*Hong… *
There was a terrible explosion, and the world was filled with a bright light; nothing could be seen in the blinding brilliance.
“Eh?” Duan Hong Chen, who was charging towards Wu Kuang, preparing to drag him to Hell, suddenly frowned, and an extremely uneasy feeling poured out from the depths of his heart.
Because Wu Kuang had blown up the Primordial Astral Wind right in front of him.
What was he planning?
Before he could think about it, the aftermath of the Heaven-destroying and Earth-shattering force hit him from all directions.
It was the impact from the destruction of the Primordial Astral Wind. Anything the devastating gust swept by was turned into nothingness, and no longer existed.
Cracking sounds came from every corner of this peculiar world that was on the verge of collapsing; it seemed that it would not last any longer.
“This is bad!” Duan Hong Chen seemed to have perceived something and quickly reached out to tap on the main points of his body. The process of self-destruction was immediately stopped.
*Huhuhu… *
He was tossed about by the wind like a lone boat on the verge of capsizing in a violent sea. Fortunately, the Divine Tree Bai Yi that had been guarding him provided a little protection; even so, his robes were ripped and his skin was torn into a bloody mess.
He managed to release his Divine Sense and clearly noticed that Wu Kuang’s skeleton was slowly falling apart under the devastating force of the Primordial Astral Wind explosion, gradually turning into dust.
On this day, the skeleton which belonged to the Heaven Devouring Great Emperor had been completely destroyed after hibernating for tens of thousands of years. In other words, the Heaven Devouring Great Emperor Wu Kuang could no longer regain his original body.
But Duan Hong Chen did not rejoice, instead feeling that the situation was more serious than before.
*Hong long long… *
The sound of the sky and the earth splitting echoed loudly as this strange sealed world finally could no longer maintain itself in face of all the destructive power, and collapsed completely.
A huge black hole took shape, and it swallowed everything contained in this world in no more than ten breaths of time. Then with a slight tremor, it immediately disappeared. In the Void connected to the black hole, Yang Kai drifted along with the current, feeling lightheaded, his face filled with lingering fear.
Yang Kai, who had just broken through to the Emperor Realm, was rejoicing in his own strength and the transformation of Emperor Qi in his body, and did not expect that the aftermath of the battle between the two Great Emperors would completely demolish the sealed world.
He did not have time to escape from the catastrophe, so he was swallowed by the black hole into The Void.
Although he was far away from the battlefield, he still suffered serious injuries. After being swallowed into this place, it took a long time before he gradually recovered his senses, fear still etched on his face.
He did not know what exactly happened between the two Great Emperors as he was too focused on his own breakthrough, so the battle was concluded by the time he noticed something went wrong.
[What happened to the Bustling World Great Emperor? Is he dead or alive?]
Duan Hong Chen was closely connected to Azure Sun Temple; after all, Temple Master Wen Zi Shan was raised by Duan Hong Chen. Yang Kai was a disciple of the Azure Sun Temple, so it was only natural for Yang Kai to pay more attention to his situation.
Even if they had no involvement, the Bustling World Great Emperor had put his life on the line, cutting his own cultivation repeatedly over tens of thousands of years to search for Wu Kuang in the Shattered Star Sea. The selfless spirit he carried that cared for the common people was awe-inspiring.
The horrible power just now was most likely produced by the self-destruction of something or someone. Yang Kai immediately assumed that the Bustling World Great Emperor had chosen to self-destruct to die with Wu Kuang.
Yang Kai’s face darkened at this thought, believing that the Bustling World Great Emperor’s Soul was really gone.
He coughed up a few mouthfuls of blood, took out some healing pills from his Space Ring, and chomped on them like they were beans before sitting down cross-legged and releasing his Divine Sense to examine his own condition.
Yang Kai was startled at what he saw.
He noticed a pair of eyes gazing at him eerily, and the gaze did not come from the surroundings, but from within his own body.
His face changed drastically as he formed a hand seal and shouted, “Suppress!”
His Soul Avatar then appeared over his Knowledge Sea.
For some reason, a figure appeared alongside him in his Knowledge Sea, standing quietly above the tumbling fires, looking around in amusement, occasionally looking surprised.
Yang Kai looked at the figure, gritted his teeth, and shouted, “Wu Kuang!”
The figure turned slowly at the sound of his name, revealing the face of a middle-aged man. He looked neither angry nor excited, but his eyes glowed brightly with an air of natural majesty.
Although Yang Kai had never seen his face, he still recognised his identity at a glance.
Heaven Devouring Great Emperor, Wu Kuang!
Yang Kai’s heart sank. He did not even notice how the Heaven Devouring Great Emperor broke through the defences of his Knowledge Sea. If this intruder had not bothered to conceal himself, Yang Kai would most likely have never even noticed him.
Chills filled Yang Kai as his very Soul trembled.
Wu Kuang was also a Soul Avatar at the moment, but the strength of his Soul Avatar vastly exceeded Yang Kai’s, being so condensed that it almost seemed corporeal.
“Junior, how dare you address this King by his true name!” Wu Kuang snorted coldly, and an invisible assault was suddenly blasted towards Yang Kai.
The assault was obviously powered by his Soul, and its might was terrifying, causing Yang Kai’s complexion to change drastically. With a hurried wave of his hand, Yang Kai summoned up the flaming seawater below to form a protective barrier around him.
With a bang, the attack slammed into the wall of flames, creating a terrifying explosion that stirred Yang Kai’s entire Knowledge Sea into chaos that did not calm for a long time.
Yang Kai took a few steps back, his face steeled in vigilance as he stared ahead and quickly demanded, “Wu Kuang, get out of here, otherwise don’t blame this Young Master for being impolite to you!”
He felt extremely uneasy that Wu Kuang had appeared in his Knowledge Sea. It was not so much because of the secrets Yang Kai wanted to keep hidden; instead, he feared that Wu Kuang had ulterior motives.
“Impolite to me, is it?” Wu Kuang squinted at Yang Kai and sneered, “Interesting. I have not heard someone speak to me in such a manner for a long time, but since this King is here now, naturally I won’t leave easily.”
“What do you want?” Yang Kai looked at him coldly.
Wu Kuang chuckled, “Why are you asking when you already know? You are also an intelligent fellow, don’t you know the purpose of this King appearing here?”
Yang Kai’s face became extremely ugly at his words as his worst fears came true.
Wu Kuang continued, “This King’s body has been destroyed by that old fart, and without a body, no matter how strong I am, this King is just a wandering Soul. Junior, you have a good body, this King likes it very much. Give it to this King and you will witness the peak of the Martial Dao!”
Yang Kai gritted his teeth and glowered, “You want to seize my body?”
Wu Kuang snorted coldly, “Why not? Is it really such a bad thing? This King just needs a body. If you cooperate, this King would allow you to stay here without devouring your Soul, but if you don’t cooperate… this King doesn’t mind letting you experience the difference in our strength.”
Yang Kai sneered, “This is my Knowledge Sea, do you think it’s really okay for you to boast so shamelessly here!?”
Wu Kuang glanced at him in amazement, then slowly shook his head, “Stubborn as a mule!”
After speaking, he stopped paying attention to Yang Kai. Instead, he turned his head and looked around for a while, soon nodding in approval, “Junior, your Soul’s strength is indeed quite good, extraordinary compared to an ordinary Emperor Realm cultivator. It is even a mutated Conflagrated Knowledge Sea, so it could be said to meet the requirements of this King. Surprisingly, you could reach this stage with only such a cultivation…”
They seemed to have exchanged positions as Wu Kuang commented loudly on Yang Kai without caring for his feelings. Yang Kai wanted to attack him, but he did not dare to act rashly.
The usual tactics could not be used on a Monster who had lived for countless years. If the sneak attack failed, he would be at an even greater disadvantage.
As he continued to inspect the surroundings, Wu Kuang’s gaze hardened suddenly as he fixed his eyes in a certain direction, whispering, “That island…”
He was staring at the seven-coloured island floating in Yang Kai’s Knowledge Sea incredulously, carefully studying it before calling out in alarm, “Soul Warming Lotus! It’s the Soul Warming Lotus!”
Wu Kuang had vast experience and knowledge, his title as the top Master of the Star Boundary not being undeserved, but even so, at this moment, he could not help feeling an upsurge of emotions looking at the Seven Coloured Soul Warming Lotus as he muttered, “Junior, you actually have the Soul Warming Lotus!”
Yang Kai snorted coldly, “All this fuss over nothing!”
Wu Kuang grinned, “This King did not expect to see the Soul Warming Lotus here. This King explored countless Star Fields to find it but found nothing. I never thought I would see it today. What a waste of effort, searching far and wide to just find it here.”
Yang Kai snorted, “Why are you so happy? It’s not even yours!” He threw Wu Kuang a contemptuous look.
“It will be in a bit!” Wu Kuang brushed off Yang Kai’s mockery, now in a good mood. He looked at the Soul Warming Lotus greedily for a while before nodding, “Not bad. With this Soul Warming Lotus, this King will be able to integrate with your body perfectly. There is no need to worry about backlash at all and it won’t be a problem to restore to my peak in the future.” He seemed to have foreseen a bright future for himself, which put him into excellent spirits. While talking, he turned his head and looked around in search of more, his brow rising slightly as he looked up at the star-filled sky, “Junior, I didn’t expect you to have so many good things.”
Yang Kai’s brow twitched as he questioned him, “Do you know what this is?”
He was referring to the Star Chart that was skittered all over the sky of his Knowledge Sea. The Star Chart was obtained by Yang Kai long ago, and mapped out the position of each star in Heng Luo Star Field.
Yang Kai used the Star Chart above his Knowledge Sea to identify directions and chart courses while he was wandering in Heng Luo Star Field. Without this, he would have gotten lost in the vast Star Field multiple times.
Yang Kai could not help feeling inquisitive at Wu Kuang’s words at this moment.
Wu Kuang glanced at him with a smile and said meaningfully “You came to the Star Boundary from a lower Star Field, right?”
Yang Kai frowned, “That’s right.”
There was no need to deny it, so he readily admitted it.
“Right.” Wu Kuang nodded, “You must have gotten this Star Chart from that Star Field.”
“You can tell?” Yang Kai looked at him in astonishment.
Wu Kuang smiled, “It’s not that this King has good eyesight, but it’s because only those Star Fields can produce such a Star Chart.”
“Why is that so?” Yang Kai questioned.
Although he could not wait to kick Wu Kuang out of his Knowledge Sea, he did not always have the chance to meet someone who could clarify his doubts, so he wanted to seize this opportunity to get answers, and he believed it would not be too late to kick him out later after he got his answers.
After pondering for a moment, Wu Kuang answered, “In this world, everything has a Source. Trees have Wood Sources, Divine Spirits have Divine Spirit Sources, even the dazzling stars have Star Sources. Source Strength, which is the origin of strength, is mysterious and boundless. The World Force is the World’s Source Strength. It is the power that has existed ever since the birth of the world. If any cultivator can spy and learn even a sliver of knowledge from a true Source, they will benefit immensely.”
Yang Kai listened attentively. Even though the Heaven Devouring Great Emperor was a bane to the world, his immense strength and knowledge were undeniable facts. Therefore, it was a precious opportunity for him to give a lesson.
Wu Kuang pointed his finger at the sky above his Knowledge Sea, and proclaimed in a soft voice, “This Star Chart is also a Source.”
Yang Kai muttered, “This is also a Source?”
Wu Kuang smiled faintly, “Of course, and it’s not just a normal Source, it is a Star Field’s Source!”
“A Star Field’s Source?” Yang Kai immediately went wide-eyed.
Wu Kuang ignored Yang Kai’s reactions and continued, “You can think of it as the Source Strength of an entire Star Field. With your current ability, this King is afraid that you are incapable of refining it properly. If you could refine it, though, you would find that it is extremely useful. However… you won’t have that chance.”
“A Star Field’s Source!” Yang Kai murmured repeatedly, then he asked humbly, “What is the use of refining it? Can it also bring benefits to our cultivation just like a Star Source?”
Wu Kuang snorted, “That is just a small part of its role. The cultivation speed of a cultivator with a complete Star Source is faster than other cultivators, because that Source can help that cultivator in comprehending many things, such as Principle Strength. A cultivator with a complete Star Source has a much better head start than the other cultivators. As for the role of this Star Field Source, it is several dozen times greater than a complete Star Source, even up to a few hundred times.”
Yang Kai could not help taking a deep breath.
Although he had many complete Star Sources now, he was stunned by the fact that the Star Field Source was several dozen to a few hundred times greater than a Star Source.
“In addition, if you can refine this Star Field Source, it means that the entire Star Field has recognized your existence. Then, you can become the owner of that Star Field and control the destinies of everything in it with just a thought!”
Yang Kai asked with a thoughtful look, “Isn’t that the same as being a Star Master?”
Back when he was the Star Master of Shadowed Star, he could control everything on Shadowed Star with a single thought. He could also ignore the barriers of space and travel to any places on the Shadowed Star at will.
According to Wu Kuang, one could gain similar authority by becoming the owner of a Star Field.
Yang Kai could not help feeling exhilarated. The Star Chart in his Knowledge Sea was the Star Chart of Heng Luo Star Field, so if he could fully refine it, he would become the true owner of Heng Luo Star Field and have the entire Heng Luo Star Field under his control.
“You could say so, but the owner of a Star Field has an even higher authority.” Wu Kuang suddenly lifted his head and changed the topic, “However, it is not simple to refine a Star Field Source. This King had destroyed countless Star Fields in the past and only found several Star Field Sources, but this King has never succeeded in refining them.”
“Why?” Yang Kai was bewildered.
Wu Kuang grinned, “Because those Star Field Sources rejected this King, so this King devoured them in anger.”
The corner of Yang Kai’s mouth twitched.
Wu Kuang continued, “No matter how badly the entire Star Field is damaged, as long as the Star Field Source still exists, the Star Field will eventually be restored, but if the Star Field Source is destroyed, the Star Field is done for. Just like a human’s Soul, once it is extinguished, you will never be able to be reborn again!”
“And you destroyed those Star Fields, knowing that!?” Yang Kai spurned.
Wu Kuang snorted coldly, “Anything that dares to resist this King will never have a good ending, it doesn’t matter if it is a human or a Star Field!” He looked at Yang Kai coldly as he spoke, heavily pressuring him, as if he was warning Yang Kai indirectly.
Yang Kai pretended not to notice this threat, but when he was about to ask for more secrets, his expression changed suddenly.
“Alright, that’s all for the gossip. This King only exchanged a few words with you because this King is in a good mood. If you give up your body as an offering to this King, this King will spare your life.”
Yang Kai snorted, “If you want my body, take it yourself.”
Wu Kuang slowly shook his head, “This King wanted to keep you alive as you are a man of great potential. But since you are so stubborn, your life is no longer needed.”
As he spoke, he stretched out his hand and waved. In an instant, an arrow-like attack was formed and shot towards Yang Kai like lightning.
Yang Kai’s face changed and his entire Knowledge Sea responded to his alarm, roiling as the flaming seawater condensed into many layers of strong and tough protection in front of him.
Wu Kuang snorted, “This King is the Heaven Devouring Great Emperor, even if this King has been weakened after tens of thousands of years, my strength is not something you can resist! If you don’t want to suffer, don’t struggle!”
As if to prove his remark, the incoming attack shattered all the protective layers with ease as it shot forward.
Yang Kai felt a tearing pain in his Soul and had to use all his focus to resist the attack while hurriedly retreating.
*Hong Hong Hong… *
After a long while, the arrow-like attack was finally resolved after chasing Yang Kai for a few laps around his Knowledge Sea. He looked like he was in dire straits, and his Soul Avatar turned gloomy from suffering serious injuries.
Whoever won or lost in this battle, Yang Kai would still suffer a loss, because this was his Knowledge Sea and anything destroyed here was related to him.
“You can block the first blow of this King, but can you block the second or third?” Wu Kuang looked at Yang Kai disdainfully. He raised his hand and was about to unleash another terrifying attack.
However, Yang Kai did not show much panic on his face and simply looked at Wu Kuang with a playful smile and replied, “It is definitely still too early for this Young Master to fight an old monster who lived for tens of thousands of years like you, but fortunately this Young Master is not your opponent today. Your opponent is someone else!”
