ye Jing Han and Du Xian grew up as childhood sweethearts, cultivating together and growing up with strong affection for each other. They had long ago taken the other as their other half, but they had yet to reach the peak of their Martial Dao, so they had decided it was not yet time for them to marry.
The two had secretly agreed that when the both of them reached the Emperor Realm, Du Xian would ask for her hand in marriage from Ye Hen.
They believed that Ye Hen definitely wouldn’t refuse when the time came.
Never would Ye Jing Han have expected that day would never come as right now, before her eyes, her lover was going to be killed.
“No, Martial Uncle Shi! Please don’t!” Ye Jing Han’s body went limp and she toppled directly onto the floor, pleading.
But Shi Cang Ying’s face was cold and unmoved, “We can settle things simply if you just deactivate the Array.”
Ye Jing Han instantly fell out of sorts. Deactivating the Array would expose Thousand Leaves Sect’s greatest secret to their enemies and leave it open for them to probe into, but if she refused, from Shi Cang Ying’s ruthless display earlier, Du Xian would certainly die.
She simply did not know what to choose.
“Just ignore him, Ye’er. This old dog has lost his mind!” Du Xian suddenly shouted, “They will not let us go even if you remove the Array. Senior Brother will depart first but you have to stay well. I will not let you down in the next life!”
As he finished speaking, the Source Qi in his body surged up violently and reached a level that even he could not control in just a moment.
“Hmph!” Shi Cang Ying coldly snorted and reached out to slap Du Xian heavily on the shoulder. The raging Source Qi was instantly doused down and went back to normal.
Du Xian was dumbfounded. Seeing that he couldn’t even self-destruct in this situation, he had completely become a fish on someone else’s chopping block.
Ye Jing Han was also taken aback. She couldn’t be any clearer about what Du Xian was trying to do earlier, but when she saw Shi Cang Ying seal Du Xian’s cultivation, she actually felt a little thankful to this traitor. If he had not done so in time, Du Xian would definitely have exploded before her eyes, and Ye Jing Han would not be able to bear such a result.
This change of events had completely shattered Ye Jing Han’s psyche. Even though she knew that things would not end well if she were to dispel the Array, she still held a glimmer of hope in her heart. Looking teary-eyed towards Shi Cang Ying, she pleaded, “Martial Uncle, I can remove the Array; however… you have to let them go. They are not part of our Thousand Leaves Sect. This matter has nothing to do with them!”
The people she was referring to were Chi Yue and the others.
When he heard her say that, Ye Hen slowly shut his eyes. He knew that there was truly no going back now. Ye Jing Han may still be able to retain one thread of hope of surviving if she defended the mountain valley, but if the Array was lowered, then the consequences would definitely be dire.
Unfortunately, he was unable to move or even speak now. There was nothing he could do to stop her.
Du Xian was also desperately shaking his head at Ye Jing Han, but to no avail.
Shi Cang Ying’s cold voice sounded, “Martial Uncle is unable to make a decision on this matter.”
But as soon as he was done speaking, Qiu Ze said generously, “Fine. This King will agree to your request as long as you undo the Spirit Array obediently.”
“As if anyone would believe you!” Hua Qing Si muttered under her breath. How could she not know that Qiu Ze was merely wagging his tongue? He had no intention of letting them go at all.
In the mountain valley, Ye Jing Han wiped her tears and looked at Chi Yue and the others, “It was our Thousand Leaves Sect that dragged you into this. I will dispel the Spirit Array. When that time comes, run away at once! I will try to cover you as much as I can.”
Hua Qing Si frowned, “Sister Ye, you should come with us as well.”
She too knew that Ye Jing Han was at the end of her rope here. The lives of her own father and her lover were in the hands of someone else, so she naturally could not just stand by and watch. That was why Hua Qing Si did not blame Ye Jing Han for her decision.
It was just that… Qiu Ze was still here. Hua Qing Si did not have the slightest confidence that she could escape here with Chi Yue and the others. If it were just herself, then she had eighty percent confidence she could flee. She may not be able to defeat Qiu Ze, but there was still a chance for her to escape.
But Chi Yue and the others were only First-Order Dao Source Realm, and Chai Hu was only a Third-Order Origin King. Dreaming of escaping in front of so many experts was no doubt a fool’s errand.
Hua Qing Si decided in her heart that she would keep Chi Yue and the others safe no matter what. The rest would be up to Yang Kai once he appeared.
Faced with Hua Qing Si’s situation, Ye Jing Han only shot her a bitter smile and shook her head.
Hua Qing Si knew that she had made up her mind and could only sigh, no longer persuading her.
“What are you waiting for?” Shi Cang Ying began urging her impatiently. The Source Qi on the palm placed on top of Du Xian’s head was fluctuating as if it could take Du Xian’s life at any moment.
Ye Jing Han’s tender body trembled. She no longer dared to delay matters and quickly formed seals with both hands.
As the seals were formed rapidly, layer after layer of Sealing Arrays, Illusion Arrays, and Killing Arrays were dispelled.
Qiu Ze spread out his Divine Sense and paid close attention to the situation. Once he sensed that all the Spirit Arrays in the mountain valley had been undone, he couldn’t help but chuckle, “Martial Niece Ye has made a wise choice. You are much smarter than your father.”
After Ye Jing Han dispelled the Arrays, her entire body felt weak as if she had completely lost her strength. She could only let out a low shout, “Go!”
As soon as her words came out, Hua Qing Si and the others exchanged glances and immediately tried to flee the area.
But before they could make any moves, the array base platform buzzed and a clear fluctuation of Space Principles spread out at once. Following that, a dazzling light was emitted from the platform.
“What?” Shi Cang Ying, who was already rushing towards Ye Jing Han and the others stopped in place and stared at the platform in a daze, seemingly not expecting the platform to operate at such a moment. What’s more, it seemed like someone had teleported over.
A glint also flashed in Qiu Ze’s eyes and as he stared fixedly at it.
When he saw the array base platform earlier, he thought that it was broken. If not, why did Ye Jing Han and the others not escape? Instead, they holed themselves up in the mountain valley, but now, it seemed things were not as he imagined.
Someone had teleported over from somewhere. Didn’t that mean that the platform was fine? Who was the person who arrived? And where did the platform connect to?
Unlike the bewilderment of Shi Cang Ying and Qiu Ze, the ashen-faced Ye Hen’s eyes went wide and his body began to tremble uncontrollably when he saw the light.
The entrance to the Sealed World… was repaired!
The entrance to the Sealed World which had been closed off for ten thousand years had finally been repaired!
The generations of Thousand Leaves Sect’s Sect Masters had taken it as their mission to restore the entrance, but none of them had ever succeeded in doing so. But now he was able to witness the moment the Sealed World’s entrance was reopened with his own eyes.
In an instant, Ye Hen could not help but feel that he would not have regrets even in his death, and he could not help but laugh like a fool.
As long as the entrance to the Sealed World was repaired, the inheritance of the Thousand Leaves Sect would not be cut off. Then, there would be a chance for the Sect to shine again.
But when he remembered the situation he and the Thousand Leaves Sect were currently in, Ye Hen’s heart sank to the bottom again.
Naturally, he knew who it was that repaired the entrance; after all, Yang Kai was the only person who had gone in in the past few days. Who else could it be but him? While he couldn’t help but sigh in admiration at his daughter’s judgment, he also lamented that the Heavens did not allow Thousand Leaves Sect more opportunity to rise again.
If he had just a few more days, Ye Hen was sure he would be able to obtain the lost Secret Arts and Secret Techniques in the Sealed World, then he would be able to activate the Earth Grade puppets in the main peak’s square again.
With the help of those Earth Grade puppets, Thousand Leaves Sect would not have fallen into this situation. Even if they were not the opponents of Qiu Ze and the others, they would still be able to fight them to the death.
But the entrance just had to be repaired at this time.
Now not only was Thousand Leaves Sect done for, their inheritance which had been lost for ten thousand years would also fall into the hands of their enemies.
With just Yang Kai, Ye Hen did not believe he would be able to stop Qiu Ze.
Just as these thoughts were running through his mind, two figures gradually appeared at the platform. One of them was Yang Kai, but the other was a seven or eight-year-old girl that looked like a jade doll. This little girl had long fiery red hair that almost ran down to her ankles like a soft waterfall. She was wearing the clothes of a man which looked loose and out of place on her. It could be seen at a glance that the clothes belonged to Yang Kai, but such attire did not take away from her beauty in the slightest. Instead, it added a playful touch of cuteness to her, so that anyone who saw her would not be able to look away. Especially her little pink cheeks of hers that tempted one to pinch them.
When the two of them appeared, they clearly did not understand the situation unfolding before them. It wasn’t until he could smell the faint scent of blood that Yang Kai’s face sank and he released his Divine Sense.
In an instant, his face turned ugly.
He could see that Chi Yue and the others were all wounded, hiding behind the array base platform as they watched Ye Hen and Du Xian that were being kept in place by the others, their auras weak and unstable. He could see a nervous look on Shi Cang Ying’s face, as well as Luo Jin who was glaring at him with flames of hatred flickering in his eyes.
“Young Master Yang!” As soon as Hua Qing Si saw Yang Kai, she knew their saviour had come. She could not help but breathe out a sigh of relief and smiled bitterly, “If you showed up any later, we would’ve been done for!”
“I’m sorry, Young Master Yang…” Ye Jing Han looked at Yang Kai nervously, “It was our Thousand Leaves Sect that got you all involved in this.”
After a pause, she hurriedly said, “You should take them and run away from here quickly!”
Even though she had seen Yang Kai’s abilities and knew that he was strong, there was an Emperor Realm Master here. She did not think Yang Kai’s strength could compare to a Master at that level.
Only after hearing her words did Yang Kai look away from Qiu Ze, smiling, “En, this is a tricky situation.”
Even though he still didn’t quite understand how all this came about, he could clearly tell friend from foe in this situation.
“Was that guy the one who hurt you?” Yang Kai glanced at Qiu Ze as he asked.
Hua Qing Si was already at the peak of the Dao Source Realm, so there was really no other person here who could hurt her except for him.
“Yes!” Hua Qing Si gently nodded, “He seems to be the Palace Master of Sky Illumination Palace and has just ascended to the Emperor Realm not too long ago. His cultivation is not stable yet. If that wasn’t the case, you would not be able to see your Sister Hua anymore.”
“Good. Anyone who dares touch any of my people must die,” Yang Kai sneered.
As soon as these words came out, all of the outsiders stared at him as if he was a fool.
[To think a Dao Source Realm cultivator would boast so shamelessly! To tell an Emperor Realm Master he would die to his face, has this guy lost his mind?]
Shi Cang Ying and the others all had strange expressions on their faces.
Only Hua Qing Si knew that Yang Kai was not joking. Even though Yang Kai was not an Emperor Realm Master, he definitely had the strength to fight at that level. Not to mention the others, the Embodiment itself was enough to give Qiu Ze a headache. If Yang Kai were to join the fray as well, then he may be able to fight on equal ground with Qiu Ze.
So, after Yang Kai appeared, Hua Qing Si’s heart was finally put at ease. Even if Yang Kai’s cultivation was a little lower than hers, Hua Qing Si was definitely no match for him!
She had never met a man as radiant as Yang Kai.
[No…] Hua Qing Si suddenly realized that Yang Kai’s cultivation was not lower than hers, but rather, it was on par with her.
[When did he advance to the Third-Order Dao Source Realm?] Hua Qing Si was shocked. [It was not that long ago that he reached the Second-Order Dao Source Realm… To think he actually broke through again in such a short amount of time? Is cultivating as easy as drinking and eating for him?]
Even though she was shocked, she was still mostly elated.
Yang Kai had gotten stronger again, which meant that the situation before him was now even more favourable.
“Heh…” Qiu Ze suddenly scoffed. Even though Yang Kai did not speak too loudly, he heard it loud and clear, and an amused smile emerged on his face. Looking at Yang Kai, he said, “Little brat, it seems you do not know the immensity of Heaven and Earth. You actually dare think of taking this King’s life?”
Luo Jin shouted from the side, “Palace Lord Qiu, that guy is the one who injured your son!”
“He’s Yang Kai?” Qiu Ze’s face turned dark. Even Mu Zheng of White Clouds Tower, and Ruan Hong Bo from Sky Peak Temple were glaring at Yang Kai with angry looks on their faces. Mu Guan of White Clouds Tower and Ke Tian from Sky Peak Temple were both killed by Yang Kai, so he was the reason why the two of them had come to stir trouble with Thousand Leaves Sect. Now that their enemy was right before their eyes, they were naturally seeing red.
“That’s right, he’s the one!” Luo Jin spat with hatred.
That day at the City Lord’s Mansion, Luo Jin suffered the greatest humiliation of his life. It was a day he would never forget. Even though Yang Kai spared his life in the end, his hatred for him was like a lump in his throat. If he did not get revenge, he would not be able to rest easy again.
Even in his dreams, he dreamt of killing Yang Kai and avenging his past shame.
After learning of Yang Kai’s identity, all the Masters of each Sect were looking at Yang Kai as if he were a dead man. However, since Qiu Ze did not move, none of them dared act on their own.
“You’re Yang Kai?” It seemed that Qiu Ze wanted to confirm it and stood there questioning Yang Kai.
Yang Kai sneered disdainfully, “What the hell do you count for, daring to ask for this Young Master’s name!”
His expression could not be any more arrogant, as if Qiu Ze wasn’t worth his time at all, but the latter kept a calm expression. He did not get angry, but instead gently nodded, “Very good. This King heard that you have refined a furnace of Extraordinary Treasure Pills in the Four Seasons Realm?”
Yang Kai raised a brow thoughtfully, “So, you’re after something else, aren’t you? You want an Extraordinary Treasure Pill? I apologize, but they’re all gone.”
Qiu Ze responded, “No matter. This King also did not expect to get an Extraordinary Treasure Pill from you. However, this King has heard that you took one of them yourself. After I capture and boil you down, traces of the Extraordinary Treasure Pill’s medicinal efficacies should still be present.”
As soon as he said this, even the faces of Ruan Hong Bo and the others standing on Qiu Ze’s side changed. They all looked over in unison as if they could not believe that he had just said such a thing.
They had never thought of getting a trace of the medicinal efficacies of the Extraordinary Treasure Pill by boiling a person who had taken it. As expected of Qiu Ze, to be able to think of such an idea. But on second thought, it did seem to make sense.
The effects of the Extraordinary Treasure Pill were strong, and most of the medicinal efficacies would be gathered in the meridians, slowly refined by the cultivator as time went on. So, the sooner one takes the Extraordinary Treasure Pill, the better.
Back then, that girl from Eight Paths Sect had taken the Extraordinary Treasure Pill when she was still in the Second-Order Dao Source Realm. Even though she was forced to take it by Luo Yuan, it perfectly unleashed the efficacy of the Extraordinary Treasure Pill. As long as her aptitude was decent enough and she cultivated hard in the future, reaching the Emperor Realm was inevitable.
Qiu Ze was already in the Emperor Realm, so the Extraordinary Treasure Pill obviously wouldn’t be of use to him. He likely wanted it for Qiu Yu.
But just thinking that he would first have to drink a pot of human meat soup in order to obtain the medicinal efficacies of the Extraordinary Treasure Pill… Ruan Hong Bo and the others instantly paled and their stomachs churned. They inwardly began feeling sympathetic towards Qiu Yu. Who knows what Qiu Yu’s reaction would be if he learned the truth in the future.
“You wish to boil this Young Master?” Yang Kai failed to stifle his laughter and sneered back, “You are the one that does not know the immensity of Heaven and Earth.”
“How presumptuous of you, little brat.” A cold glint flashed past Qiu Ze’s eyes as he snorted, “But if you don’t have the strength to match that attitude, this presumptuousness of yours just seems childish and ridiculous.”
While speaking, he suddenly raised a hand and struck his palm in Yang Kai’s direction.
The wind surged up in an instant. A huge palm formed in the sky and flew over, blanketing a vast area.
Qiu Ze’s palm clearly did not care about the life or death of the others, or even Yang Kai’s survival. To him, it did not matter whether Yang Kai was dead or alive, he just needed to take his corpse back and boil it.
With this sudden strike, the sky darkened.
Ye Hen and Du Xian’s eyes almost bulged out of their sockets as their bodies shook with tension, but they could only watch the scene unfold without any means to help.
A fiery red light suddenly shot out at that moment, and the hot aura instantly diffused. A delicate and small figure rose to the skies and met the palm strike head-on.
The two collided in a flash and Liu Yan groaned as she was slapped down, but as a result of her efforts, the palm print was dispersed and light returned to the sky.
*Xiu…*
A sound of something breaking through the air rang out as a certain figure flickered at the same time. Before the bystanders could see what happened, the figure had already returned to the array base platform.
It was Yang Kai who took the opportunity when Liu Yan acted to retrieve Ye Hen and Du Xian.
He was highly proficient in the Dao of Space, so he caught everyone off guard. By the time Qiu Ze could react, it was already too late to stop Yang Kai, and when he looked over, he saw that all his hostages had already been saved.
Qiu Ze’s face dimmed instantly, frowning at Yang Kai and the little girl whom he had slapped to the ground.
If it was just Yang Kai, then so be it. For a Third-Order Dao Source Realm, he may be fast, but he still wasn’t worth mentioning; however, for this oddly-dressed little girl to be able to sustain a blow from him was a little unbelievable.
He could not feel Liu Yan’s cultivation prior to this, but in their brief confrontation, Qiu Ze clearly perceived that she was at the peak of the Dao Source Realm.
Qiu Ze was not the only one in disbelief. Everyone present was dumbfounded.
They did not expect that Yang Kai would not be the one to take the hit, but rather the eight-year-old looking girl. [How could this little girl survive a blow from an Emperor Realm Master head-on? Can’t you see that she was slammed into the ground by Qiu Ze and even left a little human-shaped hole there?]
[She should be in pieces by now.]
In an instant, everyone was looking at Yang Kai with disdain. Even enemies like Ruan Hong Bo scorned Yang Kai’s actions, thinking that this guy was simply a beast to actually let a little girl like that send herself to death’s embrace.
“That hurts!” The crisp voice of a child mixed with fierce anger emerged from the human-shaped hole in the ground. In the next moment, a little head popped out. Liu Yan’s face was livid with rage as she leapt out of the hole and patted away the dirt from her body.
“She’s still alive?” Luo Jin was stupefied. He didn’t expect a little thing like her would be able to survive taking a hit from Qiu Ze face-first.
Not only did she survive it, but she also didn’t seem injured at all.
[What kind of monster is this?]
Ye Jing Han and Hua Qing Si were also dumbfounded and stared at Liu Yan in shock.
Suddenly, Hua Qing Si’s expression changed and she asked hesitantly, “Little Sister Liu Yan?”
Just now, when Liu Yan moved, Hua Qing Si was able to sense her aura. The two of them had been cultivating in the Sealed World Bead together with Zhang Ruo Xi all this while so they naturally could not be more familiar with each other. Looking at her again now, the attitude and appearance of this little girl clearly looked about seventy to eighty percent similar to Liu Yan. Only, she was now much younger.
She did not pay much attention to this little girl before; after all, they were in a life or death situation so she didn’t have the leisure for such random thoughts; but now, after realizing that this little girl may be Liu Yan, Hua Qing Si could no longer restrain the shock in her heart.
[How… is this possible?]
Liu Yan turned around and shot a sweet smile at Hua Qing Si, “Sister Hua!”
[It’s Liu Yan, no doubt about it! It has to be her!]
Hua Qing Si’s beautiful eyes were round in surprise as she stammered, “How… How did you end up like this?”
Liu Yan responded meekly, “Master said he liked little girls the best, the smaller the better, so I…”
“Ahh?” Hua Qing Si squinted and glared at Yang Kai.
Cold sweat poured down Yang Kai’s forehead like a waterfall. Reaching up to wipe it, he hurriedly shouted, “Don’t listen to her! That’s nonsense!”
This time, even Chi Yue and Ye Jing Han were glaring daggers at Yang Kai.
“Beast!”
“Shameless!”
“Scum!”
The three women chimed in one word after another, each word stabbing into his heart. Even Yang Kai’s face had gone blue.
Hua Qing Si coldly snorted as she called out, “You have to follow me closely in the future. You must never be alone with him! Sister Hua will protect you.”
“Thank you, Sister Hua!” Liu Yan put on an innocent smile.
“Are you alright? Were you hurt just now?” Even though Liu Yan seemed to be in good condition, Hua Qing Si still could not help but ask. She had traded blows with Qiu Ze and knew how powerful he was. Even she was not his opponent, it naturally made her worry to see Liu Yan take a hit from him.
“Couldn’t be better!” Liu Yan smiled. However, that smile didn’t reach her eyes in the slightest. Those eyes were filled with bone-chilling frost, and she even shot a cold glance at Qiu Ze as she spoke.
For some reason, Qiu Ze’s heart jumped when he met her eyes. A kind of uneasy feeling suddenly sprouted in his heart. Shaking off his unease quickly though, he took a decisive step forward and shouted, “This is a touching reunion, but let’s end this here. This King does not wish to start killing here. So, I will only offer you all a choice…”
Then, speaking up to this point, his voice turned cold and the killing intent within it surged like a tidal wave, the wind blowing from the nine hells of purgatory as he declared, “Those who obey me will prosper, those who rebel will die!”
With an imposing expression on his face, Yang Kai also took a step forward and said while withstanding the Emperor Pressure, “Liu Yan, bring them into the Sealed World. I’ll deal with this old man!”
Qiu Ze was a mere Emperor Realm Master who had just broken through recently and had not stabilized his cultivation yet, so Yang Kai wasn’t afraid of him.
In Thousand Leaves Sect’s Sealed World, he had even encountered a Third-Order Emperor Realm Corpse Puppet and battled against it. Even though he had to use up all his cards and also got the help of Embodiment and Liu Yan, at least he had experience against an even stronger opponent than Qiu Ze, so why should he be afraid of someone in the First-Order Emperor Realm?
Now that he had a Third-Order Dao Source Realm cultivation, Yang Kai was actually eager to use this opportunity to test his strength.
The heavy Emperor Pressure was dense like a solid mass as it gushed over furiously, giving one the illusion that they were drowning, unable to catch their breath.
Ye Hen and the others were already in bad shape. If Yang Kai had not been in front of them blocking it, then they may have fainted on the spot.
“Master, if you feel confident enough, how about delaying him for a while and leaving the rest to me?” Liu Yan suddenly whispered from behind him.
Yang Kai was stunned. He had no idea where Liu Yan got this confidence from. Even though she survived unscathed after taking a blow from Qiu Ze, and the toughness of a Spirit Puppet’s body was clear to see, there were so many Masters here after all. What’s more, how could an Emperor Realm Master like Qiu Ze be easy to deal with?
Yang Kai himself wasn’t confident he could completely defeat all of them and originally planned to go for their ringleader to crush their fighting spirit. It would be best if he could kill Qiu Ze, but seriously injuring him would work too. As long as he was able to defeat Qiu Ze, then the rest of them would become like a handful of loose sand, nothing to be scared of.
But Liu Yan’s calm and confident tone intrigued Yang Kai.
He wondered what sort of trump card Liu Yan’s Spirit Puppet body came with, for her to have such guts to look down on all these Masters.
But this was clearly not the time to ask that question. Yang Kai could only respond by asking, “How sure are you?”
Liu Yan sneered, “One hundred percent!”
Yang Kai twisted his head around to look at her in astonishment. Only when he realized she wasn’t joking at all did he nod his head, “Fine, then I’ll be waiting and watching!”
“One cup of tea’s time!” While saying that, Liu Yan suddenly sat down cross-legged and shut her eyes tightly.
None of them knew what she was planning to do, and Ye Hen was feeling even more anxious. He kept on signalling to Yang Kai with his eyes to tell him to escape. Seeing this, Hua Qing Si pondered for a moment before assuring him, “Rest assured, Sect Master Ye. Young Master Yang has his own plans, he won’t let anything happen to us.”
Yang Kai was proficient in the Dao of Space, and this was where the Space Array was located. Even if they were defeated, they could still teleport to the Sealed World through the array, so there was nothing for them to be afraid of.
What’s more, she was curious to see what Liu Yan wanted to do.
Hearing her say so, Ye Hen could only compromise with them helplessly and hope for a miracle in his heart.
“Sister Hua, take care of them. If things go sour, then activate the Space Array and enter the Sealed World.” After advising her, Yang Kai’s aura suddenly surged. A clear layer of Principle Strength was lingering around his body, ignoring the suppression of Qiu Ze’s Emperor Pressure as if it was nothing, instantly cutting it apart like a sharp knife.
“You really do have some skills. No wonder you dare to be so arrogant!” Qiu Ze said in surprise.
He had already advanced to the Emperor Realm, so he knew how great the disparity was between the Emperor Realm and Dao Source Realm. His own strength had swelled by more than ten times since advancing, so he was confident he could take care of any Dao Source Realm cultivator within three moves.
He originally thought that nobody would be able to move freely under the suppression of his Emperor Pressure, and everyone would be at his mercy, but he knew he was wrong as soon as he saw Yang Kai move. He could have never imagined a Dao Source Realm cultivator existing in this world that could break through his Emperor Pressure.
The Principle Strength lingering around his body was pure and mysterious, making it hard to ascertain its properties.
Qiu Ze instantly realized that Yang Kai was no ordinary Dao Source Realm. Coupled with Hua Qing Si’s performance earlier, he was even more convinced that the two of them came from some top Sect and had a special heritage no one else had.
As he spoke, Qiu Ze became angry out of shame. He quickly formed hand seals and the might of his Emperor Pressure was further enhanced.
As an Emperor Realm Master, it would be a joke if he needed a Dao Source Realm cultivator like Yang Kai to rush over to him, so he spared no effort as soon as he made the first move.
In fact, his Emperor Pressure proved effective very soon. As he formed his hand seals, Yang Kai’s body was stopped in place and the calm and relaxed expression on his face had become difficult, his movements slowing to a crawl.
Right at that moment, a figure suddenly rose into the air. With fierce rage, Luo Jin held the Jade Sceptre-like artifact in his hands and poured his Source Qi into it, shouting with all his might, “Die, you brat!”
As he said that, he fiercely swung his sceptre down at Yang Kai.
He followed Qiu Ze on this trip in order to seek revenge on Yang Kai and knew he had little chance of killing him with his own skill. At that time, with just a Second-Order Dao Source Realm cultivation, Yang Kai was able to beat him to the point where he could not resist. Now that Yang Kai had reached the Third-Order, the gap between them had certainly grown even larger, making it even more impossible for him to fight him.
If he wanted revenge, Luo Jin would need to borrow Qiu Ze’s power.
Now was, without a doubt, the best time to strike. Yang Kai was being suppressed by Qiu Ze’s Emperor Pressure and was likely unable to bring out even half of his full strength. Once Yang Kai was hit by his artifact, he would surely die.
Qiu Ze did not care whether Yang Kai lived or died anyway. All he needed was his corpse to boil it into medicinal soup. That’s why Luo Jin figured this move would be unlikely to offend him.
At this moment, Luo Jin struck boldly and without hesitation or looking back. The shame and humiliation he suffered by Yang Kai’s hands before this all burst out at this moment.
With a single blow, the air caved in. The Jade Sceptre seemed to contain Heaven destroying and Earth-shattering might, and its destructive aura was rushing straight towards Yang Kai.
The smile on Luo Jin’s face was becoming fiercer and fiercer, and a vague thirst for revenge could also be seen in his eyes, as if he could already see Yang Kai dying from his blow.
Even Qiu Ze was cooperating with Luo Jin’s actions at that moment, concentrating his Emperor Pressure into a binding force to restrict Yang Kai’s movements.
*Hong…*
As the Jade Sceptre fell, a dark hole appeared where Yang Kai was, leaving nothing behind in a ten-meter radius.
Luo Jin landed on the ground and looked at the hole that swallowed up everything in front of him like the open mouth of a beast and couldn’t help but laugh.
“This is bad!” Qiu Ze shouted, his face changing abruptly. He had been binding Yang Kai’s movements with his Emperor Pressure the whole time, but in the instant before Luo Jin’s Jade Sceptre came smashing down, Qiu Ze could sense that Yang Kai had mysteriously disappeared. He had no idea how it happened, but he seemed to have lost all trace of Yang Kai after a moment of oversight.
“There was a path to the Heavens but you refused to take it, and no door to Hell but you just had to throw yourself at it!” An eerie voice suddenly sounded from behind Luo Jin, causing his hair to stand on end, his blood to flow backwards, and his feet to cramp up.
“City Lord Luo, watch out!”
“Behind you!”
Ruan Hong Bo and Mu Zheng shouted in unison, both of them looking behind Luo Jin in horror as if they had seen something unbelievable.
A cold sweat fell along Luo Jin’s forehead. At this moment, Luo Jin’s perception was infinitely amplified and he could clearly feel the cold and murderous intent coming from behind him.
Almost without hesitation, he tried to escape, but before he could do anything, he felt a slight sting on his chest and his whole body froze in place. The blood and Source Qi running through his body completely froze in an instant.
Eyes widening in horror, he looked down at his chest, only to see the broad tip of a sword penetrating through his chest, with red blood coating the blade.
“City Lord Luo did not appreciate it when I spared his life. In that case, die early and reincarnate early!” Yang Kai coldly snorted, the Myriads Sword in his hand shivering as Source Qi poured into it.
Without even a single cry, Luo Jin directly exploded into a mist of blood, spilling onto the ground.
To Yang Kai, Luo Jin was extremely ungrateful. He had allowed him to live because of Luo Bing, but not only did he not know when to stop, he even repaid his kindness with enmity, joining Qiu Ze and the others in the fight against Thousand Leaves Sect. Naturally, Yang Kai would not forgive him again.
Yang Kai reached out and grabbed Luo Jin’s Space Ring and Jade Sceptre-like artifact and shoved them into the Sealed World Bead.
In the biting cold breeze, Yang Kai wielded the Myriads Sword, clothes flowing behind him as his murderous intent flared.
Breaths of cold air being sucked in could be heard. Mu Zheng, Ruan Hong Bo, and the others involuntarily backed away, all of them looking completely horrified and dumbfounded.
If they hadn’t seen it with their own eyes, they wouldn’t have believed that Luo Jin would die just like that.
Luo Jin was a Third-Order Dao Source Realm Master and his strength was equal or slightly greater than theirs. Not one of them was confident they could win against him in a one-on-one fight, but now, he was killed by Yang Kai in just a single blow.
And this had happened under Qiu Ze’s suppression. If he were not suppressed by Qiu Ze, then wouldn’t Luo Jin have died even faster?
[Who is this little brat? He can’t be some Emperor Realm Master hiding his cultivation to toy with us, right?] Mu Zheng and the others all had ugly looks on their faces. They all had the vague thought that perhaps it was not the wisest idea for them to have followed Qiu Ze over to Thousand Leaves Sect to look for trouble.
Yang Kai was able to do this much at just the Third-Order Dao Source Realm. If he rose to the Emperor Realm one day, how were they going to survive? For a moment, the Sect Masters from the local big Sects all began feeling worried and anxious.
On the other hand, Ye Hen was similarly shocked, but even more than that, he was excited.
Even though he had heard of Yang Kai’s strength from Ye Jing Han before, hearing about it and seeing it for himself were two different matters. [The Thousand Leaves Sect… may be saved!]
A faint light of hope was rekindled in Ye Hen’s originally dim eyes. He gently patted Ye Jing Han’s hand and said weakly, “Jing Han, you have good judgment. If this disaster can be avoided, then in the future… You should follow Young Master Yang more often.”
If not for Ye Jing Han and Du Xian being childhood sweethearts that have long grown deeply in love, then he would’ve liked for his daughter to marry Yang Kai.
If such a promising young man could be tied to Thousand Leaves Sect, it would be a great blessing.
“Yes, Father!” Ye Jing Han’s beautiful eyes were also bright and covered in joy. A few days ago, at the City Lord’s Mansion, Yang Kai performed a miracle and suppressed many Masters to the point where they could hardly catch their breaths. He then strutted out of the city with the new bride. But could he still perform another miracle in the Thousand Leaves Sect with an Emperor Realm Master in attendance?
“You dare kill someone in front of this King? Impudence!” Qiu Ze was enraged and grit his teeth as a furious look covered his face.
If word got out that Luo Jin was killed despite him personally suppressing Yang Kai, then everyone would probably think he was only a paper tiger. This was his first battle since advancing to the Emperor Realm, so Qiu Ze had come expressly to show off his might, but he didn’t expect things to go the other way.
Yang Kai killing Luo Jin was equal to slapping him in the face. How could Qiu Ze bear such humiliation?
After he spoke, Qiu Ze flicked his wrist and a blood-red spear appeared in his hand. It could be surmised at a glance from the dense fluctuation of energy coming from the spar that it was a Dao Source Grade High-Rank artifact, and was connected with Qiu Ze’s mind and soul through his own blood.
Qiu Ze had only just advanced to the Emperor Realm and did not have an Emperor Artifact on hand, but if given enough time to refine and nurture this spear, then it was not impossible for it to advance into an Emperor Artifact.
Unfortunately, he didn’t have the time.
It was not very honourable for him to use an artifact against someone in the Dao Source Realm, but Qiu Ze didn’t care about that right now.
With his spear in hand, Qiu Ze’s imposing manner increased once more. The aura of the blood-red spear was closely linked with him, and the two seemed to completely fused into one entity with both mind and soul connected. Qiu Ze shouted and made the first move, trying to save face by killing Yang Kai in a single blow.
*Chi…*
Countless blood-red spears made of light shot out towards Yang Kai like a cloud of locusts. The entire sky had become as red as blood as the murderous intent and violent power spread out, causing horrified looks to arise on everyone’s faces.
Yang Kai waited for the right opportunity to use his Myriads Sword. Sword Intent flashed as a sword made out of light appeared and he shouted, “Myriad Sword Arts, One Man As A Mountain!”
He was right between Qiu Ze and Chi Yue and the others at this moment, so Yang Kai could not dodge Qiu Ze’s attack. If he had moved away, then Chi Yue and the others would definitely be enveloped by the spear shadows.
Not only was Qiu Ze trying to launch a sneak attack, but he was also cleverly using Yang Kai’s concern towards Chi Yue and the others against him, which was a despicable act.
A normal Third-Order Dao Source Realm cultivator would’ve been powerless to resist and would definitely be crushed to pieces by this move.
But Yang Kai had an Emperor Artifact and the defensive stance he performed was greatly effective in neutralizing Qiu Ze’s power.
*Hong hong hong…*
Spear and Sword Qi clashed mid-air, energy surging turbulently, shaking the Heavens and Earth.
Qiu Ze’s expression changed abruptly as he was forced back a step. With a flourish of his spear, he crushed a Moon Blade hidden inside the Sword Waves made of light into dust.
On the opposite side, Yang Kai did not retreat, but following several slicing sounds, blood splashed out from all over his body. Obviously, he had suffered a small loss during this trade of blows.
Qiu Ze was still an Emperor Realm Master, after all, so being able to exchange blows with him was already enough to prove his strength. If Yang Kai really came out of this unharmed, that would truly be too terrifying.
“Little brat, you dare play tricks against this King? Shameless!” Qiu Ze was shaken inside, but he did not show it on his face. He did not see the true appearance of the Moon Blade earlier because of how hurriedly he had struck. All he knew was that the attack was silent and extremely well hidden.
Yang Kai curled his lip, “Don’t you feel yourself blushing saying things like that, old fart?”
Qiu Ze naturally knew what he meant, but had no intention of arguing with him. Drawing his spear, another powerful move appeared, shattering the skies and shooting straight towards Yang Kai’s face.
Yang Kai was enraged seeing this. This old fart knew he couldn’t dodge at will, so the heavy hits he was constantly throwing at him was so he could force him to engage in a head-on clash. If Chi Yue and the others were not behind him, then of course Yang Kai would dodge rather than fight, but there was simply no way he could put aside their safety.
Yang Kai wasn’t the only one who understood this situation, everyone else saw this clearly too. Ruan Hong Bo and the others had awkward expressions on their faces. They were secretly thinking to themselves that Qiu Ze didn’t have the air of an Emperor Realm Master at all, he was simply as shameless as a scoundrel.
But they were all tied to the same rope now, so they didn’t dare to say anything even if they saw it.
“Give an inch and you want a mile… You shameless old dog!” Yang Kai bellowed at him and poured his Source Qi into his Myriads Sword, meeting him in battle.
As the blade passed, the spears made of light were broken apart, instantly disintegrating.
This time, Qiu Ze’s face greatly changed. He could have never imagined that a Third-Order Dao Source Realm cultivator could match him in a contest of strength. If he did not have the burden of protecting his companions behind him, then wouldn’t Yang Kai be completely beyond his depth?
After breaking Qiu Ze’s attack, Yang Kai did not dally for even a moment. He flicked his fingers, sending ten Moon Blades whistled over.
Qiu Ze’s pupils shrank. This time, he could clearly feel the rich, fluctuating Space Principles contained within the black blades. This made it impossible for him to grasp the trajectory of the Moon Blades’ attack.
“Space Principles?” Qiu Ze exclaimed, his body shivering. Emperor Pressure burst out and formed a domain spanning ten metres around him.
Within this domain, he could finally identify the trajectory of the Moon Blades’ attack and he moved his spear to break them.
In an instant, Qiu Ze was drenched in cold sweat, a shocked expression on his face.
He was not too alarmed when Yang Kai displayed extraordinary combat abilities. Even when they fought to a standstill, he only thought that Yang Kai was a rare talent, but when he realized that Yang Kai was this proficient in the Dao of Space, every fibre of his body was screaming something ominous was about to happen.
The Dao of Space was a rare and esoteric Dao. No need to even mention getting started with it, normal people couldn’t even be able to perceive it in the slightest. This had nothing to do with cultivation aptitude as there were also many Emperor Realm Masters in the Star Boundary, but how many of them actually comprehended the Dao of Space?
But this young man in front of him was able to use Space Principles against his opponent in battle. What did that prove? It meant that his attainments of the Dao of Space had already reached an incredible height. A man like this was certain to have a bright future, and in time, would rise to the peak of the world.
[If his cultivation were to grow any further, wouldn’t I be dead for sure?]
As this thought filled his mind, how could Qiu Ze still care about his face? The only thought in his mind was to cut weeds and pull out the roots. Thinking so, he bellowed, “What are you all waiting for? Attack him together!”
Only with his shout did everyone come to their senses. They had come to provoke the Thousand Leaves Sect, not to watch a show. What’s more, they had killed so many of Thousand Leaves Sect’s disciples already, so if they did not eradicate them here, Thousand Leaves Sect may rise again from the ashes.
“Palace Lord Qiu, I’ll help you!” A loud cry emerged as a figure flew over.
To everyone’s surprise, the first person to answer Qiu Ze’s call was neither Ruan Hong Bo nor Mu Zheng, but Thousand Leaves Sect’s Shi Cang Ying.
He looked like he held a deep grudge against the Thousand Leaves Sect and couldn’t wait to kill Yang Kai and the rest of the Sect right here and now. While speaking, he had already summoned his artifact and his Source Qi was surging wildly as he rushed towards Yang Kai.
Shi Cang Ying had already made his move, so how could Mu Zheng and Ruan Hong Bo just stand to the side and watch? They only hesitated for a moment before gritting their teeth and taking action. In a flash, the auras of a dozen Third-Order Dao Source Realm artifacts and Secret Techniques enveloped Yang Kai, launching towards him.
Even though Yang Kai was powerful and his strength increased even more after reaching the Third-Order, to the point of being able to fight with Qiu Ze without falling to a difficult position, it was only natural that two fists couldn’t block four strikes. He was instantly trapped and was unable to escape. It was a dangerous situation and in just three short breaths, his body was already battered and bloody.
After Yang Kai was trapped, the other cultivators from Sky Illumination Palace, White Clouds Tower, and Sky Peak Temple all joined in the fray and rushed towards Chi Yue and the others.
When she saw this, Hua Qing Si’s pretty face turned cold in an instant and she quickly said, “Sister Ye, bring them into the Sealed World!”
Ye Jing Han asked, “Then what about you?”
Hua Qing Si glanced at Liu Yan who was still sitting cross-legged on the ground and not moving, saying, “I have to stay here.”
No one knew what Liu Yan was doing, but she hadn’t moved since sitting down. Naturally, Hua Qing Si couldn’t just leave her here.
Unexpectedly, Ye Jing Han spoke back against her persuasion, “This concerns the life or death of our Thousand Leaves Sect. How could we possibly run away?”
Ye Hen also nodded, “That’s right. Even as an outsider, Young Master Yang was willing to help solve the problems of our Thousand Leaves Sect. As the Sect Master, how can this Ye just run from here? Even if this Old Master coughs up the last of his blood here, he will definitely not retreat!”
To his words, all the others nodded as well, looking prepared to risk their lives.
“You all are…” Hua Qing Si stomped her feet in anxiety, but once she saw how determined Ye Hen and the others were, she knew it was useless talking them out of this and could only turn to Chi Yue and the others.
Chi Yue smiled, “One more person is one extra source of strength. No need to persuade us, Elder Sister. It was a rare chance that we were able to reunite with Yang Boy. If we separate once more, I worry we will never see him again.”
Hua Qing Si sighed. She knew there was nothing she could say anymore, “Then watch out for yourselves!”
While they were speaking, the area where they were was already densely surrounded by cultivators. Only, they were watching them cautiously instead of rushing at them and they had no idea what these cultivators were scared about.
Right at this moment, a loud roar suddenly came from Yang Kai’s side. Yang Kai seemed to be truly enraged now. Following that roar, a dazzling light shot out from there, engulfing where Yang Kai was in an instant.
More than twenty Third-Order Dao Source Realm cultivators and an Emperor Realm Master had joined hands against him. How could Yang Kai hold them off?
During this critical moment, he could only teleport out and appeared in an instant in front of Hua Qing Si and the others.
The way he appeared without warning startled all of the cultivators gathered here, and they all backed away. Yang Kai was able to fight with Qiu Ze and even killed Luo Jin in one blow, so how could they not be afraid?
In an instant, a large area was vacated at the array base platform.
“As expected, the rumours are true. Being proficient in the Dao of Space has great benefits.” Qiu Ze’s slightly jealous tone came from the distance. Following that, the crowd took the initiative to move away. With Qiu Ze in the lead, a dozen Third-Order Dao Source Realm cultivators strolled over and stood several tens of metres before Yang Kai and the others.
Yang Kai spat disdainfully, an unruly look on his face.
Even though he could not defeat so many Masters, it was also impossible for these people to kill him. Moreover, after retreating to the Space Array, they could advance or retreat at will. There was nothing to worry about at all. If anything, he could just activate the Space Array and bring Chi Yue and the others to the Sealed World.
Moreover, Yang Kai hadn’t used any of his trump cards yet.
Previously, he was acting cautiously so he wouldn’t hurt any innocents, but now that the situation had developed to this point, there was nothing more to worry about.
“Little brat, with your proficiency in the Dao of Space, this King may indeed be unable to keep you here,” Qiu Ze looked at Yang Kai with a grim face. From their exchange earlier, he could tell that Yang Kai’s strength was not inferior to his, and the latter may even be slightly above him. With his added proficiency in the Dao of Space, Qiu Ze really did not have the confidence to stop him should he choose to escape.
In other words, Yang Kai could leave anytime he wanted to, and Qiu Ze would only be able to watch him do so no matter how displeased he was.
But in fact, Yang Kai did not leave because he still had many friends here, he couldn’t escape alone. So, Qiu Ze did not panic and only smiled sinisterly, “If you leave, this King will not stop you, but these people… Heh heh…”
He did not say too much, but the threats in his voice were clear to see.
“Qiu Ze you old dog, you really are shameless!” Ye Hen roared at him.
Qiu Ze was unmoved by his words and only looked toward Yang Kai, “Little brat, you better think clearly. Consider whether you want to escape by yourselves or stay and suffer with them.”
Even though he said such words, he really was worried that Yang Kai might just abandon these people and run away by himself. If that were to happen, then he may have to live a life on the edge in the future. Yang Kai was this strong at only the Third-Order Dao Source Realm. If he reached the Emperor Realm, then how could Sky Illumination Palace possibly survive against him?
A foe like him must either be left unprovoked or dealt with once and for all, otherwise, there were bound to be deadly consequences.
As long as Yang Kai didn’t escape, then everything else was fine. There were so many Masters gathered here, they did not have to worry about not being able to kill him. Even if he had to pay the price for it, he knew had to kill Yang Kai here today at any cost.
Ruan Hong Bo and the others were probably thinking the same thing as Qiu Ze, so all of them had ugly looks on their faces, but they did not retreat. They just watched Yang Kai, killing intents surging.
Yang Kai stood on top of the Space Array and looked around him as if he wanted to note down the faces of every single person giving him trouble. All the cultivators who were glanced over by him changed their faces and averted their gaze. They were terrified.
“Very well. You forced my hand, so I hope you won’t regret this!” Yang Kai sneered and a bracelet-like artifact suddenly appeared on his hand. Dense energy fluctuations seeped out from the bracelet. That alone was one thing, but the key point was the fact that clear traces of Emperor Aura and Emperor Intent were instantly spreading out from the bracelet.
“An Emperor Artifact!” Qiu Ze’s pupils shrank, a hot glow in his eyes.
The rest all looked wide-eyed in disbelief.
Yang Kai’s Myriads Sword was definitely an Emperor Artifact, that was something they confirmed just now. It was shocking enough for a Dao Source Realm cultivator to possess a single Emperor Artifact, but he actually had another one?
What are the origins of this little brat? Why does he have so many Emperor Artifacts?
Qiu Ze was astonished, and at the same time, his eyes became red. It took him so much effort to advance to the Emperor Realm, but he didn’t even have a single Emperor Artifact. Yet Yang Kai, a Dao Source Realm Junior, was able to pull out two Emperor Artifacts in an instant. How could Qiu Ze not feel envious of this?
At this moment, Qiu Ze couldn’t even be bothered to guess what great force Yang Kai had backing him. As long as he got rid of him quickly, then he could snatch the two Emperor Artifacts from him. With his current cultivation, his strength would definitely soar if he had these two Emperor Artifacts.
“Begin!” Qiu Ze shouted and was the first to rush towards Yang Kai.
Seeing this, the others didn’t dare to hesitate and all followed suit.
The expression of Ye Hen and the others changed dramatically, their faces all turning ashen. It was possible they may not be able to escape this time. Even Hua Qing Si’s pretty face had turned gloomy, but Yang Kai did not tell them to retreat into the Sealed World yet. Hua Qing Si knew Yang Kai definitely had his own plans, so her beautiful eyes fixed on him. She wanted to see what sort of trump card Yang Kai had to be able to withstand the attacks of so many Masters.
She saw Yang Kai grip the bracelet, then, a large black cloud suddenly emerged, buzzing incessantly. It was as if an endless hole had been opened up on the bracelet, releasing a tide of black mist. In the blink of an eye, the area around the Space Array was completely enveloped in the darkness, leaving no gaps.
“Insects?” Hua Qing Si remarked in surprise. She could finally see what sort of thing that black cloud was.
The black cloud was made up of countless little black insects the size of rice grains, forming a cloud that protected them. Moreover, Hua Qing Si could feel an uncomfortable aura coming from these insects.
This aura was very similar to the aura of the Ancient Demon she encountered that day outside Maplewood City.
This discovery caused Hua Qing Si to jump in fright. How could she not know how strange these insects were? No matter what they were, they had the aura of an Ancient Demon, so they were definitely not to be trifled with.
With their buzzing noise surrounding them, the insect cloud appeared to have formed an iron wall around the Space Array. Qiu Ze and the others bombarded the cloud of insects in unison with their Secret Techniques and artifacts, knocking countless of those insects dizzy and causing them to fall to the ground.
In an instant, the heavy look on Qiu Ze’s face eased up. He was still on guard against Yang Kai in case he unleashed some extraordinary technique; however, once he saw that these strange insects were so easy to defeat, he instantly felt relaxed. He figured Yang Kai had probably exhausted his tricks.
Qiu Ze was feeling confident and was just about to unleash another Secret Technique to break the protection of the insect cloud when he instinctively felt that something was wrong.
He quickly looked down at the insects on the ground, only to see that the ones that had fallen were actually completely unharmed. They just fluttered their wings and came back to life. Not only that, but they were all emitting a furious and violent aura, seemingly from getting attacked, and lunged at the cultivators nearby.
[What the hell are these things?] Qiu Ze’s heart jumped, but before he could figure it out, one of the black insects pounced on him. Following that, Qiu Ze suddenly felt a slight pain from his Knowledge Sea as if he had been pricked by something. In just that one instant, he suddenly found that a corner of his Soul was missing.
[That black insect actually devoured my Spiritual Energy?] Qiu Ze was shocked and cold sweat covered his body in an instant.
He could clearly see that the insect had latched onto his arm. That was even separated by several layers of clothing. Even if he were to be bitten, it would’ve been his arm that got injured. So, why was it not his arm hurting, but instead, a chunk of his Divine Sense that went missing?
Just as he slowed down to think, he felt another prick from his Knowledge Sea as another chunk of his Soul disappeared.
[What the hell are these black insects?!]
How could Qiu Ze dare to dally? If this kept going, then wouldn’t his Soul be swallowed up by these black insects? When the time came, he would definitely die. Out of shock, his Qi burst out and directly blasted off the insects nearby.
But what startled him even more was that not only did the insects not die, instead, they persistently tried to swarm him, but were unable to get close since they were blocked by his domain.
“Ah!”
A scream pierced through the sky, after that, many others followed. The screams sounded extremely miserable, as if they were suffering from the cruellest torture in the world.
Qiu Ze looked over and it felt like a pot of cold water had been poured over his heart.
He saw that including the cultivators from his own Sky Illumination Palace, the cultivators from all the other Sects were enveloped by the black insects. The Third-Order Dao Source Realm and Second-Order Dao Source Realm cultivators did not have it as bad since their defences were strong and were in no worry of dying despite their miserable states, but the First-Order Dao Source Realm and Origin King Realm cultivators were clearly in grave danger. They were simply unable to escape the black insects, and many have been enveloped to the point where they could no longer be seen.
In the blink of an eye, the cultivators enveloped by the black insects turned still. Once the black insects scattered away, these cultivators fell to the ground, unmoving.
There didn’t seem to be any injury to their bodies, but from their dull and frightened eyes, it was clear they had suffered something terrifying before dying.
How could Qiu Ze not know that these cultivators had died because their Souls were devoured by the black insects? He himself had suffered the same attack, and if not for his great strength, he would definitely be on the ground by now as well.
Many cultivators fell to the ground, struggling and writhing, but not one of them could escape the fate of death.
In just five short breaths, a large number of the cultivators from the several Sects had died!
This was simply a massacre, a one-sided massacre!
Not to mention Ruan Hong Bo and the others, even Yang Kai, the culprit, had a terrified look on his face after seeing this scene.
Since he had fully brought the Soul Devouring Insects under his control, it was the first time he used them against his enemies. He knew that the Soul Devouring Insects could play a significant role in group battles, but he never thought that they would actually become so powerful after their recent evolution.
The situation before him caused him to freeze in place as Soul Devouring Insects continued to fly out from the Insect Enslavement Bracelet.
After the last Soul Devouring Insect flew out from the Insect Enslavement Bracelet, there were more than a million of them inside the mountain valley. The black cloud of insects were all gathered around the cultivators who were still struggling desperately, waiting for an opportunity to bite onto them as well.
No matter what defensive artifacts these cultivators summoned, they could not stop the Soul Devouring Insects from attacking them. Even the Source Qi in the cultivators’ bodies could not shield them from these tyrannical insects.
More and more cultivators fell dead.
The cultivators at Origin King Realm and First-Order Dao Source Realm had already been wiped out long ago. Under the attack of the cloud of Soul Devouring Insects, these weaker cultivators had no power to fight back at all.
Gradually, the cultivators at Second-Order Dao Source Realm couldn’t hold on anymore either. With the Source Qi penetrated, their Spiritual Energy was rapidly gnawed away by the Soul Devouring Insects. Even though there were no marks on their bodies, they still could not escape the fate of death.
Even using their full strength, they were unable to kill even a single Soul Devouring Insect. The evolved Soul Devouring Insects seemed to have become extremely resilient. Even though they were occasionally knocked out by the cultivators, they were able to recover quickly and join the fight again.
Ye Hen and the others were dumbfounded.
Hua Qing Si and the others were also dumbfounded.
Each of them stood around the Space Array, watching this inhumane massacre, their mood extremely complex. Even though these people were throwing their weight around earlier, they didn’t expect them to turn into cold corpses in just an instant. How could anyone describe this?
Since Yang Kai summoned the Insect Enslavement Bracelet and released the Soul Devouring Insects, it didn’t take more than thirty breaths of time before as many as seventy percent of the cultivators from the various Sects that came fell. There were even several Third-Order Dao Source Realm cultivators who were unable to escape the disaster.
Yang Kai did not expect that his Soul Devouring Insects would be this strong. It could be imagined that with more time, even an Emperor Realm Master like Qiu Ze would be done in by the Soul Devouring Insects.
Ruan Hong Bo and the others were already scared out of the wits. They had come with Qiu Ze this time in order to avenge the deaths of Ke Tian and the others, but instead of getting their revenge, they were unexpectedly forced to suffer heavy losses.
This ordeal had greatly damaged the foundation of Sky Peak Temple as the men Ruan Hong Bo brought here were all elites of the Sect.
The same went for the other Sects as well. Everyone suffered grievous losses.
During this moment, Ruan Hong Bo felt deep regret about coming to Thousand Leaves Sect. This tragedy would have never happened if he had not come. He would have been holding his two beautiful female disciples, enjoying a romantic moment while sipping on fine wine.
As he watched his subordinates fall dead in front of him one by one, with Qiu Ze being unable to help, Ruan Hong Bo couldn’t hold on anymore. If they stayed any longer, the only thing left for them would be death. He tried his best to push his Source Qi to shake off the Soul Devouring Insects surrounding him while shouting, “Retreat!”
With these words, he had already begun rushing out of the mountain valley ahead of all the others.
None of the others dared to be slow and all used their Movement Skills to fly out.
“Now you want to leave? It’s too late. All of you must stay!” A clear and melodious voice suddenly shouted out. The shut-eyed, unmoving beauty, Liu Yan suddenly opened her eyes, cold murderous intent pulsing from her tiny figure.
Since the start of the battle, Liu Yan had been sitting there cross-legged and unmoving. No one knew what she was doing, not even Yang Kai. Now, when they saw her suddenly moving, they naturally looked over in curiosity.
Liu Yan formed a seal with her little hands and shouted, “Azure Dragon!”
After the seal was formed, she shot it towards a nearby mountain peak. The shape of the peak was extremely odd, looking as if an actual dragon was lying there.
The mountain peak rumbled, and immediately, a powerful aura poured out from within. At the same time, as if the mountain peak, which had remained silent for ten thousand years, had suddenly been given life, the grass began to sway and rocks were broken apart.
Two humongous eyes opened at the dragon’s head, and peerless Dragon Pressure erupted.
*Hong long long…*
The peak rose to the sky at once, accompanied by the constant falling of broken stones; an azure giant spanning a thousand meters stretched across the sky. The huge behemoth swinging its head and tail, its magnificent aura spreading out, causing everyone to freeze in shock.
Under the Dragon Pressure, everyone felt insignificant. They felt as if they were as small as an ant in front of this Azure Dragon.
“A True Dragon?” Hua Qing Si’s beautiful pupils shrank as she stared at the scene before her in disbelief. She could not believe that a True Dragon could actually be hidden under a mountain peak in Thousand Leaves Sect.
But very soon, she realized something wasn’t right. This Dragon did not have any hint of vitality in it at all. Even though the Dragon Pressure it exerted was vivid, it was definitely not living.
“Heaven-Grade puppet!” Ye Hen was completely dumbfounded and his eyes went wide in astonishment as he stared up at the Azure Dragon in the sky. Suddenly, tears ran down his face and he spread his arms out towards the sky as if he wanted to hold the Azure Dragon in his hands. Choking up, he cried out, “It’s one of our Heaven-Grade puppets!”
“Father, you are saying… This is a Heaven-Grade puppet from our Thousand Leaves Sect?” Ye Jing Han instantly understood Ye Hen’s meaning and was shocked.
The Thousand Leaves Sect had many Secret Arts and Secret Techniques that were lost for ten thousand years, and their knowledge of the Dao of Puppetry had already massively declined. Without mentioning Heaven-Grade puppets, even the Earth Grade puppets at the square could not be used anymore.
As for the Heaven-Grade puppets, even Ye Jing Han had no idea where they were hidden. This was something Ye Hen never told her.
It just so happened the Heaven-Grade puppets had been hiding under her nose all this while!
Ye Jing Han looked around at the strange shapes of the peaks far and near and of all different sizes…
It turned out that all these mountains were the hiding grounds of the Heaven-Grade puppets. Under the accumulated cover of ten thousand years of wind, sun, and dust, they were completely hidden, turning into sleeping mountain peaks.
Now, after ten thousand years, a Heaven-Grade puppet had finally been awakened, soaring into the clouds and revealing its magnificence.
This was an incredible matter. Moreover, the one to spur on the Heaven-Grade puppet was not someone from Thousand Leaves Sect, but rather a girl looking to be about seven or eight that they had never seen before.
Ye Hen looked at the Azure Dragon in the sky, then at Liu Yan, his old eyes were filled with flames of hope. He had no idea why this little girl was able to move the Heaven-Grade puppet, but he knew that she was with Yang Kai.
In other words, Yang Kai must have found the lost Secret Arts and Secret Techniques of Thousand Leaves Sect!
Thousand Leaves Sect was truly saved!
Yang Kai’s brow rose curiously, but after thinking for a moment, he vaguely understood why Liu Yan was able to control this Heaven-Grade puppet. This was likely related to her being a Spirit Grade puppet. Perhaps the body contained the secrets to controlling the Heaven-Grade puppets to begin with.
No wonder she asked him to buy her time and leave the rest to her.
Liu Yan could even control a Heaven-Grade puppet. With that, she was in fact able to sweep this entire place. Even though this Heaven-Grade puppet had been sleeping for countless years, Yang Kai could feel that it definitely had Emperor level strength, and not just any ordinary Emperor at that!
The powerful aura emanating from the Azure Dragon Heaven-Grade puppet was no less powerful than the Corpse Puppet inside Thousand Leaves Sect’s Sealed World.
The disciples of Thousand Leaves Sect who were hiding or injured all cheered, their shouts spreading over the Sect. Even if nobody told them, they were able to perceive it as a Heaven-Grade puppet of their Sect!
The disciples were proud of their Sect, and for them, this was a moment of glory! For a Heaven-Grade puppet to reappear after ten thousand years was a sign of prosperity for Thousand Leaves Sect. Every disciple of the Sect was excited and could hardly contain themselves.
On the other hand, Shi Cang Ying who was fleeing in haste was dumbfounded. Deep inside, a sense of regret welled up that almost caused him to cough up blood.
He was the leader of the progressive faction of Thousand Leaves Sect and always thought that the Sect should abandon the Dao of Puppetry left behind by their ancestors and should instead learn other Secret Arts and Secret Techniques in order to strengthen the Thousand Leaves Sect.
So, his relationship with Ye Hen had always been sour. This time, when Qiu Ze brought his men over to stir trouble for the Thousand Leaves Sect and showed off his Emperor Realm cultivation, Shi Cang Ying immediately turned against his Sect. Not only did he attack and injure Ye Hen, he even opened the Sect Defending Array. If he had not done so, Thousand Leaves Sect would not have suffered so greatly.
After all, the Thousand Leaves Sect’s Sect Defending Array could not be easily destroyed.
Shi Cang Ying thought that he would become the new Sect Master of Thousand Leaves Sect after today’s incident, taking charge and carrying out his long-held philosophies. But to his disappointment, a single man, Yang Kai, was able to destroy those dreams.
And now, even a Heaven-Grade puppet had reappeared.
Shi Cang Ying’s stomach was churning with regret. If he had known the Heaven-Grade puppet would reawaken today, then would he have needed this insidious plot? Wasn’t it good enough for him to stay obediently as the Vice Sect Master? He may even get his hands on a Heaven-Grade puppet to play with. When that happened, even Qiu Ze would have to bow down before him.
But there was no such thing as a pill for regret in this world.
However, an even more depressing scene appeared for Shi Cang Ying.
After waking up the Azure Dragon Heaven-Grade puppet, Liu Yan proceeded to form a different hand seal and thrust it towards a different mountain range.
The mountains were also shaped like a Monster Beast, a flying Monster Beast. However, no one knew exactly what it was due to the passing of time. But, now, its form was fully exposed!
“Vermillion Bird!”
The mountains rumbled, followed by a crisp cry. Then, a fiery-red Heaven-Grade puppet Vermillion Bird rose to the sky. The grass and stones covering its body for ten thousand years all clattered down to reveal its beautiful and powerful figure.
“White Tiger!” Liu Yan formed another seal.
The sound of a tiger’s roar came from the mountain forest, and a third mountain peak cracked open. A huge snow-white tiger leapt out from it, fangs shining with a cold glint that made everyone shudder.
“Black Tortoise!”
A fourth peak shattered and a gigantic Black Tortoise Heaven-Grade puppet slowly climbed out from the rubble. Its strong back was so wide and spacious that it seemed it could even carry a city.
Ye Hen’s entire body was quivering and his eyes were so wide in excitement that they could almost fall out. He was looking at this scene before him in disbelief.
He never would have expected to see the Heaven-Grade puppets come to life in his lifetime. Not only that, but four of them were awakened at once. Hot blood was surging in his heart as Ye Hen felt that he would have no regrets even if he died at this moment.
“Since you dare hit me, I’ll make sure you’ll die without a burial!” Liu Yan glared at Qiu Ze, her face filled with murderous intent. She was obviously holding a grudge after being slapped into the ground by Qiu Ze.
As she finished speaking, she thrust both palms forward and an imperceptible intention suddenly surged out.
In the next moment, the four Heaven-Grade puppets sprang into action, each occupying a corner and sealing off the area.
“Four Divine Beasts Attack!”
An invisible link connected the four Heaven-Grade puppets, and the fierce power pouring out from their bodies filled the blocked space, forming a killing force that seemed able to destroy both Heaven and Earth.
Qiu Ze was the first to bear the brunt of that power, his entire person feeling as if it was locked up in an ice cellar causing him to tremble with unease.
In front of this complex power, his newly-achieved Emperor Realm strength felt as vulnerable as paper.
*Chi…*
The invisible force felt just like sharp blades cutting across Qiu Ze’s body. In the blink of an eye, his entire body was drenched in blood, bones peeking out from the wounds, his screams only adding to the miserable sight.
He was begging loudly for mercy, but Liu Yan was completely unmoved. Instead, she made more hand seals, spurring the Heaven-Grade puppets to be fiercer and fiercer.
In just ten breaths, Qiu Ze’s entire body was ground into paste, leaving behind a white skeleton that fell to the ground.
Before Qiu Ze died, the cultivators of the several large Sects were also torn apart by the killing force of the Four Divine Beasts.
This Four Divine Beasts Attack seemed to be a kind of Formation, a Killing Array that used the four Heaven-Grade puppets as its base. Even Qiu Ze could not hold out for more than ten breaths, so how could the others survive?
Ruan Hong Bo and the others all burst into a bloody mist with no bones left.
The stench of blood rose into the air. The area that was sealed off had practically turned into hell on earth.
Nobody knew what sort of secret trick Shi Cang Ying used to be able to go into hiding, but he surprisingly did not die immediately. His Blood Essence was burning madly, constantly keeping him from dying, but the aura of death swirled around him and he could only cry and beg, “Sect Master, I was wrong! Please spare my life! I will repent of my mistakes!”
When things came to this, he finally understood he had been standing on the wrong side. If he had known the Heaven-Grade puppets left behind by their Ancestors would be this strong, he would have never sought to abandon this path. He might have even been more assertive than Ye Hen when it came to studying the Secret Techniques of how to command the Heaven-Grade puppets.
But what was the use of thinking about this now? These four Heaven-Grade puppets hardly did anything since coming out, only forming a Killing Array, and that alone was able to wipe out an entire army. How could Shi Cang Ying survive?
He could only plead with Ye Hen, hoping that he would spare his life in consideration of their friendship built from their cooperation over the years.
Liu Yan turned to look at Ye Hen, asking for his opinion.
Ye Hen calmly declared, “The moment you ambushed me and opened the Sect Defending Array, you were no longer part of Thousand Leaves Sect.”
Blood drained from Shi Cang Ying’s face and he yelled, “Sect Master, this Shi has been loyal to the Sect all these years. Even if this Shi offered no merits, this Shi has still worked hard for the benefit of the Sect! Please, spare my life, Sect Master!”
Ye Hen shook his head slowly, “Please continue, little girl, I don’t want to hear him speak again.”
If Shi Cang Ying had only been at odds with him and had conflicting ideologies, Ye Hen would not have killed him; after all, Shi Cang Ying was just thinking of the Sect’s future and was seeking a way out for them. It was normal for him to be a little selfish. At the same time, Ye Hen was also hesitating and wondering whether supporting the Dao of Puppetry the whole way through was the right choice.
But he never should have opened the Sect Defending Array and let their Sect disciples be slaughtered.
If Shi Cang Ying was spared today, how could the thousands of disciples who died as a result rest in peace?
Thus, Shi Cang Ying must die for his sins!
Liu Yan gently nodded. Giving the command with her Divine Sense, the peerless killing force of the Four Divine Beasts Attack pressed down on Shi Cang Ying.
At a rate visible to the naked eye, Shi Cang Ying’s entire body could be seen swelling up like a balloon before bursting into a bloody mist, leaving no bones behind.
At this point, not a single one of the cultivators invading Thousand Leaves Sect was left, they had all been wiped out in this mountain valley.
As Liu Yan continued forming hand seals, the Four Divine Beasts Heaven-Grade puppets slowly withdrew their power and landed in place, ceasing their movements.
The smell of blood was incredibly strong and the mountain valley had become quiet. Turning his head and looking around, even though Ye Hen felt relieved, there was still a sorrowful look on his face.
The Thousand Leaves Sect had lost a lot during this event, and if Yang Kai had not appeared at the last moment to turn the tide, then even the foundation of the Sect would have been destroyed. The only thing that made Ye Hen feel somewhat relieved was the fact that Yang Kai had returned safely from the Sealed World and even brought back the Secret Technique to activate the Heaven-Grade puppets.
“Father…” Ye Jing Han called out and supported her old father. Seeing his aged appearance, her eyes couldn’t help but redden.
Ye Hen waved his hand and cupped his fists to Yang Kai with a serious face, “Young Master Yang, we owe you our deepest gratitude. Ye Hen and the Thousand Leaves Sect will never forget this great favour…”
Yang Kai smiled, “No need to be polite, Sect Master Ye. I didn’t put in too much effort either. It was thanks to your noble Sect’s Heaven-Grade puppets that we were able to defeat such strong enemies in one fell swoop.”
While speaking, he glanced at the Four Divine Beast Heaven-Grade puppets, thinking about how nice it would be to keep these Heaven-Grade puppets with him. He had seen the might of these Heaven-Grade puppets, and even though it was a little overboard to use them on Qiu Ze and the others, Yang Kai was certain that these Heaven-Grade puppets did not even use ten percent of their full power during that fight.
If the might of these Heaven-Grade puppets were fully unleashed then who knows what that would be like.
After a pause, Yang Kai once again spoke, “After such a huge fight, Sect Master Ye must have many things to deal with, so I will not bother you any longer. We can talk again once Sect Master Ye has settled the Sect’s business.”
Naturally, Ye Hen understood his meaning and knew that this was not the best time to hold a discussion. He immediately nodded, “Yes, yes. Jing Han, bring Young Master Yang and our other friends to rest. I will take care of some of the Sect’s matters before visiting them again.”
…..
Ye Jing Han led Yang Kai and the others back to the main hall of the Sect’s Main Peak, then turned around and left.
Right now, there was much to do in the Thousand Leaves Sect. Not only did they have to repair the Sect Defending Array, but there were also many injured disciples to take care of. Naturally, Ye Jing Han couldn’t stay here.
Only after she left did Chi Yue and the others look towards Yang Kai, an inquiring gaze in all their eyes.
Everything happened so suddenly today that there was a lot they found hard to process.
Yang Kai said, “Let’s talk in the room.”
A few moments later, all of them arrived at Yang Kai’s room. Only then did Yang Kai smile and introduce Hua Qing Si to everyone.
Previously, he told Hua Qing Si to protect Chi Yue and the others, but Hua Qing Si had never shown her face in front of them until Shi Cang Ying sent people over to capture them, and it was then that she suddenly showed up and disabled the attackers.
However, she never introduced herself, only telling Chi Yue and the others that she was a friend of Yang Kai’s.
Now, after hearing Yang Kai’s explanation, they all finally learned that Hua Qing Si’s actions were all at Yang Kai’s behest.
“Then… Who is this little girl?” Chi Yue looked confused at Liu Yan. She had the feeling that Liu Yan was quite strange, but it wasn’t a dangerous feeling. Instead, Liu Yan’s aura was simply different somehow.
Moreover, it was a little unbelievable that a little girl who only looked seven or eight years old would have the power of a Third-Order Dao Source Realm, to begin with.
Compared to Liu Yan, Chi Yue and the others felt like they were simply too weak.
Yang Kai did not know how to explain his relationship with Liu Yan either, but it was Liu Yan who stood up directly, bowed elegantly to everyone, and said in a melodious voice, “Liu Yan is the Master’s servant. Greeting Sirs and Madam!”
“Master? Servant?” Chi Yue stared oddly at Yang Kai with her beautiful eyes and snorted coldly, “I never knew you had strange hobbies like this.”
Ai Ou also looked at Yang Kai with a derisive expression, “Do Xue Yue and the others know that you are doing something like this?”
These two, one was his mother-in-law and the other was his father-in-law. Even though they could not be perfectly described as Yang Kai’s family, they were still Yang Kai’s Elders and would likely look at things from Shan Qin Luo and Xue Yue’s perspectives. They were worried that Yang Kai would forget about his companions back home, in their native Star Field, after coming to the wondrous Star Boundary and having a change of heart, so they didn’t hesitate to speak to him in harsh tones to remind him of his obligations.
Yang Kai wiped the cold sweat off his brow, “Liu Yan, the link between our Souls has already been broken so you are free now, there’s no need to call me that anymore.”
Liu Yan wrinkled her nose, “Master doesn’t want me anymore?”
Yang Kai responded, “Of course that’s not what I mean! What I’m saying is that since you’re free, then you can do whatever you want in the future. Naturally, it couldn’t be better if you were willing to stay by my side from now on, but if you wish to go your own way, it is also your choice to make.”
After Liu Yan obtained her Spirit Puppet body, the connection between her and Yang Kai’s Soul was broken; as such, Liu Yan was indeed a free person now with her own mind and physical body. She could be described as a living being now, only that the structure of her body was different from ordinary people.
Hearing this, Liu Yan thought seriously about it for a while before smiling, “In that case, then I choose to follow Master all the way! So please, Master, don’t drive me away.”
Hua Qing Si squinted and snorted, “See if he dares!”
“When did I say I would drive her away?” Yang Kai looked wronged. After some thought, he quickly changed the topic, “By the way, Liu Yan. Those Heaven-Grade puppets…”
Seemingly knowing what Yang Kai was thinking, Liu Yan responded seriously before he even finished his sentence, “Controlling the Heaven-Grade puppets consumes too much energy. It’s not my energy that is consumed, but rather the Heaven-Grade puppets’ themselves. Whenever they move they need a source of power to move. For the short time just now, I estimate that the number of Source Crystals consumed totalled at least a million.”
“A million Source Crystals?” Yang Kai was speechless.
Liu Yan nodded, “That’s right. Large amounts of Source Crystals are kept within the bodies of the Heaven-Grade puppets, that was why I was able to control them. Moreover, they have to be High-Rank Source Crystals.”
Yang Kai drew a sharp breath.
Previously, the Four Divine Beast Heaven-Grade puppets definitely did not move for more than thirty breaths of time and merely formed the Four Divine Beasts Attack Formation, not actually doing much, but even with just that, a million High-Rank Source Crystals were consumed, which translated to a hundred million Low-Rank Source Crystals. What did that entail?
“The Heaven-Grade puppets are certainly powerful, but also require a lot of capital to use,” Liu Yan summarized.
“In that case, these Heaven-Grade puppets are no more than mere decorations in the current Thousand Leaves Sect.” Yang Kai estimated that Thousand Leaves Sect definitely did not have enough Source Crystals to allow the Heaven-Grade puppets to move again, so even if the Secret Arts and Secret Techniques were given back to them, there was still no way to strengthen the Thousand Leaves Sect directly.
“Not so!” Liu Yan shook her head and explained, “There are two possible sources of energy for the Thousand Leaves Sect’s Heaven-Grade puppets. One is the Source Crystals kept inside their bodies, and the other is the Sect’s Earth Vein.”
Yang Kai’s expression changed, “You mean the Earth Vein inside the Sealed World?”
Liu Yan nodded, “That’s right. Previously, you only repaired the Space Array of the Sealed World, but the entrance was not completely opened, so the Earth Vein’s power could not be borrowed; however, if the corridor was fully opened, then the Heaven-Grade puppets will be able to move with the power of the Earth Vein. In that case, the number of Source Crystals consumed by them would be greatly reduced. Thousand Leaves Sect should be able to afford that.” After a pause, she went on, “But Master, if you wish to borrow one or two of them to play with, then you can only use Source Crystals to get them to move.”
“Understood,” Yang Kai gently nodded.
If he wished to bring the Heaven-Grade puppets away from here, then he would definitely not be able to borrow the Earth Vein’s power; however… he had Earth Vein Crystals buried beneath his medicine garden. Moreover, he also had a good amount of Source Crystals.
So, even if it was very expensive, Yang Kai still wanted to obtain one or two of these puppets to take with him. These things were able to unleash the power of an Emperor Realm Master, so they were definitely wonderful treasures.
After an hour, all of them left Yang Kai’s room and returned to their own rooms to cultivate.
The fight today had given Chi Yue and the others the realization that their strength was insufficient.
In their native Star Field, they were all domineering existences that could shake any Cultivation Star they set foot on, but after arriving in the Star Boundary, their strength was insignificant.
Because of that, they desperately wanted to increase their strength.
Inside his room, Yang Kai entered the Insect Enslavement Bracelet with his Divine Sense to check on his Soul Devouring Insects.
The Soul Devouring Insects performed exceptionally during today’s battle, and even exceeded his expectations.
These insects were definitely a strong weapon for group battles! Even Third-Order Dao Source Realm Masters could not resist their siege. If he continued to nurture them and allowed them to evolve again, even an Emperor Realm Master may be helpless against them.
But it took a long time to nurture the Soul Devouring Insects, and the cost was definitely high. Yang Kai had to buy a lot of spirit grass, tossing it into the Insect Enslavement Bracelet and have the Emperor Artifact transform the medicinal efficacies into suitable nutrients for the Soul Devouring Insects.
Such a process could not be rushed.
Soul Devouring Insects were ranked very highly in the Exotic Insect Record, and was listed as high as number eleven on the Heaven List. There were also other Exotic Insects in his Insect Enslavement Bracelet. Even if they were not ranked as highly as the Soul Devouring Insects, they should still be of some significant use.
Yang Kai thought to himself that if he had spare time in the future, he should study the Exotic Insects sealed inside the Insect Enslavement Bracelet. Maybe, he would be able to make them work wonders at some point.
During today’s fight, the Soul Devouring Insects devoured the Spiritual Energy and Source Qi of many cultivators and seemed to have grown a little; however, this growth wasn’t obvious.
But the fact that the Soul Devouring Insects could devour even Source Qi now was a pleasant surprise to Yang Kai. Previously, the Soul Devouring Insects were only able to devour Spiritual Energy. It seemed they really had grown quite a lot.
Three days later, Ye Hen came to visit.
Yang Kai naturally greeted him with enthusiasm.
Things had now settled down in Thousand Leaves Sect and both the dead and wounded disciples had been taken care of. Even though Thousand Leaves Sect suffered heavy losses this time, it may not be all bad. The members of the progressive faction led by Shi Cang Ying had all been wiped out, and the Elders left behind were all extremely loyal to the Sect. With the Heaven-Grade Puppets also at their disposal, they would be able to restore their past glory in time.
Ye Hen had yet to recover from his wounds. That battle from a few days ago had taken a heavy toll on his body, so when Yang Kai saw him again, Ye Hen’s face was still pale and his aura was unstable, forcing Ye Jing Han to accompany him the whole time.
Yang Kai also knew what he had sought him out for, so after taking a seat, he cut straight to the chase and handed him the Space Ring that Ye Chong passed to him.
Ye Hen took it with trembling hands and looked expectantly at Yang Kai, hoping to hear the answer he wanted.
Yang Kai smiled, “This is the Space Ring that Senior Ye Chong passed to me. Most of the Secret Art and Secret Technique inheritances of your noble Sect are likely contained inside.”
Upon hearing this, Ye Hen’s body trembled and he burst into tears.
The wishes of his Ancestors from ten thousand years ago were finally realized in his generation. But very soon, he realized that something was wrong, “Young Master Yang, you said that Old Ancestor Ye Chong was the one who handed you this ring? Does that mean…”
Yang Kai waved his hand, “Senior Ye Chong died long ago. I merely communicated with a small Remnant Soul he left behind, and he instructed me to pass this ring to you.”
After listening to Yang Kai’s account of what happened after entering the Sealed World, Ye Hen’s face was shocked, “To think Old Ancestor Ye Chong dabbled in Corpse Puppetry. This…”
If Yang Kai was not the one telling him this, then he simply would not have believed it. The Corpse Puppet arts was explicitly forbidden in Thousand Leaves Sect, so how could Ye Chong have studied it? And he actually tried to refine himself into a Corpse Puppet! But Yang Kai obviously had no reason to deceive him. The fact that he brought Ye Chong’s Space Ring to him had already explained everything.
After being lost in thought for a long time, Ye Hen finally stood up and bowed, “Ye Hen will never forget this great virtue of Young Master Yang. Please, accept Ye Hen’s bow!”
Ye Jing Han also quickly bowed down.
Yang Kai helped him up and said, “You give me too much credit, Sect Master Ye. It was just a simple matter.”
But Ye Hen knew it wasn’t actually that simple. Yang Kai entered the Sealed World, encountered Ye Chong’s Corpse Puppet, and surely experienced an Earth-shaking battle. However, Yang Kai did not describe it in detail, so Ye Hen didn’t know how dangerous it truly was.
“From this day forward, Young Master Yang will always be our Thousand Leaves Sect’s closest friend. If Young Master Yang ever needs anything from us, the Thousand Leaves Sect will never decline!” Ye Hen announced seriously.
Yang Kai smiled, “Sect Master Ye, you’d best check the ring first to see if it is what you’re expecting.”
“Yes!” Ye Hen was also feeling impatient to find out whether the lost Secret Arts and Secret Techniques were really in the Space Ring, so he began to crack open the seal right away without hiding anything.
Ye Jing Han was standing beside her father, watching both with anticipation and apprehension.
The Space Ring required the Blood Essence of the Ye Family to open, and if it were to be forced open any other way, it would immediately be destroyed.
In less than ten breaths, a stream of light passed over the archaic Space Ring. Yang Kai immediately knew that the seal had been unlocked.
Ye Hen swept the ring with his Divine Sense, his expression fluctuating constantly.
Ye Hen only withdrew his Divine Sense after a long time and sighed heavily.
“Father…” Seeing his reaction, Ye Jing Yan thought that the contents of the Space Ring disappointed him, and her pretty face paled in an instant.
But Ye Hen waved his hand, “All of our lost inheritance is inside.”
“Then why did father sigh?” Ye Jing Han looked at Ye Hen with a confused look on her face. It should be a good thing that the lost Secret Arts and Secret Techniques were found. It meant that the Thousand Leaves Sect now had the power to become stronger and would no longer be helpless when attacked by others in the future.
Ye Hen smiled bitterly, “It’s nothing. Jing Han, you should go first. I have something to speak to Young Master Yang about in private.”
Ye Jing Han hesitated for a moment, but she still nodded, “Alright…”
Then, she nodded to Yang Kai and slowly left.
Only once Ye Jing Han left did Ye Hen show a troubled look to Yang Kai, as if he had some difficulty expressing himself.
“Sect Master Ye, if there is anything you wish to say, please speak freely,” Yang Kai smiled.
Ye Hen said, “Please forgive this Ye for this offence… dare this Ye ask what Young Master Yang thinks of his daughter, Jing Han?”
When he heard this, Yang Kai immediately had a bad feeling,but he still replied honestly, “Sister Ye is a strong woman with a kind heart.”
After getting to know Ye Jing Han for some time, even though Yang Kai did not understand her too deeply, the impression he had of her was good.
“What does Young Master Yang think of her appearance then?” Ye Hen then asked.
Yang Kai thought to himself, [Is this old man serious?] After some thought, he answered, “Naturally, those who love her will think her as beautiful as a goddess. I’m afraid Sect Master Ye will not be able to get an answer from me. Why not ask Brother Du Xian?”
Hearing Yang Kai’s answer, Ye Hen also did not bother beating around the bush anymore, directly cupping his fists and declaring, “Young Master Yang, this Ye implores you to please marry his daughter and lead Thousand Leaves Sect forward! This Ye has heard that Young Master Yang belongs to no Sect, so this Old Master is willing to…”
But before he could finish, Yang Kai raised a hand to interrupt him, “Sect Master Ye, I am unable to become the cane that breaks a couple’s relationship, and I have no intention of joining Thousand Leaves Sect.”
Ye Hen smiled bitterly, “Young Master Yang must think that this Ye is a selfish person willing to sacrifice his daughter’s happiness for his own desires… But this Old Master does not have much longer to live, and right now, no one can take over the position of Sect Master for Thousand Leaves Sect. If this Old Master passes away, then what will become of the Sect?”
Yang Kai frowned, “Du Xian is a good successor.”
Ye Hen sighed, “Du Xian is a good child, but his cultivation is not enough!”
Yang Kai smiled, “Du Xian is a Second-Order Dao Source Realm. Dare I ask how high Sect Master Ye’s cultivation was when he took over as Sect Master?”
Ye Hen was dumbfounded as he recalled only being a First-Order Dao Source Realm cultivator when he assumed the position of Sect Master back then. Du Xian’s cultivation now was already a Minor Realm higher than himself back then.
Yang Kai continued, “What’s more, your noble Sect’s Heaven-Grade Puppets can now be used again, and there are no longer any Masters within a hundred-thousand-kilometre radius from here who would dare challenge your Sect, so what is Sect Master Ye worried for?”
Ye Hen’s eyes gradually brightened up as he nodded, “Young Master Yang is right. The Heaven-Grade Puppets can be used once more, so what is there for this Old Master to be afraid of? The only pity is that this Old Master does not have much longer to live. If this Old Master could have just ten more years, then this Old Master has confidence he could reach the Emperor Realm. When that time came, the Thousand Leaves Sect would truly have nothing left to fear.”
Yang Kai’s expression changed as he asked, “Sect Master Ye believes that ten years is enough time to break through to the Emperor Realm?”
Ye Hen smiled, “This Old Master’s Secret Art was flawed to begin with, but now having Old Ancestor Ye Chong’s inheritance, would this Old Master not have wasted his life cultivating if he were unable to advance to the Emperor Realm within ten years?”
The fact that he could reach the Third-Order Dao Source Realm with a flawed Secret Art really put into perspective how high Ye Hen’s aptitude was. His only problem was his less than ideal background. Now that he had obtained the lost inheritance of the Sect, it was enough to make up for those flaws.
Ten years may really be enough for him to break through to the Emperor Realm.
“It truly is a pity… This Old Master does not have even that much time in life,” Ye Hen sighed heavily, feeling sad for his own miserable fate. It was because time was running out that he came up with this terrible idea of getting Yang Kai to take Ye Jing Han as his wife, but now that Yang Kai had enlightened him, his mind cleared up and he no longer dwelled on that thought.
After he finished speaking, Ye Hen got up, “This Old Master has disturbed Young Master Yang. This Old Master wishes to go to the Sealed World to take a look, so this Old Master will take his leave.”
Yang Kai responded, “In that case, then please take care, Sect Master Ye.”
After a pause, he seemed to have thought of something, “Sect Master Ye, I may have to trouble you with something in a few days.”
Ye Hen smiled, “It is the honour of this Old Master and Thousand Leaves Sect that Young Master Yang has something to ask of us. Whatever it is, please ask freely.”
“Then I will thank Sect Master Ye in advance.”
Ye Hen came here because he wanted to ask whether Yang Kai had obtained the lost Secret Arts and Secret Techniques, which he was already satisfied with. Secondly, it was to talk about Ye Jing Han’s future; however, he was unfortunately rejected by Yang Kai.
But after receiving his rejection, Ye Hen didn’t feel disappointed and was instead relieved.
He had always been watching over Ye Jing Han and Du Xian, knowing that the two were deeply in love. If Yang Kai had agreed to marry Ye Jing Han, then Ye Hen may no longer be able to face his daughter and disciple in the future. The two of them would surely carry a deep grievance with him for a lifetime.
It was just that Ye Hen believed he had no choice but to make that suggestion for the sake of the Sect.
Right now, he was clearly just seeking any medicine at death’s door. He never asked about Liu Yan from start to finish, as if he had not seen Liu Yan controlling the Heaven-Grade Puppets. Ye Hen also never asked about Liu Yan’s background or why she would come out of the Sealed World with Yang Kai.
After sending off Ye Hen, Yang Kai informed Chi Yue and the others before going into retreat.
The cultivation of Chi Yue and the others was still too low. If they wished to cultivate, then pills would be indispensable. Yang Kai was going into retreat this time so he could refine some Spirit Pills for them. The number of spirit grasses and spirit medicines he obtained this time was quite high and was enough to refine Spirit Pills for Chi Yue and the others up to the Emperor Realm.
The room was quiet and silent, with only the flickering of the flames in the furnace emerging from time to time. Yang Kai was fully immersed in his Alchemy.
Yang Kai’s attainments in the Alchemic Dao had always kept up with his cultivation, so cultivating up to this point, he rarely had to buy Spirit Pills for his own use as he could refine whatever he needed himself.
This trip to Thousand Leaves Sect’s Sealed World allowed him to reach the Third-Order Dao Source Realm, which improved his strength considerably. Even his Alchemy skills improved noticeably.
After going into retreat for a month, Yang Kai still needed to pay attention to his control while he was refining pills, the Spirit Array engraving, and also the timing to add specific herbs. But as time passed, refining Dao Source Grade Spirit Pills became as easy as eating and drinking for him. It had become a completely subconscious action that did not require much thought, and during the moments he was free while refining pills, he even had time to cultivate.
Furnace after furnace of Spirit Pills came out, and Yang Kai’s Alchemy level shot straight up. At the same time, his newly attained Third-Order Dao Source Realm cultivation was gradually being consolidated.
With the passing of the second month, he had already used up all of his Dao Source spirit grass and herbs, refining a mountain of Dao Source Grade Spirit Pills.
By the third month, he was already refining Emperor Grade herbs.
After testing over a dozen furnaces of herbs, he finally managed to refine a furnace of Emperor Grade Low-Rank Spirit Pills. The success of this furnace of Spirit Pills represented the fact that Yang Kai’s Alchemy level had reached the Emperor Grade!
However, he wasn’t too skilled at this level of Alchemy and still required a lot of spirit grass in order to practice.
Even so, an Emperor Grade Alchemist was still a rare and valuable existence even considering the entire Star Boundary. If Yang Kai were to release news of this, then there would be no Sect out there that would not be in a rush to recruit him to their side.
Naturally, Yang Kai would not reveal the secret that he was an Emperor Grade Alchemist. From the very beginning, he learned Alchemy in order to supplement his own cultivation and had never thought of going far in the Alchemic Dao. Being able to grow to this level was only a coincidence of opportunities.
If he was really pulled in by those great forces, then he wouldn’t have the time to cultivate in the future. He would have to deal with herbs all day and refine Spirit Pills for those Sects.
But thinking back now, the incident back on Heng Luo Chamber of Commerce’s Home Star was the fundamental reason for him being able to become an Emperor Grade Alchemist. Without the Grand Alchemic Dao Tone, he would never have been able to grow to this level.
That Grand Alchemic Dao Tone was a manifestation of the Heavenly Way and had taught him the ultimate mysteries of the Alchemic Dao directly from the World itself. His current Pill Condensing Technique — the Nine Heavens Profound Pill Method, was derived precisely because of that opportunity.
After advancing to the Emperor Grade Alchemist level, Yang Kai began refining a special batch of herbs into Spirit Pills.
This special batch of herbs was the very same batch he obtained in the Thousand Leaves Sect’s Sealed World’s Emperor Heaven Valley. The amount was great, but since these herbs grew in Emperor Heaven Valley, each one had absorbed the Emperor Intent and Emperor Aura from Emperor Heaven Valley.
The Spirit Pills refined from this batch of spirit grasses and spirit fruits would definitely inherit this Emperor Intent and Emperor Aura perfectly.
In other words, if one were to take one of these Spirit Pills, they would be able to completely absorb the mysteries of Emperor Intent and the secrets of Emperor Aura within them, a benefit any Third-Order Dao Source Realm cultivator would dream of as they attempted to comprehend the mysteries of the Emperor Realm. The efficacies of the pills themselves had become a secondary concern.
Both he and Hua Qing Si were Third-Order Dao Source Realm cultivators, so they were both very much eager for such special Spirit Pills.
Yang Kai spent half a month in order to completely refine the batch of spirit grass and spirit fruit into Spirit Pills, then he separated them into several portions, leaving some to himself and apportioning the rest for Hua Qing Si and the others.
For him to retreat for four months to refine Spirit Pills was a first for Yang Kai. He had always gone into retreat in order to cultivate, with simple pill refining never taking this long.
After exiting, Yang Kai swept his Divine Sense out and quickly discovered that Hua Qing Si and the others were nowhere to be found, leaving him with no idea where they had gone.
But the rich World Energy in the air lifted his spirits.
Compared to four months ago, the concentration of World Energy in the Thousand Leaves Sect had definitely risen considerably. Even though it was not comparable to his Sealed World Bead or Thousand Leaves Sect’s Sealed World, it was certainly much better than before.
Yang Kai guessed that this was because the entrance to the Sealed World was completely opened.
Ye Jing Han told him that the Sealed World was the source of Thousand Leaves Sect’s World Energy, so the reason why the World Energy in the Sect was lacking was because of the sealed Space Array, causing the cultivation speed of the disciples to suffer before. Now that Yang Kai had repaired the Space Array though, Ye Hen naturally opened it as soon as he could, allowing the rich World Energy to flow into the Sect.
And this was the change after just a few months. If the Thousand Leaves Sect was given enough time, then the World Energy would certainly become even denser. When that time came, the disciples would be able to receive twice the result with half the effort when they cultivated.
Sure enough, the heritage of Thousand Leaves Sect was excellent. If not for the lost ten-thousand-year period, they would definitely be comparable to top Sects like Azure Sun Temple.
Right at that moment, a stream of light suddenly came into Yang Kai’s eyes, and gradually approached from a distance.
The light was so fast that it had appeared before him just as he noticed it.
Once the light flashed down and revealed a figure hidden underneath it, Yang Kai could not help but widen his eyes and look over in astonishment.
There stood a snow-white tiger that was tall, mighty, and awe-inspiring, with its fierce aura exposed, making Yang Kai feel a little nervous. Pouncing in front of him, the White Tiger let out a light growl.
“A Heaven-Grade puppet?” Yang Kai raised his brow.
If he had never seen the Thousand Leaves Sect’s Heaven-Grade puppets before, then Yang Kai may have mistaken it as a Twelfth-Order Monster Beast, but at this moment, he knew that this White Tiger was not a living being, but a Heaven-Grade puppet.
Liu Yan’s little head peeked out from behind the White Tiger’s wide back and stared at him, eyes wide in pleasant surprise, “Master! You’ve come out?”
Yang Kai stared at her and asked sternly, “Why are you riding on this White Tiger?”
Liu Yan pouted, “Xiao Bai belongs to me now, it’s my choice to ride him wherever I want.”
“Yours?” Yang Kai’s eyes widened in surprise, but he quickly understood Liu Yan’s meaning and his eyes were instantly glowing with delight, “Good job!”
Previously, he had been wondering how he was going to ask Ye Hen about bringing one or two Heaven-Grade puppets from Thousand Leaves Sect out with him, but he didn’t expect Ye Hen to be so virtuous as to give Liu Yan one before he even asked.
Since it belonged to Liu Yan, didn’t it also belong to him?
[But this name… Why was it Xiao Bai again?]
Yang Kai suddenly remembered Mo Xiao Qi. That little girl had a bunch of pets, all named Xiao Bai, Xiao Hei, Xiao Hong, Xiao Lan, Xiao Huang, etc… She never gave any of her pets a serious name, who knows how those pets felt inside their hearts.
[Were all girls like this?]
Liu Yan leapt off the back of the White Tiger and landed nimbly on the ground. When she saw Yang Kai staring at her own pet beast with glowing eyes, she instantly poured cold water over him, “This isn’t that White Tiger. It’s a different one.”
“Huh?” When Yang Kai heard that, he was instantly disappointed, “Why didn’t you ask for that White Tiger?”
Even though he had no idea what the rank of the White Tiger he saw last time was, Yang Kai estimated that it was definitely one of their best puppets in Thousand Leaves Sect. Though similar in form, the one in front of him now definitely wasn’t as good as that one.
Liu Yan said, “The Four Divine Beast Heaven-Grade Puppets are the Sect Protecting Heaven-Grade Puppets. They can’t be taken away.”
Yang Kai asked, “Then how strong is this Xiao Bai in battle?”
“Around the First-Order Emperor Realm? At its limit,” Liu Yan answered without even thinking.
Yang Kai’s mouth twitched, “Aren’t there any better ones?”
Liu Yan thought about it and answered, “There are.” After a pause, she said matter-of-factly, “But they don’t look as good as this one. They look all strange… I don’t like them.”
“What’s the point of looking good?!” Yang Kai could almost die of anger, “Strength is king!”
Liu Yan’s face sank, “If I had a scarred face full of pockmarks and accompanied you every day, how would you feel?”
Yang Kai was stunned for a moment, and couldn’t find anything to talk back to her with after a long time. He suddenly had the thought that… Liu Yan’s words made sense.
“Forget it. A First-Order Emperor Realm puppet is better than nothing.” Yang Kai sighed and felt that a great opportunity had been put in front of them, but Liu Yan missed it.
It was obviously unrealistic to go to Ye Hen and ask for another one now. Even Yang Kai couldn’t bring himself to be that shameless.
It was generous enough of Ye Hen to take the initiative to give the puppet to Liu Yan.
Liu Yan said, “Don’t look down on it, Xiao Bai can run very fast. You never know, it may even be able to save your life someday!”
Yang Kai smiled, “Rather than that, I’d like to know why Ye Hen would give this to you.”
“Because I explained many things about the Dao of Puppetry to him.” Liu Yan smiled. Naturally, she could control all of the puppets in the Thousand Leaves Sect instinctively with her new body, so she was more than qualified to teach Ye Hen in this regard, saving Ye Hen many years of hard work.
Ye Hen was extremely grateful, so he naturally gave Liu Yan one of the Heaven-Grade Puppets.
“What about the others?”
“They’ll be back soon. They’ve been helping Thousand Leaves Sect rebuild this whole time.”
While they were speaking, Yang Kai could already see Chi Yue and the others flying over to them.
A few moments later, they all landed one by one, and they were all overjoyed to see Yang Kai. All of them came up to ask him about how he was doing during his retreat.
Yang Kai responded to them one by one and found that Chai Hu had fully restored his cultivation, going from Origin King Realm to the Dao Source Realm. It seemed that the toxins in his body had been completely cleared.
Inside the room, Yang Kai, Chi Yue, and the others gathered around to discuss the events that happened to them these past few months.
Actually, there wasn’t much to say. Ever since Qiu Ze brought people over to Thousand Leaves Sect to cause trouble and was subsequently wiped out, the news of the shocking incident had spread like wildfire. The Sects that had suffered huge losses of their elites were all terrified, and a few days later, those Sects sent representatives over to beg for peace, shifting all the blame to the deceased, saying they and the others had no knowledge of the events that took place.
Of course, that was all nonsense. Not even a fool would believe that.
But the Sects all brought abundant supplies in order to make up for the losses incurred by Thousand Leaves Sect during the fight, and they also expressed their intentions to attach themselves to Thousand Leaves Sect. Therefore, Ye Hen did not have them killed.
If this was before, then Thousand Leaves Sect would not have had the ability nor the confidence to force these Sects to submit to them, but now, as the Heaven Grade puppets had resurfaced, making it equivalent to many Emperor Realm Masters keeping watch over the Sect, who within a hundred thousand kilometres would dare challenge them?
Ye Hen agreed to their requests to affiliate themselves with Thousand Leaves Sect and then sent them back.
In other words, Thousand Leaves Sect had become the overlord in the surrounding hundred thousand kilometre radius! One could only imagine how rapidly the Thousand Leaves Sect’s development would be now that it controlled such a vast stretch of territory.
“Did those people from Sky Illumination Palace come too?” Yang Kai asked suspiciously.
Chi Yue answered, “They did. The Third Elder of Sky Illumination Palace came personally, and he brought the most generous tribute of all, obviously worried Sect Master Ye would try to settle accounts with them otherwise.”
Yang Kai smiled, “How about Qiu Yu? Qiu Ze was his father, so Qiu Yu wouldn’t just let the fact rest that Qiu Ze died here in the Thousand Leaves Sect, right?”
Gui Zu snickered, “What else could he do? In order to curry favor with Thousand Leaves Sect, Qiu Yu has already been expelled from Sky Illumination Palace and his cultivation was crippled. Right now, he is no longer the Young Palace Master of Sky Illumination Palace, he’s just a man waiting to die.”
Yang Kai sneered, “The Third Elder of Sky Illumination Palace is quite a ruthless man!”
Yang Kai had no idea who this Third Elder was, but he guessed that this man was worried that Qiu Yu would seek revenge with him in the future, so he directly crippled his cultivation and banished him from Sky Illumination Palace.
He couldn’t be faulted for doing so either. If he wanted to keep Sky Illumination Palace intact, then he had to show fealty to Thousand Leaves Sect. Qiu Yu was Qiu Ze’s only son and his father died here. Naturally, Qiu Yu would want to avenge his death.
Thinking about a few months ago, Qiu Yu was still living a prosperous and proud life, but in just a few months, he became like a dog who had been cast away. Yang Kai couldn’t help but sigh a little. On the path of cultivation, one wrong move would lead to the end of one’s life!
If Qiu Ze and the others had not been so overbearing, then would their Sects have ended up like this?
“Yang Boy, there is something we wish to discuss with you,” Ai Ou suddenly said.
“What is it?” Yang Kai looked at them in confusion.
Chi Yue and the others exchanged glances before Gu Cang Yun spoke, “Big Brother, why don’t you say it?”
Gui Zu nodded, “It’s like this. We briefly discussed amongst each other and decided to join the Thousand Leaves Sect. We were wondering what the Sect Master thinks.”
“You wish to join the Thousand Leaves Sect?” Yang Kai raised his brow.
Gui Zu answered, “That’s right. Sect Master Ye also brought this up to us before, but you were in retreat so we didn’t give them an answer. We wanted to ask for your opinion first.”
Yang Kai turned his head to look at them and asked, “Do you truly wish to join them?”
Chi Yue smiled wryly, “Since coming to the Star Boundary, we’ve experienced both warm and cold moments. We also thought about joining a Sect before, but we didn’t have the ability or the connections. There was no way we could get into any good Sect like that. Now that Sect Master Ye has personally invited us, we don’t want to miss this opportunity.”
Gu Cang Yun followed up, “Sect Master Yang, you haven’t joined a Sect either, so you should know the difficulties of cultivating alone.”
“I do.” Yang Kai nodded. Even though things had gone smoothly for him all the way till now, it was true he did not have the same conveniences as a Sect disciple. It was not a bad thing that Chi Yue and the others wished to join Thousand Leaves Sect. After a moment of silence, he agreed, “This is a good thing. For Sect Master Ye to invite you personally is enough to show his sincerity. If you are interested, then just stay.”
Earlier, he was still thinking about how he was going to settle Gui Ze and the others in the future.
He was originally thinking of bringing them back to Azure Sun Temple, but he wasn’t an important character in the Sect, so it wasn’t right for him to ask Wen Zi Shan to take them in.
Even though he knew that Wen Zi Shan would not refuse if he asked, if they joined the Azure Sun Temple through a back door, they would definitely be looked down on. Azure Sun Temple was not a small Sect after all.
Ye Hen’s invitation came as a pleasant surprise.
There were many things to be done in Thousand Leaves Sect, so they were in need of people right now, and the future ahead was bright for them. It may be a good thing for Chi Yue and the others to stay here.
With Yang Kai’s merit of restoring the entrance to the Sealed World and bringing back the lost Secret Arts and Secret Techniques of Thousand Leaves Sect, Ye Hen would definitely not treat his friends badly in the future.
“You agree?” Chi Yue asked.
Yang Kai smiled, “This is your matter, Seniors, what is there for me not to agree with?”
“What about you? Where will you go?” Ai Ou looked at him and asked.
Yang Kai pondered for a moment, “I’d like to look for Xiao Xiao.”
Among his companions who came with him from the Star Field, besides Wu Dao, all the rest had already reunited. Only Xiao Xiao’s fate remained unknown. Yang Kai was very worried, and he couldn’t feel at ease with each passing day that he did not find him.
“How will you find him?” Chi Yue frowned slightly.
“I don’t know. I may have to look for Yin Le Sheng in the Netherworld Sect. He may have some clues.”
When they came out of the Starlight Corridor, Yang Kai and Liu Xian Yun from the Grand Desolation Star Field landed nearby Blue Feather Sect, after which the two of them were forced to join the Sect together. Meanwhile, Chi Yue and the others landed near Sky Crane City. In that case, Xiao Xiao may be with Yin Le Sheng who was similarly from the Grand Desolation Star Field.
If he could find Yin Le Sheng, he may be able to find a clue about Xiao Xiao.
He still remembered Yin Le Sheng telling him that he was a Netherworld Sect disciple. There was a Netherworld Sect in the Grand Desolation Star Field, and in the Star Boundary. As for where the one in the Star Boundary was, Yang Kai wasn’t sure, so he would have to investigate.
“You must be careful. Qing Luo is still waiting for you!” Chi Yue reminded him with a serious expression. They had met with Yin Le Sheng before and knew that the Netherworld Sect must be a rather big Sect in the Star Boundary. Yang Kai and Yin Le Sheng formed a grudge with one another in the Starlight Corridor, so if they met again, the other side definitely would not let things go. What’s more, Yin Le Sheng also knew that Yang Kai was a Star Master and wanted to steal his Star Source.
Star Sources were a rare item in the Star Boundary that were able to help a cultivator obtain insight into Principle Strength, so everyone wanted to get their hands on one.
“I know,” Yang Kai smiled. “For their sake, I will never put my life in danger.”
After that, Yang Kai took out the Spirit Pills he refined and passed them to Chi Yue and the others. He also left them a huge amount of Source Crystals.
These were all things Chi Yue and the others badly needed. Even though they knew that Yang Kai must be living a pretty good life, seeing him take out so many Spirit Pills and Source Crystals at once was still shocking to them.
Thinking back, in order to afford Source Condensing Pills, they had to put themselves in great danger, killing Monster Beasts in exchange for Source Crystals and then using them to buy Source Condensing Pills… Even so, they would never be able to afford more than several dozen each time.
Those several dozen Source Condensing Pills would have to be split among them, and they would receive less than ten pills each, which would be used up in just a few days. Then, they would have to hunt Monster Beasts again, and the cycle would continue!
But now, Yang Kai had just taken out thousands of different Spirit Pills for them.
Such a large amount of Spirit Pills was more than enough for them to use for years to come.
Many of the Spirit Pills had even formed Pill Veins.
Chai Hu was thoroughly shocked. Only now did he realize how high Yang Kai’s Alchemy proficiency was.
An hour later, Yang Kai went to visit Ye Hen.
Ye Hen seemed to be in retreat, but knowing that Yang Kai was visiting, he was still happy to greet him.
After the two sat down, Ye Hen quickly said, “This Ye should have been the one to visit Young Master Yang, this Ye never expected Young Master Yang to come himself. This Ye apologizes.”
Yang Kai smiled, “Sect Master Ye is too polite.”
After asking someone to serve tea, Ye Hen asked, “This Ye wonders what instructions Young Master Yang needs this Ye to carry out today?”
Even though Thousand Leaves Sect had become the overlord of this region, and Ye Hen’s status had also risen dramatically, he didn’t get carried away with himself and still stayed humble in front of Yang Kai.
Seeing him like this, Yang Kai knew that Ye Hen wasn’t an ungrateful man, so he could feel at ease with Chi Yue and the others having chosen to stay.
“I wouldn’t dare give instructions. Only, my Seniors have informed me that they wish to stay in Thousand Leaves Sect, so I came today to ask Sect Master Ye to take care of them in the future, “Yang Kai said genially.
Ye Hen laughed, “Please don’t treat this Ye as an outsider, Young Master Yang. The reason Thousand Leaves Sect is even able to continue on is all thanks to Young Master Yang turning the tides with his strength. Not to mention taking care of them, even if Young Master Yang asks for this Ye’s position as Sect Master, this Ye would not frown.”
[Is this old man still thinking of recruiting me into his family?]
Yang Kai thought to himself as he waved his hand, “I won’t be staying. I still have things to do.”
Ye Hen did not react too much upon hearing this. Perhaps that just now was his final probe so he smiled brightly, “Then this Ye will not bring it up any longer. This Ye only hopes that if Young Master Yang is free in the future, he will come be a guest in Thousand Leaves Sect. Thousand Leaves Sect will always welcome Young Master Yang.”
Since Chi Yue and the others would be staying here, there was no way Yang Kai wouldn’t come to visit. Yang Kai had great potential, so it was definitely the right choice to be on good terms with him.
Even though Ye Hen was old, he still had a sharp eye and understood this very well.
“Naturally.” Yang Kai smiled and changed the topic, “Last time I heard Sect Master Ye say that you would be able to reach the Emperor Realm if given ten more years?”
Upon hearing this, Ye Hen’s expression turned grave, “This Ye had spoken mistakenly last time.”
“Huh?” Yang Kai was confused.
Ye Hen announced proudly, “Five years, this Ye only needs five years to be able to break through to the Emperor Realm! The Secret Arts and Secret Techniques left behind by Old Ancestor Ye Chong are of great benefit to this Ye and the more this Ye studies them, the greater the harvest. Only…” Speaking up to this point, he sighed, “This Ye does now know how long his old body can hold out for.”
While Ye Hen was reaching his end like a lamp running out of oil, the last battle worsened his physical condition substantially, so his words were no lie. If he could make a breakthrough before his death and advance to the Emperor Realm, then the concerns over reaching the end of his rope would be gone as his life expectancy would also be increased; but if he failed to advance, then he could only return to the Earth.
The only pity was that time would not wait for him!
But this matter could not be blamed on anyone either, only on his own miserable luck. If he had met Yang Kai a few years earlier, then he may have reached the Emperor Realm by now.
Yang Kai flipped his hand over and took out a jade box, slowly pushing it in front of Ye Hen, “This Spirit Pill should be of some help to Sect Master Ye.”
“This is…” Ye Hen looked puzzled at Yang Kai, unsure of why he was handing him this pill. However, he obviously knew that Yang Kai was an Alchemist, so he didn’t dare dally and quickly opened the box.
There inside the box, a longan-sized Spirit Pill with a mysterious glow was imprinted into his eyes, and a fragrance lingered around his nose. Sniffing this pill fragrance, Ye Hen was stunned as he inexplicably felt as if he had grown considerably younger.
He asked, lost in surprise, “Young Master Yang, what sort of pill is this?”
Even though he had never seen a Spirit Pill like this before, he could tell from the feeling that that smell alone gave him that this was no ordinary pill. Moreover, Yang Kai could refine even a Heaven-defying pill like the Extraordinary Treasure Pill, so his work could not be short of amazing.
“I wonder if Sect Master Ye has heard of the Flowing Time Pill?” Yang Kai asked nonchalantly.
“Flowing Time Pill?” Ye Hen raised his brow in confusion for a moment before his body began to tremble and he exclaimed, “This is the Flowing Time Pill?”
Seeing his reaction, it was clear Ye Hen knew about the Flowing Time Pill.
Within the Star Boundary, there were many treasures available to prolong one’s life; however, not one of them was not an extinct treasure from legend. Not to mention a Third-Order Dao Source Realm like Ye Hen, even those Emperor Realm Masters could not get their hands on them.
Ye Hen knew that his own end was near, and he also thought about looking for these elixirs to prolong his life, but not only did he have no clue where to find them, even if he did, it would be next to impossible to obtain them; after all, many Emperor Realm Masters would already be fighting over such a prize.
So, Ye Hen had resigned himself to his fate. All this while, he had been in retreat and looking over the recently found Secret Arts and Secret Techniques, just hoping he could break through his shackles and advance to the Emperor Realm before his death. Even if he failed, he still wanted to leave behind his own insights to Ye Jing Han, so she could avoid some of the twists and turns in her future path.
But right at this moment, there just so happened to be a Flowing Time Pill placed right in front of his face.
He had learned in detail what sorts of elixirs existed in the Star Boundary that could prolong one’s life, and naturally knew of the Flowing Time Pill’s effects.
Strictly speaking, the Flowing Time Pill could not prolong one’s life, because it could not increase a person’s life span, instead, it worked by returning one’s physical state to what it was several dozen years before.
In other words, if Ye Hen were to take the Flowing Time Pill, then the state of his body would go back to several dozen years ago, which is considered a form of life extension. Of course, this effect had a major limitation. It was impossible to eliminate any injuries suffered by the person taking it. If the Flowing Time Pill could even turn back injuries by several dozen years and eliminate them, then that would truly be too Heaven-defying.
Nonetheless, the Flowing Time Pill that Yang Kai took out would be able to restore at least fifty years of life to Ye Hen!
Ye Hen simply could not believe that he could come across such a wonderful thing. He was complaining that time didn’t wait for him, and while his ambitions were only limited by the time he had left, Yang Kai was here to give him a Flowing Time Pill. He was so excited for a moment that he couldn’t contain himself.
He did not doubt Yang Kai because he knew that Yang Kai had gone to the Four Seasons Realm before, and had visited the Flowing Time Temple. The main ingredient of the Flowing Time Pill was the Flowing Time Fruit, which could only be obtained in the Flowing Time Temple.
Yang Kai had obviously obtained the Flowing Time Fruit, which was why he was able to refine this Spirit Pill.
Even though the Flowing Time Pill’s effects only spanned several dozen years, to Ye Hen, it was the best pill in the world right now, and he would be willing to buy it even if he had to give away everything he had.
Yet, Yang Kai had gifted it directly to him. Wasn’t this like what people say, delivering charcoal in a frigid winter?
With this Flowing Time Pill, what else did Ye Hen have to worry about? All he had to do was retreat for a few years and then break through to the Emperor Realm. With this Spirit Pill, he was certain that he could succeed. His bright future was unfolding before him just like a scroll, and he seemed to envision himself leading the Thousand Leaves Sect and restoring it to its past glory.
Ye Hen was overtaken by emotion for quite a while before he was slowly able to calm down. After recovering, he bowed deeply to Yang Kai, “Ye Hen has repeatedly received Young Master Yang’s kindness and has nothing to repay him with. Thus, Ye Hen hereby swears that Young Master Yang will become the greatest benefactor to this Ye and Thousand Leaves Sect. If Young Master Yang has any needs in the future, we will never refuse, and if this oath was to be broken, then Ye Hen and the Ye Family’s descendants will all be possessed by heart demons and be burned to death.”
Ye Hen made his oath firmly and quickly without the slightest hesitation, and he was already done before Yang Kai could react to the situation.
In the next moment, an invisible force seemed to surge into Ye Hen’s body and left an invisible mark on his Soul.
Yang Kai was stunned and smiled bitterly, “Sect Master Ye, there was no need for this…”
He knew very clearly what Ye Hen had just done. That was a Heart Demon oath, made with Ye Hen’s own Soul as the base. There was no possibility for him to regret this in the future. If he were ever to breach the oath, then a heart demon would really possess his body and he would be burned to death.
Moreover, this Heart Demon oath not only affected him, but also Ye Jing Han and any future descendants the Ye Family may have.
The reason why Yang Kai took out the Flowing Time Pill for Ye Hen was mainly that Chi Yue and the others would be staying here. Even though the Sect’s Heaven Grade puppets could be used now, there was no actual Emperor Realm Master to guard the Sect, which would inevitably cause them to be looked down upon.
For the sake of Chi Yue and the others, Yang Kai also hoped that Ye Hen would be able to reach the Emperor Realm and shelter them. That was why Yang Kai refined the Flowing Time Pill out of the Flowing Time Fruit and decided to give it to Ye Hen.
He had no idea that he would get this in return from Ye Hen.
Ye Hen shook his head, “Young Master Yang has revived our Ye Family and the Thousand Leaves Sect, what is the harm of this Ye making this trivial oath? Rest assured, Young Master Yang, this Old Master will take care of Chi Yue and your friends, not allowing even a single strand of their hair to be harmed so long as he lives.”
“Then I will thank Sect Master Ye in advance.” With Ye Hen’s Heart Demon oath, Yang Kai could now also be completely at ease. He knew that, unless the Thousand Leaves Sect was destroyed, Chi Yue and the others would not meet with any danger.
With the capital that Thousand Leaves Sect now possessed, unless some top Sect were to take action personally, no one could destroy them.
“By the way, Sect Master Ye. There is something I want to ask you about.” Yang Kai changed the topic.
Ye Hen responded, “Whatever it may be, please do not hesitate to ask, Young Master Yang.”
“I wonder how much does Sect Master Ye know about a Sect called Netherworld Sect?”
…..
Three days later, Yang Kai departed from the Thousand Leaves Sect. After obtaining the Flowing Time Pill, Ye Hen immediately went into retreat. He probably couldn’t wait to refine the medicinal efficacies of the pill and then continue studying the lost Secret Arts and Secret Techniques.
Ye Jing Han and Chi Yue sent him on his way, following him for a thousand kilometres.
Naturally, Chi Yue and the group were reluctant to part with Yang Kai; after all, they had just been reunited in the Star Boundary, and now Yang Kai was leaving again. However, they knew that Yang Kai was worried about Xiao Xiao, so none of them attempted to stop him, only telling him to take care on his journey.
Yang Kai naturally kept that in mind.
Out on the beaten path, Yang Kai stopped and looked at the group, “You should go back now. I will come back to visit another day.”
Gui Ze grinned meaningfully, “Sect Master has to stay well. We will be waiting for you to establish the Sect once more in the Star Boundary, and we will all be there to support you when that happens.”
Yang Kai nodded, “That day will come eventually.”
Then, he turned to Chai Hu and said with a complicated expression, “Senior Chai Hu, will you do it, or should I?”
It was a vague question but nobody was surprised. They seemed to have understood what he meant. Chai Hu let out a soft sigh, “Let me do it. Please have a safe trip, Sect Master Yang.”
“Then, let us part here, everyone. We will definitely meet again in the future.” Yang Kai cupped his fists and summoned his boat artifact before speeding off into the distance.
Right at that moment, a stream of light suddenly shot out from behind a small outcropping to the side, a stream of light that contained a delicate body, clearly that of a young woman’s. As soon as she got close, she brandished her long sword and stabbed it towards Yang Kai, shouting, “I’ll kill you!”
Yang Kai glanced indifferently at her and sighed in his heart, having no intention of making a move against her.
The person who ambushed him in order to try and take him by surprise was none other than Luo Bing!
They had not seen each other for just a few months, but Luo Bing had already lost the beauty and innocence that she once had. Now, she looked haggard and her beautiful eyes were dull. Her aura was unstable and even the clothes on her body were no longer vibrant. From her dirty appearance, it could be seen how bad her life had been the past few months.
She was Luo Jin’s daughter, and Luo Jin had done a lot of horrendous things when he was City Lord of Sky Crane City. Now that Luo Jin was dead, those who had suffered his oppression in Sky Crane City naturally wanted to take revenge against him.
Since Luo Jin was dead, they naturally targeted Luo Bing.
Fortunately, despite her spoiled nature, Luo Bing was a decent person at heart, so some of the guards at the City Lord’s Mansion had some loyalty towards her. They protected her and allowed her to flee Sky Crane City. She had been hiding this whole time and had not been able to live a single day at ease since. Thinking that she had been the Little Princess of Sky Crane City before and was used to being pampered, her life had suddenly gone from Heaven to Hell, which was simply overwhelming for her.
No one knew where she got the news that her father died at Yang Kai’s hand, but she now ambushed him here in order to avenge Luo Jin.
But her cultivation was merely at the Third-Order Origin Returning Realm. Yang Kai and his whole group were all Dao Source Realm cultivators, and they were able to sense her aura as soon as they arrived here. The only reason why nobody outed her was that they knew her identity.
The sword light was bright, but Luo Bing did not slash towards him with any murderous intent at all. Her beautiful eyes were extremely dim. She clearly knew that it was unrealistic for her to try and kill Yang Kai with her strength.
Ambushing him here was probably just a request for death, hoping that Yang Kai would kill her in a fit of rage.
But she never would have expected that Yang Kai would just glance at her and then completely ignore her.
The long sword made of ice pierce through the sky and moved as though nothing could stop it, just like Luo Bing’s cold and resolute heart.
The sword was destined to miss because of the great disparity between Luo Bing and Yang Kai’s strength. She was still mid-thrust when Yang Kai had already disappeared.
But her sword did hit something.
A sturdy figure suddenly appeared in front of Luo Bing, looking at her with a compassionate yet complicated look.
Luo Bing couldn’t pull back in time and along with a puncturing sound, the sword pierced directly through the sturdy body, going in ten centimetres, causing blood to splash out everywhere.
Luo Bing instantly froze in place. She was completely stunned as she looked at that stalwart figure and gasped, “Big Brother Chai!”
The person who suddenly appeared in front of her and took the sword in the chest was Chai Hu.
With Chai Hu’s First-Order Dao Source Realm cultivation, it would have been easy to evade her blade. Even if he didn’t want to avoid it, he could have easily blocked it by circulating his Source Qi, but he did not do that. He let Luo Bing vent with her blade.
Luo Bing, who was determined to die, finally panicked. She came here in order to ambush and attack someone, she didn’t intend to get out of here alive. If she couldn’t kill Yang Kai, then she wanted to at least die at his hands so she could be reunited with her father in the underworld.
She came here with the determination to die, but hurt Chai Hu instead.
Chai Hu’s chest was soon stained crimson. Luo Bing’s pupils dilated at once, as if the crimson had blotted out the light before her, filling her entire world with this shocking blood.
The huge psychological shock caused Luo Bing’s tender body to weaken, and she almost fell to the ground.
Chai Hu reached out to hold her, and not only that, but he also took her arms and slowly pulled her towards himself.
Luo Bing could not resist him and it didn’t matter if Chai Hu was merely pulling her over, but the sword in her hand was still stuck in Chai Hu’s chest. With this movement, her sword plunged even deeper.
*Chi chi chi…*
The sound of metal cutting through flesh was ear-piercing, and in the blink of an eye, the sword had already passed through his chest. Luo Bing’s pretty face turned icy pale in an instant and she called out in a panic, “Big Brother Chai, what are you doing? Stop!”
But no matter what she said, Chai Hu remained unmoved.
The faces of Chi Yue and the others all changed. They never would have thought that Chai Hu would do such a thing. By the time they came to their senses, Chai Hu had already pressed Luo Bing’s body completely to his chest, and he whispered in her ear, “Young Master Yang killed your father, so I will pay back this debt in his place. Don’t point your sword at him.”
“Stop, stop! I don’t want revenge anymore, I won’t try to take revenge ever again, so let go, Big Brother Chai!” Luo Bing’s face was filled with tears in an instant. Feeling the warmth at her chest, how could she not know that it was Chai Hu’s blood. She was at a loss at that instant, and deep inside, she was filled with self-blame. If she hadn’t acted so rashly, coming here to cause a ruckus, then Chai Hu wouldn’t have done such a thing.
She had not known Chai Hu for long, and the two of them couldn’t be considered too close either; however, at her most difficult and most dangerous moment, it was Chai Hu who swooped down like a soldier from the Heavens in order to save her. Even if it was for his own selfish reasons, Luo Bing still could not forget that mighty figure that suddenly appeared and sheltered her from despair.
The feelings of her maiden heart were suddenly touched, and that figure was branded into the softest part of her soul.
During these few months of wandering around, she felt even more nostalgic towards that sense of security, and the light sentiments floated around like a cellar of old wine, constantly fermenting in her heart, making the figure in her heart grow even more vivid.
But when she saw him again, her sword was pierced straight through this man’s chest, almost killing him. After decades of living a pampered and carefree life, was this heartbreak she had to bear now the price of that?
If so, then even if she had to live a simple life, she wanted him to be safe and sound.
“Get away from him!” Chi Yue bellowed and thrust her hand out, pulling Luo Bing away and tossing her heavily to the ground.
Gui Zu and the others quickly went forward to check on Chai Hu’s injury.
After landing on the ground, Luo Bing didn’t care about her own situation at all. Instead, she stumbled over to where Chai Hu was, her pretty face out of sorts from her tears. Her expression was filled with self-blame and regret.
After a short while, Gui Zu finally let out a sigh, “Fortunately his heart wasn’t hurt. It’s not too serious.”
While speaking, he took out a pill and stuffed it into Chai Hu’s mouth. With a flick of his hand, he sent the sword flying before pushing his Source Qi into Chai Hu’s body to dissolve the medicinal efficacies and heal him.
“I’ll bring him back first so he can recover.” Then, Gui Zu picked Chai Hu up and began flying towards the Thousand Leaves Sect.
Before leaving, Chai Hu coughed lightly, “Don’t give her too much trouble, she has her own difficulties too.”
Chi Yue sighed, “Was there a need to go so far?”
What happened today was inexplicable, but Chi Yue could vaguely see that something was up. Something was definitely going on between her Fourth Brother and this Little Princess from Sky Crane City.
In just a few moments, everyone else had already left, leaving behind Chi Yue with a frown on her face.
Meanwhile, Luo Bing was now kneeling on the ground, looking towards where Chai Hu had left, sobbing as he continued to mutter incoherently, “I don’t want to take revenge anymore, Big Brother Chai, don’t die…”
She kept on repeating those words as tears continued to fall down like a string of pearls, forgetting that Chai Hu was already long gone and completely unable to hear her.
Looking at her appearance, Chi Yue couldn’t help but feel a trace of compassion and sighed as she said, “He won’t die. You didn’t injure him too heavily.”
Upon hearing this, Luo Bing snapped her head up towards Chi Yue and cried with relief, “Thank you, thank you!” While speaking, she folded her hands together and closed her eyes, praying to the Heavens as her tears continued to flow down her cheeks.
“Ai, you’re on your own now.” After that, Chi Yue’s figure flashed, and she quickly left with the others.
Luo Bing was left alone to pray, the sad and beautiful scene overflowing in the wilderness.
…
A month later, Yang Kai arrived at a place called Marsh City.
This city was located at the border of the Southern Territory and Eastern Territory.
The reason he came here was that he needed to visit the Netherworld Sect in order to look for information about Xiao Xiao’s whereabouts. Based on his guesses, there was a high possibility that Xiao Xiao landed with Yin Le Sheng after coming out of the Starlight Corridor.
As for how he was going to find it, Yang Kai could only improvise. He couldn’t ask Yin Le Sheng directly; after all, there was still a grudge between the two of them, and the latter also knew he had a Star Source on him.
Netherworld Sect was a top force in the Eastern Territory, on par with Azure Sun Temple.
This information was given to him by Ye Hen. Ye Hen also told him that cultivation materials were the scarcest in the Southern Territory, and the World Energy there was also relatively thin, so the overall level of cultivators was relatively low.
However, in the other three regions, the overall level of cultivators was much higher than that of the Southern Territory. There were absolutely less than ten Sects as powerful as the Netherworld Sect in the Eastern Territory, while only four such Sects existed in the Southern Territory, showing the great disparity between them.
The Eastern Territory also had one dominant sect, which was the Serene Soul Palace founded by the Supreme Soul Great Emperor of the Ten Great Emperors.
There were rumours that the famous Spirit Beast Island and Dragon Island were both located somewhere on the Eastern Sea, but nobody could confirm whether this was true or not. After all, these two islands were simply like mere mirages in the distance for ordinary cultivators.
Seemingly influenced by the Serene Soul Great Emperor, many of the Eastern Territory’s Sects and cultivators cultivated some Soul-type or malevolent Secret Arts, such as the Netherworld Sect. So, the cultivation world in the Eastern Territory was vastly different from the Southern territory.
While walking around in the Eastern territory, one should be very careful, otherwise, if one found themselves in bad company, one may even lose their life.
During the past month, Yang Kai passed through many cities and used the Space Arrays of those cities. If not for this, it would be impossible for him to reach Marsh City at the border of the Southern Territory in just one month.
Just by flying, with Yang Kai’s current speed and cultivation, it would have taken him several years to fly here. The vastness of the Star Boundary was simply beyond his imagination.
After arriving at Marsh City, Yang Kai did not rush over to the Eastern Territory. Instead, he found himself an inn to settle down in.
Since this was the junction between the Eastern Territory and Southern Territory, not only could the cultivators of the Southern Territory be seen in Marsh City, but also many Eastern Territory cultivators were present as well. Yang Kai stayed here because he wanted to inquire about the general situation in the Eastern Territory, especially about Netherworld Sect. Then, he could spare himself the trouble of searching around in the dark once he entered the Eastern Territory.
Among the cultivators walking in the streets of Marsh City, many of them exuded unruly auras that were evil and violent. Even their looks were fierce and frightening. One could tell at a glance that they were from the Sects of the Eastern Territory.
Moreover, the security situation in Marsh City was absolute chaos. Even though there existed a City Lord’s Mansion with a Master keeping watch, Yang Kai had already seen quite a few fights happening in less than one day of him arriving here. A few people had even died.
Not to mention that such a thing was simply unimaginable in Maplewood City, such a thing would not happen anywhere in the Southern Territory.
While the fights were taking place, Yang Kai could clearly perceive the auras of many Masters around the area, but nobody tried to stop them. It was only after the fights ended that the Masters showed themselves and dragged away all the people involved in the fight. Then, they took off the Space Rings of the cultivators and left their bodies on the streets to rot.
These Masters were obviously from the City Lord’s Mansion. It seemed that it was a good thing for them that the cultivators were fighting. That way, they had an excuse to capture people and make some extra money for themselves.
Yang Kai did not want to cause any trouble, so he thought of hanging around a teahouse or a restaurant for a couple days before departing. Since all sorts of people mingled in these places, he might be able to eavesdrop on some information he needed.
After asking around, Yang Kai began heading towards the largest Delightful Pleasures Teahouse in Marsh City.
In a short while, Yang Kai arrived in front of the teahouse. Looking at it, this teahouse was built to look quite dignified and was five floors high. For such a teahouse to appear in such a chaotic place, it could be seen that the background of this teahouse’s owner definitely couldn’t be small. They may very well be related to the City Lord’s Mansion.
Yang Kai took a step inside and was immediately greeted by a shop hand with enthusiasm.
Yang Kai found a seat on the third floor and asked for a good pot of spirit tea before sitting quietly, listening to the conversations between the guests in the teahouse.
The cultivators patronizing the teahouse were of varying cultivations, but the information that they were inadvertently revealing during their idle conversations was exactly what Yang Kai needed.
After sitting in the teahouse for most of the day, the patrons around him came and went, but Yang Kai did not move at all.
He really did hear a lot of useful information.
Unfortunately, nobody was talking about the Netherworld Sect, to his disappointment. He thought to himself that if he wanted to get information about the Netherworld Sect, then he probably needed to enter the Eastern Territory first.
Just as Yang Kai was about to leave, a sudden and rather strong surge of energy emerged not far away on the opposite side of the street. Someone seemed to be fighting.
Yang Kai was not surprised by this as law and order in Marsh City was in complete chaos, so fights happened from time to time. But this didn’t matter to him as long as he wasn’t targeted by anyone.
The fluctuation happened quickly, but also dissipated quickly. The disparity in strength between both sides seemed quite large. Following that, a delicate figure was kicked out from a medicine store on the opposite side. This figure spat out a mouthful of blood while in mid-air and landed heavily on the ground. Then, they did not get up for a long time. It seemed their injuries were quite severe.
A burly bald-headed man came out from the medicine store soon after, bellowing, “Bitch, you dare to cause trouble at my Endless Treasures Pavilion? This is just a warning, if I see you again, I’ll kill you! Now scram!”
After he finished shouting, the large man glared at the woman sitting on the ground with contempt before walking back into the store.
All the cultivators who walked past seemed to be used to this sight, and nobody went over to show pity for the battered woman. They just thought that she was unlucky to actually have had the guts to start trouble in the Endless Treasures Pavilion, as if the word ‘death’ didn’t exist in her dictionary.
Yang Kai didn’t intend to stick his nose in someone else’s business, but when he took a casual glance at the woman’s face, he couldn’t help but feel surprised, “Xian Yun?”
That woman actually turned out to be Liu Xian Yun!
That same Liu Xian Yun who came with Yin Le Sheng from the Grand Desolation Star Field.
Back then, he and Liu Xian Yun were forced into joining Blue Feather Sect, so they could be considered friends going through the same difficulties. After that, when they escaped the large and ruthless massacre in Blue Feather Sect, Yang Kai was worried that he would drag Liu Xian Yun into his problems, so he parted ways with her after they escaped.
A few years had passed, and Yang Kai had not expected to meet Liu Xian Yun again, let alone at the border of the Southern Territory.
Only, it seemed that Liu Xian Yun wasn’t in the best situation right now. She was only at the First-Order Dao Source Realm cultivation and her aura was unstable, clearly having advanced not long ago, the same as Chi Yue and the others. With her injuries from that burly bald-headed man, she was in a pitiful state. Her white clothes were stained red with blood, with a rather striking blotch on her chest.
During their days in Blue Feather Sect, Yang Kai and Liu Xian Yun supported each other and formed a friendship. Now that he saw her being bullied by someone, Yang Kai naturally could not sit idly by and do nothing.
As that thought flashed through his mind, Yang Kai had already leapt down from the third floor, landing lightly next to Liu Xian Yun and reaching out towards her.
Seemingly able to feel that someone was reaching for her, Liu Xian Yun’s face changed and instantly swung her hand towards Yang Kai.
“Xian Yun, it’s me!” Yang Kai shouted.
Palm stopping in mid-air, Liu Xian Yun’s tender body trembled. She turned in surprise towards Yang Kai, and when she saw his face, surprise and joy filled her beautiful eyes in an instant, “Senior Brother Yang?”
Both of them entered the Blue Feather Sect at the same time, even if they were forced to do so, so they were indeed considered Senior Brother and Junior Sister.
Yang Kai smiled at her, “The world really is filled with coincidences.”
“Senior Brother Yang, why are you here?” Liu Xian Yun seemed to have forgotten the bullying she received after seeing Yang Kai. She was beaming, and it could be seen that her joy was genuine and came from deep within.
During their time in Blue Feather Sect, Yang Kai had been very kind to her and also gave her many of the Source Crystals he earned from refining Spirit Pills for people. Unfortunately, she wasn’t able to meet someone else as nice as him after parting ways with Yang Kai.
For Liu Xian Yun, her best days in the Star Boundary were during their time in the Blue Feather Sect.
“I just happened to pass by, but we can reminisce about old times later. What happened to you?” Yang Kai asked.
Liu Xian Yun’s eyes flashed as she tried her best to smile, “It’s nothing, Senior Brother. Let’s find a place to sit down before we talk.”
Yang Kai responded, “How could it be nothing after you were hit this hard?”
“It’s really nothing, just a little misunderstanding. No need to worry about it, Senior Brother.” Liu Xian Yun was insistent. She was clearly worried that she would involve Yang Kai in her problems, that’s why she wanted to just leave things be and not make a big deal out of it.
She had been in Marsh City for quite a while now and naturally knew how chaotic things were here. She also knew who the one behind this Endless Treasures Pavilion was. Back then, when they parted, both she and Yang Kai were Third-Order Origin Kings, so no matter how good Yang Kai’s aptitude was, it would be impossible for him to grow too strong. Right now, he would at most be at the same level of cultivation as her, so causing trouble here would be the same as courting death.
As she spoke, she took Yang Kai’s arm, intending to take him away from here.
But Yang Kai was unmoved and was persistent to stay, “If you still consider me your Senior Brother, then tell me what happened. A little Endless Treasures Pavilion is nothing in your Senior Brother’s eyes.”
That wasn’t just an unfounded opinion. Earlier, while he was drinking tea at the teahouse, Yang Kai overheard that there was only a single Emperor Realm Master in Marsh City, and that was Marsh City’s City Lord, who was only a First-Order Emperor. With just one Master like that, Yang Kai really didn’t have anything to be afraid of.
No matter who it was behind this Endless Treasures Pavilion, they couldn’t be more powerful than the City Lord.
With his current strength, Yang Kai could definitely take on a First-Order Emperor Realm Master, and that was without even counting Liu Yan and Xiao Bai. If Xiao Bai were to fully display his strength, he would also be at the level of a First-Order Emperor.
Yang Kai was prepared to ignore Marsh City’s City Lord, but if the latter did end up provoking him, Yang Kai didn’t mind turning the entire city upside down.
Liu Xian Yun was stunned in place as she stared at Yang Kai in astonishment, wondering where he had gotten his confidence from. At that moment, she thought of checking Yang Kai’s cultivation, but when her Divine Sense swept over him, she was shocked to find that the aura inside Yang Kai’s body turned out to be a blur. In other words, she couldn’t see how strong Yang Kai was.
Liu Xian Yun was completely dumbfounded.
When she parted ways with Yang Kai, both of them had similar cultivations. They had only parted for a few years, but now she couldn’t even detect Yang Kai’s cultivation, which showed how great the disparity between them was.
“Rest assured, I won’t do anything rash, but I have to stand up for you regardless.” Yang Kai smiled.
Liu Xian Yun pursed her red lips. She knew she should refuse Yang Kai’s offer, but she still felt touched so she explained, “I came here to sell something, but the price the Endless Treasures Pavilion offered me was too low. I didn’t want to sell, but they forced me to sell no matter what.”
“They’re snatching things by force? How dare they!” Yang Kai’s face sank as he asked, “What were you trying to sell?”
“I’m not sure either. It was a spirit flower that I came across by chance.” Liu Xian Yun looked ashamed. She didn’t even know what she was selling, she just thought that the price the Endless Treasures Pavilion gave her was too low, so she wasn’t willing to sell it. But she didn’t expect that they wouldn’t return the item at all, and when she argued with them, they ended up attacking her directly and throwing her out.
“What price did they offer you?”
“Ten thousand Low-Rank Source Crystals,” Liu Xian Yun said softly.
Yang Kai nodded, “Come with me!”
Then, he brought Liu Xian Yun into the Endless Treasures Pavilion.
After the two of them stepped into Endless Treasures Pavilion, the young shop-hand at the counter immediately came over to greet them with enthusiasm, but once he saw Liu Xian Yun next to Yang Kai, the smile on his face disappeared. He looked coldly at Liu Xian Yun and snapped, “Why are you here again, you tramp?”
The boy seemed to only be a First-Order Origin King, but he wasn’t pressured at all in front of a First-Order Dao Source Realm cultivator like Liu Xian Yun. Instead, he cursed her directly, obviously not putting her in his eyes thanks to his background.
After scolding her, he sneered contemptuously at Yang Kai, “And you even brought your toy over? You clearly have a death wish.”
*Pa…*
A crisp sound rang out as soon as the boy finished speaking as Yang Kai sent a slap across his face. For someone whose cultivation was so far below Yang Kai’s, how could he avoid that slap? The shop hand didn’t even realize what had happened when he felt the huge sting on his cheek, sending his entire person flying.
While his body was still in mid-air, several more consecutive hits rang out. Yang Kai was chasing him over with one slap after another.
He could tell at a glance that this boy was a bully who looked down on others by using his background, cursing others without even a blink. How could Yang Kai give him any face?
After sending out a dozen slaps, even though Yang Kai did not use much strength, the shop handbald was still left dizzy. After he landed on the ground, he spat out a mouthful of blood. Even his teeth had all been beaten off his mouth.
When Yang Kai struck the boy, the cultivators walking past Endless Treasures Pavilion had all seen it, and they were all dumbfounded, looking inside in astonishment, thinking, [What sort of idiot dares to hit anyone in the Endless Treasures Pavilion? They probably won’t get to see the sun tomorrow anymore.]
It was human nature for people to gather and watch when something interesting happened, so many cultivators appeared in front of Endless Treasure Pavilion’s door in an instant, all of them were looking in to see how Yang Kai and his company would end up dead.
Liu Xian Yun was also stunned. Even though Yang Kai just told her that the Endless Treasures Pavilion was nothing to him, and she also knew that Yang Kai’s strength was definitely not bad, she didn’t expect him to start hitting someone as soon as he walked in.
If she had known this would happen, then Liu Xian Yun would never have let Yang Kai come here no matter what.
Even if the one Yang Kai had beaten was just a young servant manning the counter, he belonged to Endless Treasures Pavilion in the end. For him to be slapped more than a dozen times across the face in front of the public was no different than Yang Kai slapping the face of Endless Treasures Pavilion.
And how could Endless Treasures Pavilion just take this sitting down?
Instantly, Liu Xian Yun became as anxious as an ant on a hot wok. She felt that she had dragged Yang Kai into trouble and felt guilty. All she wanted to do now was drag Yang Kai out of here, the further the better.
Seemingly able to sense her unease, Yang Kai reached his hand out to squeeze her palm, smiling, “Don’t worry, Senior Brother can handle it.”
Liu Xian Yun looked at his bright and confident smile in a daze. For some reason, her heart settled down in an instant…
“Who dares cause a stir in the Endless Treasures Pavilion?!” A voice howled across the room from the back hall, followed by the appearance of the burly bald-headed man who injured Liu Xian Yun previously. His iron pagoda-like body gave off a strong oppressive feeling, and the aura emanating from his body was extremely fierce.
As soon as the boy who was beaten silly saw the man come out, it was as if he found his backbone and stumbled towards the man. Hand on his cheek, he shouted, “Sir Deacon, you must seek justice for this lowly one! That man began hitting me indiscriminately as soon as he stepped in. This lowly one was weak and unable to resist. All this one’s teeth had been knocked out by him. Look! Look at how pitiful this lowly one is!”
He sobbed unceasingly. With blood still pouring down from the corner of his mouth, he was indeed a pitiful sight. Anyone who did not know the full story would feel sorry for him if they saw this too.
Only, Yang Kai barely used any force, so while the shop-hand’s injuries looked terrible, they weren’t serious at all. If Yang Kai hadn’t held back, there was no way this shop-hand would be as lively as this.
“You dare act unruly in my Endless Treasures Pavilion, Little Brat? You court death!” The burly bald-headed man’s sharp eyes instantly went to Yang Kai as he barked viciously at him. Then, looking over, he saw Liu Xian Yun standing next to him and seemed to understand something. Sneering, he taunted, “I was wondering what happened, so you’ve brought a little helper over, have you?”
While speaking, he glanced derisively at Yang Kai, “Little Brat, this King does not know what benefits this woman is offering you to get you to step up for her, but you’ve made a big mistake coming here.”
With a wave of his hand, the door of Endless Treasures Pavilion banged shut. Following that, four Dao Source Realm cultivators came out from different directions, surrounding Yang Kai and Liu Xian Yun.
This all happened so abruptly that Liu Xian Yun’s beautiful face couldn’t help paling as she subconsciously leaned over to Yang Kai’s side as if to seek a sense of security. Lifting her head to look at Yang Kai though, she could see that he was completely indifferent, as if what was happening right now did not concern him in the slightest.
Infected by his confidence, Liu Xian Yun also calmed down all of a sudden.
“Trying to bully people with numbers?” An amused smile appeared at the corners of Yang Kai’s mouth as he looked around, sweeping his Divine Sense over the four Dao Source Realm cultivators and quickly discovering they were all just First-Orders. As for the burly bald-headed man, he was merely at the Second-Order Dao Source Realm.
Who knew where the man got the courage to shut the door, but from the looks of it, he was just trying to pull the wool over everyone’s eyes and keep Yang Kai and Liu Xian Yun here forever.
Hearing Yang Kai’s taunting, the burly bald-headed man only coldly snorted before his cold eyes turned to Liu Xian Yun, “I never planned to do anything to you, but since you can’t appreciate kindness and took the initiative to come back, then don’t blame this King for being ruthless. This King just happened to be lacking someone to warm his bed and your looks are not bad. Obediently kneel in front of this King and you’ll suffer less pain!”
Liu Xian Yun was instantly shaking with anger as she grit her teeth and snapped, “In your dreams!”
This shameless person not only scammed her of her spirit flower and injured her, but now he was even coveting her beauty. How could Liu Xian Yun endure being asked to beg for a man’s pleasure? She was still a rather commanding character in the Grand Desolation Star Field, but even though her status was lowered after coming to the Star Boundary, she still had self-respect.
“Since you refuse a toast, you must drink a loss!” The burly bald-headed man clearly wasn’t the example of patience. When Liu Xian Yun refused him, he waved his hand and said, “Kill the man and capture the woman! Why don’t you open your eyes and see where you are? You actually dare to stir trouble here? You don’t know what you’re in for!”
The four Dao Source Realm cultivators gathered around Yang Kai and Liu Xian Yun acted at the same time, all releasing their Secret Techniques. They were all aiming for Yang Kai, murderous intent pouring out, and clearly didn’t plan to hold back, ready to kill Yang Kai as the man instructed.
Endless Treasures Pavilion had a strong backer, so what would they have to worry about killing a few people? It was just a pity that this little brat had eyes but failed to see and came here to cause trouble.
But the four of them soon realized that something was wrong.
The instant they began to move, the air turned heavy in the entire Endless Treasures Pavilion. An indescribably force enveloped the crowd, making it feel as if they had fallen into a mire.
These four Dao Source Realm men weren’t the strongest, but they still more or less had some insight into Principle Strength after advancing to this realm.
They immediately knew that the power restricting their movements and making it feel as if they were being weighed down by a mountain, making it hard to breathe, and even interrupting the flow of their Source Qi, was extremely profound Principle Strength.
The faces of the four men changed dramatically as they desperately tried to break free of this pressure, unfortunately achieving nothing for their efforts.
Yang Kai sneered and released a Golden Blood Thread. In a flash of gold, it garrotted the four men.
*Chi chi chi…*
After a strange noise, the golden light disappeared. The Principle Strength that filled Endless Treasures Pavilion also disappeared at the same time.
But the four Dao Source realm cultivators that attacked Yang Kai were standing still as if they had been immobilized. Their eyes were filled with fear and disbelief.
A short while later, one man’s body suddenly collapsed, falling to pieces on the ground as if he had been cut into countless slivers. Blood and flesh splashed all over the floor.
*Hualala…*
The other three also broke into pieces. In an instant, a disgusting stench of blood filled the air.
“Ah!” The burly bald-headed man clearly did not expect Yang Kai to be so merciless. He thought that since Liu Xian Yun was only a First-Order Dao Source Realm cultivator, the helper she found wouldn’t be anything to look at either, so he did not plan to take action himself. But now, he knew he was very wrong.
Those four were First-Order Dao Source Realm cultivators, and it took much effort for Endless Treasures Pavilion to nurture them, yet they were completely wiped out by their opponent in one move.
How could strength like this be something he could contend with?
The shop hand was even worse off. He was originally standing next to the burly bald-headed man like a fox exploiting the tiger’s might. He had his eyes wide open, wanting to see them kill Yang Kai off in order to vent his anger; however, what he saw was very different from what he expected. His eyes actually rolled back and he fainted directly.
“You… You actually dare to kill in my Endless Treasures Pavilion?” The burly bald-headed man’s face was miserably pale. After realizing that he was definitely not Yang Kai’s opponent, the blood in his body ran cold, and he was no longer throwing his weight around like before.
“What a joke. They wanted to kill me, so of course I’m going to kill them!” Yang Kai laughed coldly and stared sharply at the burly bald-headed man, “Now, it’s your turn.”
When he heard that, the man knew that things were bad. He suddenly formed seals with his hand and a layer of crimson light enveloped his body. At the same time, he spat out a mouthful of Blood Essence. He seemed to have performed some sort of profound Secret Technique. His body shot back like an arrow, wanting to escape this place while he shouted, “Head Shopkeeper, save me!”
“Not even the King of Heaven can save you now!” Yang Kai coldly snorted. He was clearly standing in place without moving, but he had already arrived in front of the burly bald-headed man in the blink of an eye. Sticking to him, he had a cold and harsh look in his eyes.
The burly bald-headed man felt as if he’d lost his soul. With his Second-Order Dao Source Realm cultivation, he was actually unable to see how Yang Kai had appeared in front of him, and he understood the disparity in strength between the two of them even more now. His face couldn’t help but turn ashen and he hated himself for not checking Yang Kai’s cultivation before acting. Now that he had completely provoked the other party, he probably wouldn’t live past the day.
“Stop!” A stern voice suddenly emerged from the rear, followed by a peak Dao Source Realm aura that pressed towards Yang Kai.
In the next moment, an old man with an all-white beard came into Yang Kai’s sight. He seemed to have rushed over from the back hall after hearing the burly bald-headed man’s cry for help.
Before he arrived, the old man had already stuck his hand out towards Yang Kai’s head, trying to force him to withdraw.
The burly bald-headed man was overjoyed and shouted even louder, “Head Shopkeeper, help!”
He thought that he must be safe now with the Head Shopkeeper himself coming out; after all, the Head Shopkeeper was a peak Dao Source Realm cultivator. This young man coming in here to cause trouble may be powerful, but he was definitely not an Emperor, that much he could still detect. With the might of the Head Shopkeeper, he would definitely be able to save him.
Yang Kai glanced at the old man with contempt and casually struck his palm out, forming a solid palm print that flew straight out to meet the old man’s attack.
At the same time, Yang Kai struck his other hand towards the chest of the burly bald-headed man.
The man’s face suddenly changed and his original joyful mood turned cold in an instant. Shocked, he asked, “What are you trying to do?”
But before he could finish speaking, he could feel violent Source Qi running through his body, cutting up his meridians like a sharp blade and wreaking havoc on his dantian. That gut-churning pain was simply unbearable and he cried out in terror.
*Hong…*
A sound erupted as Yang Kai’s palm print collided with the old man’s palm. Yang Kai borrowed the force of the impact to back up slightly, landing next to Liu Xian Yun with a calm look on his face.
On the contrary, not only did the face of the old man change after he felt Yang Kai’s power, his hand posture changed several times before he could dissolve that force. After landing on the ground, he still stumbled back several steps.
With a bang, the burly bald-headed man landed right at his feet.
“Cough…” The burly bald-headed man coughed hard, spitting out a mouthful of blood. Then, his face turned grey and he looked at Yang Kai with incomparable hatred, “How dare you waste my cultivation!?”
At this moment, his meridians had been destroyed and his dantian was shattered. All his cultivation had dispersed. Even though such an injury was not incurable, he would need extremely precious elixirs to recover. Even without mentioning how extremely rare such elixirs were, he would not be able to afford to buy them even if he could find them.
“You dared to hurt my Junior Sister, so what’s so strange about me wasting your cultivation?” Yang Kai looked at him as if he were looking at an idiot.
“Why don’t you just kill me?!” The burly bald-headed man howled.
Yang Kai laughed coldly, “Wouldn’t that have been too nice of me if I just killed you?”
The burly bald-headed man’s face became even paler. He knew Yang Kai was right. Death would have been a relief for him. The abolishment of one’s cultivation was the cruellest punishment one could inflict upon any cultivator.
“For this sir to act so ruthlessly, may I know what my Endless Treasures Pavilion has done to offend you?” The Head Shopkeeper’s eyes were dark, and he shouted through gritted teeth in fear of Yang Kai’s mercilessness.
This young man killed four Dao Source Realm cultivators and wasted the cultivation of the burly bald-headed man as soon as he arrived. With how cruel and decisive his actions were, the Head Shopkeeper knew they couldn’t settle things nicely, but even though Yang Kai was strong, he wasn’t very afraid of him. As the saying goes, even the mighty dragon can not suppress the native serpent. Every single person in Marsh City had to give face to their Endless Treasures Pavilion.
“You have not offended me, but you have offended my Junior Sister.” Yang Kai looked coldly at the Head Shopkeeper and the corners of his lips rose up, continuing, “Don’t tell me you know nothing about this. Hand over what you stole or you’ll end up the same as him!” While speaking, Yang Kai pointed a finger at the burly bald-headed man.
The Head Shopkeeper’s face changed. He originally thought that he could delay Yang Kai until reinforcements arrived. Once they did, Yang Kai would be forced to pay for what he had done to the Endless Treasures Pavilion a hundred times over. Only, he didn’t expect that Yang Kai wouldn’t even give him that opportunity. From his words, Yang Kai clearly wasn’t going to give him any breathing time at all.
“Does sir know what place our Endless Treasures Pavilion is, and who stands behind it? You dare shout like that here?” The Head Shopkeeper had lived for so many years and had a peak Dao Source Realm cultivation himself, so he couldn’t be intimidated by a few words from Yang Kai.
“I see you’ve made your choice. In that case, please don’t blame this Young Master for being ruthless!” Yang Kai coldly snorted. It was clear what this old man was trying to do, but Yang Kai wasn’t afraid in the slightest. That was why he didn’t bother talking nonsense with him. After he spoke, Yang Kai’s body teleported right in front of the old man using Space Principles. Suddenly, in a circle spanning several tens of metres, the space turned solid.
The Head Shopkeeper was mortified, and dense sweat droplets formed on his forehead. Even with his strength and his vision, he was unable to see how Yang Kai suddenly appeared in front of him. He realized now that he had truly kicked an iron plate. Feeling the condensed space around him, he pushed his Source Qi wildly and with a horrified look shouted, “Endless Treasures Pavilion is the private property of Sir City Lord. Since you dare to be unruly here, then don’t even think about leaving Marsh City alive!”
When it came to this, he didn’t have the leisure to posture anymore. He tossed out his backer’s name directly, hoping that Yang Kai could exercise caution lest innocents be hurt. After all, the City Lord in Marsh City was a powerful man, and also the only Emperor Realm Master here.
But unexpectedly, Yang Kai wasn’t moved at all. He couldn’t see a single fluctuation of emotions in his eyes as if he had already expected it.
[This little brat is mad!] The old man was horrified. He still dared to act so wantonly even after knowing that the City Lord was behind him. Didn’t that mean that he wasn’t afraid of Sir City Lord? What a joke that he tried to use the City Lord’s name to pressure the boy but it backfired on him instead.
The space around him was so condensed now that the old man could not move an inch. It felt like his meridians were blocked and the flow of his Source Qi was interrupted. In haste, he had no choice but to bite the tip of his tongue and spit out a mouthful of Blood Essence, summoning a huge pair of golden blades to cut in Yang Kai’s direction.
The golden blades were of a considerable grade and emitted the aura of a Dao Source Grade High-Rank artifact. There was also a mysterious force behind this strike that cut a rift through the frozen space.
The old man was finally relieved of the pressure and his Source Qi began flowing smoothly in his meridians again.
But before he could do anything, a faint golden light had already spread out before his eyes.
He subconsciously looked up at Yang Kai, only to see that the latter’s left eye was shining gold. What’s more, the pupil of that left eye had also become an awe-inspiring vertical slit. An intimidating power was fluctuating inside it, and just looking at this eye caused the old man to feel panicked.
In the next moment, a lotus flower bud that was about to bloom suddenly shot out from the golden slit, the light growing brighter.
The old man froze in place as if he had been struck by lightning. His vision was filled with nothing but the lotus bud, as if it was the only thing left in this world. Under his gaze, the pure white lotus quickly bloomed.
As the lotus flower blossomed, the old man felt his Spiritual Energy rapidly being drained, and pain filled his head, like ten thousand ants were gnawing at his Soul.
[Not good, this is a Soul Secret Technique!] The old man came back to his senses with a start, but there was nothing he could do. The young man’s Spiritual Energy seemed to be much stronger than his own, and this inexplicable lotus Secret Technique had already devoured a massive amount of his Spiritual Energy in just a short amount of time, causing his whole body to weaken as a horrified look appeared on the old man’s face.
A sharp pain washed over him, the stimulation quickly jerking the old man awake. Looking over, he saw that his arm had been chopped straight off. Blood was spurting out from the wound and pouring out onto the ground.
The face of the young man turned serious. Lightly reaching out his palm, he pressed it against the old man’s chest.
Thinking back to what he saw happen to the burly bald-headed man when he was observing them in the shadows previously, combined with Yang Kai’s words, how could the old man not know what Yang Kai intended to do?
He was really going to waste his cultivation!
The old man shivered fiercely as he shouted with all his might, “No! We can talk things through. This Old Master can grant you anything you want!”
*Peng…*
Yang Kai’s palm still pressed down, seemingly pushing the old man’s chest down a finger’s length, causing him to spit out blood and fly backwards towards the counter miserably. The old man landed heavily on the ground, and like the burly bald-headed man, Yang Kai’s strike had crushed his dantian, broken his meridians, and wasted his cultivation.
“You didn’t cherish the opportunity when I was willing to talk, so there’s no need for you to talk anymore.” Yang Kai didn’t even look at the old man and just reached out to grab the Space Ring from his severed arm, tossing it to Liu Xian Yun, “See if what you’re looking for is in the ring.”
Liu Xian Yun caught it subconsciously, but she clearly hadn’t recovered from the shock yet. She looked bewildered at Yang Kai and could not understand how he could actually become so powerful after they parted for just a few years.
The four First-Order Dao Source Realm cultivators being instantly killed by him was one thing, but the burly bald-headed man and the Head Shopkeeper were not your usual Dao Source Realm Masters. But these two were just like mere children in front of Yang Kai, having no power to fight back while they were being pummeled. Their cultivations were practically wasted in just one move from Yang Kai.
Thinking back to when the two of them were forced into joining the Blue Feather Sect and only surviving under Bian Yu Qing’s wing, Liu Xian Yun simply couldn’t believe the man before her was the same person.
“Senior Brother… Have you broken through to the Emperor Realm?” Liu Xian Yun asked in a dumbfounded voice.
“Not yet.” Yang Kai smiled.
Liu Xian Yun was even more shocked now. That he could be so vicious before even reaching the Emperor Realm, then what would he be like once he broke through?
She could still be considered a powerhouse in the Grand Desolation Star Field and a genius rarely seen once every thousand years, but compared to Yang Kai now, she felt that her own cultivation aptitude was simply poor.
“So, is it there?” Yang Kai asked again.
Only then did Liu Xian Yun scramble to look through the Space Ring. After a short while, she took out a jade box from the Space Ring and smiled, “It’s still here!”
The jade box was where she put the spirit flower before this, and the seal she had personally put over the box had not been removed yet. From the looks of it, the Head Shopkeeper hadn’t had the opportunity to open it yet after stealing it.
“You should keep the ring, too. Take it as the Head Shopkeeper’s compensation to you.” Yang Kai sneered, “I’m sure the Head Shopkeeper isn’t a stingy man, after all.”
When the Head Shopkeeper, whose aura had withered at the counter, heard this, he almost choked on his breath and fell dead on the spot.
There were plenty of good things in his ring. The Endless Treasures Pavilion was able to acquire some precious treasure, even some that they were planning to sell soon, as well as items not suitable to lay out in the open. It was not too much to say that his Space Ring was worth quite a lot of money.
Right now, Yang Kai robbed him of his ring with just one sentence. The Head Shopkeeper could almost feel his heart bleeding, but with his current condition, he didn’t have the strength to resist even if he wanted to.
“Is this… really okay?” Liu Xian Yun had never done this sort of thing before and could not accept it for some time. It felt like her own morals and bottom line were being challenged.
“There’s nothing wrong about it,” Yang Kai coldly snorted, “There’s no telling how much of the stuff in that ring was taken by force. If they can rob others, why can’t they be robbed as well?”
“Then… Alright.” Liu Xian Yun happily put away the Space Ring without any more psychological pressure.