“Someone else?” Wu Kuang frowned, wondering who the other person Yang Kai mentioned was. All of a sudden, a figure emerged behind him and slammed a palm strike at his back.
Wu Kuang never expected that someone would ambush him in such a place and he was caught completely off guard.
With a bang, Wu Kuang grunted in pain as his Soul Avatar flashed wildly and was forced back.
After regaining his balance, Wu Kuang glanced up painfully and saw the appearance of the person who ambushed him, rebuking with his teeth gritted, “Old thing, didn’t you self-destruct? Why are you not dead yet?”
The ambusher who emerged behind him was the Bustling World Great Emperor!
Wu Kuang had no idea how Yang Kai communicated with Duan Hong Chen and allowed the latter’s Soul Avatar to secretly enter his Knowledge Sea.
Right now, two Great Emperors’ Soul Avatars had gathered together in the Knowledge Sea of a newly promoted Emperor Realm Junior; it was a spectacular scene that had never before happened in history.
Duan Hong Chen snorted coldly, “This Old Master knew what you were up to when you put on that show! Before this Old Master self-destructed, you blew up the Primordial Astral Wind to cover this Old Master’s sight and senses in order to perform your Empty Cicada Shell Technique. Since your skeleton had been destroyed, you could only find a new host, and there was only one person to choose in this place. This Old Master would be an idiot if he wasn’t able to guess that you were here.”
“Bastard!” Wu Kuang barked with a grim face, no longer containing the calmness he had before.
With his ability, it would be easy to seize Yang Kai’s body; however, the interference of Duan Hong Chen’s Soul Avatar disrupted his plan. If he wanted to seize Yang Kai now, he would have to pass Duan Hong Chen first.
Wu Kuang was truly frustrated with this old man who would rather die with him than live his own life.
Duan Hong Chen looked ahead with a cold and determined face, declaring, “Wu Kuang, you must die today. You don’t have a second choice!”
Wu Kuang could not help acknowledging these words filled with conviction. Afterall, Duan Hong Chen was determined enough to self-destruct earlier just to take him down.
“We have tens of thousands of years of friendship, so why must you cause trouble for this King!?” Wu Kuang roared with a darkened face.
Duan Hong Chen’s eyes were emotionless as he replied indifferently, “It’s not that this Old Master wishes to cause troubles for you, but it is you who brought this upon yourself. Your sins can only be cleared with your death. If you had chosen to be righteous, you would never have ended up in such a situation today.”
“Stop preaching to this King!” Wu Kuang was maddened, “This King has seen the ways of the world better than you. Legitimacy belongs to the victors; losers are always in the wrong. Duan Hong Chen, if you don’t embarrass this King today, this King will promise not to trouble you in the future and this King will never interfere in anything related to you.”
Duan Hong Chen responded lightly, “Are you begging for mercy?”
“Don’t underestimate this King. This King is just giving you a chance,” Wu Kuang gritted his teeth with a vicious look.
Duan Hong Chen sighed, “Then it seems like we really have nothing left to discuss. This is truly a tragedy.”
The two Great Emperors fell silent at once, staring at each other, sparks flying as their sights collided.
The seawater below seemed to be disturbed by their silent confrontation and was constantly tumbling.
Yang Kai’s face turned ugly as he pleaded, “Can you both talk outside?”
Seeing these two people were about to fight in his Knowledge Sea gave Yang Kai goosebumps. He was afraid that his Knowledge Sea would be unable to bear the battle of two Great Emperors and it would not end well for him. However, he was just an ant in front of the two Great Emperors, not worth noticing, so how could he possibly chase them out?
Both Duan Hong Chen and Wu Kuang turned a deaf ear to Yang Kai.
“Hey, I’m talking to the both of you,” Yang Kai looked at the two angrily, “Can you give some reaction?”
Wu Kuang only replied coldly, “This King will leave here immediately if you get rid of him!”
Duan Hong Chen bellowed, “How embarrassing it is for you to say such things to deceive children. Wu Kuang, you’re even more shameless than before!” He spurned Wu Kuang fiercely, and then looked straight at Yang Kait, “Boy, bear with it. The two of us are going to fight to the death right here, right now. You can only consider yourself unlucky if your Soul gets stamped out because of this, but if you can survive by some chance, you will benefit infinitely!”
Yang Kai sighed in surrender, “Fine. Go ahead and do your best, Senior Hong Chen. This Junior will take care of himself.”
Duan Hong Chen laughed with great excitement, “Boy, with your affirmation, this Old Master will go all out!”
As the words fell, he performed a hand seal and palmed towards Wu Kuang.
Wu Kuang’s face changed drastically as he snarled, “Are you being serious?”
“Do you think I am playing with you?” Duan Hong Chen responded coldly.
“This King is furious now! Duan Hong Chen, don’t think you will be able to leave this place alive, because this King will extinguish your Soul even if he has to risk inflicting serious injuries on himself!”
Even the most docile person would lose their temper after being hounded so persistently, let alone the famous Heaven Devouring Great Emperor. He was forced into a corner by Duan Hong Chen time and time again, and it did not stop even when his Soul escaped to this place. Wu Kuang had to give his all in such a dire situation.
The two had already begun battling each other as they spoke, and in an instant, Yang Kai’s Knowledge Sea started tumbling, setting off huge waves as the two figures combated back and forth across the ocean of flames.
This was a battle of Souls, far more perilous than an ordinary life or death battle.
The tactics used by the two Great Emperors were all Soul Techniques, and visible rings of halos surfaced into sight whenever their Divine Senses collided.
Yang Kai’s Knowledge Sea was completely vulnerable.
As soon as Duan Hong Chen made his first move, Yang Kai had already zoomed to the centre of the Seven Coloured Soul Warming Lotus island, spurring its power with all his strength to protect him.
No matter how well he protected himself, though, it was impossible for him to feel at ease when the Soul Avatars of two Great Emperors were fighting in his Knowledge Sea. He was literally their battlefield, and all he could rely on now was the Seven Coloured Soul Warming Lotus.
This was a Supreme Treasure that nourished his Soul, and it was so valuable that even the great Heaven Devouring Great Emperor had searched for it across countless Star Fields in the past.
Yang Kai was guarded by a layer of impregnable seven coloured light, with the fallout from the attacks of the two Great Emperors only managing to cause ripples on its barrier, leaving Yang Kai unscathed.
Noticing this, Yang Kai finally calmed down. He was truly afraid that the Soul Warming Lotus would not be effective, leaving him in deep trouble.
But even with the protection of the Soul Warming Lotus, Yang Kai still had a head-splitting headache. His Soul Avatar trembled restlessly, as if every inch of his body was being torn apart.
Every attack by Duan Hong Chen and Wu Kuang was like slashes from a sharp blade on his Soul, inevitably inflicting some trauma to him.
This was where the marvellous effects of the Soul Warming Lotus came in. Whenever the tearing pain hit Yang Kai, a gentle force would follow and spread throughout his body, like invisible soft hands, gently healing Yang Kai’s pain, allowing him to settle down within a short period of time.
Gradually, Yang Kai got used to this feeling.
He no longer felt much pain and instead began to focus his attention on the two Great Emperors.
Every movement of these two was imprinted in his mind clearly.
Yang Kai absolutely would not be able to do this if it happened somewhere else; but inside his Knowledge Sea, everything was within his perception, and no matter how fast Wu Kuang and Duan Hong Chen exchanged attacks, or how fierce their techniques were, he could sense everything clearly.
Yang Kai was constantly amazed as he gazed fixedly at this battle.
Because the two Great Emperors were constantly displaying mysterious Soul Techniques and wondrous uses of their Spiritual Energy.
It was no wonder Duan Hong Chen had said earlier that if he could survive by chance, he would benefit infinitely. This was what he meant.
In this situation, when none of the Secret Techniques used by the two Great Emperors could escape Yang Kai’s observation, he could freely comprehend the mysteries behind these techniques. This was far more efficient than being carefully taught by a Master, allowing Yang Kai to obtain great enlightenment.
It was as if the two Great Emperors were trying their best to pass down to Yang Kai their various Divine Abilities, allowing him to soak up all their comprehensions and knowledge without the slightest concealment.
After observing for a while, Yang Kai was deeply shocked as he realized just how great the disparity in the understanding of the use of Spiritual Energy was between him and these two Great Emperors.
For example, with the amount of power Yang Kai would need to smash a giant rock, the two Great Emperors would be able to split a mountain. This was the difference.
Yang Kai was exhilarated as he found that this rare opportunity gave him a very high starting point. Even if he had not broken through to the Emperor Realm and was still just a Third-Order Dao Source Realm, after witnessing this battle, his strength would be at least several times greater than before.
If Spiritual Energy could have such a magical effect, so could Qi.
He suddenly opened his mouth to yell, “Senior Hong Chen, there’s no need to hold back, Junior is fine!”
After watching for a while, he found that Duan Hong Chen had fallen into an unfavourable position, being completely suppressed by Wu Kuang, and was forced back constantly.
Duan Hong Chen’s Spiritual Energy was not inferior to Wu Kuang’s, but Duan Hong Chen was still somewhat cautious about causing damage to Yang Kai, so he dared not use too much power.
Regardless of the boldness in his statement earlier, he was still a person who cared for the common people, so, naturally, he would take Yang Kai’s well being into consideration.
Hearing this, Duan Hong Chen stole a glance at Yang Kai in the midst of battle. His eyes lit up when he saw the island transformed from the Seven Coloured Soul Warming Lotus and laughed in relief, “Good, there will be no possible consequences that could hold back this Old Master now!”
Seeing the body of Soul Warming Lotus at a glance, he knew that it was protecting Yang Kai firmly, making it so that he suffered no permanent effects from the battle between the two Great Emperors, regardless of how fierce it was.
When his words fell, his momentum surged and he immediately met Wu Kuang’s attack equally without restraint.
Yang Kai’s Knowledge Sea was further disturbed by the increasingly violent impact and techniques, but his Soul Avatar was guarded by the Soul Warming Lotus and would not suffer serious injuries no matter what happened to his Knowledge Sea.
Yang Kai gradually immersed his consciousness in studying the mysterious Soul Techniques and the utilizations of Spiritual Energy, unable to extricate himself. He felt like there was a new door slowly being pushed open before his eyes, allowing him to see a glimmer of dazzling light inside.
The battle between the two Great Emperors was getting more intense, with both sides suffering from multiple injuries, yet the luminosity of their Soul Avatars still flashed wildly, both holding a fair chance of winning in the end.
This was a battle of life and death, and neither side planned to stop without seeing the other dead.
As time passed, the power displayed by the two gradually weakened due to overconsumption and severe injuries.
The tumbling Knowledge Sea began to calm down, no longer rioting about madly.
After what seemed like a long time, Yang Kai, who was still lost in his comprehension, suddenly heard a low voice reach his ear, “Boy!”
Yang Kai was shocked and broke out from his trance.
He looked up fixedly in a daze.
He was unaware of when the battle between the two Great Emperors had stopped, but now the two Soul Avatars were interlocked by a kind of technique that pinned one another in place.
The radiance of the two Soul Avatars was dim and their auras were so faint that they looked as if they could be snuffed out at any time.
Duan Hong Chen looked solemn, while Wu Kuang had a gloomy expression, but neither was willing to let go.
“How can I help you, Senior?” Yang Kai asked solemnly.
“Attack us with your strongest Soul Technique, one that could extinguish our Souls,” Duan Hong Chen bellowed through gritted teeth.
Yang Kai’s face changed slightly.
Wu Kuang looked cold and stole a glance at Yang Kai before disdainfully snorting, “Duan Hong Chen, have you gone senile? What secret technique could a trivial newly promoted Emperor possess that could hurt us?”
Duan Hong Chen grinned in reply, “This boy is no ordinary person, you will know what the consequences from underestimating him will be soon enough.”
Wu Kuang responded superciliously, “Then this King will wait and see.”
Duan Hong Chen growled, “What are you still waiting for? This old thing is waiting for you to show your skills, broaden his horizons!”
“Senior…” Yang Kai hesitated.
Duan Hong Chen burst out shouting before he could finish, “If Wu Kuang is reborn, the tragedy of tens of thousands of years ago will repeat. This Old Master has waited tens of thousands of years for today’s opportunity and was always prepared to risk his life to see it through! It is impossible to have such an opportunity again, do not disappoint this Old Master!”
He used a Secret Technique when he was shouting, causing his determined voice to ring like a bell in the morning and a drum in the evening, oscillating in Yang Kai’s ears, agitating him.
Their eyes met, and Yang Kai clearly saw the plea in Duan Hong Chen’s eyes and felt the determination in his heart.
Yang Kai stood in awe and slowly got up from the Soul Warming Lotus before walking over step by step towards the two of them.
Yang Kai inquired solemnly as he stopped above them, “Does Senior want Junior to pass on any message to Temple Master Wen?”
Duan Hong Chen grinned and replied carefreely, “No, he knows what this Old Master has been doing all these years!”
Yang Kai nodded before bowing, saying with a deep, grieving voice, “Then may Senior… go in peace!”
Duan Hong Chen closed his eyes with a faint smile.
Wu Kuang looked at Yang Kai coldly but remained silent, simply staring at him disdainfully, obviously doubtful that Yang Kai could really kill him.
“Sabre!” Yang Kai roared, his eyes shining brightly. He stretched out his hand, and a sabre immediately materialised, one that emitted a strange buzz, seemingly sensing the restlessness in its master’s heart.
“Soul Emperor Artifact!” Wu Kuang exclaimed, his eyes narrowing as he stared numbly at the sabre held by Yang Kai.
Emperor Artifacts were all rare treasures, let alone a Soul Emperor Artifact. It was unlikely to find a treasure that attacked or defended the Soul even amongst a thousand Emperor Artifacts, so one could imagine how precious one was.
Wu Kuang did not expect that Yang Kai actually possessed a Soul Emperor Artifact; after all, he had hidden it somewhere in his Knowledge Sea where Wu Kuang had not found it earlier.
Wu Kuang felt slightly troubled now. Soul Emperor Artifacts were specialized in harming the Soul, and with the supplement of Yang Kai’s rich and pure Spiritual Energy, it may actually be able to harm him.
Despite fear gripping his heart, Wu Kuang sneered with a contemptuous look, “A good treasure, but it’s still not enough to kill this King.”
Yang Kai looked solemn and swept his finger across the body of the sabre and its buzzing instantly stopped. Pointing the sabre at Wu Kuang, he shouted coldly, “This is the Soul Splitting Sabre. Wu Kuang, you are lucky to be able to die under this sword.”
“Hahahaha!” Wu Kuang could not help bursting into loud laughter, amused by Yang Kai’s blatant words, replying with a taunt, “Tsk tsk, this King won’t deny that this Emperor Artifact might be able to threaten this King a bit, but boy, you still need to cultivate tens of thousands of years before you can dream of killing this King.”
Yang Kai curled his lip, “Shall we test your theory then, Sir Heaven Devourer?”
As he spoke, he pushed his Spiritual Energy madly, causing the calm seawater below to stir up again and pour into the sabre. In an instant, the Soul Splitting Sabre released a dazzling light.
This was not the end though as Yang Kai performed a hand seal and slapped the Soul Splitting Sabre.
A magnificent aura and rich murderous intent permeated the air, one so thick it was almost tangible.
Wu Kuang’s face slowly turned solemn as he silently surged his own strength, as if he was about to cast some sort of protection.
*Zheng… *
A clear and strange noise diffused the air as the blade aura of the Soul Splitting Sabre seemed to have been pushed to its maximum limit, constantly quivering in front of Yang Kai, attempting to break free from his control to slash towards its enemy.
Yang Kai’s eyes flashed with brilliance, and he whispered, “Heaven Severing Slash!”
Power surged violently, enveloping the Soul Splitting Sabre, and in the blink of an eye, the dazzling Soul Splitting Sabre was coated with a layer of faint golden radiance, causing the intensity of its aura to rise several fold.
“What kind of Secret Technique is that!?” Wu Kuang was frightened now and could not help letting out a shriek.
As a Great Emperor, he could naturally feel the transformation in the Soul Splitting Sabre, but he had no clue what Yang Kai did that caused this rapid and manifold intensification.
If the aura of the Soul Splitting Sabre before had already surprised him, he was truly terrified now.
Because he clearly felt that the power of this Soul Emperor Artifact was sufficient to threaten his Soul Avatar.
“Heaven Devourer, the name of the one who killed you is Yang Kai!” Yang Kai bellowed with an indifferent expression on his face.
When the words fell, he swung his arm and the Soul Splitting Sabre turned into a stream of light that slashed towards the two Great Emperors, like an arrow released from the bowstring. The blow contained a Heaven-destroying and Earth-shattering power, as if a full moon was crashing towards the world.
Yang Kai learned the Heaven Severing Slash from Tian Yan in the Divine Ascension Mirror, the hidden treasure of Azure Sun Temple.
Although Tian Yan only had a Soul body and no physical form, his cultivation had reached the Great Emperor Realm, and exactly because he did not have a physical body, he focused exclusively on studying the power of the Soul throughout his life. Therefore, his Soul Secret Technique was more profound than any Wu Kuang or Duan Hong Chen possessed.
The Heaven Severing Slash was utterly terrifying.
Yang Kai nourished the Soul Splitting Sabre slowly each day, accumulating power within it in preparation to unleash it all whenever he needed to. The lethality that could be exerted by this first strike was simply unimaginable. Even though it needed to be recharged after every use, this kind of Secret Technique often was the best solution to some critical situations.
The Soul Splitting Sabre, which was a Soul Emperor Artifact, was the best medium for the Heaven Severing Slash to display its might, the two existences complementing each other and multiplying each other’s effect.
“A trivial ant thinks that it can kill this King!?” Wu Kuang roared hysterically. He no longer looked disdainful and arrogant as Yang Kai’s attack had garnered his full attention. He was taking it very seriously.
While shouting, he desperately pushed his power to free himself from Duan Hong Chen’s restraint, but how would Duan Hong Chen allow his wish?
“Wu Kuang, don’t struggle anymore. Isn’t it great that both of us can go to Hell together? You will have a companion on your journey!” Duan Hong Chen made fun of him and laughed in madness.
“Go by yourself!” Wu Kuang yelled, his power becoming dreadfully unstable.
Duan Hong Chen’s complexion changed slightly. Although he did not understand what Wu Kuang was trying to do, he knew that this was the best chance to kill him. What he could do now was to restrain Wu Kuang and prepare to receive the terrifying blow that was about to land on them.
The full moon-like radiance fell and directly engulfed the Soul Avatars of the two Great Emperors.
Wu Kuang let out a terrible roar, mixed with the muffled grunts from Duan Hong Chen.
It seemed that both of them had a hard time taking the blow.
After Yang Kai performed the skill, he immediately turned around and retreated back to the Soul Warming Lotus, stimulating the seven-coloured radiance to cover him.
*Hong long long… *
The aftermath of the tremendous impact exploded and Yang Kai’s entire Knowledge Sea boiled chaotically. Huge waves of flaming seawater spread out continuously to the surroundings as the attack landed on the exact centre of his Knowledge Sea, directly forming a massive pit.
Yang Kai suffered a splitting headache because he used this Secret Technique and artifact in his own Knowledge Sea. In the past, Yang Kai had never thought about doing such a reckless thing, but he had no choice today.
The damage was more severe than the battle these two Great Emperors caused before, and Yang Kai was suddenly overwhelmed by pain, feeling lightheaded, and almost fainting at that moment.
*Hong hong hong… *
The fallout continued to rampage, seemingly like it would last until the end of the world.
After some unknown amount of time though, the disastrous activity slowly calmed, and the dazzling radiance gradually dissipated.
Although Yang Kai grimaced in pain, his first reaction was to check the situation of Wu Kuang and Duan Hong Chen. After scanning with his Divine Sense, Yang Kai’s face could not help changing.
In his Knowledge Sea, only the Soul Avatar of Duan Hong Chen was left hovering in a certain corner. A huge gash from his shoulder blade to the lower abdomen of his Soul Avatar almost seemed to slice him into two pieces and traces of pure Spiritual Energy were diffusing out of his wound, constantly weakening his aura.
Duan Hong Chen turned his head to look around, panting, “Where is Wu Kuang? Has his Soul been extinguished?”
Yang Kai answered with a depressed face, “He escaped!”
When he was examining himself just now, Yang Kai clearly felt that someone had torn a hole in his Knowledge Sea’s defences and escaped.
Since Duan Hong Chen was still here, the one who ran away must have been Wu Kuang.
Hearing this, Duan Hong Chen’s complexion darkened as he forced himself to stand up and bellowed, “Boy, send me out!”
With a wave of his hand, Yang Kai sent Duan Hong Chen’s Soul Avatar out of his Knowledge Sea without a single word.
After doing so, Yang Kai shook and almost collapsed.
He was eager to find out if Wu Kuang and Duan Hong Chen would continue to fight again outside, but his current condition made him give up on this idea.
Yang Kai was in no position to care about others for now because if he did not focus on maintaining his consciousness, he would black out.
Although he benefited a lot from the battle between the two Great Emperors in his Knowledge Sea, he was also covered in wounds.
Under his urging, the Seven Coloured Soul Warming Lotus blossomed with a gentle light that filled his Knowledge Sea, repairing the damage done to his Soul.
After half a day, Yang Kai finally started to feel that his condition was stabilising.
And it was not until this time that he regained the ability to move.
He immediately sent his consciousness back to his physical body.
After opening his eyes, Yang Kai realized that he was still lost in The Void, drifting along aimlessly.
He saw Duan Hong Chen sitting cross-legged not far in front of him.
Yang Kai gulped hard and carefully inspected the Great Emperor’s condition, soon finding that Duan Hong Chen was still breathing, but his aura was extremely weak, and the fluctuations of his Emperor Qi were almost imperceptible.
[At least he is not dead!] Yang Kai could not help letting out a sigh of relief.
He did not hold back even the slightest when he used the Soul Splitting Sabre earlier and was worried that he would kill Duan Hong Chen together with Wu Kuang. Even though it was a request from the Bustling World Great Emperor, how could Yang Kai bear to kill such a noble Great Emperor with his own hands?
Both Yang Kai and Duan Hong Chen were here, so where did Wu Kuang go?
Wu Kuang’s physical body was certainly ruined, and his Soul Avatar was definitely injured, so where could he have fled to in the endless Void? If he simply ran around in such a place, he would be swallowed by the Void Turbulence sooner or later. Even if he was the strongest Master in the Star Boundary’s history, he would not survive being tossed around in his current state.
[Looks like the odds are against Wu Kuang rather than in his favour.]
Thinking so, Yang Kai was overjoyed.
But after examining Duan Hong Chen’s condition more closely, Yang Kai could not help worrying, because Duan Hong Chen’s aura was so weak at this moment that it was surprising he hadn’t died already. If Yang Kai did not come up with a solution quickly, the Great Emperor may really fall here.
Yang Kai hurriedly took out various healing pills from his Space Ring, and after offering a silent apology, he forced Duan Hong Chen’s mouth open and stuffed all the pills into his mouth before using his own strength to help him refine the medicinal efficacies.
When pushing his strength though, Yang Kai immediately found something unusual about himself.
Because all the strength in his own body had turned into an exceedingly pure Emperor Qi!
[What happened?] Yang Kai was shocked yet delighted.
After breaking through to the Emperor Realm, a cultivator would need to spend a great deal of time transforming their Source Qi into Emperor Qi. No one could avoid this process, and the shortest time one would take to do this was normally a few years while most would need far longer than that, possibly even a few hundred years. This was similar to when an Origin King wanted to break through to the Dao Source Realm and needed to first transform their Saint Qi into Source Qi.
However, Yang Kai had just broken through to the Emperor Realm, so why had all his Source Qi already become pure Emperor Qi?
He carefully recalled what had just transpired. At the beginning of his breakthrough, his Source Qi was indeed rapidly transforming into Emperor Qi, but he was hurled into The Void before he could examine himself, then Wu Kuang invaded his Knowledge Sea. After the battle between the two Great Emperors concluded, Yang Kai finally came out from his Knowledge Sea to find his Source Qi had completed the transformation process.
Yang Kai did not know which part of the process caused this to happen, but it was nothing less than an unexpected blessing.
Perhaps, it had something to do with the hardship during his promotion, or maybe it had to do with the insights he gained from the battle between the two Great Emperors in his Knowledge Sea, but regardless of the cause, this had saved Yang Kai at least a few years of hard cultivation.
After regaining his senses, Yang Kai calmed himself down and turned his attention to Duan Hong Chen again.
Duan Hong Chen’s situation did not look optimistic, his aura and vitality did not stop weakening even after taking in so many healing Spirit Pills.
Yang Kai understood that it was not the problem of those Spirit Pills that he had refined personally, but rather the injury suffered by Duan Hong Chen was too serious to be healed. On top of the injuries from Yang Kai’s Heaven Severing Slash, Duan Hong Chen was already injured during the previous fight with Wu Kuang.
These wounds could not be healed by mere Spirit Pills anymore.
[This is bad!] Yang Kai’s heart sank.
Seeing that the Bustling World Great Emperor’s aura was getting weaker and weaker, to the point that even the light of his life was almost extinguished, Yang Kai decided to go all out. Stretching out his hand, Yang Kai seemed to pluck something from the void, and in the next moment, a green leaf miraculously appeared in his grasp.
The leaf had distinctive veins and was pure, verdant green like priceless jade. This lift contained unimaginable amounts of vitality. Yang Kai held it like he was holding a living creature with real flesh and blood, as its vitality was shockingly strong.
It was a leaf of the Immortal Tree!
Yang Kai had no other choice. He could only try using a leaf from the Immortal Tree as the last resort to save Duan Hong Chen from his hopeless condition.
Like the Soul Warming Lotus, the Immortal Tree was one of the world’s Supreme Treasures. It had existed since the beginning, and there was only one in existence. So long as it existed, there would never be a second one.
Immortal Source Liquid, one of the three Great Divine Waters, was born from the Immortal Tree. It had the miraculous effect of being able to revive someone from the gates of Hell and was a sacred healing treasure that no pill could compare to.
Unfortunately, even though Yang Kai had the Immortal Tree, he did not have the Immortal Source Liquid. Although he had collected some Immortal Source Liquid during the time when he obtained the Immortal Tree, he had used up the last of it a long time ago.
But if Immortal Source Liquid had such a miraculous effect, wouldn’t a leaf from the Immortal Tree have similar potency?
Yang Kai did not know if this leaf could save Duan Hong Chen’s life, but he had to try rather than just watch the Bustling World Great Emperor die.
After plucking the green leaf, Yang Kai immediately threw it into Duan Hong Chen’s mouth, spurring his own Emperor Qi to refine it at the same time.
A gleam of green light bloomed from Duan Hong Chen’s dantian before it quickly enveloped him entirely.
Yang Kai was dumbfounded; however, he clearly felt that this green light contained astonishing vitality. Under the shroud of this green light, Duan Hong Chen’s wounds were recovering rapidly and his dreadfully weak aura had also started to slowly rise.
This discovery made Yang Kai feel relieved, knowing that he had found the right solution.
The Immortal Tree’s leaf did have the ability to save someone from the brink of death, and it seemed to be even more powerful in this regard than the Immortal Source Liquid.
At this point, Yang Kai did not need to help Duan Hong Chen anymore, he just needed to stand guard for him.
The green light bloomed in this dark Void with a mysterious kind of brilliance. Duan Hong Chen’s aura gradually stabilized, his blood started to flow in his body, and his heartbeat became clear and discernible.
After a stick of incense, the green light gradually dissipated, and Duan Hong Chen was no longer in a dying state. Nevertheless, he still did not awake for some reason.
Yang Kai breathed a sigh of relief, suddenly feeling a sense of fatigue coming from the inside out.
From the time he began to break through to the Emperor Realm, he had barely had a moment to breathe. He had undergone a fierce World Energy Baptism, then been bombarded by a bolt of World Force, then been swallowed into a black hole that formed from an inexplicable burst of energy, after which he faced the invasion of Wu Kuang into his Knowledge Sea to seize him, only to then witness a battle between Duan Hong Chen and Wu Kuang inside his body.
Yang Kai was tense and stressed throughout the whole process. It was not until this moment that everything was settled that he could finally relax his mind.
Staring at Duan Hong Chen in front of him, an unreal feeling abruptly struck Yang Kai.
The name of the Great Emperors shook the Star Boundary whenever they were mentioned as each one was a legendary existence. They always appeared at one moment but disappeared the next; extremely secretive in their movements and traces. A commoner couldn’t see them even once in his or her lifetime.
Ever since Yang Kai came to the Star Boundary, he had never stopped hearing people mentioning the Ten Great Emperors. Everyone who mentioned them would show a face of admiration and worship, as if the Great Emperors were deities…
Yang Kai could not believe that he actually ran into not just one but two Great Emperors at once in the Shattered Star Sea!
What was even more unorthodox was that these two Great Emperors, who were like ancient legends, actually fought to the death in front of him. One of them was known as the greatest evil, as well as the strongest Master in the Star Boundary’s history.
Yang Kai didn’t know if he was lucky or not…
Suddenly, Duan Hong Chen’s eyelids twitched. He, who was sitting in front of Yang Kai, slowly started to open his eyes.
Yang Kai was overjoyed and shouted in a low voice, “Senior Duan!”
Duan Hong Chen looked at him with a puzzled gaze and asked solemnly, “What did you feed this Old Master that could pull him back from the gates of Hell?”
“Oh, it’s nothing, it was just a Spirit Pill that I found earlier. I’m not sure what kind of Spirit Pill it was but I think it was pretty good, so I served it to Senior,” Yang Kai grinned and tried to cover up what he had done.
It was not that he did not trust Duan Hong Chen, but rather that the Immortal Tree was too astounding a treasure, so it was better for him to not disclose its existence. He also believed that Duan Hong Chen would not be able to figure out what he had eaten given that he was in an unconscious state previously.
“Stupid boy!” Duan Hong Chen abruptly stretched out his hand and slapped Yang Kai vigorously.
Yang Kai did not dare to hide and took a hard slap in his face, grimacing in pain as he questioned innocently, “Senior, why did you slap me?”
If the person who slapped him was not the Bustling World Great Emperor, who was willing to sacrifice his life to kill Wu Kuang, Yang Kai would have resisted violently. Even so, he was aggrieved in his heart for being slapped so unreasonably.
In order to rescue Duan Hong Chen, Yang Kai plucked a leaf from the Immortal Tree, even though there were not many leaves in total. Furthermore, he still had no idea if there would be any consequences to the Immortal Tree by plucking a leaf from it.
If the Immortal Tree was damaged because of this, Yang Kai would not have enough tears to cry.
“You… you…” Duan Hong Chen looked distressed, raising his hand to deliver another slap, but unexpectedly, he slapped himself in the end and sighed heavily.
Yang Kai stared at him, dumbstruck. He suddenly had a bad feeling deep down in his heart, and asked tentatively, “Senior, do you have something wrong… with here?”
He pointed to his own head while speaking.
“Go ahead if you want to say that this Old Master has gone insane. This Old Master won’t hit you!” Duan Hong Chen snorted coldly.
[Look who’s talking now.] Yang Kai secretly blamed Duan Hong Chen in his heart for hitting him right after he woke up, but he dared not to speak this complaint out loud.
“You shouldn’t have saved me. You’ve made a terrible mistake!” Duan Hong Chen sighed heavily again, looking deeply depressed and upset.
Yang Kai replied in a deep voice, “Senior, I don’t like the way you are putting it. If Senior can give up his life to save the common people of this world, why can’t this Junior try to save your life?”
Duan Hong Chen was maddened, and just when he was about to snap back, his face suddenly showed an excruciated expression, then it turned distorted and hideous.
Yang Kai’s face paled in shock, he exclaimed, “Senior, what’s happening to you?”
Duan Hong Chen did not answer, his body simply shaking with cold sweat beading on his forehead, and this condition lasted for a while before it gradually subsided.
Yang Kai secretly examined him with his Divine Sense, but he found that there was nothing wrong with Duan Hong Chen. He was bewildered as he did not understand what happened to Bustling World Great Emperor.
“Hahahaha!” Duan Hong Chen suddenly burst into laughter, and his laughter contained a sense of pride that was completely inconsistent with his previous attitude. He looked at Yang Kai with his beaming eyes and praised, “Not bad, not bad! Boy, you did a great job! This King has to thank you for almost wiping me out of this world. Fortunately, the Heavens have decided to spare my life!”