It did make sense to her. If she had not bumped into Yang Kai today, she would have been robbed. That alone was enough, but she was even beaten by them. This group of people from Endless Treasures Pavilion bullied the weak in Marsh City and had definitely done a lot of nefarious deeds over the years. There was really no reason to feel pressured robbing this kind of scum. She could just take it as righting a wrong under Heaven’s decree.
“Little brat, you have guts, but you’re definitely not destined to live through tomorrow. The City Lord will not let you go.” Currently, the Head Shopkeeper’s cultivation was completely ruined so there was nothing for him to be afraid of anymore. Looking at Yang Kai in hatred, he spat out a mouthful of blood and sneered, “When that time comes, this Old Master will eat your flesh bite by bite!”
Hearing this, Liu Xian Yun’s face changed, her voice trembling as she said, “Senior Brother, let’s get out of here quickly or it’ll be too late. Marsh City’s City Lord is an Emperor Realm Master. He’s not someone we can mess with.”
But Yang Kai just glanced contemptuously at the old man, “That Pang Guang won’t come and provoke me. If he dares to come, this Young Master doesn’t mind seeing him off into the next world as well!”
The old man was stunned.
Pang Guang was the City Lord of Marsh City that he spoke of, and also the only Emperor Realm cultivator in the city. He thought that Yang Kai would definitely be afraid of him, but from his tone, it seemed he didn’t put the City Lord in his eyes at all.
[Where on earth does this little brat come from? How dare he boast so shamelessly!]
In his mind, the old man felt that no one would be able to avenge him. In other words, he was humiliated and had his cultivation wasted for nothing. In the future, the only thing he could do was drag out a feeble existence. He might as well be dead!
Under the stimulation, the old man spat out another mouthful of blood and his aura dropped even further.
“Let’s go,” Yang Kai turned around and smiled at Liu Xian Yun, taking the lead in walking out. After opening the door, he found that cultivators were standing on both sides of the street and even on the rooftops, all of them looking towards the Endless Treasures Pavilion.
Many people saw Yang Kai bringing Liu Xian Yun into Endless Treasures Pavilion, and these cultivators had nothing to do so they naturally wanted to watch the fun. Then, when the door was shut by the burly bald-headed man, they couldn’t see the situation inside anymore.
Even though they couldn’t see inside, the violent energy fluctuations and the banging noises going back and forth inside were not fake.
During this short period of time, the number of cultivators gathering to watch the action had already gone up to several thousand.
When Yang Kai opened the door at this moment and came out, he was immediately greeted by several thousand pairs of eyes.
None of them could believe what they were seeing though. They all thought that Yang Kai did not know the immensity of Heaven and Earth and actually dared to stir trouble in Marsh City’s Endless Treasures Pavilion. Wasn’t that courting death? Without even mentioning the Endless Treasures Pavilion’s backer, the City Lord, the cultivators in Endless Treasures Pavilion themselves were extremely strong. The Head Shopkeeper was even at peak Dao Source Realm. If he were not too old, affecting his meridians and his body, then this old man would definitely have the qualifications to break through to the Emperor Realm.
They thought that Yang Kai was definitely going to eat a big loss this time.
But they were taken aback at the scene before them.
Yang Kai walked out of the Endless Treasures Pavilion unharmed and without even a wrinkle on his clothes. On the other hand, there were several corpses lying inside Endless Treasures Pavilion with blood splattered everywhere. As for the burly bald-headed man and the Endless Treasures Pavilion’s Head Shopkeeper, they were pale-faced with shrivelled auras. One could tell at a glance that their cultivations had been crippled.
A chorus of gasps could be heard and the looks in many cultivators’ eyes finally changed as they looked at Yang Kai. They realized that this young man was definitely not someone to be messed with, and there was even a high possibility that he was an Emperor.
After all, how long had he been in there? To be able to turn Endless Treasures Pavilion into such a mess in just several dozen breaths of time, how could he have such power if he were not an Emperor?
When Yang Kai walked out, the cultivators gathered close by could not help but step backwards, eyes filled with fear.
Yang Kai swept a cold glance around and coldly snorted, not paying them any mind. He just brought Liu Xian Yun over to the teahouse opposite the street, going back to that table on the third floor, then ordering another pot of spirit tea.
He caused a huge ruckus in Endless Treasures Pavilion and both injured and killed their men, but he did not escape. Instead, he just went into the teahouse opposite the building to drink tea. The people who were gathered there to watch the show were all looking at him in disbelief.
They all secretly admired Yang Kai’s fearlessness and felt that he was either strong enough to have no fear of Pang Guang, or had a strong enough background that would put Pang Guang on guard.
But as they were unrelated to Yang Kai, they couldn’t be bothered to care about all that. Instead, the open doors of the Endless Treasure Pavilion were of greater interest to these cultivators right now.
The cultivators in Marsh City were basically the gruff type that value human life as little as grass. Naturally, they wouldn’t care who was right or wrong in this situation. However, since the spirit grasses, medicines, and other precious treasures in Endless Treasures Pavilion were unguarded right now, it was a good opportunity for them.
Even though Endless Treasures Pavilion was the property of Pang Guang, men die for wealth and birds die for food. When it comes to this, some people will eventually feel their hearts itch.
After a moment of silence, a figure suddenly leapt out from the crowd, rushing straight into Endless Treasures Pavilion and sweeping all the spirit grasses and medicines on the shelves into his Space Ring.
Seeing this, how could the others stay still? The cultivators flooding into the Endless Treasures Pavilion to rob them while they were down were as many as carps crossing the river. In just a short while, Endless Treasures Pavilion had been swept clean. Anything that was worth something had disappeared, and with the things gone, the cultivators also quickly scattered and disappeared.
Upstairs in the teahouse, Yang Kai watched the sight indifferently; however, he did have some insight into how the cultivators were here in Marsh City now.
“Senior Brother…” Liu Xian Yun felt uneasy as if she were sitting on pins and needles, “I think we better go…”
It wasn’t that she wasn’t confident in Yang Kai’s abilities, but a huge situation had erupted and she was the cause of it all. She didn’t want to provoke any stronger enemies for Yang Kai.
“No need.” Yang Kai smiled and poured her a cup of spiritual tea, “This place is a mess, how did you end up here?”
He was still quite curious about Liu Xian Yun’s situation after not seeing her for several years. After they fled from Blue Feather Sect, he gave the bigger half of his belongings to Liu Xian Yun at the time and the two went off into different directions. After that, Yang Kai went to Maplewood City, working hard till now. He didn’t expect to be able to bump into Liu Xian Yun while passing by Marsh City this time.
“I’ve been here many years now.” Liu Xian Yun smiled bitterly and briefly told him about her situation during these past few years.
In fact, there was nothing much to tell.
After parting with Yang Kai, she had been roaming around the Southern Territory like a fly without a head. It wasn’t until she arrived at Marsh City that she settled down. Even though Marsh City was chaotic, there were many places nearby that were suitable for her to train.
She was able to look for some cultivational resources in those places, and after a few years, though she lived a hard life, she still managed to break through to the Dao Source Realm.
Some days ago, she found a spirit flower in a place nearby called the Solitary Void Mountain Range, so she thought of bringing it back to sell for some Source Crystals. She thought that the Endless Treasures Pavilion would be a good place to pawn the spirit flower since it was backed by the City Lord, but she didn’t expect them to offer her only ten thousand Low-Rank Source Crystals after they saw what she was offering.
Even though Liu Xian Yun had no idea what the spirit flower she found was, or what it was used for, she had a feeling that it was definitely worth more than just a few Source Crystals, so how could she be willing to sell? After trying to bargain with them, they even put their hands on her, and Yang Kai knew what happened next.
“Senior Brother, you should take this spirit flower. I don’t know what it is anyway.” While speaking, Liu Xian Yun handed the jade box to Yang Kai.
“Let me see.” Yang Kai took it and unsealed the box, opening it up a slit.
In a flash, a fresh fragrance spilled out from the box. When the smell entered his nose, Yang Kai felt invigorated and his Knowledge Sea also cleared up considerably.
With a clang, Yang Kai quickly shut the jade box, face filled with disbelief.
Soul Warming Lotus?
Even though he had only opened the jade box a crack, his Divine Sense could see the spirit flower laying inside that looked like his Soul Warming Lotus. Only, it wasn’t as colourful. Instead, it was pure white. The aura that came out of it was somewhat similar to the Soul Warming Lotus, as if it were a Soul Warming Lotus that had been shrunken a dozen times.
No! This isn’t a Soul Warming Lotus! It was said that the Soul Warming Lotus was a supreme treasure in this world. Just like the Immortal Tree, only one existed in the world. There was definitely no other.
“Pristine Soul Heavenly Restoration Lotus?” Yang Kai suddenly remembered the information recorded on the jade slip left behind by Wondrous Pill Great Emperor’s third disciple, Gong Sun Mu, and immediately realized what this spirit medicine was.
This was clearly the legendary Pristine Soul Heavenly Restoration Lotus!
The Pristine Soul Heavenly Restoration Lotus was not as precious as the Soul Warming Lotus, but it was still a legendary item. Just like the Flesh Incarnation Fruit, it was an extinct treasure.
The Pristine Soul Restoring Heavenly Pill was refined with the Pristine Soul Heavenly Restoration Lotus as its primary ingredient. Even though it did not have the effect of raising the dead, it was still able to repair the broken meridians and dantian of a cultivator. It was definitely a divine treasure.
Take the burly bald-headed man and the Head Shopkeeper of Endless Treasures Pavilion for example. Even though their cultivations were crippled by Yang Kai, if they took a Heavenly Restoration Pill, it would take less than three months before their broken meridians and dantian would become as good as new.
But this thing only existed in the legends, and it had not appeared in public in thousands of years.
Who knew what sort of problems those people from the Endless Treasures Pavilion had in their heads when they tried to buy this Pristine Soul Heavenly Restoration Lotus by force for just ten thousand Low-Rank Source Crystals! Ten thousand trivial Low-Rank Source Crystals weren’t even enough to sniff this Pristine Soul Heavenly Restoration Lotus’s aura.
The people at Endless Treasures Pavilion may not have recognized the Pristine Soul Heavenly Restoration Lotus, but they definitely knew this was worth a lot of money. If they really tried to pay for it fairly, they may not have been able to afford it, so they simply stole it instead.
The Pristine Soul Restoring Heavenly Pill’s medicinal effects did not just stop at repairing the meridians and dantian. It had other special uses too.
In any case, the Pristine Soul Restoring Heavenly Pill’s worth was definitely invaluable.
Yang Kai also did not expect Liu Xian Yun to have such fortune to obtain such a divine treasure.
“Junior Sister, do you remember where you got this spirit flower from?” Yang Kai lowered his voice.
“Deep inside the Solitary Void Mountain Range…” A hint of fear rose up in Liu Xian Yun as she recalled her time there, “I was chased by a Monster Beast and was only able to escape it by running through random paths. Otherwise, I wouldn’t have gone there myself. I heard that the deepest part of the Solitary Void Mountain Range is a place where even an Emperor Realm Master would not be able to return safely from once they went in. So, it was all thanks to luck that I was able to make it out this time.”
“If I asked you to go there again, would you be able to find the right path?”
“Go there again?” Liu Xian Yun’s pretty face paled a little and she asked, “To do what?”
It was absolutely thanks to luck that she was able to escape safely last time. If she were to go again, Liu Xian Yun didn’t have the slightest confidence that she could escape alive, so she had no idea why Yang Kai wanted to take such a risk.
“Because…” Yang Kai was just about to explain to her the reason, but before he could finish, he suddenly frowned and looked downstairs.
He could see, standing in front of the door of Endless Treasures Pavilion, a middle-aged man dressed in a luxurious robe with a dark look on his face. The man had an extraordinary air about him and was, impressively, an Emperor Realm Master. He seemed to have sensed Yang Kai’s gaze and looked over in an instant, eyes as sharp as that of a hawk’s.
“It’s Pang Guang!” Liu Xian Yun also saw the middle-aged man and immediately cried out in panic.
Having been in Marsh City for so many years, she naturally knew very well what Pang Guang looked like. When she saw him come here in person, she knew they were in big trouble.
She had no idea how Yang Kai could be so confident as to stay, but an Emperor Realm Master clearly wasn’t someone who was easy to deal with.
On the other side, Pang Guang suddenly moved, disappearing in an instant.
By the time he reappeared, he had already arrived on the third floor of the teahouse, standing in front of Yang Kai and Liu Xian Yun.
Liu Xian Yun was so shocked that she screamed, blood draining from her face in an instant.
“Were you two the ones who were stirring up trouble in Endless Treasures Pavilion earlier?” Pang Guang went straight to the point and coldly questioned Yang Kai and Liu Xian Yun. He had clearly learned of the appearances of the troublemakers through some unknown means.
Liu Xian Yun’s pretty face paled and she did not dare to answer.
She was only a First-Order Dao Source Realm cultivator and she had just broken through recently. Her realm wasn’t even consolidated yet. Naturally, facing an Emperor Realm Master felt as stressful as if a mountain was piled on top of her.
But Yang Kai was calm and unperturbed, only giving Pang Guang a simple glance.
Compared to Qiu Ze, Pang Guang’s aura was undoubtedly stronger and more powerful. He was very clearly stronger than Qiu Ze, but his power was limited. With Yang Kai’s strengths and means, there was no need for him to fear him.
When neither of them answered, Pang Guang bellowed at once, “You dare stay silent when this King questions you?”
His Emperor Pressure suddenly poured out, filling the entire teahouse. The faces of the other cultivators who were still drinking tea changed, going completely stiff. The murderous intent that was as dense as if it was material instantly sent shivers down their spines when it seeped into their skin and bones. They cursed Yang Kai for not knowing the immensity of Heaven and Earth, acting so wantonly in front of the City Lord and even dragging them into it.
With a gentle wave of Yang Kai’s hand though, it was as if a sharp sword had cut through the dim sky and the Emperor Pressure enveloping him and Liu Xian Yun dissipated instantly, feeling as if the clouds had cleared to reveal clear skies.
Pang Guang was shocked. Only then did he begin re-examining Yang Kai.
He could clearly sense that Yang Kai was only at the Third-Order Dao Source Realm, but then how could he disperse his Emperor Pressure with just a wave of his hand? Even though it was just one move, Pang Guang didn’t dare to underestimate Yang Kai anymore. He knew that if this young man could make a big mess of his Endless Treasures Pavilion and had the guts to sit here, it meant he probably had something to rely on.
[Does this guy come from some top Sect? If not, how could he have such heritage?]
He had heard that the elite disciples of those top Sects had the strength to fight above their realm. If this young man really did come from one of those top Sects, then things were going to be tricky today.
At that moment, Pang Guang suddenly felt some uncertainty well up in his heart. For a City Lord to have an establishment under his name be turned upside down with his subordinates killed or injured, where was he going to put his face if the other party wouldn’t give him a satisfactory answer?
But if this man had a strong background, he may not necessarily be able to provoke him. Don’t look at how Pang Guang lorded over Marsh City, he really wasn’t anything in the eyes of those top Sects. If anything happened, those people could just send one of their Elders over and they would be able to destroy him several dozen to a hundred times over.
As he was still thinking about how he was going to solve today’s problem without offending too many people while still maintaining his reputation, he suddenly sensed something different around him.
Shocked, he turned his head around, only to see that an elderly man had somehow appeared beside him at some point. This old man had a head of white hair but he looked quite hale and hearty. Dressed in grey linen robes, the man looked completely inconspicuous.
[When did this old thing appear?]
Pang Guang was astonished. He was only thinking about Yang Kai earlier and completely did not notice when this elderly man appeared. And, this man’s face was also extremely unfamiliar to him. He had clearly never met this person before.
Yang Kai was also taken aback by the old man’s sudden appearance.
Pang Guang was distracted earlier and didn’t pay much attention to the old man’s sudden appearance, but Yang Kai saw the whole thing.
This elderly man appeared completely without warning, as if he simply materialized out of thin air in the blink of an eye.
Yang Kai steadied his thoughts and quietly released his Divine Sense to check the old man’s cultivation. Much to his surprise, it was like his Divine Sense was trying to probe an endless ocean, sinking in and disappearing without a trace.
This old man… turned out to be an even more powerful Emperor Realm Master than Pang Guang. At the very least, he had to be a Second-Order Emperor, but most likely he was a Third-Order Emperor.
Such a Master existed in Marsh City? Yang Kai was thoroughly shocked. He quietly glanced at Pang Guang. If these two were on the same side, then things would be tricky. He originally thought that Pang Guang was the only one to be wary of in Marsh City, that’s why Yang Kai wasn’t afraid at all. But now that an even more powerful old man had appeared, Yang Kai was already beginning to consider how he was going to get out of here safely.
But after taking a glance at him, Yang Kai felt reassured. That was because Pang Guang also had a suspicious look on his face at the moment. He clearly did not know this elderly man.
As a City Lord, he actually did not realize what sorts of hidden dragons and crouching tigers were hiding under his own territory. It had to be said that Pang Guang was truly a failure as a City Lord.
The elderly man had a burning gaze at the moment, as if he had discovered something of great interest, and smiled at Yang Kai, “This Old Master is Yao Chang Jun, the owner of this teahouse. How should I address you, Little Brother?”
He had an amiable look on his face as if he were an easily approachable Senior, but Yang Kai could instinctively feel a dangerous aura coming from him.
Before Yang Kai could say anything, Pang Guang coldly snorted and said, “This City Lord has something to discuss with this young man. Unrelated people should excuse themselves now.”
He had a commanding look on his face, as if he didn’t put Yao Chang Jun in his eyes at all.
As soon as his words came out, Yang Kai’s expression turned odd instantly.
But very soon, he understood. He guessed that Pang Guang probably did not know Yao Chang Jun’s depths. Otherwise, he would not dare talk to him like this. And, after his previous attempts to shake Yang Kai with his prestige failed miserably, Yao Chang Jun also did not even look at him after he showed up, so Pang Guang was probably acting out of anger without thinking right now.
Yang Kai not putting him in his eyes was one thing, but how dare a trivial owner of a teahouse under his jurisdiction not show him respect?
As a City Lord, how could Pang Guang bear this?
“You want this Old Master to excuse himself?” Yao Chang Jun grinned meaningfully and looked at Pang Guang with interest, “Are you sure of that?”
Only now did Pang Guang realize that something was wrong and quickly released his Divine Sense to check Yao Chang Jun’s cultivation, but it was already too late. The latter had already struck a palm towards Pang Guang and coldly snorted, “A trivial First-Order Emperor dares act so presumptuous in front of this Old Master? Scram!”
The Qi rumbled in his palm like a vortex of stars, harbouring tremendous power.
When he released his Qi, it seemed to shake both Heaven and Earth.
Pang Guang’s face changed dramatically. There was no way he still didn’t know his foolish self had just provoked someone he shouldn’t have. Terrified, he quickly retreated backwards, shock apparent in his voice, “Senior, mercy!”
But no matter how he tried to dodge it, the old man’s palm still hit him square in the chest. Following a loud bang, Pang Guang’s entire body flew backwards like a sack, destroying several dozen buildings along the way before he landed miserably on the ground, coughing out a mouthful of blood.
The rowdy cultivators on the third floor of the Delightful Pleasures Teahouse were all dead silent.
All their eyes were so wide they threatened to pop out of their sockets at this sight.
Marsh City’s City Lord, a First-Order Emperor Realm Master, Sir Pang Guang, was actually sent flying by an unknown old man!
And what’s more, this old man was the owner of the Delightful Pleasures Teahouse!
If they had not seen it with their own eyes, then they never would have believed it.
It turned out the real master behind Marsh City was not the City Lord at the front, but the hidden owner of this teahouse!
How high was this teahouse owner’s cultivation to be able to send Pang Guang flying with one hit? Second-Order Emperor Realm? Third-Order?
Everyone was shocked beyond words. When some of them thought back to how they used to go crazy in this teahouse and deliberately made things difficult for the shop-hands, they suddenly became morbidly ill all over. A cold chill went down from the tops of their heads to the soles of their feet as if they had fallen into a freezing blizzard.
Only now did they realize that Delightful Pleasures Teahouse was definitely not a place where they could act wild and unrestrained. With the cultivation of the owner, if he really did want to take their lives, even Pang Guang wouldn’t dare to make any noise. The reason why they were fine was clearly that the owner didn’t care.
[We will never dare cause trouble here again!] Each of the cultivators vowed in their hearts.
“Now we can talk.” After slapping Pang Guang away, Yao Chang Jun sat in front of Yang Kai with a smile, face looking calm and relaxed as if he was just slapping away a fly.
Liu Xian Yun was completely dumbfounded. Her face was drained of colour and her teeth chattering. She originally thought that they had just offended Pang Guang, but now she didn’t expect an even more powerful Master to jump out.
“What does Senior wish to talk to me about?” Yang Kai frowned and asked. From the moves he showed just now, this Yao Chang Jun was clearly not as amiable as he may seem on the surface; rather, he seemed to be an old monster subject to shifting moods.
How could Yang Kai dare to treat such a person lightly?
While speaking, Yang Kai silently slipped the jade box into his robe.
But obviously, his actions could not be hidden from Yao Chang Jun’s eyes. With just a reach of his hands, the owner of Delightful Pleasures Teahouse was able to make the box in Yang Kai’s hand fly into his own.
Yang Kai’s face sank immediately. He knew that Yao Chang Jun had likely sensed the aura of the Pristine Soul Heavenly Restoration Lotus, and that’s why he appeared. A peerless treasure like this was definitely of great use to any cultivator.
Otherwise, it would be impossible for him to snatch away his things in such a way.
If he had known this would happen, then Yang Kai would not have opened the seal of the jade box here. Only, who would have thought that an old monster would be hidden inside this teahouse? Yang Kai sighed in his heart and could only hope that Yao Chang Jun had no idea about the secrets behind the Pristine Soul Heavenly Restoration Lotus.
“Let’s talk about this,” Yao Chang Jun grinned meaningfully, with a ‘don’t play slick in front of me, boy’ look on his face. While speaking, he gently opened a crack on the jade box and his face suddenly turned solemn, as if the jade box contained something extremely precious and important to him.
A faint fragrance wafted out from the jade box, and a look of astonishment emerged in Yao Chang Jun’s eyes, causing him to rejoice, “As expected, it’s this! This Old Master has waited two hundred years for this day, it was not in vain! Hahahaha.”
Yao Chang Jun’s face beamed instantly.
From how Yao Chang Jun was talking, there was no way Yang Kai wouldn’t know that he recognized the Pristine Soul Heavenly Restoration Lotus. What’s more, this old man kept his identity hidden and opened a teahouse here, surprisingly just for the sake of this treasure, and he even waited more than two hundred years!
“Boy, tell this Old Master, where did you find this?” After confirming that the jade box did indeed contain the Pristine Soul Heavenly Restoration Lotus, Yao Chang Jun suddenly became eager. The warmth from just now was long gone, on the contrary, his voice was now dark, very likely hinting to Yang Kai that he would show no mercy if he dared hide the truth from him.
“Senior, this is something I came across inadvertently. It has nothing to do with my Senior Brother,” Liu Xian Yun suddenly interjected.
Her intention was clear. She didn’t want to involve Yang Kai into her own matters.
“You were the one who obtained it?” Upon hearing this, Yao Chang Jun ignored Yang Kai and turned his burning gaze towards Liu Xian Yun instead.
Liu Xian Yun was a little frightened by his intimidating gaze, but still nodded with unease, “Yes.”
“Where?” Yao Chang Jun urged.
Liu Xian Yun froze. She looked at Yang Kai nervously. She talked to Yang Kai about this earlier, but she was interrupted by Pang Guang before she could answer. Was it possible that other treasures existed where this had been picked up from? Otherwise, why would these two both ask this question?
Even though she was puzzled, she didn’t dare to dally and quickly responded, “I found it deep inside the Solitary Void Mountain Range.”
“The Solitary Void Mountain Range! As expected!” Yao Chang Jun hissed, seemingly having guessed the answer already. His expression fluctuated for a while before he asked solemnly, “If you were to go there again, could you retrace your steps?”
Liu Xian Yun answered, “I don’t remember the way too well…”
“Waste!” Upon hearing this answer, Yao Chang Jun’s anger flared up. He pressed his surging Emperor Pressure that was as dense as a solid material over Liu Xian Yun, and the latter’s face turned red, spitting out a mouthful of blood from the shock.
At that moment, Yang Kai suddenly acted.
This old monster, Yao Chang Jun, was definitely not easy to deal with. Moreover, he was subject to shifting moods, and Yang Kai could see at a glance he was a merciless one, not putting the lives of others in his eyes just because of his high cultivation. There was no issue with him asking Liu Xian Yun about where she found the Pristine Soul Heavenly Restoration Lotus, she could just take him there, but there was a need to worry about this old man wanting to silence the witness to the crime after he was done using her.
Yang Kai guessed that he was likely going to do so.
So, when the old man’s anger flared up, Yang Kai knew his opportunity had come.
Space Principles surged as the air around them froze in an instant. Yang Kai snapped his fingers and sent several huge Moon Blades towards Yao Chang Jun.
Yao Chang Jun was still in a fit of rage, so he would never have expected that Yang Kai would take the initiative to raise his hand against him. Obviously, it was admirable that a Third-Order Dao Source Realm brat could hold his calm in front of him, but did he really dare to raise his hand against him?
Yao Chang Jun was taken completely by surprise.
The black Moon Blades very quickly arrived before Yao Chang Jun’s eyes with the intention of chopping him into pieces.
But Yao Chang Jun was unfazed and snorted coldly, “Little brat, you’re courting death!”
As soon as he said that, he reached out and grabbed the Moon Blades.
Being grabbed by him, after a fierce squeeze, the sharp Moon Blades shattered directly, along with the Space Principles Yang Kai manipulated, causing the solidified space around them to instantly smooth under immense Emperor Pressure.
“Space Principles?” Yao Chang Jun revealed a look of surprise at Yang Kai, “Interesting. Who is Li Wu Yi to you, boy?”
“Your Father!” As Yang Kai bellowed, the Demon Eye of Annihilation was opened, and the Blossoming Lotus Secret Technique revealed itself from the golden vertical slit, pouring out and blasting into Yao Chang Jun’s mind.
Yao Chang Jun did not expect Yang Kai to use a Soul Secret Technique to deal with him; after all, the difference between their cultivations was too great. Under normal circumstances, the one with weaker cultivation couldn’t attack someone stronger using a Soul Secret Technique because it would undoubtedly result in severe backlash, possibly even death.
But Yang Kai did so.
What unsettled Yao Chang Jun even more was the fact that this was currently his biggest weakness.
Yang Kai seemed to have known that, so he did not feel the slightest hint of fear and directly used an extremely strong Soul Secret Technique.
Yao Chang Jun was hit instantly, and his Knowledge Sea defences were swiftly torn through. Severe throbbing pain erupted in his mind and he began howling while holding his head. The Qi in Yao Chang Jun’s body flared uncontrollably and rampaged out in all directions.
“Run!” Yang Kai shouted as he reached out towards the jade box in Yao Chang Jun’s hands, directly snatching the Pristine Soul Heavenly Restoration Lotus back from him. Then, without the slightest delay, he grabbed the frozen Liu Xian Yun and wrapped Space Principles around their bodies, teleporting away.
*Hong…*
Just as the two of them left, the Delightful Pleasures Teahouse collapsed.
Yao Chang Jun’s rampaging Qi had transformed into the shapes of dragons and tigers, mindlessly crashing into everything around them, instantly killing off many of the cultivators drinking tea in the teahouse, as well as collapsing several stores on the street.
A dozen blocks away, Pang Guang who had crawled up in a pitiful state looked over, pale-faced, and exclaimed, “Third-Order Emperor Realm!”
He had not been able to sense Yao Chang Jun’s cultivation clearly before, but from the outburst of Qi just now, the depths of this old man’s cultivation had become clear.
[The owner of that Delightful Pleasures Teahouse actually turned out to be a Third-Order Emperor Realm Master!] Pang Guang was taken aback.
He was Marsh City’s City Lord and yet he had no idea such a top-level Master was hiding in the territory he managed. This frightened him, and he was glad he had not provoked him before.
But what Pang Guang found even more unbelievable was the fact that Yao Chang Jun had just been hurt. Who did it? From the sound of his roar and the state of things, it was clear he had been hurt badly. [Could it have been that young man?] But that was also impossible. That young man was only at the Third-Order Dao Source Realm. Even if Yao Chang Jun stood there and allowed him to beat him, it was impossible for Yang Kai to have hurt him.
[Could it be that Yao Chang Jun wasn’t the only Third-Order Emperor Realm master in Marsh City?] Considering this possibility, Pang Guang’s face suddenly paled and he began feeling suspicious.
“Little brat, you dare sneak attack this Old Master! You’re dead! This Old Master will never let you go!” A roar came from the ruins of the teahouse. Murderous intent gushed out from Yao Chang Jun like a tide. It took a lot of effort for him to calm the pain inside his mind. Quickly searching for the direction Yang Kai fled, Yao Chang Jun immediately gave chase, his body moving as fast as lightning.
He was a Third-Order Emperor Realm Master, yet he was injured in a sneak attack by Yang Kai. Where would he put his face if rumours of this were to spread out? Yao Chang Jun swore to himself that he had to catch Yang Kai, and then he would have him taste all the torturing techniques this world had to offer in order to vent his rage.
In the blink of an eye, Yao Chang Jun disappeared.
Pang Guang stood in place with a gloomy face and pondered for a while. Then, his body also disappeared, flying out of the city.
It seemed like he was chasing after Yao Chang Jun and Yang Kai, but it was not known what he was thinking in his mind.
Outside the city, Yang Kai was constantly pushing the local Space Principles, teleporting more than a dozen kilometres at a time. Liu Xian Yun, who had been swept up into his arms, still hadn’t come to her senses until now. She was completely dumbfounded.
Yang Kai had actually injured Yao Chang Jun. Looking at the situation, he seemed to have done it using Spiritual Energy. But how was that possible? What she saw today had completely turned her worldview upside down and made her wonder if she were dreaming.
“Where is the Solitary Void Mountain Range?” Yang Kai asked quickly when he felt the murderous intent rapidly approaching.
Although he was proficient in the Dao of Space, it took a lot of effort from him to teleport each time if he had to bring Liu Xian Yun along. If this continued, Yao Chang Jun would catch up to them sooner or later. With Yao Chang Jun’s great strength, they definitely wouldn’t be able to resist him.
Now, Yang Kai could only enter the Solitary Void Mountain Range first, hoping to shake Yao Chang Jun off with the help of the terrain there. He heard Liu Xian Yun say that the depths of the Solitary Void Mountain Range were extremely dangerous, and that even Emperor Realm Masters may not be able to come out alive once they went in.
“That way!” Upon hearing this, Liu Xian Yun subconsciously pointed in a certain direction. She had been staying in Marsh City for several years, so she was still quite familiar with the surrounding environment.
Yang Kai immediately changed directions and sped towards the Solitary Void Mountain Range.
“Senior Brother…” Even though Liu Xian Yun was in Yang Kai’s arms, she still felt chills over her body. That was because the clear murderous intent behind them was growing closer and closer. She could feel it clearly, “You should escape by yourself. I was the one who dragged you into this mess.”
“I hurt him once, you think he’ll let me go?” Yang Kai responded frankly, “Since you still call me your Senior Brother, then I can’t just abandon you. Rest assured, escaping is my strong suit.”
When she saw him being insistent, Liu Xian Yun could only purse her lips, feeling touched inside. Thinking back to when she met Yang Kai, the two of them would have been complete strangers if they had not exchanged blows. Later, they didn’t spend that much time together in Blue Feather Sect, but Yang Kai had still given her the bulk of what they owned at the time when they escaped. This time, Yang Kai even stood up for her when he saw her again, making her feel warm and comfortable in this unfamiliar Star Boundary.
Even in the Grand Desolation Star Field, nobody had ever treated her this well. After living so many years, it was the first time she had met someone who would take such good care of her. With their bodies so close together, Liu Xian Yun gradually felt that that chilling murderous intent was no longer as cold. Instead, as time went by, she even felt a touch of warmth inside her.
She was shocked and quickly distracted herself, asking curiously, “Senior Brother, is that Yao Chang Jun really a Third-Order Emperor?”
“Guaranteed real or your money back!”
“Then how did you hurt him?” Liu Xian Yun was confused. Logically speaking, with the great difference in their cultivation, it should be impossible for Yang Kai to hurt Yao Chang Jun no matter what sort of tricks he used, but Yang Kai managed to achieve this. That cry of pain from Yao Chang Jun she heard was definitely not fake.
“Because there’s a crack in his Knowledge Sea!” Yang Kai told her, “He’s definitely suffered a severe injury to his Soul before. If that wasn’t the case, I would have suffered extreme backlash when I attacked him using a Soul Secret Technique with my current cultivation. If I didn’t die then, I’d at least be crippled.”
“How did you know?” Liu Xian Yun was amazed by Yang Kai. After all, Yang Kai and Yao Chang Jun had never met each other before, so how did Yang Kai know such a secret? Having a crack in his Knowledge Sea definitely had to be Yao Chang Jun’s greatest secret. Otherwise, he would not have hidden his identity in Marsh City. The reason he was hiding there was obviously that he was worried his enemies would come and find him.
Yang Kai smiled, “He cares so much about that Pristine Soul Heavenly Restoration Lotus, obviously because he wants to repair his Knowledge Sea!”
Liu Xian Yun was surprised, “So, that spirit flower is called the Pristine Soul Heavenly Restoration Lotus? Senior Brother means to say that this spirit flower has the ability to repair one’s Knowledge Sea?”
“No, the Pristine Soul Heavenly Restoration Lotus itself does not have that ability.” Yang Kai pondered for a moment before explaining to her, “If this herb you found were to be refined, then it can be turned into the Pristine Soul Restoring Heavenly Pill which is used to repair broken meridians and dantians; it is extremely useful for cultivators who have been severely injured and had their cultivation crippled. However, the Pristine Soul Heavenly Restoration Lotus has another name, the Twin Heavenly Restoration Lotus. When it appears, each stalk always comes in a pair, one white and one black. If both of them can be obtained, then the Twin Heavenly Restoration Pill can be refined. This is an even higher-level pill than the Pristine Soul Restoring Heavenly Pill. It can not only repair broken meridians and dantians, but also repair one’s Soul and expand their Knowledge Sea. It can even allow a cultivator to more clearly sense Principle Strength.”
“Twin lotuses!” Liu Xian Yun exclaimed, “No wonder you were all asking me where I found it. So, it’s to find the other Heavenly Restoration Lotus. In that case, it seems Yao Chang Jun also knows quite a lot about this Twin Heavenly Restoration Lotus.”
“He was able to identify it through its aura alone, so he has clearly done some research.” Yang Kai raised a brow and continued, “From what he said, the Heavenly Restoration Lotus seems to have appeared here in the Solitary Void Mountain Range before, so that’s why he waited here for two hundred years.”
“But Senior Brother… There was only this one when I found it.” Liu Xian Yun was confused. Even though she had come upon the white Heavenly Restoration Lotus by chance, she had also carefully looked around its surroundings when she picked it and did not find any other valuable spirit medicines. If the Twin Heavenly Restoration Lotus was really one white and one black, then there was no way she could have missed it.
“Maybe someone else took it, or maybe you overlooked it, but let’s not worry about that for now. We have to find a way to get rid of that old monster first.”
After saying that, Yang Kai stopped talking and focused on studying the terrain.
The Solitary Void Mountain Range was a rough wilderness area near Marsh City, and also a place where many cultivators liked to train at. Due to the special environment, many valuable Monster Beasts and spirit herbs could be found here. The cultivators living in Marsh City came here often in groups in order to find cultivation materials.
Liu Xian Yun had been here many times, so she knew the terrain well.
Under her guidance, the two of them rushed over to the Solitary Void Mountain Range in just under an hour.
As soon as he stepped down, Yang Kai could feel a frightening aura lingering around him, as if something that could threaten his safety existed deep inside this Solitary Void Mountain Range. And, based on what Liu Xian Yun said, she had always trained at the outer periphery of the Solitary Void Mountain Range, never going deep inside. The reason was that the deeper one ventured, the more dangerous it was. Once, an Emperor Realm Master was daring enough to enter the deepest depths of the Solitary Void Mountain Range, but he never came out.
Last time, if not out of desperation from being chased by a Monster Beast, Liu Xian Yun would never have run inside. In the end, she was able to escape safely completely thanks to her own luck.
But the deeper one went, the more rewards a cultivator could obtain. The high rewards often led cultivators into taking risks.
Countless cultivators went missing in the Solitary Void Mountain Range every year.
But there were no absolutes in anything. Often, good things could be found in the outer area of the Solitary Void Mountain Range too. Once, a cultivator was able to find a patch of Emperor Grade spirit grass just a thousand kilometres from the edge of Solitary Void Mountain Range, allowing him to acquire a massive amount of wealth.
Yang Kai wondered, “Since so many cultivators are training and searching around this outer periphery, how can there still be good things left behind?”
Liu Xian Yun responded, “I’m not too sure either, but it feels different every time I come here. It seems that the scenery here goes through a dramatic change every once in a while, and all the things I saw before on the same path tend to disappear, replaced by something else.”
“Is that true?” Yang Kai was astonished.
After asking that question, Yang Kai’s face changed. Immediately, he spurred on his Source Qi and once again teleported a hundred kilometres in one go, putting some distance between Yao Chang Jun and them.
As expected of a Third-Order Emperor Realm Master. Even though the Delightful Pleasures Teahouse’s owner suffered heavy damage to his Soul, the strength he had remaining was still far beyond Yang Kai’s reach. Even though he was proficient in the Dao of Space, Yang Kai wasn’t able to shake off this old man’s pursuit while bringing Liu Xian Yun along.
Teleporting took a lot of energy from Yang Kai. The pressure of the Star Boundary’s World Principles was very strong, so a lot of Source Qi and Spiritual Energy was required each time he wanted to teleport. On top of that, Yang Kai had to protect Liu Xian Yun from the turbulent Space Principles when he teleported, increasing his consumption greatly.
But he had managed to refine a lot of pills during his time in Thousand Leaves Sect, which just happened to come into use now. So, for now, there was no need for Yang Kai to worry about exhausting his strength, but this was not a sustainable solution.
The Solitary Void Mountain Range was filled with dangers. Not only were there a variety of ferocious Monster Beasts inside, but also many Natural Spirit Arrays. Yang Kai had to release his Divine Sense while maintaining his Demon Eye of Annihilation at all times in order to avoid these dangers in advance.
On the contrary, Yao Chang Jun who was chasing after them would often fall into traps, likely due to him not daring to use his Divine Sense flexibly. However, with Yao Chang Jun’s strength, even if he were to be surrounded by Monster Beasts or get himself caught up in a Spirit Array, it only took him a moment to extricate himself.
Yao Chang Jun’s understanding of Solitary Void Mountain Range was much deeper than Yang Kai’s; after all, he had been living here for two hundred years and naturally wasn’t just sitting around doing nothing. Yao Chang Jun often went to the Solitary Void Mountain Range himself in hopes that he could find the Twin Heavenly Restoration Lotus.
He originally thought that Yang Kai would not be able to escape him for long with how big the gap in their strength was, but after a while, Yao Chang Jun realized how wrong he was.
From beginning to end, he was never able to close the distance between Yang Kai and himself. Every time he used a Secret Technique to close their distance, Yang Kai would always be able to shake him off, which angered him greatly, yet there was nothing he could do about it.
A cultivator who had cultivated the Dao of Space was the most difficult to catch. Yao Chang Jun had fought cultivators like this before, and from what Yang Kai had shown of his skills, this little brat’s attainments in the Dao of Space were extremely high. Even if it was not as high as that one person Yao Chang Jun knew, it was definitely not a level of skill a Junior with such low cultivation should possess.
[Where did this freak of a brat come from?] Yao Chang Jun couldn’t figure it out. Could he be a disciple taught by Li Wu Yi, the Master with the deepest insight into the Dao of Space in the entire Star Boundary?
The chase lasted for five days, but Yao Chang Jun was still unable to capture Yang Kai. This caused him to wonder whether he was going to lose this opportunity!
If not for the damage he received to his Soul, stopping him from releasing his full power, then even if Yang Kai was proficient in the Dao of Space, there was no way a trivial Third-Order Dao Source Realm cultivator could even dream of escaping from Yao Chang Jun!
He could completely lock down the space around Yang Kai, suppressing him with his extremely strong cultivation, not even giving him the opportunity to teleport away.
But unfortunately, there were no such things as ‘ifs’ in this world.
Just as Yao Chang Jun was turning blue from anger and vowing in his heart that he was going to give Yang Kai a miserable death, his heart suddenly jumped and joy filled his face.
That was because he discovered that Yang Kai had suddenly stopped moving. He had no idea whether he had been caught up in some Spirit Array or some other danger, but whatever the reason, it was good news for Yao Chang Jun.
Spurring on his flight type artifact, he rushed towards Yang Kai’s direction.
“Senior Brother, what happened?” Several thousand kilometres away, Liu Xian Yun was looking at Yang Kai in confusion.
Just now, Yang Kai suddenly stopped, his face changing dramatically.
“I’m a fool!” Yang Kai gritted his teeth, a chagrined look on his face.
“Why do you say that?” Liu Xian Yun had no idea why he would suddenly say that about himself.
“Wait for me, I’ll be right back!” Yang Kai said as he put Liu Xian Yun down and swept his Divine Sense around the area, finding a suitable location before hurrying over to it.
A few moments later, Yang Kai slipped into the Sealed World Bead.
Yang Kai was quite surprised that Yao Chang Jun would actually be so persistent in chasing them. Due to the injury he received to his Soul, it made it impossible for him to lock onto their position with his Divine Sense. In fact, Yang Kai had not detected Yao Chang Jun once in the five days of their chase.
The other party was still able to pinpoint their location, however, and was constantly chasing behind them.
It had to be mentioned that Yang Kai had teleported multiple times during these past five days, and with Yao Chang Jun’s current state, Yang Kai was confident he could lose him.
So, then how had he been locating them? The only explanation was that Yao Chang Jun had put down some sort of mark on him and Liu Xian Yun, and pinpointed their location through that.
When he thought of this, Yang Kai knew he had been too careless in the past five days. If he had noticed this earlier, they may have lost this old monster by now.
Inside the Small Sealed World, Yang Kai’s senses were being magnified many times over.
Inside the Sealed World Bead that he refined, he was its ruler, and the world moved as his wished. Even though the World Principles of the Small Sealed World were not perfect yet, it was still easy for Yang Kai to use them to search his body for any abnormalities.
Yang Kai used the World Principles within the Sealed World Bead in order to search every inch of his body.
He prayed that things would not be too complicated, that the Secret Technique or seal would be on his body. If it was placed on Liu Xian Yun, then he would have to bring Liu Xian Yun into the Sealed World Bead to check her.
Five breaths later, Yang Kai’s eyes lit up. He reached into his Space Ring and took out the jade box containing the Heavenly Restoration Lotus, then he tossed it over to Liu Yan who had rushed over, saying, “A Master’s mark is on this box, get rid of it.”
Liu Yan took the box and before she could say anything to Yang Kai, the latter had already disappeared.
Deep inside the Solitary Void Mountain Range, Liu Xian Yun was standing there alone, looking around at the unfamiliar scenery around her with unease.
Yang Kai went into a small mound at the side, and she had no idea what he was doing, but he suddenly disappeared without even leaving any hint of his aura behind.
Even though she knew that Yang Kai was not the type of person to disregard the life or death of his companions, she still couldn’t stop her thoughts from running wild. She wondered if perhaps Yang Kai had left her here, abandoning her because she was dragging him down?
“No, that won’t happen.” Liu Xian Yun shook her head. If Yang Kai really was that sort of person, then he would not have brought her along to escape from Blue Feather Sect in the first place, even giving her all that wealth when they parted ways so she could support herself. Yang Kai would also never have taken the risk to provoke a Third-Order Emperor Realm Master at the Delightful Pleasures Pavilion several days prior to lead her away with him.
[Senior Brother must be doing something important!] Liu Xian Yun consoled herself.
As soon as her thoughts came to an end, Yang Kai’s aura suddenly and mysteriously appeared again. Immediately after, he rushed out from behind the mound.
“Senior Brother…” Liu Xian Yun’s heart felt like a large stone had been lifted off of it and she finally relaxed.
Yang Kai moved over to her and wrapped his arms around her again without a single word, urging the surrounding Space Principles, the pair disappeared in an instant.
A moment later, the two of them arrived a thousand kilometres away. Only then did Yang Kai summon his wooden ship, pulling Liu Xian Yun onto it and urging her, “Take your clothes off.”
“Huh?” Upon hearing this, Liu Xian Yun’s face turned red.
In the middle of the wilderness, Yang Kai suddenly asked her to take her clothes off, and he said it in a commanding voice that accepted no refusals. Naturally, Liu Xian Yun felt both angry and embarrassed, and she inevitably took it the wrong way.
Yang Kai said, “Yao Chang Jun left a mark on the jade box so he can pinpoint our location. I have no idea if there’s anything on your clothes, but it’s necessary to take precautions. You should change into a new set of clothes.”
Only after hearing this explanation did Liu Xian Yun understand what Yang Kai was trying to do and knew that she had misunderstood his intentions. She was instantly embarrassed.
But she wasn’t a prudish little girl either, so she immediately began undressing after finding out the reason.
Very quickly, she changed into a different set of clothes, completely burning the ones she was originally wearing.
Three thousand kilometres away, Yao Chang Jun’s body suddenly stopped, face turning ashen. That was because he suddenly noticed that the mark he had planted suddenly went missing.
Back at the teahouse, he branded a mark onto the jade box after snatching it from Yang Kai, not because he could foretell what was going to happen, but out of an abundance of caution. He had waited two hundred years and finally found the Heavenly Restoration Lotus, so how could he not act carefully?
As facts proved, his cautiousness allowed him to pursue Yang Kai for five days without losing him.
But just now, his mark suddenly disappeared.
Of course, there was no way Yao Chang Jun wouldn’t realize that Yang Kai had discovered his mark and erased it! But what he couldn’t figure out was how Yang Kai, a trivial Third-Order Dao Source Realm cultivator, was able to do that.
The gap between their strength was real.
Yao Chang Jun became both anxious and angry, howling towards the sky, “Little Brat, this King will find and capture you no matter what it takes!”
Even though there was no more mark to show him the way, Yao Chang Jun was still unwilling to give up. The Heavenly Restoration Lotus wasn’t something that could be found easily, and it was only by chance that he was able to find one this time. If he missed this chance, he may never get another.
He vowed to himself that he would find Yang Kai no matter what and rip his corpse into ten thousand pieces so he could get that Heavenly Restoration Lotus back.
Deep inside the Solitary Void Mountain Range, Yang Kai had a terrible expression on his face.
Even though they managed to shake Yao Chang Jun off, they weren’t in any better position right now either. That was because he had gotten lost in this damned place.
After asking Liu Xian Yun, she also said that she didn’t know how to get out of here. She had only been this deep once, and it was all thanks to luck that she was able to get out the last time.
Their surroundings seemed to have been carved out of a generic mould. Yang Kai walked around blindly for half a day and had no idea if he was actually walking in circles. Even his Divine Sense couldn’t be extended too far in this place as it seemed to be suppressed by some sort of mysterious power.
At a certain point, Yang Kai stopped and looked around with a grave expression.
“Senior Brother, what happened?” Liu Xian Yun asked nervously.
“Do you feel the ground moving?” Yang Kai asked.
Liu Xian Yun broke out into a cold sweat instantly. Even though Yang Kai’s tone was calm, the meaning of his words gave her jitters.
“Maybe it’s just an illusion…” Yang Kai muttered to himself.
Liu Xian Yun gulped, “Senior Brother, there’s a saying about the Solitary Void Mountain Range…”
“What saying?”
“Some say that the Solitary Void Mountain Range… is alive.” Liu Xian Yun’s pretty face paled.
“Alive?” Yang Kai raised his brows.
“En.” Liu Xian Yun nodded, “The Solitary Void Mountain Range is constantly changing so there’s never been a map drawn of it. Sometimes, the landscape of one place can change rapidly, but sometimes it changes so slowly that no one notices. Many people think this is a result of the Solitary Void Mountain Range actually being alive.”
Yang Kai frowned and thought for a while, but then his eyes suddenly lit up, “That may not necessarily be correct, but there’s definitely a basis for it.”
“What do you mean?” Liu Xian Yun was confused.
Yang Kai said, “Junior Sister, you’ve been active around the outer periphery of the Solitary Void Mountain Range this whole time. Do you find good things often?”
“Yes,” Liu Xian Yun replied, “I’m not the only one either. Many people from Marsh City experience the same thing.”
Yang Kai nodded, “Since so many people are active around there year-round, it’s reasonable to say that the area should be barren by now. Even if there’s anything good there, someone would long have taken it away. But since you’re able to find valuable things often…”
“That’s something I’ve always been wondering about too,” Liu Xian Yun nodded. She never understood why, but after coming to the Solitary Void Mountain Range so many times, other than the few unfortunate times she wasn’t able to find anything, she was always able to find something useful to her cultivation there.
But this was clearly illogical.
“Senior Brother, you mean to say…”
Yang Kai said, “The Solitary Void Mountain Range is moving. Every once in a while, the terrain in its depths will flow outwards, and the spirit herbs inside will naturally appear outside as well. That’s why good things can be found there all the time.”
“How do you know that?” Liu Xian Yun was extremely surprised. She had been living in the Solitary Void Mountain Range for a few years but she’d never thought about it that way. But Yang Kai managed to figure this out despite only having been here for a few days.
Yang Kai smiled, “It’s just a guess, I’m not sure if I’m right either.”
But there was a high possibility of that being true, because that perfectly explained why good things were often found around the outer region of the Solitary Void Mountain Range. The earth was alive, writhing and tumbling at a speed that was almost imperceptible to average people. Once the land that was deep within flowed outwards, it would naturally bring all the good things inside with it.
And yet the cultivators in the Solitary Void Mountain Range couldn’t seem to figure this place out, and they were unable to notice the changes in the Solitary Void Mountain Range in the slightest.
*Hualala…*
Right at that moment, the sound of wings fluttering could be heard, followed by countless birds rising up into the air from the forest as if they had been frightened by something. Not only that, but the beasts on land had also begun fleeing, tumbling around like headless flies.
In less than three breaths of time, the entire Solitary Void Mountain Range began to tremble.
“What happened?” Liu Xian Yun’s pretty face changed to shock.
Yang Kai was also confused, but in the next moment, his face changed. That was because the birds he saw flying in the air were all stopped mid-flight. They were unable to move even the slightest inch forward no matter how they flapped their wings.
It was as if there was an invisible force holding them in place.
Among the flying birds were many Eleventh-Order Monster Beasts as well. Yang Kai even saw a Twelfth-Order Monster Beast that was equivalent to an Emperor Realm Master.
Just as Yang Kai was beginning to feel suspicious, the ground under his feet began moving rapidly, making it hard for Yang Kai to keep his balance. He almost toppled over, but at the same time, a strong suction force was being spread out from deep within the Solitary Void Mountain Range, drawing on Yang Kai’s body as if it wanted to drag him in.
Yang Kai’s face changed dramatically. Without hesitation, he wrapped his Source Qi around Liu Xian Yun and tried to escape this place by teleporting.
But even after he moved the surrounding Space Principles, he found he was still standing in the same spot.
Sensing this, Yang Kai exclaimed, “The World Principles here have been broken!”
The surrounding World Principles had been shattered by some great and sudden change, making it impossible for them to leave this place by taking advantage of the Space Principles at all. And, in just that short amount of time, the ground beneath the pair began spinning even quicker. Yang Kai couldn’t help but feel dizzy while Liu Xian Yun was in even worse condition. She couldn’t even stand properly and could only hold onto Yang Kai to support herself.
The suction from the depths grew even more terrifying, and Yang Kai found it hard to fight against it with his cultivation no matter how hard he tried to stabilize himself. The fleeing beasts and birds had already been dragged in by the suction and disappeared from Yang Kai’s field of vision in an instant. The less powerful beasts had even burst into clouds of blood mist.
For a while, beasts were roaring and birds were crying out, making the Solitary Void Mountain Range extremely lively.
Somewhere about three thousand kilometres away, Yao Chang Jun’s face was also horrified. He pushed his Emperor Qi, trying to escape the fetters of this place, but he failed even with his cultivation. The only thing he could do was forcefully hold himself in place to not be pulled away.
“Solitary Void Great Maelstrom!” Yao Chang Jun’s face turned extremely dark. Even his will, which was firm as a rock, began to tremble with fear and anxiety.
Compared to the newcomers, Yang Kai and Liu Xian Yun who had not been living here for long, Yao Chang Jun had studied the Solitary Void Mountain World thoroughly. He knew that this damned place may usually look calm and peaceful, but it could burst out with immense power that even an Emperor Realm Master could not resist from time to time.
Those times were precisely during the appearance of the Solitary Void Great Maelstrom!
The Solitary Void Great Maelstrom was a natural disaster that could destroy and reshape the Solitary Voids Mountain Range.
Yang Kai’s guess about the Solitary Void Mountain Range’s terrain constantly shifting, allowing the cultivators around the outside to be able to find good things often, was actually quite accurate.
But that shift was usually as slow as a crawl and would not bring too much danger to cultivators visiting this place to train. Because the cultivators often came to the Solitary Void Mountain Range, they usually did not notice the slow changes, and by the time they did, the terrain had already changed completely.
However, when this creeping change reached a certain limit, the entire Solitary Void Mountain would begin to spin like a berserk top, reshaping the Solitary Void Mountain Range in the process.
That was the Solitary Void Great Maelstrom!
No one knew why this happened in the Solitary Void Mountain Range, the world works in mysterious ways. Yao Chang Jun had been in and out of the Solitary Void Mountain Range many times and still could not understand this process; however, the cycle of the Solitary Void Great Maelstrom’s appearance was very long, usually appearing once every few hundred or thousand years. Based on what Yao Chang Jun knew, the last Solitary Void Great Maelstrom appeared six hundred years ago. At that time, countless cultivators were sucked into the Solitary Void Mountain Range, and this time would be no exception.
And, as luck would have it, he ended up caught in it as well.
Yao Chang Jun hated Yang Kai even more now. He felt that if this little brat had not interfered, then he would never have ventured into this place and encountered a disaster that he could not resist.
If he were still around the outer region of Solitary Void Mountain Range, then Yao Chang Jun would definitely be able to escape with his powerful cultivation. But in order to pursue Yang Kai, he had entered the depths of this damned place! When the maelstrom appeared, the suction became stronger the deeper one ventured inside Solitary Void Mountain Range, and the harder it was to resist. Currently, Yao Chang Jun was less than two thousand kilometres from the core of Solitary Void Mountain Range, a distance that made escape from the maelstrom all but impossible.
If one were able to look down at the Solitary Void Mountain Range from a high altitude, they would see that it was currently spinning madly like a vortex. And, with a certain point as its centre, the entire Solitary Void Mountain Range looked as a huge funnel with powerful suction force coming from the centre, affecting every living thing within it.
Countless fleeing birds and other beasts were being sucked into the centre of that funnel-shaped vortex, disappearing in just the blink of an eye. Meanwhile, even more creatures and cultivators training and foraging for resources exploded into a bloody mist devoid of even bones.
The cultivators who were lucky enough to be moving about at the outer region were not as unlucky. They were fortunate enough to escape as soon as the changes began to happen, but when they looked back, all of them were pale, their hearts palpitating.
Many of them had no idea what was going on, but some knew about the infamous Solitary Void Great Maelstrom. Word spread and soon, everyone found out about this chaotic event. While they marvelled at the horrors of nature, they were also filled with anticipation.
That was because the Solitary Void Mountain Range would be reshaped every time the Solitary Void Great Maelstrom appeared, and the precious treasures that were originally in the depths of the Solitary Void Mountain Range would flow to the outer region.
In other words, once the Solitary Void Mountain Range’s movements came to a halt, a large number of precious treasures would appear outside, so how could they not look forward to it?
“I seemed to have seen Sir City Lord enter the Solitary Void Mountain Range’s depths, but I have no idea if it was just my eyes.”
“No, you’re right. I saw him too. The City Lord seemed to be in a hurry, as if he’s chasing after someone.”
“He’s in trouble now. We don’t even know if Sir City Lord can return safely.”
“The chances are not great, the depths of the Solitary Void Mountain Range are extremely dangerous. Even if the City Lord is an Emperor Realm Master, he still won’t be safe if he goes in too deep, and to have met with the Solitary Void Great Maelstrom as well, I’m afraid things aren’t looking too good!”
Many cultivators gathered around the far side of the Solitary Void Mountain Range, engaged in fervent discussion. If Pang Guang really was lost to the Solitary Void Mountain Range, then the great forces of Marsh City would have to be reshuffled again. This was not bad news for many people. For a while, joyful emotions were mixed with the sad in a complicated mix.
Meanwhile, in the depths of the Solitary Void Mountain Range, Yang Kai was protecting Liu Xian Yun and struggling to resist the terrifying suction force coming from the vortex. His clothes had been ripped into tatters from the force and cuts formed on his skin, drenching him in blood and turning him into a sorry state.
He had no idea where this suction force came from or what was creating it, but the more he tried to resist it, the more terrifying it became. The force on top of Yang Kai was getting harder and harder for him to bear.
If not for his intrepid physique, Yang Kai would have already burst apart and died just like everything else.
“Senior Brother, don’t worry about me and just run.” Liu Xian Yun was also struggling, but she was in a better situation than Yang Kai since he was protecting her. Seeing him like this now, she felt guilty and knew that she was dragging Yang Kai down.
As she said that, she lowered her feet to the ground, about to move away from Yang Kai.
But Yang Kai caught her with his arms and shook his head, “Don’t worry, I’ll tell you if I really can’t hold on any longer.”
Even in a life or death situation, he did not give up on her, filling Liu Xian Yun’s heart with warmth and moving her greatly. It was easy to find a friend who would share your wealth, but difficult to find a friend willing to face danger with you. The best time to find out a person’s character was during a crisis.
Liu Xian Yun felt that the luckiest thing to happen to her in this lifetime was meeting Yang Kai in the Star Boundary.
She had completely given up resisting and revealed a sad smile, “Senior Brother, take care of yourself in the future!”
“What are you doing?!” Yang Kai’s face changed. He could sense her intentions and quickly shouted, “Don’t give up, I have another way!”
Liu Xian Yun slowly shook her head, allowing herself to be taken away by the terrifying force.
Yang Kai was incredibly anxious. He knew that Liu Xian Yun was determined not to drag him down anymore and was going to toss aside everything else in order to throw her into the Sealed World Bead when Liu Xian Yun’s face suddenly changed. The expression on her face was one of pure confusion.
But in the next moment, she exclaimed, “Senior Brother, stop resisting! If you don’t, there is no danger at all.”
Hearing her say that, Yang Kai looked carefully and found that sure enough, Liu Xian Yun wasn’t being hurt at all, so he knew she was right. He quickly dispersed the energy around his body and allowed the terrifying suction force to envelop him.
The force originally suppressing him and causing great damage to his body was gone in an instant.
Indeed, it was as Liu Xian Yun said. The more one resisted here, the more uncomfortable it became.
But if any average person were to encounter this situation, who would not try to resist? They would definitely be desperate to escape, and once they started struggling, they would not be too far from death.
After giving up on resisting, the powerful suction force swept up both Yang Kai and Liu Xian Yun, quickly drawing them to the centre of the Solitary Void Mountain Range. The turbulent force made Yang Kai feel as if he were a lone boat in the middle of a stormy sea, in danger of capsizing at any moment.
“Senior Brother, look!” Liu Xian Yun, whose body was being held tightly by Yang Kai and did not mind that her tall peaks were being squeezed out of shape by his arms, suddenly let out a cry of surprise.
When Yang Kai turned over to look, his face turned dark as well. He discovered that there was an enormous dark funnel right in front of them where the suction force was coming from. In its vicinity, the earth could be seen spinning and tumbling as countless birds and beasts were sucked in, their fates unknown.
He wanted to release his Divine Sense to investigate the situation inside, but it shattered as soon as it left his body, causing his Knowledge Sea to throb. He didn’t dare to try this a second time.
Liu Xian Yun was also becoming more and more nervous, her tender body quivering like a shaking quail without a nest in winter. She had no idea what their fates would be if they were sucked into that vortex. She had not been in the Star Boundary for long, so she was naturally unwilling to die like this.
Looking up at Yang Kai though, she found that despite his expression looking grave, he wasn’t panicked in the slightest.
That helped to ease her up considerably. Even if she died, she felt that it would not be a bad thing if she were able to die together with Yang Kai. Considering all this, her body suddenly eased up a lot.
“Protect yourself.” Yang Kai lightly patted Liu Xian Yun’s back.
As soon as he said this, both he and Liu Xian Yun were sucked into the vortex. All of a sudden, a dizzy feeling washed over him, disorienting him as the entire world turned dark without the slightest hint of light.
Yang Kai felt his body spinning and falling as if the vortex was a bottomless pit, a fearful and unsettled feeling.
But Yang Kai was slightly reassured by the fact that this fall did not prove to be dangerous.
Liu Xian Yun hugged him even tighter, her body turning as stiff as a block of wood.
None of them knew how long it had been, but Yang Kai suddenly saw a glimmer of light up ahead; however, under the power of the vortex, he was unable to probe ahead and see the situation around them.
*Peng…*
A large noise erupted and Yang Kai felt great pain all over his body. It was as if his entire being was going to break apart; however, he was surprised to find that he had actually landed on solid ground at this moment, and that spinning force that enveloped his body had also disappeared. Now there was just a lot of ear-splitting noises coming from around him.
*Peng peng peng…*
Things were constantly crash-landing around them, some even splashed onto them. From the smell, it seemed to be bits of dirt mixed with bodily remains and smelled extremely bad.
Yang Kai did not dare to move about recklessly lest something bad were to happen. He carefully pushed his Source Qi in order to protect Liu Xian Yun and himself and found that his Source Qi was working freely. The strange backlash earlier from the inexplicable suction force had disappeared, relieving him greatly.
Liu Xian Yun seemed unconscious and wasn’t moving in the slightest. However, from the smooth flow of her breathing and her steady aura, it was clear she did not suffer any great harm.
After a full hour, their surroundings finally settled down. Yang Kai waited a little while longer to ensure there weren’t any dangers before pushing out his Source Qi, blasting away all the mud and debris that were covering him and rising up from the mound.
He landed lightly and checked Liu Xian Yun’s condition first, discovering that she was in fact unconscious. Only then did he begin taking in his surroundings.
At this first glance, Yang Kai was dumbfounded.
He discovered that he was actually atop an island at the moment.
The island was not very big, only a few kilometres in circumference, and looking at the colour of the land and some of the debris, it was clear that this island had just been formed.
That was because the soil here was exactly the same as the soil from the Solitary Void Mountain Range’s depths, and there were also chunks of blood and flesh left by various creatures around the island, causing the ground to appear a bizarre crimson colour.
This island must have formed because of the changes in the Solitary Void Mountain Range. That vortex-like power actually brought the earth from the Solitary Void Mountain Range here and formed an island!
All around the island was an endless sea with rough waves.
But what shocked Yang Kai even more was the appearance of strange waterspouts on the surface of the sea. The pillars of water sprung up from the surface of the sea, reaching into the clouds, merging Heaven and Earth in a magnificent sight!
There were countless waterspouts on the surface of the sea of all different sizes; however, each one emitted a very strong suction power that gave off a dangerous feeling.
They were not stationary but rather moving constantly, their speed varying from fast to slow with a great difference. There were even waterspouts moving as fast as lightning, passing by Yang Kai’s field of vision while lifting up huge waves. Their destructive power was astonishing.
He felt the World Energy around him, which was extremely dense; however, Yang Kai could sense that the World Energy here was different from other places, but he couldn’t tell what about it was different.
What is this damned place?
How did they get here after entering that maelstrom in the Solitary Void Mountain Range’s depths?
It was simply impossible to say that this was under the Solitary Void Mountain Range as well; after all, this place looked so vast and presented itself as an ocean. How could this possibly be underneath the Solitary Void Mountain Range?
Could this be a Sealed World? Yang Kai was shocked.
But the more he thought about it, the more it made sense. When he was swallowed up by that vortex, Yang Kai could clearly feel traces of Space Principles, so that huge vortex was most likely the entrance to this Sealed World!
If this was a Sealed World, then things would be troublesome. How was he going to find the exit in this vast ocean?
While Yang Kai was at a loss, a sudden noise erupted from a short distance away, followed by a figure rising into the air and landing not far from him.
When he saw this man, Yang Kai’s face changed and he quickly took Liu Xian Yun and retreated, pulling some distance between them and the man.
It turned out to be Yao Chang Jun!
Yang Kai did not see Yao Chang Jun when they were being swallowed up by the vortex previously so he had no idea whether he had been swallowed in before or after him. Regardless, his appearance here meant that he must not have been able to escape that catastrophe just now either, and fell together with them in this place.
Yao Chang Jun’s current state was completely miserable. His clothes were in tatters and his white hair was messy, his body covered in blood and even his aura was a little unstable. He had clearly suffered a strong backlash from fighting against the suction force earlier.
Yang Kai had given up on resisting because of what Liu Xian Yun told him, so even though he wasn’t looking too good at the moment, he was undoubtedly in a much better state than Yao Chang Jun.
[This guy is actually alive!] Yang Kai had to admire this old man’s powerful cultivation. As expected of a Third-Order Emperor Realm Master. Even though his Soul was heavily injured, it still wasn’t that easy to kill him off.
“It’s you, vile animal!” Yao Chang Jun soon discovered Yang Kai and his face turned cold, murderous intent surging.
If not for Yang Kai, then why would he have taken the risk of chasing him into the Solitary Void Mountain Range’s depths? If he had not chased him there, then how would he have come across the Solitary Void Great Maelstrom? Right now, the one responsible for all his misfortunes was Yang Kai, so he was naturally red-eyed seeing his enemy.
Just as he was about to take a strike at Yang Kai, another noise came from some distance away and another figure popped out from under the dirt.
This took both Yang Kai and Yao Chang Jun by surprise; however, after looking over and having a clear look at the newcomer’s appearance, the two of them were quickly relieved.
That was because the third person to appear was none other than Marsh City’s City Lord, Pang Guang!
Yao Chang Jun had known about Pang Guang’s presence behind them, but he was so intent on finding Yang Kai that he didn’t pay any attention to him, ending up with Pang Guang also being caught in the disaster at Solitary Void Mountain Range. Naturally, Pang Guang was powerless to resist and was sucked into this place as well.
But Yao Chang Jun was slightly surprised to find Pang Guang in a better situation than he was. His body was only slightly messy and he wasn’t injured in the slightest, instead being filled with vigour.
“The two of you are alright too?” As soon as Pang Guang came out, he was surprised to see Yang Kai and Yao Chang Jun facing off with each other.
Yao Chang Jun coldly snorted, “Did you wish for something to happen to this Old Master?”
Seeing Pang Guang’s appearance, he knew that this man understood the way to avoid the engulfing force, and that was why he came out intact. On the contrary, he who had been living anonymously in Marsh City for two hundred years ended up in such a pitiful mess that his pride couldn’t bear it for a moment.
After suffering a big loss from Yao Chang Jun, Pang Guang did not dare to act recklessly in front of him anymore. Embarrassedly, he smiled, “Naturally, it can’t be better for Senior to be fine. This Pang was just asking casually, just casually.”
Yang Kai smirked, “City Lord Pang is being a bit too insincere. Since you knew how to avoid danger, why didn’t you tell Senior Yao? You clearly wanted Senior Yao to enter the cycle of reincarnation early. Senior Yao, if I were you, I wouldn’t be able to bear it. I’d definitely want to give him a beating to vent my anger.”
Pang Guang’s face sank and he carefully observed Yao Chang Jun; seeing that the latter appeared indifferent, with no emotion showing through on his face, he relaxed at once and shouted, “Shut your mouth, little brat! This King has not even settled the score with you for killing this King’s subordinates and robbing this King’s property! Senior Yao is a hidden Senior expert and his insight is clear as a flame. His vision is truly sharp, so how could he be riled by your instigations?!”
While speaking, he turned his head to look at Yao Chang Jun and cupped his fists, “Senior, though I have a grudge with this little brat, it is just a trivial matter. Senior is the respected one here so if you wish to kill him, then this Junior will only watch and will definitely not intervene.”
Yao Chang Jun glanced at him lightly and suddenly said, “You have been tailing this Old Master this whole time. Was that also just to watch?”
Pang Guang’s forehead was instantly covered in a cold sweat and his mouth was twitching, “Senior has misunderstood. This Pang entered the Solitary Void Mountain Range because this Pang had something to do, definitely not to follow Senior.”
Yao Chang Jun coldly snorted. He did not answer but instead kept up an arrogant look. Even though he had been injured quite a bit when he was sucked in by the vortex, he still didn’t put Pang Guang or Yang Kai in his eyes. Earlier, he had been injured by Yang Kai at the teahouse merely because he was not cautious enough.
But in his current state, it would be best not to start anything with Pang Guang if he could help it; after all, he was not in peak condition and Pang Guang was still a First-Order Emperor Realm cultivator in the end. If they really were to fight, then even if he could kill Pang Guang, a price would have to be paid to do so.
“Senior, is this place the legendary Solitary Void Sealed World?” Seeing him remain silent, Pang Guang felt a little nervous and quickly changed the subject.
“Solitary Void Sealed World?” Yang Kai couldn’t help but raise his eyebrows when he heard that.
He was most interested in figuring what sort of damned place they were in right now. Unlike Pang Guang and Yao Chang Jun, he had only come to Marsh City recently, so these two were obviously better informed about local legends than him, causing Yang Kai’s ears to perk up and listen with interest.
“If you know, then why ask this Old Master?” Yao Chang Jun snorted, clearly not looking kindly upon him.
Pang Guang said embarrassedly, “This Pang really did not expect that the Solitary Void Sealed World actually existed. This Pang has been the City Lord of Marsh City for hundreds of years, but this Pang never expected to see this sight with his own eyes.”
“What place is the Solitary Void Sealed World, and how do we get out?” Yang Kai quickly asked.
Pang Guang’s face turned stiff and he shouted, “Why is a brat like you asking so many questions? Just stay here quietly and wait to die.”
Yang Kai’s face darkened, “City Lord Pang. No matter what grudges we had before, we are now locusts on the same rope. If you know any information, why not share it? It’s not like I killed your father or stole your wife, so why act so petty?”
Pang Guang sneered, “Those on different paths do not counsel each other. This King has nothing to say to you. We can talk about that again if you can live under Senior Yao’s hand.”
After Yang Kai offended Yao Chang Jun, Pang Guang had long since regarded the former as a dead man in his heart, so how could he bother chatting with him? After he was done, Pang Guang looked at Yao Chang Jun and said with a fawning smile, “Senior, the Solitary Void Sealed World only exists in legend. It is easy to enter, but difficult to leave. This Pang wonders if Senior has any good ideas?”
The speed with which his face changed was faster than one could flip a book.
Yang Kai laughed, “So, you don’t know how to get out either?”
Pang Guang snorted, “What’s there to laugh about? Careful or your teeth will fall out while you laugh…”
As he was talking, Pang Guang suddenly frowned and sniffed the air, asking suspiciously, “What’s that smell?”
A strange aroma suddenly wafted out in the air, shaking one’s spirit.
Yang Kai and Yao Chang Jun had obviously smelled it as well, and both of them were very familiar with that smell. After exchanging glances, they coincidentally recalled something and called out at the same time, “Heavenly Restoration Lotus!”
At the end of their sentence, the two of them had already begun rushing towards the source of that smell.
Meanwhile, Pang Guang was stunned for a moment, but when he heard the words, ‘Heavenly Restoration Lotus’, his face changed and he followed them swiftly from behind as well.
Even though both Pang Guang and Yao Chang Jun were Emperor Realm Masters, they were naturally not as fast as Yang Kai in terms of the explosive speed his comprehension of the Dao of Space afforded him. In just an instant, Yang Kai had already arrived at the source of the fragrance.
This pile of mud was clearly transported over from the Solitary Void Mountain Range, and the soil was quite loose.
Yang Kai reached his hand right into a mud pile and grabbed something. After feeling the size of the object and the aura fluctuating around it, he was overjoyed and was just about to stuff it into his Space Ring.
“You court death boy!” Yao Chang Jun howled as he thrust his palm out, stirring up the air and sending it straight towards Yang Kai.
He didn’t dare to use his full strength for fear of damaging the spirit flower; however, this palm was still beyond Yang Kai’s ability to resist.
Yang Kai grunted and forcefully circulated his strength to teleport away once more.
*Hong…*
The mud pile was smashed into dust, leaving behind a huge crater in its place. The newly formed island shook a few times as if it were going to collapse at any moment.
Yao Chang Jun stood in place with an ashen face, looking towards one direction with cold eyes.
Pang Guang also paused, an incredulous look on his face. Yang Kai was actually able to evade Yao Chang Jun’s attack, which was something beyond what Pang Guang thought possible. Even he himself may not have been able to dodge that blow.
“What is Senior so angry for? That was really scary,” Yang Kai said while shaking the dirt off his hand, revealing the spirit flower’s true appearance.
The herb was quite clearly the Heavenly Restoration Lotus, and both its size and form were exactly the same as the one Liu Xian Yun obtained before. The only difference was that that one was pure white without the slightest flaw while this one was as black as ink.
The Heavenly Restoration Lotus had always come in a pair. Liu Xian Yun was able to chance upon one of them before this, but none of them knew why she wasn’t able to find the second.
Now, with the appearance of the Solitary Void Great Maelstrom, large amounts of spirit herbs and dirt have been devoured and sent to this island. By coincidence, the second Heavenly Restoration Lotus also appeared.
Looking at the Heavenly Restoration Lotus in Yang Kai’s hand, Yao Chang Jun suddenly felt short of breath.
He spent two hundred years waiting in Marsh City, and for what? Wasn’t it for none other than the Heavenly Restoration Lotus? If only he could get his hands on the Heavenly Restoration Lotus and have someone refine it into the Twin Heavenly Restoration Pill, then his injuries could finally be healed. Then, he would be able to restore his strength to peak condition and get revenge on his enemies.
But… After waiting bitterly for two hundred years, the Heavenly Restoration Lotus may have appeared, but his good fortune was ruined by Yang Kai over and over again.
The first one was snatched away by Yang Kai while he wasn’t paying attention, and the same went for the second one as well.
Yao Chang Jun’s lungs were bursting with anger. He seemed to have never suffered such a big loss since he advanced to the Emperor Realm. What’s more, these misfortunes were piled on top of him by a little brat in the Dao Source Realm.
Looking at the Heavenly Restoration Lotus in Yang Kai’s hand, and seeing him slowly stuff it into his Space Ring, Yao Chang Jun forcibly endured the notion of grabbing it now and quickly said, “Little brat, if you hand the Heavenly Restoration Lotus to this Old Master, then not only will this Old Master let the past be, this Old Master will also take you out of this place.”
Upon hearing this, Pang Guang’s eyes lit up and he quickly said, “Senior Yao must bring me along as well when you leave.”
Yao Chang Jun was furious and glared at him, “If you dare say one more word, this Old Master will kill you now!”
Scared, Pang Guang no longer dared to say anything.
“Take me out first, we can settle everything else later.” Yang Kai looked at Yao Chang Jun with a smile, “Otherwise, you can also just tell me how to get out of here.”
“Little brat, you dare bargain with this Old Master?!” Yao Chang Jun fumed.
Yang Kai said, “The only thing I’m afraid of is Senior tricking me!”
“Who do you take this Old Master for? How could I do such a shameless thing?!” Yao Chang Jun coldly snorted.
Yang Kai shook his head, “That’s hard to say. What if Senior also doesn’t know the way out? Then wouldn’t I be a fool to just hand over this spirit flower for nothing?”
Pang Guang was enraged, “Little bastard! Senior Yao is giving you face by telling you to hand out the spirit flower, yet you dare not comply?! You’re courting death!”
Yang Kai and Yao Chang Jun turned their heads together and shouted, “None of your damn business!”
Pang Guang’s face was burning hot. Trying to slap a horse’s ass, but landing on its thigh instead, he felt extremely awkward.
Yang Kai observed Yao Chang Jun for a while and snickered, “It seems like Senior is also a clay Buddha fording the river. You can’t even save yourself, so what are you shamelessly boasting for! You say you can take me out? Ridiculous!”
As soon as he saw Yao Chang Jun’s attitude at the moment, it was clear to him that he didn’t know how to get out of this damned place either.
If Yao Chang Jun really did know the way out, it would not have been impossible to trade the Heavenly Restoration Twin Lotus to him, but the key point now was the fact that the old man himself couldn’t get out, so how could he bring him along?
Being exposed by Yang Kai, Yao Chang Jun wasn’t annoyed at all but said indifferently, “With this Old Master’s cultivation, how can a trivial Sealed World trap me? This Old Master will be able to find the way out eventually.”
“Then let’s just wait till you find the way out!”
“Are you handing it over or not?!” Yao Chang Jun had clearly lost his patience, and his face was completely dark when he said these words.
“What do you think?” Yang Kai was unconcerned.
“Good!” Yao Chang Jun drew in a deep breath and his murderous intent surged.
But he did not make a move against Yang Kai that instant, instead turning his gaze to Pang Guang.
Pang Guang who was watching the good show sensed Yao Chang Jun’s cold gaze at once and he couldn’t help but shudder, “Senior…”
“Scram!” Yao Chang Jun bellowed, “Otherwise, this Old Master will kill you as well!”
His voice converged into a wave that shot towards Pang Guang like a spear. Pang Guang was shaken and staggered back, face turning white.
“Senior, this Pang can help you catch that little brat!” Pang Guang quickly offered to show his sincerity. After suddenly landing in this Solitary Void Sealed World, he really couldn’t find any security with his First-Order Emperor Realm cultivation. He just wanted to hug Yao Chang Jun’s thigh, but the other party wouldn’t give him the face or opportunity, telling him to scram as soon as he opened his mouth.
Yao Chang Jun coldly snorted, “This Old Master doesn’t need your help. If you don’t go now… then you can stay here forever!”
Pang Guang was shocked. He looked at Yang Kai with gritted teeth, then back at Yao Chang Jun. With a kick of his feet, Pang Guang’s body rose up before he began flying out to sea.
Even though he had no idea why Yao Chang Jun was in such a hurry to drive him away, Pang Guang knew this old monster was truly at the end of his patience right now. If he continued pestering him, then he could only incur his murderous rage.
Pitting his cultivation against Yao Chang Jun, Pang Guang had no chance to win.
So, he could only run away for now.
Even though the sea did not look peaceful, it was a critical time and he didn’t even know which direction to run. It was better than staying here and waiting for death, right?
In just ten breaths, Pang Guang disappeared.
“Are you so eager to get rid of Pang Guang because you’re worried he’ll discover that your Soul is injured?” Yang Kai asked Yao Chang Jun with a smiling face.
Yao Chang Jun’s face changed and a dangerous glint flashed past his eyes, “As expected, it wasn’t out of luck that you tried that sneak attack on this Old Master!”
Yang Kai laughed, “The effects of the Twin Heavenly Restoration Lotus are only to repair broken meridians and the dantian, yet Senior looks full of energy. With how plentiful Senior’s Emperor Qi is, clearly your meridians and dantian are fine. But for you to be so enthusiastic about the Heavenly Restoration Lotus clearly means you wish to repair your Knowledge Sea.”
“So you actually know this much about herbs and medicines?” Yao Chang Jun was surprised that Yang Kai could deduce through that sliver of a hint that his Soul was damaged. This little brat in front of him clearly wasn’t so simple.
“This humble one is not that talented, I’m merely an Emperor Grade Alchemist!” Yang Kai smiled.
Yao Chang Jun’s face changed, but then he quickly snorted, “Are you trying to insult this Old Master’s intelligence?”
He obviously thought that Yang Kai was talking nonsense.
Yang Kai was not that old, so it was astonishing enough for him to have Third-Order Dao Source Realm cultivation, but in terms of him being an Emperor Grade Alchemist, Yao Chang Jun found it completely unbelievable.
Yang Kai was likely an Alchemist, otherwise, he would not know his herbs and medicines so well; however, there was no way he was an Emperor Grade Alchemist.
He thought that Yang Kai was merely telling him that so that he would let him live; after all, even if he got his hands on the Twin Heavenly Restoration Lotus, he still needed an Alchemist to refine the pill for him, and an Emperor Grade Alchemist would be the best choice to do that.
[This little brat’s got a bellyful of evil tricks up his sleeve!] Yao Chang Jun became wary.
Yang Kai was astounded and smiled bitterly as he shook his head, “Senior, with your Soul damaged, your intelligence really does have some problems. This is a disease, and a disease has to be cured.”
He was telling the truth but the other party wasn’t having it, making him not know whether he should laugh or cry.
“No matter what you say today, I’ll still have you hand over the Twin Heavenly Restoration Lotus!” Yao Chang Jun coldly snorted.
Yang Kai’s face went cold, “I told you that you have to tell me how to get out of here first. If you can’t even do that, then don’t even think about it. I’d rather feed it to a dog than give it to you.”
“Little brat, you court death! This Old Master’s patience is limited!” When Yao Chang Jun heard him comparing him to a dog, he was instantly furious.
Yang Kai answered back leisurely, “Even if you’re a Third-Order Emperor, I’m not afraid of you, so don’t compel me. If you force my hand, then you’ll have to suffer as well!”
Yao Chang Jun was stunned and a feeling of absurdity rose up inside of him. To think a mere Third-Order Dao Source Realm cultivator dared wag their tongue in front of him was unbelievable enough, yet this little brat was still shamelessly boasting! He made it sound as if he really did have the power to fight against him, but from his expression, he seemed completely serious.
[What’s going on? This little brat doesn’t really think he can fight me, right? On what account? With his Space Principles? If so, then he can only run. It’s simply nothing to be feared.]
Yao Chang Jun’s heart was filled with mixed thoughts. He couldn’t figure out why, but he felt a little angry out of shame, “Since you can’t appreciate this Old Master’s kindness, then this Old Master will grant you your wish!”
He stomped his foot on the ground and his entire person flashed before Yang Kai like a spirit, suddenly pointing a finger towards Yang Kai’s direction.
His finger contained the boundlessness of Heaven and Earth, and gave one the feeling that they were being weighed down by the world itself.
After all, Yao Chang Jun was still a Third-Order Emperor Realm Master. Even though his Soul was damaged, his vigorous Martial Dao foundation was very solid. Even though this move was not a renowned Secret Technique, it was extremely ferocious and contained his insight into the Heavenly Way and Martial Dao.
Even before his finger had arrived, the momentum of the sky being broken could be felt. All the Principle Strength in the surrounding region was wrapped around that finger, as if Yao Chang Jun was the master of this stretch of the world.
Seeing that he actually made a move towards him, Yang Kai’s face changed. Tossing all else aside, his Source Qi blasted out, shoving the unconscious Liu Xian Yun straight into the Sealed World Bead while performing his Dragon Transformation and Five Elements Indestructible Sword Tempering Art at the same time. Space Principles surged up as Yang Kai was just about to escape from the spot.
*Chi…*
With that sound, Yang Kai was already several dozen kilometres away when he reappeared, but there was a bloody hole on his shoulder where golden blood was pouring out. Immense pain washed through him at the same time.
“Hm?”
Yao Chang Jun was stunned.
He was not only surprised that Yang Kai avoided receiving a fatal blow, but also at where Liu Xian Yun had gone.
He had been paying attention to Yang Kai’s movements this whole time and didn’t care too much about the unconscious girl he was holding. Only, he did not notice how that girl had suddenly disappeared.
This was truly strange. Even though his Soul was damaged and he didn’t dare to simply use his Divine Sense, his eyesight still can’t be so poor to the extent where he couldn’t even see how someone disappeared.
“You old dog, you really want to fight with this Young Master?” Yang Kai’s aura turned violent as half of his body was soon soaking wet from the golden blood. Rather than instilling fear, this wound only seemed to have inspired a ferocity in Yang Kai, causing his entire aura to fluctuate like a vicious trapped beast.
Yao Chang Jun’s heart jumped for some reason. He had the faint sense that something bad would happen if he were to force this boy into a corner. He couldn’t explain where this feeling was coming from, but it gave him the chills.
But there was no turning back. He had already wounded Yang Kai so nothing he said would help now. If he suddenly stopped, wouldn’t he be admitting that he was afraid of him?
“Not bad, you little brat. To be able to dodge a blow from this Old Master is already enough to make you a dragon amongst men! The Heavens have good virtue and this Old Master is also appreciative of a talented man, so I’ll give you one last chance. Hand over the Heavenly Restoration Lotus obediently and I shall spare you!”
“In your dreams!”
“Very well!” Yao Chang Jun fumed, “Since you are so stubborn, then this Old Master will teach you how to show proper respect!”
He changed his hand posture and his Emperor Qi surged. While suppressing Yang Kai’s movements, his palm surged with the power of the wind and clouds, fiercely thrusting towards Yang Kai.
Yao Chang Jun didn’t hold back with this blow, clearly intending to kill Yang Kai on the spot.
*Hong…*
An explosion rang out. No matter how Yang Kai resisted it, he was still sent flying by that palm. Countless bones in his body were broken and his face was pale. As soon as he opened his mouth, he coughed up a mouthful of blood.
“Hahaha! Little brat, you talk big, but is this all you’ve got? You’ve really disappointed this Old Master!” Seeing Yang Kai’s miserable state, Yao Chang Jun figured that he must have been overthinking things just now. This little brat was merely at the Third-Order Dao Source Realm, so even if he had some special tricks up his sleeve, it was impossible for him to be his opponent. He also had no idea what he was hesitating for just now. If he had made a move earlier, then he could have killed this boy long ago.
[How shameful! To think I was disturbed by a few words from this little brat. Sure enough, these are the drawbacks left behind from the damage I sustained to my Soul], Yao Chang Jun silently thought to himself.
Fortunately, his opponent was only a Third-Order Dao Source realm boy. If Yang Kai was as strong as him, then he truly would have to suffer.
On the island, Yao Chang Jun’s body suddenly disappeared. When he reappeared, he was already in front of Yang Kai who was thrown backwards from the hit, sticking to him like maggots on rotting bones.
He coldly snorted and grabbed at Yang Kai without much care, “If you had cooperated with this Old Master earlier, then this Old Master might still have let you live!”
His words implied that it was already too late for Yang Kai to beg for mercy.
After the sneak attack he suffered from Yang Kai, Yao Chang Jun had borne a grudge against him and regarded it as a great shame. How could he let Yang Kai off so easily now?
“Bullies are destined to have a terrible end. You’ve forced my hand!” Yang Kai shouted through gritted teeth. He didn’t dodge Yao Chang Jun’s grab and instead formed an extremely strange seal with his hands.
As soon as he completed this seal, the trepidation that Yao Chang Jun was feeling before suddenly reappeared. Alarmed, his face suddenly changed and he didn’t dare to have the slightest hesitation, accelerating the movements of his hands as he grabbed towards Yang Kai’s shoulder.
Right at that moment, Yang Kai’s expression suddenly turned calm. Eyes cold, he shouted, “Seal of Darkness, unlock!”
“Seal of Darkness? What the hell is that?” Yao Chang Jun was bewildered. He couldn’t understand what Yang Kai was saying at all, but in the next instant, his face changed dramatically as if he had been struck by lightning, his eyes widening as if he had just seen a ghost in broad daylight while crying out strangely and backing away.
*Hong…*
A loud noise erupted as an indescribable aura suddenly burst out from Yang Kai’s dantian. This aura was filled with an extremely dark and malevolent feeling, as if the most brutal and fierce negative aura had been gathered into one place. It was so strong that Yao Chang Jun couldn’t help but feel lost, body trembling all over.
The dark aura was diffusing like a solid substance, instantly enveloping Yang Kai, and seemed to possess a life of its own, flowing around incessantly. A mysterious and profound set of patterns began appearing on Yang Kai’s skin.
Yang Kai’s aura was steadily climbing up.
Heaven and Earth trembled, the world collapsed, and the universe turned upside down. A power that seemed to be able to destroy the Heavens and shatter the Earth burst out in all directions.
In just a few moments, Yang Kai disappeared, leaving behind only a dark figure in his place. The darkness seemed to swallow everything, even light. Only a pair of crimson eyes were visible, filled with bloody killing intent.
“De-Demon Qi!” Yao Chang Jun’s teeth were chattering and he almost bit his own tongue. He stared in disbelief at the sight before him. With his knowledge and experience, he could naturally see at a glance that the aura lingering around Yang Kai was Demon Qi, and not just any Demon Qi at that, but the purest, Ancient Demon Qi!
“How can this be?” Yao Chang Jun could not believe his eyes. To think that he would be able to set his eyes on Ancient Demon Qi in his lifetime, and it even came from a Third-Order Dao Source Realm Junior.
Ancient Demon Qi had the special properties of being extremely corrosive and infectious. If a Third-Order Emperor Realm cultivator like him were to be enveloped by this Ancient Demon Qi, he would definitely lose his mind in a short time and become a demon.
How could Yang Kai keep his sanity in such a state? How was he able to store such a terrifying Demon Qi inside his own body?
Remembering Yang Kai’s words from just now, Yao Chang Jun suddenly realized that this little brat had used some unknown means to seal this Demon Qi into his own body, and he would be able to unseal it when he needed to use it against his enemies.
But it would be much more difficult to seal the Demon Qi again. Wasn’t he afraid that the Demon Qi would devour his consciousness and turn him into a demon? No wonder this little brat was repeatedly telling him not to force his hand. It turned out he really did have the means to fight with him. Even though it felt like Yang Kai was playing tricks on him before, it now seemed he did have the liberty to talk big like that.
Yao Chang Jun felt extremely chagrined. If he had known this would happen, then he would not have used such aggressive words against Yang Kai. Right now, with the Demon Qi wrapped around this boy’s body, it was impossible to tell if the little brat still retained his sanity. The surging demonic energy and the frightening pressure wasn’t something Yao Chang Jun felt like fighting at all.
After carefully observing Yang Kai’s eyes, he realized that though they were red and bloodthirsty, there didn’t seem to be any sort of a struggle. Yao Chang Jun quickly said, “Little brother, wait! This Old Master has something to say!”
Upon hearing this, Yang Kai glanced at him indifferently, “Anything you say is just a fart to me!”
Yao Chang Jun was furious!
If Yang Kai dared talk to him like this before, then he would have slapped him across the face, but now, Yang Kai had the liberty to speak disrespectfully to him.
There was a deep bitterness in Yao Chang Jun’s heart as he realized the source of his previous unease.
“It seems to have grown stronger…” Yang Kai clenched both his fists tightly, vaguely sensing his current situation. However, this increase in strength didn’t make him happy, but worried instead. That was because after unlocking the gold and silver seal of the Firmament Tree and releasing the Ancient Demon’s Demon Qi, Yang Kai could feel the demonic influence was even more potent than last time.
This was not because of his own strength was improving, but rather because his body had become more compatible with this Demon Qi.
Last time, he was only a First-Order Dao Source Realm cultivator, and after transforming, Yang Kai had fought a big battle with three First-Order Emperor Realm Masters, managing to escape safely in the end. This time though, Yang Kai felt even stronger after the demonic transformation.
This worried Yang Kai a little, because the greater the increase in strength after the demonization, the more difficult it would be to seal this Demon Qi up again. If it couldn’t be sealed completely, then Yang Kai really would be reduced to a Demon, losing his consciousness, damning himself for all eternity.
Yao Chang Jun had no idea that Yang Kai was worried about this, however, and when he heard him say that the Demon Qi had grown stronger, he even thought that the little brat was showing off and immediately got angry, “Boy, grievances should be resolved rather than settled. Both you and I are in trouble here so why fight and kill each other? Isn’t it better to find a way out together? What’s more, your current state is strong, but you may not necessarily be able to kill this Old Master. This Old Master isn’t made of clay after all.”
Yang Kai looked at him with cold eyes and snorted, “If you were able to exert the true power of a Third-Order Emperor, this Young Master would indeed be unable to kill you, but with the handicap of your damaged Soul, you still dare to flap your tongue in front of me?”
“Han… Handicap?” Yao Chang Jun’s eyes were almost bulging out of his face. He was extremely angry and ashamed. Nobody had ever dared speak to him like that.
Yang Kai said, “This Young Master doesn’t have much time, so I’ll end your life in three moves!”
“Preposterous! This Old Master wants to see you try!” Yao Chang Jun was shaking from anger. He felt that he had been looked down upon and a surge of pride rose up in his heart. He thought to himself that he definitely had to teach this little brat a lesson and show him that even an old dog had sharp teeth left to bite.
As soon as he finished that thought, Yang Kai suddenly narrowed his eyes and recited under his breath, “Black Eye Purgatory, Infinite Darkness!”
As soon as those words came out, the entire world suddenly turned incomparably dark. Not a single shred of light could be seen. No matter where Yao Chang Jun turned, he was unable to see anything, as if he were blind. Not only was he blind, but even the keen perception he had as a Third-Order Emperor was being suppressed to the limit.
It was impossible for him to have gone blind without a reason, nor was it possible for the world to suddenly turn dark. The only explanation would be that Yang Kai had just performed some sort of Heaven-defying technique.
Recalling the strange black glow coming from Yang Kai’s right eye just now, Yao Chang Jun cried out, “Pupil Technique!”
As soon as he said that, he was drenched in a cold sweat. That was because he realized that his voice was not being projected at all. The world he was in seemed to have deprived him of all his senses. He was unable to speak or see, shooting a sense of fear into him as if he were falling into an endless abyss.
The only thing he could vaguely sense was something floating above his head. When he looked up in alarm, though, and saw what it was, Yao Chang Jun froze.
There, in the dark and boundless sky, a huge eye had stretched across the void, staring coldly and emotionlessly at him.
That eye was like the eye of Heaven. Yao Chang Jun felt insignificant under the gaze of that enormous eye and his heart sank. He felt like all those countless years of hard work cultivating were for nought, and he was nothing more than a pile of withering bones in the end before this eye.
When those thoughts surfaced, Yao Chang Jun’s aura began to drop as an indescribable Death Qi haunted his person.
At that moment, a stream of light suddenly shot out from the huge eye, forming the shape of a long sabre.
Emperor Artifact, Soul Splitting Sabre!
After being refined by Yang Kai, he could control the Soul Splitting Sabre at will now. Even though Yang Kai couldn’t bring out the full might of the Soul Splitting Sabre with his normal cultivation, in his demonized state, he was no less powerful than a Third-Order Emperor, so the Soul Splitting Sabre’s current power was astonishing.
Moreover, in order to finish off Yao Chang Jun quickly, Yang Kai had even used the Secret Technique, Heaven Severing Slash.
The Heaven Severing Slash was a Soul Secret Technique that he learned from Tian Yan in the Divine Ascension Mirror World. During ordinary days, Yang Kai would nourish and refine the Soul Splitting Sabre with his Spiritual Energy, saving up strength in it so that when he faced an enemy, the first strike of the Soul Splitting Sabre, the Heaven Severing Slash, would be extremely powerful.
But that was only limited to the first strike.
A Soul Emperor Artifact used together with a Soul Secret Technique. Even if Yao Chang Jun was uninjured, he may still not be able to take it, let alone when his Soul was already wounded.
The blade slashed down viciously into Yao Chang Jun’s Knowledge Sea, tearing a huge hole into it as if it were crushing dry weeds and smashing rotten wood.
Yao Chang Jun’s Knowledge Sea was already very badly damaged to begin with, so now that Yang Kai struck it so ferociously, it caused this Third-Order Emperor’s Knowledge Sea to all but collapse.
An intense pain came over Yao Chang Jun, causing him to wake up from his despair. He cried out in pain and a Five-Coloured Spear suddenly appeared in his hands, shining brightly and emitting the energy fluctuations of an Emperor Artifact with terrifying power.
It wasn’t surprising for Yao Chang Jun to have an Emperor Artifact as a Third-Order Emperor. It would actually be strange if he didn’t possess such a weapon.
As he cried out in pain, Yao Chang Jun poured his Emperor Qi madly into the Five-Coloured Spear. The spear buzzed and suddenly trembled in his hand before disappearing without a trace.
In the next moment, the giant eye in the sky was pierced through by the spear. At once, the darkness sealing off Heaven and Earth was shattered.
Like the last struggle of a trapped beast, Yao Chang Jun burst out with terrifying power and broke the Secret Technique of the dark world. This Secret Technique was unique to the Ancient Demon Race and not something Yang Kai could obtain through cultivation. He could only perform it while in his demonized form.
A rift was torn through the sky by the Five-Coloured Spear that stayed open for a long time.
“Little brat, you dare to hurt me? This Old Master will kill you!” Yao Chang Jun howled in rage, but as his Knowledge Sea was about to collapse, his entire body was trembling constantly, his face twitching as his Emperor Qi became extremely unstable.
Yang Kai’s red eye was covered in blood, and everything he saw turned into a golden colour, which was the injury sustained from having his Pupil Technique broken.
However, he just casually wiped it with his hand before coldly snorting, “I’ll send you off!”
As his hands opened and closed, a huge Moon Blade sharp on all edges formed, blasting towards Yao Chang Jun. The Moon Blade was just like the reaper’s scythe, crushing dry weeds and smashing rotten wood wherever it passed.
Yao Chang Jun, who was currently running berserk could sense a dangerous aura approaching, forcefully enduring the piercing pain in his head and raised his hand, the Five-Coloured Spear reappearing in his palm, and took a step forward. With one throw, the five-coloured light instantly shot out.
*Hong hong hong…*
As the light clashed with the Moon Blade, the violence of the impact was enough to make the world turn white. The newly-formed islands within a radius of several kilometres quickly crumbled under the impact.
The Moon Blade disappeared together with the profound five-coloured light. With an expression of madness on his face, Yao Chang Jun took advantage of this situation to make his move. His face was filled with deep hatred etched into it, and, with his Soul breaking apart, he had nothing to lose in the face of death at this moment.
Yang Kai frowned and bellowed, “Instead of resisting, why don’t you just be good and die?!”
He also did not expect Yao Chang Jun to be so resilient even after the collapse of his Knowledge Sea. It seemed like he had still underestimated the capabilities of a Third-Order Emperor Realm Master. If Yao Chang Jun were to really be in peak condition, then even if Yang Kai unsealed the Demon Qi, he would still not be his opponent.
Sure enough, no Master who could reach this level of cultivation was a simple person.
“Hammer!” Yang Kai reached out towards the air and a hammer suddenly appeared in his hand.
[Demonic Armament War Hammer!]
This Demonic Armament was supposed to belong to that Ancient Demon and had been sealed under Maplewood City’s Eighteen Stars Grand Array for millennia. It was filled with terrifying demonic power. Back when Yang Kai obtained it, he threw it into the Sealed World Bead and passed it to Embodiment for him to refine and use. Even as strong as Yang Kai was, he didn’t dare to have any ideas about this weapon lest its Demonic Energy agitate the Demonic Qi sealed in his body.
But this was the perfect moment to use it.
War Hammer in hand, a strange feeling came over Yang Kai.
This Demonic Armament War Hammer seemed to come to life in his grip, clearly conveying a hum of excitement and joy. It resonated perfectly with the Demon Qi inside Yang Kai’s body, allowing him to wield it as he wished without the need to refine it.
With the War Hammer in hand, Yang Kai seemed to be able to see the Ancient Demon standing alone and fighting a great war against mighty ancient human forces on its own, shattering Heaven and Earth, felling the ancient powerhouses one by one whilst the Ancient Demon stood with its head in the clouds and feet on the earth, eyeing the world surrounded by murderous aura, leaving no one standing but itself!
Yang Kai, who was originally feeling restless due to the influence of the Demon Qi, inexplicably calmed down, suddenly feeling a sense of superiority amongst all others.
Yao Chang Jun who was pouncing aggressively at him was as ridiculous to him as an ant.
Yang Kai looked down at his opponent with scorn as he slowly raised the War Hammer in his hand, a mysterious trace of Principle Strength stirring up with it.
Yao Chang Jun’s face suddenly paled.
He had no idea what had just happened to Yang Kai, but when he suddenly took out the hammer-looking artifact, his entire demeanour and aura changed.
In the darkness, he seemed to have seen an unsurpassable mountain spread out before him. No matter how hard Yao Chang Jun tried, he would not be able to see the view behind this giant mountain.
He panicked all of a sudden.
He wanted to retreat, but the arrow on the bow had no choice but to be released. The Emperor Qi in Yao Chang Jun’s body was rioting right now, so if he retreated at this point, then even without Yang Kai having to do anything, his Dao Heart would still instantly collapse.
A faint murderous intent lingered around his body that grew denser and clearer as he got closer, almost materializing into substance, cutting painful streaks over his skin.
[I’ll die! I’m definitely going to die!]
This thought inexplicably came into Yao Chang Jun’s mind, the chaos in his Soul which was already on the verge of collapse reaching a critical point and suddenly cracking apart.
“AHH!” Yao Chang Jun howled out in madness, “Even if I die, this Old Master will take you with him!”
With these words, he poured all his strength into the Five-Coloured Spear, enveloping his body with five-coloured light. His previous hesitation was completely gone, and he instead grew determined.
His peak strength was unleashed into this one blow, and Yao Chang Jun’s eyes which were originally clouded with panic now shone brightly at this moment.
Face devoid of emotion, Yang Kai slammed the War Hammer down.
The will of the War Hammer coalesced from the rampaging murderous intent and crashed towards Yao Chang Jun.
With a loud bang, a dark light erupted on this nameless sea as if it were devouring Heaven and Earth.
At the same time, another five-coloured light also bloomed, resisting the dark light.
Two different coloured lights collided and competed against each other. The wind and clouds above the sea were stirred up for a moment and the islands which were already in a state of collapse disintegrated into dust, leaving no trace behind. The waterspouts nearby were also impacted by the huge eruption and scattered.
Immense waves surged up around a radius of several thousand kilometres and countless fish-type Monster Beasts living in the sea were vaporized and disappeared.
A deep crater spanning several thousand meters appeared on the surface of the sea at the centre of those two colliding forces. The seawater within that crater seemed to have evaporated in an instant.
The deadlock lasted only ten breaths before the black light burst forth and devoured the five-coloured light.
“By what rights have the damnable Heavens allowed this!? This Old Master is unwilling!”
As a roar resounded through the clouds, the dust began to settle.
The dark and five-coloured lights filling the world were gone and the huge depression on the surface of the sea was gradually filled up by the seawater gushing over from its sides while a heavy rain poured down. Only the energy fluctuations still remaining served as proof that a great battle had just taken place here.
Yao Chang Jun had disappeared, and so did Yang Kai. Only a longan-sized bead was left that slowly sank into the depths of the sea.
Inside the Sealed World Bead, Yang Kai rushed towards the medicine garden at once. His body was as black as ink while indescribable Demon Crests were practically crawling over his entire body.
Liu Yan also rushed over at the same time. When she saw Yang Kai’s condition, she was so scared that she immediately ran away.
It wasn’t that she didn’t dare to stay, but rather that she couldn’t.
Even though Yang Kai was able to keep a shred of his consciousness, who knows how long that shred of consciousness could last? If she were to stay here, her presence would only aggravate Yang Kai’s condition.
Next to the medicine garden, Yang Kai sat down cross-legged while barely holding onto his consciousness. With a slight movement of his mind, he began stripping the gold and silver seals from the Firmament Tree.
The last time he transformed like this, he borrowed the Firmament Tree’s sealing power in order to lock away the Demon Qi. More than two years had passed since the last time so reasonably speaking, it was impossible that the Firmament Tree’s sealing power would have grown so quickly.
But there was a massive amount of Heavy Earth below this medicine garden, and five Earth Vein Crystals, so one year of growth here was equivalent to a hundred in the outside world.
In other words, the Firmament Tree had two hundred years worth of sealing power now, which should be enough to seal this Demon Qi.
Under Yang Kai’s control, the gold and silver-coloured energy were slowly stripped from the Firmament Tree before flowing towards his body, sinking into his dantian and suppressing the frenzying Demon Qi.
He had at least experienced this once before, so Yang Kai was familiar with the process.
As time passed, the Demon Qi was sealed more and more. Yang Kai also slowly got rid of the effects of the demonization and gradually restored his consciousness.
Three days later, as the last trace of sealing power was pulled into his body, the Demon Qi was finally sealed up without a single trace leaking out.
Yang Kai let out a long sigh.
He was really afraid that something would go wrong during the sealing process this time. The power he received from unlocking the seal was undoubtedly much stronger than last time, but it was a good thing that the sealing power of the Firmament Tree had also become much firmer. If not for this, the consequences would have been unthinkable.
After dealing with the snake in the grass, Yang Kai began checking on his own injuries.
During the battle with Yao Chang Jun, he seemed to have the absolute upper hand and was even able to deal with the old man in just a few moves after the transformation; however, Yao Chang Jun’s final counterattack before his death still caused a lot of damage to Yang Kai.
In the end, his opponent was a Third-Order Emperor Realm Master. If Yang Kai had not destroyed his opponent’s Knowledge Sea from the outset of the battle, then how could he have been killed so easily?
Who knows how many bones Yang Kai had broken in his body, but the blood on the surface of his skin had already dried as if he were wearing a layer of blood as clothes. But what saddened Yang Kai the most was the fact that his meridians were now damaged.
Fortunately, he had the Immortal Tree in the medicine garden. Even the Twin Heavenly Restoration Lotus was no match for the Immortal Tree in terms of healing power, not to mention that his own restorative abilities were extremely strong to begin with. Yang Kai didn’t need any other medicines.
Half a day later, Yang Kai regained his vigour. Shaking off the bloodied clothes on his body, he changed into a fresh set of robes.
Thinking back to his battle with Yao Chang Jun inevitably made Yang Kai feel a little anxious.
He was able to take this old monster out using the power of the Demon Qi this time, but what about the next? If he were to unlock the seal again, then it wouldn’t be something two hundred years of sealing power alone could deal with.
It may take three hundred, four hundred, or even more years of sealing strength.
In other words, the Firmament Tree would have to grow inside the medicine garden for at least three years before it had enough sealing power to allow Yang Kai to unlock the seal again.
With such a long time, who knows whether Yang Kai would encounter any powerful enemies.
If only he had a drop of Supreme Divine Water! Supreme Divine Water was a divine product of nature that could quickly mature spirit herbs without any drawbacks. One drop of Supreme Divine Water could definitely grant the Firmament Tree three hundred, or even thousands of years of sealing power…
Unfortunately, Supreme Divine Water was so precious that Yang Kai had only seen it once in his life. It was the drop found at the Flowing Time Temple which was ultimately acquired by Murong Xiao Xiao.
It was part of the inheritance left behind by the Flowing Time Great Emperor, so who knows whether Supreme Divine Water still existed elsewhere in the Star Boundary.
Yang Kai made up his mind that he would definitely not unlock the Demon Qi’s seal in the next three to four years unless he could find Supreme Divine Water to nurture the Firmament Tree.
Considering all this, his mind instantly cleared up and he felt refreshed.
He planted the two Heavenly Restoration Lotuses he found in his medicine garden and dusted his hands off before standing up.
Even though the white Heavenly Restoration Lotus had been picked by Liu Xian Yun quite some time ago, it was well-preserved, so the medicinal efficacies were not diminished, nor were the roots damaged. Once it was planted in the medicine garden and enveloped by the vitality of the Immortal Tree, it would definitely come to life again.
The Twin Heavenly Restoration Lotuses were very valuable and Yang Kai didn’t have any use for them yet, so he did not bother to refine the Twin Heavenly Restoration Pill at this moment.
Only after settling all these things did Yang Kai release his Divine Sense. Then, in the next moment, his body teleported and appeared in front of his Embodiment, Liu Yan, and the others.
“Master, are you alright?” Liu Yan asked with a happy face as soon as she saw Yang Kai appear.
A few days ago, she went to check on Yang Kai’s condition when she noticed him entering the Small Sealed World, but she never expected to see Yang Kai being plagued by Demon Qi, so she had been worried ever since.
The Embodiment and Hua Qing Si were also extremely worried.
Of course, when they saw Yang Kai alive and well, there was no way they didn’t realize that he had already dealt with the Demon Qi.
“En, I’ve come back to life!” Yang Kai grinned.
Hua Qing Si said with a serious expression, “Are you sure there are no after-effects? You can’t be too careless.”
“Rest assured, Sister Hua.” While speaking, Yang Kai took something out of his Space Ring and handed it to Hua Qing Si, “Here, this is for you.”
Hua Qing Si took it with suspicion, but then her pretty face paled and she called out in shock, “An Emperor Artifact?”
What Yang Kai handed her was the Five-Coloured Spear that Yao Chang Jun used before this. After that duel to the death, and before Yang Kai entered the Small Sealed World, he managed to snatch away this Emperor Artifact and Yao Chang Jun’s Space Ring.
Liu Yan already had the Annihilation Thunder Bead and Hua Qing Si had always been loyal to Yang Kai, so he felt relieved handing this Five-Coloured Spear over to her for her use.
“An Emperor Artifact is powerful, but the most important thing to a cultivator is still their foundation. Sister Hua, don’t put the cart before the horse,” Yang Kai said.
Hua Qing Si fiddled with the Five-Coloured Spear in her hands and looked completely overjoyed with it. She nodded and told him off, “I know that, do I still need you to teach me?”
Yang Kai grinned meaningfully and touched his own nose.
He did not have time to check Yao Chang Jun’s Space Ring yet; however, taking it out now, he found that there were quite a lot of good things inside.
There were hundreds of millions of Source Crystals alone. What’s more, most of them were Mid-Rank and High-Rank. But it was within Yang Kai’s expectations for a Third-Order Emperor Realm Master like Yao Chang Jun to have amassed this much wealth.
He had such a high cultivation, so how could he be broke?
Besides the Source Crystals, there were also large amounts of Spirit Pills and Artifacts, but none of them were Emperor Grade.
After checking around for a bit, Yang Kai suddenly remembered something and asked, stunned, “Where’s Liu Xian Yun?”
Liu Xian Yun had passed out earlier, so Yang Kai tossed her into the Small Sealed World in order to avoid accidentally hurting her during his fight with Yao Chang Jun. However, she was nowhere to be seen right now.
Liu Yan explained, “I placed her at the pavilion and she is already awake now, but she seems to be confused about her situation.”
“You didn’t explain anything to her?”
“No,” Liu Yan shook her head. Not to mention explaining, she didn’t even show her face to Liu Xian Yun.
“I’ll take a look.” As he spoke, Yang Kai’s figure had already disappeared.
Inside the pavilion, Liu Xian Yun had a serious expression and her eyes were filled with bewilderment.
She found herself in this pavilion when she woke up earlier, and she had no idea what this place was. Looking around, she found that there was no danger here, and nobody could be found nearby either. On the other hand, the World Energy here was absurdly dense.
Liu Xian Yun had never seen a place with such rich World Energy as this. This place must be a cultivation paradise, one where she didn’t even need to circulate her Secret Arts to absorb the World Energy around her as it would simply seep into her pores on its own.
If she could cultivate here for a while, then it may not take long before she was able to break through her shackles and advance to the Second-Order Dao Source Realm.
But she was so set on trying to figure out where she was right now that she didn’t have the heart to cultivate. What worried her the most was the fact that Yang Kai was nowhere to be found. After several days of searching, she even began to wonder if she had been abandoned.
But while she was staying mournfully in the attic at this moment, thinking about where she should go in the future, a figure suddenly flashed in front of her, and Yang Kai appeared mysteriously just like that.
“Senior Brother…” When Liu Xian Yun saw Yang Kai, it was as if she had found her pillar of support and rushed towards him, her anxious expression clearly relaxing a lot.
Yang Kai smiled, “Something happened and I was occupied for a few days.”
“It’s good as long as you’re okay, Senior Brother.” Liu Xian Yun swept her eyes over Yang Kai for a while and found that he was full of energy. Only then did she put her heart at ease and ask, “Senior Brother, do you know where this is? Weren’t we swallowed up by that huge vortex earlier?”
Her memory was still stuck at the unforeseen disaster in the Solitary Void Mountain Range. When she remembered how they were unable to fight back against the power of that vortex, her pretty face could not help but pale a little.
“We did get swallowed up, then we landed atop a sea.”
“A sea?” Liu Xian Yun was even more confused now. She had been exploring the surrounding area these past few days but she never saw any sea. Instead, the environment here was extremely pleasant. There were many buildings, and it was apparent that many people used to live here.
[If I could settle down here with Senior Brother, that would be nice.]
Yang Kai scratched his head. He had no idea how to explain the current situation to Liu Xian Yun, so he could only say, “I’ll show you around.”
While speaking, Yang Kai left the Sealed World Bead with Liu Xian Yun with a thought.
As soon as they emerged, they were surrounded by a fishy smell. Following that, they could hear a strange sound coming from all directions, and even the sound of a beating heart.
Just by sweeping through the place with his Divine Sense, Yang Kai found where they currently were.
He previously ignored where the Sealed World Bead was going to land so that he could seal the Demon Qi. As such, he allowed the Sealed World Bead to fall into the depths of the sea. Only, after a few days passed, Yang Kai had no idea how, but it seemed it ended up in the stomach of a big fish.
It seemed that this big fish had swallowed the Sealed World Bead and then swam with them all the way to who knows where.
After understanding this, Yang Kai circulated his Source Qi and shot out a Golden Blood Thread. After a chaotic dance, he opened a hole right through the fish’s back and brought Liu Xian Yun up.
Even though the fish was quite big, it was not a powerful Monster Beast, so it could not bear the pain of Yang Kai tossing about inside it and was constantly rolling around in the sea as fresh blood spilled out. From the looks of it, it likely wouldn’t be able to survive.
In the next moment, Yang Kai and Liu Xian Yun sped out to the surface of the sea. Summoning his wooden boat, Yang Kai got on top of it with Liu Xian Yun in tow.
A faint fishiness wafted out from the sea and all they could see around them were blue waves and blue skies. Endless seas as far as the eyes could see and countless waterspouts all around. Whirlpools surrounded them as well, looking particularly dangerous.
Liu Xian Yun was stunned.
She still hadn’t managed to figure out where she was before, so appearing suddenly on top of the sea had put her at a loss.
“After we were swallowed by the vortex, this is where we popped up.” Yang Kai swept his eyes around the place and could not help but feel a little disappointed when he found no trace of land.
“Where is this?” Liu Xian Yun asked, shocked.
“From what Yao Chang Jun and Pang Guang said, this place seems to be some Solitary Void Sealed World,” Yang Kai frowned.
“Solitary Void Sealed World?” Liu Xian Yun looked bewildered. It seemed like she had never heard of such a place. She had only been in Marsh City for a few years and did not know too much about the deeper secrets of this place, so she naturally never heard of the Solitary Void Sealed World.
“Yao Chang Jun and Pang Guang are also here?” Liu Xian Yun suddenly realized the meaning behind Yang Kai’s words and was startled again.
“Don’t worry, I don’t know where they went,” Yang Kai answered casually. He did not tell her that Yao Chang Jun was already dead. On the other hand, Pang Guang had fled so Yang Kai really didn’t know where he was.
“So, what should we do now?”
“Well, since we’re here, let’s settle down first.” Yang Kai sighed, “First, we’ll find out if anyone else is living here and get some information about this place. Then, we can look for a way out.”
“En. Let’s go with your plan, Senior Brother.” Liu Xian Yun did not have any ideas, so she could only put her hopes on Yang Kai.
Yang Kai then picked a direction and flew off on the wooden boat.
The large sea looked endless. Yang Kai could not even tell north from south and could only keep flying in one direction, hoping to find something.
But the waterspouts present all over the surface of the sea were causing a huge obstacle to him.
The waterspouts had strong suction power, and if they really fell into them, even a Dao Source Realm cultivator may not be able to get out safely.
In order to get away from the suction force of the waterspouts, Yang Kai also consumed a great amount of energy.
Three whole days passed, and the two still did not find anything. It was as if the sea was truly endless. Even someone as calm as Yang Kai could not help but feel a little uneasy. If they really couldn’t find a place to settle down, then would the two of them have to keep on flying forever?
If that happened, the two of them would end up dead sooner or later. Even though they could avoid danger in the Sealed World Bead and rest and recuperate, they would still be trapped here for life if unable to find the way out.
“Junior Sister, come and take over for a while, I need to rest for a bit.” Yang Kai beckoned Liu Xian Yun over and passed the controls of the wooden boat to her.
“En.” Liu Xian Yun had been wanting to help Yang Kai for a long time, so she was happy to take over when he asked her to do so.
“Watch out for those waterspouts. If you find one that’s too big, then it’s better to go around it than to try and force your way through it. Those things are dangerous.” Yang Kai cautioned her before sitting down cross-legged. Tossing a few restorative Spirit Pills into his mouth, and silently circulating his Secret Art.
The World Energy inside this Solitary Void Sealed World was extremely dense, not more so than in the Sealed World Bead, but definitely higher than an average Sect’s cultivation paradises.
Yang Kai figured that he could recover quickly if he used Spirit Pills and cultivate here.
But only a short time passed before he realized that something wasn’t quite right.
The World Energy that was being drawn into his body seemed to be mixed with something else that Yang Kai could not identify. This strange energy felt like sharp needles that constantly pricked his meridians and body when it entered his body, causing immense physical pain.
The more he cultivated, the more of this stuff he absorbed.
An hour later, Yang Kai coughed up a mouthful of blood, his face looking terrible.
“Senior Brother, what happened?” Liu Xian Yun’s face suddenly changed. Yang Kai was clearly restoring his Source Qi, so how did he end up coughing up blood as if he had received a severe injury, especially when there were no enemies nearby.
“The World Energy in this place is strange, don’t absorb it. The more you do, the higher the chance you hurt yourself!” Yang Kai said through gritted teeth as he wiped the blood from the corners of his mouth.
“How can that be?” Liu Xian Yun asked, surprised.
“No idea!” Yang Kai was also confused, shaking his head, “Something’s not quite right with this Sealed World!”
He had never encountered World Energy that he could not absorb since he began cultivating. Something strange was mixed into the World Energy inside this Solitary Void Sealed World, and the more it was absorbed, the more damage it did to a cultivator. It would definitely ruin their meridians in the long run, causing them to lose their cultivation.
Fortunately, Yang Kai only cultivated for an hour before he stopped.
“What do we do now?” Liu Xian Yun was completely panicked. If they couldn’t absorb the World Energy here, then the two of them would run out of energy sooner or later. Not to mention finding the exit, they may never even get off the sea and would die of exhaustion in the end.
This situation was just like putting a whole table of delicious seafood in front of a hungry sailor, but it was actually poisonous. If they ate, they would die of poison, but if they didn’t, they would die of hunger…
“No matter, I have a solution,” Yang Kai wasn’t in too much panic and took out the Sealed World Bead, passing it to Liu Xian Yun. “Hold onto this. I’ll go in to recover for a moment.”
Saying so, he had already entered the Sealed World Bead.
Liu Xian Yun didn’t have the time to say anything before Yang Kai disappeared. She just looked at the Sealed World Bead in her hands, dumbfounded. Then, remembering the pavilion and that nice and quiet world, Liu Xian Yun seemed to have realized something and her pretty face could not help but fill with surprise.
A moment later, she quickly, but carefully put away the Sealed World Bead before putting her focus on steering the wooden boat, constantly moving forward while avoiding those waterspouts.
An hour later, Yang Kai reappeared, not looking as weak as he did earlier. He had a rosy complexion now and had clearly recovered his strength.
Liu Xian Yun did not say anything more, simply nodding at him and handing back the Sealed World Bead.
She was able to cultivate the Third-Order Origin King Realm in the Grand Desolation Star Field and had the prestige of being one of the strongest Masters there, so she was obviously a smart person and knew what to ask and what not to ask.
There was no doubt that Yang Kai entrusting the Sealed World Bead to her meant that he trusted her greatly. As for the mysteries of this Sealed World Bead, it was enough that she knew it in her heart.
Day by day, time passed.
Every two or three days, Yang Kai would enter the Sealed World Bead to recover and then come back out to steer the wooden boat.
During this period, Liu Xian Yun had also run out of Source Qi and had entered the Sealed World Bead twice, but she was very sensible and never asked any questions when she went in and out.
A month’s time passed in the blink of an eye, but Yang Kai and Liu Xian Yun still never found any trace of land in this vast sea. The sea really seemed to be endless.
No matter how resolute Yang Kai was, he still could not help but feel a little impatient at this moment.
On this day, when Yang Kai returned from the Sealed World Bead, Liu Xian Yun called out to him with pleasant surprise in her voice, “Senior Brother, I think we’ve found something!”
“What is it?” Yang Kai was excited to hear this and quickly asked.
Liu Xian Yun pointed ahead, “Look, the waterspouts are appearing less and less frequently. The further we go, the rarer they become.”
Yang Kai focused his gaze and discovered that it was true. The number of waterspouts on the surface of the sea had decreased, and Yang Kai’s eyes could not help but brighten at this discovery.
Even though there was no sign of land yet, at least some changes could finally be seen in their surroundings.
Previously, Yang Kai was wondering if they were lost or if they were constantly going in circles, but now, it seemed that they were neither. The sea really was just extremely vast.
This discovery brightened up both Yang Kai and Liu Xian Yun, and they sped forth on their wooden boat with even greater effort.
As time passed, the waterspouts around them were also growing smaller and smaller. Eventually, they disappeared completely. This gave Yang Kai the firm belief that he was flying in the right direction. If they kept going, then they might end up finding an unexpected harvest.
After another three days, Yang Kai was in the middle of steering the wooden boat when his face suddenly changed and he focused his gaze as far as he could in a certain direction. In the next moment, he was overjoyed and patted Liu Xian Yun on the shoulder, “Junior Sister, there’s a ship ahead!”
Liu Xian Yun was meditating with closed eyes. She did not dare to cultivate here, so she quickly woke up when Yang Kai called out to her. Standing up, she looked in the direction Yang Kai was pointing and saw that there was in fact a small black dot on the horizon.
That little black dot was, amazingly, a large ship.
Liu Xian Yun could not help but get excited. Looking over at Yang Kai, she could see that he was overjoyed as well.
It had been more than a month since they came to this damned place and they had been wandering the sea this whole time when they finally spotted a ship. The joy that they felt simply could not be described in words.
A boat meant people, and if there were people, it meant they could ask where this place was and where they should head to.
Yang Kai quickly sped up the wooden ship and flew straight towards the large sea ship.
As they got closer and closer, the image of the ship also got clearer and clearer.
It was an impressively large sea ship and even a relatively high-grade artifact to boot. This was a great surprise to Yang Kai as the refinement of such a large artifact ship would inevitably require a lot of energy and finances. Who knows how the cultivators aboard actually managed to achieve it while living in this damned place.
When the wooden bloat flew over, the sentries on the sea ship obviously spotted them as well. Before waiting for Yang Kai to come close, a dozen people scrambled onto the deck, standing there in a disorderly manner. They seemed to be very curious about Yang Kai’s arrival and were constantly pointing and whispering about them.
It didn’t take long before Yang Kai arrived a short distance away from the ship. Looking over, whether it be men or women, he could see that all of them had sturdy auras and were staring at them with some vigilance.
But what surprised Yang Kai even more was the fact that most of these people were actually Dao Source Realm cultivators!
How did they manage to maintain their cultivation in this place? After all, the World Energy here couldn’t be absorbed, so there was no doubt that one’s cultivation would regress if one lived here for a long time.
Even though these dozen people did look a bit short of Source Qi, clearly because they had not been able to cultivate properly, they indeed managed to maintain their cultivations.
The leader of these people was a woman with a voluptuous body, curvy and well-endowed both on her front and her behind; however, her skin was slightly dark, likely due to her being out at sea all year long. This did not take away from her beauty in the slightest though and instead added a wild air to her.
She was standing there like a powerful leopard, looking at the newcomers with sharp eyes.
Yang Kai did not board the ship rashly and instead cupped his fists from nearby, calling out, “Friends, please. I do not know which way you’re heading, but do you mind bringing us along as well?”
The dozen or so people looked indifferent, only their leader raised her head slightly and asked bluntly, “Where are you from?”
Yang Kai pointed in a certain direction and said, “From there. Our ship was destroyed. Only the two of us managed to escape.”
This was, of course, a lie; however, Yang Kai did not want to reveal his background when they had just arrived.
“A shipwreck?” The woman’s face changed slightly. Though, she did not ask too much about it and just sighed lightly. It seemed like getting shipwrecked was common on this sea. Nodding, she said, “The two of you are quite lucky to have survived such a disaster. I can let you on board, but you know the rules, right?”
[Rules…?] Yang Kai’s heart jumped. This was the first group of people they’d encountered since coming here a month ago, so how would they know the rules?
But just as he was about to ask for guidance, the woman frowned and said, “Five thousand Source Crystals per person. Ten thousand for the two of you.”
“Yes yes! Of course!” Yang Kai quickly nodded, thinking that the rules were that they had to pay a boarding fee.
This rule was acceptable, but what surprised Yang Kai the most was the fact that the price of these tickets was way too cheap. It only cost five thousand Source Crystals per person.
As he said that, he touched the Space Ring on his finger, wanting to take out the Source Crystals.
When the woman saw his actions, she couldn’t help but frown and said, “You’re not thinking of giving me the Source Crystals here, right?”
Yang Kai looked at her, bewildered, “Is something the matter?”
Upon hearing this, the woman’s face instantly turned strange. She was eyeing him incessantly, and it wasn’t just her. The other cultivators standing on the deck also had amused looks on their faces.
[What’s going on?] Yang Kai frowned slightly. He was wondering in his heart, [Is there something wrong with giving her the Source Crystals here?]
Just as Yang Kai was feeling suspicious, the woman took out an Access Token. Reaching out and swaying it, an opening immediately split on the ship’s barrier and she said, “Come in first.”
“Many thanks!” Yang Kai held back the doubts in his heart and rushed in with his wooden boat.
With their feet on the deck, both Yang Kai and Liu Xian Yun could not help but heave a sigh of relief. The feeling of standing on steady ground was simply wonderful.
“Come with me.” The woman waved her hand and led the way ahead.
Yang Kai and Liu Xian Yun exchanged glances with each other before quickly catching up with her.
The cultivators on the deck also took the initiative to open up a path so the two could pass.
After walking for a short while, the woman suddenly asked, “How long have you been shipwrecked on the Solitary Void Sea?”
[So, it turns out this place is the Solitary Void Sea,] Yang Kai noted it silently in his heart. As for the other party’s question, he answered without hesitation, “It happened yesterday. Fortunately, we bumped into you, otherwise the consequences would have been unimaginable. Truly, many thanks to this Young Miss for taking us in.”
His aura was stable at the moment and it obviously seemed as if he did not consume much Source Qi. Telling her that the shipwreck happened yesterday would be the best answer.
“Is that so?” The corners of the woman’s mouth rose slightly, revealing an intriguing smile.
Yang Kai frowned. He thought to himself, [Could it be that this woman realized something? But I shouldn’t have revealed any hint…] Both he and Liu Xian Yun looked at each other, both a little confused.
As they talked, the woman led Yang Kai to a compartment. Opening the door, she went inside.
Yang Kai looked around. Even though the place was not big, the environment was not bad. The nice bit about the compartment was how quiet it was. Also, a Spirit Array seemed to have been set up here, but he had no idea what for.
“Will we be staying here?” Yang Kai asked.
The woman glanced at him and said indifferently, “Not so fast.”
Yang Kai’s face turned dark. [This woman really is strange, if they weren’t going to let them stay, then why bring them here?]
“You can stay here if you want, but it’ll cost you a thousand crystals per day,” the woman continued.
Yang Kai’s mouth twitched. He asked, “Didn’t we pay the ship fare already?”
Even though he wasn’t short on Source Crystals right now, he still couldn’t find this woman’s behaviour acceptable. Did she really have to charge them extra for the room? It seemed as though she was trying to milk them.
“The fare and the room fees are two different things. Would you want to stay in a free room if we had one?”
“What’s the difference?” Yang Kai was confused. [Even the rooms on this ship were divided between free ones and paid ones? But the room in front of us doesn’t seem to look decent, so why should we be charged for it?]
The woman explained, “This room is equipped with a special Spirit Purifying Array that can purify the Disruption Force in the Solitary Void Sealed World. Even though it isn’t a high-grade array, it can still be used to cultivate.”
[Used to cultivate?] Yang Kai finally understood why the cultivators on the ship were able to maintain their cultivation.
[So, it is because of this Spirit Purifying Array.] He had previously tried to cultivate in here and naturally knew what sort of damage the mysterious power in this world could do when it entered a cultivator’s body. It turned out that mysterious energy was called Disruption Force.
This one short sentence from this woman allowed Yang Kai to understand many things.
With that, it also made sense now for them to charge for the room. The Spirit Purifying Array could purify the strange Disruption Force in the air so the cultivator in the room would be able to absorb the World Energy without the impurities.
But Yang Kai soon realized that something was wrong, because the World Energy in this room was extremely thin, a far cry from the dense World Energy outside.
From the looks of it, this Spirit Purifying Array did not come without drawbacks. While it purified the Disruption Force, it also hindered the flow of World Energy.
Even though one would not be hurt by the Disruption Force if they cultivated here, it was still impossible to maintain their cultivation with such thin World Energy. Their cultivation could only slowly regress unless they could find another method to restore their Source Qi, such as Source Crystals or whatnot.
No wonder all the cultivators here looked to be lacking Source Qi. Despite being at the Dao Source Realm, Yang Kai could tell that these people simply wouldn’t be able to display their full strength at all.
“Are you staying or not?” The woman asked impatiently when she saw Yang Kai’s mind wandering.
“Yes, of course we’ll stay!” Yang Kai nodded hurriedly. Even if the grade of the Spirit Purifying Array here was poor, and the room was mediocre, the fact that the Disruption Force could be purified here was better than nothing.
Anyway, it’s not like he was short on Source Crystals; after all, he had just managed to secure hundreds of millions of Source Crystals from Yao Chang Jun’s Space Ring after killing him.
“You’ll have to pay for a month in advance. You get your balance back if we reach land before then, or pay extra if otherwise,” The woman extended her hand towards Yang Kai.
Yang Kai no longer objected, taking out 40,000 Source Crystals and handing them to the woman.
The woman put the Source Crystals into her Space Ring with great haste and instructed, “Don’t wander around if you have no other business. We came out here on a mission and we’ll bring you to Clear Sky Island once we’re finished.”
Yang Kai nodded, “We understand.”
Only then did the woman turn around and walk out. When she reached the doorway, she suddenly stopped and turned her head to look at Yang Kai, “Are you curious as to why I brought you into this room to collect the Source Crystals?”
Yang Kai was stunned. He did not understand what she meant by asking this.
The woman snorted and did not continue speaking, instead just stretching out a hand to Yang Kai, “Give me one more Source Crystal and I’ll tell you the reason why.”
Veins started to pop on Yang Kai’s forehead. This woman was seriously obsessed with money, wanting Source Crystals for everything.
Though a little disgruntled, he took out a Source Crystal and tossed it towards the woman.
The woman caught it and sneered, “Watch carefully.”
As she spoke, she tossed the Source Crystal straight out of the room.
With a *ding*, the Source Crystal landed in the hallway.
Then, the next scene caused Yang Kai’s face to change. The Source Crystal had actually begun to dissolve at a rapid rate. In less than ten breaths, a whole piece of Low-Rank Source Crystal disappeared without a trace, dissipating into World Energy.
The woman coldly snorted, “If you’re new here, you’re new, don’t bother trying to act smart!”
After she said that, she went straight out and shut the door behind her.
Yang Kai’s face burned red. He knew that his lies had been seen through the moment he tried to take out the Source Crystals for her outside. Otherwise, if he was someone from here, how could he not even know this bit of common knowledge?
“Senior Brother…” Liu Xian Yun’s pretty face also changed slightly, “That Source Crystal…”
Yang Kai said frustratingly, “Source Crystals probably can’t be exposed outside of the Spirit Purifying Array, otherwise they’ll disappear quickly.”
The woman clearly wanted this last piece of Source Crystal to show him this.
“Does that mean they figured out we’ve just arrived here?”
Yang Kai smiled awkwardly, “Definitely, but that doesn’t matter. That woman seems a bit aloof, but I don’t think she’s a bad person. Let’s get some rest first. We’ll figure out how to get out of here once we reach that Clear Sky Island she mentioned.”
“En.” Liu Xian Yun nodded and found a place in the room to sit down in a cross-legged position.
…..
On the deck, two men immediately sprang up when the woman walked out and approached her on each side.
The man on the left had a huge scar on his face that ran from his cheekbone all the way down his mouth, appearing fierce and scary. The one on the right on the other hand had a rather stout round build and a fierce aura.
“Big Sister Ling, are those two… staying?” The man on the left asked softly, eyes flickering with a dangerous light. He could not help but stick out his tongue to lick his lips when he asked this question, as if there was a delicious meal placed in front of him.
“En,” Ling Yin Qin nodded. She looked at him and said coldly, “What’re you asking that for?”
The man on the right grinned meaningfully, “You already know the answer, Big Sister Ling. It was clearly that pair’s first time here in the Solitary Void Sealed World. Obviously, they’ve stumbled here by accident, but newcomers here always have a lot of good stuff on them.”
The man on the left nodded, “That’s right, Big Sister Ling. We only have several dozen Source Crystals left. If we don’t get any more, then our cultivations will start to regress. You also know how the situation on Clear Sky Island is. Now that two fat sheep suddenly stumbled onto us… Heh heh, we brothers just can’t help ourselves.”
“Is this what you two were planning, or is it the plans of everyone on the ship?” Ling Yin Qin paused in her steps and asked in a grim voice.
The man on the left scratched his head, “Even though they didn’t say anything, they’re definitely thinking the same thing. As long as Big Sister Ling gives the order, we’ll rush in there right now and tie them up!”
“What nonsense!” Ling Yin Qin shouted angrily, saliva spraying all over the scar-faced man’s face, “Control your greed and don’t give me any trouble!”
The scar-faced man wiped his face embarrassedly, “Big Sister Ling, we can just talk, no need to spit on me…”
Ling Yin Qin coldly snorted, “How about I throw you overboard so you can cool your head first?”
The scar-faced man jumped in fright and quickly waved his hands, “No, no, no thank you!”
Lin Yin Qin took a deep breath and said, “That man isn’t someone we should be messing with. Since you know they’re newcomers here, then you should know that nobody who just arrived here is to be underestimated. Unlike us who have lived here for a long time, their cultivations haven’t regressed yet, so they are able to use their full strength. That man is a Third-Order Dao Source Realm cultivator, so who on this ship can fight him? If we really start a fight here, several of our men are going to end up dead at least. Do you really want to see that happen?”
The two men looked at each other and were instantly much more clear-headed. They both shook their heads.
Ling Yin Qin continued, “The first rule of the Solitary Void Sealed World is that we should never pick unnecessary fights, remember that. The Source Qi that we consume cannot be so easily replenished.”
“Yes,” The two men seemed extremely submissive to Ling Yin Qin and answered her seriously when they heard her say that.
“What’s more, we still have a mission to finish out here. Rest assured, once our task is done, all of you will receive Source Crystals and cultivation resources.” While speaking, Ling Yin Qin took off her Space Ring and passed it to the scar-faced man, “I got 40,000 Source Crystals from that man just now, take them and distribute them to everyone. Each of you should get a good share out of this.”
“40,000!?” The two men were overjoyed, as if 40,000 Source Crystals was an amazing fortune for them.
This was simply unimaginable in the outside world. Any Dao Source Realm cultivator wouldn’t even spare a glance at 40,000 Low-Rank Source Crystals, but Source Crystals were a rare commodity here in the Solitary Void Sealed World.
Cultivators who live here year-round would naturally need to consume Source Crystals, but there were no Source Crystals to mine here. There was simply no way to make ends meet in the long run. Only cultivators who end up getting caught and dragged into this place would bring some Source Crystals with them.
But not many cultivators ended up here each year, and the number of Source Crystals they brought with them was an even greater uncertainty. How could this be enough for the several hundreds of thousands of people living in Clear Sky City?
These 40,000 Source Crystals were a huge sum for the cultivators aboard this ship.
And yet, Ling Yin Qin had handed this over without hesitation to share with everyone. This was the reason why a woman like her was able to get the whole ship to yield to her and obey her orders.
Ling Yin Qin never hid anything for herself, and this kind of virtue was enough to gain everyone’s respect.
“Tell our brothers not to have any funny thoughts about those two, and don’t reveal their origins when we return to Clear Sky City. If you want Source Crystals, get it from them the proper way. Our mission is going to be a long one. If you use the right method, then you may be able to get some Source Crystals out of them.” Ling Yin Qin warned them again, still not completely assured. She was clear about the type of men she had working under her.
“Got it, Big Sister Ling.” The two were overjoyed at her words. After shooting a glance at each other, they immediately rushed into the cabin.
Not long after, the scar-faced man returned and handed the ring back to Ling Yin Qin, “Big Sister Ling, we left 10,000 Source Crystals for you. The rest we’ve split up with the boys. Heh heh, everyone said they’ll have to thank Big Sister Ling for this reward!”
Ling Yin Qin snorted, “I’ll be thanking the Heavens as long as you don’t bring me any trouble.”
“No, no, absolutely not!” The scar-faced man responded seriously.
Yang Kai had not been sitting in the room for long when a knock came at the door.
Liu Xian Yun looked at him and only opened the door when she received a nod.
The scar-faced man that was on the deck earlier appeared outside the door with a flattering smile on his face and immediately began fawning over them, “Greetings, dear guests. I’m not disturbing your cultivation, am I?”
Liu Xian Yun asked, “What is it?”
The scar-faced man laughed, “Big Sister instructed me to come over and see if our guests are in need of anything. If you do need anything, we will do our best to fulfil your needs.”
Liu Xian Yun was bewildered. She had no idea why this guy was being so polite all of a sudden. A saying came to her, ‘one who is unaccountably solicitous is hiding evil intentions’. This man’s behaviour made her a little wary; after all, when she and Yang Kai arrived here, they weren’t even sure of the specific circumstances of this place, so it was natural for them to be cautious.
The scar-faced man then continued, “This is some food prepared by the brothers for the two of you. We have nothing else to offer on our ship, I hope you won’t mind it.”
Only then did Liu Xian Yun notice that the scar-faced man was holding a tray with two plates of dishes and a jar of wine. She had no idea what sort of strange meat the food was made of, but it did smell quite good.
[It couldn’t be poisoned, could it?] Liu Xian Yun’s face turned strange in an instant. She wanted to refuse him, but since he took the initiative to bring it over, it seemed a bit inappropriate to turn him away at the door. So, not knowing what to do, she could only look back at Yang Kai and wait for his opinion.
“Come in and talk inside.” Yang Kai did not seem to care.
When he heard this, the scar-faced man suddenly revealed a happy expression, “Pardon the intrusion.”
Liu Xian Yun then moved aside to let the scar-faced man enter the room. The latter put the tray on the table and looked towards Yang Kai with an eager face, the fawning smile on his face never disappearing.
Yang Kai smiled, “Is the food free or is there a fee?”
The scar-faced man grinned meaningfully, scratching his head as he said, “This is a little token of appreciation prepared by the brothers for our two guests, so naturally it’s free of charge. But… Heh heh… I’m sure you understand, friend.”
Liu Xian Yun let out a light snort and looked unhappy. She was thinking that all these people in this ship were all money-grubbers. To think they actually had the gall to charge for two plates of some unknown dishes and a jar of old wine that looked to be of poor quality.
She wouldn’t even have bothered to spare such dishes a glance if she was served them in the outside world.
But Yang Kai had his curiosity piqued by this behaviour and asked, “Are Source Crystals hard to acquire here?”
Instantly, a bitter expression appeared on the scar-faced man’s face, “Friend, if you live here for a little time, you’ll learn just how precious Source Crystals are in this place.”
If this wasn’t the case, why would he be so thick-faced as to try and find a way to ‘earn’ some Source Crystals from Yang Kai like this?
“Can you not mine Source Crystals here?” Liu Xian Yun asked suspiciously.
The scar-faced man shook his head and replied, “No, the Disruption Force is present all throughout the Solitary Void Sealed World, and once exposed to it, Source Crystals will dissolve and lose all the World Energy. So, there are no Source Crystals to mine in this damned place at all. This is also the reason why the World Energy is so dense in this Solitary Void Sealed World.”
Liu Xian Yun had also seen how the Source Crystal melted rapidly earlier, so she naturally understood when she heard the scar-faced man say this. With that, her disdain for the cultivators on this ship lessened a little. She understood now why all of them were so money eager for profits.
The scar-faced man sighed, “The Source Crystals in this Solitary Void Sealed World are all brought in by outside cultivators. There’s no chance to even find a single piece in here.”
Yang Kai nodded as it was just as he guessed. When he saw the Source Crystal dissolve earlier, Yang Kai already had some vague guesses, so when the scar-faced man explained this now, he instantly affirmed that his guesses were correct.
Source Crystals truly were valuable treasures in this damned place.
“What do we call you?” Yang Kai asked.
The scar-faced man quickly responded, “Jiao Yi. Big Sister calls me Old Jiao. Please feel free to call me however you please!”
“Please sit, Brother Jiao, I have some questions to ask you,” Yang Kai motioned to him while taking out a bag of Source Crystals from his Space Ring at the same time, placing it on the table and pushing it towards him.
Jiao Yi’s eyes lit up in an instant like a starved ghost seeing food. He pulled the bag to himself, opened it up, and was almost blinded by the lustre of the Source Crystals inside. Hurriedly, he stuffed the bag into his Space Ring and replied happily, “Ask away, friend! Old Jiao will even tell you what the colour of my underwear is!”
“Bleh…” Liu Xian Yun spat, face blushing slightly.
Yang Kai smiled, “To tell you the truth, my Junior Sister and I just arrived here and we know nothing about this place, so…”
“We already know. Who else besides newcomers would dare to take out Source Crystals in the open here in the Solitary Void Sealed World? As soon as we saw that, we all knew you weren’t familiar with the rules here, friend.”
He was referring to Yang Kai’s earlier attempt at making a deal with Ling Yin Qin above deck.
Yang Kai also knew he was definitely outed, so he didn’t try to hide it either. In any case, he wanted information and had Source Crystals, so he figured trading one for the other was a good deal.
Jiao Yi sighed, “Just live here for a year and you’ll know how precious Source Crystals are. Let Old Jiao give you some advice. No matter how many Source Crystals you have, use them sparingly or you’ll use them up before you know it. Thinking back then, I used to have several million Source Crystals in my Space Ring. I was quite rich back then! But now, haa…”
He had a pained look, as if regretting how he squandered his money.
“How long have you been here, Brother Jiao?”
This question seemed to poke at Jiao Yi’s sore point. He poured himself a cup of wine and downed it in one gulp before wiping his mouth and speaking, “I never really counted, but probably about sixty years, maybe seventy?”
“Sixty or seventy years!?” Liu Xian Yun’s pretty face paled in an instant.
Jiao Yi looked over to her and revealed, “What do seventy years count for? Some people have been stuck here for hundreds or even thousands of years.”
“Is there no way out?” Liu Xian Yun asked.
Jiao Yi frowned, “I’m not sure about that. Maybe there is, maybe there isn’t. As for me, this Old Jiao’s strength is too low, so obviously, even if there is a way out, I wouldn’t be able to reach it. If that wasn’t the case, those few peak-level powerhouses in Clear Sky City would have already left. Why would they stay here and suffer?”
Yang Kai said, “Then, did you come in from Solitary Void Mountain Range too, Brother Jiao?”
“Solitary Void Mountain Range?” Jiao Yi was befuddled at these words. After thinking for a while, he realized what he was saying, “Oh, that Solitary Void Mountain Range at the intersection of the Southern Territory and the Eastern Territory, right? No, I came in from the intersection of the Western Territory and the Northern Territory.”
“Are there a lot of points this place can be accessed from?”
“En, it seems to be so, since people from all four major regions are living on Clear Sky Island. Just on this boat alone, we came in from at least a dozen different places.”
“That many? How can that be?” Liu Xian Yun was amazed.
Jiao Yi shrugged, “I don’t know either.”
Yang Kai said thoughtfully, “The entrance of this Solitary Void Sealed World is either mobile, or there are many entry points. Brother Jiao, what’s the situation on that Clear Sky Island you mentioned?”
Jiao Yi replied, “Clear Sky Island is just that, it’s Clear Sky Island. All the cultivators in this Solitary Void Sealed World live there. The great forces on the island are complicated, so when we get to Clear Sky Island, Old Jiao advises you to join one of the more powerful ones. Otherwise, it will be difficult to survive here, especially for newcomers. Many people have their eyes on newcomers. I’m sure you know why, right?”
“Source Crystals?” Liu Xian Yun quickly asked.
Jiao Yi nodded, “That’s right, newcomers will more or less be carrying Source Crystals with them when they come here. Men die for wealth, birds die for food. That’s the immutable truth.”
Yang Kai asked, “Are there any Emperor Realm Masters staying on the island?”
“There are. More than a few actually,” Jiao Yi responded, “There are probably over a dozen, with the most powerful one being Clear Sky Island Lord who is a Third-Order Emperor Realm. I heard he’s been here for over a thousand years!”
“Even a Third-Order Emperor Realm Master is trapped here?” Liu Xian Yun’s pretty face paled, feeling like escape was becoming more and more hopeless.
Jiao Yi grinned meaningfully, “What’s so strange about that? If you can’t find a way out, then you won’t be able to leave. But after being trapped here for so long, I heard the Island Master’s cultivation has regressed a lot, possibly even dropping to the Second-Order Emperor Realm, but I don’t know if that’s true or not.” He sighed, “But I think it’s true. How could one keep their cultivation from dropping after living here for so long? Old Jiao used to be Second-Order Dao Source Realm, but I’ve already fallen to the First-Order after all these years.”
Yang Kai frowned, “If you don’t have Source Crystals, how do you cultivate here?”
Jiao Yi said, “With Spirit Purifying Arrays. The grade of the Spirit Purifying Array in this room isn’t very high, so the results aren’t that good. The higher the grade of the Spirit Purifying Array, the better. Once you reach Clear Sky City, I suggest you rent a secluded home with a high-grade Spirit Purifying Array. It will slow down the regression of your cultivation to the greatest extent. But of course, you can also take Spirit Pills besides using the Spirit Purifying Array, but Spirit Pills are ridiculously expensive here. There aren’t many Alchemists on the island, and the best ones have all taken refuge with the Island Master. A single Spirit Pill can cost more than ten times what it would cost outside here.”
“Then how do you live?” Liu Xian Yun couldn’t help but sympathize with Jiao Yi. The environment truly was harsh in this Solitary Void Sealed World, making survival anything but easy.
Jiao Yi smiled bitterly, “We go out to hunt sea beasts and look for other raw materials to trade for. The Monster Cores of sea beasts can usually go for a good price. This time, we’re out looking for something called Grey Feather Coral.”
“What is it used for?” Liu Xian Yun asked.
Jiao Yi answered, “It’s an important ingredient in refining Spirit Purifying Arrays. If you want to survive on Clear Sky Island, a Spirit Purifying Array is essential, so there is a large market for Grey Feather Coral.” When he spoke up to here, Jiao Yi’s expression changed. “Are you two interested in joining us? If you are, I can go talk to Big Sister. I don’t think she’ll refuse you. As for the share, you’ll get the same as us. The more you contribute, the more you get.”
Yang Kai and Liu Xian Yun were both newcomers, so they were still in peak condition, especially Yang Kai. If they could drag him, a Third-Order Dao Source Realm cultivator, into their group, then it would certainly help them return with a full load.
Jiao Yi tried his best to sell the idea, “We found a place with a large amount of Grey Feather Corals by chance five years ago, but it was protected by a Sea Beast back then, so we weren’t able to get it in the end. But based on Big Sister’s observations at the time, the Sea Beast was close to the end of its lifespan and it would definitely be dead within five years. In other words, we’ll be able to mine the Grey Feather Coral there to our heart’s content now, and once we do, we won’t have to go out to sea for at least a year with the harvest.”
Yang Kai shook his head, “My Junior Sister and I won’t be participating.”
He wasn’t short of Source Crystals in the slightest, so naturally, he had no wish to mine this Great Feather Coral. No matter what extravagant and colourful words Jiao Yi could bring up, Yang Kai still wouldn’t be moved.
Seeing this, Jiao Yi could not force him either and just felt that Yang Kai and Liu Xian Yun would learn just how precious Grey Feather Coral was once they’ve lived here for a year or two. When that time came, he might not even need to try and persuade them and the two would join themselves.
“By the way, how long will it take before you return from this trip?” Yang Kai asked.
Jiao Yi said, “We are about three days away from our destination, then it’ll take another two or three days to mine the coral. As for our return trip… It’ll take at least a month before we can reach Clear Sky Island.”
“That long?” Yang Kai couldn’t help but frown.
Jiao Yi smiled bitterly, “Most of the materials around Clear Sky Island have already been dug up and harvested. If we want the good stuff, we can only go further away. The risks are proportional to the gains.”
Yang Kai nodded, “Then I wish you all success.”
When he heard him say that, Jiao Yi also stood up tactfully, “Then, I won’t disturb your cultivation any longer. If there’s anything you need, just come and look for Old Jiao.”
“Alright.”
When Jiao Yi reached the door, he suddenly turned back, “By the way, once the two of you arrive at Clear Sky City, you must find a way to apply for an Identity Token, otherwise you won’t be able to enter the city. However, if you apply for an Identity Token, you’ll be exposed as newcomers. Why don’t I go and tell Big Sister and she’ll find a way to cover for you two? Even though we aren’t attached to any of the big forces, Big Sister is well-connected and has a wide range of contacts. She may be able to get it done.”
Yang Kai pondered for a moment and nodded, “Then I’ll offer my thanks in advance, Brother Jiao.”
Jiao Yi smiled, “I’ll let you know if there’s any news.”
After Jiao Yi left, Yang Kai and Liu Xian Yun looked at each other, both of them able to see the worry in each other’s eyes. This damned place was able to trap even Third-Order Emperor Realm Masters, so it was clear how little chance there was for them to get out. Moreover, Jiao Yi and his group clearly had no idea how to leave either, so they weren’t able to get any information from them.
The only thing they could do now was to head to Clear Sky Island first before making any plans.
The ship sailed for four days before suddenly coming to a stop.
Yang Kai released his Divine Sense and could feel that the cultivators on the ship had all come up to the deck, sleeves rolled up and filled with energy. It seemed like they had arrived at their destination and everyone was getting ready to go down into the sea to mine the Grey Feather Coral.
Yang Kai didn’t go and bother them, but on the contrary, Jiao Yi came to bother him. He came over again to ask if Yang Kai wanted to join them and head down to the sea or not.
After Yang Kai refused him politely, Jiao Yi didn’t press him anymore.
A short while later, most of the people on board jumped off the deck and disappeared into the sea.
Just as Jiao Yi said before, the powerful Sea Beast protecting the Grey Feather Coral had died, so Ling Yin Qin and her crew were very successful in their mission.
Cultivators were constantly coming in and out of the water, all of them looking ecstatic.
Four days later, all the cultivators returned from the sea and nobody went down anymore.
Yang Kai did not observe their movements too carefully, but when he probed the deck occasionally, he was able to hear some of their conversations. From the bits and pieces of chatter he overheard, Yang Kai learned that they were in fact able to score a huge harvest, even more than Ling Yin Qin had expected.
The crew suffered no casualties and gained so much without any effort just by going to sea, so the faces of the crew members were filled with smiles. Even the usually icy Ling Yin Qin had exposed a rare smile.
About half a day later, the ship turned in a different direction and set sail. It seemed they were on their way back.
Yang Kai also put down the last of his worries. He was really afraid that Ling Yin Qin and her ship would encounter difficulties at sea. If that happened, then there would be no one to bring them to Clear Sky Island.
Everything was going well at the moment, and naturally, this was what Yang Kai hoped to see.
There were peaceful days ahead. Yang Kai and Liu Xian Yun were both holed up in their room and did not come out. Ling Yin Qin seemed satisfied with their cooperation and low-key behaviour, so she did not bother them either. On the other hand, Jiao Yi would bring them food and drinks occasionally.
Seven days later, the expression on Yang Kai’s face, who was meditating, suddenly changed and he opened his eyes.
Then, he released his Divine Sense and poured it into the Sealed World Bead to communicate with his Embodiment.
“What is it?” Yang Kai asked. He had no idea why, but the Embodiment suddenly messaged him and he appeared to be in a fluster.
“Ruo Xi, that girl… she’s breaking through,” the Embodiment responded immediately.
“Ruo Xi is breaking through?” Yang Kai raised a brow, “Isn’t that a good thing?”
“How is it good!?” The Embodiment shouted.
Yang Kai also suddenly realized something and his face changed, “Dao Source Realm?”
He remembered that Zhang Ruo Xi had already reached the Third-Order Origin King Realm, which meant if she needed to break through, it would be to the Dao Source Realm!
“That’s right. I don’t know what happened with that girl, but the speed that she’s advancing is too frightening! How long has it been and she’s already breaking through to the Dao Source Realm.”
Yang Kai instantly understood the severity of the problem and immediately teleported into the Small Sealed World.
Somewhere in the Small Sealed World, Zhang Ruo Xi was sitting down cross-legged as World Energy circulated around her body, Saint Qi flowing like a river, so much so that one could actually hear it.
She clearly appeared on the verge of a breakthrough.
If this was the outside world, then there would be no problem for her to make a breakthrough like this.
However, she was currently inside the Sealed World Bead where the World Principles were not perfect. It was not an issue for Zhang Ruo Xi to cultivate here normally, but breaking through to the next Great Realm involved a World Energy Baptism. Comprehending Principle Strength while breaking through was not possible in this Small Sealed World.
In other words, it was impossible for Zhang Ruo Xi to break through to the Dao Source Realm in the Sealed World Bead. If she was left alone, she would only fail.
Once she failed, Zhang Ruo Xi’s path on the Martial Dao would come to an end, and she may even be hit by backlash and perish.
Yang Kai’s face turned ugly.
It was a vast sea outside, and the environment of this Solitary Void Sealed World was so bizarre that he had no idea if Zhang Ruo Xi would be able to break through if she were brought out.
Even if he took her outside, where would they go for her to break through?
Next to Zhang Ruo Si, Hua Qing Si and Liu Yan were both standing there with grave expressions. When they noticed Yang Kai’s arrival, both of them hurried over.
“How long has this been going on?” Yang Kai asked.
“It just began,” Hua Qing Si responded, “But looking at her, I don’t think she can suppress it any longer. If she forcefully restrains herself any more, it will damage her foundation.”
“Master, what should we do now?” Liu Yan had no idea what to do at all. She knew what kind of situation Yang Kai was in currently and really couldn’t think of how they were going to help Zhang Ruo Xi with her current predicament.
“Watch over her for a while, I’ll think of a plan.” After he said that, Yang Kai left the Sealed World Bead.
Zhang Ruo Xi had just perceived the opportunity to break through, so she could probably hold on for a while longer, but it will be impossible to do so for too long. A solution had to be found before then.
Inside the compartment, Yang Kai’s figure reappeared and then flew straight out.
Liu Xian Yun was befuddled, having no idea what Yang Kai was in such a hurry to do, so she quickly followed after him.
Ling Yin Qin was currently cultivating inside her private cabin. It was really unexpected for them to have gained such a large harvest during this trip, so they would be able to stay home for at least two or three years before they had to come out to sea again, which put her in a rather good mood.
While she was thinking about which great force she should sell the Grey Feather Coral to when they returned, her door was suddenly opened with a bang.
Ling Yin Qin was shocked and stood up immediately, shouting, “Who’s there!”
She was the captain of this ship, so there wasn’t anyone on board who dared to rush in without even greeting her, so Ling Yin Qin’s first reaction was that it must be an enemy.
But when she got a good look at who it was that entered, Ling Yin Qin gritted her teeth and snapped, “What are you doing?!”
She was naturally angered. She was only glad that she wasn’t comprehending some Secret Art or Secret Technique, otherwise, this disturbance by Yang Kai would have rendered her efforts meaningless.
This person had been quiet since he came aboard her ship, and Ling Yin Qin had a good impression of him, but now, the sight of him disgusted her.
Yang Kai also knew that he had been too abrupt, but this matter concerned Zhang Ruo Xi’s life and future, so he could only cup his fists and say, “Big Sister Ling, is it? I have an urgent matter so I hope you can forgive me.”
Ling Yin Qin’s name was something he learned from hearing the conversations of the other crew members on the ship.
“What happened?”
There was a cry of alarm from outside. Apparently, the crew had been attracted by the noise of Yang Kai hurling the door open.