Hearing his words, Yang Kai quickly jumped backwards, keeping his distance from Duan Hong Chen and checking him up and down with his eyes. A horrible thought immediately floated in his mind…
“Wu Kuang!” Yang Kai gritted his teeth and bellowed.
“Oh?” ‘Duan Hong Chen’ squinted at Yang Kai with a sneer, “You found out the identity of this King with just a few sentences? Boy, you’re quite sharp!”
“It really is you?” Yang Kai’s clothes were soaked in cold sweat as he stared forward incredulously, querying in a trembling voice, “You seized Senior Duan?”
“No!” Wu Kuang shook his head.
“Then how can you be here?” Yang Kai asked grimly. He was confident that the one who was currently talking to him was the Heaven Devouring Great Emperor, but how was that possible if he had not seized Duan Hong Chen’s body? Nevertheless, what made Yang Kai even more surprised was that he actually succeeded in seizing Duan Hong Chen’s body.
How did he do that? Duan Hong Chen was also a Great Emperor after all, and his strength was obviously not inferior to Wu Kuang based on their performances earlier. In theory, it should be impossible for Wu Kuang to seize him.
Before Wu Kuang could answer, Duan Hong Chen’s face suddenly turned distorted and hideous again, his body shaking violently only to calm down once again a moment later.
His previous aggressive gaze disappeared, replaced by a peaceful look.
Yang Kai’s fear spiked, he probed, “Senior Duan?”
While sighing, Duan Hong Chen gently nodded, “It’s me!”
“What, what’s happening?” Yang Kai was confused, his jaw dropped.
Duan Hong Chen sighed, “After that old thing escaped out of your Knowledge Sea, he invaded this Old Master’s body and attempted to seize it. Of course, this Old Master would never let him get what he wanted, so we fought again; however, both of us were exhausted and wounded, so we couldn’t do anything to each other. Actually, if things had simply been allowed to take their course, this Old Master would still be able to drag Wu Kuang with him to die together, but…”
“But what?”
Duan Hong Chen glared at him, “But this Old Master didn’t anticipate you feeding me some strange treasure that allowed both of us to regain our strength! Not only that, that old dog Wu Kuang also performed a Secret Technique to tie his Soul to this Old Master’s, forcibly occupying half of this Old Master’s body.
“How… how…” Yang Kai gulped while wiping the cold sweat beaded on his forehead, “How is that possible?”
Duan Hong Chen snorted, “Do you think the name Heaven Devouring Great Emperor is for nothing? If we miss this opportunity, this Old Master is afraid there will be no chance to kill him in the future.”
When the words fell, he laughed again, “No one in this world can kill this King!”
Two sentences were spoken with two different tones, like Duan Hong Chen had split personalities.
Yang Kai rebuked, “You shut up!”
Duan Hong Chen turned to look at Yang Kai coldly and challenged in a grim voice, “Little brat, say that again if you dare. Do you believe that I would…”
Yang Kai immediately interrupted him by waving his hand, “Enough, enough. You already had a hard time with this Young Master just after he broke through to the Emperor Realm. Wait until this Young Master becomes a Great Emperor, then destroying you will be as easy as waving his hand. Hurry up and let Senior Duan come out to talk.”
“You…” After Wu Kuang uttered a word, Duan Hong Chen rapidly took over his body again, “Brat, now you can see that this Old Master’s body doesn’t only have his own Soul, but also that old fart, Wu Kuang’s Soul. Due to his interference, this Old Master cannot self-destruct with him, and also has no way to drive him out, making me neither human nor ghost. What’s the point of me living like this?”
Yang Kai broke into a cold sweat hearing him and hurriedly comforted, “Senior, don’t give up. It’s just a bout of bad luck. Since the Heavens arranged it this way, there definitely has to be a good reason.”
“Tell this Old Master then, what good reason is there? If you can convince this Old Master, he won’t blame you for saving his life.”
Yang Kai was on the verge of crying. How could he have known that saving a life would cause so much trouble? And he was just trying to comfort Duan Hong Chen by saying what he did, he didn’t actually know if there was any bright spot in this incident. After pondering for a while though, he explained, “Senior Duan, think about it, now that Wu Kuang’s Soul is in your body, even though it causes you a lot of inconveniences, in this case, you can also constantly monitor him. Under your watch, Wu Kuang can’t cause any troubles, and he can’t harm the Star Boundary in the future.”
Duan Hong Chen’s eyes lit up, nodding with a smile in agreement, “Good, what you say is correct.”
Yang Kai beamed, “Since the two Seniors will have to share the same body in the future, you two must live in harmony. Come and hold hands together. Be good friends from now on!”
Duan Hong Chen growled, “I’m afraid we can’t be friends. If this Old Master ever gets a chance, I will self-destruct. Wu Kuang, you better sleep with one eye open and never let your guard down.”
Yang Kai broke into a cold sweat again. He did not know how Wu Kuang, who was hiding in Duan Hong Chen’s body, felt about this.
It took him so much effort to finally seize half of Duan Hong Chen’s body in order to keep his own Soul alive, but now, he had to constantly be alert against the original owner of the body as each passing moment, Duan Hong Chen would be trying to self-destruct. It would surely be an exhausting existence.
“Good, since that’s settled for now, let’s return to the Shattered Star Sea,” Yang Kai straightened up his body.
Duan Hong Chen shook his head, “I’m afraid we can’t go back to the Shattered Star Sea now.”
“What’s wrong?” Yang Kai looked at him with a puzzled face.
Duan Hong Chen replied, “Wu Kuang’s previous shelter was the core of the Shattered Star Sea, but that place has been ruined by our battle and the Shattered Star Sea will collapse as a result.
Yang Kai was paralyzed with fear, whispering, “The Shattered Star Sea is going to collapse? Then what about the people inside?”
Although he had out Liu Yan, Zhang Ruo Xi, and Mo Xiao Qi in the Sealed World Bead, Hua Qing Si was still out in the Shattered Star Sea, as well as Xia Sheng, Murong Xiao Xiao, Xiao Bai Yi, and the other elite disciples from the Four Territories of the Star Boundary. If these elites all died as a result of the collapse of the Shattered Star Sea, it would be a severe loss to the Star Boundary and would shake its foundations for hundreds of years.
Duan Hong Chen calmly answered, “Don’t worry. Before the Shattered Star Sea collapses, all of them would be ejected out of it and there won’t be any danger to their lives.
“That’s good to hear,” Yang Kai breathed a sigh of relief.
“But from now on, there will be no more Shattered Star Sea and the young cultivators will have one less training ground in this world,” Duan Hong Chen continued with a feeling of sympathy. Although this entire Shattered Star Sea had been hiding Wu Kuang, this dreadfully dangerous villain, it was undeniable that the existence of the Shattered Star Sea contributed a lot of Emperor Realm Masters to the Star Boundary.
By the looks of the results of the Shattered Star Sea this time, the cultivators who had sufficient luck and aptitude had already broken through to the Emperor Realm, whereas those who had not been promoted might still have a chance to after entering retreat in their respective Sects.
It was conceivable that in the next ten, fifty, or even a hundred years, Emperor Realm Masters would continuously sprout up like bamboo shoots after a spring rain.
In fact, there had always been such a phenomenon after every opening of the Shattered Star Sea. New Emperor Realm Masters would be born unceasingly in the subsequent hundred or so years.
“It was inevitable,” Yang Kai smiled faintly. “Gains and losses go hand in hand. It is worth it to resolve the latent danger of Wu Kuang, even if the cost is the Shattered Star Sea.”
Duan Hong Chen looked at him and agreed, “You are right.”
While speaking, he slowly stood up, “Good, let’s leave this place first. Let this Old Master have a look… this is the Void, so in order to leave this place, we must find the weak part in the world barrier…”
He suddenly stopped and turned to look at Yang Kai in amazement, because Yang Kai was unleashing a wave of strange power from his whole body. He then stretched out his hands and swung fiercely, opening a crack in space.
“You’re also proficient in the Dao of Space?” Duan Hong Chen’s jaw dropped and his eyes gleamed in astonishment. Yang Kai’s previous performance was already impressive enough, but Duan Hong Chen never expected that he also cultivated the extremely esoteric Dao of Space. If Yang Kai was not proficient in manipulating Space Principles, how could he easily break through the Void Barrier? Even if it was Duan Hong Chen himself, he would need to search for a weak spot then use incredible force to stand a chance to escape from this place. Moreover, he had to be careful while attempting to leave, lest he cause a Void Collapse, trapping him in the Void forever.
Yang Kai grinned, “Just some paltry tricks. I’m sorry for my lack of skill in front of Senior.”
The corner of Duan Hong Chen’s mouth slightly twitched, “Amazing, amazing. Youngsters nowadays are truly amazing.”
Just when he finished his sentence, he suddenly fumed, “Duan Hong Chen, if it weren’t for you, this King would have already seized this brat’s body! This King is afraid that he will never be able to find such a terrific host again in the future!”
Yang Kai was speechless. Although he knew that the speaker was Wu Kuang, he was still not used to someone who could change his face faster than flipping through the pages of a book. He stretched his hand and gestured, “Senior Duan, after you.”
Duan Hong Chen nodded his head before taking the lead to walk out of the crack and disappearing. After his departure, Yang Kai followed leisurely.
A desolate view appeared before Yang Kai’s eyes after stepping out of the Void Crack.
The place was like a desert, with boundless yellow sands rolling on the ground. The wind billowed amongst the rising clouds, but nothing else could be seen within a radius of ten thousand kilometres.
Duan Hong Chen, who came out earlier than Yang Kai, was inspecting the surroundings. Yang Kai stood behind him and shaded his eyes with his hand, asking, “Senior Duan, what is this place?”
The only thing he could be sure of was that this place was somewhere in the Star Boundary. In other words, he had returned to the Star Boundary after coming out of the Void.
However, this place was definitely not the Northern Territory that he entered the Shattered Star Sea from, because the Northern Territory was a freezing cold place, and this landscape did not match with that at all.
After pondering for a moment, Duan Hong Chen revealed, “This should be the Purple Mountain Range in the Eastern Territory.”
“Eastern Territory?” Yang Kai’s eyes lit up.
Earlier, he planned to travel to the Eastern Territory after settling everything in the Shattered Star Sea to look for Xiao Xiao after he had inquired about him from Yin Le Sheng.
The journey to the Eastern Territory was long and perilous, and Yang Kai had initially planned to travel by using the Space Arrays in large cities or big Sects to cross the distance, but he did not expect to travel directly to the Eastern Territory through this odd coincidence.
This was a pleasant surprise.
“Do you have something to do in the Eastern Territory?” Duan Hong Chen glanced at Yang Kai curiously and seemed to have read his mind.
Yang Kai smiled lightly, “Just a small personal matter.”
Duan Hong Chen did not press the matter and just nodded in understanding, “In that case, you and this Old Master will part ways here. Remember to always walk the righteous path in the Star Boundary, and act in a way that does not violate your conscience!”
Yang Kai replied solemnly, “Junior will not forget Senior’s advice.”
After speaking, he further asked, “Senior, don’t you want to return to Azure Sun Temple?”
Duan Hong Chen shook his head, “It’s not appropriate for this Old Master to appear in a crowded place in his current state. If you see Wen Zi Shan again in the future, don’t tell him about this Old Master. He worries too much.”
Yang Kai, “Junior understands.”
Duan Hong Chen nodded, and with a flicker, he instantly disappeared from the sand-filled land.
Yang Kai sighed lightly at the spot Duan Hong Chen was standing before he vanished.
Duan Hong Chen was obviously worried about Wu Kuang’s Soul in his body; therefore, he could not wait to part ways with him, and also dared not to go to places with lots of people. Yang Kai had no idea what Duan Hong Chen’s plans for the future were, but given that he had to share his body with Wu Kuang, there must be an enormous amount of trouble waiting for him. However, luckily, he could not self-destruct for now, so he still had the opportunity to find a way to cast Wu Kuang’s Soul out of his body in the future.
Nevertheless, he would definitely require tremendous strength to be able to do so.
After a while, Yang Kai summoned his wooden boat and flew off like a bolt of lightning.
About half a day later, Yang Kai finally reached the border of the sandy landscape when a green light captured his eyes.
When he flew closer, Yang Kai realized that the place turned out to be a small oasis.
Oases were extremely rare in the desert, and a small place like this could often save many lives and bring hope to people who lost their way. There were some traces of human activity in this oasis, but no one was here at the moment, and it seemed that it had not been visited for quite some time.
Yang Kai disembarked and found a clean place to sit before entering his Sealed World Bead.
Previously, during his promotion to the Emperor Realm, he had no choice but to extract a trace of World Force from the Sealed World Bead to counter the real world’s World Force which had descended upon him. He had no idea if this action had caused any harm to his Small Sealed World.
He did not have time to examine its situation after his breakthrough, and only now found some free time to do so.
As soon as Yang Kai entered the Sealed World Bead, his complexion changed drastically. He looked around in befuddlement and called out in alarm, “How, h-how did it become like this?”
Although he was mentally prepared for the fact that the release of World Force would cause a certain degree of damage to the Small Sealed World, Yang Kai had not anticipated the impact would be this huge.
Currently, the Small Sealed World was in a state of devastation and chaos. Countless ravines crisscrossed in all directions on the ground, as if the battle between Duan Hong Chen and Wu Kuang had taken place here.
The flowers, plants, and lush trees that once flourished everywhere were destroyed in large swaths, and even the rich World Energy had diminished noticeably.
The entire Small Sealed World looked lifeless, just like a doomsday scene.
Yang Kai’s heart ached. Ever since he obtained the Sealed World Bead on Shadowed Star, this artifact had provided him with a lot of convenience and saved him from many crises, but he never expected it to become like this.
The Embodiment stood beside Yang Kai with a sad expression, lamenting, “Wu Kuang said World Force is a World’s Source Strength. What good results could you expect when you drew out that Source Strength from this world?”
“What happened to Liu Yan and the others? Are they okay?” Yang Kai asked worriedly, releasing his Divine Sense to investigate the situation.
The Embodiment answered, “They are fine, it’s just that Ruo Xi and Xiao Qi are still asleep, and we don’t know when they will wake up.”
Yang Kai nodded before teleporting to where Liu Yan and the others were. Just as the Embodiment said, Zhang Ruo Xi and Mo Xiao Qi were still asleep.
Mo Xiao Qi’s emotional riot caused the release of her Divine Soul Seal, which was resealed by Duan Hong Cheng with a drop of Zhang Ruo Xi’s Blood Essence. The result was that both of them fell unconscious. The two little girls had probably been thoroughly exhausted, but although they were unconscious, there should not be a problem as their breathing was smooth and peaceful.
After investigating for a while, Yang Kai felt relieved, and then transferred his Divine Sense to the medicine garden. Seeing that the Immortal Tree and Firmament Tree, as well as the exotic flowers and plants he planted in the medicine garden were not affected, only then did he truly relax.
If the Immortal Tree and Firmament Tree were affected, Yang Kai would not have enough tears to cry.
Fortunately, although the Small Sealed World was badly damaged, the important areas were not affected. It was a small blessing in all of the misfortune.
[The question is, how do I repair this damage?] Yang Kai was extremely troubled. Although he was proficient in the Dao of Space, it was not the same as mastery over World Force; he did not know where to start even if he wanted to repair this place.
The Sealed World Bead had absorbed a large amount of Source Strength in the Source Sea, which condensed thickly in the space inside the Sealed World Bead; however, the World Energy and Source Strength were escaping the Small Sealed World steadily due to the damage.
It was understood that if Yang Kai did not come up with a solution, the World Energy and Source Strength here would completely leak out sooner or later, and the Sealed World Bead would not be able to provide a decent environment for Liu Yan and the others for cultivation.
Yang Kai’s eyes suddenly lit up as he thought about the problem though.
The reason the Small Sealed World became like this was that he had extracted the World Force of this world.
Since that was the case, if he could replenish the missing World Source Strength, the Small Sealed World should be able to restore to its original form!
World Source Strength could be found in any part of the world; however, only a capable Great Emperor could perceive it, so Yang Kai was naturally not capable of this. However, he did own the Mountains and Rivers Bell, which had suppressed and contained a decent amount of World Force earlier.