They all saw Yang Kai standing outside with Ling Yin Qin’s face covered in fury. All of them were shocked. Jiao Yi, who was standing among them, blinked his eyes and said, “Brother Yang, why did you barge into our Big Sister’s room?”
“You little brat, you’re not coveting the beauty of our Big Sister and deciding to take her by force, are you?”
“What? Seriously? You bastard, how dare you!”
“You’re courting death, you little brat! You have a Junior Sister and you’re still not satisfied? You even dared to eye our Big Sister!? See if I don’t cripple you today!”
The group of people outside became all stirred up and shouted madly, making the scene quite lively.
Yang Kai was speechless at their reaction, but still quickly cupped his fists to Ling Yin Qin, “This one really does have an urgent matter to deal with, so please forgive me, Big Sister Ling!”
Ling Yin Qin glared at Yang Kai with gritted teeth. Even though it was hard to dispel her anger, his expression did not seem fake, so she coldly snorted and asked, “What matter is so urgent that you can’t even knock? Didn’t your mother teach you anything about manners?”
Yang Kai did not dare to talk back after being reprimanded like this either and could only say, “I wish to ask Big Sister Ling’s advice. If one needs to make a breakthrough here, how should they go about it?”
“A breakthrough?” Upon hearing this, Ling Yin Qin’s face changed, “Breaking through to a new Great Realm?”
“Yes!” Yang Kai nodded.
When she heard this, Ling Yin Qin’s mind buzzed for a moment and her face filled with shock.
She naturally thought that Yang Kai needed to break through.
Yang Kai was a Third-Order Dao Source Realm cultivator, so if he broke through, wouldn’t that mean advancing to the Emperor Realm?
There were only a few Emperors in Clear Sky Island, so Ling Yin Qin did not expect that the person she randomly bumped into during her trip would have the potential to break through to the Emperor Realm.
Once this Yang Kai made a breakthrough, he would certainly be able to occupy a seat in Clear Sky Island, and could in turn shelter her whole crew. However… only those who have lived in the Solitary Void Sealed World for a long time would understand that this place was simply a grave for cultivators. A cultivator whose cultivation did not regress with time here was already considered blessed, and even if one was lucky enough to sense an incoming breakthrough, there were very few who could succeed.
Ling Yin Qin had seen too many people who failed to break through in this damned place, causing them to lose all their cultivation and become crippled.
So, after her initial shock, the gaze which Ling Yin Qin directed at Yang Kai became sympathetic. She could tell that Yang Kai was still young, so to be able to reach Third-Order Dao Source Realm proved his aptitude was exceptional. He should be the young rising star of a great Sect outside, and given time, it may not be impossible for him to get a glimpse of the mysteries of the Emperor Realm.
But here… The possibility of failure was very high.
Yang Kai’s face turned anxious. He had no idea why Ling Yin Qin was looking at him full of sympathy. Receiving no answer from her for a while, he pursued the question again, “Big Sister Ling, do you know anything that can help?”
“Are you really going to break through?” Lin Yin Qin couldn’t help but suggest, “If you’re absolutely confident you can do it, then never break through in this Solitary Void Sealed World! You’re better off cutting off your own cultivation!”
Yang Kai was dumbfounded and he subconsciously asked, “Why?”
Jiao Yi said, “Brother Yang, the Solitary Void Sealed World is not a suitable place for a breakthrough. You know as well as us that the endless stream of Disruption Force that flows in this world. Ninety-nine percent of the people who dared to break through here have failed. Big Sister is just watching out for you.”
Yang Kai was truly shocked now. He had previously thought that this was not a good place for a breakthrough, but he didn’t expect it to be so serious. It did not seem like Zhang Ruo Xi’s Qi fluctuations could be suppressed at all, and if she cut off her cultivation as Ling Yin Qin suggested, then Zhang Ruo Xi would never be able to advance to the Dao Source Realm in her life and could only remain at the Origin King Realm.
Since she would be extinguishing her own Martial Dao, no pill or treasure would be able to help her recover.
The rest of the crew members were looking at Yang Kai with sympathy, as if he had suffered a great misfortune. They did not care about him crashing into Ling Yin Qin as much anymore either. It would be too cruel to focus on such petty matters as that when a young man before them was about to come to the end of his Martial Dao.
Yang Kai was only taken aback for a moment before his look turned into one of resolution, “Please, I still wish to seek Big Sister Ling’s guidance.”
When Ling Yin Qin saw how insistent Yang Kai was, she knew it was useless to dissuade him, so she could only say, “I have a High-Grade Spirit Purifying Array here. It may be able to help you.”
There were four grades of Spirit Purifying Array; low, medium, high, and peak.
These days, during his chats with Jiao Yi, Yang Kai got to know that the Spirit Purifying Arrays set up in the ship rooms were all low grade, because the higher the grade of the array, the more expensive it became to arrange. The price of each higher grade array would be at least ten times that of the previous grade. Ling Yin Qin’s group were struggling cultivators in this Solitary Void Sealed World and did not have the financial resources to hire someone to set up a more powerful Spirit Purifying Array.
Yang Kai also did not expect her to actually have a High-Grade Spirit Purifying Array.
The more advanced the grade of a Spirit Purifying Array, the greater its effects were. Spirit Purifying Arrays were like a net that filters out the Disruption Force from the world while also hindering the flow of World Energy. So, regardless of how dense the World Energy was, places with Spirit Purifying Arrays set up would have less dense World Energy available. The higher the grade of a Spirit Purifying Array, the less World Energy it blocked out, so the World Energy available within would become denser, making cultivation inside much more effective.
Yang Kai was in great joy, “Many thanks, Big Sister Ling!”
When Ling Yin Qin said she was going to take out her High-Grade Spirit Purifying Array, the other crew members on the ship could not help but pale in response. Jiao Yi even whispered, “Big Sister Ling, that Spirit Purifying Array…”
Ling Yin Qin interrupted him with a wave of her hand and took out a set of array flags before handing them to Yang Kai, “If you can’t do it, then don’t force it.”
Then, she stuffed a jade slip into Yang Kai’s hands as well, “This is how to set up the array. It’s very simple, you’ll understand if you look through this.”
“I’ll remember it.” Yang Kai nodded sincerely. Even though he had no idea where this High-Grade Spirit Purifying Array came from, he knew how immensely precious it was to Ling Yin Qin just from the looks of the crew members alone. Otherwise, it was impossible for her not to take it out to use normally.
Based on what Yang Kai knew, the Spirit Purifying Array set up in Ling Yin Qin’s room was also merely a low-grade one.
He also had no idea what the story behind this High-Grade Spirit Purifying Array was; however, he decided inwardly that he was going to give Ling Yin Qin compensation after the matter was over.
“I still need to bother Big Sister Ling with one more question. Are there any islands nearby here?” Yang Kai asked.
Ling Yin Qin looked up and said to a cultivator whose face was covered with a big beard, “Hand me the map.”
The cultivator took out a piece of beast skin from his Space Ring and immediately spread it out in front of Ling Yin Qin. Yang Kai also went over to take a look, but he couldn’t read it properly.
Ling Yin Qin’s gaze swept over the map for a while before pointing to a certain spot, “Southeast, five hundred kilometres from here is a small island.”
Yang Kai cupped his fists, “Many thanks!”
By the time he finished speaking, his body had already teleported and disappeared from sight.
The entire crowd was shocked, and even Ling Yin Qin’s beautiful face paled as none of them saw how Yang Kai left.
Even though she knew that Yang Kai’s cultivation was at the Third-Order Dao Source Realm, she never expected him to be so powerful. Just from his Movement Skill alone, Ling Yin Qin was unable to find any traces of Yang Kai at all. If a man like this wanted to kill her, she would be completely defenceless.
Instantly, Ling Yin Qin was feeling thankful that she had strictly forbidden her crew from picking a fight with Yang Kai. Otherwise, nobody would even know how their entire crew ended up dead.
“Senior Brother, he’s… actually going to break through to the Emperor Realm?” Someone murmured quietly from the side.
Ling Yin Qin looked over and saw Liu Xian Yun standing there worriedly.
She followed Yang Kai out of the room and heard the conversation clearly, so she was a bit shocked. Unlike Ling Yin Qin who did not know Yang Kai well, Liu Xian Yun had been cultivating next to Yang Kai these days and she did not notice any signs of him breaking through at all, so how was he suddenly breaking through to the Emperor Realm?
But after the shock passed, she only felt concerned because Ling Yin Qin had put it very clearly that breaking through in the Solitary Void Sealed World was extremely risky.
“Big Sister Ling, my Senior Brother, he…” Liu Xian Yun looked towards Ling Yin Qin.
The latter sighed and said truthfully, “There is little hope, and it is basically impossible to accomplish.”
Liu Xian Yun’s face paled, and she almost toppled over from shock. An amazing talent like Yang Kai was going to be ruined here in this damned place? And the root cause of this was her. If they had not encountered each other in Marsh City, then Yang Kai would never have stood up for her, much less attracted the attention of an old monster like Yao Chang Jun. Then, Yang Kai wouldn’t have been chased all the way to the depths of the Solitary Void Mountain Range and gotten swallowed up by the Solitary Void Sealed World.
The more she thought about it, the guiltier Liu Xian Yun felt towards Yang Kai. If he failed to break through here, then whether he became crippled or died, it would all be her fault.
“Big Sister, that Spirit Purifying Array was what Big Brother Zhou gave you back then. How could you…” Jiao Yi looked at Ling Yin Qin with lament.
Ling Yin Qin answered, “He’s in urgent need of it, so what’s the harm in lending it to him?”
Jiao Yi said, “But if he damages it…”
“If you needed to break through, I would also lend it to you.”
The crew knew that Ling Yin Qin was not lying, her character was just like this, cold on the outside, warm on the inside. Yang Kai was just a hitchhiker who had nothing to do with her, but she still lent such a precious Spirit Purifying Array to Yang Kai.
But the preciousness of that Spirit Purifying Array was not in value, but rather the sentimentality of it for Ling Yin Qin, so even though everyone knew that Ling Yin Qin had a high-grade Spirit Purifying Array, they never asked her to take it out for everyone to use. Everyone just used their own meagre Spirit Purifying Arrays, slowly cultivating to stem the speed of their cultivation’s regression.
“Spread the order, we will anchor here for a few days. You should all disperse as well,” Ling Yin Qin waved her hand and excused everyone.
The dozen crew members all looked at each other, not daring to say anything more and left.
“Senior Brother Jiao, that Big Brother Zhou you mentioned just now… Who is he?” Liu Xian Yun followed Jiao Yi towards the cabin and asked.
Jiao Yi said, “He was Big Sister’s partner. When Big Sister and Big Brother Zhou both fell into this damned place, he brought us together to scrape out a living, but one time at sea, Big Brother Zhou was killed by a Sea Beast while protecting everyone. The only thing he left behind before his death was that Spirit Purifying Array. He sold off his own artifact to buy it, and if he still had that artifact, then Big Brother Zhou might not have died.”
When the past was mentioned, Jiao Yi’s emotions began to fluctuate and his fists were clenched, clearly showing that he received a lot of care from the man surnamed Zhou and had long recognized him as a family member.
“Big Brother Zhou really did treat Big Sister Ling well,” Liu Xian Yun muttered. For the sake of his partner, he was willing to sell off his artifact in order to buy a Spirit Purifying Array. It seemed like a stupid thing to do, but who could criticize him?
“Now you know how precious that Spirit Purifying Array is to Big Sister, right?” Jiao Yi gritted his teeth, “If your Senior Brother damages that Spirit Purifying Array, I, Old Jiao, will be the first one to not let him off!”
Even though Jiao Yi had great conversations with Yang Kai and Liu Xian Yun during these days and received a lot of Source Crystals from him, he still stood firmly on Ling Yin Qin’s side when it came to that High-Grade Spirit Purifying Array.
But after the fierce talk, Jiao Yi added a little vexingly, “I apologize, Old Jiao’s temper is bad. I shouldn’t be saying this to you. We don’t even know if your Senior Brother can return safely.”
“It’s fine, I understand how Senior Brother Jiao feels.” Liu Xian Yun waved her hands. She couldn’t help but fantasize about Yang Kai leaving something behind for her too. It didn’t matter whether it was valuable or not, she would still treasure it.
As Yang Kai flew towards that island, his mind was immersed in the jade slip that Ling Yin Qin handed him, reading up on how the Spirit Purifying Array had to be arranged.
Even though he had not been exposed to Spirit Arrays, the jade slip was extremely detailed and easy to read, not to mention that it shouldn’t be hard to set up with the array flags.
Yang Kai finished his five hundred kilometre journey in a dozen breaths, and this was only because he had deliberately slowed his movements in order to study the jade slip. Otherwise, with his mastery of Space Principles, he could have arrived in just three breaths.
Looking over, there was in fact a small island worthy of its description. This barren island measured only around a thousand metres in length, and it seemed to be not much more than a big rock. The sky ahead was clear and cloudless and the sea was also peaceful.
Yang Kai quickly landed and set up the array according to the instructions in the jade slip.
After about the time it took to finish a cup of tea, he was done. A layer of light instantly surrounded the island, purifying the air there. The World Energy also weakened several degrees.
It seemed that even a High-Grade Spirit Purifying Array was unable to allow all the World Energy to flow through it. From this observation, it was unlikely for even a Peak-Grade Spirit Purifying Array to be that effective.
Yang Kai was pressed for time, so he just did a quick check on the Spirit Array for any problems before waving his hand to summon Zhang Ruo Xi from the Sealed World Bead.
“Sir, I’ve caused you trouble again,” It was clear from Zhang Ruo Xi’s expression that she was struggling and the Qi surrounding her was as turbulent as boiling water. She apologized to Yang Kai with a guilty look on her face as soon as she appeared.
She knew what sort of situation Yang Kai was in right now.
Yang Kai simply waved his hand though, “Don’t think about anything else, just calm your Qi and your mind. Your breakthrough is the most important thing right now. I’ll stand guard for you at the side so let go of all your distractions and focus!”
Zhang Ruo Xi gently nodded and shut her pretty eyes, forming seals with her hands as she silently began her breakthrough.
In a few moments, the aura around her body grew fiercer and fiercer, and the Saint Qi flowing inside her meridians became more and more violent.
It was as if the World Energy around her had been given life and was all rushing towards her body.
But because of the Spirit Purifying Array’s obstruction, this World Energy was clearly not enough to meet the needs of her breakthrough, which put Zhang Ruo Xi in a dilemma.
Seeing this, Yang Kai did not hesitate to bring out a bunch of Source Crystals from his Space Ring and shatter them, filling the small island with rich World Energy.
With the help of these Source Crystals, much of the difficult expression on Zhang Ruo Xi’s face was relieved.
Yang Kai took out batches of Source Crystals one after another and shattered them within a few moments, so the World Energy on the small island was so dense that it had turned into a mist form. Even if Yang Kai stood only ten metres away from Zhang Ruo Xi, he wouldn’t be able to see her body clearly anymore.
Seeing that things were alright now, Yang Kai stopped.
Since awakening her bloodline, Zhang Ruo Xi seemed to have changed into a whole new person. Her aptitude was indescribably good, and each time she cultivated, rather than slowly absorbing and refining World Energy, it was more like she was simply drinking it down. It was because of this that her cultivation was able to improve so rapidly.
The Patriarch of the Zhang Family back then, Zhang Gao Xuan, obtained a Dao Source Fruit from the Five Coloured Treasure Pagoda but ended up severely injured during an assassination attempt against him. Before his death, he asked Yang Kai to head over to the Zhang Family and leave a Dao Source Pill for the Zhang Family’s descendants in exchange for the Dao Source Fruit.
Yang Kai went, and at the time, Zhang Ruo Xi’s cultivation was only at the Saint King Realm. That was just a few years ago, but now she was already breaking through to the Dao Source Realm.
Yang Kai still had the Dao Source Pill he prepared for Zhang Ruo Xi, but from the looks of it, she wouldn’t be needing it at all. In the past few years, this young and inexperienced little girl had grown into a tall and graceful young lady.
For a moment, Yang Kai couldn’t help but be filled with emotion.
A constant whirring noise could be heard, as if Zhang Ruo Xi had turned into a bottomless pit that was constantly drawing in the surrounding World Energy. Within a few moments, the dense World Energy had once again grown thin.
Yang Kai had no choice but to take out more Source Crystals and shatter them again.
After three bouts of this, Yang Kai estimated that he had consumed at least ten million Source Crystals before Zhang Ruo Xi let out a soft moan, which was followed by an indescribable ripple in her aura.
She was going to break through! Seeing this situation, Yang Kai didn’t dare to stand there and immediately moved away from the island, closely watching her from a moderate distance. This position not only ensured that he would not interfere with Zhang Ruo Xi’s breakthrough, but it also ensured that he would be able to rescue her if any accidents were to happen.
From what could be seen here, the reason why Zhang Ruo Xi’s breakthrough was going so smoothly was because of the ten million Source Crystals he brought out, but Yang Kai knew that the real hurdle had yet to be passed!
For Zhang Ruo Xi, the most difficult hurdle was the World Energy Baptism! The World Energy in this place was filled with endless Distortion Force, and if that entered her body, there was no telling what would happen.
But if she didn’t absorb it into her body, then she wouldn’t be able to advance. It was a dilemma.
*Hong long long…*
A rumble arose, and the sky which was originally cloudless turned dark in an instant. A massive, inky cloud formed above the island, converging into a vortex with lightning and thunder moving about inside, revealing the true might of the Heavenly Way.
Yang Kai could not help but get nervous as he looked at the sky.
At the same time, on the deck five hundred kilometres away, a group of cultivators were standing there and pointing at the island. They obviously thought that this Heavenly Manifestation was caused by Yang Kai, but they had no idea someone else was the real culprit.
Ling Yin Qin was in her room, leaning against the window and looking out. A look of amazement flashed past her eyes and she muttered to herself, “The Heavenly Manifestations appeared?”
The invocation of a Heavenly Manifestation meant that someone was going to be baptised by World Energy soon, which really meant there was a ray of hope for the success of a breakthrough.
Ling Yin Qin suddenly felt like she had underestimated Yang Kai. She previously said that Yang Kai’s chances of breaking through were very low, but after seeing such a sight, she understood why he was so confident of his success.
But there was still something that made Ling Yin Qin confused. It was the fact that the might of this Heavenly Manifestation seemed to be lacking. From this distance, she could still tell this phenomenon was quite small. Even though Ling Yin Qin had never seen a cultivator break through to the Emperor Realm before, it obviously shouldn’t be only this.
In another room, Liu Xian Yun was also looking out the window, face filled with worry and nervousness, but she did not dare to rashly go over to watch and could only put her hands together with her knees on the ground, praying devoutly for the Heavens’ blessings.
At the same time, ten thousand kilometres away, a sea ship was sailing slowly above the sea. Even though it was ten thousand kilometres away, the people on the ship still noticed the Heavenly Manifestation up in the sky.
A few moments later, the ship suddenly changed course and sailed towards the direction of that island, obviously intent on investigating the situation.
…..
Above the island, the dark clouds were as dense as mountains, and thunder was rumbling incessantly.
Suddenly, a power blasted straight towards the island from the sky. From the trajectory, it seemed to be striking towards the top of Zhang Ruo Xi’s head.
Yang Kai paled slightly, but he resisted the urge to help her.
*Hong…*
A loud noise emerged and the mighty power crashed straight into the island, disintegrating the Spirit Purifying Array that Yang Kai had set up. The array flags and base hidden around the area were damaged, and the light that enveloped the island disappeared at the same time.
The High-Grade Spirit Purifying Array was destroyed just like that!
Before the world’s power fell on Zhang Ruo Xi’s head though, her tender body shook, and a huge illusory phantom emerged from behind her.
Yang Kai’s eyes widened as he stared straight at this phantom.
It wasn’t his first time seeing this scene. The giant phantom had appeared once when Zhang Ruo Xi broke through back in the Four Seasons Realm, but Yang Kai never found out what it was, only guessing it had something to do with Zhang Ruo Xi’s bloodline.
Now, looking at it again, the illusory phantom had become more solid than before, but what Yang Kai found strange was the fact that it felt a little hard for him to get a clear look at it. He only knew that this illusory phantom took the shape of a huge woman, one more than two or three hundred metres tall, which was even bigger than Xiao Xiao after his transformation. This woman held a greatsword with both hands and with her head lifted high and her feet planted firmly on the ground, she gave off an imposing visual impact.
Even though this woman was giant, she was by no means ugly. It was as if a stunning beauty had been magnified countless times. No matter which part you looked at, her body was perfect and flawless.
She was just like Zhang Ruo Xi’s guardian, suddenly appearing behind her in this heroic and mighty stance, as if even ten thousand soldiers and a thousand warhorses could not obstruct her.
When the World Energy Baptism struck her body, it was just like a stone sinking into a sea. Not even creating half a ripple.
In the next moment, the illusory phantom raised her head to look at the sky, opened her mouth, and drew in a breath.
The power gathered in the sky was sucked directly into her mouth, and in just three breaths of time, clarity was restored in the dark sky, the surface of the sea becoming calm once more.
Even though he had seen this once before, Yang Kai was still shocked at the sight and was struck speechless for a long time.
It was common knowledge that one would be baptised by World Energy when breaking through to the next Great Realm; this is something nobody could avoid. To be able to withstand it allowed one to peek into the mysteries of the next realm, but those who failed either died or ended up crippled.
That’s how it had always been for Yang Kai all these years.
But compared to Zhang Ruo Xi’s breakthrough, Yang Kai felt as if his own breakthroughs were simply weak. The difference was so vast, one could not even place them in the same category.
While his mind was still wandering off, the gigantic illusory phantom had already flashed back into Zhang Ruo Xi’s body in an instant. Then, Dao Source Realm aura spread out from Zhang Ruo Xi’s body. Her bones creaked as the power inside her body surged fiercely.
Yang Kai felt anxious inside, having no idea if it would be a problem for the illusory phantom to act on her own initiative to swallow up the World Energy here; after all, the World Energy in this place was filled with Disruption Force. The illusory phantom must have sucked in that Disruption Force at the same time that she swallowed the World Energy.
Yang Kai paid close attention to Zhang Ruo Xi’s reactions and decided that once anything appeared awry, he would bring her into the Sealed World Bead.
But no matter how he looked at her, Zhang Ruo Xi didn’t seem to look uncomfortable at all. Instead, she had a pleasant expression on her face, seemingly feeling happy about her breakthrough. She was still sitting there with her hands in a seal, which confused Yang Kai greatly.
Five hundred kilometres away, Ling Yin Qin sighed inwardly, “As expected, he failed…”
The Heavenly Manifestation that was so powerful disappeared without a trace in just a moment; that was clearly a sign that the breakthrough had failed, so who knew if Yang Kai was alive or dead right now. Ling Yin Qin felt sorry for Yang Kai at this moment. Even though she wasn’t close to him, to see a cultivator’s journey on the Martial Dao ending here with her own eyes still made her feel a little sad, like a fox mourning the death of the hare.
Inside the room, Liu Xian Yun who was kneeling and praying devoutly on the floor also went limp, blood draining from her pretty face.
Only after a long time passed did she stand up with gritted teeth and rush outside.
Whether Yang Kai was dead or alive, she still wanted to look for him. If he was still alive, she wanted to see him in person, but if he was dead, then she wanted to see his corpse with her own eyes. If not for her, Yang Kai would never have met with such misfortune. With his aptitude, he could smile arrogantly against the entire Star Boundary and achieve a towering name in time.
Liu Xian Yun had just rushed to the deck when she suddenly saw a large sea ship moving closer. This sea ship was even bigger and more magnificent than Ling Yin Qin and her crew’s. They had to brave through the winds and the billows of the sea, yet they didn’t give off any presence at all, so nobody knew when they had approached. By the time Liu Xian Yun discovered them, the distance between the two ships was already quite short.
Liu Xian Yun looked over just in time to see the deck of the approaching ship was full of cultivators, headed by a man in purple ropes, glaring down at them without any kind intentions, like a tiger watching its prey.
Ling Yin Qin and the others all came out onto the deck after this late realization, and when they saw the banner that the opposite ship was flying, all their faces sank.
The question of whether Yang Kai was alive or dead had completely occupied Liu Xian Yun’s mind, so she didn’t have the leisure to care about this at all and was ready to fly out; however, the expression on the purple-clothed man deepened and with a wave of his hand, he sent a palm print flying over without moving himself.
…..
On the island, Yang Kai waited until Zhang Ruo Xi opened her eyes before he slowly flew over. Landing in front of Zhang Ruo Xi, he asked anxiously, “Are you feeling any discomfort?”
“Discomfort?” Zhang Ruo Xi looked confused before she shook her head, “Not at all!” Then, she beamed, saying innocently and cutely, “Sir, I’ve broken through to the Dao Source Realm!”
A few years ago, she never would have thought that she would one day be able to reach the Dao Source Realm, standing at such a great height; after all, the strongest member of the Zhang Family back then was only a Third-Order Origin King. It had been centuries since her family produced a Dao Source Realm cultivator, but her cultivation had been growing at a rapid rate since Yang Kai took her away from the Zhang Family, achieving in just a few years what generations of the Zhang Family had not been able to do.
This level of cultivation could already give her a stable foothold in Maplewood City, back then.
Zhang Ruo Xi felt extremely grateful towards Yang Kai.
She knew that if Yang Kai had not provided her with such a good and stable cultivation environment, then this feat would have been impossible for her. She also knew that if Yang Kai had not unearthed the cultivation talent inside of her, even if she cultivated for the rest of her life, she would never have been able to explore the mysteries of the Dao Source Realm.
But now, at the tender age of seventeen, she had become a Dao Source Realm Master. She had plenty of good years ahead of her, and even had the opportunity to aspire towards becoming an Emperor, possibly even taking a glimpse at the secrets of the Great Emperor Realm!
Zhang Ruo Xi’s heart pounded in excitement.
“Give me your hand!” Yang Kai came to her side. Even though he didn’t sense anything off from Zhang Ruo Xi, he still felt a little worried and wanted to give her a thorough check.
Blushing slightly, Zhang Ruo Xi stretched out her soft arm that looked as tender as a lotus root.
Yang Kai put his finger on it and pushed a thread of Source Qi into her body to check her carefully.
A short while later, Yang Kai’s body shook and he stared at Zhang Ruo Xi in surprise, “How… How can this be?”
“What’s wrong, Sir? Is there something wrong with Ruo Xi?” Zhang Ruo Xi was shocked to see the astonished expression on his face and she herself was beginning to worry.
“No, it’s nothing!” Yang Kai hurriedly shook his head, worried that he would scare her silly. But his brows were frowning more and more and his face was filled with astonishment, as if he had discovered something unbelievable.
Zhang Ruo Xi did not move, but she could feel Yang Kai’s Source Qi running around inside her body. Even though Yang Kai controlled himself and didn’t move to any private areas, the feeling still caused Zhang Ruo Xi to blush red and quickly lowered her head to her chest.
She also knew that Yang Kai was just checking the condition inside her body and did not have any bad intentions, but that did little to abate her embarrassment.
A few moments later, Yang Kai withdrew his fingers and looked at Zhang Ruo Xi with an odd expression.
“Sir… What’s wrong with me?” Zhang Ruo Xi asked meekly.
“You’re fine,” Yang Kai answered. “Incredibly fine, in fact.”
Yang Kai originally thought that Zhang Ruo Xi would be affected by the Disruption Force in this world if she broke through to Dao Source Realm here, and had already prepared to bring this little girl into the Small Sealed World to recover. However, after examining her, Yang Kai found that there was not even a single hint of the Disruption Force inside her body.
The infinite Disruption Force that filled this world seemed to have evaporated after entering her body.
That in itself was unbelievable, but it still wasn’t enough to put Yang Kai out of sorts.
More importantly, Yang Kai discovered that the power inside of Zhang Ruo Xi’s body was actually dense Source Qi, without a hint of Saint Qi!
Before a cultivator advanced to the Dao Source Realm, their power would need to be transform from Saint Qi to Source Qi. It took Yang Kai nearly a year for his Qi to transform completely, and it was also pushed forward by consuming Source Condensing Pills.
The transformation of Source Qi was an extremely long process. Any cultivator were attempting to breakthrough into the Dao Source Realm would need at least three to five years for the transformation to be complete, and this was for cultivators with good aptitudes. For those with lesser aptitudes, it could even take eight to ten years. Even more.
Only when all the Saint Qi in the body is transformed into Source Qi would a cultivator’s foundation for the Dao Source Realm be setup for a breaktrhough; only then would there be hope for them to break through to the Second Order Dao Source Realm.
Yang Kai watched Zhang Ruo Xi breakthrough on this island with his own eyes, but how long had that been? Zhang Ruo Xi had actually accomplished something that would take a normal person several years to complete.
There was no trace of Saint Qi in her body at all. The power filling her body was pure and vigorous Source Qi. In other words, Zhang Ruo Xi’s Source Qi transformation was completed the moment she broke through.
Yang Kai could not figure out how such a strange thing could happen.
Fortunately, this wasn’t the first time something strange had happened with Zhang Ruo Xi. In the end, Yang Kai could only attribute this to her bloodline; after all, the power of Zhang Ruo Xi’s bloodline was truly unusual, and it seemed to be hiding a great secret.
Yang Kai did not dare to take it too lightly either though and continued to examine Zhang Ruo Xi’s body carefully. Only after confirming that there were no hidden problems in her body did he send her back into the Sealed World Bead where he instructed Liu Yan and Hua Qing Si to explain the mysteries of the Dao Source Realm to her to help her future cultivation.
The island was still the same, but the High-Grade Spirit Purifying Array that had been set up on it was damaged.
Yang Kai had a bitter look on his face after he collected the array base and flags.
He still had no idea how he was going to explain this to Ling Yin Qin once he returned. This High-Grade Spirit Purifying Array seemed to be extremely precious to her, and now that it had broken in his hands, he couldn’t help wondering whether Ling Yin Qin would get angry with him.
Yang Kai examined the array base and flags and found that they were badly damaged, causing his face to grow even more bitter.
With a sigh, he put everything away before turning around to return whence he came.
A short while later, his face changed. Observing two ships stopped in the middle of the sea, Yang Kai frowned.
One of the two ships naturally belonged to Ling Yin Qin, but he had never seen the larger one before. It had obviously arrived when he took Zhang Ruo Xi to the island to break through.
The chances of two ships meeting at sea were extremely low. There may be a chance that this ship was led here because of the Heavenly Manifestation that was invoked during Zhang Ruo Xi’s breakthrough.
Looking at the direction that the bow of the new ship was pointing at, it was clearly heading towards the island he just left.
This large ship was two or three times bigger than Ling Yin Qin’s, and when the two ships stood side by side, they looked like a grandfather and his grandson.
Yang Kai could hear a commotion from there before he even got close, causing his face to sink. Worried, he teleported and landed directly on the deck.
Looking over, he could see that Ling Yin Qin and the dozen other crew members under her lead were standing on the deck, confronting the newcomer group. Ling Yin Qin and the others looked indignant, but the other party looked relaxed and calm as if they didn’t even place Ling Yin Qin and her crew in their eyes.
Liu Xian Yun was being protected behind the crewmembers, and Yang Kai could see that there was a red handprint on Liu Xian Yun’s pretty face, as if she had been hit by someone. There was even a trace of blood still flowing from the corner of her mouth that had yet to dry.
Yang Kai’s face sank in an instant.
He had no idea what happened just now, nor did he know where the group from the other ship came from; however, Liu Xian Yun had clearly been hit by the people who had just arrived.
Yang Kai’s sudden appearance had obviously alerted the two groups that were confronting each other on the ships.
Liu Xian Yun was the first to turn around, but when she saw Yang Kai, she instantly forgot what situation she was currently in and shouted in a trembling voice, “Senior Brother…”
She looked over Yang Kai from head to toe with her beautiful eyes in fear that she may find something that would worry her, and only after she confirmed that Yang Kai was safe and sound, with no missing arms or legs, did she let out a heavy sigh of relief.
“You’re actually fine?” Ling Yin Qin was also surprised at this sight.
Yang Kai must have been the one to trigger that Heavenly Manifestation earlier. Even from five hundred kilometres away, she was able to feel it clearly; however, that sight had only lasted for five breaths before disappearing without a trace, meaning that Yang Kai’s breakthrough had failed.
A Third-Order Dao Source Realm cultivator failed to break through to the Emperor Realm, so how did he survive without suffering any backlash? Once one was hit by the backlash of failing the World Baptism, if they’re lucky, then their cultivation would be crippled, but if not, they would be killed directly.
But Yang Kai really did come back in one piece.
Ling Yin Qin examined Yang Kai several times before confirming that what she saw was real. Suddenly, her face changed as if she had thought of something.
This young man called Yang Kai should have cut off his cultivation at the critical moment, otherwise it was impossible for him to be safe.
To cut off one’s cultivation was to cut off their path in the Martial Dao. Considering all this, Ling Yin Qin couldn’t help but sigh a little, and, looking at his face, he seemed to have suffered a lot of injuries as well. Otherwise, why would his face look so terrible?
This person truly was unlucky, to encounter this kind of disaster after being in the Solitary Void Sealed World for only a few days. If it had happened maybe two months later, then he may have the chance to break through to the Emperor Realm back on Clear Sky Island.
“Brother Yang, did your breakthrough… fail?” Jiao Yi blabbed his big mouth and asked bluntly.
He wasn’t thinking too deeply about it. He had only asked because he saw Yang Kai return so quickly without any improvement in his cultivation.
But as soon as he said that, he received a silent kick from Ling Yin Qin. Jiao Yi immediately realized that he had been indiscreet, so he immediately shut his mouth.
There would be nothing to blame him for if he asked about Yang Kai’s situation out of concern if nobody else was around, but there were now enemies nearby, so asking this would lead others to know that Yang Kai was currently not in good shape.
“Yeah, I failed!” Yang Kai replied calmly, showing no hint of chagrin.
“A breakthrough?” When the man in purple heard this, he raised his brow as if he realized something and looked over at Yang Kai and asked, “So, that commotion over there was caused by you trying to break through?”
“Who are you?” Yang Kai glanced at him.
Ling Yin Qin quickly transmitted to him, “He is the Vice Pavilion Master of Profound Cloud Pavilion, Yang Yao Shi. The Profound Cloud Pavilion holds great power in Clear Sky Island. The Pavilion Master is an Emperor Realm Master. Don’t say anything and just leave this matter to me.”
From her tone, it seemed like she had quite a lot of scruples about this Profound Cloud Pavilion.
Yang Kai talked with Jiao Yi a lot before this and got to know that there were many great forces on Clear Sky Island because, to survive in this damned place, cultivators had to group together. Naturally, as time went on, all sorts of big and small forces formed. Ling Yin Qin and her crew were considered one of them. It was just that they weren’t famous.
There were about a dozen Emperor Realm Masters on Clear Sky Island, and the subordinates of these Emperors held the most of the power, so no one dared to mess around with them. This Profound Cloud Pavilion was one such force.
Yang Kai would also never have expected to come across the Profound Cloud Pavilion’s ship in this vast ocean.
Ling Yin Qin had undoubtedly transmitted the message to Yang Kai for fear that he would provoke someone he shouldn’t as he was new here. She had good intentions.
At the same time, a man next to Yang Yao Shi suddenly leaned over to whisper something into his ear.
Yang Yao Shi’s eyes lit up instantly and a meaningful light flashed across his eyes as he gazed at Yang Kai, “Boy, are you new here like that woman? You don’t look too familiar.”
Upon hearing this, Ling Yin Qin’s heart could not help but sink. The crew manifest on her ship had not changed at all in years, and the man next to Yang Yao Shi obviously recognized them, so once he saw the two unfamiliar faces, Yang Kai and Liu Xian Yun, he instantly realized that these two were newcomers.
New cultivators would generally have a lot of Source Crystals on them, so for those living in the Solitary Void Sealed World, newcomers were fat sheep. Even a man like Jiao Yi used to have thoughts against them, so nothing needed to be said about these people from Profound Cloud Pavilion.
Ling Yin Qin quickly spoke up, “Brother Yang, these two are my crew members, not some newcomers. Are you perhaps mistaken?”
Yang Yao Shi’s face sank and he huffed, “Cheap slut, you think yourself worthy to call me Brother Yang?”
Even though his cultivation was also just at the Third-Order Dao Source Realm, Ling Yin Qin could not contest against him. He was the Vice Pavilion Master of Profound Cloud Pavilion and had an Emperor backing him, making his status simply incomparable to someone like Ling Yin Qin. When he heard Ling Yin Qin addressing him so casually, Yang Yao Shi immediately got annoyed.
Ling Yin Qin’s face turned ugly, but the situation was bigger than herself right now, so she had no choice but to lower her head, “Vice Pavilion Master Yang, this Mistress has spoken out of place. I hope Vice Pavilion Master Yang can pardon my rudeness.”
She had lived for several dozen years in this Solitary Void Sealed World and knew who she could and could not mess with. So, even though she felt indignant at the situation, she could only swallow her anger and hope for the best.
Jiao Yi and the other crew members had quietly clenched their fists and gritted their teeth as well.
“Hmph!” Yang Yao Shi glanced at Ling Yin Qin from the corner of his eye and said, “This is the last time. Next time, I won’t let you off so easily.”
“Many thanks, Vice Pavilion Master Yang,” Ling Yin Qin said through gritted teeth.
“As for these two…” Yang Yao Shi pointed his hand at Liu Xian Yun and Yang Kai, snickering, “Did you think this King would not be able to tell whether these two are new here? Anyone living long enough in this damned place will more or less be stained by the ocean air, but they are not. They obviously just arrived here not long ago. You’ve got a lot of guts to dare deceive this King, Ling Yin Qin!”
Ling Yin Qin’s pretty face changed as she knew it was impossible to deny it now. She glanced over at Yang Kai and Liu Xian Yun worriedly and thought about how she could let the two escape, but she also knew there was little hope, which caused her heart to become riddled with guilt.
She had thought that Yang Kai and Liu Xian Yun would both be panicked and scared that Yang Yao Shi had his eyes on them, but when she looked over, she only saw them whispering something to each other with indifferent looks on their faces. It seemed like Yang Kai was asking how the marks on Liu Xian Yun’s face came about, but Liu Xian Yun kept shaking her head and saying nothing, which put Yang Kai at a loss.
“Hand those two over and give us half of your trip’s harvest. If you do that, this King can make an exception and let you go this once!” Yang Yao Shi pointed his hand at Yang Kai and Liu Xian Yun and said in a domineering manner.
“Half of our harvest?” Jiao Yi had a hot temper, so he was instantly riled up by those words and stamped his feet, “Why don’t you come and snatch it from us if you dare?”
Yang Yao Shi’s face sank as he shot Jiao Yi a glance and grunted, “Is this how you train your subordinates, Ling Yin Qin? You know what will happen if you offend this King, don’t you?”
Ling Yin Qin immediately shot a glare at Jiao Yi and snapped at him, “Don’t make things more complicated!”
Since the Big Sister had spoken, Jiao Yi didn’t dare to say anything more even though he was still discontented; however, the look on his face was extremely ugly. The anger he was suppressing could almost set him ablaze, and the others around him shared similar expressions.
They worked so hard at sea and risked their lives, spending so much effort in order to secure a full harvest, but they didn’t expect Yang Yao Shi to block them here and want to rob them of half their haul.
Half of the harvest was quite a lot. It was equivalent to one or two years of hard work that they were doing before this. Who would be willing to just hand that over?
Ling Yin Qin cupped her fists, “Vice Pavilion Master Yang, since those two are on my ship, then they are part of my crew and this Mistress is responsible for their safety. How about this, we had a pretty good harvest this trip, so we can offer it all to you, but only if you don’t find any trouble with them.”
“You’re trying to bargain with me?” Yang Yao Shi’s eyes narrowed, a cold glint shining within them. There seemed to be a cold chill emitting from his entire body.
Ling Yin Qin looked up and explained, “We harvested more than 100,000 pieces of Grey Feather Coral and also collected the carcass of one Ice and Fire Profound Armoured Dolphin. Vice Pavilion Master Yang can consider for himself whether or not this is a good deal.”
“What?” Yang Yao Shi was stunned, “Over 100,000 pieces of Grey Feather Coral, and the carcass of an Ice and Fire Profound Armoured Dolphin?”
Even though he was the Vice Pavilion Master of Profound Cloud Pavilion, he had still never come across such a large amount of wealth in one go.
Just the 100,000 pieces of Grey Feather Coral alone was an immense treasure, but they even had the carcass of a Twelfth-Order Monster Beast! A Twelfth-Order Monster Beast was equivalent to an Emperor Realm Master, so its Monster Core was definitely worth a lot of money.
In the Solitary Void Sealed World, many Spirit Pills were refined from the Monster Cores of Sea Beasts. The Monster Core of this Twelfth-Order Monster Beast would be good enough to refine an Emperor Grade Spirit Pill, the effects of which would be difficult to estimate for Yang Yao Shi.
He was immediately moved.
But Yang Yao Shi still snorted, “You dare try and play tricks on this King, Ling Yin Qin? An Ice and Fire Profound Armoured Dolphin is a Twelfth-Order Monster Beast. How could you possibly kill it with your strength?”
Ling Yin Qin answered, “It was already dead. The Grey Feather Coral was located in its territory. We just went there to collect it.”
Yang Yao Shi was immediately convinced, that was because cultivators would often encounter opportunities and other strange things out in this Solitary Void Sea and were able to get a lot of good things without much effort if their luck was good enough.
He laughed, “You guys are quite lucky. Not bad, not bad at all. So many good things are enough to buy their lives.”
Ling Yin Qin quickly said, “Does that mean that Vice Pavilion Master Yang agrees?”
Yang Yao Shi nodded and said, “Naturally. Why would I not agree to such a good thing? This King can leave the two of them, but in addition to the conditions you mentioned, the Space Rings of the two of them must also be handed over.”
The main reason he wanted to take Yang Kai and Liu Xian Yun away was for the Source Crystals inside their Space Rings. As long as he could get their Space Rings, why would he care whether Yang Kai and Liu Xian Yun were dead or alive?
Ling Yin Qin frowned, “This Mistress is unable to make this decision for them!”
As she spoke, she turned towards Yang Kai with a helpless look on her face.
This was already the best she could do. The rest would be left up to Yang Kai to see how sensible he was.
Yang Kai sneered, “Such lack of shame and respect. You can already be considered a new standard in this regard.”
While Ling Yin Qin and Yang Yao Shi were negotiating earlier, Jiao Yi and the others did not dare to interrupt even though they were all furious. Even when Ling Yin Qin said she was willing to give up their entire harvest to ensure his and Liu Xian Yun’s safety, none of the crew members retorted.
Yang Kai was now able to understand how highly this group of men regarded Ling Yin Qin. Considering he and Liu Xian Yun had nothing to do with them and only paid the fare and the room fees, without an incredible sense of honour and integrity,
who would be willing to spend so much just to protect them?
Ling Yin Qin had done this because she considered Yang Kai and Liu Xian Yun part of her crew the moment she accepted them aboard, making them her responsibility.
[What an extremely principled woman!] This part of her nature also clearly convinced her subordinates that no matter what decisions she made, they would obey.
Naturally, Yang Kai could see the meaning in Ling Yin Qin’s eyes. Even though she didn’t say anything explicitly, there was no doubt she wanted to persuade him to part with his wealth in order to avoid this disaster.
Ling Yin Qin thought that he had failed his breakthrough, cut off his cultivation, and was now weakened, but she had no idea that Yang Kai didn’t place these people in his eyes at all.
So, when she heard him speak so arrogantly, Ling Yin Qin’s face changed and she quickly warned, “Yang Kai, bear with it now and you’ll find calm and peace; take a step back and you’ll find more space around you!”
Yang Kai sighed, “Big Sister Ling, a cultivator’s only path must be to forge ahead, meeting troubles head-on. It’s not a good habit to back down and give up. For people like them, if you take a step back, then they will only push you down and step on your head.”
Ling Yin Qin was instantly stunned, because a man once told her the same thing many years ago, and even after so many years passed, she still remembered the smile and demeanor of that man. At this moment, his figure and the figure of this person called Yang Kai seemed to overlap, causing her to lose herself for a moment.
“Well said, but talk is meaningless without strength,” Yang Yao Shi scoffed, “This King would like to see how you can still forge ahead in front of me and meet me head-on!”
“Were you the one who hit my Junior Sister?” Yang Kai stared coldly at him.
“That’s right,” Yang Yao Shi looked contemptuously at Yang Kai. “She dared to be presumptuous in front of this King, so one slap was already a light punishment for her. If you still…”
He was still trying to threaten them, but halfway through speaking, he suddenly lost sight of Yang Kai’s figure.
In the next moment, his eyes shrank as he saw Yang Kai appear half a metre in front of him and raise his hand, sending a slap right over.
Yang Yao Shi jolted and instinctively moved to the side to avoid the blow, but Yang Kai was faster than he could have imagined. Before he could move, the slap had already hit him square in the face.
*Pa…*
Yang Yao Shi’s entire body twirled in mid-air and he spat out a few teeth as well as a mouthful of blood before landing heavily on the ground.
Silence. The entire deck was dead silent.
Jiao Yi and the others were all staring dumbfoundedly at this unbelievable scene. Ling Yin Qin was also shocked at the sight. Even though she had not had much contact with Yang Kai, from her perception, he wasn’t a hot-tempered person. On the contrary, he was quite well-mannered, so she had never expected he would directly pick a fight with Yang Yao Shi, and even give him a big slap to the face!
[What do we do now?]
Ling Yin Qin originally hoped that they would be able to avoid this disaster, but now, it seemed that was only her wishful thinking.
[Wait… After failing his breakthrough and cutting off his cultivation, his aura should have been weak and his strength should have declined. Even if it was a sneak attack, how could a Third-Order Dao Source Realm cultivator like Yang Yao Shi not be able to dodge that blow?]
However, after she quickly contemplated Yang Kai’s current state, she found that he didn’t show any signs of his aura being weakened or his strength declining. The Source Qi fluctuations he gave off just now were also of an intensity a Third-Order Dao Source Realm cultivator should possess.
[What really happened to him?] Ling Yin Qin was befuddled.
Those from Profound Cloud Pavilion were also stunned. On this Solitary Void Sea, and even on Clear Sky Island, they had always been the most powerful ones, so how could they have expected that they would be slapped across the face by somebody one day? And the recipient of that slap was even their own Vice Pavilion Master! The brains of all these people were buzzing and they almost turned into fools.
“You… You actually dare to hit me?” Yang Yao Shi got up from the ground. His face had turned completely hideous and he spat out a mouthful of blood as he glared at Yang Kai, “Do you know who this King is? How dare you hit me?!”
Yang Kai snorted, “Daring to be presumptuous in front of this Young Master, a slap is already considered a light punishment for you. If you dare to run your mouth again, I’ll end your worthless life!”
Yang Yao Shi was taken aback for a moment. Following that, he laughed in anger and roared hysterically, “Kill them! I want all the men on that ship dead, and I want their women to suffer a life worse than death!”
What Yang Kai said really got to him, and he was completely set off, incomparable hatred filling his face.
Ling Yin Qin’s face changed when she heard this and she quickly shouted, “Vice Pavilion Master Yang, please show mercy!”
Her ship only had a dozen crew members, and only half of them were at the Dao Source Realm, the rest were just Origin Kings; however, there were at least thirty Dao Source Realm cultivators in Profound Cloud Pavilion’s crew. No matter how you looked at it, it was unlikely for them to win with such a huge disparity in their strength. If they really fought here, then they would definitely die pitiful deaths.
As the Big Sister, she naturally had to think for the crew’s sake.
Yang Yao Shi raised his voice, “It’s too late to say anything now! Ling Yin Qin, this King will personally take care of you himself! I’ll have you stripped and hung from the gates of Clear Sky City!”
Yang Kai’s provocation ended up causing him to direct his hatred to Ling Yin Qin as well. As a female cultivator, being stripped naked and hung from the city gates to be gawked at was definitely the greatest insult she could receive. When she heard this, Ling Yin Qin’s heart instantly sank.
*Dong dong dong…*
The many cultivators of Profound Cloud Pavilion had already flown up, each of them with hideously fierce faces. They clearly did not plan to show any mercy to Ling Yin Qin and her crew today.
Seeing this situation, Ling Yin Qin also knew that things could not be undone, so she grit her teeth and gave the order, “We fight!”
The faces of Jiao Yi and the rest turned cold and each of them pushed their Source Qi while summoning their artifacts.
Teleporting back, Yang Kai suddenly appeared back in front of Jiao Yi and the others to face the incoming storm.
“Senior Brother, be careful!” Liu Xian Yun had also summoned her artifact and yelled out to him when she saw this.
“Take care of yourself,” as Yang Kai spoke, he flicked his wrist and a broad sword appeared in his grip.
“Chop off his limbs and cripple his cultivation! I want him to know what happens when someone dares provoke this King!” Yang Yao Shi’s eyes were bloodshot as he stared at Yang Kai while he shouted to his men.
He was truly enraged. No one had ever dared to go against him, much less slap him across the face in front of so many people. Yang Kai was the first to do such a thing, so the hatred he felt for him was so deep that even all the water in the Solitude Void Sea would be unable to wash it away. How could he dispel the anger in his heart if he doesn’t show Yang Kai hell?
Yang Kai remained indifferent as he faced the dozen or so cultivators pouncing over like starving wolves and tigers. With just a slight twist of his sword, a halo suddenly fell and Sword Qi filled the air.
“Myriad Sword Arts, Radiant Moon Swallows the Wolf!”
A shower of Sword Waves swept out with a dazzling flash.
*Hong hong hong…*
Before the group of Profound Cloud Pavilion cultivators at the front realized what was happening, they were shocked to find that their defensive artifacts and protective Source Qi had been easily destroyed, followed by pain through their bodies that robbed them of their consciousnesses.
*Hualala…*
The stench of blood filled the air as seven or eight cultivators standing at the very front collapsed like cut grass, blood and guts flowing all over the deck. The cultivators standing behind them were also badly injured and all of them fell to the ground, howling in pain.
When the other Profound Cloud Pavilion cultivators saw this sudden change in the situation, they all froze in place and stared wide-eyed at Yang Kai, their eyes overflowing with fear and shock.
“Emperor Aura… Emperor Artifact?” Yang Yao Shi, who had his hand covering one cheek, was preparing to watch the good show when he suddenly shouted in disbelief, his eyes locking onto Yang Kai’s Myriads Sword like a swarm of locusts, greed flashing across their depths.
As soon as Yang Kai launched the attack, Yang Yao Shi was able to feel the artifact’s strength. This was an Emperor Artifact, a genuine Emperor Artifact! If he could get his hands on it, then he may be able to borrow the power of this Emperor Artifact to comprehend the mysteries of the Emperor Realm.
[What are this kid’s origins? How did he get his hands on an Emperor Artifact?]
Ling Yin Qin and the others were also dumbfounded.
They thought it would be hard for them to escape this calamity and were preparing for a desperate last struggle, but before the battle could even be joined, a dozen of the enemy had fallen before them.
And all of this was caused by a single strike from Yang Kai!
What was this situation?
Ling Yin Qin was confused by this and she stared at Yang Kai’s back blankly with her beautiful eyes, thinking, [Didn’t he fail his breakthrough and cut off his cultivation? How can he still exert such a powerful blow? That blow just now… could it just be the power of his Emperor Artifact?]
[That’s right, it must definitely be the power of his Emperor Artifact. Otherwise, it was simply impossible for him to achieve something of this level.] Ling Yin Qing had heard that Emperor Artifacts were all extremely powerful, and now it seemed that what she heard was true. However, from what she knew, the load of using an Emperor Artifact was also extremely high. She believed that it was very likely that Yang Kai would not be able to launch a second strike.
“What are you waiting for? He just failed his breakthrough and cannot possibly have much strength left! Just that one blow and he’s already an arrow at the end of its flight!” Yang Yao Shi was clearly thinking the same thing as Ling Yin Qin. When he saw his subordinates scared out of their wits, he quickly shouted at them with disappointed rage and urged them forward.
Only after he said this did the Profound Cloud Pavilion cultivators, who were not moving forward, suddenly come back to their senses as if woken from a dream. Their previous timidity and fear were swept away and they all regained their ruthless expressions.
Yang Kai grinned fiercely and flicked both his hands, causing two huge Moon Blades to fly out and crash directly into the enemy crew.
In the next moment, screams and shrieks echoed through the air as everywhere the Moon Blades passed, all the enemy cultivators were unable to resist, the slightest touch severing them in half on the spot.
“There was a path to Heaven but you refused to take it. Instead of banging on the doors to Hell! None of you should even dream about leaving here today!” Yang Kai coldly snorted and flicked his hands again. Moon Blade after Moon Blade shot out, sending the Profound Cloud Pavilion cultivators screaming for their fathers and crying for their mothers on the deck.
A group of trash with only First and Second-Order Dao Source Realm cultivators followed by a mob of Origin Kings was not a force Yang Kai needed to put in his eyes with his current strength and means.
In but three breaths of time, only around fifteen were left of the over thirty cultivators from Profound Cloud Pavilion, the rest were lying on the deck with no vitality at all.
“Run away!” No one knew who shouted that, but in the next moment, a light shot out to sea. This man was clearly scared witless by Yang Kai’s brutality and didn’t dare to remain.
When the others saw this, they naturally had no desire left to fight and all of them fled.
Ling Yin Qin’s face changed when she saw this and shouted, “Chase them down in groups of two, don’t let any of them escape!”
The battle happened so quickly that she hadn’t even realized what was going on before it was all over, but when she saw the remaining few fleeing, how could she just sit back and do nothing? Once they escape and word got back to Clear Sky Island, then the Pavilion Master of Profound Cloud Pavilion would definitely not just let this go.
That was an Emperor Realm Master, none of them would be able to stand up to him if he decided to come for them.
After Jiao Yi and the others got the order, they naturally hurried to pursue their targets.
The sea breeze whistled across the deck, bringing with it the disgusting stench of blood and gore. The scene was shocking, as if an evil spirit had passed by here and left a wave of slaughter in its wake.
Yang Yao Shi was shaking all over, face pale as a sheet, staring terrified at Yang Kai. He couldn’t understand how a little brat could still be so strong even after failing in a breakthrough attempt. His own men that numbered more than thirty didn’t even last more than ten breaths before they were all either killed or fled in terror. In the blink of an eye, he had become the last man standing.
When he saw Yang Kai’s cold face and eyes, Yang Yao Shi’s body was covered in chills. He had the vague feeling that he seemed to have provoked someone he never should have and his heart was filled with regret.
Even if he escaped his current predicament, he would not be able to explain this huge loss to the Pavilion Master and would have to bear the Pavilion Master’s wrath.
“Tell me, should I kill you with one quick thrust, or should I slowly stab you to death?” A wicked smile bloomed on Yang Kai’s face.
Yang Yao Shi trembled all over and said in fear, “You can’t kill me… I’m the Vice Pavilion Master of Profound Cloud Pavilion! I am Sir Mi… Mi Tian Xing’s subordinate! If you kill me, he will definitely not let you go!”
“Mi Tian Xing?” Yang Kai said in a cold voice, “That First-Order Emperor Realm Master sheltering you?”
“That’s right! The Pavilion Master is very fond of me!” Yang Yao Shi quickly added, thinking that Yang Kai knew of Mi Tian Xing’s reputation.
But unexpectedly, Yang Kai showed a disdainful expression and curled his lip, “What thing is a First-Order Emperor Realm Cultivator to me? This Young Master has killed more than one before!”
When he heard this, Yang Yao Shi’s first reaction was that this guy must be talking nonsense! Was it that easy to kill a First-Order Emperor Realm Master? What’s more, the one speaking was just a Third-Order Dao Source Realm cultivator! It was ridiculous no matter how one thought about it.
But he didn’t dare to retort and only said, “Let me go and I can give you many benefits, but if you kill me, you’ll definitely have a hard time in Clear Sky Island!”
Yang Kai’s face turned cold, “Still daring to threaten me at death’s door?”
“I’m just speaking the truth! What’s more, it’s not easy for you to kill me with your current ability anyway. Instead of fighting a fight that will only end in both sides suffering, why don’t we sit down and discuss things properly?”
Yang Kai sneered, “A discussion would still require both sides to be on equal ground. I can take your life with a snap of my fingers. What rights do you have to bargain with me?”
“Don’t underestimate this King, even a broken ship has three kilograms of nails!”
“You think too highly of yourself,” Yang Kai scoffed and brought the Myriads Sword in his hand directly down onto Yang Yao Shi.
Yang Yao Shi paled in horror. He did not expect this young man to take action directly despite how hard he tried to persuade him. Instantly, Yang Yao Shi felt both angry and anxious. No longer hesitating, he summoned a shield artifact directly in front of him.
*Ci la…*
A crisp sound rang out as Yang Yao Shi was shocked to find that this shield artifact actually shattered without offering him any protection, shattering the moment his opponent’s sword slashed down. The Emperor Artifact’s power cut straight into his body, severing him in half.
[Is he really human?] Even in death, Yang Yao Shi could not believe that he, a Third-Order Dao Source Realm cultivator, would actually be killed so casually by another in the same realm. If he had known how great the difference in their strength was, how could he possibly have remained here? He would have tried to escape, and at least there would be some hope for his survival.
The deck was soon empty, except for the corpses all over the floor. Yang Kai was the only one left standing. Even Liu Xian Yun and Jiao Yi had run off to chase their fleeing enemies.
Yang Kai raised his hand and sucked over the Space Rings of all the dead cultivators. After a quick inspection, he threw them to the ground again in disgust.
These cultivators must have been living here in the Solitary Void Sealed World for a long time. There were a bunch of random things in their rings, but none of them were really useful. With Yang Kai’s current wealth, these things simply weren’t enough to enter his eyes.
Yang Yao Shi’s shield artifact was something barely able to catch his eye, but after being split apart by the Myriads Sword, it had become worthless.
Yang Kai ignored the Space Rings of these people and instead turned his attention to the huge sea ship.
This sea ship was sailed here by Yang Yao Shi and his crew. Within the Solitary Void Sealed World, it was very common to go to sea using large artifacts like these, so Yang Kai figured he may need to head out to sea in the future and this was the perfect opportunity to acquire a means of transport. Flying to the opposite sea ship and entering the cabin, Yang Kai searched for the control center and began to refine it.
After about the time it took to finish a cup of tea, Ling Yin Qin and the others all returned from different directions. Save for a few injured members, the dozen members of the crew returned safe and sound.
Once all of them gathered and exchanged information about their situation with each other, Ling Yin Qin couldn’t help but breathe out a sigh of relief.
Not one of the Profound Cloud Pavilion cultivators managed to escape, they were all hunted down and killed, so there was no need for them to worry about news of what happened here spreading back to Clear Sky Island.
Profound Cloud Pavilion would not suspect Ling Yin Qin and her crew for Yang Yao Shi and his crew’s sudden disappearance on their trip out to the Solitary Void Sea, and even if they did, they had no proof, so she didn’t need to worry about anything.
After calming herself, Ling Yin Qin suddenly remembered something and, with the same level of fear as if she had just gone to hell and back, she quickly ordered the crew to clean up the deck and push the corpses down into the sea. When she released her Divine Sense and found that Yang Kai was refining the Profound Cloud Pavilion’s ship, she didn’t bother him. Instead, she pulled Liu Xian Yun to the side and asked quietly, “What actually happened to your Senior Brother?”
If not for Yang Kai, they probably would not have encountered such a crisis. But similarly, without him here, they would definitely have had their whole harvest robbed by Yang Yao Shi and been forced to return empty-handed.
So, on balance, Ling Yin Qin still felt grateful to Yang Kai; however, she was extremely confused as to how Yang Kai was able to bring out such a terrifying level of strength, easily killing almost thirty people from Profound Cloud Pavilion by himself.
Only someone in the Emperor Realm should be able to do something like this.
If such a powerful force were to be turned against her and her ship, then who would be able to resist?
Ling Yin Qin was feeling more and more glad that she had stopped Jiao Yi and the others from acting on their greedy impulses, otherwise, she was afraid that they may not even know how they ended up dead.
Even though her question was vague, Liu Xian Yun could guess what she was trying to ask. Pondering for a moment, she explained, “Senior Brother is an extraordinary person to begin with. A few days ago, we were chased down by a Third-Order Emperor Realm Master but still managed to escape thanks to Senior Brother.”
“You were chased down by a Third-Order Emperor Realm Master and still managed to come out alive?” Ling Yin Qin was shocked.
She had never experienced how strong a Third-Order Emperor Realm Master was, but she knew a Third-Order Dao Source Realm cultivator couldn’t escape alive from their grasp.
But Yang Kai managed to do just this. That proved that he was no ordinary Third-Order Dao Source Realm cultivator.
“Senior Brother is amazing, he even managed to injure that Third-Order Emperor Realm Master,” Liu Xian Yun did not seem to think Ling Yin Qin was shocked enough so she added.
“Injured him…” Ling Yin Qin was completely dumbfounded. It felt as if her brain was freezing, unable to process everything. What she heard was completely beyond her comprehension.
“It was a sneak attack, and it seemed like that Third-Order Emperor Realm Master was injured to begin with.”
Despite Liu Xian Yun’s explanation, Ling Yin Qin’s mind was still buzzing. She couldn’t take in what she was saying at all and found herself staring at the sea ship opposite her, remaining silent for a long time.
“Big Sister, they have a lot of good things. That Yang Yao Shi actually brought more than 200,000 Source Crystals with him. We’re rich!” Jiao Yi walked over with a happy look on his face as he handed a Space Ring to Ling Yin Qin.
Only then did Ling Yin Qin return to her senses, “Divide up the stuff amongst yourselves, but throw away all the artifacts and other recognizable objects. You must not bring them back to Clear Sky Island!”
If they brought back any of the artifacts or anything that could be recognized, then it may reveal something and get the people of Profound Cloud Pavilion on their trail. Ling Yin Qin could not allow that to happen.
Even though Jiao Yi thought it was a waste, he knew that Big Sister was right. He instantly agreed and turned around, ready to set off to divide up the wealth with his brothers.
The deck was scrubbed clean, and all the corpses were dumped into the sea while all the blood was washed away.
Since Yang Kai had yet to come out, Ling Yin Qin could only wait now.
About a day later, the ship on the other side suddenly buzzed and the hull began to shake. In the next moment, there was a flash of light and the huge ship disappeared without a trace. In its place was Yang Kai who appeared in the view of the crowd.
He looked drained at the moment and his face was slightly pale, but on his palm was an exquisite sea ship that had shrunk countless times in size. It was clearly the one from Profound Cloud Pavilion.
“So quick!?” Even though Ling Yin Qin already knew about Yang Kai’s strength, she could not help but be astonished.
It took Yang Kai only one day to refine the ship’s controls. If someone else were to tell her about this, she would not have believed it, but it happened right in front of her, so she had to believe it.
[How strong is he?]
Ling Yin Qin already thought very highly of Yang Kai, but it seemed she had still underestimated him. Even if an Emperor Realm Master were here, it would still be impossible for them to refine the sea ship in just one day. Ling Yin Qin had thought she and her crew would have to wait here for a month or two for Yang Kai to finish.
While she was lost in thought, Yang Kai had already sent the ship into his Space Ring before he teleported back to the deck.
The dozen crew members looked at him with awe, while Jiao Yi opened his mouth as if he wanted to say something, but couldn’t muster any words. With the strength Yang Kai had shown yesterday, Jiao Yi no longer had the confidence to call Yang Kai his brother.
“I apologize for the trouble I brought everyone,” Yang Kai said with some embarrassment.
He knew that the reason why the people of Profound Cloud Pavilion found Ling Yin Qin and the others here was most likely because of Zhang Ruo Xi’s breakthrough. If not for that great disturbance, how could two sea ships meet each other so coincidentally in the middle of this vast ocean?
Therefore, the cause of the matter was still Yang Kai.
When they heard him say this, the crew members all waved their hands and shook their heads.
What a joke, the Profound Cloud Pavilion crew was slaughtered by Yang Kai in the blink of an eye, which showed how terrifying Yang Kai’s strength was. They did not dare to take his polite words seriously.
Looking at them, Yang Kai knew that these people were likely afraid of him.
“Brother Yang, we should be the ones thanking you. You saved us from a disaster,” Ling Yin Qin said.
Yang Kai had a very good impression of this woman. Previously, she offered to hand over all their gains from this trip in exchange for the safety of Liu Xian Yun and him. Yang Kai watched that scene with his own eyes. It was just a pity that Yang Yao Shi did not take the offer. He was too greedy and had to send himself up onto the platter no matter what.
“Not at all, Big Sister Ling. I was the cause of all this to begin with,” Yang Kai said awkwardly. He had no idea how he should explain to Ling Yin Qin about what happened before, and it wasn’t easy to explain either, so he could only say it in such a vague way.
“How’s your current situation?” Ling Yin Qin asked with furrowed brows. Yang Kai failed his breakthrough and cut off his cultivation, but he still got caught in a large battle, even spending so much of his energy to refine the sea ship. In her opinion, this was simply courting death, “You should take a rest.”
“I have to apologize to you, Big Sister Ling.” Yang Kai scratched his head and took out the broken High-Grade Spirit Purifying Array base and flags awkwardly, “I broke it.”
Ling Yin Qin looked at it and realized that her Spirit Purifying Array was in fact badly damaged and it couldn’t be used again. She could not help a downcast gaze from flashing past her eyes, as well as some reminiscence and pity.
“If it’s broken, then it’s broken,” Ling Yin Qin forced herself to smile, and consoled. “It’s just a High-Grade Spirit Purifying Array. Don’t worry about it.”
Yang Kai said, “How many Source Crystals is this worth? I’ll repay you.”
Ling Yin Qin waved her hand, “No need. It’s a pity it wasn’t able to offer you any help.” While speaking, she took out a Wooden Token and passed it to Yang Kai.
“What’s this?” Yang Kai asked, puzzled.
“This is a Clear Sky Island Identity Token. You’ll be needing this if you want to get into Clear Sky City.”
Yang Kai reached out and accepted it, but then he came to a realization and raised his brows, “Is this from those Profound Cloud Pavilion guys? Will there be any issues if I use this to enter the city?”
“No, there won’t be. These two are only low-level Identity Tokens so no information is recorded on them. It’d be different for the high-level ones as those can’t be imitated,” Ling Yin Qin explained.
“Many thanks, in that case.” Yang Kai was overjoyed. He was still worrying over how he and Liu Xian Yun could safely get into Clear Sky Island, but he didn’t expect these people from Profound Cloud Pavilion to take the initiative to deliver these Identity Tokens to them. This was simply like delivering charcoal in a frigid winter.
“I’m a bit tired so I’ll go back and rest. Brother Yang, please make yourselves comfortable.” After that, Ling Yin Qin turned around and headed for the cabin.
Liu Xian Yun leaned over and whispered to Yang Kai, “Senior Brother, that High-Grade Spirit Purifying Array is something that Big Sister Ling’s partner left her before he passed on, it holds a lot of meaning to her.”
This was what she heard from Jiao Yi, and from the changes she saw on Ling Yin Qin’s face earlier, she knew that what Jiao Yi said was true. This High-Grade Spirit Purifying Array was indeed exceptionally important to Ling Yin Qin and held her memories for that person.
Only then did Yang Kai realize how valuable the thing he damaged was and quickly shouted, “Sister Ling! I’ll definitely find someone to fix this Spirit Purifying Array for you.”
The Spirit Purifying Array was only damaged and not completely ruined. Yang Kai had originally thought of compensating Ling Yin Qin with some Source Crystals or buying her another set when they arrived at Clear Sky Island; however, knowing the sentimental significance of this Spirit Purifying Array now, compensating her or buying another set would be inappropriate. The best solution was to find someone to repair the array base and flags.
When she heard this, Ling Yin Qin’s steps wavered, but she did not turn back, only waving her hand lightly. Then, with a desolate back, she slowly walked away.
“Senior Brother Yang, do the two of you want to go back and rest as well?” Jiao Yi came over with a fawning smile on his face. His attitude was no longer casual like before and he was now acting more cautiously, “The ship will set sail soon. It’ll take less than a month for us to arrive back at Clear Sky Island. Old Jiao will call you once we’re there.”
“Alright, I’ll have to trouble you then, Brother Jiao,” Yang Kai nodded his head and went with Liu Xian Yun towards their room.
Soon after, the ship set sail again.
Inside the compartment, there were several times where Liu Xian Yun wanted to ask Yang Kai about his current situation, but she ended up swallowing her words back when they reached her lips. Yang Kai’s failure to break through to the Emperor Realm must have been a big blow to him, and if she asked, then Liu Xian Yun believed that it would definitely make him even sadder.
She also had no idea how to comfort Yang Kai, so she simply sighed in her heart and felt that Heavens was unjust to let Yang Kai perceive his opportunity for a breakthrough in this damned place.
The speed of the ship was not slow, and the cultivators on the ship were able to deal with the occasional attacks by Sea Beasts on the way. Regardless of their cultivation level, it was clear that Ling Qin Yin’s subordinates were all extremely seasoned cultivators who had a lot of experience on how to take care of these Sea Beasts.
So, they didn’t encounter any dangers on the way back.
About twenty days later, Yang Kai suddenly heard a commotion from the deck. Perking up his ears and listening in, he found out through the joyful conversations of the crew that they were nearing Clear Sky Island.
The cultivators on Clear Sky Island had to search for cultivation resources at sea, and every trip out was accompanied by great risks. Oftentimes, only half the number who departed would return.
But this time, Ling Yin Qin’s ship was different. However many went, however many returned, not a single one becoming lost at sea. Not only that, they had a great harvest, so the crew members were naturally overjoyed.
Sure enough, it didn’t take long before the speed of the ship began to slow and very soon, it came to a complete halt.
A bunch of noise suddenly came about. Releasing his Divine Sense, Yang Kai found that the ship had reached the edge of a huge island and stopped at a place similar to a pier.
Before Ling Yin Qin and the others arrived, there were already a few ships waiting to dock. From time to time, cultivators would fly out of those ships and land on the ground.
As soon as these cultivators landed, many people would gather around them as if every cultivator who returned from the sea was a sweet and ripe fruit.
Yang Kai saw a cultivator who had just returned from sea exchanging a few words with another person, then he followed that person and left quickly.
“Senior Brother Yang, we’ve arrived at Clear Sky Island.” Ling Yin Qin’s voice emerged from outside the room.
Yang Kai and Liu Yian Xun exchanged glances, then the two of them quickly stood up.
When they arrived on the deck, Jiao Yi and the others were already waiting eagerly. Once they saw Yang Kai, they all nodded at him with reverence.
“Are these people purchasing the harvest from the sea?” Yang Kai went up to Jiao Yi and asked while pointing at the bargaining cultivators down below.
Jiao Yi nodded, “That’s right, any returning ship will more or less have some kind of harvest with them, and there will be a few people waiting at the pier to try to purchase that harvest. Once they negotiate a price, they’ll make a deal, then they won’t have to waste any time looking for a buyer in the city. Many stores in the city have people waiting here, and they’ll rush over like madmen every time someone comes back. It’s a fierce fight!”
When he heard Jiao Yi’s explanation, Yang Kai knew that his guess was right. This was what he thought too when he first saw this scene.
“Let’s go,” Jiao Yi called out to everyone, and many of the crew members activated their Movement Skills and flew towards the shore. Yang Kai and Liu Xian Yun also followed closely behind them, but Ling Yin Qin stayed back, forming a few hand seals as she prepared to put the ship away.
As soon as the crew came ashore, they were immediately greeted by many merchants who surrounded them and offered them prices for what they obtained during the trip.
Jiao Yi and the others were undoubtedly very familiar with this and all of them acted aloof and put on airs while they negotiated the price with the merchants. Soon after, someone offered them a good price and they went over to the side to make their trade.
Jiao Yi and the others had a really big harvest this trip. Not mentioning the more than 100,000 Grey Feather Corals and the Twelfth-Order Monster Beast’s carcass that they found, just the spoils they seized after Yang Kai killed the cultivators from Profound Cloud Pavilion alone was many times more than what they usually got.
The harvest was so big that it was impossible to sell it off all at once, so the dozen crew members prepared to split up some of the harvest amongst themselves to be traded for useful cultivation goods, such as Source Crystals, Spirit Pills, and whatnot. The rest of the harvest would be sold off next time when they had the chance. They’d definitely attract some unwanted attention if they take out so much good stuff at once.
Whether inside or outside the Solitary Void Sealed World, Source Crystals were the hard currency, while another popular item was Spirit Pills. All useful Spirit Pills could be converted into the corresponding amount of Source Crystals or used as direct currency.
While Yang Kai was browsing rare commodities, a beautiful middle-aged woman suddenly appeared in front of him. This beautiful woman was wearing a long turquoise dress and had an enchanting and plump body. She had a bulging chest that stretched her clothes out so much that they could almost rip, which was extremely eye-catching. Her cultivator wasn’t low either, being at the Second-Order Dao Source Realm.
But, even though she had enchanting looks, she had a very dignified bearing. It was not known whether she was too slow earlier or couldn’t be bothered about competing with the others, but she didn’t go over to greet the returning crews like the others. However, when she saw Yang Kai and Liu Xian Yun standing there without being bothered by anyone, she took the initiative to go over to them, smiled, and cupped her fists, “Little Brother, greetings.”
“Do you need something, Madam?” Yang Kai swept his eyes over her.
The beautiful woman smiled, “This Mistress is Deacon Fan Xin of Ice Heart Pavilion.”
“Ice Heart Pavilion?” Yang Kai raised his brows and couldn’t help but take a look at this beautiful woman called Fan Xin.
Fan Xin asked suspiciously, “What’s wrong? Does Little Brother not know of my Ice Heart Pavilion?”
She thought this was very strange. Even though Ice Heart Pavilion only occupied a small piece of land on Clear Sky Island, they were definitely well-known. As long as someone lived on Clear Sky Island, it was impossible for them not to know about Ice Heart Pavilion, but seeing Yang Kai’s reaction just now, he seemed very surprised, as if he had never heard of Ice Heart Pavilion before.
Yang Kai said calmly, “Of course I have heard of your noble Ice Heart Pavilion before, but I never expected that Ice Heart Pavilion would also be buying things here.”
This was, of course, nonsense. It was indeed Yang Kai’s first time hearing about Ice Heart Pavilion, but he also knew that his performance earlier had aroused the beautiful woman’s suspicion, so he quickly tried to dispel her doubts through misdirection.
Sure enough, the beautiful woman smiled bitterly and replied, “Doing business is difficult, there’s competition everywhere. This Mistress also has her hands tied.” She turned the subject back on track quickly after, “I wonder if Little Brother has made any gains during this trip out to sea? If so, could you show it to me? This Mistress will definitely offer you a satisfactory price.”
“I have their share of our harvest. If you need to talk about anything, you can discuss it with me.” Ling Yin Qin came over from a short distance away to help Yang Kai with his predicament.
Of course, he wouldn’t have any goods on him. If he had known the situation would be like this at the docks, Yang Kai would have left some stuff in his Space Ring after killing that group of people from Profound Cloud Pavilion.
When she heard this, Fan Xin looked puzzlingly at Yang Kai. She had no idea why he had left his goods with Ling Yin Qin; after all, the dozen people who came down from the ship earlier all brought something with them.
Yang Kai shrugged and smiled, “I tend to get a bit carried away when I see a beautiful woman. Big Sister is worried I’ll suffer a loss, so she’s acting as my agent. Now, it seems like this was a smart move.”
Fan Xin covered her mouth and laughed, “Little Brother really is interesting.”
Fan Xin of Ice Heart Pavilion soon buddied up with Ling Yin Qin and they secretly communicated with each other through Divine Sense.
Soon after, Ling Yin Qin looked up at Yang Kai and asked, “This Junior Sister Fan has a very good offer. I’m going to sell the goods to her. What do you say?”
When she asked this, it was clear she was just making a show for Fan Xin. What’s more, her cultivation was a little higher than Fan Xin, so there was no problem with calling her Junior Sister.
Fan Xin immediately looked at Yang Kai with an expectant face. She had been here for almost half a day and didn’t manage to purchase anything. Now, she finally saw a glimmer of light. As long as Yang Kai nodded, she would be able to receive a lot of goods, so she was naturally excited.
Yang Kai smiled, “Sell it to her then.”
Fan Xin instantly beamed, “Many thanks to this Senior Sister and Little Brother. Please rest assured, we at Ice Heart Pavilion always do fair business and will offer appropriate prices.”
Ling Yin Qin lightly agreed, “I’ve long heard of Ice Heart Pavilion’s famed name, otherwise, I wouldn’t have sold everything to you so readily.”
While speaking, the two of them exchanged goods and money quickly. Yang Kai peeped over and found that in addition to Source Crystals, Fan Xin also handed some Spirit Pills to Ling Yin Qin.
After receiving the goods, Fan Xin looked extremely happy and her attitude also became more and more enthusiastic, “Little Brother, if you have anything to sell in the future, don’t forget about this Mistress. The price is negotiable.”
Yang Kai nodded, “Of course.”
“Let’s go,” Ling Yin Qin called out to them and led Yang Kai and Liu Xian Yun towards the front.
After walking out from the noisy docks, the three of them stopped and waited for the others to arrive.
After about an incense stick of time, the dozen crew members all returned, each of them exuberant and joyful. Their harvest was obviously not small, and what they sold just now was only a small portion of their harvest this trip. There was still a lot that had not been taken out.
The 100,000 pieces of Grey Feather Coral were too large an amount, so it was obviously not suitable for them to sell it at the docks. Ling Yin Qin was going to wait until they returned to Clear Sky City to process it.
The harvest from this trip alone would be enough to keep them well-fed for the next three years, and they could also move to a better place.
After a short walk, a huge city appeared in front of them. Even the gates were huge, looking like the jaws of a beast, ready to find someone to devour. Right above the gates were three characters, ‘Clear Sky City’!
There were guards stationed outside the city and whether they were going in or out, anyone passing by would have to pay a Low-Rank Source Crystal or something of corresponding value before they could pass.
When Yang Kai saw this, he frowned.
Source Crystals were very valuable in this Solitary Void Sealed World. He thought he could enter and leave as he pleased as long as he had an Identity Token, but he didn’t expect that he would still have to pay Source Crystals. One piece of Low-Rank Source Crystal was nothing for him, but for the poor cultivators who had lived here for so long, it was no doubt a great fortune.