What miraculous effects would there be if the Small Sealed World was flooded by the suppressed World Force?
Especially since the suppressed World Force was much richer than the amount Yang Kai had drawn out of the Sealed World Bead. If it was used well, not only could it repair the Small Sealed World, but also might restore it to a better state than before, with more complete World Principles.
Yang Kai could not help getting excited at that thought, eager to give it a try.
In any case, if he did not try, the Sealed World Bead would become a broken world sooner or later; but if he succeeded, the benefits would be self-evident.
After making up his mind, Yang Kai flickered and reappeared in the oasis. Then, he waved his hand to release the Embodiment, Liu Yan, Zhang Ruo Xi, and Mo Xiao Qi.
“What is Master’s order?” Liu Yan asked Yang Kai curiously.
Yang Kai normally would not release all of them out of the Sealed World Bead, so there must be something important for them to do.
Yang Kai solemnly disclosed, “I want to repair the Sealed World Bead, you may not be safe staying inside.”
“Repair the Small Sealed World?” A trace of confusion flashed across the Embodiment’s eyes, but he quickly reacted and asked in a small voice, “Are you going to use the suppressed World Force?”
Yang Kai nodded and quickly explained, “This is the only way. I have to try.”
The Embodiment pondered for a while before pointing out, “It’s also an opportunity.”
“But before that, I want to give Liu Yan something!” Yang Kai looked at Liu Yan with scorching eyes.
“The Phoenix True Fire?” Liu Yan’s breathing stopped slightly.
“So, you felt it,” Yang Kai grinned.
Yang Kai threw the Phoenix True Fire into the Small Sealed World after obtaining it from the Shattered Star Sea earlier, and its presence was naturally sensed by Liu Yan.
The Phoenix True Fire was the legacy of the Martial Flame Great Emperor, a Fire Phoenix’s Source. Liu Yan was originally a Fire Attribute Artifact Spirit, so there was a subtle connection between the two, not to mention that Liu Yan had also refined a Luan Feng’s feather.
The Fire Phoenix and Luan Feng were both branches of the Phoenix Clan; they shared the same origins.
Liu Yan possessed a trace of the Luan Feng’s strength after refining its feather, so it was only reasonable that she could also refine the Phoenix True Fire.
However, it was accompanied by great danger that may extinguish her Soul the moment she tried.
Yang Kai expressed solemnly, “Liu Yan, the Phoenix True Fire is a Fire Phoenix’s Source, if you succeed in refining it, you will inherit the legacy memory of a Fire Phoenix and be truly reborn. Becoming a True Fire Phoenix would also be just a matter of time, but you must be aware of the risk you would be taking. If there is even the slightest error, you will surely be burned to death. You…”
“Master, I am prepared,” Liu Yan interjected before Yang Kai could finish.
Yang Kai was slightly stunned and looked at her intently for a while before he nodded and continued, “This is your own path, it is your choice. Since you are prepared, I won’t try to dissuade you. Just… be careful!”
Liu Yan pursed her red lips, and told him softly, “If Liu Yan fails in refining, please don’t be sad for me. Liu Yan was once just an Artifact Spirit. I obtained sentience by chance, and am already very satisfied to be able to follow Master for so many years. It’s enough that this servant was able to live freely like this even for a short time.”
Emotions welled up in her, and her eyes became slightly red, but because she was a puppet, she could not shed any tears.
Yang Kai responded softly, “It has also been my honour and privilege to be able to meet and know you, and to be with you all this way. Don’t think too much, you will succeed.”
Liu Yan nodded firmly, “I will definitely not disappoint Master!”
Yang Kai’s expression turned solemn as he violently pushed the Golden Divine Dragon Source Strength in his body. Suddenly a huge golden dragon phantom appeared behind him, flashing its fangs and claws.
Stretching out his hand, Yang Kai sent a dragon claw into the Sealed World Bead, and with a firm grip, he pulled out the Phoenix True Fire.
Under the dragon’s claw, the Phoenix True Fire was like a living little phoenix, flapping its wings desperately but bound tightly by the Golden Divine Dragon Source.
“Take it!” Yang Kai shouted loudly as he slowly pushed the Phoenix True Fire towards Liu Yan.
Liu Yan took a deep breath, her face instantly turning as tranquil as an ancient well, and she inhaled the Phoenix True Fire into her abdomen in one gulp.
Immediately afterwards, she flickered and flew towards the depths of the desert at lightning speed, disappearing in the blink of an eye.
Soon, an extremely hot wave of power transmitted from that direction, and a ball of fire was blazing in the yellow, sand-filled landscape, accompanied by a clear and loud phoenix cry that echoed across the sky.
Yang Kai looked solemn and released his Divine Sense, paying close attention to the situation there.
If he had a choice, he would not let Liu Yan refine the Phoenix True Fire at this time.
He had originally planned to wait until Liu Yan was stronger before giving her the Phoenix True Fire, but the Sealed World Bead was seriously damaged right now, and could collapse at any moment, so it was no longer suitable to store the Phoenix True Fire inside it.
Only the Sealed World Bead could store the Phoenix True Fire as no Space Ring could accommodate it.
Once the Small Sealed World collapsed, the precious Phoenix True Fire would very likely be swallowed into the Void, never to be found again.
As a last resort, Yang Kai could only ask Liu Yan to refine it at this time.
However, Yang Kai was also fully prepared. It would be best if Liu Yan succeeded in the refinement, but if the process did not go as planned, he would directly intervene and suppress the Phoenix True Fire using his Golden Divine Dragon Source and the Mountains and Rivers Bell.
Presumably, Liu Yan would not need to worry about her life.
He decided not to tell Liu Yan because he did not want Liu Yan to have the thought of escaping if all went wrong, and it would be fine even if the refining failed.
Being cornered at the gates of death was the best way to force out Liu Yan’s potential.
Yang Kai looked solemn at the detection of his Divine Sense.
Liu Yan, who was refining the Phoenix True Fire, was currently on fire, and the phantom of a Fire Phoenix had emerged above her petite body. The majestic phoenix eyes stared at her coldly, obviously unwilling to be captured and refined easily.
Fortunately, Liu Yan had the body of a Spirit Puppet and was also a Fire Attribute Artifact Spirit. She had even devoured a large amount of Sun’s True Fire, so she had strong resistance and compatibility with this scorching fire.
She constantly urged her own power to resist the terrifying power of the Phoenix True Fire. Instead of hurrying to devour it though, she released her Divine Sense to communicate and comfort the Phoenix True Fire continuously.
Yang Kai’s eyes lit up, realizing that his worries were needless.
Liu Yan was not a child, she had her own ideas and inspirations. If she was successful in her approach to communicate with the Phoenix True Fire, it was very likely that Phoenix True Fire would recognize her as its Master and would be refined willingly without any dangers.
The key now was how to get Phoenix True Fire to recognize her.
Yang Kai stared intently, not daring to miss a single moment.
In the raging flames, the earth was scorched into burnt ground, and the flowing yellow sands melted away.
A radius of a thousand metres around Liu Yan was turned into a magma-like zone, searing terrifyingly.
The gigantic Fire Phoenix phantom hovered behind Liu Yan, its majestic phoenix eyes akin to those of Divine Spirits from ancient times looking down at her with disdain and mockery. Enveloped by the phantom, Liu Yan actually gave up using her strength to resist and simply allowed the flames that could burn everything in existence to consume her, her dainty face scrunching up in pain.
Two streams of Divine Sense were communicating with each other in the void.
One was as weak as an ant, while another was as powerful as a divine being from the Heavens; the contrast was exceedingly obvious.
No one knew what they were communicating, but the mighty Divine Sense of Fire Phoenix Source Strength suddenly went berserk, accompanied by a cry while its flames burned more fiercely.
Yang Kai’s eyes twitched aggressively and he almost intervened.
Liu Yan had the body of a Spirit Puppet, unlike an ordinary cultivator; however, Yang Kai could not tell how long she could endure under the burning of the Phoenix True Fire. If she could not withstand it anymore, she was bound to be burned to death.
Just as Yang Kai was about to make a move, he stole a glance at Liu Yan and stopped abruptly due to sensing something odd.
He found that even though Liu Yan’s expression was twisted in extreme pain, there was a sense of peace and calm on her brow. She looked dreadfully strange as her face contorted with two completely contradictory emotions.
Suddenly, another cry was heard. Although it was not as loud and clear as the phoenix’s cry, it was crisp and melodious. In the next instant, a three feathered fiery-red bird transformed from Liu Yan’s body.
It was Liu Yan’s original form!
Yang Kai looked at her solemnly. Despite all the molten sand whipping about, blocking his sight, he could still see everything clearly with his Divine Sense.
It had been a long time since Liu Yan showed her original body. The image of Liu Yan in her original body during their first meeting flashed across his mind vividly. At the time, Yang Kai thought that she was a Fire Spirit, but only after some probing did he realize she was an Artifact Spirit of an Artifact Refining Furnace.
Liu Yan must have been forced to reveal her original form.
As soon as the strange Firebird appeared, it shot towards the sky, riding the clouds and winds, and instantly reached the head of the Fire Phoenix, flying around it.
The Fire Phoenix cried endlessly and spread its fiery feathers, releasing monstrous heat waves to the surroundings. Liu Yan’s original body was struck by the heat waves again and again, like a small ship in the stormy sea, ready to drown her at any time.
The fluctuations of Divine Sense never stopped, as Liu Yan kept trying to converse with the Phoenix True Fire.
Yang Kai could not tell exactly what Liu Yan was doing as he only saw her flying and dancing around the Fire Phoenix unceasingly, sending out her Divine Sense to communicate.
The irascible phantom of Fire Phoenix slowly calmed down, retrieving its spreading fire feathers. However, its eyes were still filled with disdain, as if the whole world was beneath it.
Seeing this situation, Liu Yang moved a little closer to Fire Phoenix, seemingly trying to make it accept her.
The process was incredibly slow.
After working hard for a long time, Liu Yan finally drifted on top of Fire Phoenix’s head, gently combing the feathers on its crest.
The Fire Phoenix leisurely closed its majestic eyes.
[Did she succeed?] Yang Kai frowned slightly, as he did not understand the situation now.
Logically speaking, Liu Yan definitely had a significantly higher chance of successfully refining the Fire Phoenix Source Strength than anyone else, because Liu Yan herself was a Fire Attribute Artifact Spirit whose origins were quite close to the Phoenix True Fire.
The monstrous coercion gradually decreased and the gigantic Fire Phoenix phantom slowly retracted into Liu Yan’s body. The scorching heat lost its source and dissipated at once, leaving only the boiling magma and semi-solidified yellow sands covering a large area of the ground.
Following the Fire Phoenix, Liu Yan’s original figure returned to her human form.
Yang Kai used his Divine Sense to examine Liu Yan’s condition and he could not help but be taken aback.
Because right now, Liu Yan’s whole body was burning like she had been on fire for countless years. Her appearance did not seem to have a human profile and her previous beautiful hair was all gone.
All Yang Kai could see was a charcoal humanoid-like object.
If even the body of a Spirit Puppet could be burned like this, other cultivators might have already been turned into ashes a long time ago.
Yang Kai’s heart bled for Liu Yan, but he resisted the urge to help somehow while preparing himself to pluck another leaf from the Immortal Tree.
Liu Yan’s feeble Soul fluctuations suddenly pulsed from the burnt humanoid object.
Traces of crimson energy suddenly diffused out of her body, as if the flames were dancing, dazzling everyone’s eyes. The crimson energy had a terrifying aura that could burn everything, but also released an incredible vitality at the same time.
Phoenix True Fire!
It was rumoured that all Phoenixes were immortal and indestructible. Every one of their deaths were nothing but a nirvana of reincarnation, and it was this mystical Phoenix True Fire that created such a legend. Therefore, Phoenix True Fire possessed both the power of destruction and also an abundance of vitality.
Destruction was for the enemy, while vitality was for itself.
Soon, Liu Yan was engulfed by the crimson energy which was impermeable to the wind, and the crimson energy gradually solidified, forming a rock-like existence.
Liu Yan seemed to have turned into an egg that was about half the height of a grown man. Countless mysterious patterns could be seen on the eggshell, as if it contained profound secrets. Out of pure curiosity, Yang Kai glanced at her more than a few times, but suddenly felt that there was a pair of majestic eyes staring coldly at him in his Knowledge Sea, causing his Soul to tumble.
He was so frightened that he quickly averted his gaze.
It was the eyes of the Fire Phoenix. Yang Kai had no idea why it appeared in his Knowledge Sea, but he knew that if he continued to stare at the runic patterns on the egg, he might be attacked by a Soul Technique.
This should be the inheritance of the Phoenix Clan, and the patterns should be the secrets of the Phoenix Clan. Anyone who tried to spy on them without first winning approval from the Phoenix Clan would not meet a good end.
However, Yang Kai was relieved to see this situation.
Since the Phoenix Clan inheritance had emerged on the eggshell that wrapped Liu Yan, it meant that she had successfully convinced the Phoenix True Fire to accept her. With the Phoenix True Fire’s shelter, Liu Yan couldn’t die even if she suffered severe injuries.
All he needed to do now was to wait.
Wait for the moment of Liu Yan’s rebirth from the egg and witness the legendary scene.
Yang Kai did not expect that Liu Yan could refine the Phoenix True Fire in such a short time. Although the process caused much anxiety to him, it ended without any life-threatening danger.
He then sent a message to the Embodiment, asking him to pay attention to Liu Yan’s situation and inform him as soon as possible if something went wrong.
The Embodiment nodded.
After that, Yang Kai re-entered the Sealed World Bead.
Since the problem of the Phoenix True Fire was settled, then the next issue that he had to solve was the Small Sealed World.
Yang Kai released his Divine Sense everywhere and immediately received all the information about the Small Sealed World’s current state. After the extraction of the Sealed World’s World Force last time, tremendous damage was done. One-third of the entire Small Sealed World had turned into a chaotic mess that had no distinction between the ground and the sky. Many parts had been smashed together like a primordial soup.
These places were constantly collapsing, and the devastation continued to spread.
Judging from this situation, if he ignored it for another month, the Small Sealed World would completely collapse, and the Immortal Tree, Firmament Tree and all the precious herbs that were planted in his medicine garden would be destroyed.
Although Yang Kai could move all of these things away in advance, he was not comfortable with putting these treasures in another place, especially the Immortal Tree. Once people found out its existence, Yang Kai was afraid that the entire Star Boundary would usher in a reign of chaos trying to seize it.
Therefore, no matter what, Yang Kai wanted to stabilize the Small Sealed World as soon as possible, not for anything else, but to keep the Immortal Tree and the Firmament Tree safe and hidden.
With a serious expression on his face, Yang Kai stretched out his hand and a huge bell suddenly emerged in front of him.
The Ancient Exotic Artifact, Mountains and Rivers Bell!
Perhaps due to suppressing a large amount of World Force beneath it, the Mountains and Rivers Bell had not shrunk like normal and the mysterious patterns on its surface were continuously glowing. The ancient wild aura constantly permeated its surroundings.
When Yang Kai summoned the Mountains and Rivers Bell, he clearly felt that the suppressed World Force was colliding endlessly inside the Mountains and Rivers Bell, as if it was attempting to break free from its shackles.
After watching the Mountains and Rivers Bells for a time, Yang Kai performed a few hand seals with a solemn face.
The Mountains and Rivers Bell abruptly buzzed, and a gap was revealed in its world-suppressing force.
The suppressed World Force instantly turned into a stream of light, breaking free from the bell through the gap at lightning speed, like a cat perceiving a fish.
*Weng… *
Unimaginable coercion descended from the sky as an extremely strong will appeared from the darkness, hovering above Yang Kai’s head, conveying an aura of destruction.
Yang Kai’s body was being forced down by it.
During his breakthrough before, Yang Kai could not resist the bombardment of this World Force; however, he was different now, as he had become an Emperor Realm Master. The Emperor Qi in his body was pure and vigorous, and his strength had become ten times greater.
Moreover, this was the Small Sealed World, and even if it was damaged, the fact that he ruled everything in this world did not change.
Yang Kai looked up coldly, staring at the World Force that turned into a cloud of light, and with a single thought, the power of the Small Sealed World began to move.
Numerous formless hands reached out from all directions, firmly grasping the cloud of World Force.
The cloud of light buzzed, struggling constantly, but could not move an inch.