There weren’t many people in front of the gates, only the cultivators who had returned from the docks earlier and were lining up to enter the city. From how no one was leaving the city, it was clear that the cultivators in Clear Sky City didn’t want to spend that one Source Crystal to come and go as they pleased either, only when they had to go out to sea or absolutely had to leave the city.
Ling Yin Qin’s group of a dozen easily entered the city after paying the dozen Source Crystals and verifying everyone’s Identity Tokens.
Yang Kai was a little worried that his identity as a newcomer would be exposed, but when he saw how simply everything went, he realized that he was worried for nothing.
A lively scene unfurled once they were inside the city. There were many cultivators in the city with shops lining both sides of the street and an endless stream of cultivators brushing past each other’s shoulders.
But Yang Kai soon found some parts different from normal cities. Many cultivators were sitting cross-legged on both sides of the street, gazing vacantly ahead.
There were quite a few of these cultivators, but regardless of their cultivation level, their auras were extremely weak. It seemed like all of them had not cultivated for a long time and were just sitting there, not moving.
Not only that, but there were also many people dressed like beggars on the streets, constantly begging for something, but they hardly got anything.
Yang Kai frowned. He did not expect the inside of the seemingly prosperous Clear Sky City to be so depressing.
“These are all pitiful people,” Ling Yin Qin sighed. “Without cultivation resources, their cultivation drops day after day, and they can’t even go out to sea to look for harvest anymore. So, other than begging, all they can do is wait for death.”
Hearing her say so, Yang Kai realized why the streets were like this now. Having to see this after he had only just entered the city, who knew how many people were waiting to die in the entire Clear Sky City just like this?
“Is there really no way to get out of here?” Yang Kai asked.
Ling Yin Qin shook her head, “I’ve never heard of anyone leaving here successfully.”
As the two were talking, an angry shout suddenly sounded from not far away, “You little rat, how dare you steal from me!”
The shout was accompanied by the commotion of a crowd nearby, and occasionally the sounds of fighting.
Yang Kai released his Divine Sense and immediately found out what was going on. It seems that a cultivator had been robbed, and the person being robbed was a First-Order Dao Source Realm, while the person robbing him was only a Second-Order Origin King. Not only was his cultivation much weaker than the other person, but his aura was so weak that he may not even be able to bring out his real strength.
This kind of death courting act would definitely never happen outside this Small Sealed World, but it seemed to be common here in Clear Sky City.
With two bangs, the robber was immediately killed and the cultivator got his Space Ring back. That First-Order Dao Source Realm cultivator was about to start hurling insults when countless people with vacant expressions on their faces suddenly came over. The originally hollow eyes of these guys were currently bloodshot and all of them were eyeing the cultivator’s Space Ring. It wasn’t long before a fight broke out.
The owner of the Space Ring was a First-Order Dao Source Realm cultivator, but two fists can’t block four strikes. Even though he managed to kill several of them in quick succession, no one was deterred and he was soon swamped by the crowd.
*Shua shua…*
While they were engaged in a heated battle, two figures suddenly descended from the sky. These two men had imposing auras and were dressed in black fitted robes. With a cold sneer on their faces, they watched the fight ahead, without any intention of stopping it.
“Those guys are from Clear Sky City’s law enforcement team,” Jiao Yi whispered to Yang Kai beside him.
“And they don’t care about this?” Yang Kai asked, surprised. Since they were from the law enforcement team, then naturally they should want to maintain the peace of the city, so why were they acting so indifferent when there was a fight happening right in front of them?
Jiao Yi sneered, “You’ll see.”
*Peng peng!*
Another two robbers were sent flying by the ring’s owner, but that man also seemed to be growing exhausted. Even though his situation was better than those who were either begging or waiting for death, his cultivation had clearly regressed a lot since arriving on this island. There was simply no way for him to display the full might of a Dao Source Realm cultivator now and was already battered, bruised, and exhausted from this brief fight.
When he looked up, he just so happened to see the two black-robed law enforcement officers and quickly shouted, “Sirs, please help me! These people are lawless and dare they rob people in broad daylight! Please sirs, deliver justice here!”
The two enforcers did not move, but instead watched on coldly.
The owner of the ring shouted again, “Sirs, please do something! This humble one is willing to pay half of what he has in his Space Ring as a reward!”
Upon hearing this, one of the enforcers sneered, “Only half?”
The owner of the ring gritted his teeth and said bitterly, “I’ll offer all of it to the two Sirs…”
He knew that if he didn’t get help now, then he may end up killed by these lawless people. Compared to his own life, what was everything else worth?
Only then did the two enforcers walk forward lazily. The person who spoke earlier grunted, “Little Brat, since you’re so sensible, we’ll give you a hand.”
After he said this, the two people moved in unison, greeting the crowd with ruthlessness. With a surge of energy, they blasted out the robbers directly, causing countless casualties and creating a strong smell of blood around them.
As soon as the two of them attacked, the cultivators around them turned silent out of fear. The robbers who were lucky to still be alive immediately scattered as they didn’t dare to remain any longer.
The only person left on the ground was the cultivator who was being robbed. He was lying there covered in blood, looking to be in a miserable state.
One of the enforcers walked over and raised his hand to suck the fallen man’s Space Ring into his palm. After searching it with his Divine Sense, he frowned and spat, “Broke bastard! Is this all you have?”
After saying that, he spat in disgust at the cultivator once more before walking off.
“This guy will also have no choice but to wait for death from now on.” Jiao Yi sighed.
The cultivator who was robbed probably didn’t have much in the first place, but now he had even lost his Space Ring, unless he could find a ship he could follow out to sea soon, he would definitely be reduced to just waiting for death here like those guys who were robbing him earlier.
“This place is such a mess.” Yang Kai’s face sank.
Ling Yin Qin said, “When one reaches the end of the road, one is capable of doing anything. Those people were forced to this point.”
Yang Kai felt silent as he knew what Ling Yin Qin said was correct.
These robbers were already waiting for death, what else could still scare them? But what Yang Kai could not believe was the fact that even the law enforcers in Clear Sky City were so dirty.
To put it nicely, what happened earlier was adding salt to a wound, in frank terms though, it was blatant robbery.
It seemed like Clear Sky City was without laws. It must have been hard for Ling Yin Qin and the others to have stayed here for so long.
“Things are a little more chaotic out here in the Outer City, but the Inner City is safer. Things like this won’t happen there,” Ling Yin Qin explained.
“Do you stay in the Outer City or Inner City?” Yang Kai asked.
Jiao Yi answered, “Outer City, but we’ll be able to move to the Inner City in just a few days.”
Their harvest was not small this time, and it was enough for them to rent a pretty good cave mansion in the Inner City. Even though life was generally more expensive in the Inner City, it was safer, so the cost was worth it.
Ling Yin Qin advised, “Senior Brother Yang, you just arrived so it’s best you rent a cave mansion to stay in. Then you can slowly get familiarized with this place.”
“That’s what I was planning to do.” Yang Kai nodded. He had no idea how long he would have to stay in Clear Sky Island, but he had to find a place to stay regardless.
“This must be where secluded homes can be rented, right?” Yang Kai asked as he stood in front of a large building at the intersection between the Outer and Inner City. After raising his head and looking around for a while, Yang Kai said goodbye to Ling Yin Qin and walked inside.
He was able to find this place quickly thanks to the guidance of Ling Yin Qin and the others. Jiao Yi had originally wanted to accompany him here, but he was politely declined by Yang Kai. As Jiao Yi and the others had just returned from sea after such a long time, they definitely had their own things to deal with. Moreover, he was just renting a secluded home and not anything too troublesome. Yang Kai believed he could handle it himself.
Before parting, Jiao Yi gave Yang Kai a Communication Bead and told him to call anytime if he needed help.
There were not many cultivators coming and going from the large hall, but they weren’t few either.
When Yang Kai arrived, there were already a few people waiting in front of him, all of whom seemed to be here to rent secluded homes. He silently watched the scene from the side and quickly learned of the renting process.
An hour later, it was Yang Kai’s turn, so he walked straight up, tossed a bag of Source Crystals onto the table, and said to the cultivator in charge, “I’d like to rent a medium-sized secluded home for one year.”
“Outer City or Inner City?” The cultivator glanced up at Yang Kai and said indifferently.
Yang Kai coldly snorted, “Would I give you this many Source Crystals if I was renting a home in the Outer City? Are you taking me for a fool?”
But the person in charge wasn’t bothered, he just smirked and picked up the bag of Source Crystals, weighing it in his hands before putting it away and pointing to the diorama at the side, “Pick for yourself.”
This diorama looked like a model of the entire Clear Sky City, only scaled down countless times; however, each building was crafted exquisitely. There were two major residential areas, one in the Outer City where prices were relatively low, and one in the Inner City, where the prices were higher. There were small flags erected outside most of the secluded homes, indicating that they were already rented out. Only a small number of the secluded homes were still vacant.
Yang Kai was just looking for a place to settle down and did not really care about the grade of the Spirit Purifying Array installed or the density of World Energy inside, so he just swept a gaze at the diorama and pointed to a relatively isolated home, “I’ll take this one.”
The person in charge glanced over, then with a toss, a token flew straight towards Yang Kai. Without even lifting his head, the man explained, “This is the Access Token. Keep it safe, no subletting, and no replacing the Spirit Purifying Array as you please. There will be no amnesty for those found violating the rules.”
Yang Kai caught the token and only briefly examined it before putting it away. Then, bringing Liu Xian Yun along, he left.
…..
An hour later, Yang Kai and Liu Xian Yun arrived in front of that secluded home. This secluded home was located in a mountain range within the island where big and small cave mansions were opened right into the mountainside. The environment here was not bad in general.
The World Energy had always been dense in the Solitary Void Sealed World, but it was all mixed with an endless stream of Disruption Force, making it so that cultivators could not absorb it at will and could only set up Spirit Purifying Arrays before they cultivated. Depending on the grade of the Spirit Purifying Array, the efficacy of a cultivator’s cultivation also varied greatly.
However, in general, cultivators could barely keep their cultivation from deteriorating while cultivating in this damned place even with a Peak-Grade Spirit Purifying Array. There was simply no way for them to increase it.
The Spirit Purifying Array setup within this medium secluded home that Yang Kai rented was naturally a Mid-Grade Spirit Purifying Array.
After entering the secluded home with Liu Xian Yun, the two of them looked around and found that the size of the secluded home was decent. There were three rooms, an Alchemy room, an Artifact Refining Room, and even a living room-like area.
Compared to the secluded home that Yang Kai rented in Maplewood City, this place was definitely much better despite the price being about the same.
Source Crystals are extremely valuable in the Solitary Void Sealed World though, so the same number represented a whole different value in this place. The Source Crystals of the same grade were naturally worth much more in the Solitary Void Sealed World.
“Go and pick out a room for yourself, Junior Sister,” Yang Kai said to Liu Xian Yun.
“What about you?” Liu Xian Yun asked.
“I’m going to familiarize myself with the environment and find an Artifact Refining Grandmaster to fix Ling Yin Qin’s Spirit Purifying Array.”
Liu Xian Yun said, “Then please be careful, Senior Brother.”
“I know. If you have nothing to do, you can fortify the seals around the secluded home. We may have to stay here for quite some time.”
“En. Come back soon,” Liu Xian Yun said meekly. After saying that, she blushed a little because she suddenly felt that she and Yang Kai were living like husband and wife and she was worrying about her husband before he left the house.
When this thought arose, it instantly caused her cheeks to burn, but when she looked up again, Yang Kai was already long gone.
Yang Kai had to take several twists and turns around Clear Sky City and ask many people for directions before he arrived at a certain alley.
He looked around with a confused expression on his face while muttering to himself, [I didn’t get lost, did I? That Artifact Refining Grandmaster lives here?]
When he separated from Jiao Yi and the others, Jiao Yi had given him a Communication Bead. Then, he had secretly sent Yang Kai a message telling him to go to Inner City to find Grandmaster Sang De if he really wanted to repair the High-Grade Spirit Purifying Array for Ling Yin Qin.
Grandmaster Sang De was the best Artifact Refiner on Clear Sky Island, and it was said that he had already vaguely touched upon the realm of Emperor Artifact Refining. At least eighty percent of the High-Grade Spirit Purifying Arrays on this island were refined by him.
Since this person could refine High-Grade Spirit Purifying Arrays, then he should have no problems repairing one.
Jiao Yi also knew how much that High-Grade Spirit Purifying Array meant to Ling Yin Qin, so he secretly helped Yang Kai, hoping it could be repaired.
Yang Kai wasn’t very familiar with Clear Sky City, but Grandmaster Sang De had a resounding reputation here, so he only had to casually ask a few people on the streets before he managed to find this place.
Yang Kai just couldn’t believe that a man who was almost an Emperor Artifact Refiner would actually be living in a rough location like this though. But recalling that some Grandmasters like this tended to be eccentric and acted beyond people’s expectations, it wasn’t that surprising anymore.
He walked straight towards the end of the alley and came upon a large door that was wide open. Yang Kai looked inside and found a spacious courtyard that looked empty and spotless.
There was a boy dressed in the clothes of a servant who was currently sweeping the floor with a broom.
Yang Kai went up to him and cupped his fists, “Greetings, Little Brother.”
The boy completely ignored Yang Kai as if he were deaf and just continued sweeping the floor as if there was a magnificent beauty lying there.
Yang Kai cleared his throat and asked, “Excuse me, is this Grandmaster Sang De’s workshop?”
Only then did the boy look up and said with an impatient face, “Since you have already found your way here, why are you still asking?”
When he heard him say that, Yang Kai instantly knew he was in the right place. He quickly asked, “Is the Grandmaster available right now? There is an item that I need the Grandmaster’s help in repairing. I don’t know if…”
“Where did you come from? Don’t you know the rules?!”
“Rules? What rules?” Yang Kai looked confused.
The boy swept his eyes over Yang Kai and sneered, “You found your way here without even finding out about the rules? What an interesting person. You want to see the Grandmaster with that attitude? Maybe in your next life.”
Yang Kai humbly asked for his advice, “I hope Little Brother can give me some pointers.”
The boy looked up at the sky and stood there with his broom in his hand, twirling rapidly between his fingers.
[He wants a tip!] When he saw his attitude, Yang Kai knew that this boy wasn’t new to this. No wonder they say that standing in front of the King of Hell was easy, but dealing with his henchmen was not. This brat really was one of those henchmen.
Yang Kai held back his displeasure and took out a cloth bag from his Space Ring, handing it to him, “Now, you can talk, right?”
The boy weighed the bag in his hand and only then did he show a satisfied smile, beckoning Yang Kai over condescendingly, “Grandmaster’s time is precious, how would he have so much free time to bother himself with people like you? But the Grandmaster’s old heart is kind and he also worries over how difficult life is for people like you, so he specifically allocates some time to help refine artifacts for you lot.”
Yang Kai’s mouth twitched like mad when he heard this. This boy made it sound as if he wasn’t trapped on Clear Sky Island like them. Utterly shameless.
“Remember this,” The boy’s face turned serious and he quickly said, “Every month the Grandmaster will only open his door three times, so there will be three opportunities for him to help refine artifacts for the common man. If you want to ask the Grandmaster for help, then it’ll depend on your luck. Of course, in addition to those three times, the Grandmaster may make an exception and open his door once more if he’s in a good mood. Every time he opens his door, he will only help ten people, so if you come late, you will have to wait until next time.”
“Three chances and ten spots each time?” Yang Kai frowned, thinking that this Grandmaster Sang De was really quite arrogant, even setting up so many strange rules. But then, Yang Kai understood why there was nobody here at Grandmaster Sang De’s place. It clearly wasn’t time for him to open shop yet, or he had already missed it.
“You learn quickly! That’s exactly how it is!” The boy smiled and nodded.
“How old are you? How dare you talk to this Sir like this!” Yang Kai’s face dimmed and he sent a strike at the boy.
The boy shrunk his head, but he still failed to dodge it. His cultivation wasn’t high, only Origin Returning Realm, so how could he evade Yang Kai’s blow?
“You… You dare to hit me?” The boy took a few steps backwards and shouted with his hands covering his head, his eyes already turning red from fury.
“That was barely anything. Be careful, if you dare disrespect me again, I’ll really hit you.”
The boy seemed really frightened now. He worked for Grandmaster Sang De, so everyone who came here was always polite to him and nobody dared to offend him in the slightest. It was the first time anyone dared to teach him a lesson, so he was so shocked that he turned his head towards the courtyard, as if expecting Grandmaster Sang De to stand up for him, but there weren’t any sounds of movement coming from inside at all.
“What’re you looking at! Barely a beanstalk and you’re already acting big. What’s going to happen when you grow up? I asked you a question so answer me honestly!” Yang Kai coldly snorted.
The boy did not look happy, but he didn’t say anything.
“How many times has the Grandmaster opened his door this month?” Yang Kai asked.
“Twice!” The child grumbled.
“When’s the next one?”
“That I do not know. The Grandmaster opens his door randomly. He helps people like you refine artifacts whenever he’s in a good mood, so you just have to wait!”
“If you’re thinking of getting the Grandmaster to refine an artifact for you, then there’s no chance for you today.” The boy snorted, “But you’re lucky you ran into this Young Master! If you don’t mind, you might as well take out the materials and I’ll help you refine what you need!”
“You’re also an Artifact Refiner?” Yang Kai looked at him in surprise.
The boy turned up his nose and puffed up his chest, flipping his hair back in a dashing manner and spoke with arrogance, “What’s so difficult about something as trivial as Artifact Refining? This Young Master is gifted and has been under the Grandmaster’s tutelage for so long. I can help you for sure, but the reward…”
Yang Kai spat disdainfully and left without even turning back.
The boy was only at the Origin Returning Realm, so even if he really was an Artifact Refiner, how good could he be? He was seeking out Grandmaster Sang De to repair a High-Grade Spirit Purifying Array, which was even more difficult than refining one in a certain sense. Yang Kai was sure this boy didn’t have the skills to do this.
“Hey, don’t go! Are you looking down on me? Let me tell you, this Young Master is a Saint-Grade Artifact Refiner! Miss out now and you may never get another chance, so don’t regret this later!” The boy was stamping his feet, seemingly feeling deeply humiliated by Yang Kai.
…..
For several days, Yang Kai would visit Grandmaster Sang De’s place every day. According to what the boy told him, the Grandmaster had already opened shop twice this month, so there was only one more opportunity left, but he did not know the exact time so Yang Kai could only try his luck.
Unfortunately, after a few days, Yang Kai was still left with no harvest.
On the other hand, he had been walking around the streets these past few days, so Yang Kai had almost gotten a complete picture of Clear Sky City and was getting a good grasp of the local customs.
Seeing that there weren’t many days left in the month, Yang Kai was worried that he might be late and miss out on one of the Grandmaster’s opening days, or that he might not be able to squeeze into the ten spots, so he simply decided he would stop running around and went straight to the Grandmaster’s residence and began squatting there.
He thought he had gone early enough to find a good spot, but when he arrived, Yang Kai realized he was wrong.
There were already many cultivators waiting in line outside Grandmaster Sang De’s residence.
Yang Kai was dumbfounded at the sight.
But after some thought, he realized these people must be thinking the same thing as him. There wasn’t much time left in the month, but there was still one more chance for the Grandmaster to open his doors, so they came early to wait for him.
After counting them carefully, he found that there were nine people ahead of him, making him the tenth.
So, without saying anything more, Yang Kai silently stood at the end of the line.
The floor-sweeping boy seemed a little animated with the presence of this crowd. When he saw so many people come, he tried his best to market himself and boast about his skills, hoping these cultivators would give him their materials for him to refine.
But the cultivators living here were obviously aware of this boy’s skills so the crowd did not utter a single word in response to his chattering and did not pay any mind to his extravagant and colourful words either.
The boy seemed to be exasperated.
Yang Kai scoffed, “If you have the time to run your mouth dry, why don’t you just find some materials to practice on? You must have been following the Grandmaster for some time. Hasn’t the Grandmaster taught you that you have to take everything one step at a time and not be overly ambitious?”
The boy muttered, “Stop running your mouth and just stand in line properly!”
But after Yang Kai taught him a lesson, he also felt too embarrassed to latch onto those cultivators anymore. He turned around and went inside, shutting the door behind him. What the eyes do not see, the heart does not grieve.
The cultivators who came here were all waiting for Grandmaster Sang De to open his doors so they could request his help in Artifact Refining. As none of them were familiar with each other, none of them participated in idle chatter. The ones who were bored from waiting all day just sat down cross-legged and began to meditate.
No one dared to be unruly in front of the Grandmaster’s door, so there was no need to fear some scoundrel without eyes stirring up trouble.
And, as time went on, more and more people came.
But when these cultivators saw ten people waiting here, most of them shook their heads in disappointment and left. They knew Grandmaster Sang De’s rules and knew that they would just be wasting their time if they stayed here. They could only wait for next time.
But some had clearly made preparations and took out Source Crystals hoping to buy a spot from the ten people in line, including Yang Kai, but few were successful. Only two spots managed to be bought.
Naturally, Yang Kai was also approached by the people who wanted to buy a spot with Source Crystals, but did he lack Source Crystals? In response, Yang Kai just shook his head.
After waiting for two days, the front door suddenly opened and the boy came out with his head held high and cleared his throat in a pretentious manner, announcing aloud, “The third Artifact Refining of the month will now begin! Please come inside with me if you are among the first ten guests in line!”
The crowd was overjoyed by his words and all stood up. After waiting for so long, the Grandmaster finally opened his doors for the third time this month. These people felt that it was worth it because Grandmaster Sang De rarely made any mistakes with his Artifact Refining. Even though the fee was slightly more expensive, he was truly skilled. Essentially, as long as they request it, the Grandmaster would be able to fulfil it.
“Hahaha! Why come early if you can come just in time!?” A loud laugh suddenly rang out, followed by a figure that shot forward from behind. Domineeringly, the man squeezed into the queue, occupying a spot, the strong wind invoked by his powerful aura causing everyone to frown in displeasure.
But after checking his cultivation, their displeasure turned into fear.
Reason being that the person who arrived was a Third-Order Dao Source Realm Master.
Among the ten waiting here, excluding Yang Kai, only one well-dressed woman was at the Third-Order Dao Source Realm. The rest were all First or Second-Order Origin Dao Source Realm cultivators, so they naturally did not dare to offend this man.
The newcomer was dressed in purple robes that look extremely conspicuous. He was born with a dignified appearance, but there was a strong look of superiority in his eyes, as if no one in this world was worthy of his attention.
After he snatched a spot arrogantly, Yang Kai, who was originally at the end of the line, had inexplicably become the eleventh person.
Grandmaster Sang De only opened his doors to ten people at a time, so if he stood at the eleventh place, would that not mean that he would no longer have the qualifications to enter and waited all these days for nothing?
Yang Kai was instantly irked and he shouted at the boy from the shop, “Brat, are you just going to let that happen?”
“What? I didn’t see anything!” The boy tilted his head away and almost rolled his eyes back into his head.
It was quite apparent that he still held a grudge over Yang Kai beating him on the head. When he saw Yang Kai being squeezed out of the last spot, he was secretly feeling giddy, so of course he wouldn’t help Yang Kai.
Yang Kai’s face turned grim, “Are you blind? Can’t you see that this person just cut in line?”
The boy fumed, “My eyes are perfectly fine! You’re the one who’s blind!”
Yang Kai sneered, “Acting so unruly in front of the Grandmaster’s door, could you be any more unreasonable?”
“Unreasonable?” The cultivator who cut in line scoffed at this, “You want to talk reason? This King is reason here. Let me reason with you then, you said that I cut in line, but are there any witnesses? Whoever saw me do such a thing can stand out and announce it loudly, and I, Yu Le Ping will immediately give up this spot!”
As he spoke, he turned his head to look around, but the remaining nine were silent, none of them spoke a word. They all seemed very afraid of this guy called Yu Le Ping.
“I saw it!” Yang Kai glared at him.
Yu Le Ping coldly snorted, “Don’t try to start trouble if you came late. If you dare slander this King like this again, dare you believe that I will gouge your eyes out?”
“You can try.” Yang Kai was so angry that he could laugh. This guy called Yu Le Ping was simply shameless. It was clearly he who came late and cut the queue, but now the thief was crying thief instead. Yang Kai had never seen such a thick-skinned person in his life.
“You’re courting death, brat!” Yu Le Ping seemed to be angered by his words. He did not in the slightest expect that Yang Kai would dare rattle against him in such a manner. Enraged, his feet moved and he had directly turned his hands into claws and slashed towards Yang Kai.
Before his attack could even arrive, an overwhelmingly strong gust of wind had already been stirred up by it.
From this scene, it seemed like he really did intend to gouge out Yang Kai’s eyes without mercy.
A few of the weaker cultivators were affected by his aura and their faces changed as they retreated backwards.
Yang Kai stood still where he was and looked coldly at the boy, “Do you also not care that someone is starting a fight outside the Grandmaster’s door?”
The boy sneered, “It’s your business, you should settle it yourself.”
“Well said!” Snorting coldly, Yang Kai turned his eyes back to Yu Le Ping.
Yu Le Ping, who was originally taking on an aggressive stance instantly had a bad premonition when he received this stare from Yang Kai, a chill running through his body. However, he was a Third-Order Dao Source Realm Master, and other than a few powerhouses on Clear Sky Island who could strike fear into him, who else could fight him?
So, after just a short moment of hesitation, he made a ruthless move.
Yang Kai raised his head and threw a fist out, causing a surge of Source Qi that was like a violent volcano, so powerful that it shocked everyone.
*Pa…*
Yu Le Ping claw met Yang Kai’s fist as he smirked viciously. Just as Yu Le Ping was about to try and crush Yang Kai’s hand, he was shocked to find a tsunami of power gushing over him. This power was so strong that he was unable to resist it even with his Third-Order Dao Source Realm cultivation. The protective Source Qi around his body quickly dissolved just like a snowflake under the sun.
That gush of power travelled from the palm of his hand all the way through his arm, bursting his sleeves open. His flesh was splayed apart, tendons and bones separating.
*Hong…*
The raging Yu Le Ping flew out as if he had been hit by a huge lightning bolt, landing directly into a corner of the wall.
*Wa…*
A large spurt of blood splashed out from his mouth as Yu Le Ping’s arrogant aura withered away in an instant, face becoming ashen and bloodless.
“My arm!” In the next moment, he bellowed. Looking down, the arm he used to attack Yang Kai had been destroyed, laced with blood. White bones were poking out from the skin, it was a shocking sight.
The boy’s face was instantly frozen. The other nine in line were also horrified at the scene as each of them looked at Yang Kai with overflowing fear in their eyes.
Yang Kai looked harmless before he made any moves, and even went as far as to ask the boy for fairness, so never would they have expected him to be so vicious and ruthless. Just one punch and he was able to cripple Yu Le Ping, a Third-Order Dao Source Realm Master, without even a change in his demeanour.
[He… He can’t be one of those Emperor Realm Masters who were secretly hiding their cultivation to play the pig to eat the tiger, right?]
This thought emerged in each one of the people present, and the shop boy even began dripping with cold sweat.
“You… You crippled my arm!” Even now, Yu Le Ping was unable to accept the reality that one of his arms had been wasted and glared hatefully at Yang Kai while he hissed at him with his all, face almost completely distorted from the pain.
“Scram!” Yang Kai bellowed.
To think a petty Third-Order Dao Source Realm cultivator would dare act so arrogantly in front of him, it was simply ridiculous. Yang Kai had not been in a good mood these days since he ended up on Clear Sky Island during this tragedy. Now that someone had taken the initiative to stumble right into the tip of his spear, he naturally took advantage of this situation to vent his anger.
Yu Le Ping seemed to only have realized now that Yang Kai wasn’t an easy man to pick on, so he gave him a vicious glare before scurrying away while holding his injured arm.
There was still silence in front of the Grandmaster’s door and the rest of the crowd stood there pale, chills running down their backs.
“Hasn’t the Grandmaster opened his doors? How much longer do we have to wait?” Yang Kai immediately urged the boy when he saw the latter standing there like a fool.
“Yes yes, follow me!” The boy shrunk his neck, not daring to dally any longer and hurriedly led the way.
From the hot temper and ruthlessness that Yang Kai just displayed, the boy estimated that if he was not Grandmaster Sang De’s apprentice, then this guy may even turn his fists to him.
After all, he didn’t speak out for him when Yu Le Ping stole his spot.
In just a short while, the group of ten was led by the boy into the inner hall where he pointed to a side door, “Enter one by one. The Grandmaster is right inside. You know the rules, so please.”
After that, he quickly slipped out of sight.
After he left, the first cultivator looked cautiously at Yang Kai and found that the latter had already found himself a place to sit down. Only then did this man realize that Yang Kai had no intention of stealing the first spot and couldn’t help breathing a sigh of relief as he hurried inside to seek out the Grandmaster for Artifact Refining.
The other eight who came to see Grandmaster Sang De also found a place to sit down, but they were all on guard against Yang Kai, so they sat as far away from him as possible.
It made it seem like Yang Kai was hogging the place as the rest were all crowded together.
But Yang Kai was not bothered, simply shutting his eyes to rest.
“That Yu Le Ping is no ordinary man. This Senior Brother should be careful.”
A gentle voice suddenly came into Yang Kai’s ears.
Yang Kai opened his eyes and swept his gaze over, soon fixing his gaze on a beautifully dressed young woman.
Among the ten here to seek out the Grandmaster, only two were Third-Order Dao Source Realms. Other than Yang Kai, it was this young woman. The others were all in either the First or Second-Order Dao Source Realm.
Even though this young woman was dressed in simple clothes, it was still hard to cover her natural beauty. Yang Kai gave her a glance before no longer paying too much heed to her. Nonetheless, he did not expect to receive a message at all from her.
When she saw Yang Kai looking towards her, the young woman just nodded lightly before averting her gaze.
In this inner hall, Yang Kai’s and her cultivation were the highest, so were their Divine Senses; therefore, there was no need for them to worry about their conversation being discovered by others. However, as she was acting so secretively, it was clear she did not want to get herself into trouble.
“Many thanks to this Junior Sister for the warning. I will remember it,” Yang Kai responded.
Seeing that he still looked uncaring, the young woman urged once more, “This Senior Brother, you must not be careless. Yu Le Ping is someone from the City Lord’s Mansion. He acts domineeringly in Clear Sky City because he has the City Lord’s protection and never places anyone else in his eyes. You caused him such a huge loss this time so he will surely not just let it go.”
“If he wishes to court death, I do not mind fulfilling it.”
When she heard Yang Kai brushing it off so simply, the young woman instantly broke out in cold sweat, “That must not happen! If you kill him, you will no longer be able to find shelter on Clear Sky Island.”
Yang Kai smirked, “The tree wishes for silence, but the wind does not let up. What can I do?”
Listening to this, the young woman sighed. She knew that what Yang Kai said was right. Yu Le Ping was already let off easy by Yang Kai during what happened today, but with his usual character, he would not just let matters rest. When the time came, Yang Kai would either have to surrender without a fight or resist him.
He also did not look like the type of person to just swallow his anger.
“Many thanks to this Junior Sister,” Yang Kai gave her a simple thank you.
Even though this young woman did not help him in any significant way, she still warned him in secret with good intentions.
The woman no longer spoke, but her eyes were filled with sympathy when she occasionally glanced over at Yang Kai, as if she could already foretell his tragic future.
The inner hall remained silent. Nobody had any intentions of speaking with each other. Those who came here all came to seek out Grandmaster Sang De for Artifact Refining services, so how could they have the mood to chat while they waited impatiently?
About half an hour later, the first person to walk in through the side door suddenly came out. Everyone turned towards him only to see a happy look on this person’s face, as if he had encountered something good. After he came out, he left directly without a single word.
The second cultivator quickly stood up and went towards the side door.
Just like that, Yang Kai waited all the way until dusk. The nine people went up one after the other, all coming out with different looks on their faces. Some happy, some reserved, but none of them came out dejected.
When he saw this, Yang Kai knew that Grandmaster Sang De was the real deal. He was probably successful in refining the artifacts for all nine of these people without a single failure.
It seemed the rumours that Grandmaster Sang De had vaguely touched upon the mysteries of Emperor Artifact Refining were not false.
When the ninth person came out from the side door, Yang Kai stood up and walked in lightly.
Once inside, Yang Kai saw that the room was dim without any light, but there was a slither of brightness coming out from up ahead. Yang Kai followed the light and came into a burning hot room after a short while.
Looking around the secret room, Yang Kai could see the light from the flames dancing around. A huge Artifact Refining Furnace was placed right in the middle of the chamber, and next to it was a figure who was sitting down cross-legged. As the flames danced about, the vague figure also seemed to flicker in a bizarre and illusory manner.
Even though it was quite dark in here, Yang Kai could still see Grandmaster Sang De’s face at a glance.
To his surprise, this Grandmaster looked just like an ordinary old man. There was nothing distinctive about him, but Yang Kai could still vaguely sense that this old man was not to be messed with. He sat there like a silent volcano with a huge amount of energy hidden within his body.
In addition to being an excellent Artifact Refiner, this man’s strength was definitely not low either.
“Greetings, Grandmaster!” Yang Kai cupped his fists at him.
“Sit!” Sang De raised his eyes and pointed to a cushion in front of him.
Yang Kai sat down obediently.
“What do you wish to refine? Bring out the materials and name your request,” Sang De told him.
Yang Kai quickly took out the High-Grade Spirit Purifying Array, handing it over to Sang De, “I would like to ask Grandmaster to please repair this set of array base and array flags.”
Sang De took it from him and examined it carefully for a while before nodding, “This set came from his Old Master’s hand, so it is not difficult to repair.”
Yang Kai was overjoyed to hear that. He had guessed before that this High-Grade Spirit Purifying was refined by Sang De himself, and now, it seems he was right.
Since he was able to refine it, then it must be no problem for him to repair it, “I have no idea what materials you need, so I did not prepare anything. If Grandmaster has any suitable materials, I will pay for them. Source Crystals are no issue.”
Sang De struck the Artifact Refining Furnace and the cover immediately flew up. Then, he threw the array base and the banners straight inside. Only then did he turn to Yang Kai and said, “Do I look like someone who is lacking in Source Crystals?”
Yang Kai did not know what he meant by this and had no idea how to answer for a while.
“I do not want Source Crystals!” Sang De continued.
“Then what does Grandmaster want?” Yang Kai’s heart clenched as he thought to himself, [you threw the High-Grade Spirit Purifying Array into your Artifact Refining Furnace without even asking, and now you tell me you don’t want Source Crystals? Are you trying to raise the price right in the midst of a transaction?]
[What if I can’t afford to pay? What happens to the High-Grade Purifying Array then?]
If this Spirit Purifying Array was his own, then it wouldn’t have mattered; however, it belonged to Ling Yin Qin, and it held great significance to her. If this wasn’t the case, why would Yang Kai go through so much trouble? He could have just spent enough to purchase a new array and give it to her.
It was because this Spirit Purifying Array held Ling Yin Qin’s memories of her fallen partner that Yang Kai went through so much trouble to seek out Sang De here to have him repair it.
“That depends on what you can give me,” Sang De said indifferently.
Yang Kai could not help but feel a little annoyed. [I can’t just hand over my life if you decide to ask for it, right?] Sure enough, if the upper beam is crooked, then the lower beam would be too. That boy had an unagreeable character, and it seems Sang De was the same.
Seems like his name was not wrong. Sang de, ‘Sang De… Death to virtues’!
He suppressed the displeasure welling up inside of him and quickly said, “What does Grandmaster want? If I can provide it, I will offer it freely.”
His words implied that if it was not possible, then he would not try.
Sang De’s lips curved into a strange smile.
Just as Yang Kai had his mind focused and was ready to hear his demands, a pure surge of Spiritual Energy suddenly came from Sang De, converging into the shape of a spear and stabbing straight towards Yang Kai’s Knowledge Sea.
Even though Yang Kai was taken by surprise, his reaction was not slow, quickly pushing his own Spiritual Energy to meet this attack.
*Hong…*
The silent collision shook both Yang Kai and Sang De.
There was some surprise in Sang De’s eyes as a scary light suddenly replaced their former indifference. With eyes that looked like he wanted to devour Yang Kai, he stared at him as if he had just found a rare treasure.
Yang Kai on the other hand got up in a flash. He had been hit with a sneak attack earlier, but he did not fully release his Divine Sense. It wasn’t that he did not want to release it, but he was afraid of hurting Sang De. If his Soul were to become heavily injured here, then nobody would be able to fix the Spirit Purifying Array for him.
But Yang Kai was still enraged that Sang De would attack him without saying a word. He decided that if this old man did not give himself a satisfactory explanation, then he would point a knife to his throat and force him to repair this Spirit Purifying Array that he created so that it was as good as new.
“What are your intentions here?” Yang Kai eyed Sang De coldly.
“Do not be nervous, Little Brother,” Sang De didn’t seem guilty about attacking him at all and looked at Yang Kai with a cheerful gaze, “This Old Master just wanted to give you a small test. There is no malice behind it.”
“Is that some kind of bad joke? What kind of test would require sneak attacking someone? And using a Spiritual Energy blast no less!” Yang Kai’s stomach was full of grievances, but fortunately he was strong enough to take the attack. If it were someone else whose Soul was not as strong as his, then they might be lying on the ground half dead by now.
An injury to the Soul was no small injury, so Sang De had immediately left a bad impression on Yang Kai.
“Because this Old Master needs someone with a strong Soul. If this Old Master had not seen Little Brother deal with a cultivator at the same level as you so easily outside my door, then this Old Master would not have bothered to test you.”
Yang Kai coldly snorted, “So, should I be feeling honoured?”
From what he said, it seemed Sang De knew all about his fight with Yu Le Ping outside.
“Do not worry, Little Brother, listen first to this Old Master’s story,” Sang De reached out to comfort him.
Yang Kai glared at him for a while but he was helpless now. Since he was here to request this old man’s services, he had no choice but to wait for that Spirit Purifying Array to be fixed even if he was unhappy with Sang De’s approach.
Only after Yang Kai sat down did Sang De put on a smile, “This Old Master wishes to ask Little Brother, how long have you been trapped in this damned place?”
Yang Kai’s heart suddenly jumped. [This old fart couldn’t have realized something, could he? Does he know that I’m new here?] However, thinking back to how he said he had no lack of Source Crystals, there was no reason for him to attack him. Despite his inner turmoil, Yang Kai’s expression remained unchanged during these thoughts and simply asked back, “Why do you need to know?”
Sang De smiled, “If you do not wish to tell me, so be it. This Old Master has been trapped here for nine hundred years.”
Yang Kai sneered inwardly, thinking to himself that it would be good if he was trapped here until he died.
Sang De sighed, “Nine hundred years ago, this Old Master was a Third-Order Dao Source Realm cultivator. Nine hundred years later, this Old Master is still a Third-Order Dao Source Realm! My skill in Artifact Refining kept on improving in that time, but so what? Even if I can refine artifacts, I still can’t leave. If I can’t leave here, then I’ll never be able to break through to the Emperor Realm. I will sooner or later die here.”
Yang Kai frowned. He had no idea what Sang De was saying this for, but he suppressed his urge to ask and just listened for now.
“No matter how long Little Brother has been trapped here, this Old Master only wishes to ask…” Sang De’s face suddenly turned serious, eyes brimming with light, “Do you want to leave this place?”
Yang Kai was shaken. He stared at Sang De and asked, “Do you know how to get out of here?”
Sang De smiled, and instead of answering, he responded with a question, “Do I? Heh heh heh…”
This irritable answer filled Yang Kai’s stomach full of grievances again. He couldn’t want for anything more than to grab Sang De right here and now, then use a Soul Searching Technique to see what was going on inside his head.
He originally planned to stay here for a while then slowly search for a way out, but how could Yang Kai not be moved when he found a hint from Sang De?
He pondered for a moment before asking, “Grandmaster, honest people should not resort to insinuations. You say you know the way out, but I do not believe you. Several Emperor Realm Masters are still trapped on this island. If there was a way to leave, then would they still be here?”
“They are them, and this Old Master is this Old Master. Do not mix the two up!” Sang De curled his lip and said proudly, “What’s more, the method that this Old Master has discovered, an Emperor Realm would not be able to achieve it even if they knew about it.”
Yang Kai frowned, “If even an Emperor Realm Master is unable to leave, how are you going to achieve it?”
“Naturally, that is this Old Master’s business!” Sang De grunted a little impatiently, “Since this Old Master has sought you, then take this as an opportunity. Whether you can grasp this opportunity or not will depend on your own ability.”
It seemed that Sang De was prone to shifting moods. Yang Kai was sure that he would definitely kill him to silence him if he refused his offer. Even though this old man was an Artifact Refiner, he was already a Third-Order Dao Source Realm cultivator nine hundred years ago. Sang De had raised his Artifact Refining level on Clear Sky Island over the years as well, so his strength must definitely not be weak.
For him to reveal this information to Yang Kai here left him with only two options. Either cooperate with him or fight!
“If there really is an opportunity, then I will not let it pass, but how do I know if what you’re saying is true?” Yang Kai looked reluctant to believe him, “At the very least, you should tell me how we can get out of here.”
Sang De smiled, “Little Brother is a cautious person. This Old Master likes working with cautious people.” After a pause, he said, “The key to leaving here is the Solitary Void Sea.”
Yang Kai curled his lips at this answer, as it was essentially saying nothing at all.
He had experienced just how big the Solitary Void Sea was, and that was all he told him, so how was he supposed to confirm if it was true or not?
Sang De continued, “This Old Master will tell you honestly. This Old Master is not the only one who knows of this exit. Two other people know!”
“Who?” Yang Kai raised a brow.
“The Clear Sky Island’s Island Lord and the Pavilion Master of Ice Heart Pavilion!” Sang De coldly snorted, “These two are the strongest Masters on Clear Sky Island.”
Yang Kai was stunned as he thought that Sang De would be the only one to know about this kind of secret information, but now it seemed that was not the case. The Clear Sky Island’s Lord and Ice Heart Pavilion’s Master knew of it too.
Yang Kai had heard about the Island Lord from Jiao Yi before and knew that this person was a Third-Order Emperor. However, since he lived and cultivated on Clear Sky Island, he would be unable to bring out the peak of his strength. Even though Yang Kai was not too sure about the Ice Heart Pavilion’s Master, their situation should obviously be about the same as the Island Lord.
In other words, both of them should be peak Emperor Realm Masters, but were unable to bring out their full strength now.
“Since they know, then why don’t they leave? With their ability, there shouldn’t be anywhere they can’t go, right?” Yang Kai wondered.
“Anywhere they can’t go?” Sang De scoffed at Yang Ka’s words, “That is not necessarily the case. If it were the outside, then such strong cultivation would indeed allow one to roam the world freely, but this is the Solitary Void Sealed World. If the two of them dared to stay outside for long enough, they would still be courting death!”
“Because they would be unable to replenish their strength?” Yang Kai suddenly understood.
“Exactly!” Sang De nodded, “How vast is the Solitary Void Sea? Once those two Masters exhaust their Emperor Qi, they would not even be able to fly. Once they run out of Qi, they will not be able to replenish it in the Solitary Void Sealed World. Even with their peerless strength and cultivation, they would still be met with a dead end.”
The Solitary Void Sealed World was filled with Disruption Force, so no cultivator will be able to absorb any World Energy around them. If the sea remained calm, then it would be no big deal to stop and find a place to set up a Spirit Purifying Array and use Source Crystals and Spirit Pills to help slowly recover then continue going forward.
However, from his journey here, Yang Kai got to know that there were countless waterspouts all over the sea. Those waterspouts were extremely strong, so there was simply no place for anyone to restore themselves in peace.
And, the deeper one went, the more waterspouts appeared, and the more terrifying their siphoning power became. A Third-Order Emperor Realm Master might seem powerful, but without their Emperor Qi, even they would not be able to defend against the waterspouts.
Upon hearing this, Yang Kai mostly believed what Sang De said as it was very reasonable, so he could not help but believe it.
“Then, can you tell me the exact location of the exit?” Yang Kai held back his excitement and asked in a seemingly casual manner.
Even if a Third-Order Emperor Realm Master couldn’t do it, that may not necessarily be the case for Yang Kai as he had the Sealed World Bead. If he ran out of strength along the way, he could just hide inside the Sealed World Bead and continue forward after he had restored himself. The only thing he had to worry about was how powerful those waterspouts along the way were going to be.
If they were too strong, then he wouldn’t be able to get out either.
But it would certainly not be wrong for him to first find out the location of the exit.
“I can’t tell you that!” Sang De refused.
Yang Kai quickly remarked, “Aren’t you being insincere, Grandmaster? You asked to cooperate with me, but you won’t share any useful information. If you can’t tell me anything, how can I trust only your side of the story?”
Sang De smiled, “You can trust me or leave!”
He looked like he had Yang Kai firmly in his grasp, which made Yang Kai helpless despite the itching grievance he was feeling.
After thinking for a while, Yang Kai asked, “I don’t understand, what does the matter of leaving here have anything to do with cooperating with you, Grandmaster?”
Sang De replied, “To get out, one must not only know the location of the exit, but also need the appropriate tools, is that not so? You weren’t thinking of flying all the way there, were you?”
Yang Kai frowned slightly, “You don’t even have the necessary tools to leave?”
Sang De said, “Now I don’t, but I know where to obtain them. The required item is not with this Old Master, and several people have to work together in order to retrieve it. That is why this Old Master is asking you to cooperate.”
Yang Kai said thoughtfully, “Does obtaining that ‘item’ have something to do with having strong Spiritual Energy?”
Sang De smiled and nodded, “Exactly. The fact that you were able to resist seventy percent of this Old Master’s Spiritual Energy in such haste is remarkable. That proves that even if your Soul cultivation is not stronger than this Old Master’s, it is not far behind. If that wasn’t the case, why would this Old Master even be talking with you now?”
He had an arrogant look on his face, as if it was a great accomplishment for Yang Kai to have resisted an attack containing seventy percent of his Spiritual Energy. However, Sang De had no idea that Yang Kai had only used twenty percent of his own Spiritual Energy. If he had not been afraid of hurting this old fart, Yang Kai would have shown him what a truly strong Soul could do; then Sang De would not be acting like an arrogant frog at the bottom of the well, overestimating his own strength.
Yang Kai wondered, “Since you know where this so-called ‘item’ is, why are you still here?”
Sang De grumbled, “Naturally, it was my Master who refined that thing. With this Old Master’s ability alone, I am still unable to refine such a thing!”
Yang Kai’s body shook! If Sang De, who was said to have touched the Emperor Artifact Refiner level, was still unable to refine this item, didn’t that mean that his Master was a genuine Emperor Artifact Refiner?
[An Emperor Artifact Refiner actually exists on this Solitary Void Sealed World? And it seems like no one knows about him!?] Yang Kai thought in surprise.
Sang De seemed to be able to see Yang Kai’s suspicions and explained, “My Master does not live on Clear Sky City, and he also never revealed his Artifact Refining skills to anyone, so nobody knows about him.”
“Since this item belongs to your Master, will he not have any problems about you taking it?” Yang Kai asked with a sneer. Sure enough, this Sang De was a bad nut, even daring to have ideas about his Master’s belongings. Who knew which blind Master had actually accepted such an unfilial disciple. If it were Yang Kai, he would have cleaned house long ago and not have allowed Sang De to live until now.
Sang De grinned meaningfully, “That old man passed away five years ago, why would he have any problems?” Speaking up to this point, his face suddenly twisted up, “Even though that old thing is dead, he didn’t even pass down that thing to me, so I can only go and get it myself.”
Yang Kai was stunned at his words. Looking at Sang De’s expression, it seemed he did not get along too well with his Master. Who knows what sort of grudges existed between the two of them.
“This Old Master has been preparing for five years and has been looking for candidates like you. Today, I finally have all the necessary personnel. As long as Little Brother nods his head and places his trust in this Old Master, this Old Master guarantees to take you out of the Solitary Void Sealed World!” Sang De looked at Yang Kai with an excited face.
“I don’t have a choice, do I?” Yang Kai grinned meaningfully.
Sang De said subtly, “Even though this Old Master does not leave his home, refining Artifacts for over nine hundred years on Clear Sky Island, this Old Master has made many friends, and many also owe favours to this Old Master, so you best think about this carefully, Little Brother.”
Even though Sang De spoke vaguely, Yang Kai was not a fool; how could he not be able to tell that this old man was threatening him? Sang De saying that he has many friends and even has a lot of people who owed him favours was his not so subtle way of saying that if Yang Kai refused his offer, he could make use of these connections to make life on Clear Sky City hell for Yang Kai in the future.
“Fix my Spirit Purifying Array first. I still have to think about it.” Yang Kai pointed to the Artifact Refining Furnace.
“Of course, of course,” Sang De smiled. This time, he didn’t say anything more and instead began making seals with his hands to control the furnace’s flames, beginning repairs on the Spirit Purifying Array.
Yang Kai sat there cross-legged with a frown between his brow, seemingly considering the feasibility of Sang De’s proposal. But in reality, he was watching how this man was refining, just in case he engaged in any mischief with the Spirit Purifying Array.
Sure enough, Sang De was worthy of his title as an Artifact Refining Grandmaster. Yang Kai just saw him toss a bunch of different materials into the Artifact Refining Furnace while constantly forming different hand seals, drawing Spirit Arrays within the Artifact Refining Furnace. A humming sound was occasionally emitted from the huge Artifact Refining Furnace.
Yang Kai himself was an alchemist, so even though he had never been exposed to the Dao of Artifact Refining, there were many similarities between the two, such as the input of materials, the control of fire, Spirit Array inscription, etc. So, even though he didn’t understand too much about it, he knew Sang De wasn’t doing a perfunctory job. Rather, he was really helping him repair the Spirit Purifying Array.
A full hour later, Sang De suddenly withdrew his hands and the flames in the Artifact Refining Furnace also gradually began to weaken. After it reached a certain point, Sang De suddenly patted his Artifact Refining Surface.
Lifting his hand, the Artifact Refining Furnace’s cover flew open and the artifact flags and the base popped out from within, landing in Sang De’s hands. Looking over, Yang Kai found that the Spirit Purifying Array had been restored to its original state, and even seemed to have greater spirituality than when Ling Yin Qin first lent it to him. In other words, this Spirit Purifying Array set was definitely better than before.
Sang De smiled, “Little Brother, the Spirit Purifying Array you brought me must be this Old Master’s work from fifty years ago. During the past fifty years, this Old Master learned a lot and made great progress in the Dao of Artifact Refining, so I made some small changes to your Spirit Purifying Array. But rest assured, it is definitely better than before.”
While speaking, he didn’t hold back and handed the Spirit Purifying Array to Yang Kai.
Yang Kai accepted it and wasn’t worried about him fiddling with the Spirit Purifying Array. After examining it for a little, he tossed it into his Space Ring and cupped his fists, “Many thanks, Grandmaster.”
Sang De said, “Now I wonder, has this Little Brother made his decision?”
“I have.” Yang Kai nodded, “Count me in on this plan.”
Sang De laughed, “Little Brother is a sensible person. This Old Master was right about you.”
Yang Kai coldly snorted, “I just want to get out of here. Even if it wasn’t Grandmaster asking, I would still cooperate.”
“No matter, no matter. In that case, we shall meet in front of the city gates in three days!” Sang De smiled, “This Old Master needs to prepare some things and gather the others. So please, be there on time for our appointment when it comes!”
“I’ll be taking my leave then,” Yang Kai got up and cupped his fists at Sang De.
“By the way, I have not asked. How should I refer to Little Brother?” Sang De suddenly asked.
“Yang Kai!”
There was no need to hide his name here, so Yang Kai just used his real name.
After leaving Sang De’s place, Yang Kai took out the Communication Bead that Jiao Yi gave him before and contacted him. He found out that they had indeed moved to the cave mansions in the Inner City, and they weren’t living too far away from the cave mansion that he and Liu Xian Yun stayed at. So, he agreed to head over later so he could return the repaired Spirit Purifying Array back to Ling Yin Qin.
Walking past a few streets, Yang Kai suddenly paused his steps and looked up at a certain building not far away.
The building looked like a six floored pavilion and was neither big nor small; however, it occupied a large amount of space in the busiest area in the city, so obviously the owner behind this pavilion was definitely not simple.
In fact, the owner of this pavilion truly was not a simple person.
Because this was Ice Heart Pavilion!
Yang Kai knew that Ice Heart Pavilion’s Pavilion Master was a top-level Emperor Realm Master that stood on equal ground with the Clear Sky Island Lord. Only, this Ice Heart Pavilion Master was different from the Clear Sky Island Lord in that the former seemed to only control a single pavilion, while the latter had control of the entire Clear Sky Island.
When Yang Kai first arrived on Clear Sky Island, Ling Yin Qin sold his share of the goods to a beautiful woman called Fan Xin, and that beautiful woman was one of Ice Heart Pavilion’s disciples.
The three words, ‘Ice Heart Pavilion’, reminded Yang Kai of many past events. Sang De also mentioned that besides himself, the Ice Heart Pavilion Master and the Clear Sky Island Lord were also aware of where this Sealed World’s exit was.
It was naturally unrealistic to ask about any information from these two, however, as they were Third-Order Emperors, not characters Yang Kai could casually meet. What’s more, even if he did manage to meet with one of these Masters, it would be impossible for him to pry any information out of them directly.
Yang Kai had the nagging suspicion that Sang De wasn’t a very reliable person and may be plotting some unknown scheme in the background. As they say, you shouldn’t put all your eggs into one basket. Yang Kai figured that he would have to come in contact with the Ice Heart Pavilion Master sooner or later if he intended to leave the Solitary Void Sealed World, so he might as well get started now.
Outside Ice Heart Pavilion was a wooden sign with two lines carved into it. Yang Kai got closer and found that Ice Heart Pavilion was hiring an Alchemist.
‘Senior Alchemist wanted, well-paid position!’
There were only these two lines written on the sign which caused Yang Kai’s eyes to brighten.
The handwriting was elegant and filled with force. There was an inexplicable rhythm hidden within it. It seemed to have been written by a powerful master.
When Yang Kai stopped to look at the wooden sign, a beautiful woman came out of Ice Heart Pavilion and asked, smiling, “Little Brother, are you an Alchemist?”
As he stood motionless in front of the sign, it was naturally easy for others to surmise this.
Yang Kai looked up at those words and their eyes met. The beautiful woman was surprised, “It’s you.”
“Senior Sister Fan!” Yang Kai cupped his fists with a smile.
This beautiful woman was none other than Fan Xin who bought Ling Yin Qin’s goods at the docks.
“Who are you calling Senior Sister?” Fan Xin glared at Yang Kai, “You’re making me sound older for no reason. Since your cultivation is higher than mine, just call me Junior Sister.”
“Junior Sister Fan!” Yang Kai immediately corrected himself.
“What should I call Senior Brother?” Fan Xin asked.
Yang Kai immediately introduced himself, and Fan Xin smiled, “So, it is Senior Brother Yang. So, Senior Brother Yang, you’re an Alchemist?”
“En. I know a thing or two about it.” Yang Kai said humbly.
Fan Xin’s eyes brightened and she eagerly asked, “What grade of Alchemist is Senior Brother Yang?”
“Dao Source Grade!” Yang Kai understated his own abilities; after all, an Emperor Grade Alchemist was an extremely rare existence even in the vast Star Boundary. Sang De was only a Dao Source Grade Senior Artifact Refiner, and he was already well-respected on Clear Sky Island. If he ever did become an Emperor Artifact Refiner, then even the Clear Sky Island Lord would have to show Sang De some courtesy.
“What is the highest grade pill that you can refine?” When Fan Xin heard that Yang Kai was actually a Dao Source Grade Alchemist, she seemed to have become more enthusiastic. Her entire person was leaning closer to Yang Kai, which instantly caused a fragrant scent to waft over, tickling one’s heart and soul.
“Dao Source Grade Mid-Rank. I can occasionally succeed with High-Rank pills, but the chances aren’t high.”
“Would Senior Brother Yang be interested in coming in for a test? If you really can refine a Dao Source Grade Mid-Rank Spirit Pill, our Ice Heart Pavilion will definitely offer you a well-paid position.”
“Sure,” Yang Kai smiled. He came here because he wanted to find a backer; after all, he was new in the city and may encounter some difficulties in the future, so life would be easier for him if he had someone behind him. Secondly, it was naturally so he could meet the Ice Heart Pavilion Master and get acquainted with them.
Fan Xin was overjoyed to see Yang Kai agree so quickly and quickly led him inside.
Yang Kai swept his gaze around and found that this Ice Heart Pavilion seemed to be a place where various materials were sold. The goods placed on the shelves were all sorts of Alchemy, Artifact Refining, and cultivation materials. No finished pills nor artifacts were displayed.
To Yang Kai’s surprise, business in the Ice Heart Pavilion didn’t actually seem that good. There were only a few customers inside who were looking around.
On the other hand, there were a few women dressed similarly to Fan Xin accompanying the customers and introducing the goods to them.
“Does your Ice Heart Pavilion only accept women?” Yang Kai asked in surprise.
Fan Xin pursed her lips and smiled, “That’s right, this is a rule set by the Pavilion Master.”
“Then wouldn’t I be breaking those rules?” Yang Kai raised his brows. [The Ice Heart Pavilion Master really is a hidden dragon… one of those who show their tail but never their face. They are either a womanizer or a woman. Else, such a rule would never be set.]
Fan Xin said, “It’s not the same. We’re all Master’s Low Ranked Disciples. If Senior Brother Yang joins the Ice Heart Pavilion, it would just be an employment relationship.”
“So, that’s how it is!” Yang Kai nodded. It didn’t really bother him that much. If they only accepted female disciples, it was naturally impossible for him to join, not to mention, Yang Kai would not join even if given the opportunity.
Yang Kai just couldn’t understand why a place like Ice Heart Pavilion that sells materials would want to hire an Alchemist. What’s more, from the state and material of the wooden sign, it had clearly been up for some time. In other words, Ice Heart Pavilion had been recruiting for an Alchemist for a long time.
When they saw Fan Xin bringing Yang Kai in, the female disciples of Ice Heart Pavilion seemed very surprised. Beautiful eyes all turned over to this side, watching them intently. These disciples were all young women with beautiful and clear eyes that were pure and flawless. They seemed to cultivate the same type of Secret Art, but their cultivations were quite varied. Fan Xin was only at the Second-Order Dao Source Realm, but these few girls weren’t even at the Dao Source Realm. The strongest one of them was only in First-Order Origin Returning Realm. There were even some who were in the Saint King Realm and Saint Realm. Who knows how this Ice Heart Pavilion Master picked their disciples.
“Junior Sister Fan, how many Alchemists are there in Ice Heart Pavilion?” Yang Kai didn’t care about how the girls were looking at him though and just asked casually.
“We used to have one, but that Alchemist was dismissed a few days ago,” Fan Xin told him.
“Dismissed?” Yang Kai was surprised, “Was that person not meeting their quota?”
[If you are currently recruiting, then why dismiss?] Yang Kai couldn’t figure it out.
Fan Xin smiled but did not answer his question. Who knows if it was something secret or maybe something that made it inconvenient to talk about, but while talking, the two arrived at the third floor of the pavilion.
Walking all the way here, Yang Kai found that Ice Heart Pavilion was filled with materials, and the higher you went, the higher the grade of the materials.
On the third floor was a room designed like a secret chamber. After leading Yang Kai in, Fan Xin said, “Senior Brother Yang, you can do the examination here. There are no Earth Fire sources on Clear Sky Island, so the conditions here are a little simple. I hope you won’t mind it.”
“No problem.” Yang Kai waved his hand. He found that this room covered quite a large space, and there were a dozen big and small Alchemy Furnaces here, each one at least Dao Source Grade, with three even being Dao Source Grade High-Rank.
Ice Heart Pavilion did not have any Alchemists, but they had a lot of Alchemy Furnaces, so it was clear they collected these for a reason.
Yang Kai was puzzled by this. Reasonably, if Ice Heart Pavilion’s business was selling raw materials, then they could just sell raw materials, why bother to hire a high grade Alchemist? What’s more, they even prepared so many Alchemy Furnaces. Ice Heart Pavilion’s Pavilion Master was a Third-Order Emperor Realm Master and definitely wouldn’t be short of cultivational materials. Yang Kai could only think of one obvious possibility as to why Ice Heart Pavilion Master wanted to refine Spirit Pills, and that was why they were looking for a high-level Alchemist.
“You can use these Alchemy Furnaces as you like as long as you don’t damage them.” Fan Xin pointed to the pill furnaces.
“Understood, but may I know what sort of Spirit Pill Junior Sister Fan wants me to refine?” Yang Kai asked.
“Any Dao Source Grade Mid-Rank Spirit Pill will be fine. Give me the pill recipe and I’ll prepare the materials for you, Senior Brother.”
Yang Kai nodded and pondered for a moment, “Then, I’ll refine the Seven Star Dragon Tiger Pill.”
The Seven Star Dragon Tiger Pill was a Dao Source Grade Mid-Rank Spirit Pill that could boost a cultivator’s strength by ten to thirty percent depending on its quality, possibly even fifty percent if Pill Veins were formed.
Once the effects of this pill had passed, the consumer’s entire body would become weak and would be unable to exert their Qi for two months. Not only that, some damage would be done to the user’s meridians and their foundation.
The Seven Star Dragon Tiger Pill’s effects were so violent that a non-Dao Source Realm cultivator would not be able to use it. Forcibly taking the pill would only result in death. But which cultivator at Dao Source Realm would be willing to take this sort of pill to improve their strength by force? Once their meridians and foundation were damaged, it was very likely they would never be able to advance any further.
Therefore, this type of Spirit Pill was practically worthless. There was not much of a market for it as only some desperate people would keep a couple of such pills on them to protect themselves.
Yang Kai read out the ingredients for the Seven Star Dragon Tiger Pill while Fan Xin noted them in her heart and immediately went off to prepare them.
The reason he chose the Seven Star Dragon Tiger Pill was because its ingredients were not hard to find and should be available even on Clear Sky Island.
Sure enough, it didn’t take long before Fan Xin returned with ten sets of the ingredients.
She handed the materials to Yang Kai, “Senior Brother Yang, you’ll pass if you can succeed in refining two furnaces of pills. Junior Sister will be waiting outside, just call out to me when you’re finished.”
Ten sets of the ingredients and only two successive refinements. For a true Dao Source Grade Mid-Rank Alchemist, this wasn’t too difficult. As long as they focused a little, they would be able to succeed.
For Yang Kai, it was no problem at all.
He could even refine Emperor Grade Spirit Pills, let alone Dao Source Grade Mid-Rank Pills.
Fan Xin obviously knew it was not advisable to disturb an Alchemist while they were refining pills, so she took the initiative to wait outside.
After she left, Yang Kai took out his own Black Jade Furnace and placed it in front of him. Then, he pushed his Conflagrated Spiritual Energy and began refining.
Even though it was his first time refining the Seven Star Dragon Tiger Pill, he didn’t experience any hiccups at all. His movements were extremely skilful and his control of the fire and timing to add ingredients were all perfect.
Very soon, Yang Kai engrossed himself in Alchemy.
While he was concentrating, the Soul Splitting Sabre in his Knowledge Sea suddenly jolted, instantly pulling him from his focused state.
His expression remained unchanged and his hands did not stop, but Yang Kai began examining himself thoroughly.
This sort of abnormality couldn’t happen with the Soul Splitting Sabre without a reason, so the only explanation for this was that something had happened to him.
He searched and searched, but still did not find any clues.
Quite a while had passed before Yang Kai suddenly understood. Someone was spying on him! The Soul Splitting Sabre moved because it could sense a Divine Sense that did not belong to him nearby.
And the fact that he was not able to detect this person’s spying meant that their cultivation was far superior to his own.
[Ice Heart Pavilion’s Master!]
Yang Kai immediately realized who the one spying on him was! Other than the Pavilion Master, who else would have such an incredible ability within Ice Heart Pavilion?
It seemed like his previous assumptions were wrong. He thought that a master like this would definitely be living in the best secluded home in the Inner City, but now it seemed they were right here in Ice Heart Pavilion.
There were six floors in total in Ice Heart Pavilion, and he was on the third floor. There was a high chance that the Pavilion Master lived on the sixth floor!
[What was the meaning of a Master like that spying on me while refining pills? What’s more, I am only refining a Dao Source Grade Mid-Rank Spirit Pill… What use would this pill be to such a Master?]
[Unless… The Pavilion Master is trying to observe my Alchemy skills?]
Thoughts flashed past Yang Kai’s mind like lightning, but the movements of his hands did not slow down by even half a beat.
He originally planned to refine two furnaces of Spirit Pills, then wait until it was just about time before reporting to Fan Xin, but now that he knew that Ice Heart Pavilion’s Master was spying on him, how could Yang Kai dare do so?
He quietly modified the Spirit Array within the pill furnace and soon, a muffled sound suddenly erupted from within, followed by a burnt smell.
After a brief pause, Yang Kai made a dejected expression and sighed heavily, seemingly lamenting his failure of refining this Spirit Pill.
He poured out the dregs from the furnace and after some rest, Yang Kai began refining again.
It was already night when Yang Kai came out from Sang De’s place, so this test went on until morning the next day.
When Yang Kai opened the door, Fan Xin who was waiting outside quickly came over.
“Fortunately, I did not fail, three furnaces of pills succeeded. Please take a look, Junior Sister Fan.” Yang Kai handed three jade bottles to her, each of them containing four to five Seven Star Dragon Tiger Pills of varying quality.
This was the normal level of performance that a Dao Source Grade Mid-Rank Alchemist should show.
Fan Xin took the jade bottles and did not even look at them, as if she had already expected the result. Smiling warmly, she said, “You’ve passed, Senior Brother Yang. As long as you’re willing, Senior Brother Yang can become our Ice Heart Pavilion’s Alchemist.”
“Naturally, I am willing!” Yang Kai responded through gritted teeth.
He came to this Ice Heart Pavilion hoping to take the opportunity to meet Ice Heart Pavilion’s Master and get acquainted with them. However, he realized that Ice Heart Pavilion had some sort of hidden agenda, so he didn’t even know if it was the right or wrong choice for him to apply as their Alchemist.
But now, he had no choice but to say yes.
“Wonderful!” Fan Xin was overjoyed, “Senior Brother Yang, you have no idea how difficult it is to find a Dao Source Grade Alchemist on Clear Sky Island! There are only a few Alchemists at this level in the entire Clear Sky Island, and none of them met our requirements. Fortunately, we met you.”
Yang Kai originally wanted to ask what sort of requirements those Alchemists did not meet, but he ended up swallowing his words back down when he was about to say them.
He didn’t believe that Fan Xin would answer that question.
“It’s like this, Senior Brother Yang. If you join our Ice Heart Pavilion as our Alchemist, then you will get half the profits of every pill sold.”
“Half?” Yang Kai was surprised.
He didn’t think it was too little, but instead, this was a little too much!
He didn’t need to prepare any materials and just had to refine pills here, but he could actually receive half of the proceeds? What a boon.
“Sixty percent is fine, too.” When Fan Xin saw his reaction, she thought he wasn’t satisfied with the reward so she quickly changed her tone, “What’s more, as Senior Brother Yang can see, our Ice Heart Pavilion is not short of materials. As long as you work here, you will sooner or later be able to advance your Alchemy skills. Even becoming an Emperor Alchemist would no longer be a dream.”
This was true. Ice Heart Pavilion was in fact full of materials. An Alchemist who wished to improve their level and ability would need a lot of materials to practice with. Any other Alchemist would be overjoyed to enter Ice Heart Pavilion.
“No need, half is fine.” Yang Kai waved his hands.
Fan Xin felt stunned for a moment before she smiled, “You’re a good person, Senior Brother Yang. So, when can Senior Brother Yang come to refine pills?”
“I’m afraid I won’t be able to do it immediately. In three days… Uh, well, two days from now, I have an agreement to meet with someone. I’ll come again after my business with him is settled,” Yang Kai said.
Even though Fan Xin was a little disappointed, she didn’t push the matter, “Naturally, Senior Brother Yang’s business comes first. Please, Senior Brother Yang, once you’re ready, you must return to Ice Heart Pavilion at once.”
Walking out from Ice Heart Pavilion, Yang Kai walked straight towards the location of where Ling Yin Qin and the others lived. He wanted to go there so he could return the Spirit Purifying Array to her.
After a short walk, he suddenly noticed that someone was eyeing him. Immediately, on full alert, Yang Kai turned his head around.
There, a man with his eyes wide in a glare was staring straight towards him, looking as if he had seen a ghost.
Pang Guang!
Yang Kai was also taken aback. He didn’t think he would actually bump into this Marsh City Lord here in Clear Sky City.
When the Solitary Void Great Maelstrom first appeared, he and Yao Cheng Jun were swallowed up into the Solitary Void Sealed World, and Pang Guang who chased them all the way here was not able to escape disaster either. However, Yao Cheng Jun was busy stirring up trouble with Yang Kai back then and was worried about Pang Guang taking advantage of the situation, so he shooed him away.
Yang Kai thought that Pang Guang might already have met with a tragedy. Even if he was a First-Order Emperor, it would be hard for him to sustain himself in the endless Solitary Void Sea.
But now it seemed he was wrong. This man was truly hardy and somehow managed to escape the Solitary Void Sea and arrive on Clear Sky Island by himself. From his travel-worn appearance, it was clear Pang Guang arrived on Clear Sky Island after a long struggle. As for how he did it, that was impossible to know.
Yang Kai was shocked that Pang Guang was still alive, but Pang Guang was even more shocked than Yang Kai was!
After all, Yang Kai and Yao Chang Jun were the only ones left on that island when he left. From how desperately it seemed Yao Chang Jun wanted him dead, how could Yang Kai have survived? He should have been torn to pieces by the enraged Yao Chang Jun.
But Yang Kai was safe and sound when he ran into him now. He appeared to be mighty as a dragon and fierce as a tiger!
There was no way that Yao Chang Jun could not match up to Yang Kai, so there must be some other reason that this brat was still alive. Perhaps it was Yao Chang Jun who let him go.
Just as Pang Guang was wondering whether Yao Chang Jun had also arrived on Clear Sky Island, Yang Kai grinned at him and pointed up his thumb, gesturing it across his throat in a slitting motion.
Pang Guang’s face turned dark and he became furious, thinking to himself that this little brat was really arrogant. If they weren’t in an unfamiliar place at this moment, he would’ve made an example out of Yang Kai here and now.
Even though the two of them saw each other, they had no intention of interacting, so they just stared at each other for a while before walking past one another, bumping shoulders.
Yang Kai wasn’t very afraid of Pang Guang. With the power he had now, there was indeed no reason for him to feel threatened by a First-Order Emperor Realm Master. What’s more, they were in the Inner City, a relatively safe place. Yang Kai had been here for many days but still never found anyone fighting. Compared to the Outer City, they were like two different worlds.
If Pang Guang dared to make any moves in the Inner City, then Clear Sky City’s law enforcement team wouldn’t let him get away with it.
In just a short amount of time, Yang Kai found the cave mansion where Ling Yin Qin and the others lived. It was also a mid-grade cave mansion not far from his own. After handing the restored Spirit Purifying Array back to Ling Yin Qin, Yang Kai stayed at her place for a while before leaving.
When he returned to his own place, he was greeted by a worried Liu Xian Yun.
Yang Kai would be out for the whole day every time he left, so it was inevitable that she would feel nervous that something might have happened to him. The closest person she had in the unfamiliar Clear Sky City was Yang Kai alone. If even Yang Kai disappeared, then she really wouldn’t know where to go.
Time seemed to have gone back to several years ago, when the two of them were forced to join Blue Feather Sect together.
She and Yang Kai had both fallen into that same boat together back then, so they depended on each other.
She didn’t expect them to encounter a similar situation again a few years later.
“Junior Sister, I have to go out of town in two days.”
“Out of town? Where to?” Liu Xian Yun was taken aback and asked him in a hurry.
“I don’t know where either, but when I went to that Artifact Refining Grandmaster to repair the Spirit Purifying Array yesterday, he told me he had a way out of the Solitary Void Sealed World and needs my help with retrieving something.” Yang Kai hid nothing from Liu Xian Yun and told her all the details of his agreement with Sang De.
Liu Xian Yun felt mixed emotions when she heard this. First, she was happy that Yang Kai had actually found a way out of here so quickly, and from how Sang De put it, it seemed like the chances of success were quite high. The worry was that there was no one able to confirm whether Sang De’s words were true or not, and even if it were true, there may be many dangers along this path.
“Senior Brother, must you go?” Liu Xian Yun asked, pursing her red lips.
Yang Kai chuckled, “If there is hope in front of us, we must catch hold of it. Don’t worry, even if Sang De has any schemes or tricks up his sleeve, I’m not afraid of him. If the way out that he claims to have isn’t real, then so be it, but it would naturally be good if it were true. As for you… Will you be leaving with me or staying here?”
The reason Yang Kai told Liu Xian Yun this was so he could ask whether she wished to stay here or come with him.
When she heard this, Liu Xian Yun immediately understood what Yang Kai meant. If she followed Yang Kai, she would definitely be taken into that mystical place and brought along with him.
She had spent some time in that space and knew that although it was a bit empty and lonely, the World Energy was dense and without any Disruption Force, so it could be freely absorbed by people. It was a very mysterious place.
After careful consideration, Liu Xian Yun said, “I think it’s better if I stay here.”
Yang Kai was surprised. This answer was out of his expectations as he thought that Liu Xian Yun would go with him.
Liu Xian Yun smiled, “We’re in the Inner City, so there won’t be any dangers for me to stay here and you don’t have to worry, Senior Brother. What’s more, if Sang De’s plan can’t be relied on, then it would be better for me to stay here and get familiar with the surroundings. You never know, we may end up having to live here for a long time to come!”
When she did not seem the least bit in a hurry to leave this damned place and even appeared to be quite happy living here, Yang Kai was struck speechless for a moment. He could only nod, “Then you be careful. Ling Yin Qin, Jiao Yi, and the others also live not far away, so you can meet up with them often. They’ve lived here for many years and have valuable experience.”
Liu Xian Yun smiled sweetly, “I know, Senior Brother. You have to come back soon, I’ll… be waiting for you to come back!”
At the end of her sentence, she couldn’t help but lower her head, and her cheeks turned slightly red.
The atmosphere didn’t feel quite right to Yang Kai. He had clearly come to ask Liu Xian Yun whether she was going to stay or accompany him, so how did it end up sounding like a goodbye between a married couple? He gave her a quick answer before disappearing into his own room, closing his eyes, and beginning to meditate.
Two days passed in a flash.
Early on the morning of the third day, Yang Kai opened his eyes and checked around with his Divine Sense. He found that Liu Xian Yun was sitting cross-legged in another room, so he didn’t disturb her and instead went straight out of the cave mansion.
He had already said what he needed to two days ago so there was no need to say anymore.
As soon as he left the Inner City, Yang Kai could sense that he was being followed.
Releasing his Divine Sense, he found that the person following him was merely a First-Order Dao Source Realm cultivator. Even though they cultivated a good concealment technique, it had little effect under Yang Kai’s powerful Divine Sense.
Yang Kai frowned as he had only been in Clear Sky City for a short amount of time and didn’t seem to have offended anyone during this period, other than a certain guy called Yu Le Ping who he had beaten.
At that time, a young woman warned Yang Kai and told him that Yu Le Ping was from the City Lord’s Mansion, and for him to be more careful.
Now, it seems like Yu Le Ping really did have some connections. As soon as he left the Inner City, he was watched by someone, and there was a good chance that Yu Le Ping was the one who sent his observer.
Peace and order were absolute in the Inner City, so despite being someone from the City Lord’s Mansion, Yu Le Ping didn’t dare to make a move against Yang Kai there. If he wanted revenge, then he could only do so in the Outer City or when Yang Kai left Clear Sky Island.
But Yang Kai didn’t pay it any mind. Right now, he almost had a complete grasp on the situation on Clear Sky Island. Other than the Clear Sky Island Lord and Ice Heart Pavilion who were threats to him, the other Emperors were not really worth much.
So, even though he knew he was being followed, Yang Kai just pretended not to notice it and went straight out of the city gates.
Meanwhile, inside a teahouse in Clear Sky City, Yu Le Ping sat with a gloomy look on his face. Who knew what sort of elixirs he had been taking for his injured arm, but it was mostly healed. Suddenly, he took out a Communication Bead and looked it over before his eyes lit up and a smirk appeared on his face, “Thinking of leaving the city? Go ahead! Heheh, there was a path to Heaven but you refused to take it, and no door to hell but you came knocking. I hope you’ve found yourself a good place to be buried!”
As he spoke, he pushed his Divine Sense and sent out a message.
As soon as he left Clear Sky City, Yang Kai knew that Yu Le Ping had no plans to do anything to him even in here despite being able to. It seemed that, because the Outer City was still within the confines of Clear Sky City, Yu Le Ping felt it would be best to do whatever he wanted out on the Solitary Void Sea.
Yang Kai went to the dock and stood under a certain palm tree, leaning against it quietly. Meanwhile, he observed his surroundings covertly, looking around to see who it was that Sang De had invited to help him.
The dock was very lively, with ships coming and going one after another. There were those who had returned with their harvest, and also those who were eager to set sail for their next big job, but there were also those who failed to get anything and came back injured or dead…
People of all shapes and sizes were there, showing off the diversity of life.
Yang Kai soon noticed a gorgeously dressed young woman who, like him, was also alone here. She was standing near the dock, seemingly waiting for someone. This young woman had skin the shade of polished pearls that seemed as smooth as jade. She had a sensuous body, but her lips were turned upwards slightly in a wicked manner and her eyes were biting cold, causing her to appear like a very unsavoury customer. Many cultivators were deterred by the aura surrounding her when they tried to approach.
Seemingly noticing that Yang Kai was watching her, the young woman turned to look over at him, but instead of being annoyed, there was instead a smile on her face.
Yang Kai averted his gaze completely, but both of them knew that they could be one of the helpers invited by Sang De. In other words, they were going to be working with each other after this.
Other than this young woman, Yang Kai did not find any other possible candidates. Or perhaps, they had hidden themselves; after all, it was impossible for Sang De to invite only him and this young woman. There must be others as well.
After waiting one full hour and still not seeing any signs of Sang De, just as Yang Kai was starting to feel impatient and wondering whether Sang De had been lying to him, the young woman across from him suddenly took out a Communication Bead and frowned at it.
This move caught Yang Kai’s attention. If this beautiful young woman was one of Sang De’s helpers, then he could certainly find some clues from her.
The young woman quickly put the Communication Bead away before rising up and flying out to sea.