The World Force was no doubt a power imposed by the world outside, but it was just a cut-off remnant now, so how could it compete with the power of the entire Small Sealed World?
After capturing the World Force, Yang Kai quickly sat down cross-legged, and spread out his mind to the surroundings, enveloping the whole Small Sealed World in an instant.
Soon, Yang Kai had a strange feeling. He felt as if he had turned into the Small Sealed World, that there was no boundary between them anymore as they merged to become one.
After merging with the entire Small Sealed World, Yang Kai’s presumptions were confirmed.
The Small Sealed World was extremely eager to use the imprisoned World Force to repair its broken parts; this was the will of the Small Sealed World.
It was like the instinctive reaction of an injured person at the sight of a healing pill.
Yang Kai was delighted but kept his composure, his expression as tranquil as an ancient well as he closed his eyes tightly while his hands were constantly performing mysterious seals.
He did not even know what these seals were at first as his body was acting on instinct at the moment, merely allowing the Small Sealed World’s will to guide his actions.
He blasted a series of imprints towards the imprisoned World Force hovering above, and soon, the cloud of light was thoroughly surrounded by a strange set of runic patterns.
At the same time, the struggling World Force seemed to have resigned itself to its fate and stopped struggling.
At a certain moment, Yang Kai suddenly opened his eyes and yelled in a low voice, “Release!”
With this shout, the imprisoned World Force abruptly exploded, turning into smaller streams of light, like a firework explosion, extremely dazzling. It broke down into countless points of light, flying to every corner of the Small Sealed World.
The streams of light scattered, seeping into the Small Sealed World and disappearing one after another.
The broken Small Sealed World buzzed in enthusiasm, as if it had been greatly nourished.
The damaged parts of the world stopped collapsing, the ground and sky separated again, and the chaos calmed.
As time passed, the ravines on the ground closed up, and the devastation began to reverse. An inexplicable trace of inspiring vitality danced around the lifeless Small Sealed World.
The large amount of Shattered Source Strength that had been devoured from the Source Sea before seemed to have undergone some wonderful transformation and was now quickly merging into the Small Sealed World, turning into strands of clear World Principles, strengthening the foundation of the Small Sealed World.
The wind rose, the clouds gathered and rubbed together to create the sound of thunder as lightning flashed and rain began to fall, urging buds to grow.
The Small Sealed World seemed to have resurrected and was now filled with overflowing vitality. Even the exotic flowers and plants growing in the medicine garden were beginning to sway in vigour.
It was unknown how much time this entire process took.
When the dust settled, Yang Kai suddenly felt that his mind was cut off from the Small Sealed World, and he woke up from that wondrous feeling.
Looking around, the Small Sealed World seemed to still be the same, but the bleakness was gone; instead, it seemed to have evolved for the better.
Yang Kai could clearly sense that the World Principles in the Small Sealed World were more complete. Although it could not be compared to a true world, it was much better than before.
[Could the World Force have allowed the Small Sealed World to evolve?] Yang Kai raised his brow in delight.
Yang Kai had always known that his Small Sealed World was not perfect, but he did not know how to enhance it to bring it closer to perfection. However, Yang Kai seemed to have discovered some useful information after this experience.
If just a stream of World Force could cause such big changes to the Small Sealed World, to the point where even the World Principles had improved so much, would it be possible to continue to improve the Small Sealed World if more World Force was taken in?
By that time, this place would turn into a cultivation paradise, where World Energy Baptisms would be possible even if one reached the peak of the Dao Source Realm and needed to break through to the Emperor Realm.
However, World Force was incredibly hard to come by and could not even be sensed before reaching the Great Emperor Realm, so Yang Kai could only lament at his own limitations with his current First-Order Emperor Realm cultivation.
However, Yang Kai was still very excited about this newly discovered solution.
He thoroughly inspected the Small Sealed World again and found that it was indeed free from hidden dangers, and was even better than before. Yang Kai was really relieved.
Liu Yan’s condition was still unknown, however.
With a thought, he escaped from the Small Sealed World and returned to the outside world.
“Big Brother Yang.”
Mo Xiao Qi’s voice reached his ear as soon as he reappeared.
Yang Kai turned to the source of the voice and found that both Mo Xiao Qi and Zhang Ruo Xi had awoken and looked to be in good condition, free of any lingering negative effects.
With a slight smile, Yang Kai acknowledged, “You’re up.”
“Big Brother Yang, are we in the Purple Mountain Range? Did the Shattered Star Sea close? What happened after that? Who reapplied the Divine Soul Seal? I didn’t hurt you, right?” She launched a torrent of questions, looking quite anxious and uneasy.
It seemed that she knew the release of the Divine Soul Seal was related to her losing her consciousness, but she had no impression of what happened after that.
Yang Kai glanced at the Embodiment standing not far away in bewilderment, “Why didn’t you explain to her?”
The Embodiment shrugged, “They just woke up, I haven’t had the time to.”
Yang Kai nodded, and briefly recited the happenings after her rampage. Of course, he did not dare to mention the battle between Duan Hong Chen and Wu Kuang as that was too terrifying an incident to be mentioned casually. In the end, he could only say he was not sure why the Shattered Star Sea suddenly closed.
Mo Xiao Qi patted her chest in fear as she listened and sighed, “I’m glad that I didn’t hurt any of you, otherwise Xiao Qi wouldn’t know how to face you again.”
Yang Kai cautioned solemnly, “Don’t release the seal casually in the future, the power of that Divine Spirit is just too terrifying, and you wouldn’t be able to control it with your current strength.”
Mo Xiao Qi nodded in remorse, “En.”
Zhang Ruo Xi interjected at the brief moment of silence, “Sir, what’s happening to Big Sister Liu Yan? Why is her aura so weak?” She glanced anxiously in the direction of Liu Yan.
Yang Kai released his Divine Sense to investigate the situation, and found that there had not been many changes to the Phoenix Egg since he left, so he consoled quickly, “This is her opportunity, don’t worry.”
He glanced at Zhang Ruo Xi solemnly as he spoke.
Yang Kai went through too many shocking and extraordinary experiences in the Shattered Star Sea, whether it was the Mountains and Rivers Bell or the Phoenix True Fire, or the Heaven Devouring Great Emperor, who had come back from the dead, or the Bustling World Great Emperor who cut his own cultivation dozens of times over the past few tens of thousands of years. All these experiences were extraordinary.
However, what puzzled him the most was Zhang Ruo Xi.
All Duan Hong Chen needed was a drop of Zhang Ruo Xi’s Blood Essence to reapply Mo Xiao Qi’s Divine Soul Seal, and his particular caution towards Zhang Ruo Xi had made Yang Kai extremely concerned.
The Bustling World Great Emperor had instructed Yang Kai to nurture Zhang Ruo Xi well, because at her peak, she would be even more dangerous and terrifying than Wu Kuang, and may cause a calamity to the Star Boundary if she ever fell to the wicked path.
Yang Kai would just assume that Duan Hong Chen was an alarmist and his claims about Zhang Ruo Xi were exaggerated since he did not know Duan Hong Chen’s true identity.
But there was no reason for a person who disregarded his own life for the Star Boundary’s future to cause Yang Kai needless fear.
What Bloodline Power did this little girl from the Zhang Family possess that Duan Hong Chen was so concerned about? On top of that, the Divine Spirit Qiong Qi even gifted her the Pink Clouds Phoenix Robe when they visited the Flowing Time Temple.
No ordinary person could have this kind of honour. Anyone who encountered a beast-like Qiong Qi would be swallowed by it. Who would have expected that one could receive a defensive Emperor Artifact from it?
It also seemed that only descendants from the Zhang Family could activate the strange Space Spirit Jade.
Speaking of the Space Spirit Jade, Yang Kai suddenly felt that it was time to give it to Zhang Ruo Xi; after all, it was a treasure passed down by the ancestors of the Zhang Family. She was not strong enough to unlock the secrets in the Space Spirit Jade back then, but she was now a Third-Order Dao Source Realm, so unravelling the secrets of the Space Spirit Jade should not be a problem.
Yang Kai did not really care about the secrets hidden in the Space Spirit Jade, but… perhaps, it may solve the mystery of Zhang Ruo Xi’s Bloodline Power. Yang Kai could not help feeling a little eager at that thought.
The more Duan Hong Chen hid, the more it piqued Yang Kai’s interest to understand Zhang Ruo Xi’s bloodline.
“Sir… Why are you staring at me?” Zhang Ruo Xi lowered her head, blushing slightly at Yang Kai’s scorching stare, as if he was about to devour her.
Yang Kai grinned and commented, “Ruo Xi has grown up to be a lady.”
Compared to the first time he met Zhang Ruo Xi, she had indeed grown a lot, and she was with Yang Kai during the best of her young years, so it was safe to say that Yang Kai had watched her mature.
This reminded him of Lin Yun’er, the little girl who travelled to the Star Boundary with Yang Yan. She was still young when she left, but by now, she should be almost as old as Zhang Ruo Xi.
He remembered that Yang Yan mentioned that Lin Yun’er was the perfect candidate to inherit the mantle of her friend. He wondered about the whereabouts of this little girl after so many years.
As well as Yang Yan. It was strange that Yang Kai had not heard any news regarding Yang Yan ever since he arrived at Star Boundary. Yang Yan’s whereabouts should not be unknown since she should also be one of the strongest Masters in this world.
Zhang Ruo Xi blushed deeply, a distinctive brilliance flashing across her shy eyes.
Mo Xiao Qi joined in excitedly, “What about me? I’m not a little girl anymore either.”
“En, en,” Yang Kai nodded quickly, withdrawing himself from his memories.
“Big Brother Yang, where are you going next? Can you take me with you?” Mo Xiao Qi beamed at Yang Kai, looking extremely eager.
Yang Kai chuckled lightly, “It’s okay for me to bring you along, but… Aren’t you worried that your Aunty Feng might come for you? Aunty Feng doesn’t seem to like you running around.”
Mo Xiao Qi wrinkled her nose and snorted, “I was confined to the island to cultivate when she took me back the last time. It was so boring. Now that I’m finally out again, I won’t go back so easily! Besides, we just came out of Shattered Star Sea, Aunty Feng definitely can’t find me here. I will go back when I have enough fun.”
“Does Sir Martial Beast know how wilful you are?” Yang Kai smiled at her.
Mo Xiao Qi stuck out her tongue mischievously, “Big Brother Yang, you found out?”
Yang Kai snickered, “You must have had a good background to have such strong cultivation at a young age. You are proficient in taming Monster Beasts, you claim to be born in the Eastern Territory, and you also mention the word ‘island’ from time to time. I would be a fool if I still didn’t figure it out.”
Mo Xiao Qi shrugged in shyness and embarrassment, “Big Brother Yang, Xiao Qi didn’t intend to hide it from you on purpose. It’s just that my Father…”
Yang Kai held up his hand to stop her, “You don’t need to explain, I understand.”
Mo Xiao Qi was obviously afraid that her Father’s name would scare off people, so she had never mentioned her identity to Yang Kai; however, she felt a little uneasy now that her identity was exposed.
Yang Kai smiled faintly, “Despite the reputation of Sir Martial Beast, you are still the playful Mo Xiao Qi I know, not the daughter of the Martial Beast Great Emperor.”
Mo Xiao Qi thought about his words for a while, then her eyes curved into a beautiful crescent shape as she smiled in relief.
Suddenly, Yang Kai turned solemn and looked up into the air.
“Sir!” Zhang Ruo Xi whispered at the same time.
While speaking, she pushed her Source Qi anxiously, looking at the sky warily.
[Ruo Xi could sense it too?] Yang Kai glanced at her in surprise and found that her enchanting eyes revealed a dreadfully cold aura, which was completely different from her usual gentleness.
Yang Kai was secretly shocked and felt increasingly dubious about Zhang Ruo Xi’s bloodline.
A layer of ripples disrupted the peaceful sky, like a stone dropping into the surface of a tranquil lake. The ripple spread out rapidly and became more and more evident.
Soon, the space of a certain part of the sky became distorted, and a clear and mysterious wave of power was transmitted from there.
“Space Principles!” Yang Kai narrowed his eyes, feeling amazed in his heart.
He did not expect to encounter such a powerful Space Principle fluctuation in such a place. It was obvious that someone was tearing space to appear here from a very remote place. Judging from the Space Principle fluctuations, whoever was coming likely had even higher attainments in the Dao of Space than he did.
Yang Kai’s expression was extremely solemn. Although he did not know who this visitor was, he believed that the strength of a person who could travel by tearing the space like this was absolutely not normal.
Who was it? What was their purpose in appearing here?
Yang Kai did not dare to take this lightly and quickly put his Embodiment away while silently circulating his Emperor Qi to be on guard.
If he was alone, he could immediately hide and observe from the dark; however, he could not do that because Zhang Ruo Xi and Mo Xiao Qi were beside him, as well as Liu Yan who was still in her Phoenix Egg form.
“Ah!” Mo Xiao Qi suddenly screamed and her face turned pale at the peculiarity in the sky, quickly hiding behind Yang Kai as her tender body trembled like a mouse at the sight of a cat. “Big Brother Yang, let’s run now. It will be too late if we don’t.” She whispered.
“It’s already too late to run,” Yang Kai replied with a helpless face.
*Hua…*
The sky was torn apart, as if a formless beast opened its mouth preparing to swallow its prey.
Yang Kai paid close attention to this disturbance and saw a foot suddenly stepping out of the dark crack.
*Dong… *
Yang Kai’s face paled. Although that foot was stepping on the void, he felt like it was stepping on his own heart, extinguishing his aura and presence.
[So strong!] Yang Kai’s eyes were overflowing with terror. He already knew that this visitor was not weak, but at this moment, Yang Kai realized that he had still underestimated the strength of the one who appeared.
Whoever it was, they were definitely a Third-Order Emperor Realm Master, and certainly not an ordinary one at that!
Following the foot, a figure emerged from the crack leisurely with a calm and relaxed face, as if he was simply going for a stroll outside his house.
Then, Yang Kai saw the face of the newcomer.
It was a middle-aged man who dressed like a scholar. He had an extraordinary bearing with a completely harmless smile on his face.
His eyes slightly swept across them and landed on Yang Kai before he gave a strange smile.
*Gudong… *
Yang Kai could not help gulping, even though he knew that he should not show any signs of fear. Nevertheless, he felt like a lamb being targeted by a hungry wolf, and his whole body shivered involuntarily.
After the emergence of the middle-aged scholar, another figure stepped out of the Void.
Unlike the leisurely movements of the scholar, the second person appeared in an aggressive manner like a burning flame, raising the surrounding temperature in an instant.
The second visitor was a stunning woman with a graceful body; she had voluptuous peaks, a slender waist, red lips as bright as jewels with a strange brilliance, delicate skin as white as porcelain, and glistening beautiful eyes… Men would not be able to resist fantasizing while looking at her, especially with her long flaming-red hair which flew out behind her, giving a strong visual impact that was impossible to peel one’s eyes away from.
“Damn it! How could it be her!?” Yang Kai almost bit his own tongue, secretly cursing in his heart.
Because he actually knew this beautiful woman.
She was the Aunty Feng Mo Xiao Qi often mentioned!
Spirit Beast Island’s Jiu Feng! Even though she was not one of the Ten Great Emperors, the name of Jiu Feng still resounded loudly throughout the entire Star Boundary, and no cultivator who had even the slightest bit of strength did not know of her.
If this beautiful woman was Jiu Feng, the identity of the middle-aged scholar was just as clear as day.
Li Wu Yi!
Yang Kai’s eyes immediately flashed as he stared straight back into Li Wu Yi’s eyes without avoidance. Although this was the first time he met Li Wu Yi, Yang Kai had heard his name many times, because Li Wu Yi was the Master with the highest proficiency in the Dao of Space in the entire Star Boundary, a peak Third-Order Emperor Realm powerhouse.
Mo Xiao Qi mentioned before that she would introduce Yang Kai to Li Wu Yi, so he could become his Disciple and learn the mysteries of the Dao of Space.
After realizing that these two people were Masters from Spirit Beast Island, Yang Kai instantly understood why they were here.
They had obviously come for Mo Xiao Qi.
[But how did the two of them know that Mo Xiao Qi was here? What’s more, they just directly tore space and came here.]
Yang Kai pondered for a while, but soon figured that they must have done something to Mo Xiao Qi, so they could always track her location. This also explained how Jiu Feng and Li Wu Yi could appear shortly after they left the Shattered Star Sea.
No wonder Mo Xiao Qi hid behind him and urged him to escape when she saw the vision in the sky. She already knew that someone was coming for her.
“Li Wu Yi, you bastard! How dare you leave me behind in the Void! Do you know I was almost devoured by the Void Turbulence?” Jiu Feng grabbed Li Wu Yi’s collar as soon as she showed up, lifting him and shaking him violently as she reprimanded.
Li Wu Yi, the strongest Master below the Great Emperors, was lifted by Jiu Feng like a weak chicken and dared not resist.
He broke out in cold sweat with an embarrassed look, “What are you doing? Juniors are watching down there. What about my face!”
“Face?” Jiu Feng glared at him with her upturned eyes, screeching, “Face should be earned, not given by others. If you want face, be good to me then, understand?”
“Understood, understood, understood!” Li Wu Yi nodded his head like a chicken pecking at rice, pleading, “Can you be gentle and put me down now?”
“Gentle?” Jiu Feng sneered and shouted angrily, “What is that? Can you eat it?”
Li Wu Yi put on a long face and looked in Yang Kai’s direction pitifully, “Xiao Qi, save me!”
“You can’t see me, you can’t see me, you can’t see me…” Mo Xiao Qi hid closely behind Yang Kai, mumbling constantly to herself.
“If you dare to leave me in the Void again, you better watch out! I’ll make sure your ‘third leg’ is broken beyond repair!” Jiu Feng gritted her teeth, looking vicious.
Li Wu Yi could not help tightening up his thighs together and begged hurriedly, “I won’t, I won’t! Please forgive me, Great-Aunt!”
“Hmph!” Jiu Feng hurled Li Wu Yi aside like a sack of garbage. After that, her face and tone of voice changed drastically, twisting her body in shyness, she said, “Seriously. Don’t you know that others are afraid when surrounded by pure darkness?”
After speaking, she swept her eyes across the place below elegantly and stopped at the sight of Yang Kai, greeting with bright enthusiasm, “Hey, Little Brother, we meet again. It must be fate.”
Yang Kai gulped in difficulty, his expression stiff. Ever since he first heard of them, Yang Kai had always had a high opinion and good impression of the two peak Emperor Realm Masters, Aunt Feng and Li Wu Yi, but now that lofty ideal was crumbling quickly before his eyes.
Pushing down his discomfort, Yang Kai cupped his fists solemnly, “Junior Yang Kai greets Senior Li and Senior Jiu Feng!”
Li Wu Wi smiled faintly, a subtle cold light flashing across his eyes, “What did you see just now?”
Yang Kai replied solemnly, “The surge of Space Principles just now distorted the sky. Junior tried his best to see through the chaos, but unfortunately, my strength was insufficient and I could not see anything. What a shame!”
After hearing this, Li Wu Yi raised his brows and the cold light in his eyes dissipated. He nodded, “A young man worthy of praise! This King often hears about you from Xiao Qi on the island. I heard that you are also proficient in the Dao of Space?”
Yang Kai responded immediately, “Senior is flattering me. This Junior only knows a bit about the Dao of Space and definitely doesn’t dare to show off meagre skills before an expert like Senior Li. If there is any opportunity, this Junior would like to ask Senior for his guidance.”
Li Wu Yi beamed delightfully, “Good, very good. If you ever come to Spirit Beast Island in the future, this King will teach you a unique Divine Ability.”
Yang Kai was overjoyed, he immediately pressed on, “There is no need to choose another day, why not today?”
The smile was still hanging on Li Wu Yi’s face as he answered lightly, “Boy, aren’t you being too shameless? Do you think you can just simply learn the secrets of this King so easily?”
Yang Kai was exasperated, “Senior is so stingy, you don’t have the intention of teaching this Junior at all. Are you here to just make me unhappy?”
“Whether you are happy or not is none of my business,” Li Wu Yi burst into laughter, “As long as this King is happy, that’s all that matters.”
“Really? Junior likes to speak nonsense when he is unhappy, and might even compose a fantastical story about the events that happened today. I might pass on the story to the storytellers in major restaurants and tea shops in the Eastern Territory to let them publicize Senior Li’s majesty and prestige. I have even come up with a title. What does Senior Li think of ‘The Daily lives of Jiu Feng and her loyal servant on Spirit Beast Island’?”
Li Wu Yi was furious, “Didn’t you just say that you didn’t see anything? Junior, are you not a man of his word!”
“I suddenly remembered I saw something,” Yang Kai replied leisurely.
“Despicable!” Li Wu Yi was appalled.
“I was forced to be like this!” Yang Kai drawled lazily.
Jiu Feng was shaking with laughter, extremely entertained by them.
“Good, very good!” Li Wu Yi spoke madly and gritted his teeth at Yang Kai, “You leave this King no choice but to teach you a lesson. Little brat, take this!”
When the words fell, he raised his hand, and a stream of light shot towards Yang Kai.
Yang Kai raised his brows in alert, but he did not evade. Instead, he stretched out his hand to grab this stream of light. He jolted slightly as soon as the stream of light touched his hand, but his eyes narrowed swiftly as he quickly put away the item he had just caught.
“Now, you know how powerful this King is. Don’t you dare to speak nonsense and corrupt the reputation of this King,” Li Wu Yi snorted coldly.
Yang Kai cupped his fists with a grin, acknowledging him, “Junior’s cultivation is nowhere near to Senior Li’s. Please forgive me for all of the earlier offences, Senior Li.”
Li Wu Yi waved his hand widely, “This King is very generous, and will not bother to argue with the likes of you.”
Jiu Feng looked at the two scornfully, grimacing, “You two sure are having a good time.”
Li Wu Yi snorted, “I just taught a Junior, who has an exaggerated opinion of his own abilities, to be a little more humble. If Great Aunt has any opinion, this Li would be glad to hear it.”
Jiu Feng snorted coldly, her sharp dazzling eyes staring at Yang Kai for a long time before revealing a trace of admiration, “You were only in the First-Order Dao Source Realm the last time we met, I did not expect you would break through to the Emperor Realm in just a few years. This Queen underestimated you.”
Undoubtedly, only a genius would be able to be promoted from First-Order Dao Source Realm to the First-Order Emperor Realm in such a short time, and to have such a solid foundation, radiating a pure and strong aura without any sign of instability.
“Senior is flattering me, it was merely a series of opportunities and coincidences that allowed Junior to progress at this speed,” Yang Kai said modestly.
Jiu Feng cautioned him, “But the First-Order Emperor Realm is just the first step to the peak of the Martial Dao. You still have a long way to go. Stay humble and focused.”
Yang Kai looked at her with a solemn expression, and quickly responded, “I will keep Senior’s advice deep in my heart.”
Although it was just a small comment, with her level of strength, if Jiu Feng was not optimistic about Yang Kai’s future, she would not even bother to say anything. Any encouragement or warning from her was already a great honour.
Jiu Feng nodded gently, obviously satisfied with his attitude, she then narrowed her sharp eyes at Yang Kai with a dangerous aura, penetrating through his body right at Mo Xiao Qi, who was hiding behind him as she snarled coldly, “Come out from there!”
Mo Xiao Qi stepped out from behind Yang Kai unwillingly, pouting. Her eyes darted around erratically, as if looking for a way to escape.
Jiu Feng wanted to laugh but was angry at the same time, “Did you think that Uncle Li and Aunty Feng could not see you hiding behind him? Do you think we’re blind, or are you blind?”
Mo Xiao Qi retorted angrily, “Wouldn’t it be the same wherever I hide when you’re so strong?”
“You dare talk back?” Jiu Feng raised her brow and yelled, “You’re so wilful, I think you’re itching for good disciplining.”
Mo Xiao Qi pouted and looked at Li Wu Yi pitifully, whining, “Uncle Li, Aunty Feng wants to beat me, you have to help me.”
“She dares?” Li Wu Yi was enraged and his aura suddenly surged. His lickspittle attitude was swept away, replaced by a ferocious demeanour dazzling like the sun.
Yang Kai was secretly awe-inspired, slightly aware of the huge gap between him and these top veteran Emperor Realm Masters.
“Hm?” Jiu Feng let out a light tone from her lips as she glanced sideways at Li Wu Yi.
Li Wu Yi snorted, “Don’t be afraid Xiao Qi, if she really hits you, I will, I will…”
“You will?” Jiu Feng looked at him scornfully.
Li Wu Yi immediately broke into a smile, “I’ll help you to grab Xiao Qi and let you beat her as much as you like!”
*Gezhi gezhi…*
Mo Xiao Qi stood beside Yang Kai, her teeth grinding violently.
At this moment, Li Wu Yi suddenly shot a pensive look at Mo Xiao Qi before his face changed drastically and he asked, “Xiao Qi, did you release the seal?”
“What?” Jiu Feng jumped, and flickered to Mo Xiao Qi’s side in an instant, grabbing her and examining her carefully.
Soon, Jiu Feng realized that Mo Xiao Qi had indeed released the Divine Soul Seal and blood drained from her beautiful face as she reprimanded, “Why did you release the seal? Were you in any life-threatening danger? Which bastard dared to lay his hands on you!?”
A burst of overwhelming Emperor Pressure suddenly exploded from Jiu Feng, one laced with extreme hostility and murderous intent, as if she was preparing to slaughter a hated enemy.
Yang Kai retreated several tens of metres shakily, his heart pounding hard in his chest, almost unable to breathe.
Zhang Ruo Xi exclaimed loudly, retreating even farther away than Yang Kai did.
“Who was it? Tell Aunty Feng! I will kill him and his entire family now!” The air burned around Jiu Feng as she released tangible murderous intent.
Li Wu Yi treaded down toward them from the air, his face so gloomy that one could shave a layer of frost off of it. Although he did not speak, his murderous intent was even thicker and more prominent than Jiu Feng’s.
Mo Xiao Qi’s Divine Soul Seal was her ultimate trump card, one that would be impossible to release if she did not face life-threatening danger. In other words, she must have been at risk of dying in the Shattered Star Sea at some point.
The two Masters had watched Mo Xiao Qi grow since she was born, so how could they tolerate someone bullying her? It was only natural for them to react so strongly when they noticed the Divine Soul Seal had been unlocked, releasing their murderous intent so violently as if no one else mattered.
Mo Xiao Qi did not dare to be up-front with them at the sight of their terrifying expressions, so she bit her lip and mumbled, “No one was trying to kill me, I just accidentally released it.”
“Impossible!” Jiu Feng snorted coldly, “Sir personally sealed the Heavenly Illusion Butterfly’s Soul with the Burning Moon Rainbow Flower Seal. There is only one condition to release it, and that is if your life is threatened.”
Li Wu Yi coaxed her, “Be a good girl Xiao Qi and tell Uncle Li and Aunty Feng clearly what happened.”
“It’s really nothing, it really was just an accident,” Mo Xiao Qi flailed her arms about repeatedly as she tried to explain.
Jiu Feng snorted again, knowing that there must be a reason behind Mo Xiao Qi persisting with this ridiculous story. She thus turned away from Mo Xiao Qi to question Yang Kai, “Boy, since you are here with Xiao Qi, that means that you were travelling together in the Shattered Star Sea. Tell this Queen what happened!”
Yang Kai sighed as he began, “Two Seniors, please don’t misunderstand, I was the reason that Little Sister Xiao Qi released her seal.”
“Because of you?” Li Wu Yi frowned in suspicion, “Did you try to kill Xiao Qi?”
[That’s impossible. Although Xiao Qi is naive, she is not a fool. If this boy had really tried to assassinate her, how could she still be together with him? She would have run away as far as she could.]
Jiu Feng coldly demanded, “Be specific!”
Yang Kai nodded, sorted out his thoughts a little before reiterating the situation from when Mo Xiao Qi lost control of her emotions when she had mistakenly believed he had died, relaying every detail of how the Divine Soul Seal was released and what happened subsequently.
When he finished, Jiu Feng and Li Wu Yi could not help exchanging astonished looks with each other.
They never knew that Mo Xiao Qi could release the Divine Soul Seal because someone else was in danger. However, they recalled that their Sir had once explained to them that Xiao Qi could only unlock the seal upon perceiving life-threatening danger, but did not specifically say that it had to be Xiao Qi’s own life.
If that was the case, Xiao Qi seemed to value this boy very much, placing his safety in equal importance to her own, which led her to release her seal when he was in peril.
When their eyes met, the two felt a strange feeling fill their hearts as they comprehended each other’s thoughts.
They turned their heads to throw a vicious look at Yang Kai.
Yang Kai suppressed a shiver, not daring to say anything.
“How did the Divine Soul Seal get re-sealed? This sealing technique is not the same one as Sir’s, but it is an extremely profound technique. Was… it you?” Jiu Feng asked incredulously.
Yang Kai chuckled in reply, “Junior is not capable of doing something like that. It was someone else who re-did the seal.”
“Oh?” Li Wu Yi suddenly became interested, “Is there someone among the younger generation who could seal a Divine Spirit’s Soul? Let’s hear it, I would like to know who could be so capable.”
“That person was not a Junior, that person was…” Yang Kai twitched the corner of his mouth, hesitating. He then pursed his lips and mouthed the three words gently.
Li Wu Yi and Jiu Feng were flabbergasted, looking at Yang Kai blankly.
Yang Kai continued faintly, “There is no doubt, he is that Sir who you’re both thinking of.”
“Impossible!” Jiu Feng shouted, “Emperor Realm Masters cannot enter the Shattered Star Sea. Even if that Sir has profound strength, he can’t bypass that restriction.”
Li Wu Yi also looked pensive, “That’s correct, that Sir has always been secretive in his whereabouts. Why would he show up in a place like the Shattered Star Sea? The Source Strength there is indeed a good thing, but it should be nothing in that Sir’s eyes.”
Yang Kai contemplated for a moment before his expression turned serious and he continued, “If it was anyone else that asked, I would not go into any further detail; after all, this matter cannot be spoken of lightly, but since two Seniors are from Spirit Beast Island, then I will disclose all that I know. Hopefully, two Seniors will relay the information from the Shattered Star Sea to Sir Martial Beast once you return to Spirit Beast Island. Perhaps Sir Martial Beast can help find a solution.”
“Find a solution? A solution to what?” Jiu Feng stared at Yang Kai suspiciously, looking puzzled.
“Boy, just what are you trying to say?” Li Wu Yi also looked at him in bewilderment.
While Yang Kai was communicating with Li Wu Yi and Jiu Feng via Divine Sense transmission, Mo Xiao Qi and Zhang Ruo Xi could only see Yang Kai’s lips moving. The two top Emperor Realm Masters reacted to Yang Kai’s messages with a broad mixture of different expressions flipping across their faces; shock, surprise, curiosity, horror, solemnity, respect and pity…
From time to time, Li Wu Yi and Jiu Feng would interject with a question, to which Yang Kai answered patiently.
“What are they talking about?” Mo Xiao Qi asked Zhang Ruo Xi secretly.
Zhang Ruo Xi shook her head, indicating that she had no clue either.
Mo Xiao Qi continued, “I’m actually very curious about what happened in the Shattered Star Sea after I fainted. Do you know anything?”
Zhang Ruo Xi still shook her head, whispering, “I also fainted at almost the same time as you. When I woke up, I was already here.”
The two little girls looked at each other as a subtle feeling of sympathy for each other grew inside them.
“How could there be such a thing?” After a long while, Li Wu Yi finally voiced out with a solemn face.
Jiu Feng looked awe-inspired too, “We really have to tell our Sir about this matter because that Sir’s condition doesn’t look optimistic. His life will be difficult in the future, having to share his body with the Soul of that devil.”
Yang Kai sighed, “Senior Duan has just left, but he didn’t say where he was going. It would be good if Sir Martial Beast could find him. This Junior really respects Senior Duan for his willingness to sacrifice his life for the common people of the world and cannot bear to watch him be tortured for the rest of his life.”
Jiu Feng replied solemnly, “Don’t worry. Our Sir won’t sit back and do nothing. When we return to Spirit Beast Island, I will report this matter to him in detail.”
Yang Kai was overjoyed, “Many thanks, Senior.”