[Did I guess wrongly?] Yang Kai was stunned. The young woman left the dock without a word. Was it possible that she wasn’t one of them?
Just as Yang Kai was having such doubts, a soft voice suddenly reached his ear, “Start moving in one cup of tea’s time. We’ll be waiting for you out at sea!”
This voice definitely belonged to that young woman. Thinking of the scene where she had taken out her Communication Bead, Yang Kai immediately guessed that Sang De must have secretly sent her a message, then asked her to convey it to him.
After clearing up his thoughts, Yang Kai smiled, thinking to himself that Sang De really was a cautious person. But he really couldn’t blame him as Sang De was too famous in Clear Sky City and would definitely be recognized very easily as well. If he was seen bringing some people out to sea at the dock, it would definitely alert a few people, such as the Clear Sky Island Lord and the Ice Heart Pavilion Master.
Currently, Sang De had used some unknown method to get out of Clear Sky City unnoticed, and only then did he quietly send a message to the young woman and Yang Kai, which shows how thorough he was.
Following what the young woman said, Yang Kai waited at the dock for one cup of tea’s worth of time before suddenly teleporting and disappearing from his spot.
The cultivator who had been hiding in the shadows had no idea what had just happened. He just saw Yang Kai’s body turning into a blur and disappearing right after. Shocked, he quickly transmitted a message to Yu Le Ping.
In just a few moments, Yu Le Ping rushed over to the dock like lightning, looking around with a grim look on his face. Soon, he fixed his gaze at the sea.
There was no sign of Yang Kai returning to the city, and there were no signs of him at the dock either, so the only explanation must be that Yang Kai had already gone out to sea.
Yu Le Ping naturally did not wish to miss this golden opportunity. Immediately, he summoned a ship and sailed out of the dock with a group of men.
…..
Yang Kai flew across the sea for less than half an hour before he saw a sea ship moored there. There were a few figures on the deck who were looking in his direction, and when they saw him, one of them immediately waved a banner in their hands.
When he saw this, Yang Kai did not hesitate and shot straight towards the sea ship.
A short while later, he landed on the deck. Looking up, he saw four people standing there, with the young woman he had seen earlier among them. This woman was currently staring at him with a cheerful look on her face, constantly looking him over from head to toe as if she wanted to stare holes through him.
Naturally, Yang Kai was not familiar with the other two. One of them was a tough man with a sturdy build. He had a towering build and his strong muscles were like the finest piece of artwork, emitting a unique feel and a powerful aesthetic. This man was an entire head taller than Yang Kai and gave off a strong oppressive aura.
The other man did not stand out much, on the other hand. He looked ordinary with no special features at all, almost like the type that you wouldn’t be able to find once they blended into a crowd; however, this man gave off an extremely cold air and from where he was standing, Yang Kai knew he was an extremely proud person. That was because he chose to stand some distance away from the beautiful young woman and the stout man, seemingly disdaining to have to be in a team with those two.
When Yang Kai boarded the boat just now, this aloof man had also given him only a simple glance before averting his gaze as if he wasn’t worth his time.
Naturally, the fourth person on this ship was Sang De.
He seemed to have used some sort of artifact to change the appearance of his body and the aura he was emitting. If Yang Kai hadn’t assumed beforehand that it was going to be him, then he might not have been able to recognize him. At this moment, Sang De had changed his appearance from an old man into a middle-aged man.
No wonder he could slip out of Clear Sky City unnoticed. With the help of such an amazing artifact, what could he not do?
“We’re all here.” When Sang De in his middle-aged guise saw Yang Kai arrive, he said that in a deep voice and made a seal with his hands to propel the sea ship forward.
“Even though we’re all here, shouldn’t Grandmaster introduce us to each other first? It would help facilitate our cooperation too if we know who we’re dealing with.” The beautiful young woman suddenly giggled, her laughter ringing clear and pleasant like bells, seemingly mixed with a tinge of charm as well, moving its listeners.
While speaking, she had actually cast a Charm Art, and a faint fragrance immediately wafted through the deck, causing the bodies of anyone who inhaled it to become hot.
“She Lan, are you courting death?” The proud young man suddenly snorted coldly, a gleam suddenly erupting in his dull-looking eyes as he glared at the young woman and snapped, “If you don’t put your Charm Arts away, then I’ll throw you into the sea right now and feed you to the fishes!”
The young woman called She Lan smiled lightly and did not take the threats of the young man seriously, instead saying cheerfully, “My, how frightening, what are you getting so angry for?”
As she spoke, a strange sound suddenly emerged on the deck.
When Yang Kai lowered his gaze, he felt a tingle run through his scalp. He had no idea when it happened, but many strange snakes of different sizes had suddenly appeared on the deck, all looking venomous and fierce. What’s more, these snakes had completely wrapped up the body of the young man without leaving a single gap, constantly flicking their tongues in a chilling sight.
“Paltry tricks!” The young man’s face did not change, seemingly treating the snakes as if they were nothing. He only stared at She Lan with a calm face and did not seem afraid of her at all.
The two of them caused the atmosphere to become so stiff in just a moment. Who knew whether there were any grudges between them beforehand.
“Whoever dares argue again can scram off this Old Master’s ship!” Sang De coldly snorted, sweeping his stately gaze around. She Lan and the young man immediately went silent.
If Sang De was merely an Artifact Refining Grandmaster, then he would not be able to hold down this unruly bunch in the Solitary Void Sea, but the key point was that Sang De was more than just an Artifact Refining Grandmaster. His own strength was not inferior to anyone’s here.
“Put those pets of yours away, it makes this Old Master queasy!” Sang De glared at She Lan.
She Lan smiled and said sweetly, “If Grandmaster orders it, this one naturally does not dare to disobey.”
She put her jade white hand by her red lips and, with a soft whistle, the venomous snakes on the deck instantly dispersed. Who knew where they went off to hide.
Sang De followed up, “Actually, I’m sure you’ve heard of each other before, but just never met each other prior to this. There is also no need for this Old Master to introduce you, just name yourselves.”
She Lan nodded, “Of course. This Mistress greets these brothers, and I hope you can take care of me during this trip.”
She gazed amorously at them while speaking in a teasing tone of voice that could provoke the hidden desires of any man.
The proud young man coldly snorted, “Chen Fei!”
After saying his name, he added nothing more. To him, it felt almost humiliating if he were to speak another word.
On the other hand, the burly man grinned meaningfully and scratched his head awkwardly, “My name is Man Kuai!”
He looked like a very honest man, but everyone knew that they’d be the unlucky ones if they took his deceptive appearance seriously. No person that could make a name for themselves on Clear Sky Island was simple, as all the simple ones were already dead.
“So, it’s really Elder Brother Man!” She Lan’s eyes lit up. She seemed to be familiar with Man Kuai’s name. While speaking, she stuck her tender body close to his side and said cutely, “Little Sister has long admired Elder Brother Man. Having this fortunate opportunity to meet you now, it seems your prestige name is not false.” While speaking, she stretched out a jade finger to gently stroke Man Kuai’s strong muscles with a tantalizing expression on her face. Even her breathing had become quick and her eyes glowing.
Man Kuai flexed his muscles cooperatively and grinned meaningfully, “If Little Sister likes it, then you can feel them as much as you like. This is the only long suit that I, Man Kuai, has, after all!”
She Lan licked her red lips, “That can’t be, right? Does Elder Brother Man really have no other… long suits?”
Man Kuai snickered, “Naturally, I do.”
“How long?”
“Long enough to fully explore Little Sister’s depths!”
“Then we must get to know each other better.”
This dog couple was unashamedly flirting right in front of everyone, gazing deeply into each other’s eyes, causing black lines to form on the faces of Yang Kai and the others.
“What is this friend’s name? You don’t look very familiar!” Seemingly unable to stand it any longer, Chen Fei didn’t bother with the flirting couple and turned to Yang Kai instead.
As soon as he said that, Man Kuai and She Lan also looked towards Yang Kai.
Yang Kai smiled and cupped his fists, “Yang Kai!”
“Yang Kai?” Chen Fei frowned. He and Man Kuai looked at each other, but they could see confusion in each other’s eyes because they had never heard of Yang Kai’s name before.
“So, it is Little Brother Yang? Please forgive my rudeness.” She Lan abandoned Man Kuai and came over to Yang Kai, sticking to him with her tender body while she stared at him with her charming silk-like eyes, “Does Little Brother have any long suits? Can you tell Little Sister?”
Yang Kai’s face went dark, “No, not at all. I am covered in shortcomings from head to toe. I have no long suits whatsoever.”
“How could that be?” She Lan giggled, “All men should have their long suits. No need to be shy, Little Brother.”
Yang Kai’s face went cold, “Auntie, how old are you? You’re still calling me Little Brother? Can you please have some shame?”
The smile instantly went stiff on She Lan’s face and cold air erupted from her body. She turned her head to look at Sang De and asked, “Grandmaster, where did you find him? Can I tear his mouth off?”
Sang De’s face turned grim, “Seems like you weren’t listening to what this Old Master said just now?”
She Lan was furious as she gritted her teeth, “Grandmaster, I have heard of both Elder Brother Man and Chen Fei. They are both known lone Masters on the island. But who is this little brat to have the qualifications to work with us?!”
Only after hearing what she said did Yang Kai understand that these people Sang De chose were all extremely strong without relying on any backers. No wonder he needed five years to prepare for this. It seemed there weren’t many people who were able to meet his requirements.
“Whether he has the qualifications or not, this Old Master has tested personally. If you have any problems with this, you can get off the ship now!” Sang De grunted.
She Lan’s teeth could almost break with how hard she was gritting them. She knew that she would definitely suffer if she fell out with Sang De now. After thinking about it, she suddenly smiled coldly, “What about after we’re done here?”
Sang De said indifferently, “What you do after this is your business, but before that, you better watch yourselves!”
She Lan nodded heavily, “Fine, I’ll just wait.”
As she spoke, she got a vicious glare at Yang Kai, “Little brat, you better apologize to me while you can or I’ll show you what I can do to you.”
Yang Kai turned around, showing She Lan the back of his head.
She Lan was so pissed that she could almost gnash her teeth broken.
If this woman was not so shameless, then Yang Kai wouldn’t have been so rude to her; after all, they were going to be working together. But this woman had not the slightest bit of self-respect, so if Yang Kai was polite to her, then she might really latch onto him.
Yang Kai wasn’t interested in her at all.
“Huh, what’s that ship doing?” Chen Fei suddenly frowned and looked towards Clear Sky City. He quickly said, “They’re not coming towards us, are they?”
“That’s the City Lord’s Mansion’s sea ship!” Man Kuai’s face also turned serious when he saw the flag on the sea ship.
“From the direction they’re going, it seems they’re really aiming for us.” She Lan wasn’t in the mood to keep wrestling over petty matters with Yang Kai anymore. Her pretty face sank and she turned around, shouting, “Did one of you leak any information?!”
At these words, Sang De’s face changed and anger sprang from his eyes, sweeping his gaze over the faces of Yang Kai and the others one by one.
“It’s not my fault.” Chen Fei was the first to clear himself from the matter, “This Chen is used to being alone. I have no habit of leaking secrets.”
“Me neither,” Man Kuai said.
She Lan sneered, “It’s not the two of you, and it’s not this Mistress either. It’s even more impossible for it to be Grandmaster. The only possibility is…”
While speaking, her beautiful eyes turned towards Yang Kai, sneering.
Yang Kai shrugged, “It was me!”
When they saw him admitting it so readily, She Lan and the others were all taken aback. Following that, their bodies flashed and they surrounded Yang Kai, Source Qi was condensing as they prepared to strike at any moment.
She Lan said, “If you can’t give us a reasonable explanation now, then the ocean is going to be your burial ground.”
Sang De’s face was also grim as he looked coldly at Yang Kai, appearing greatly dissatisfied. It had only been three days since he sought out Yang Kai to cooperate with them, but he didn’t expect him to sell them out so quickly. Naturally, he was furious.
Yang Kai tilted his head and looked at Sang De, “The man captaining that ship is Yu Le Ping! I need not say anything more, do I, Grandmaster?”
Upon hearing this, the frown on Sang De’s face gradually relaxed, “So, you didn’t leak anything? He’s just here for revenge?”
Yang Kai had a fight with Yu Le Ping in front of Sang De’s home last time, a matter which Sang De was well aware of. Now that he knew who it was that was coming after him, how could Sang De not be clear about the situation?
It was not that someone had leaked any information, but rather, Yu Le Ping had chased after Yang Kai in order to get revenge for last time.
“You have grievances with Yu Le Ping?” Chen Fei also stopped being hostile at him and asked suspiciously.
Naturally, they knew about Yu Le Ping. He was a Master from the City Lord’s Mansion and a Third-Order Dao Source Realm that was considered someone with some power on the island.
“It’s just a trivial matter…” Yang Kai grinned meaningfully, “I broke one of his arms a few days ago in front of the Grandmaster’s door. Who knew he could be so vindictive!”
“Broke his arm!?” Upon hearing this, the faces of She Lan and the others changed.
Yu Le Ping was a Third-Order Dao Source Realm Master. In terms of cultivation, he was about as strong as anyone here, but Yang Kai still managed to break his arm. It was obvious that his strength was much greater than that of Yu Le Ping’s.
In other words, they should not be underestimating the true strength of this nameless Yang Kai.
In an instant, the gazes of She Lan and the others became serious when they looked at Yang Kai, especially She Lan. She did not take Yang Kai seriously before, but now, she had to re-examine whether it was in her best interest to fall out with him.
“Grandmaster, what should we do now?” Man Kuai looked at Sang De with a frown, “We can’t just hand Brother Yang over, can we?”
Sang De pondered for a moment before he made a decision, “Pretend we never saw them. Keep going!”
As he said that, he made a seal with his hands and pushed his Source Qi, speeding up the ship.
When they saw this, everyone knew what he was planning. Sang De obviously wanted to lure Yu Le Ping and his crew towards the depths of the sea and then kill them!
All the people he invited were Third-Order Dao Source Realms. Even though they were small in number, all of them were top Masters in the Dao Source Realm, so even if Yu Le Ping really dared to chase after them, things may not go as he expected.
As soon as the ship accelerated, the people from the City Lord’s Mansion seemed to have noticed and also sped up to catch them.
A day later, the two ships were already several tens of thousands of kilometres away from Clear Sky Island.
Since half a day ago, the sea ship chasing them from behind had been constantly waving their flags, seemingly ordering Sang De and the others to stop, but Sang De did not pay it any heed and just pretended not to have seen it, pushing forward at full speed.
Only when they were far away enough from Clear Sky Island did Sang De slowly slow down the ship and stop.
An hour later, the City Lord’s Mansion’s ship finally got close to them. Yu Le Ping was standing on the deck which was almost dripping with gloom.
Once the two ships got closer to each other, Yu Le Ping flew directly onto Sang De’s ship along with many of the City Lord’s Mansion’s cultivators, counting roughly fifteen. There were still a few others who remained on their own deck.
“Are you blind? Did you not see this King’s orders for you to stop your ship?” Yu Le Ping was shouting angrily as soon as he got on.
“So, it is Sir Yu.” She Lan walked up to him while flaunting her slender waist. Pretty face smiling, she said, “Sir Yu, what brought you out to sea? If I had known that Sir Yu would be following us, then this Mistress would not have left.”
“She Lan!” Yu Le Ping seemed to know She Lan, so when he saw her on this ship, he couldn’t help but frown and put some distance between them. He obviously knew that She Lan was a woman not to be messed with. She was simply a venomous snake! Anyone who got involved with her wouldn’t have a good ending.
“Sir, are you here for me?” She Lan was still putting on her coquettish play and giggling, “Sir, if you want this Mistress then just say the word, why chase so hard?”
Yu Le Ping’s face was covered in black lines as he said in disgust, “None of your damn business!”
As he spoke, he swept his gaze over at Yang Kai with a fierce smile, but he soon froze when he saw the two people next to Yang Kai and he asked suspiciously, “Chen Fei, Man Kuai?”
Sang De used an artifact to change his appearance, so he wasn’t able to recognize him.
“How did you people end up together?” Yu Le Ping was confused.
Whether it be She Lan, Chen Fei, or Man Kuai, all of them were well-known figures on Clear Sky Island because of their strength. They had always been solitary Masters who never joined any great force. Such people were rare on the island.
But these lone wolves actually appeared on the same boat, so obviously something was wrong here.
But soon, Yu Le Ping seemed to have realized something and his eyes shone, “What are you doing at sea together?”
She Lan and these men wouldn’t make a move if there was nothing to be gained, so if they were brought together, there was definitely a bigger story behind their actions. Likely, they had discovered some kind of precious treasure and were out here together to collect it.
Thinking of this possibility, Yu Le Ping’s heart became fiery with enthusiasm. He came here chasing after Yang Kai but he did not expect to inadvertently uncover this secret plan. Didn’t that mean that he could also share in their harvest? If it’s a treasure that could catch these people’s attention, then it must be useful for him as well.
“I got bored on the island so I came out to look at the sea, admiring the boundless view. Does this concern you, sir?” She Lan chuckled.
Yu Le Ping’s face was grim, “Do you think I am a fool or are you treating me as one?”
The faces of the cultivators from the City Lord’s Mansion who followed Yu Le Ping here turned grim as well, eyes glowing fiercely and glaring at She Lan and the others. All of them were under the protection of the City Lord’s Mansion and were used to putting on airs on Clear Sky Island, so they didn’t treat She Lan and the others seriously.
“This King suspects that you have come out to sea to do something against Clear Sky Island’s interests. All of you will go back with me now and be investigated. Those who disobey will be killed without mercy!” Yu Le Ping waved his hand and shouted.
“It seems like… Sir Yu is a fool.” She Lan pursed her lips and giggled.
Yu Le Ping’s face sank and he shouted, “How dare you insult me?!”
She Lan said, “This Mistress is just speaking the truth. If you are not a fool, then why would you jump onto another person’s ship?”
Man Kuai also coldly snorted from the side, “Do you think this is Clear Sky Island?”
Yu Le Ping’s face changed when he heard these words as he finally realized that his situation wasn’t good. He had been used to throwing his weight around on Clear Sky Island and everyone was always afraid of him there, so he unconsciously brought that domineering air out to sea, thinking that no one would dare to disobey him and not give him face.
But now, it seems that wasn’t the case at all. Without the protection of the City Lord’s Mansion, he was nothing more than a Third-Order Dao Source Realm cultivator.
Even if something happened out here in the empty sea, nobody would know about it.
Noticing the ill-will in Man Kuai’s eyes, Yu Le Ping was shocked and he quickly said, “Wait! This King only came for this little brat!” He pointed a hand at Yang Kai, “This King has a grudge with him. If you hand him to me, I will return to Clear Sky Island immediately!”
She Lan sighed and shook her head, “Sir Yu, you are so silly and naive. I can’t even bear to hurt you anymore.”
As her words fell, several miserable screams suddenly rang out.
The faces of Yu Le Ping and the others changed as they turned their heads to see a few cultivators falling on their sides, faces blue and foaming at the mouth. Their vitality had been lost in the blink of an eye.
“Snakes, snakes everywhere!” Someone shouted in terror.
The deck was crawling with a dense pile of snakes of all sizes and varieties. The air was immediately filled with a sickening aura, clearly formed from snake venom, causing a person to get dizzy when they inhaled it.
A strange sound emerged as She Lan put a jade white hand by her lips and whistled lightly. Seemingly having received an order, the venomous snakes jumped up from the ground and shot towards Yu Le Ping and the others like arrows.
A few weaker cultivators had become dizzy from the snake venom and did not manage to dodge it in time, getting bitten. Then, in less than ten breaths, the cultivators that were bitten fell straight to the deck, dead.
Seeing that She Lan had already begun to move, Man Kuai also roared and summoned a huge bronze hammer that was taller than himself, sweeping it forward.
The cultivators of the City Lord’s Mansion were already flustered from the snake venom, so they instinctively took to the skies in an attempt to get away from the venomous snakes on the ground. Right at that instant, Man Kuai’s hammer swept the air, and a powerful aura and Source Qi burst forth. The vortex of power that was stirred up by the giant hammer seemed to have endless suction power, voiding the ability to move of the cultivators close to it.
*Hong…*
A muffled sound came out as several of the City Lord’s Mansion’s cultivators were smashed, leaving no trace of body or bones.
Before the ones who were lucky enough to survive even had the chance to breathe, Sang De who had been silent this whole time, suddenly snorted and, in his hand, an array flag appeared out of thin air. He tossed this flag towards a certain direction in the empty air, and in a moment, the glow of a Spirit Array spread across this ship. Not only was the entire ship wrapped up tight by this Spirit Array, it also seemed to lock the surrounding space.
The cultivators that flew to the sky all fell to the ground amidst cries of fear.
*Chi chi chi chi…*
Chen Fei’s body was filled with killing intent. With a long sword in hand, he swept into the crowd like a breeze and moved about erratically, long sword striking out again and again, cutting down a person with each strike while his enemies fell to the ground one by one, screaming.
“How dare you make a move against this King!?” Yu Le Ping was no longer calm like before, his hair was dishevelled and his body was covered in blood. Even though he was not killed during the previous round of sneak attacks, he was undoubtedly injured.
And, of the fifteen cultivators from the City Lord’s Mansion who came with him, only three were left, in the blink of an eye. All three were Third-Order Dao Source Realm cultivators, but even though they were in the same realm, Yu Le Ping was the strongest out of them.
Even though the three of them were in a miserable state, they still had each other’s backs and constantly fought against the attacks coming in from all directions. Even with that, they were only barely holding onto their positions.
She Lan and the others were unable to advance, so they immediately toned down the intensity of their attacks so that Yu Le Ping wouldn’t be forced into a corner and take desperate action.
On the other side, when the cultivators saw the big fight erupting from the City Lord’s Mansion’s ship, and that their side were sustaining massive losses, all of them were scared pale and felt so dumbfounded that they did not immediately escape.
“Little brat, you actually dare to slack off?!” She Lan shouted hysterically at Yang Kai as if she just made a terrifying discovery.
Everyone moved during the fight just now, but not Yang Kai. He was just standing there as if he was enjoying the show.
Yang Kai was clearly the cause of the incident today. If not for the past grievances between him and Yu Le Ping, it was impossible for the latter to chase him all the way out here, leading to this fight.
But even though all of them made moves, the culprit responsible, Yang Kai, was indifferent. How could She Lan not be furious at this?
Chen Fei and Man Kuai did not say anything, but they both looked unhappy.
“Who said I’m slacking off?!” Yang Kai retorted repugnantly as he snorted, “Are your dog eyes blind? I’m holding up the rear for you!”
She Lan was furious. She found this little brat called Yang Kai was simply abominable. He had never given her any face since he got onto this ship, as if he had some deep grudge with her. Now he even dared to lie with his eyes wide open. He was clearly just being lazy and slacking off, and the excuse he gave was so ridiculous it went beyond shameless.
She gritted her teeth and swore in her heart that she would show Yang Kai what the consequences of offending a woman were.
“That doesn’t matter, we need you right now. I’m passing those three over to you!” Sang De also seemed dissatisfied with Yang Kai’s slacking attitude and said in a cold voice.
“What about those people over there?” Yang Kai pointed towards the cultivators on the City Lord’s Mansion’s sea ship. Who knows if those cultivators were inexperienced or just scared out of their wits, but they didn’t even think of running away until Yang Kai pointed at them. Only then did they begin panicking and scrambling away.
“Leave these guys to this Old Master. Just take care of Yu Le Ping and the others.” Sang De huffed and leapt up from the boat like the Peng stretching its wings imposingly, chasing after the cultivators.
None of the escapees had high cultivation, so they were just left behind to watch over the ship. Right now, even if they split up and fled, they would not be able to escape Sang De’s pursuit. Death would just be a matter of time.
“Smelly brat, still not moving?!” When she saw that Yang Kai was still standing there without any intention of moving, she couldn’t help but urge him. Even though she, Chen Fei, and Man Kuai’s combined efforts were trapping Yu Le Ping in place, their three enemies weren’t weak and were able to defend themselves completely with mutual cooperation.
“A long night is fraught with dreams, Brother Yang. Hurry up and attack!” Chen Fei also urged him impatiently.
“Brother Yang is it? A few days ago, this Yu had eyes but failed to see, offending Brother Yang. I hope Brother Yang will spare me this time, and in return, I, Yu Le Ping, will offer a generous reward!” When Yu Le Ping saw Yang Kai looking over at him, his face paled and he hurriedly begged for mercy.
If he had known that his life would be in danger during this trip, then how could he have acted so rashly? Wouldn’t it be fine if he just stayed on Clear Sky Island? There he could enjoy his authority and nobody would dare to slight him.
But he didn’t expect that he, whose words held so much power on Clear Sky Island, would be nothing out at sea. She Lan and the other two weren’t easy customers to deal with and he knew that begging them was useless, so he could only turn to Yang Kai for help.
“I have a million Source Crystals, I can give them all to Brother Yang! Please, spare me, Brother Yang!” Yu Le Ping seemed to have figured out that he could not win someone over with empty promises, so he quickly brought out a real offer.
“A million Source Crystals!” Upon hearing this, She Lan and the others were all seeing red.
Even though they were renowned on Clear Sky Island and had great power, their hard-earned Source Crystals were barely enough for their own use and they had no balance for anything else. When they heard that Yu Le Ping actually had a million Source Crystals, they instantly became like hungry wolves who have found fresh meat, unable to tear their eyes away.
If they could get this million Source Crystals, they would be rich.
Considering all this, She Lan quickly made eyes at Yang Kai, indicating for him to agree to it politely but insincerely. They could think about what to do after they get their hands on the Source Crystals.
Yang Kai ignored it and glared at Yu Le Ping in contempt, “You think a meagre million Source Crystals is going to buy your life?”
Meagre… When She Lan and the others heard this, all their faces went dark. He calls a million Source Crystals meagre? Does this brat have no concept of numbers?
Yu Le Ping cried out, “Brother Yang, my life is cheap!”
“I can tell, you’re a cheap bastard!” Yang Kai scoffed.
Yu Le Ping said, “Brother Yang, please have mercy and spare me!”
How can people dare to not lower their heads under the eaves? Even though he knew there was little hope, Yu Le Ping still couldn’t give up on finding that one last thread of hope.
Yang Kai laughed coldly and turned to the two cultivators around Yu Le Ping, “Do you want to live or do you want to die?”
The two cultivators who were already shaking with fear from the beating had no idea when their defences would be broken through. So, when they heard Yang Kai’s words, they quickly nodded their heads, “Live! We want to live!”
From what they heard of Yang Kai’s words, it seemed they still had a way out!
“If you want to live, then help me kill him!” Yang Kai pointed a hand at Yu Le Ping and said, “I have a grudge with this man, not with any of you. So, as long as you help me kill him, I won’t kill you.”
At these words, Yu Le Ping’s face changed. On the other hand, the expressions of the City Lord’s Mansion’s cultivators seemed to be fluctuating, as if they were considering the gains and losses of each option.
Yu Le Ping shouted, “Don’t listen to him! He’s just trying to split us up! If this Yu dies, they will definitely not spare you!” As he spoke, he turned his head to glare at Yang Kai and shouted, “You’re so sinister!”
Knowing that Yang Kai would never let him go, Yu Le Ping couldn’t be bothered to beg him for mercy anymore.
The two cultivators from the City Lord’s Mansion were frowning. There was no way they were oblivious to the fact that Yang Kai was trying to sow discord between them, but at the point of life and death, Yang Kai’s offer still appealed to them.
“The two of you can’t be…” When Yu Le Ping saw their reactions, he was mortified. Yang Kai’s provocation worked on the two of them. In that case, how could he still live?
At that thought, Yu Le Ping made a long whistle and power gathered in his body. His entire person sprang up like an arrow and shot straight towards the sky in an attempt to escape from here.
“Yu Le Ping, you…” The faces of two cultivators who were left behind changed.
The reason they were able to stay alive so far was due to them joining forces to defend themselves. Secondly, it was also because She Lan and the others did not dare to push too hard that they were barely able to maintain a balance.
But now, Yu Le Ping actually took the initiative to abandon them after his emotions were shaken, creating a huge crack in their defences.
Man Kuai’s huge hammer swept over and the venomous snakes swarmed the two remaining cultivators, swallowing them up in the blink of an eye.
Yu Le Ping did not manage to reach even five meters high before he fell down miserably. The barrier surrounding the ship seemed to be of an extremely high level and was not something he could break through.
Chen Fei, who had long been prepared, arrived with his sword glowing fiercely while emitting a strong killing intent, slashing it down on Yu Le Ping directly.
Several screams rang out as the two cultivators of the City Lord’s Mansion were killed instantly, but Yu Le Ping wasn’t faring much better either. Being enveloped by Chen Fei’s sword wave, he could not break out even if he tried with all his might and the injuries on his body just kept on increasing.
A silhouette suddenly flashed over as Yang Kai appeared behind him and threw a punch out.
Yu Le Ping was already having a hard time in this situation, so how could he defend himself from Yang Kai’s sneak attack? The punch hit him square in the back and as the powerful force ran through him, Yu Le Ping spat out a mouthful of blood. His body was propelled by a huge force and he was pushed a few steps forward.
Chen Fei arrived with his sword and with a swing, sent Yu Le Ping’s head flying. Blood immediately gushed out of the headless corpse like a fountain.
The next moment, Chen Fei reached out to grab Yu Le Ping’s Space Ring.
Earlier, Yu Le Ping said he would give Yang Kai a million Source Crystals, which meant that he was very rich. Once he was dead, Yu Le Ping’s Space Ring would naturally become a hot commodity.
But before Chen Fei could get his hands on it, Yang Kai suddenly bellowed, “Brother Chen! What are you trying to do?”
While speaking, he had already sent a fist flying towards Chen Fei with great force. Chen Fei frowned and didn’t want to be held back fighting him, so he slightly moved aside to avoid the blow, but his hand was still aiming for the Space Ring.
But at that moment, a sky-splitting sound suddenly emerged, followed by a verdant coloured shadow wrapping around Yu Le Ping’s wrist.
While Chen Fei was trying to grab the ring, the verdant coloured shadow lunged at him like an arrow, accompanied by a hissing sound. Only then did Chen Fei see that the verdant shadow was actually a bamboo-like venomous snake.
He withdrew his hand out of shock and worry that he would be bitten.
The green snake was extremely nimble, but when it saw Chen Fei withdraw his hand, it did not pursue him. Instead, it curled around Yu le Ping’s hand and took the Space Ring with it before its body straightened up and it bounced back towards She Lan.
Yang Kai and Chen Fei both landed on the ground, looking at She Lan with grim faces. While the two were fighting each other earlier, She Lan was able to reap the benefits, which naturally put a bad taste in both their mouths.
Man Kuai seemed the slowest to react. Only now did he come back to his senses and was eyeing the ring in She Lan’s hand.
“Three brothers… Why are you staring at me like that? It’s like you want to eat me up. So scary,” While speaking, She Lan slipped the Space Ring into her bosom.
Chen Fei brandished his sword at She Lan, “If you dare do anything funny, don’t blame me for being disrespectful.”
“What do you mean?” She Lan smiled, but she didn’t dare to continue. Clenching the Space Ring in her jade white hand as she scoffed.
“You know exactly what I mean.” Chen Fei coldly snorted and turned to look at Man Kuai, “Brother Man, that ring may contain a million Source Crystals in it, what do you think about this situation?”
Man Kuai grinned meaningfully, “Naturally, ill-gotten gains should be split up amongst us.”
Yang Kai looked at Chen Fei in astonishment and expressed his dissatisfaction, “Why didn’t you ask me?”
Chen Fei said, “How could Brother Yang be interested in a meagre million Source Crystals?” This comment was clearly made to mock what Yang Kai said to Yu Le Ping earlier.
“Of course I’m interested! I’m very poor!” Yang Kai said with a serious face despite having no actual interest in the Source Crystals. However, he simply could not show it at the moment, otherwise, he may cause these people on the ship to become suspicious of him.
For someone to be indifferent in front of a million Source Crystals, anyone would start to have guesses.
Yang Kai called out, “You have to count me in on this matter! Don’t be so selfish.”
Chen Fei frowned. He knew he definitely wouldn’t be able to get rid of Yang Kai since he exchanged blows with him earlier and could tell that Yang Kai’s ability was not inferior to his own. Considering this, he could only say, “She Lan, you aren’t thinking of taking on all three of us alone, are you? If you’re sensible, then you should know what to do!”
She Lan gritted her teeth with a look of hatred, but when she saw Man Kuai and the other men eyeing her like predators, she knew she couldn’t monopolize Yu Le Ping’s Space Ring. If she did so, she would definitely incur everyone’s ire. Even though She Lan’s abilities were not weak, she did not have the confidence to take on both Chen Fei and Man Kuai at the same time.
What’s more, she still hadn’t figured out how strong this smelly brat called Yang Kai was yet.
“Take it!” She Lan tossed the Space Ring to Chen Fei out of anger and put on an aggrieved expression, “All you know is how to bully weak women!”
If anyone who did not know the situation saw her teary face, they would definitely feel compassion for her and hate Yang Kai and the others for bullying her.
This time, Yang Kai did not intercept the ring and allowed Chen Fei to grab it.
In the next moment, Chen Fei’s Divine Sense poured out, apparently breaking the seal on the ring. After a while, Yang Kai and the others all stretched out their necks and looked over with greedy looks on their faces.
In just a short while, Chen Fei revealed a happy expression. They all immediately knew he had broken the seal.
“How much is in there?” Man Kuai asked impatiently.
Chen Fei also seemed a little excited, and hearing this, he simply responded, “See for yourselves.”
Saying so, he placed down a Mid-Grade Spirit Purifying Array with a wave of his hand on the deck, and then he poured everything out from the ring.
All of a sudden, the deck was piled up high with a mountain of Source Crystals that almost blinded She Lan and the others. They had no idea how much was here exactly, but there were at least a million there from the looks of it.
Yu Le Ping really wasn’t kidding when he said he had a million Source Crystals.
His cultivation was not much different from She Lan and the others, but he lived a free and easy life. He had so many Source Crystals that he couldn’t even spend them all. Meanwhile, She Lan and the others had to work hard out at sea every time, and the supplies they gained were only barely enough to cover their own use.
The comparison between him and She Lan and the others was a little imbalanced.
“How abominable. Can a petty little steward from the City Lord’s Mansion scavenge so much money from the people? Simply heartless. May he be punished by the Heavens!” Yang Kai cursed through clenched teeth.
These words resonated with She Lan and the others. Indeed, Yu Le Ping was merely a steward in the City Lord’s Mansion, but he actually amassed such a huge fortune. What about the others who were in higher positions than him?
They must have more wealth than Yu Le Ping, right?
“Let’s divide this up first,” Man Kuai licked his lips and said with an excited expression.
“How many shares?” She Lan asked.
“Just the four of us. Who else do you want to share with?” Man Kuai replied matter-of-factly.
Chen Fei and Yang Kai looked at each other, but neither of them said anything.
“Then let’s split it up!” She Lan also made up her mind and waved her hand.
Then, the four of them split up the contents of Yu Le Ping’s ring equally. Each of their faces was beaming as if they had just picked up a great bargain.
Nearly twenty cultivators from the City Lord’s Mansion died during this trip. Apart from Yu Le Ping’s Space Ring, there were, naturally, other spoils as well. However, they didn’t find too many good things in the rings of these people. Except for the two Third-Order Dao Source Realm cultivators that had survived with Yu Le Ping till the end, the rest of the cultivators only had a few hundred Source Crystals in their rings each. The poorer ones only had several dozen. It was pitiful how poor they were.
The two Third-Order Dao Source Realm cultivators’ Space Rings did have some good stuff in them, but the combined worth was only less than a tenth of what Yu Le Ping had, so Yang Kai and the others swiftly divided the gains up.
After about half a cup of tea’s time later, a figure suddenly appeared above the sea. The figure flew straight over to this side and quickly landed on the deck. It was Sang De who had gone off on a chase.
From the looks of it, he was clearly able to kill off all the escaping men.
“Grandmaster, what do we do with this ship?” She Lan looked at the moored ship with some interest and asked.
“If you want it, you can refine it,” Sang De responded indifferently.
She Lan was overjoyed and was about to fly over when Sang De said, “We’ll keep going!”
She Lan’s face went dark, but she didn’t dare to argue with Sang De.
A short while later, the ship continued sailing forward.
To the surprise of She Lan and the others, Sang De did not ask about the spoils of the battle after returning as if he had forgotten all about them, but this was also something they expected. If Sang De wanted a share for himself, then She Lan and the others would not be able to refuse him.
But Yang Kai knew that Sang De did not forget, he just didn’t care!
This guy had been refining Artifacts on Clear Sky Island for nine hundred years, and his hands had practically gone soft from the amount of money he had been receiving. In terms of wealth, even ten Yu Le Pings may not be able to compare to him. How could these trivial spoils of war be able to interest him? Instead of arguing with She Lan and the others, he may as well just act ignorant.
After a fierce battle, She Lan and the others seemed to have gotten a little tired and all went into the cabin to rest and meditate.
Yang Kai was not tired, but he couldn’t just act like the odd one out either, so he also went into his own room and closed his eyes to meditate.
Days passed. Sang De’s destination seemed to be extremely far from Clear Sky Island. The ship had already sailed for half a month, but they had still not arrived at their destination. During this period of time, everyone took turns to rest and control the direction of the ship, so things were safe and peaceful.
The occasional attacks by Sea Beasts were also uneventful.
Sang De’s ship seemed to be of a very high grade, and even though it was not quite at Emperor Artifact, it was definitely at the peak of the Dao Source Grade. Even when those huge Sea Beasts crashed over, they couldn’t leave a single dent on the ship.
But that would come as no surprise. Sang De himself was a peak Dao Source Grade Artifact Refiner. How could he not take care in refining his own artifacts?
This ship was not only strong, but also had many Spirit Arrays and barriers arranged on it. For example, the force that prevented Yu Le Ping and the others from flying, and the light curtain barrier were some of the functions of this ship.
Yang Kai even suspected that Sang De had left his Soul Imprint on this ship’s core, allowing him to dominate everything that happened on it. No movement could hide from his perception onboard.
If he wanted to deal with She Lan and the others, it most likely was not going to be very difficult.
But Sang De would not do that as long as he wasn’t insane. He still needed the help of the people on this ship to grab whatever item he was after.
On a certain day, Yang Kai, who was meditating in his cabin, suddenly noticed the ship shaking violently before it stopped rapidly. Raising his brow, Yang Kai realized that they had probably arrived at their destination, so he quickly came out from the cabin.
Yang Kai was the first to arrive on the deck. Sang De was already standing there. Soon after, Man Kuai and the others also showed up.
Looking around they could see the endless, sparkling sea, and the calm, beautiful scenery under the blue sky and white clouds.
“Grandmaster, why have we stopped?” She Lan looked around and asked, a little confused.
“We’re here,” Sang De replied. Even though the tone of his voice was calm, anyone could feel the slight tinge of excitement in it.
When the crowd heard this, they all looked surprised. They all looked around again, but their faces were still shocked and uncertain. They were surrounded by nothing but the sea and it looked no different from anywhere else, so how had they arrived?
“That old thing’s Spirit Array is of a very high grade. It’s not too much to call him an Emperor Grade Array Master. There is a Ten Shades Reflecting Water Grand Array in front of us, so it’s normal that you can’t see anything!” Sang De looked ahead and explained, sneering, “If you really did see something, then that’d be the real problem.”
“An Emperor Grade Array Master!?” Chen Fei’s face changed and he frowned, “Grandmaster, you never said that this was the den of an Emperor Grade Array Master!”
What kind of joke was this? They were going to break into an Emperor Grade Array Master’s secluded home? Wasn’t that the same as courting death? Even if the Emperor Grade Array Master was dead, how many Killing or Trapping Arrays would he have placed in his home? If they barged in, then surely nothing good would come out of it. They might only end up being blown to pieces.
She Lan and Man Kuai did not say anything, but their faces were filled with worry and fear, clearly very afraid.
“If you’re scared, you may leave now!” Sang De coldly snorted.
Chen Fei’s face was cold and he was feeling extremely unhappy. He felt like he had gotten himself trapped aboard a pirate ship, and right now, Sang De told him to leave. Wasn’t that a joke? First of all, not mentioning whether it was physically possible for him to just up and leave, even if he could, how could he be willing?
“Since Grandmaster brought us here, then he must have his own reasoning. What are you all so anxious about?” Yang Kai shot a glance at Chen Fei and stated coldly.
She Lan smiled at his words and nodded, “That’s right, Grandmaster must have made preparations. We just need to follow his orders.”
Sang De turned over to look at them, “It would naturally be the best if that is what you think. From now on, this Old Master does not want to hear any more questions. Do whatever this Old Master tells you to do. If you don’t want to cooperate, then you better scram now.”
No one said anything. Who would try to refute him at this time?
Sang De nodded in satisfaction, “Very good. This Ten Shades Reflecting Water Grand Array may be amazing, but a Spirit Array is dead while a human is alive. If that old thing were still alive, this Old Master would not be able to break in, but since he’s already dead… Heh heh…”
With a sneer, his body flew out from the ship while at the same time, he beckoned, “Follow me!”
Yang Kai and the others followed him without a word.
Next, Sang De seemed to begin circling around a place. While doing that, he took out array flags one by one from his Space Ring and tossed them into the void.
When he reached a specific location, he would ask one of the others to stop and hand them a Control Flag, then tell them to wait for orders.
When they saw him so skilful and confident, the crowd also grew confident in him. They no longer had any hesitation or objections and were very cooperative with his command and actions.
About half an hour later, everything was ready.
The five of them were standing in five different directions, each holding a Control Flag on standby.
Suddenly, there was a loud bellow from Sang De’s side. Following that, there were powerful fluctuations of Source Qi. When the four others saw this, they immediately followed Sang De’s previous instructions and poured their Source Qi into the array flags in their hands, casting them into the void before them.
In a flash, five rays of light like rainbows from the sky appeared on a large surface of the sea, passing through north, south, east, and west in tightly connected links.
At the same time, the array flags that were arranged by Sang De previously also played a role. Under the mobilization of the five Control Flags, these hidden flags immediately produced a strange resonance and began emitting strange power fluctuations.
A transparent semi-circular light curtain appeared out of thin air above the surface of the sea in the next instant. This huge light curtain was like an inverted bowl, enveloping the surface of the sea. Through the light curtain, one could vaguely see a difference in the scenery that was more than just the sea.
When they saw this, they all immediately knew that what Sang De said was true.
There was in fact a Master’s secluded home here, but it was hidden by a powerful Spirit Array.
All Sang De had to do now was break open this Spirit Array to reveal the place inside once more.
As the five of them kept on pouring out their Source Qi, the view inside the transparent screen of light gradually grew clearer and clearer.
Yang Kai looked closely and discovered that it was just a small island. It wasn’t too big, but it had very good scenery. It was a rocky and craggy island with green grass that was pleasant to look at.
Who knew how Sang De’s Master found this place, but it was indeed an excellent place to live in. Since he couldn’t leave the Solitary Void Sealed World, then it would still be a relaxing life to live here alone.
It was a pity, however, that he was blind and accepted an unfilial disciple like Sang De, so he could not have peace even after death as Sang De had brought a team of people over to disturb his rest.
After an hour, Yang Kai and the others had consumed so much strength that they were almost running out, but the view of the little island beneath the transparent light curtain was also finally completely presented in front of their eyes.
At that moment, Sang De seemed to have made some movements.
After Yang Kai and the others heard a buzz from the array flags arranged around the island, a huge force burst out and directly shattered the light screen.
Yang Kai and the others who were unprepared were all shaken back due to the huge burst of power and almost had to eat a loss.
But from the looks of things, the Ten Shades Reflecting Water Grand Array covering and concealing the island was broken.
Sang De had already taken the initiative to move towards the island.
When they saw this, the others all used their Movement Skills to follow him and did not fall behind.
Soon, the five of them gathered on the small island, standing on one edge of it.
As Sang De did not move, the rest didn’t dare to move either. This was, after all, an Emperor Grade Array Master’s secluded home. One wrong step might lead to a deadly disaster.
After a moment of contemplation, Sang De said, “There are still many Spirit Arrays on this island. This Old Master will deal with them one by one. Will you be waiting for this Old Master here or go with me?” After that, he added, “This Old Master suggests that you all wait for me here.”
The rest didn’t speak, but She Lan hurried to say, “This island is dangerous. This Mistress thinks it is safer to go with Grandmaster.”
“Are you sure?” Sang De glanced at She Lan.
She Lan pursed her lips and smiled, “Grandmaster has brought me here, so you have to take responsibility for protecting me.”
Who knows if it was just in her nature or if she was used to putting up an act to be able to act so coquettish in front of an old man like Sang De.
“What about you three?” Sang De turned his head to the rest of them.
Man Kuai scratched his head and grinned meaningfully, “I will follow Grandmaster too.”
Chen Fei frowned and glanced at Yang Kai.
“I’m tired. I’ll rest here. Just call me when you’re done.” After that, Yang Kai sat down cross-legged just like that.
Chen Fei said, “Then I’ll stay too, to keep Brother Yang company.”
Yang Kai glanced at him with a meaningful smirk, but Chen Fei’s face was unchanged.
“Then the two of you, follow this Old Master.” With a sneer, Sang De called out to She Lan and Man Kuai before leading the way forward.
The two of them looked at each other, neither of them knowing whether their choice was right or not, but as things had come to this, they could only grit their teeth and follow.
Once the group of three disappeared from their view, Chen Fei suddenly turned to Yang Kai, “Brother Yang, are you not worried they will leave you behind if you do not follow them?”
Yang Kai responded indifferently, “If Brother Chen is afraid, just follow them yourself. Why involve me?”
Chen Fei smiled, “Brother Yang seems to be quite hostile towards me. May this Chen know how he has offended you?”
Yang Kai told him, “I’ve always been like this. If Brother Chen is not used to it, then don’t talk to me in case you can’t stand it.”
Chen Fei’s face twitched, but he forced a smile, “This Chen admires a proud man like Brother Yang. You seem to be a capable person; I wonder if you would be interested in cooperating with this Chen?”
“Cooperation? What kind of cooperation?” Yang Kai looked at him with a faint smile.
Chen Fei spoke with a straight face, “No need to speak in allusions with me. Since Brother Yang was invited here by Grandmaster, Brother Yang must also wish to leave the Solitary Void Sealed World. If what the Grandmaster said is true and he has a tool to leave this place, would Brother Yang not wish to get that tool in his hands?”
The corners of Yang Kai’s mouth rose, revealing a meaningful smile, “Brother Chen has bold thoughts.”
Chen Fei continued, “The location of the exit is in Sang De’s hands. If he has that and the items necessary to reach it, then it will give him control over whether he will bring us along when the time comes. Whether Sang De can be trusted or not is a whole other matter. Regardless, I don’t believe in him, but if we can get a hold of whatever it is we are here for, then the power to make those decisions would fall into our hands. Sang De will also have to act in accordance with our will.”
Yang Kai nodded, “Brother Chen has a fair point. I hadn’t thought of that.”
Chen Fei smiled, “Brother Yang just has not considered it, you have a gentleman’s heart. Open and honest.”
He ended his piece on a flattering note, much to Yang Kai’s pleasure, “Then according to Brother Chen, what are we to do?”
Chen Fei said, “Naturally when Sang De finds the thing, first…”
“Brother Chen will rush over to slash around to create a distraction while I take the opportunity to snatch the thing away?” Yang Kai did not wait for him to finish and ended his sentence for him.
Chen Fei’s face went dark as his mouth was left wide open, but he couldn’t muster a word even after a long time.
Yang Kai asked seriously, “Does Brother Chen think that this proposal is no good?”
Chen Fei’s face twitched, “Well… Please allow this Chen to think about it. They are not easy to deal with. Things may fall beyond redemption if I make one false move.”
“Naturally, consideration is needed. When Brother Chen is done considering, let me know, then I also know when I should make my move!” Yang Kai said with a straight face.
“Yes! Of course!” Chen Fei nodded stiffly.
Seeing Chen Fei go silent, Yang Kai sneered in his heart and didn’t say any more.
Who knew whether he was trying to cheat him by asking for cooperation? His sincerity alone left much to be considered. Otherwise, why would Yang Kai press him back so brusquely? People like Chen Fei obviously just wanted to use others, they were not reliable at all.
Besides, even if the two of them worked together to get the item, who should be in charge of it in the end?
But Chen Fei was right about one thing. The location of the exit was in Sang De’s hands. If Sang De were to take control of the item necessary to reach the exit as well, then whether he brought them along would still be up to him.
Naturally, if Chen Fei could think of it, Yang Kai could as well. She Lan and Man Kuai were no fools either. They had definitely considered this matter before, and that was why they followed closely with Sang De in case that guy decided to destroy bridges after crossing them.
But Yang Kai felt that there was no use in following Sang De now. It was impossible for Sang De to spend five years gathering five people to come here just to break the Ten Shades Reflecting Water Grand Array. There must be parts where their power was necessary after this. So, even if Sang De wanted to leave them behind, it wasn’t time yet.
Yang Kai was not afraid of anything. With his current strength and the help he had, Sang De would not be able to resist him. After finding the tool, if Sang De was sensible, he would naturally work together with him to leave this Solitary Void Sealed World. If not, then Yang Kai could only use force.
Deep inside the island, some peculiar movements could be sensed from time to time, seemingly caused when Sang De managed to crack a Spirit Array.
This showed that he was not only proficient in Artifact Refining, but also adept in Spirit Arrays. Most likely something he had learnt from his deceased Master.
An hour later, She Lan and Man Kuai both came back dishevelled, both looking extremely unhappy.
When Chen Fei heard the noise, he opened his eyes wide at them and asked in surprise, “Where’s the Grandmaster?”
He thought that Sang De had abandoned them and ran.
She Lan did not answer, but Man Kuai said awkwardly, “Still breaking Spirit Arrays.”
“Then why did you guys…” Chen Fei knew the answer before he could even finish his question. Not only were She Lan and Man Kuai useless next to Sang De, they also suffered a lot at the hands of some of the Spirit Arrays, and that was why they retreated back here.
Considering all this, he couldn’t help but take pleasure in their misfortune. He felt inwardly thankful that he chose to stay, otherwise, he would’ve been in the same miserable state as the two of them.
After returning, She Lan and Man Kuai both found a spot to sit down cross-legged so they could recuperate.
Days passed by.
During the past few days, none of them moved. Only a few strange movements could be felt coming from deep within the island from time to time, highlighting Sang De’s process in his array breaking journey. After a few days of rest, everyone had basically restored their strength. Each of them were filled with energy and inwardly rolled up their sleeves in preparation for the big job to come.
At a certain moment, Man Kuai suddenly frowned, “Everyone, hasn’t it been a while since we felt anything?”
Over the past few days, they would hear some noise every now and then while Sang De was breaking the Spirit Arrays; but now, half a day had passed yet everything was still quiet. They couldn’t help but feel suspicious at that.
“Grandmaster couldn’t have…” Chen Fei’s face changed and he thought of a terrible possibility.
When they heard him say this, all of their faces became serious. If Sang De was really killed by the Spirit Arrays left behind here, then it would be a disaster.
At this moment, She Lan suddenly took out a Communication Bead and announced in pleasant surprise, “Grandmaster is asking us to go to him. He has already destroyed the Spirit Arrays along the way.”
All of them were shaken awake by those words and got up and headed deeper into the island.
Along the way, traces of explosions could be seen, obviously the work of Sang De while breaking the Spirit Arrays. From the traces and residual power, Sang De was truly a peak Dao Source Realm Master, and his strength was definitely not to be underestimated.
Only after walking for a full hour did the group of four catch sight of Sang De’s figure. He was sitting cross-legged in front of a stone wall at this moment. It could be seen that the days of breaking Spirit Arrays were quite exhausting for him and he appeared haggard and tired. However, he had clearly taken some pills before they arrived and was quickly restoring himself.
Seeing that he was meditating, Yang Kai and the others did not disturb him. They just looked around the place. Soon, their eyes were attracted to a stone slab on the stone wall.
The stone slab was flat and smooth, and from the looks of it, it seemed to be a door that was blocking their path to the land beyond the stone wall.
Sang De was clearly meditating here because he was also blocked by the stone door.
The crowd was curious as to why this was so because there didn’t seem to be any traces of a Spirit Array’s influence on the stone slab. Even though it was a strange material, this shouldn’t be a problem for Sang De, right?
All of them were experienced cultivators though, so despite their doubts, nobody touched the slab. They just quietly waited for Sang De to wake up.
Who knew what sort of pill it was that Sang De used, but he was rosy-faced again in just a short hour. It looked as if he’d completely recovered.
He slowly opened his eyes and stood up.
“Grandmaster!” When Chen Fei saw this scene, he quickly called out, “What should we do now?”
Sang De looked grimly at the stone slab, “This is a door refined from Exotic Heavenly Gold. It weighs 100,000 kilograms. We must rely on brute force if we wish to enter. Behind this is that thing’s secluded home. The item we need is also hidden there.”
“Exotic Heavenly Gold!”
The four others seemed to have heard this name before, and their eyes all lit up, staring hotly at the seemingly ordinary stone slab.
Yang Kai was also very surprised. Even though he had previously thought that this stone slab was quite extraordinary, he did not expect it to be such a valuable thing. Exotic Heavenly Gold was an Emperor Grade Artifact Refining material, and it could not be more suitable for advancing Artifacts into the Emperor Grade. It was a treasure that many Emperor Realm Masters could only seek, but could not find. Yang Kai did not expect such a large piece of it to be on this island.
And it was a stone slab used to block the entrance to someone’s secluded home!
Sang De’s Master truly was extravagant. If this piece of Exotic Heavenly Gold were to be taken out and sold, it would definitely fetch a sky-high price. It could cause countless Emperor Realm Masters to go mad trying to fight for it.
Seeing the crowd’s reaction, Sang De frowned, “Man Kuai, I’ll leave this up to you.”
Upon hearing this, Man Kuai understood and nodded, “Rest assured, Grandmaster. I don’t dare speak for anything else, but my physical strength is still something I am proud of.”
Sang De said it very clearly. This stone slab that was made of Exotic Heavenly Gold could not be broken through attacks, only pushed away with brute force. Among the five of them present, Man Kuai was definitely the most suitable candidate for the job.
Perhaps the reason why Sang De chose Man Kuai to come on this expedition in the first place was because of his raw strength.
Man Kuai went up to the stone slab; then, with a serious face, he began circulating his strength. It was not known what Secret Technique he was operating, but his already burly body grew even larger. His swollen muscles were filled with explosive force and his current stunning appearance caused She Lan’s beautiful eyes to glow with a strange light as her heart thumped.
With a yell, Man Kuai slowly pushed his hands forward. When his large, fan-like hands came in contact with the stone slab, a muffled sound could be heard. It felt like two mountains colliding with each other, so astonishing that even the island seemed to shake.
They were all amazed by Man Kuai’s incredible strength.
Even Yang Kai was stunned. He was confident in his own physical strength, but compared to Man Kuai, there still seemed to be a gap between them. If they were simply competing with physical power alone, then he may not be Man Kuai’s opponent.
This world was indeed filled with people with extraordinary abilities unique to each domain.
“Good, good! Man Kuai, you really did not disappoint this Old Master!” Sang De was very surprised as a pleasant smile finally appeared on his face that was tranquil as an ancient well this whole time, “After this, the next parts will be much easier.”
Based on his words, this seemed to be the most difficult bit of this trip.
But that wasn’t surprising. A stone slab weighing over 100,000 kilograms that can only be pushed by brute force? Not many people in this world could achieve such a feat. Yang Kai estimated that it was definitely impossible to find another person that fit that requirement on Clear Sky Island. The most important character during the five years that Sang De spent searching was most likely someone like Man Kuai.
“Grandmaster, have you been here before?” Yang Kai pondered and asked.
If he hadn’t been here before, how would he know the situation inside, and why would he know so much about this place? He broke the Spirit Arrays along the way with no pressure at all.
“It was a long time ago!” Sang De answered casually, not saying anything more.
*Zhi…*
A harsh creak sounded.
The stone slab made of Exotic Heavenly Gold was gradually pushed away under Man Kuai’s immense power, and a small gap was revealed on the stone wall.
Seeing this situation, Man Kuai let out another roar and pushed harder.
The gap was growing bigger and bigger. Sang De stared at it wide-eyed, appearing extremely nervous.
All of a sudden, Man Kuai frowned and called out in surprise, “Grandmaster! Something doesn’t feel right!”
“What’s wrong?” Frowning, Sang De quickly asked.
Man Kuai responded, “This stone slab… There seems to be a strong suction force coming from it. Grandmaster, are you sure it’s fine to just push it like this?”
Sang De coldly snorted, “What problems could there be? Hurry up and push it out of the way!”
Even though Man Kuai could vaguely feel that something was wrong, he still put his trust in the expert here and added more force into his push, widening the gap into one large enough for one person to pass through.
Seeing this situation, Sang De shouted, “Get inside!”
Yang Kai and the others who had already been prepared naturally rushed in one by one.
As soon as they rushed inside, they heard Man Kuai suddenly screaming in terror as if he had encountered a terrible situation. Following that, he shouted, “Grandmaster, save me!”
“What happened?!” She Lan quickly turned around and asked with a pale face.
Man Kuai was perfectly fine pushing the stone slab when she was rushing in just now, so how did things go awry in the blink of an eye?
Man Kuai’s screams caused Yang Kai others to pale and they all released their Divine Sense to check the situation behind them.
When they saw what the situation was like, all of them could not help but gasp.
For some reason, Man Kuai’s hands were stuck to the Exotic Heavenly Gold stone slab, as if he was sucked onto it and couldn’t free himself no matter how hard he struggled. It was bad enough as it was, but the slab was swallowing his vitality at an incredible speed as well. This draining was at a rate that was visible to the naked eye, and soon, the originally inconspicuous-looking slab became blood red, emitting a sickening aura.
“Grandmaster, save me!” Man Kuai yelled as hard as he could, panicking. If he had known this stone slab was so strange, he would never have touched it, but it was too late to say anything now.
In just a few breaths, he could already feel his power weakening by half. If they waited a little longer, wouldn’t he be sucked dry?
Yang Kai and the others all turned to look at Sang De, wanting to know what he was going to do.
Sang De hurriedly said, “Hold on! This Old Master is on his way!”
As he said that, he rushed over to Man Kuai’s side. A short while later, a violent power fluctuation could be felt as if Sang De tried to rescue Man Kuai, but they couldn’t see the details of what was happening, the reason being that the onset of power introduced by Sang De disturbed the Divine Sense released by Yang Kai and the others to a great extent.
Not long after, Man Kuai’s voice faded away.
Sang De returned with a gloomy look on his face. When he reached them, he said with a sorrowful face, “Brother Man has… met with misfortune.”
The faces of both She Lan and Chen Fei changed, and they were all looking at Sang De with sombre looks in their eyes, but Yang Kai’s face was calm as water.
They knew how strong Man Kuai was, but to think a guy like that could die in just such a short period of time. He was definitely caught in some powerful seal or trap. If it were She Lan or Chen Fei, then they likely wouldn’t have fared any better.
“Damn it, there was a Spirit Devouring Grand Array hidden within that stone slab. This Old Master failed to detect it and caused Brother Man to suffer this unwarranted disaster. Truly a tragedy! How despicable!” Sang De lamented for a while, voice low as if he was in pain because of what happened to Man Kuai.
After a while, he looked up, “I hope what happened to Brother Man has not left any trauma on any of you!”
None of them spoke.
Nobody knew whether what happened to Man Kuai happened because Sang De truly failed to discover the Spirit Devouring Grand Array, or if he did discover it and kept it to himself on purpose so that Man Kuai would send himself off to his own death. No matter what, they had already come this far, and the one who died was just an outsider, so it was naturally impossible for them to back out here.
But after this incident, no matter who it was, none of them dared to take things lightly. This was the den of an Emperor Grade Array Master, so any corner they walked into may be deadly.
“If you are all fine, then continue on with this Old Master,” Sang De swept a glance at the group.
Yang Kai asked, “Grandmaster, you made preparations for five of us, will there be no issues after this with one less?”
Sang De responded, “There won’t be any issues. The main reason this Old Master sought out Man Kuai was to push away that stone slab. He has already completed the task, so his assistance will not be required from now on.”
“So, that’s how it is!” Yang Kai grinned, “All right then. Continue leading the way, Grandmaster.”
Sang De nodded and led the way forward.
The remaining three exchanged glances with each other, but they all followed along. Through what Yang Kai just asked though, the three of them could almost be sure that Sang De definitely knew about the Spirit Devouring Grand Array hidden within the stone entrance, and also knew what would happen if Man Kuai were to push it open, he just kept quiet on purpose. In other words, after he pushed the Dragon Suppressing Stone, Man Kuai’s utility was gone, so it didn’t matter whether he lived or died.
This old man usually looked harmless, but he was in fact a sinister man. Both She Lan and Chen Fei knew they had to be on their guard.
Along the way though, they did not encounter any obstacles.
This was in fact a secluded home left behind by a Master. The interior was spacious and the cave walls were lined with luminous stones that emitted a faint glow, making it appear a little less dim.
An hour later, the crowd walked about a thousand meters underground and finally arrived before a huge stone cave.
Stalactites were hanging from the cave roof and the water drops dripping down off them made a crisp splash as they hit the ground.
After arriving here, everyone’s eyes were immediately attracted to an object placed at the centre of the cave.
There was an artifact measuring twenty to thirty meters long with smooth curves forming a shuttle shape. The aura coming off this shuttle proved this was an extraordinary artifact.
After arriving here, Sang De’s eyes suddenly brightened up and he stood in place, staring at the shuttle-shaped artifact, eyes not turning away for even a moment.
Yang Kai and the others were also looking at it with amazement. They all knew that Sang De had brought them here to pick up a tool that would allow them to leave the Solitary Void Sealed world, so when they saw this thing, they naturally associated that with it.
“Grandmaster, could this be…” She Lan was the first who couldn’t resist asking.
Even though Chen Fei did not speak, his eager eyes have deeply betrayed what he was feeling.
“Indeed!” Sang De nodded heavily, “This is the Sea King Shuttle refined by that Old Ghost! Even though it is not an Emperor Artifact, the only thing it lacks is Emperor Aura. With this, this Old Master will be able to get out of this Solitary Void Sealed World!”
He looked completely excited.
Chen Fei and She Lan were also ecstatic. They did not expect this trip to be so easy.
After all, when they followed Sang De here, other than the Ten Shades Reflecting Water Grand Array that needed the five of them to break before they could enter the island, they didn’t seem to encounter any difficulties. Man Kuai was the only one to have met with misfortune, and they had only followed Sang De here to see this special tool that was just within their reach.
“Grandmaster, I hope you don’t forget our merits when we leave here!” Chen Fei gave him a hasty reminder.
Sang De grinned meaningfully, “Naturally, I will not forget.” He paused for a moment before continuing, “Do you all still have the array flags this Old Master handed to you previously?”
Even though they had no idea why he was asking this, they all took out the array flags from before. These array flags were the ones used to break the Ten Shades Reflecting Water Grand Array. After it was broken, Sang De did not ask for them back, so they kept them for themselves.
“Very good.” Sang De smiled, “There is still a Spirit Array surrounding the Spirit King Shuttle that requires breaking. This Old Master will have to borrow your strength!”
She Lan quickly said, “Just tell us what we need to do, Grandmaster!”
Since things had already come to this, she was naturally very cooperative and had long forgotten about Man Kuai’s tragic death.
“Come with me!” Sang De waved his hand and flew towards the Sea King Shuttle. The rest of them hurriedly followed, each feeling eager and ecstatic within themselves.
But before getting close to the Sea King Shuttle, Sang De suddenly formed a hand seal in mid-air and lightly spat out one word. Following that, he scurried forward at a great speed.
The moment they heard this, the faces of Yang Kai and the others changed. They all felt that something was wrong, and when they saw Sang De flying away quickly, how could they not know that this old thing was pulling another trick?
Shocked, the three of them were about to give chase when a blast suddenly emerged from Chen Fei’s hand.
The array flag that he was holding suddenly exploded, and the violent power fluctuations set off from it splashed in all directions. Chen Fei was thrown into disarray by the explosion and the Source Qi protecting his body instantly collapsed.
Before he could regain his senses, another explosion sounded out. This time, it was the array flag in She Lan’s hand that exploded.
Next, it was Yang Kai’s. Three array flags exploded in a row with terrifying force.
But Chen Fei and the others weren’t weak, so even though they were taken by surprise, they all summoned their defensive artifacts and pushed their Source Qi to protect themselves, narrowly avoiding a tragic death right then and there.
Suddenly encountering a sneak attack, and at Sang De’s hands no less, Chen Fei and She Lan were naturally enraged. As soon as they were able to stabilize themselves from the impact of the explosion, they wanted to settle the accounts with Sang De.
But what caused their faces to change greatly was the fact that their bodies had actually turned weak and sore all of a sudden. They couldn’t muster any strength at all and fell straight to the ground, heads spinning.
Yang Kai did not appear to be faring much better either and fell down beside the two, not moving in the slightest.
“Poison!” Chen Fei’s face twisted into an ugly expression. How could they still not know that Sang De had added an exploding seal on the array flag? There were also some problems with the materials he used. He may have planned all of this when he gave them the array flags at the start to break the Ten Shades Reflecting Water Grand Array.
Sang De’s figure slowly emerged from a corner. He did not walk at too fast a pace and his expression seemed calm as he gazed coldly at the three of them lying on the ground without the slightest pity.
“Grandmaster, why would you do this?” She Lan just could not understand it. She hadn’t even expressed any intentions of betrayal the whole time, what’s more, from appearance alone she could tell that the Sea King Shuttle had a huge internal space that could fit at least a dozen or two dozen people. Sang De hadn’t even gotten his hands on it yet, so why did he suddenly turn against them?
There was no conflict of interest, so what was Sang De doing this for?
Chen Fei also looked at Sang De with bitter hatred. He had long known that Sang De was not a trustworthy man, but he didn’t expect this old man to turn on them so quickly. He originally thought that if he was going to turn on them, then it would be after he got his hands on the Sea King Shuttle.
“Please don’t blame this Old Master, this Old Master had no choice but to do this!” Sang De said indifferently. He did not attempt to explain further and simply began forming a series of hand seals.
Along with the changes of the seals, a strange sound emerged. When the three of them turned their heads around, they instantly felt their scalps tingling.
There, they saw holes open in the ground out of nowhere that crimson blood flowed out from. This blood flowed along the ground and spread apart in the pattern of a Spirit Array, gradually forming an abstruse image.
The blood smelled fresh, and the aura contained within it felt familiar.
“Man Kuai’s blood!” Chen Fei seemed to think of something and his face went pale.
That blood contained rich and fresh vitality, and it had clearly been drawn not long ago. It was clearly the blood of a cultivator who paid attention to their body tempering.
There could be no other explanation for this other than it being Man Kuai’s blood.
Man Kuai had just died an hour ago, and now an hour later, his blood had come over to this place, converging to create a large array that wrapped around them. This was clearly planned, they just had no idea what sort of strange effects this Spirit Array had.
A cup of tea’s time passed before the blood stopped flowing, seemingly having run dry. The Spirit Array on the ground was completely activated by the blood, and a strange aura lingered around giving them chills.
A faint cry and howl could even be heard from it.
Chen Fei and the others on the ground silently circulated their Source Qi to neutralize the poison inside of them, but for some reason, whatever that poison was, the more they tried to neutralize it, the weaker they felt.
Suddenly, She Lan’s face paled and she called out in alarm, “Man Kuai!”
Hearing her shout, Chen Fei quickly looked over and his eyes went wide. That was because an illusory phantom had actually appeared at the centre of the Spirit Array. This illusory phantom looked exactly like Man Kuai, except that it had no spirituality, like a listless soul without a consciousness.
It was Man Kuai’s Soul Avatar!
Not only did the stone slab suck out all of Man Kuai’s vitality, it didn’t let his Soul Avatar off either. From the current appearance of Man Kuai’s Soul, it seemed to have endured great damage. Otherwise, he would not appear so dull. Even without a physical body, a Third-Order Dao Source Realm Master’s Soul could still maintain a high degree of coherence and sanity for a time.
“Sang De, what are you trying to do?!” Chen Fei gritted his teeth and shouted as if he couldn’t stand being oppressed by an unknown horror. His psychological defences were already showing signs of collapsing.
Sang De coldly snorted, ignoring his words and instead stomped hard on the ground, “Old Ghost, it’s time to wake up!”
[Someone else is here?]
Chen Fei’s face turned white and he turned his head to look around. She Lan was also looking around in disbelief, wanting to know who the Old Ghost that Sang De spoke to was.
In the next moment, both of them looked in the same direction in unison.
There, an ethereal figure slowly appeared. From the looks of it, it seemed to be a Soul Avatar, but unlike Man Kuai’s, this Soul Avatar seemed extremely weak and could disappear at any moment.
After the figure was revealed, an aura like that of an evil spirit spread out.
Sang De laughed maliciously, “Old Ghost, I brought you some delicious food. What are you waiting for? Hurry and thank me! This Apprentice treats you well, doesn’t he?”
“What?” When he heard this, Chen Fei’s jaw instantly dropped as he stared tongue-tied at the illusory phantom.
Colour also drained from She Lan’s beautiful face, “This is your Master?”
Sang De snorted, “You don’t need to concern yourselves with that, just lie there obediently.”
As Sang De spoke, he frowned at Yang Kai. For some reason, he had the feeling that Yang Kai was too calm in this situation. Even though he was also lying there and not moving like Chen Fei and She Lan, he didn’t even say a word. Had he just become resigned to his fate?
No matter the case, Sang De didn’t care anymore, he just wanted to get this over with quickly.
“What did you mean by food?” Chen Fei asked in disbelief.
But as soon as he was done speaking, he knew the answer. The evil spirit of Sang De’s Master let out a harsh and unpleasant screech before pouncing on Man Kuai’s Soul Avatar like a hungry wolf, opening its big mouth and taking half of Man Kuai’s body away in one bite.
This ghost-like being could even eat Soul Avatars! Such a thing was unheard of and never before seen. Chen Fei and She Lan were both in a daze as they watched this horrific scene, feeling chills running through them from head to toe.
Under their horrified eyes, the illusory phantom ate up Man Kuai’s Soul Avatar in less than ten breaths.
But it was clearly not satisfied yet. Instead, it seemed to have become even more ferocious. Its originally ethereal body had become much more solid. It turned around and stared viciously at Chen Fei. With a howl, it turned into a gust of cold wind and rushed towards Chen Fei.
“No! Stay away!” Chen Fei was terrified and shouted in resistance.
But he couldn’t muster up any strength right now, so how could he resist? The illusory phantom’s figure flickered and disappeared into his body. Following that, Chen Fei’s body began convulsing, his eyes twitching nonstop as his face twisted into a hideous expression, like he was suffering a terrible torture.
She Lan was already pale with fear, so seeing that she would be the next one to experience this, she hurriedly pleaded with Sang De, “Grandmaster, please spare me! I can serve you as your slave in the future to the best of my ability. I won’t disappoint you!”
As she spoke, she also squeezed out a very forced smile, as if trying to make a last-ditch effort to use her beauty to win her another chance at life.
Sang De ignored her and coldly snorted, “You’re a pile of rotten meat that even wild dogs won’t touch, and you dare try and pull this coquettish act with me?”
She Lan’s beautiful eyes dimmed. She knew there was no getting out of this now.
Right at that moment, Chen Fei suddenly stopped breathing, and the illusory phantom rushed out of his body. Eating two Soul Avatars one after another, the illusory phantom’s figure had now become very solid, and some sentience also seemed to have been restored to its eyes.
But it didn’t stop there. Rushing straight into She Lan’s body, it repeated the same process once more.
She Lan cried out miserably. She knew she would surely die, so she cursed Sang De nonstop, cursing him to a miserable death.
Sang De coldly snorted but he paid her no mind, turning his attention to Yang Kai instead, “You don’t seem worried at all.”
Yang Kai grinned, “I’m already the fish on the chopping block, what use is there in worrying now?”
Sang De smirked, “How open-minded. This Old Master can appreciate that.”
“Since Grandmaster appreciates it, how about letting me go? We can become good friends once we’re out.” Yang Kai asked with a smile on his face.
Sang De’s face darkened, “Definitely not! You are the key to this Old Master’s deal with that Old Ghost. I can let anyone else go, but not you!”
“Deal?” Yang Kai keyed in on the information and asked in surprise, “What kind of deal?”
“It’s none of your concern.”
Yang Kai curled his lip, “That’s quite funny, Grandmaster. Since I am the key to the deal, how is it none of my concern? I’m going to be dead anyway, so let’s hear it, not like it’s going to cost you anything!”
Sang De sneered, “You better stay there obediently and not resist, then you won’t have to suffer as much!”
After saying that, he stopped paying any attention to him.
Yang Kai made a light snort, but he didn’t dwell on the topic any longer. Instead, he turned to look at the Sea King Shuttle, “Grandmaster, this being the item you said is required to leave this Sealed World is not a lie, is it?”
Sang De did not change the subject this time and nodded, “This Sea King Shuttle took the Old Ghost his whole life to create just in preparation to leave this place. How could it be a lie?! This shuttle is enough to leave the Sealed World.”
“Wonderful!” Yang Kai praised, but it was not known what he was praising.
By this time, She Lan had also died. After the Yin Soul devoured She Lan’s Soul Avatar, it had completely restored itself, and its eyes appeared lively, no longer rigid and dull like before.
“You’ve restored yourself pretty well.” Sang De scoffed as he looked at the Yin Soul.
The Yin Soul said, “All thanks to this Old Master for accepting such a good disciple!”
“It is only right for me to do this for my Master,” Sang De snorted.
This Master and Disciple pair exchanged a few sentences with shallow smiles, showing no kinship that a Master and Disciple should have at all. Their eyes were completely filled with hatred for each other. It’s a wonder how they came to this point today.
The Yin Soul turned his head to look at Yang Kai, “This is the body you found for this Old Master?”
Sang De responded, “I spent a lot of effort in order to find him.”
The Yin Soul frowned, “How is the power of his Soul? Can he carry this Old Master’s body?”
“I tested him myself. Even if he is a little weaker than me, he is not that much worse. He should have no problems supporting you.”
The Yin Soul nodded, “That would be best!”
Yang Kai looked at the Yin Soul with interest and said with a look of realization, “Are you trying to seize my body?”
The Yin Soul responded, “You know the answer and you’re still asking? Hm, you’re an interesting one. Are you not afraid?”
Yang Kai grinned meaningfully, “I’m not the one who should be afraid. Let me warn you, you better not try to seize my body, or your death will be miserable!”
The Yin Soul was clearly stunned for a moment, only then did he turn his head to Sang De, “What is the meaning of you bringing this madman to me?”
Sang De retorted angrily, “Can’t you see that this little brat is just talking big? I think you’ve really gone senile. Stop dallying and hurry it up!”
The Yin Soul pondered for a moment and felt that he did make a fair point. So, he turned his body and turned into a gust of cold wind, pouncing on Yang Kai.
Yang Kai was still all smiles and said lazily, “You’ll really die a miserable death.”
The Yin Soul ignored his words and rushed into Yang Kai’s Knowledge Sea.
Inside his Knowledge Sea, the Yin Soul revealed himself and was just about to find Yang Kai’s Soul Avatar and devour it as he had done with the others earlier, but something flashed in his eyes. Yang Kai’s Soul Avatar had taken the initiative to reveal itself and was looking at him with a derisive face.
“This…” The Yin Soul was startled, not by Yang Kai’s audacity, but by what he was currently seeing.
He had never seen such a majestic Knowledge Sea before. The ‘seawater’ gathered here was incomparably deep, rich, and pure, as if it was a real ocean, making one doubt their eyes. What’s more, the water here wasn’t made of water, but burning flames!
This Knowledge Sea was not something a mere Dao Source Realm cultivator could possibly possess. Compared to the Knowledge Seas of the two he had just devoured, it was simply the difference between a stream and an ocean.
[Unfilial disciple!] The Yin Soul cursed Sang De in his heart. [What does he mean he had personally tested his power before? If he said his strength was not far off from his, then how can he explain this difference?] The power of this Soul was clearly countless times greater than his unfilial disciple’s.
[This is an Emperor’s Knowledge Sea!]
The Yin Soul would not be able to defeat Yang Kai here no matter what price he paid.
At this thought, he hurriedly tried to leave. He knew that if he withdrew too late, then he may not be able to escape.
“Since you’re already here, why are you in such a hurry to leave?” Yang Kai said with a light smile, but there was no amusement in his eyes, just icy coldness.
How many years had it been since he met someone who dared try to seize his body? The last Soul who tried to do such a thing had already been blown to pieces by him.
A ray of light cut across the sky from a certain direction at that moment, bringing with it a monstrous killing intent as it cut straight towards the Yin Soul.
“A Soul Emperor Artifact!” Sensing the terrifying power of the Soul Splitting Saber, the Yin Soul shrieked in fear. No longer hesitating, he opened his mouth and spat out a dark and hazy glow to intercept the Soul Splitting Saber.
It was not known what that dark glow was, but it slowed down the Soul Splitting Saber when they made contact.
The blade, however, still rapidly slashed down, causing the Yin Soul to let out a terrible scream. Even though he was severely injured by this strike, he at least managed to retain his life and took this opportunity to rip through the defences of Yang Kai’s Knowledge Sea, rushing out.
Yang Kai frowned, not having thought that this Yin Soul would actually be this capable; however, he was definitely injured after taking a hit from the Soul Splitting Saber. Even if he didn’t die here, he wouldn’t be able to stay alive for long.
In the stone cave, Yang Kai reopened his eyes and immediately heard the howls of the Yin Soul, making it obvious the great pain it was suffering.
Looking over, Yang Kai found the Yin Soul huddled in a corner, its originally opaque body now faded, flickering in and out of existence, as if he might fall apart at any moment.
Sang De was staring in shock at the sight.
Only after a long time did he let out a shout, “Old Ghost, what happened?!”
The Yin Soul was wounded so badly that he didn’t hear what he said at all. How could he still have the strength to answer him now?
“Ai, you didn’t listen to me when I gave you a kind warning. You just had to make yourself suffer before finding out the consequences!” Yang Kai sneered as he stood up, looking as if this all had nothing to do with him.
Sang De stumbled backwards a few steps and looked at Yang Kai as if he had seen a ghost, “You… How could you possibly…”
Yang Kai was clearly injured and also affected by the poison, so how did he become so lively in just the blink of an eye? The changes that came one after another caused Sang De’s heart to quickly fall.
Yang Kai coldly snorted, “You made a meticulous plan and took great pains to bring us here so that your Master could devour us and take over my body. This truly is a scene of filial piety flowing deeper than the ocean. It really does move one to tears, Grandmaster!”
Sang De’s face was cloudy, “You knew this was going to happen!”
Yang Kai quickly said, “Not only me, both Chen Fei and She Lan came prepared, but so what? Didn’t they fall into your hands too, Grandmaster?”
“Then why are you fine?!”
“This Young Master’s capabilities are not something trash like you can understand.” Yang Kai spat disdainfully, “You want to try and plot against me with your puny means?”
Upon hearing this, Sang De’s face turned green one moment and red the next. It was not known whether he was feeling angry or ashamed, but it was useless for him to say anything now. Yang Kai looked perfectly fine, and not only that, the Old Ghost who entered his Knowledge Sea seemed to have come out seriously injured as well.
“Save… me…” On the other side, the Yin Soul howled in broken words as the light of his body flickered. It looked like it was going to dissipate soon.
The Soul Splitting Saber was an Emperor Artifact, and Soul Emperor Artifact at that! The Yin Soul was merely a Soul Avatar; it was lucky enough he didn’t get destroyed on the spot after receiving that blow.
Upon hearing this plea, Sang De’s face changed greatly and he quickly looked towards the Yin Soul, but there was obviously nothing he could do in this situation, and a very pained expression emerged on his face.
“Release… the defences of your Knowledge Sea!” The Yin Soul continued to howl. From his words, it seemed to want Sang De to release the defences of his Knowledge Sea so that he could enter and hide for a while.
But how could Sang De be willing to do such a thing? He just acted as if he didn’t hear him, standing there with a grim face, not moving.
“Unfilial Disciple!” The Yin Soul roared in disappointment, his ethereal body burst into a dazzling glow, breaking apart into little specks before disappearing without a trace.
“What a bond you two share… Tsk tsk…” Yang Kai watched the good show at the side while clicking his tongue.
“You killed him!” Sang De turned around to glare at Yang Kai.
“So what?” Yang Kai smiled coldly, “You and I are the only ones left here, Sang De, so let’s not beat around the bush. If you want to live, fine, if you tell me the location of the exit, I will let you live. Otherwise…” Yang Kai grinned, “You’ll have a fate worse than death!”
“You want me to tell you where the exit is?” A strange look emerged on Sang De’s face.
Yang Kai frowned as he suddenly had a bad feeling about this.
Sang De laughed out loud as if he had gone insane, “You killed the Old Ghost and you want me to tell you where the exit is!?”
Yang Kai said, “I don’t think you two are close enough to avenge each other, right? Since you seem to have a big grudge with each other anyway, what problem is there that I killed him? Don’t be stubborn, Sang De, cooperating with me will be in your best interest!”
“Only the Old Ghost knows the location of the exit. Since you killed him, how do you expect to get the location from me?!” Sang De suddenly roared hysterically, veins throbbing on his forehead.
Yang Kai was dumbfounded. Only after a long time did he rush to ask, “What do you mean?”
Sang De sneered, “The Sea King Shuttle is here, and with this Old Master’s abilities, I could come and take it away at any time, so why would this Old Master take the trouble to bring you here and to cook up a scheme so that the Old Ghost could take over your body and be reborn? I was the one who destroyed the Old Ghost’s body back then, only to go to great lengths to save him again. Do you know why that is?”
Yang Kai suddenly remembered the deal he mentioned before and his face changed, “Do you mean…”
Sang De snorted, “This Old Master helped him find a new body to seize in exchange for the location of the exit! That was the deal!”
Yang Kai’s heart instantly fell to the bottom as he went silent for a long while before cursing, “You old dog! Why didn’t you say something this important from the start!?”
If he had known early on, Yang Kai wouldn’t have dealt with the Yin Soul using the Soul Splitting Saber. Now that the Yin Soul was destroyed with one cut of the Soul Splitting Saber, the location of the exit also went up in smoke. The Sea King Shuttle was useless now. This whole mess was a big failure.
“Who are you to this Old Master? Why would this Old Master tell you?!” Sang De laughed coldly as he looked at Yang Kai with a sarcastic expression.
Yang Kai said, “You said before that there are three people who know the location of the exit. That wasn’t nonsense, was it?”
“What does it matter now? Who do you think the Ice Heart Pavilion Master and the Clear Sky Island Lord are? Do you have the guts to seek cooperation with them? Better watch out or you won’t even be left with a complete corpse!” Sang De scoffed. After that, he flicked his sleeve and said, “Things will end at this. You and I will go our separate ways. From now on, you go your way, and I go my way!”
After saying that, he took a step forward, intending to walk out from here.
Yang Kai coldly snorted before sending a pressure to lock Sang De down. Sang De’s body paused and he turned to look at Yang Kai, “What’s wrong, do you want to kill this Old Master ruthlessly as well?”
“You tried it on me before, I’m just returning the favour. It’s only fair!”
“You young’uns these days talk big. You really think you can kill this Old Master?” Sang De was already feeling furious, so when he saw Yang Kai chattering incessantly and seeming as if he wasn’t going to let him go, he instantly burst out in anger.
He was a peak Third-Order Dao Source Realm Master. At this level, he didn’t have to fear anyone. If he was really pushed to a corner, he wouldn’t mind fighting with Yang Kai to teach him what proper respect was.
“Old men like you these days are a bit muddle-headed, aren’t they? Always thinking that age is an advantage, constantly bringing up your old age. What a farce!” Yang Kai scoffed back.
“Little brat, haven’t you heard that the older the ginger, the spicier it is? You want to take this Old Master as your enemy no matter what?” Sang De’s face had almost turned black.
Yang Kai snickered and waved his hand to release Liu Yan and Hua Qing Si. Liu Yan was still riding the Heaven Grade puppet, Xiao Bai. She looked rather formidable with her small body riding on top of it.
“Come! Show this old man what the vigour of youth is like!” Yang Kai said as he pointed at Sang De.
Hua Qing Si glared at Yang Kai, thinking to herself, [I am already quite old, you know!? What do I have to do with the word ‘youth’?]
“What the hell is that?” Sang De was shocked. He did not see how Liu Yan and Hua Qing Si appeared at all, it was like they just mysteriously manifested after Yang Kai waved his arm.
Could it be that these two people had been hiding and following them from behind? But he didn’t notice them at all!
When he released his Divine Sense, Sang De’s heart was instantly chilled. He discovered that whether it be the little girl who only looked about seven or eight or the beautiful woman, both of them actually had Third-Order Dao Source Realm cultivations. Moreover, there was a strange feeling surrounding the White Tiger that the little girl was riding on which gave him a dangerous feeling.
“Master, should I kill him or leave him half dead?” Liu Yan asked indifferently.
“Kill him!” Yang Kai snorted. Sang De didn’t even know where the location of the exit was, so why keep him alive?
“Wait!” Sang De screamed out in shock.
But as he finished, Liu Yan and Hua Qing Si had already moved to pincer him from the left and right. Seeing this situation, Sang De’s face changed. How could he still dare to stay here? He instantly turned around and rushed out.
Xiao Bai opened its mouth and a white energy pillar of light shot out of it that seemed to contain Heaven-destroying and Earth-shattering might, grazing Sang De’s body.
Sang De was taken aback. That blow did not hurt him much just now, but he could feel the traces of Emperor Intent in it. Was that White Tiger actually a Twelfth-Order Monster Beast? Considering all this, he had even less guts to stay here. He just wanted to escape from here as soon as possible.
The three of them ran in their chase and disappeared in the blink of an eye.
Only then did Yang Kai coldly snort and turn his attention to the Sea King Shuttle.
Even though he destroyed the Yin Soul without figuring out the whole situation first, this Sea King Shuttle was in fact the key to leaving this Solitary Void Sealed World. Now that it was right in front of him, Yang Kai would naturally not let it go.
He flew over and sat cross-legged above the Sea King Shuttle, preparing to refine it.
The sea ship that Yang Kai refined a few days prior to this had taken him only a day’s time, but refining the Sea King Shuttle took him a whole week. The more he refined it, the more he could feel the complexity of the refinement of this artifact.
Sang De said that the Old Ghost spent his entire life working on this thing, and now, that did not seem to be a lie. It was amazing enough that an Artifact Refiner could finish refining an artifact that required as much time and energy as this in their lifetime in this damned place.
Only after putting away the Sea King Shuttle did Yang Kai stand up.
Liu Yan and Hua Qing Si had already been waiting for a long time, and Yang Kai didn’t ask them about what happened to Sang De either. The two of them chased after Sang De with a Heaven Grade puppet, so it would be a huge joke if they let him escape.
In fact, Liu Yan and Hua Qing Si only spent half a cup of tea’s time to annihilate Sang De. The rest of the time, the two women spent exploring the island and taking anything of value away.
After placing Liu Yan and Hua Qing Si back into the Sealed World Bead, Yang Kai summoned his own boat artifact to fly back to Clear Sky Island.
Anyone else would not dare to do the same thing he did in the Solitary Void Sealed World, because the amount of Source Qi that would be consumed by flying like this would be too much, and it was also extremely troublesome to have to restore oneself in such a situation. So, no matter which cultivator it was who went out to sea, they would use sea ship artifacts since they weren’t too slow, and they could also conserve Source Qi.
Yang Kai was not worried about this of course as he had countless Source Crystals and the Sealed World Bead. Even if he exhausted his Source Qi, he could just hide in the Sealed World Bead to cultivate for a while to restore his strength.
Now that he had the Sea King Shuttle, he just had to get the location of the exit from either the Ice Heart Pavilion Master or the Clear Sky Island Lord.
Yang Kai didn’t really want to interact with the Clear Sky Island Lord, but the Ice Heart Pavilion Master, on the other hand, he hadn’t had the opportunity to meet yet. Yang Kai felt quite fortunate at this moment that he visited Ice Heart Pavilion before coming to this island and applied to become their Alchemist.
He could be considered hired at the moment, but in the end, the Ice Heart Pavilion Master was still a Third-Order Emperor Realm Master and not someone he could meet as he wished. Even if they did meet, he would still have to keep his guard up if he were to work with a Master like that.
The journey back was peaceful and it didn’t take more than three days before Yang Kai reached the dock at Clear Sky Island.
Many cultivators at the dock who saw him flying all the way back couldn’t help but stare at him, wondering what happened to Yang Kai that caused him to lose both his ship and his companions.
Yang Kai ignored their strange stares and walked into Clear Sky City.
When he arrived at the cave mansion he rented, Yang Kai took out his token to open the barrier and stepped inside. The moment he entered, however, he felt an ominous premonition, so he swiftly raised his hand and palmed towards the void, pushing his Source Qi madly.
*Hong…*
A loud noise sounded, shaking the cave mansion greatly. All the various barriers inside flashed wildly from the impact.
Yang Kai was also struck by a huge force and flew out like a rag doll, spitting out a mouthful of blood in mid-air before landing heavily on the ground.
Emperor Realm!
Yang Kai was shocked. He never would have thought that an Emperor Realm Master would ambush him in his cave mansion! Even though the other party was only a First-Order Emperor and did not use their full strength in this attack, Yang Kai still suffered quite a big loss despite his quick response.
He hurriedly jumped up, wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth, and turned his eyes to the side in rage.
There, the attacker had a shocked look on his face as if he didn’t expect that his sneak attack failed to take Yang Kai’s life. Instead, it gave him the opportunity to slip away. Yang Kai had no idea what the reason was, but this man’s face was pale and looked as if he had suffered a lot of injuries.
“Pang Guang!” After he saw the person’s face, Yang Kai immediately gritted his teeth and snarled.
The ambusher in his cave mansion was none other than Marsh City’s City Lord, Pang Guang who came here with him!
A few days ago, before Yang Kai left Clear Sky City, he bumped into Pang Guang once by chance; however, the two of them had just brushed each other off on that day, neither of them greeting each other, yet now they had run into each other again here.
Staring ahead, Yang Kai’s face turned dark and a dense murderous intent welled up in his heart.
Because at this moment, Pang Guang had his hand on top of Liu Xian Yun’s head, his strength condensed in his palm, as if he could take Liu Xian Yun’s life away at any moment!
Yang Kai had no idea why Pang Guang was here and why he took Liu Xian Yun hostage, but he had to be cautious about this situation lest she be hurt.
With Liu Xian Yun’s life held hostage, her tender body trembled and her pretty face paled. When she saw that Yang Kai had been hurt, she couldn’t help but yell out to him, “Senior Brother…” Her beautiful eyes were filled with worry and anxiety, as well as a strong sense of guilt and self-blame.
That day, before leaving Clear Sky City, Yang Kai had asked if she wanted to follow him, but Liu Xian Yun chose to stay. Now, it seemed like she made the wrong choice. If she had followed Yang Kai, then she would never have been taken hostage and used to threaten him.
The day before, she had only gone out for a while and did not leave far, just visiting the cave mansion of Ling Yin Qin and the others to get herself familiarized with her surroundings. They were going to be neighbours anyway, so it was good to meet them often. In the meantime, it was an opportunity to move about.
But on the way back, she was targeted by Pang Guang, and as soon as she entered the cave mansion, she was subdued.
“I’m fine!” Yang Kai spat out a mouthful of blood and looked at Liu Xian Yun, “He didn’t do anything to you, did he?”
Liu Xian Yun slowly shook her head, “No, he was just waiting for you to come back!”
Yang Kai couldn’t help but feel relieved as he turned a cold glare to Pang Guang and said gloomily, “City Lord Pang, isn’t it a little shameful for you to be doing this?”
Pang Guang coldly snorted, but there was a trace of awkwardness in his expression. Indeed, for an Emperor Realm Master like him to sneak into someone else’s home and hold a girl whose cultivation was much weaker than his own hostage, it would definitely hurt his reputation.
“Little brat, I’ll be straight with you,” Pang Guang said in a deep voice that sounded a little out of breath, “This King came here for one purpose only. Hand over your Heavenly Restoration Lotus and I’ll let her go immediately!”
Yang Kai had the Heavenly Restoration Lotus, a fact Pang Guang had known about since they met in Marsh City. He also knew how precious the Heavenly Restoration Lotus was, otherwise, he wouldn’t have sneakily followed behind Yang Kai and Yao Chang Jun. He intended to find an opportunity to fish in troubled waters, but didn’t expect to encounter the Solitary Void Great Maelstrom and be sucked into this Solitary Void Sealed World.
“You want the Heavenly Restoration Lotus?” Yang Kai raised his brow and swept his eyes over Pang Guang, immediately realizing something and grinned, “City Lord Pang, is your dantian damaged, or is it your Soul?”
The use of the Heavenly Restoration Lotus was to repair a damaged dantian or Soul. Yao Chang Jun fought him for it that day because his Soul was injured, and now, Pang Guang clearly wanted the Heavenly Restoration Lotus for a similar reason.
It was no wonder this guy looked short of breath, it seemed he was heavily injured somehow. He must have fought with some Master which ended in him being badly wounded. Even though Pang Guang was a First-Order Emperor, it was still not easy for him to recover his strength in Clear Sky City as there were no powerful Alchemists here, nor any good Spirit Pills.
Fortunately, he knew that Yang Kai had the Heavenly Restoration Lotus, so he set his sights on him.
Pang Guang originally thought that it would be easy for him to ambush Yang Kai despite his injuries, but he didn’t expect this situation. Yang Kai’s quick reactions and counterattack caused him to fail, so he could only rely on the hostage he took.
“That has nothing to do with you! Hand over the Heavenly Restoration Lotus and this Pang will not make things hard for you!” Pang Guang shouted impatiently.
Yang Kai grinned meaningfully, “Looks like life has been tough for you, City Lord Pang. It does make sense though. For an Emperor Realm Master to suddenly appear on Clear Sky Island, I’m sure everyone knows you’re new here and have many good things on you. You’ve been robbed, haven’t you?”
Yang Kai and Liu Xian Yun were able to enter Clear Sky Island quietly just by having the right identity tokens; nobody would suspect they were newcomers because people with their cultivation were seen frequently. But Pang Guang couldn’t hide his status because there were only a few Emperor Realm cultivators on the island, so for an extra one to appear, if he wasn’t a newcomer, then what was he?
“Enough nonsense, give me the Heavenly Restoration Lotus!” Pang Guang gritted his teeth and shouted, the power in his hand stirring more violently as his expression also turned impatient.
Liu Xian Yun suddenly let out a low cry and her face looked pained and uncomfortable.
“If you dare hurt one hair on my Junior Sister, I’ll snap your back in half!” Yang Kai shouted angrily.
“That’ll depend on whether you’re cooperative or not!” Sweat was gradually spilling from Pang Guang’s forehead. It was clear from a glance that he was badly hurt.
“You want the Heavenly Restoration Lotus, right?” Yang Kai said with a dark face, flipping his hand over as he said, “Have a look and see what I have here?”
Pang Guang immediately looked towards his palm and his eyes became hot. There was the Heavenly Restoration Lotus, white as snow and completely untainted. As soon as Yang Kai took it out, a faint fragrance wafted out into the cave mansion, and the smell that entered his nose lifted Pang Guang’s spirits. Even his injuries seemed to have been relieved considerably.
“Give it to me!” Pang Guang shouted eagerly. As long as he could get his hands on the Heavenly Restoration Lotus, he could quickly restore his injuries without having to worry about any hidden problems being left behind that would affect his foundation in the future.
Yang Kai sneered, then, under Pang Guang’s dumbfounded gaze, he stuffed the Heavenly Restoration Lotus right into his mouth and chewed it up like a cow chewing on grass. He also had a look of overwhelming joy on his face as if he was enjoying a Heavenly delicacy.
*Baji baji…*
Pang Guang was dumbstruck, his entire person freezing in place as if he had been petrified.
While he ate, Yang Kai laughed like a madman, “You want it? Come get it! Come and see if I’ll spit out a mouthful for you to have a taste!”
“You…” Pang Guang almost had a heart attack from this. Even his face had turned pale from anger.
He clearly had a hostage in his hand, but Yang Kai still dared to act so flippantly.
[Is this brat crazy? Does he really not care at all whether his Junior Sister lives or dies?]
While he was thinking these thoughts and his heart was shaken, Yang Kai closed and opened his left eye, suddenly turning it into a golden vertical pupil. The golden pupil flashed as a strange power poured out from it.
Pang Guang shook as his Soul became unstable, seemingly having been affected by this golden glow.
At that moment, Yang Kai had already summoned his Myriads Sword and released a shower of sword light, cutting towards Pang Guang with ruthless momentum.
The Sword Qi was so strong that before the sword even reached Pang Guang, an aura of death was already upon him.
Pang Guang retreated almost subconsciously.
But in the next moment, his heart jumped. He understood what Yang Kai was trying to do. Gritting his teeth, Emperor Qi gushed out of his hand and he clenched fiercely, wanting to kill off Liu Xian Yun first to teach Yang Kai a lesson for angering him.
But unexpectedly, his hand came up empty.
Liu Xian Yun, who was under his grasp just a moment ago, had mysteriously disappeared without a trace. Only a strange energy fluctuation remained while Liu Xian Yun had somehow moved several dozen metres away, avoiding the fatal blow altogether.
“Space Principles!” Pang Guang’s eyes widened as he stared at Yang Kai in shock.
That energy fluctuation just now definitely was from Space Principles. Moreover, they were manipulated extremely skillfully.
[This brat unexpectedly cultivates the Dao of Space, and he can even use Space Principles to instantly teleport other people away… Is this really the strength of a Dao Source Realm cultivator?]
Before Pang Guang could further dwell on the matter, Yang Kai unleashed his Myriads Sword.
This sword attack contained all of Yang Kai’s strength, and even someone in the Emperor Realm like Pang Guang was startled when faced with it. He raised his hand and summoned a butterfly-like defensive artifact.
*Hong…*
There was a large explosion, and the already damaged barriers around the cave mansion finally gave way. Without the protection of the barriers, the violent energy spread all around, causing Yang Kai’s cave mansion to be directly razed to the ground.
*Shua shua…*
In the next moment, two figures shot out from the cave mansion, looking at each other from a distance.
Pang Guang’s face was twisted in rage, “Boy, do you dare to mess with me?!”
Yang Kai preferred to swallow the precious Heavenly Restoration Lotus raw rather than give it to him. This caused his heart to clench in pain.
Yang Kai sneered, “So what? If you have the guts, come and fight me!”
“This King is going to kill you!” Pang Guang howled.
Yang Kai flung back his hair and stood in midair, motionless. It was as if he hadn’t even heard Pang Guang’s words, “City Lord Pang, I suggest you mind your own circumstances first.”
Hearing his words, Pang Guang’s complexion changed and he restlessly began looking around.
When he was in Yang Kai’s cave mansion, it was next to impossible to detect him, but now their fight had caused such a huge commotion, almost every cultivator in Clear Sky City had been alerted.
Cultivators living in the nearby cave mansions were already coming over to check what had happened, and several others were coming from distant places.
Among them, Pang Guang sensed two auras that filled him with apprehension; after all, it was this same duo that had previously joined hands and injured him, forcing him to hide in Yang Kai’s cave mansion to recuperate. Seeing that they were also coming over, Pang Guang had no intention of lingering there. After shooting Yang Kai a wicked glare, he hurried to leave the city.
Soon after Pang Guang left, a crowd of cultivators had surrounded Yang Kai’s cave mansion, pointing at the place and wondering what kind of calamity had taken place there.
Whispers sounded as two figures descended from the sky, their dignified expressions causing the onlookers to look away. The ripples of power emanating from their bodies made it clear that they were both First-Order Emperors.
Yang Kai was also vigilant as he glanced at the two figures.
From the people gossiping beside him, he discovered that one of them was the Profound Cloud Pavilion’s Pavilion Master, while the other was the Free Guild’s Guild Master. Both factions had great influence on the island, mainly due to the Emperor Realm Masters backing them.
From the looks of it, the duo had sensed Pang Guang’s aura, and hurried over. Yang Kai closely observed these two and discovered that they had suffered some injuries as well. It seemed they hadn’t come out unscathed from their fight with Pang Guang.
“Where is he?” The Pavilion Master’s eyes swept the crowd, eventually fixating on Yang Kai.
Yang Kai hurriedly pointed in the direction Pang Guang had escaped to, “He went that way. I ask you two Sirs to take revenge for me! That scoundrel hid in my cave mansion, taking advantage of the fact that I—”
Yang Kai was still speaking when the two First-Order Emperor Realm Masters disappeared from his sight, obviously having no interest in whatever he was saying. These two were only interested in the various cultivation resources that Pang Guang was carrying on his person. If not for that, they wouldn’t have started a fight with another cultivator in the Emperor Realm, even if they outnumbered the enemy.
After the duo was gone, Yang Kai turned around and grabbed Liu Xian Yun, who was lying on the ground, “Let’s move!”
The explosion just now had caused a huge commotion and razed to the ground his rented cave mansion. The City Lord’s Mansion would definitely send someone over to investigate. If they started interrogating him, there were a lot of things that he’d find hard to explain.
Questions like, ‘Why was an Emperor Realm Master hiding in your cave mansion? How did you survive the surprise attack of someone so strong?’
Yang Kai didn’t know how to answer these questions, and had no intention of doing so in the first place.
Therefore, the best course of action was to leave this place altogether.
Sure enough, not even thirty breaths after Yang Kai had left, the Masters from the City Lord’s Mansion rushed over and began asking all around about the owner of the cave mansion, but after failing to discover the owner’s identity, they retreated.
Yang Kai brought Liu Xian Yun to Ice Heart Pavilion and went inside.
“Em? Alchemist Yang!” Fan Xin saw Yang Kai and came over to greet him, a smile on her face, “Did you finish your business?”
“En, sorry for making you worried.” Yang Kai smiled and nodded.
Just as she was about to continue, Fan Xin suddenly stopped, her complexion changing, “Alchemist Yang, how did you get injured?”
Although he survived Pang Guang’s surprise attack, the wound he received in the process was not light. At this moment, Yang Kai was in a rather sorry state.
“There was a small accident,” Yang Kai said with some embarrassment, “I came here in the hope of finding shelter. I was wondering if you could…”
Fan Xin gave Yang Kai a stern look, “Alchemist Yang, was the huge commotion just now in the cave mansion area related to you?”
Yang Kai forced a smile, “Just my bad luck.”
Fan Xin was surprised. She didn’t expect her wild guess to be correct and the revelation left her speechless. There weren’t many people who dared to cause trouble in the Inner City, let alone in the cave mansion area. Only the Heavens knew what Yang Kai had experienced to be in such a sorry state.
“Junior Sister Fan Xin, if our presence is causing you trouble, we’ll leave right away.” Yang Kai saw that she didn’t move away to let him pass, and thought that she didn’t want to get involved in this matter, which disappointed him somewhat.
Fan Xin pursed her lips and smiled, “In our Ice Heart Pavilion, troubles aren’t troubles at all. Since you’re our Ice Heart Pavilion’s Alchemist, where are you supposed to go if not to Ice Heart Pavilion? Please come in with me.”
Yang Kai’s face brightened and hurried to cup his fists, “Many thanks, Junior Sister Fan Xin.”
After entering Ice Heart Pavilion, Yang Kai relaxed. Although this place appeared small and the cultivators here were relatively weak, there was a true Master assuming command here, which made this building far safer than the cave mansion area. As long as he could live here, Yang Kai and Liu Xian Yun wouldn’t have to worry about anything else.
Fan Xin led the pair inside, leaving after making the necessary arrangements for him and Liu Xian Yun.
Yang Kai’s wound looked pretty serious, but his physique was different from ordinary cultivators, so he would recover pretty quickly.
But at this time, he wasn’t in the mood to recuperate. Instead, he took out the jet-black Heavenly Restoration Lotus from the Sealed World Bead.
The Heavenly Restoration Lotus had two blossoms on one stalk, one black and one white. If only one was used, it could heal a damaged dantian or Soul, which wasn’t that Heaven-defying, but if both blossoms were refined into a pill, they could greatly expand a cultivator’s dantian and Knowledge Sea, which was something any cultivator would love.
Even those that had reached the peak of the Third-Order Emperor Realm couldn’t resist such a temptation. The expansion of one’s dantian and Knowledge Sea meant that even their strength would increase!
Previously, Yang Kai had been forced to swallow a Heavenly Restoration Lotus, so he could no longer refine the complete Heavenly Restoration Pill.
And since the deed was already done, he might as well go all the way through with it. Grabbing the black Heavenly Restoration Lotus, Yang Kai threw it into his mouth and swallowed it whole.
Then, he took a handful of herbs from his Space Ring and gobbled them up, all of them auxiliary materials which were originally needed to refine the complete Heavenly Restoration Pill.
As it was already impossible to refine the complete pill, he could only resort to such a crude method to bring forth the effect of the black and white Heavenly Restoration Lotuses. He would use his body as a furnace and his Source Qi as the fire to blend with medicinal efficacies in an attempt to draw out some of the Heavenly Restoration Pill’s efficacy.
Although this would result in a huge waste of herbs, there was nothing Yang Kai could do about it.
Pure medicinal essence exploded in his stomach, transforming into energy that spread to his bones and limbs. In the cultivation chamber, crackling sounds echoed nonstop as Yang Kai stayed focused and didn’t let anything distract him, refining the lotuses wholeheartedly.
He could feel that his dantian and Knowledge Sea were slowly expanding just as they would if he had taken the Heavenly Restoration Pill.
Three days passed in a flash and Yang Kai slowly opened his eyes. He looked full of energy and had the appearance of someone that had raked in great benefits.
He checked the condition of his body and discovered that his wound was now gone. Moreover, his dantian was ten percent bigger compared to three days ago, and his Knowledge Sea was likewise much larger.
With his strength having reached his current realm, it was very hard for him to advance further. He had to put in a lot of effort and needed luck as well, but now he’d only eaten the two Heavenly Restoration Lotuses, and he’d improved so much. The efficacy of the lotuses was truly astonishing.
After returning to his senses, he gritted his teeth and cursed, “That bastard Pang Guang!”
If not because Pang Guang forced him to, Yang Kai would never have eaten the Heavenly Restoration Lotuses raw. Recalling the event caused Yang Kai’s heart to bleed. Getting a glimpse of the Heavenly Restoration Lotus was already hard enough, let alone finding two blossoms like he had. His original plan to refine the complete Heavenly Restoration Pill was now nothing but a lost dream.
Crudely swallowing the two Heavenly Restoration Lotuses brought forth less than a tenth of the efficacy it would have provided compared to refining them into a pill. An Alchemist like Yang Kai could never accept such a tremendous waste.
All of his hatred was directed at Pang Guang.
While he was brooding over this matter, someone knocked on the door to his room.
Yang Kai was surprised, but he quickly reacted and went to open the door.
Fan Xin was standing at the entrance, looking at him with a strange expression.
“Junior Sister Fan Xin, is something the matter?” Yang Kai asked.
“Honoured Master wants to see you.”
“Honoured Master?” Yang Kai furrowed his brow for a moment before his eyes went wide and he asked, “Do you mean Sir Pavilion Master?”
Fan Xin nodded, “Yes. I’m here on Honoured Master’s orders. I am to escort you.”
Yang Kai felt restless. He didn’t expect that this reclusive Ice Heart Pavilion Master would suddenly ask to see him. This was a Third-Order Emperor Realm Master, and although Yang Kai had wanted to meet them to ask about the location of the exit, this sudden request made him restless. He could only wonder as to why he was being summoned so suddenly.
While following her, Yang Kai asked, “Junior Sister Fan Xin, why does Sir Pavilion Master want to see me?”
Fan Xin smiled, “Only Honoured Master knows. I didn’t dare to ask too many questions.”
She was just following orders and had no idea as to why the Pavilion Master wanted to see Yang Kai.
Then, she added, “However, it is very rare for Honoured Master to meet with outsiders. Even us disciples of Ice Heart Pavilion haven’t seen Honoured Master in a long time.”
Towards the end of the sentence, her expression clouded a bit. She admired Yang Kai, despite him being an outsider, for having managed to catch her Honoured Master’s attention.
“In a bit, when you meet with Honoured Master, you should behave yourself and avoid saying things you shouldn’t say. If you anger her, no one on this island will be able to save you,” Fan Xin urged, afraid that Yang Kai might somehow offend her Honoured Master.
“I’ll keep that in mind,” Yang Kai replied, his expression turning serious. Fan Xin’s words made him become a bit tense as he got the feeling that this Ice Heart Pavilion Master wasn’t someone who got along with others. Maybe she was one of those grandmas with a wicked temper.
“Right, how is my Junior Sister doing these days?” Yang Kai remembered Liu Xian Yun and asked about her; after all, he hadn’t seen her ever since they came to Ice Heart Pavilion.
“You don’t need to worry about Junior Sister Liu. She has a gentle disposition, and she’s getting along well with my Junior and Senior Sisters. Since she offered to help us, I allowed her to give us a hand with the pavilion’s matters.”
“That’s good,” Yang Kai sighed in relief. Liu Xian Yun wasn’t the type to stir up trouble, so he didn’t have to worry too much.
While talking, the pair arrived on the sixth floor of Ice Heart Pavilion. Just as Yang Kai had guessed, the mysterious Ice Heart Pavilion Master lived on this floor.
Fan Xin stood at the doorstep and said, “Alchemist Yang, you can go in by yourself. Honoured Master is waiting for you inside.”
“Many thanks!” Yang Kai nodded slightly before opening the door and entering.
Yang Kai didn’t even have time to look around before the door behind him shut with a bang. He did his best to stay calm and swept his surroundings with his gaze.
The area on the sixth floor wasn’t big, but all the decorations seemed to give off a calming aura, giving anyone who stood here a strange peace of mind.
Yang Kai was astonished and moved forward while closely observing the décor, noticing that they were simple yet exquisite. Moreover, a light fragrance lingered in the air, which made him feel as if he’d entered the room of a young girl.
“Are you the new Alchemist?” A pleasant voice echoed from one corner suddenly. The voice was gentle, peaceful, and devoid of worldly feelings. It seemed as though it came from the Heavens, close yet far away.
Yang Kai’s expression changed drastically as he hurriedly looked in the direction the voice had come from.
He didn’t see anyone when he came in, but now he suddenly heard a voice. It was obvious that the cultivation of the other party far exceeded his own, which made it impossible for him to detect them.
If this mysterious woman had wanted to harm him, there would have been nothing he could’ve done to resist. Thinking of the consequences, Yang Kai broke out in a cold sweat.
After taking a look in the direction the voice had come from, Yang Kai saw a young woman in an elegant dress calmly standing there.
The woman looked at him coldly. Just like her voice, she seemed devoid of worldly aura, no different from a flawless white lotus.
The first impression that Yang Kai had of this young woman was purity. Pure like the cleanest water of a lake. He was surprised to discover that such a pure and flawless woman existed in this world.
For some reason, he also found everything about her somewhat familiar. Not only her aura of purity, but even her appearance as well. He felt as if he had seen her somewhere before. Then, an image from the distant past flashed in his mind, but when he tried to grasp on to it, he failed to do so.
Seeing Yang Kai staring at her in a daze, the young woman furrowed her delicate brow and raised her hand, preparing to admonish him.
She was well aware of how her appearance affected the men around her. Since she began cultivating, such a scene had played out countless times and she was well aware of the impure thoughts in the hearts of men who laid their eyes on her like this.
She believed Yang Kai to be the same.
However, she soon discovered that this wasn’t the case. Although Yang Kai was staring at her without blinking, there was no lust in his eyes, he was merely dazzled by her and had fallen into a kind of reminiscence as well as confusion.
She could understand why he would be dazzled by her beauty, but what about the confusion and nostalgia?
The longing in his gaze was almost palpable as he seemed to be thinking about someone dear to him from his gentle expression.
The young woman quietly took back her hand and instead lightly coughed.
Yang Kai was startled, but he quickly returned to his senses, his face reddening as he realized that he’d been rudely staring at this woman. Moreover, it was very likely that this woman was the mysterious Ice Heart Pavilion Master.
Beads of sweat appeared on his forehead as he hurriedly cupped his fists and said, “Yes, that would be me. May I ask if Senior is… Ice Heart Pavilion’s Pavilion Master?”
He still couldn’t believe that this pure and flawless young woman was the Pavilion Master, as he was convinced just a moment ago that she would be a Grandma with a feisty temper. Expectations and reality really differed too greatly!
The young woman nodded, “This Queen is indeed the Pavilion Master.”
Yang Kai hurried to say, “Junior Yang Kai pays his respects to Senior and apologizes for his previous rudeness.”
The woman kept silent but was pleased with Yang Kai acknowledging his mistake and apologizing without trying to dodge responsibility. As such, she decided not to press the case further. If she had really been angry about it, she would’ve punished him already.
“Who were you thinking about just now?” She asked after a short pause.
Yang Kai replied without raising his head, “Junior was thinking about his wife.”
“Why? Do this Queen and your wife look similar?”
If not for this reason, why would Yang Kai think about his wife after seeing her?
She was speaking calmly, her voice devoid of any kind of anger or accusation, yet Yang Kai still felt enormous pressure.
Wiping the sweat from his forehead and said gingerly, “Senior’s appearance is different from Junior’s wife, but your auras are very similar. Both are pure and stainless, moreover…” Yang Kai smiled lightly, “Just like Senior, she is ice-cold, similar to an ice fairy.”
When speaking of Su Yan, Yang Kai’s tone filled with warmth and he couldn’t help smiling.
“An ice fairy…” The young woman seemed to be amused by the comparison, the corners of her mouth lifting slightly.
“Ah?!” Yang Kai suddenly gasped and raised his head and looked at the young woman again, his eyes full of shock.
“What now?” The young woman frowned, dissatisfied with his sudden outburst. This boy was once again rudely staring at her; moreover, he was looking at her as if he’d seen a ghost.
“Senior…” Yang Kai gulped hard as his expression turned into one of anxiety, “Junior would like to ask you something. I wonder if Senior would be willing to reply.”
“Speak.”
Yang Kai hesitated, seemingly considering his choice of words. After a short silence, he gritted his teeth and asked, “By any chance, is Senior’s name ‘Bing Yun’?”
The young woman furrowed her brow and asked coldly, “How do you know that?”
It was impossible that her disciples had told Yang Kai her name, and no one else on the island knew it, so how did this young man come to know this piece of information?
Yang Kai didn’t reply, but his expression turned into one of excitement and he took a step forward, asking in a low voice, “Senior, you are the Ancestral Founder of Ice Heart Valley, yes? The Sect in which you left Profound Frost.”
Bing Yun was surprised, “How can you know so much? Are you from the Northern Territory?”
“Northern Territory?” Yang Kai frowned, slowly shaking his head, “Junior comes from the Southern Territory. I have never been to the Northern Territory.”
Bing Yun’s interest was piqued, “If you have never been to the Northern Territory, how can you know my name or of Ice Heart Valley? No, that’s not right…” Her body suddenly shook, and a strange light flashed across her eyes.
She looked at Yang Kai fixedly and murmured, “Even if you were from the Northern Territory and had seen this Queen’s statue in Ice Heart Valley, allowing you to know my name and my relationship with Ice Heart Valley, it is still impossible for you to know about Profound Frost. After all, I left Profound Frost in ‘that’ place a long time ago!”
Then, she gave a shout, “Unless you…”
Yang Kai grinned, his whole body relaxing.
Bing Yun also showed a rare smile, “You come from Heng Luo Star Field, right?”
Yang Kai scratched his head, “Heng Luo Star Field? I’m not sure about the name of my native Star Field, but there is a Sect with huge influence called Heng Luo Chamber of Commerce there.”
“Do the Sword Alliance, Purple Star, and Galaxy Ridge still exist?” Bing Yun asked.
“Yes, yes, and yes.” Yang Kai nodded repeatedly.
Bing Yun couldn’t help but laugh lightly, “You really are from Heng Luo Star Field. I can’t believe I’ve met someone from my native Star Field after so many years.”
“Junior also did not expect to bump into Senior Bing Yun in this place.” Yang Kai was just as surprised, sighing with emotion.
As soon as he laid his eyes on Bing Yun, he found her familiar; however, he couldn’t remember where he had seen her until the conversation shifted to Su Yan.
It turned out he really had seen Bing Yun in the past, despite it being only a statue and not the real person. Back then, Su Yan had joined Ice Heart Valley on Scarlet Wave Star, where she cultivated for quite some time. Yang Kai had seen Bing Yun’s statue when he went there looking for Su Yan.
Bing Yun was the Ancestral Founder of Ice Heart Valley, but her life and death, or even whereabouts, were unknown. The current Valley Master, Bing Long, had told Yang Kai that Ancestral Founder Bing Yun had possibly left their Star Field and ascended to a higher world, only leaving behind Profound Frost, the Sect’s Supreme Artifact.
Later on, Profound Frost was inherited by Su Yan.
Calculating the time, over ten thousand years should have passed since Bing Yun founded Ice Heart Valley.
Who could’ve thought that she was still alive and had arrived in Star Boundary, cultivating all the way to the Third-Order Emperor Realm!
I think her name sorta spoils it too much…
Bing Long’s guess turned out to be correct. Ancestral Founder Bing Yun didn’t die and had indeed ascended to a higher world. And now, she was standing in front of Yang Kai!
Ice Heart Valley was once Su Yan’s Master Sect, and Bing Yun was the founder of Ice Heart Valley. For this reason, Yang Kai felt some intimacy towards her and was no longer as tense as before around her.
Although Bing Yun’s expression was still icy, her beautiful eyes seemed much gentler. Even for her, it was very hard to meet someone from her native Star Field.
“Sit down, this Queen has many things she wants to ask you,” Bing Yun pointed at a nearby chair.
“Yes,” Yang Kai cupped his fists and obediently sat down.
Over the next two hours, Bing Yun asked Yang Kai a lot of things related to Scarlet Wave Star and Ice Heart Valley. Yang Kai didn’t leave anything out, and he told her everything he knew. From his relationship with Su Yan to what they’d experienced in Ice Heart Valley.
After listening, Bing Yun kept silent for a long time.
She was the founder of Ice Heart Valley, and although she’d long ago reached this Star Boundary and not visited home since then, the feelings she had for her Sect did not disappear.
After hearing that the current Ice Heart Valley only had a single First-Order Origin King, she sighed with emotion.
Back in her time, Ice Heart Valley was the sole overlord of Scarlet Wave Star and her Sect was famous throughout the entire Heng Luo Star Field, possessing countless Masters and incredible influence. But now, ten thousand years later, Ice Heart Valley was just a shadow of its former self. Bing Yun couldn’t help becoming a bit sentimental after hearing the news.
Nonetheless, she was a Third-Order Emperor Realm Master, and was not shaken so easily. She was well aware that no Sect could prosper forever, and that decline was inevitable. The fact that Ice Heart Valley continued to exist after all this time was also something worth celebrating; it was the fruit of the later generations’ effort.
“Senior, back then, how did you leave our native Star Field and arrive here?” Yang Kai hurried to change the topic after seeing her melancholic expression.
Bing Yun pursed her lips and smiled, “It happened by chance. This Queen entered a Sealed World, and when I managed to escape, I found myself in this Star Boundary. What about you?”
Yang Kai scratched his head, “Several friends and I borrowed the might of the Star Emperor Tokens the Starry Sky Great Emperor left behind and opened the Starlight Channel to the Star Boundary.”
“The Starry Sky Great Emperor?” Bing Yun furrowed her brow, which made her look very cute.
Seeing her expression, Yang Kai realized that there was no ‘Starry Sky Great Emperor’ during her time and started explaining.
After listening to the explanation, Bing Yun nodded, “I didn’t expect that such a Master would pass by such a small place. Still, I’ve never heard of this Yang Yan you speak of.”
“I’m clueless as to where she is right now or what her cultivation is.” Yang Kai forced a smile.
After arriving in this Star Boundary, while he hadn’t actively looked for clues related to her, Yang Kai also never heard of any ‘Great Emperor Yang Yan.’ At the very least, there was no one with that name among the Ten Great Emperors.
At the same time, Yang Kai recalled Lin Yun’er. Back when Yang Yan left Shadowed Star, she took Lin Yun’er off with her. So many years had passed, and Yang Kai couldn’t help but wonder how that little girl was doing.
She was just a silly little girl at that time, but after so many years, she should’ve already become a pretty young woman, right?
“If there’s fate, you’ll meet again,” Bing Yun said gently.
Yang Kai nodded in agreement. Fate was truly a marvellous thing, and it was not something that could be understood or explained. If there was no fate, no matter how hard one tried, nothing would come out of it, but if there was fate, one could reunite even if they didn’t do anything.
The fact that Yang Kai could meet Bing Yun in this Solitary Void Sealed World was also a kind of fate.
“Ah, yes, Senior, why did you summon me here today?” Before coming here, Yang Kai was still worried about what this reclusive Ice Heart Pavilion Master would ask of him, but now, he was completely relaxed.
“It’s very difficult to find a Dao Source Grade Alchemist on the island. You’re likely the only person this Queen could find. I wanted to ask you how much time you’d need to advance if you’re provided with the necessary materials,” Bing Yun said.
“Advance to become a Dao Source Grade High-Rank Alchemist?” Yang Kai raised his brow, quickly understanding something and asking, “Senior, do you want me to refine a certain kind of pill?”
Bing Yun nodded, “Correct. The pill this Queen wants to refine is of very high grade. If your Alchemy skills aren’t high enough, you might fail.”
“Senior, what pill do you want me to refine?”
“The Hundred Revolutions Emperor Yuan Pill!”
After hearing this, Yang Kai frowned.
He was an Emperor Grade Alchemist, so he naturally knew about the Hundred Revolutions Emperor Yuan Pill. It was a kind of pill that Masters in the Emperor Realm used to restore their Emperor Qi.
A Low-Rank Emperor Yuan Pill allowed the consumer to recover ten percent of their Qi within a short period, a Mid-Rank one twenty percent, and a High-Rank one thirty percent. Moreover, the time this recovery required was very short.
But due to Emperor Realm Masters having plenty of Emperor Qi, they rarely used this kind of pill. Moreover, it wasn’t easy to refine, so there was next to no market for this Spirit Pill.
Yang Kai was surprised to know that Bing Yun wanted him to refine the Hundred Revolutions Emperor Yuan Pill and couldn’t understand why she needed one.
Just as he was about to tell her the truth about his Alchemical skills, Bing Yun’s expression suddenly changed.
She lifted her head and looked in a certain direction, then hurriedly called out to Yang Kai, “Come here!”
Her hand grabbed at Yang Kai from a distance and a powerful suction force spread from her palm. Without any opportunity to resist, Yang Kai was dragged in front of her.
She then patted her seat, causing a small secret compartment to appear. She then stuffed Yang Kai in and warned him, “Conceal your aura and hold your breath. Unless this Queen tells you, don’t come out! Don’t do anything that would reveal your presence!”
Yang Kai had no idea what was happening, but seeing Bing Yun’s anxious expression, he knew that it was nothing good. No matter what, she was a Third-Order Emperor Realm Master, and there weren’t many people who could cause her to be this cautious.
As it wasn’t the time to ask questions, Yang Kai curled up in the secret compartment and used his Nihility Secret Technique to conceal his aura.
*Peng…*
The secret compartment closed and Bing Yun sat on it cross-legged while using some kind of technique to further isolate Yang Kai’s presence.
She was afraid that his cultivation wasn’t high enough and that any aura-concealing technique he used wouldn’t be sufficient, but after a quick check, she discovered that Yang Kai’s whole body had become illusory, just as if he’d entered a different space. Even with her Divine Sense, she found it hard to sense him despite the short distance between them. Sensing this, she finally relaxed. It seemed she’d underestimated Yang Kai’s abilities.
In the next moment, a figure flashed and appeared inside the room. This figure wore a smile on his face and cupped his fists, saying in a refined manner, “Junior Sister Bing Yun, I haven’t seen you in three months, but your bearing is as impeccable as ever. Such poise brings me great joy.”
In the secret compartment, Yang Kai was startled.
He didn’t know who this person was, but he sure was audacious. He even dared to refer to Bing Yun as ‘Junior Sister’! Truly someone who did not fear the Heavens!
Still, there could be only one person on Clear Sky Island that had the qualifications to call Bing Yun this way.
Clear Sky Island’s Island Master, Chi Ri!
After realizing the identity of the other party, Yang Kai understood why Bing Yun was so vigilant.
Still, what was Chi Ri doing here in Ice Heart Pavilion? Moreover, what was the relationship between these two Third-Order Emperor Realm Masters? After all, as soon as she realized he was coming here, Bing Yun had stuffed Yang Kai in the secret compartment.
At this time, the only thing Yang Kai was sure of was that Bing Yun seemed to be wary of Chi Ri.
Just as he was in deep thought, Bing Yun’s calm voice echoed, “Chi Ri, are you here for another attempt?”
Chi Ri laughed loudly, “Life on the island is pretty boring, and only Junior Sister Bing Yun can pique my interest. Since you gave me this test, I’ll do my best to complete it. The faster I can win the beauty, the faster we can build our nest!”
Hearing his words, Yang Kai’s facial muscles twitched. Now he could more or less guess why Chi Ri had come here. It seemed he was attracted to Bing Yun.
This wasn’t too surprising, though. On the whole Clear Sky Island, only Bing Yun could stand on an equal footing with him. As if that wasn’t enough, she was also beautiful, pure, and flawless. Even a Master like Chi Ri would be moved by her appearance.
In any case, Bing Yun seemed to have given Chi Ri some sort of test, which he had yet to complete, so he hadn’t captured the beauty’s heart yet.
Nevertheless, Yang Kai felt that even if Chi Ri completed the test, Bing Yun wouldn’t marry him. Bing Yun had been alive for over ten thousand years, during which time she must have met countless capable men that were interested in her. If she’d wanted to settle down, she would’ve done so already. There was no way she’d be waiting for someone like Chi Ri.
Yang Kai was also privy to the fact that a lot of Ice Heart Valley’s Secret Arts required the user to retain their purity. As the Ancestral Founder of Ice Heart Valley, Bing Yun must cultivate several such Arts.
In short, this seemed to be a story of unrequited love. Even Yang Kai could feel Bing Yun’s cold and hostile attitude, so there was no way Chi Ri couldn’t.
Bing Yun coldly snorted, “If that’s the case, come forth!”
Silence fell in the room.
Yang Kai didn’t dare to release his Divine Sense or reveal his aura. Therefore, he was oblivious as to what was happening outside.
A moment later though, the silence was broken by a series of howls. Yang Kai could feel that an incredible clash taking place inside the room.
Even if he was hiding in the secret compartment, he was panic-stricken, afraid that some of the energy would leak out and destroy the walls of his hiding spot. If that happened, he would have nowhere to hide.
The fight didn’t last long though, and after just a few breaths it abruptly came to an end.
Bing Yun’s cold voice echoed, “It spilled.”
Chi Ri sounded annoyed, “So close… This King almost managed to drink a cup of tea prepared by Junior Sister Bing Yun. How unfortunate!”
“Please leave!” With no trace of politeness, Bing Yun sent the uninvited guest out.
Chi Ri didn’t seem to mind BingYun’s cold attitude; it only served to increase his interest. He said with a smile, “In that case, this King will no longer disturb Junior Sister. One month later, this King will come again. At that time, I’ll not disappoint you!”
He laughed loudly and disappeared from where he was standing.
Bing Yun sat cross-legged with a sullen expression.
After a long time, she stretched out her hand and knocked on the secret compartment, “You can come out now.”
Hearing her words, Yang Kai hurried to get out. He looked around, but the room was still in perfect condition, seemingly not having been affected at all by the clash of the two Third-Order Emperor Realm Masters. This left him shocked as he’d clearly felt waves upon waves of energy clash against one another earlier. Yet, he couldn’t find a single trace of the battle. Whether it was Bing Yun or Chi Ri, clearly their control over their strength had reached an extraordinary level.
On the nearby table was a teacup filled to the brim with water, with quite a bit of it having spilled out.
“Senior, that Chi Ri…” Yang Kai was about to say something but stopped.
Bing Yun sighed, “You must’ve gotten the gist of the situation. Chi Ri seems to be… interested in this Queen.”
“That old bastard is just a toad lusting after swan meat!” Yang Kai said angrily.
Seeing Yang Kai defending her, Bing Yun smiled lightly, “That might not be the case. Chi Ri has some skills, and this Queen is not his opponent as of now.”
Yang Kai was startled, “Senior, if it was a fight to the death, what odds do you have of winning?”
Bing Yun furrowed her brow, falling in thought, “Less than thirty percent.” She sighed and added, “He is Clear Sky Island’s Island Lord, and he controls all the cultivation resources here. Even if his cultivation has dropped in the past few years, this Queen’s has dropped even further. If I were at my peak, I wouldn’t be afraid of him, but now, the difference between us just keeps increasing!”
Yang Kai realized what was happening.
The Solitary Void Sealed World was filled with rich World Energy, but this World Energy was not suitable for cultivation. If one stayed in this place for too long, their strength would start waning regardless of their cultivation, but thanks to his position, Chi Ri could get his hands on much more cultivation resources than Bing Yun. This caused his regression to be slower, leading to Bing Yun no longer being his opponent.
“But even for him, it is impossible to easily take down this Queen. Therefore, a hundred years ago, we reached an agreement.”
“What kind of agreement?” Yang Kai asked out of curiosity.
Bing Yun pointed at the teacup on the nearby table, “If he is able to snatch this teacup from under this Queen’s nose and drink it without spilling a single drop of water, this Queen will be at his mercy, but if he fails, he must leave.”
Yang Kai looked at the teacup, as well as at the water that had spilled on the table, finally understanding why Bing Yun was talking about something spilling earlier.
These two Masters were fighting over this cup of tea, but Chi Ri fell short at the last moment and was defeated.
Bing Yun frowned, “He used to come here once every few years at first, but recently, he seems to be losing his patience. It has been only three months since his last visit, and he was pretty difficult to deal with this time. When he comes back in a month, I’m not sure if I can handle him.”
Reaching this conclusion, she couldn’t help but get a little worried.
When she made that agreement with Chi Ri, she was already at her wits’ end. As they were both Third-Order Emperor Realms, they couldn’t just start fighting; after all, if they battled using all their strength, the entire island would be razed to the ground.
Moreover, she had to think about her disciples. She wasn’t afraid of offending Chi Ri, but who would protect her disciples if a fight broke out?
This agreement was able to buy her a hundred years, but it wouldn’t last forever.
“In addition, Chi Ri is very narrow-minded. If he were to see the two of us together, he might start making things difficult for you.”
Yang Kai finally understood why Bing Yun had stuffed him in the secret compartment earlier. Chi Ri was a jealous man, and if he were to see Bing Yun together with a young man, he might get the wrong idea.
He hadn’t even succeeded in capturing the beauty’s heart, but he already treated Bing Yun as his private property. It seemed that Clear Sky Island’s Island Lord was a shameless person, only caring about his happiness while disregarding that of others.
“Senior, what is your plan?” Hearing that she wasn’t sure if she could handle Chi Ri when he came back in a month, Yang Kai got a little anxious.
“My plan is to find someone who could help me refine the Hundred Revolutions Emperor Yuan Pill!” Bing Yun said in a deep voice, “With enough such pills, this Queen can leave Clear Sky Island and the Solitary Void Sealed World, no longer having to worry about Chi Ri.”
“Leave the Solitary Void Sealed World?” Yang Kai’s body shook and realized something, quickly asking, “Senior, are you planning to fly until you reach the exit?”
Sang De had mentioned that the exit was very far from Clear Sky Island. Even if a Third-Order Emperor Realm Master knew its location, it wasn’t guaranteed that they could reach it. The biggest reason was that they wouldn’t have enough energy to complete the trip.
Flying above the sea required a lot of energy, and if one didn’t find a way to replenish their strength along the way, they would eventually exhaust their strength.
However, one couldn’t just take a break while flying above the sea, nor could they use Source Crystals.
They could only use pills, and the Hundred Revolutions Emperor Yuan Pill happened to be the best choice!
Yang Kai finally understood why Bing Yun wanted the Hundred Revolutions Emperor Yuan Pill. It was to recover her energy at the critical moment!
“You know about the location of the exit?” It was now Bing Yun’s turn to be surprised.
Yang Kai shook his head, “I don’t. I’ve only heard some rumours.”
“From whom did you hear such rumours? From what this Queen knows, only three people are aware of its location. One of them is me, one is Chi Ri, and the last one is missing.”
Yang Kai grinned, “This last person Senior mentioned should be Sang De’s Master. A few days ago…”
He then started to narrate what he, Sang De, and the others encountered when they went to sea.
After listening to the story, Bing Yun’s beautiful eyes brightened and she looked at Yang Kai in a daze, “Is the Sea King Shuttle in your possession?”
“Yes. It’s not too convenient to take it out here, but I have it with me.”
“Is this the will of the Heavens?” Bing Yun muttered. If it wasn’t the will of the Heavens, how could she and Yang Kai, two people from Heng Luo Star Field, meet in this place? If it wasn’t fate, how could Yang Kai get his hands on the Sea King Shuttle at such a critical moment?
At first, she was just happy to be able to meet someone from her native Star Field. Yang Kai gave her a good impression, and if he were a woman, she’d have accepted him into Ice Heart Valley immediately.
But now, he gave her an even bigger surprise. Even someone as calm and composed as Bing Yun had started to become excited.
With the Sea King Shuttle, she no longer needed the Hundred Revolutions Emperor Yuan Pill! She could simply ride the shuttle until the exit, which was much safer than flying there.
She had also been worrying about how to take her disciples with her, but now it was no longer a problem.
“Sang De’s Master suddenly went missing a thousand years ago. This Queen and Chi Ri tried to find out what had happened, but we didn’t have any luck. We thought he’d died, but little did we expect that he was actually hiding outside, secretly refining the Sea King Shuttle. In the end, he still ended up toiling for the sake of others, it seems,” Bing Yun sighed.
She knew that Sang De’s Master had gone into hiding because he was afraid that Chi Ri would capture him, forcing him to refine an artifact like the Sea King Shuttle. Although he had to refine the shuttle anyway, doing so by his own free will was different from being forced by someone else.
At the same time, the reason Ice Heart Pavilion collected so many raw materials was that Bing Yun wanted to train an Alchemist capable of refining the Hundred Revolutions Emperor Yuan Pill.
Over the past few years, she’d spent a lot of resources to gather the necessary herbs. It was a pity that none of the Alchemists met her requirements. Finally, she found Yang Kai and decided to stake everything on him, making him refine the pill regardless of success or failure, but now, it was no longer necessary.
Yang Kai scratched his head, “Part of the reason I came to Ice Heart Pavilion was to inquire about the exit’s location; however, Senior’s strength is too high, so Junior didn’t dare to state this explicitly.”
Bing Yun smiled faintly, “It is natural for you to be cautious, don’t let it concern you.”
Yang Kai was just a Third-Order Dao Source Realm cultivator, so it was normal for him to be wary about seeking Bing Yun’s cooperation.
“I have the Sea King Shuttle, and Senior knows the exit’s location. It seems everything is prepared. We can set out at any time,” Yang Kai said with excitement. He didn’t expect that everything would go this smoothly. At first, he thought of letting things take their natural course, but after becoming privy to Bing Yun’s background, he no longer had any misgivings.
“I’m afraid it’s not going to be that easy to leave!” Bing Yun frowned.
“Why?” Yang Kai was puzzled.
“If I leave Clear Sky Island, Chi Ri will definitely come to know of it. And if I were to cut all ties with him…” Bing Yun seemed dejected.
If she got into a fight with Chi Ri, she wasn’t sure she could escape unscathed.
Yang Kai fell into thought, “Senior, you said that the reason you aren’t Chi Ri’s opponent is that your cultivation has regressed faster than his, correct?”
“Yes. If we were both at our peaks, I’d be on par with him.”
The corner of Yang Kai’s mouth rose, “In that case, what if I could allow Senior to return to her prime within a short period?”
Bing Yun’s body shook, “How are you planning on doing so? This Queen will need a massive amount of resources to recover her strength. Given your current…”
“Senior, take a look at this,” Yang Kai took out a Space Ring and threw it to Bing Yun.
Bing Yun caught the ring and swept it with her Divine Sense, her expression changing drastically a moment later as she exclaimed, “Where did you find so many Source Crystals?”
The Space Ring had nothing but Source Crystals in it, a whole ten million High-Rank Source Crystals!
Although it wasn’t her first time seeing such a large number of Source Crystals, this amount was enough to shake the entire Clear Sky Island.
Even Chi Ri shouldn’t have this many Source Crystals.
“Senior, I’ll be honest with you. I’ve only been in this Solitary Void Sealed World for a few months. These were brought from the outside by me.”
“You’ve been here for only a few months?!” Bing Yun was truly startled this time. In such a short period, Yang Kai was able to get his hands on the Sea King Shuttle, something that she and Chi Ri had been trying to obtain for a millennium. This was enough to drive one crazy!
Yang Kai had been there for only a few months, yet in this short period, he obtained the Sea King Shuttle and gave Bing Yun all these Source Crystals to recover her strength. It was almost as if he’d come here just to save her!
Perhaps it was really the Heavens’ will!
Bing Yun held the Space Ring tightly, and after recovering from her initial shock, she asked, “Is it really okay for you to give me so many Source Crystals? How about I take only half of these—”
Before she could finish, Yang Kai waved his hand and said with a smile, “Senior, don’t worry. I’m not short of Source Crystals.”
If it was another Third-Order Dao Source Realm cultivator, it’d be impossible for them to produce 10 million High-Rank Source Crystals all at once. After all, that was equivalent to 100 billion Low-Rank Source Crystals if converted!
However, Yang Kai was different as he had plenty of Source Crystals. When he defeated Yao Chang Jun, he obtained a large amount of wealth, which increased even further after he dealt with Sang De.
As such, parting with 10 million High-Rank Source Crystals was something he could bear.
Hearing his words, Bing Yun no longer rejected his offer, simply nodding and saying, “Give me five days. We can set out at that time. Moreover, we have to discuss how we’re going to leave the island carefully.”
She wanted to leave Clear Sky Island immediately, but she knew she had to act carefully to not make a scene. What’s more, she definitely couldn’t leave together with Yang Kai. If Chi Ri got wind of it, he’d try to stop them by any means necessary.
“Good. In that case, I’ll take this time to make some preparations,” Yang Kai nodded, “Senior, how many sets of materials have you collected for the Hundred Revolutions Emperor Yuan Pill? I can refine some for you just in case.”
Bing Yun was startled, “You’re capable of refining the Hundred Revolutions Emperor Yuan Pill? It’s an Emperor Grade Spirit Pill!”
Yang Kai let out an embarrassed laugh, “Senior, forgive my earlier deception; Junior isn’t a Dao Source Grade Mid-Rank Alchemist, but an Emperor Grade Alchemist.”
Back then, he had no idea about her identity or character or why she was looking for an Alchemist, so he didn’t reveal the full extent of his abilities, but now that they’d gotten to know each other, Yang Kai no longer felt the need to hide this detail.
“An Emperor Grade Alchemist?” Bing Yun’s eyes brightened as she asked in amazement, “Are you telling the truth?”
Yang Kai was very young, but his cultivation was already quite high. Bing Yun had totally not expected that he was an Emperor Grade Alchemist on top of that!
Even if one took the entire Star Boundary into account, there weren’t many Emperor Grade Alchemists. They were rarer than Emperor Realm Masters and commanded far more respect! Yang Kai’s status as an Emperor Grade Alchemist would be enough to cause all the top-tier Sects to fight to the death over him.
While looking at Yang Kai, a tinge of regret flashed in Bing Yun’s eyes.
“Is something the matter?” Yang Kai read her mood and couldn’t understand why she felt regretful.
Bing Yun pursed her lips and smiled, “If you were a woman, I would’ve accepted you as a disciple, making you inherit this Queen’s full legacy. Unfortunately, Ice Heart Valley never accepts male disciples.”
Yang Kai scratched his head, “Junior is moved by your kindness.”
Bing Yun could talk so openly because she didn’t consider him an outsider; after all, the two came from the same Star Field, which was a shared bond that was impossible to break.
“The materials for the Hundred Revolutions Emperor Yuan Pill aren’t easy to find. After searching for many years, this Queen only has ten sets. I’ll give them all to you.” Bing Yun took out some precious herbs and handed them to Yang Kai.
These herbs were once her best hope at leaving this place, but after acquiring all these Source Crystals from Yang Kai, she no longer had much use for them. Whether or not the pill could be refined, it had little to no impact on the next phase of the plan. The reason Yang Kai decided to give it a try was just for extra insurance in case something unexpected happened.
After leaving Bing Yun’s chambers, Yang Kai immediately started to refine the Hundred Revolutions Emperor Yuan Pill.
He hadn’t refined many Emperor Grade Spirit Pills, but practice makes perfect. After wasting two sets of materials, he finally got the hang of it.
Three days later, eight of the ten sets of materials had been refined successfully. The first few pills were of low quality and were barely considered a success, but the ones Yang Kai refined towards the end were pretty good, with a few High-Grade Hundred Revolutions Emperor Yuan Pills among them.
There weren’t many pills in total, but it was more than enough.
There were two days left until their appointment, so Yang Kai didn’t waste time and headed toward the cave mansion area after urging Liu Xian Yun not to leave Ice Heart Pavilion.
Arriving in front of an average-looking cave mansion, Yang Kai announced his arrival and after a while, the barrier opened and Lin Yin Qin came out and waved at Yang Kai, “Come in.”
Yang Kai nodded and followed after her.
This cave mansion was almost the same as the one he’d rented before. Whether it was the number of rooms or the size, it was basically identical.
Ling Yin Qin offered him a cup of spirit tea and asked, “What happened a few days ago? There was a fight in your cave mansion and when I went to check the place, everything was a mess. Moreover, you and Liu Xian Yun were nowhere to be seen.”
Hearing that Ling Yin Qin had gone to check on him, Yang Kai’s heart warmed and he felt that coming here had been the correct choice.
“Someone troublesome came looking for me, so I escaped,” Yang Kai grinned, not explaining further.
Ling Yin Qin furrowed her brows, “I’ve heard people say that an Emperor Realm Master took action that day. Was the person troubling you really an Emperor?” Then, her expression changed slightly, and she exclaimed, “Don’t tell me that it was the Profound Cloud Pavilion’s Pavilion Master!”
She thought that the death of the Profound Cloud Pavilion’s people at sea was exposed and her face paled a bit.
“No, it was someone else,” Yang Kai shook his head. “Anyways, it’s water under the bridge now, so you don’t need to worry. The reason I came this time is that I wanted to ask you something.”
“How can I help you this time?”
She didn’t even ask what it was about and just directly asked how she could help. Truly heartwarming.
Yang Kai’s expression turned serious, “Senior Sister Ling, do you want to leave the Solitary Void Sealed World?”
“Leave this place?” Ling Yin Qin was startled and a longing expression flashed across her eyes, but soon, she smiled bitterly and shook her head, “Which one of the several million inhabitants of Clear Sky City doesn’t want to leave? However, even Sir Island Lord is trapped here, how could it be so easy to leave?”
“Just reply to my question. Do you want to leave?” Yang Kai said seriously.
“Let’s say that the thought has crossed my mind.” Then, she seemingly thought of something and looked at Yang Kai in surprise, “Why are you asking me this question? What do you want to do?”
Yang Kai said seriously, “If I were to tell you that I know how to leave this place, would you believe me?”
“You do?” She looked at Yang Kai in disbelief.
She was different from the others, as she was the first person that Yang Kai and Liu Xian Yun had met after coming to the Solitary Void Sealed World. Therefore, she knew their background a bit, as well as that they hadn’t been here for long.
If someone who had come here not too long ago told you that they knew how to leave the place, it would be hard to believe them.
If it was so easy to leave, those powerful Masters wouldn’t have been trapped here for so many years.
After a short moment, Ling Yin Qin furrowed her brows and asked, “Did someone deceive you? This island is full of swindlers, and they frequently trick people into heading out to sea with such lies only to afterwards commit all sorts of outrageous crimes. You should be careful.”
Yang Kai failed to stifle his laughter, “No one has deceived me. I am eighty percent certain that I can leave this place.”
“Eighty percent?” Ling Yin Qin’s tender body trembled and her eyes bulged wide.
She didn’t know much about Yang Kai as they’d only met a few times, so she didn’t dare to believe him right off the bat.
Yang Kai continued, “Junior Sister and I haven’t been in this place for long, but you, Brother Jiao, and the others helped us quite a bit, so I was thinking of taking you along when we leave.”
Regardless of the High-Rank Spirit Purifying Array working or not, the fact that Ling Yin Qin was willing to lend it to him was enough to show her good character. And, even if the array was ultimately damaged, she didn’t blame Yang Kai. As such, he wanted to take her and her crew along if possible.
“Big Sister Ling, it’s normal for you to be sceptical. I also wasn’t expecting that you’d believe me right away, but if you’re willing to put your trust in me, I can assure you that you won’t be disappointed! Still, regardless of your choice, Junior Sister and I will be leaving in two days.” Yang Kai finished his sentence and stood up.
He’d only come here to invite her, as for what she decided to do in the end, that was up to her; after all, it wasn’t like he could forcefully drag her away in order to repay a debt.
Ling Yin Qin didn’t even notice when Yang Kai left. Hearing his words, she’d fallen in a dilemma. Her intuition told her that Yang Kai wasn’t lying, and that he really knew how to leave this place. Still, they hadn’t known each other for long, and she had no idea from where he’d gotten his information or if the method to leave was even viable.
If she blindly believed his words, she’d be gambling with her crew’s lives. The pressure she felt was enormous.
In the end, she decided that it was best to listen to what the others had to say so she grabbed her communication artifact and asked her crew to gather.
The remaining two days flew by.
Early in the morning, Yang Kai arrived at the dock with several women.
Among them were Liu Xian Yun, Fan Xin, and the other disciples of Ice Heart Pavilion. Bing Yun hadn’t accepted many disciples here on Clear Sky Island, and most of them were poor people with nowhere to go. She took pity on them and decided to give them shelter in Ice Heart Pavilion. For this reason, the girls’ cultivations differed a lot, with Yang Kai being the strongest in the group.
“Alchemist Yang, Honoured Master said that you’ll be in charge of this trip. What do we do now?” Fan Xin asked anxiously.
Last night, Bing Yun told her to gather all of her Junior Sisters and pack up everything in Ice Heart Pavilion as they would go out to sea the next day, with Yang Kai being in charge of this trip.
Fan Xin couldn’t understand why her Honoured Master had given them this order. None of the disciples of Ice Heart Pavilion had ever gone to sea before, nor was there any need for them to do so.
What surprised her even more was that her Honoured Master had put Yang Kai in charge of everything, telling them to follow his every order.
Yang Kai hadn’t been in Ice Heart Pavilion for long, but he had her Honoured Master’s complete trust, to the point that she left all of her disciples in his care! Fan Xin couldn’t understand why her Honoured Master treated Yang Kai so well. What had he done to deserve this kind of treatment?
But even if she had her doubts, she didn’t dare to disobey her Honoured Master’s orders.
“We’ll wait here for a short while,” Yang Kai said, glancing toward the city gate.
“En.” Fan Xin didn’t probe further, simply nodding and looking for a place to stand.
Soon after, Yang Kai saw several familiar figures come over from the city gate and he couldn’t help but smile.
“Big Sister Ling?” Liu Xian Yun finally understood who Yang Kai was waiting for and she hurried to greet everyone.
After exchanging greetings, Ling Yin Qin arrived in front of Yang Kai, her expression serious, “Senior Brother Yang, we’ve decided to come with you.”
“Good,” Yang Kai nodded with a smile, “You won’t regret it!”
He then swept the newcomers with his gaze, noticing that less than half of Ling Yin Qin’s crew had gathered here. The remaining members were nowhere to be seen. It seemed that even with her reputation, Ling Yin Qin was unable to make everyone place their trust in Yang Kai.
Jiao Yi had followed Ling Yin Qin and winked at Yang Kai, “Brother Yang, we’ll be putting our lives in your hands, so things better go smoothly!”
Yang Kai nodded, “You’ll see in the next few days. For now, let’s board the ship and set out.”
The dock was full of people and large sea ships, as such, no one paid attention as Yang Kai’s group boarded one of the ships and left Clear Sky Island.
After a short moment, their ship was already out at sea, getting farther and farther away from the island.
Although the disciples of Ice Heart Pavilion were completely ignorant about anything sailing-related, the same could not be said about Ling Yin Qin’s crew, who were experts in the field. The ship sailed smoothly, cleaving through the waves.
One day later, the ship was already a few tens of thousands of kilometres away from Clear Sky Island.
Fan Xin arrived at the deck, her expression one of worry. She saw Yang Kai and asked, “Alchemist Yang, what about Honoured Master? Why is she not here?”
Yang Kai smiled, “Pavilion Master is very strong, so you don’t need to worry about her, she simply needs to throw off someone before she can converge with us.”
“Throw off someone?” Fan Xin lifted her brow as she seemingly realized something before nodding and leaving.
Yang Kai sensed something at that moment and turned his head to look off into the distance where he saw a graceful figure approaching them at high speed. At first, the silhouette was very distant, but it arrived in front of him in the blink of an eye.
After the light shrouding the figure dimmed, Bing Yun’s features became visible.
“Who goes there?!” Ling Yin Qin and her crew paled. If someone boarded your ship unannounced in the middle of the sea, it was almost always for nefarious purposes, so they immediately prepared themselves for a fight.
When they swept this newcomer with their Divine Senses though, and realized how profound Bing Yun’s cultivation was, their expressions turned to shock, and they no longer dared to act rashly.
They couldn’t gauge the depth of this young woman’s cultivation, but the enormous pressure they felt served as a reminder to act cautiously. After probing her strength, their blood started boiling, and their chests felt heavy. This young woman was a Master they absolutely could not afford to provoke!
“Senior, you’ve come,” Yang Kai said as he cupped his fists.
Bing Yun nodded gently.
“Honoured Master!” Fan Xin and the others from Ice Heart Pavilion also hurried to greet her, each of them in high spirits, as if they’d found their lost courage.
“Senior… Honoured Master…” Ling Yin Qin and her crew were dumbfounded.
Yang Kai was a Third-Order Dao Source Realm cultivator, so he would only call someone ‘Senior’ if they were an Emperor. Moreover, Ling Yin Qin was familiar with Fan Xin and knew that she was a member of Ice Heart Pavilion, so seeing them call this young woman ‘Honoured Master,’ it was easy to guess the latter’s identity.
This young woman was none other than the renowned Ice Heart Pavilion’s Pavilion Master! The only person on Clear Sky Island who could stand on an equal footing with the Island Lord!
Ling Yin Qin and her crew became excited as they looked at Bing Yun in admiration, their trust in Yang Kai increasing even further.
Earlier, when they agreed to leave with him, it was because they were tired of living on Clear Sky Island and decided to take a chance as there didn’t seem to be any other good options, but now, they really saw hope.
If even Ice Heart Pavilion’s Pavilion Master was here, they had nothing to worry about.
“Are these your friends?” Bing Yun looked at Ling Yin Qin and her crew.
Yang Kai said with a smile, “Big Sister Ling and the others helped us quite a bit when Junior Sister and I first arrived here. To repay them for their kindness, I’ve decided to invite them along.”
Bing Yun nodded, “You’re someone who knows how to reciprocate gratitude. They were lucky to meet you.”
Seeing that she was talking about them, Ling Yin Qin stepped forward, her expression one of awe.
She was so anxious that sweat was dripping from the tip of her nose and she could only offer a cautious greeting, “Junior Ling Yin Qin greets Lady Pavilion Master.”
Jiao Yi and the others also hurried to salute Bing Yun, not daring to show any disrespect.
“Since you are Yang Kai’s friends, you don’t need to be overly courteous,” Bing Yun said calmly.
“Many thanks, Lady Pavilion Master!” Ling Yin Qin said gratefully. She didn’t expect the famous Ice Heart Pavilion Master to be this approachable. Moreover, Yang Kai seemed completely relaxed when speaking with her. Ling Yin Qin was unsure how he could keep his calm in this situation.
After a quick comparison, Ling Yin Qin realized that she was far inferior to Yang Kai.
“Senior, did you manage to throw off that old toad?” Yang Kai asked.
According to their plan, Yang Kai was to lead this group and leave by sea first. Then, it would be Bing Yun’s turn to leave Clear Sky Island; after all, Chi Ri would surely notice her departure and would try to chase after her.
Bing Yun was to lure Chi Ri outside, and then make him run in circles before throwing him off and converging with Yang Kai.
As she was here, it meant she’d managed to elude Chi Ri.
Bing Yun nodded and was about to say something when her expression changed. Turning to look in a certain direction, she grit her teeth and snapped, “He is the type that doesn’t feel regret until he sees the coffin!”
An ear-splitting thunderclap echoed. Along with the sound of thunder, a shining ball of fire that looked like a second sun appeared in the sky. It was so dazzling that people couldn’t look at it directly.
Then, great pressure weighed down on everyone, making it look as if the whole sky was about to fall down. All those present were having trouble breathing.
Everyone aboard the ship paled in fright.
When the dazzling light dimmed, two towering figures became visible.
One of the figures was awe-inspiring, albeit somewhat angry at this moment, while the other one was a few paces behind and acted like a servant as he respectfully stood there, a flattering smile on his face.
“The City Lord!” Ling Yin Qin’s pretty face paled when she saw the awe-inspiring, middle-aged man.
Although she’d never seen Chi Ri in person, she had seen his portrait plenty of times; therefore, she immediately became clear as to who this Master was.
“Pang Guang!” Yang Kai was so shocked seeing the man behind Chi Ri that his eyes almost fell from his sockets.
Never would he have expected that Pang Guang would come here with Chi Ri. From his look, it seemed that Chi Ri had already subdued him. The last time they’d met, Pang Guang was seriously injured and was looking for the Heavenly Restoration Lotus in Yang Kai’s cave mansion. Now, although he had yet to fully recover, he looked much better than before, so it was clear he had taken some good pills during this period.
As Chi Ri had already subdued him, it wasn’t strange for him to give Pang Guang some pills and help him treat his wounds.
Pang Guang looked at the people below, with his gaze stopping on Yang Kai for a moment, hatred apparent in his eyes.
If it weren’t for Yang Kai, he wouldn’t have fallen into his current predicament. Although he was much weaker than Chi Ri, he was still an Emperor Realm Master and had his own sense of dignity. If not because he was forced to and had nowhere left to run, he wouldn’t have thrown himself into Chi Ri’s lap and begged for his protection!
The other Emperor Realm Masters on Clear Sky Island were also unable to escape Chi Ri’s influence, but their situation was much better than his. At least, they kept their freedom.
Everything that had befallen Pang Guang was Yang Kai’s fault! If he’d handed over the Heavenly Restoration Lotus back then, Pang Guang wouldn’t be in this situation where he didn’t even have control over his life or death!
He hated Yang Kai so much that not even all the water in this sea could quench the flames of his anger.
“Bing Yun!” Chi Ri suddenly shouted, his deep voice spreading all around. As if it could feel the anger concealed in his voice, the seawater around also began to churn, setting off waves that reached the height of a dozen meters, “Where are you going in such a hurry?”
Bing Yun stood straight, unfazed. She waved her hand and dispersed the pressure exuding from his body as she said calmly, “Wherever this Queen wants to go, it’s her business. What does this have to do with Sir City Lord?”
Chi Ri’s face darkened and he coldly snorted, “Bing Yun, are you thinking of leaving this place?”
“If you already know the answer, why do you need to ask?” Bing Yun said coldly. She had no intention of talking nonsense with him.
“So, you were really planning to leave!” Although he had guessed what she wanted to do, he still couldn’t help getting angry when Bing Yun admitted it. He felt as if Bing Yun had abandoned him, which made him feel uncomfortable and heartbroken.
He restrained his anger and took a deep breath, “Bing Yun, we both know that leaving this place is impossible. What need is there to insist? As long as you are willing to come back and enter into a relationship with this King, I’ll forget everything that happened today. The whole Solitary Void Sealed World will be ours. Isn’t that a wonderful thing?”
Bing Yun shook her head, “I could say the same to you. If you know that something is impossible, what need is there to insist? I don’t want to be your enemy. Please go back.”
Chi Ri flew into a rage, “Are you really going to be so obstinate? Aren’t you afraid that this King will bury you all at sea?!”