They should be able to find Duan Hong Chen with the help of Martial Beast Great Emperor, and perhaps, the latter could find a solution for Duan Hong Chen’s current awkward condition.
“I didn’t expect that such a bizarre thing could have happened in the Shattered Star Sea. No wonder the elite disciples of the four territories were all suddenly ejected out of the Shattered Star Sea. Our Sir had already said that there must have been some unforeseen incident in the Shattered Star Sea before we left, but I didn’t expect that it would be this serious,” Li Wu Yi sighed.
“It is fortunate that they are all safe. If all of them died because of this…” Goosebumps filled Jiu Feng’s skin as she was unable to finish her sentence.
In the next moment though, her scorching eyes fixed on Yang Kai as she abruptly changed the topic, “Boy, just now, when we arrived here, there was one thing that made this Queen very concerned…” She pointed her finger in the direction of the Phoenix egg, and continued with a deep voice, “Why does this Queen sense the aura of the Phoenix True Fire from there!?”
Li Wu Yi was taken aback, in amazement, “Phoenix True Fire?”
After speaking, he instantly turned to the Phoenix egg and failed to suppress a gasp when he saw the mysterious patterns on the Phoenix egg, exclaiming, “The Phoenix Clan Inheritance!”
“Senior knows of it?” Yang Kai looked at Li Wu Yi in surprise.
He was only able to confirm this was the Phoenix Clan Inheritance when he tried to spy on the patterns on the egg and suffered an attack by a Soul Technique on his Knowledge Sea. He could not believe that Li Wu Yi could recognize it with just a glance.
Li Wu Yi stared at the Phoenix egg dumbfounded for a while, but when he regained his senses, he explained, “Spirit Beast Island has records about the Phoenix Clan, and…” Having said that, he stole a glance at Jiu Feng and stopped talking.
Jiu Feng questioned, “Is it really the Phoenix True Fire?”
Yang Kai nodded, “It is.”
“I heard that there was a remnant of Phoenix True Fire in the Shattered Star Sea, which was possessed by the Martial Flame Great Emperor back then… and you just happened to come out of the Shattered Star Sea. Could it be…” Jiu Feng thought carefully and quickly came up with a conclusion.
“Senior is correct. The Phoenix True Fire is indeed from the Shattered Star Sea, a relic left behind by the Martial Flame Great Emperor,” Yang Kai did not try to conceal it.
Although it was as expected, Jiu Feng still could not help gasping at Yang Kai’s confirmation. She looked at the Phoenix egg in admiration and envy as she remarked, “This Queen has also visited the Shattered Star Sea to search for the Phoenix True Fire, but it was all in vain. I can’t believe that I would have a chance to see it now.”
After a pause, she frowned, “Since it has become a Phoenix egg, it means that someone refined the Phoenix True Fire. Who is this person that could convince the Phoenix True Fire to acknowledge his existence?”
Before Yang Kai could speak, Mo Xiao Qi interjected, “It’s Big Sister Liu Yan.”
“Oh?” Jiu Feng’s beautiful eyes lit up, murmuring, “That Artifact Spirit?”
Judging from her expression and tone, it seemed that Mo Xiao Qi had told her about Liu Yan, and she also knew that Liu Yan was an Artifact Spirit.
She could not help praising, “It must be fate for a trivial Artifact Spirit to actually be acknowledged by the Phoenix True Fire. Once she is reborn in nirvana, she will inherit the Phoenix Clan Inheritance in its totality and have the opportunity to become a member of the Phoenix Clan.”
“Senior Jiu Feng seems to be very knowledgeable about the Phoenix Clan,” Yang Kai was enlightened.
“Very knowledgeable?” Jiu Feng glanced at Yang Kai with a contemptuous look.
Flustered by her reaction, he asked “Did I say something wrong?”
Mo Xiao Qi smiled faintly, “Big Brother Yang, Aunty Feng possesses an extremely pure Phoenix Clan Bloodline. Other than those from the original Phoenix Clan, no one else would know the Phoenix Clan better than her.”
“What?” Yang Kai was appalled, “Senior Jiu Feng has the Phoenix Clan’s bloodline!?”
This was the first time he learnt about this, but when he thought about it carefully, the ‘Feng’ in Jiu Feng’s name actually meant ‘Phoenix’, and her scorching power was notably compatible with the Fire Phoenix’s, moreover, she came from a place like Spirit Beast Island…
Yang Kai was ecstatic and he hurriedly queried, “Senior, since you have the bloodline of the Phoenix Clan, may I know when my friend will be hatched from her egg and reborn again?
Jiu Feng frowned, “This is hard to say, but may I ask… If this Queen didn’t come here, what did you plan to do?”
“What did I plan to do?” Yang Kai was stunned for a moment before answering frankly, “I was just going to wait.”
“Wait?” Jiu Feng looked at Yang Kai with a weird face, “Wait for one or two years here?”
“One or two years? That long?” Yang Kai nearly jumped.
“Whether it is long or not, the whole process may take just a year, or even up to eight to ten years,” Jiu Feng sneered, “Do you think it is that easy to refine the Phoenix True Fire? Your friend’s success in being acknowledged by the Phoenix True Fire and turning into a Phoenix egg is just the beginning of her journey. To truly refine and master the Phoenix True Fire, one would need to pass through some dire challenges. If your friend can’t endure them, she will be burned to death; even if she perseveres, she will not succeed in a short time.”
“Even if she succeeds, it is still questionable if she will comprehend how to control the Phoenix True Fire. At the same time, would she know of the Phoenix Clan’s Secret Techniques from just the inheritance alone?”
Yang Kai listened with a heavy face.
He realized that he was too naïve. He was hoping that it would not take long for Liu Yan to reappear in front of him, but after listening to Jiu Feng, only then did he realize how much he had underestimated the risks.
Since Jiu Feng had the bloodline of the Phoenix Clan, she was certainly extremely knowledgeable of the Phoenix Clan, and what she said could not be wrong.
“Senior, this Junior asks for your advice,” Yang Kai broke out in a cold sweat.
Jiu Feng answered, “Even if you have my advice, you still can’t help her. You know nothing about the Phoenix Clan, or about the mysteries of the Phoenix True Fire. You can’t help her.”
Yang Kai pressed on, “Senior, please explain it clearly. This Junior should be able to understand.”
Jiu Feng rolled her eyes at him, and snorted coldly, “Can you cook a table of delicious food even if I give you the ingredients?”
Yang Kai wiped the cold sweats on his head, and replied unconfidently, “I think I still can make sure that they are cooked.”
Mo Xiao Qi approached Jiu Feng and shook her arm, “Aunty Feng, Big Sister Liu Yan is a very good person. If you can help, please help.”
Jiu Feng glared at her fiercely and smouldered, “Quiet, I’m still not done with you. All you want to do is run around and play and have fun, never paying attention to your cultivation at all. If it weren’t for me and your Uncle Li who came to look for you this time, weren’t you planning to run away again?”
Mo Xiao Qi pursed her lips, “How about this… If you help Big Sister Liu Yan this time, I will follow you back to the island to cultivate and will not leave until I break through to the Emperor Realm.”
“Oh?” Jiu Feng’s beautiful eyes brightened, checking Mo Xiao Qi with her scorching eyes, “You said it yourself.”
Mo Xiao Qi revealed a look of frustration, but she closed her eyes and declared, “Yes, I said it.”
“Deal!” Li Wu Yi chuckled slightly.
Jiu Feng chortled as well, and shared, “Since you’ve said so much, Aunty Feng would definitely not sit back and watch.”
Mo Xiao Qi growled, “Aunty Feng, you are so mean! You won’t do anything without benefits!”
Jiu Feng chuckled and looked at her with a cheerful face, “It’s okay even if you regret it now. Your Uncle Li and I can still take you back by force. The end result would be the same.”
Mo Xiao Qi stomped in fury, “I hate the both of you!”
Jiu Feng put her smile away and turned to Yang Kai, “If you are alright with it, I will take the Phoenix egg back to Spirit Beast Island and cast a Secret Technique from the Phoenix Clan to protect her.”
“Take her back to Spirit Beast Island?” Yang Kai felt slightly lost, and could not help glancing at the place where the Phoenix egg was.
Jiu Feng continued, “You can also follow us to Spirit Beast Island. Although Spirit Beast Island does not have many visitors, since you are Xiao Qi’s friend, it should be fine for you to live on the island for a while and I believe Sir will not refuse you.”
Mo Xiao Qi’s eyes instantly lit up and she squealed, “That’s right, Big Brother Yang! Come with me to Spirit Beast Island. Our Spirit Beast Island is really beautiful.”
Her face overflowed with expectation and her beautiful eyes glowed with hope.
Yang Kai did not look at her though as he could not bear to let her down. He instead turned to Jiu Feng and asked, “Based on Senior’s estimation, how long will it take for Liu Yan to refine the Phoenix True Fire?”
Jiu Feng disclosed, “At least a year. According to the legend, the Martial Flame Great Emperor spent five months refining the Phoenix True Fire, so one year is just the most conservative estimate, and this is still on the premise that everything goes well.”
“One year…” Yang Kai sighed, “Then Senior, please take her with you. About Spirit Beast Island… This Junior will visit another time because I still have something to deal with right now.”
After hearing this, disappointment was written on Mo Xiao Qi’s face.
Jiu Feng nodded in agreement, “You can rest assured that since this Queen has promised you to protect her, I will not snatch her away from you. This Queen just wishes to witness if the refining of the Phoenix True Fire by an Artifact Spirit would have any strange transformations!”
When she finished her sentence, she revealed an expectant and exhilarated face, together with an extremely dangerous brilliance in her beautiful eyes.
She performed a skill with her arm stretched and drew the Phoenix egg that was far away directly to her, wrapping it with her Emperor Qi. The Phoenix egg seemed to sense something, as the runic patterns on its surface started to move vividly, and a vague cry came out from it.
Purple Mountain City, located near the Purple Mountain Range, was an unremarkable city among the thousands of cities in the Eastern Territory. Due to the harsh surrounding environment and barren land, it was not a bustling place.
It only served as a transit station for cultivators to enter the Purple Mountain Range. Many cultivators chose the Purple Mountain Range as their training spot, and therefore, Purple Mountain City became the ideal resting place for them.
The overall strength of the cultivators in the city was mediocre, though slightly stronger than in Maplewood City. The city was mostly populated by Saint Kings, but even though there were no Emperor Realm Masters here, there were still many Dao Source Realms.
Yang Kai and Zhang Ruo Xi had travelled here all the way from the depths of the Purple Mountain Range, and worn out from the journey and covered in dust, they casually found an inn to lodge at for the night.
The Phoenix egg had been taken away by Jiu Feng and Li Wu Yi. Yang Kai did not worry about Liu Yan’s safety, as both Jiu Feng and Li Wu Yi were famous Masters of the Star Boundary, who also happened to be the Martial Beast Great Emperor’s subordinates. In addition to his relationship with Mo Xiao Qi, Yang Kai believed that Jiu Feng would definitely take good care of Liu Yan and would not harm her in any way.
His only worry was about the refinement of the Phoenix True Fire, which might not go well.
However, he was now anxious to find Xiao Xiao’s whereabouts and had no time to accompany Liu Yan, otherwise, he would certainly travel to the Spirit Beast Island together with them and stay there for a year or two.
This was the first time Zhang Ruo Xi travelled together with Yang Kai in the open. Before now, Yang Kai always kept her in the Small Sealed World wherever he went and allowed her to cultivate in solitude.
But now, Zhang Ruo Xi was a powerful Third-Order Dao Source Realm cultivator and was capable of protecting herself.
Cultivation was not just a process of remaining behind closed doors. Yang Kai, who had to sail through stormy seas and adversities his whole life, had a deep understanding of this concept. Therefore, after weighing the pros and cons, he decided to take Zhang Ruo Xi with him. In this way, the little girl of the Zhang Family could gain more insights into the local customs of the Star Boundary, which would definitely benefit her future growth.
Needless to say, Zhang Ruo Xi was exhilarated, her face flushed with excitement along the entire journey, like a bird released from its cage, fascinated by every new finding.
Yang Kai had been sharing all of his cultivation experiences with Zhang Ruo Xi in the past few days, and despite the usual naïve look of this little girl, her talent in cultivation always took his breath away.
Zhang Ruo Xi often brought up numerous important questions that if not for his solid foundation, Yang Kai might not have been able to answer. Still, he had to rack his brains repeatedly in order to not make a fool of himself in front of her.
While teaching Zhang Ruo Xi, Yang Kai did not neglect his own cultivation.
He had just broken through to the Emperor Realm and barely earned the title of ‘Master’. Although the Emperor Qi in his body has been fully transformed due to various previous accidents, he was ultimately just a newly promoted Emperor Realm Master, and there was still a world of difference between him and the veteran Emperors of the world when it came to the application of his power and comprehension of the Emperor Realm.
The more he cultivated, the more Yang Kai felt the boundlessness of the Martial Dao, and the greater his admiration and enthusiasm became.
This was especially true whenever he recalled the battle between the two Great Emperors. The monstrous power and astonishing control each of their moves displayed was such that even if Yang Kai wanted to, he would be unable to stop a single one.
He was looking forward to the day when he achieved the same level as them, and even surpassed them.
When Yang Kai reached Purple Mountain City, he randomly picked an inn and asked for two rooms to stay in. He then casually placed some restrictions in his own room.
There were not many experts in Purple Mountain City, and Yang Kai was the only Emperor Realm Master here, so he was not worried about anyone causing him trouble, but it was still unpleasant to be disturbed during cultivation, so arranging a barrier was still a standard procedure.
After arranging the barrier, Yang Kai took something out of his Space Ring.
It was a blue stone, approximately the same size as a longan with an extremely irregular shape. At first glance, there was nothing special about it, other than its slightly unusual colour. This stone even lacked any substantial energy fluctuations, looking like a small chunk of cheap Artifact Refining material.
But this blue stone came from Li Wu Yi.
The blue stone was the object Yang Kai grabbed previously from the stream of light Li Wu Yi had thrown at him.
During the journey from the Purple Mountain Range, Yang Kai did not have the time to examine what kind of mysteries were hidden in this stone. Only now did he have the chance to put down his burdens and try to figure this out.
With the stone sitting on the palm of his hand, Yang Kai released his Divine Sense with a solemn face. Soon, he was startled and his Divine Sense surged out like strands of formless filaments, enveloping the stone. His face changed drastically from shock to amazement, to excitement, to admiration.
Under the investigation of his Divine Sense, the surface of this blue stone seemed intact, but its interior was fragmented.
The reason for this was that its inside contained countless tiny hair-like Void Cracks.
It was almost impossible to detect these Void Cracks with just the naked eye. Fortunately, Yang Kai had an outstanding Divine Sense, otherwise, he would have missed them.
The Void Cracks in the stone were certainly not crafted by Li Wu Yi in advance. He probably only did this when Yang Kai asked him to teach him.
Even so, it was enough to astound Yang Kai.
Yang Kai was also proficient in the Dao of Space, so he naturally knew how difficult it was to form countless tiny Void Cracks in a stone without damaging it. This required exceedingly precise control of the Space Principles and a deep understanding of the Dao of Space.
Yang Kai possessed various Space Techniques, including Moon Blade, Exile, and Nihility. He could even use the local Space Principle to instantly freeze a certain region of space. He learned all these applications of Space Principles by himself without any guidance.
He thought he had profound attainments in the Dao of Space.
But after observing the blue stone, only then did Yang Kai realize that he was just someone with very limited insight; a frog at the bottom of the well.
At the very least, he could not emulate what Li Wu Yi had done to this stone.
He was not able to control Space Principles so delicately as to create so many Void Cracks in the stone yet not destroy its surface, keeping it intact.
[How amazing!] Yang Kai was thrilled. Even though he had long heard that Li Wu Yi from Spirit Beast Island of the Eastern Territory was the most proficient Master in the Dao of Space in the entire Star Boundary, Yang Kai always assumed that he was not far behind him.
However, he finally gained a true understanding today.
If their comprehensions of the Dao of Space were compared to painting, Li Wu Yi would be a famous artist whose paintbrush danced across the canvas with finesse and grace, presenting a masterpiece in front of Yang Kai. Each stroke was natural and smooth, yet powerful and profound. Yang Kai could not help beholding this work of art in awe. Of course, Yang Kai could paint too… but he was nowhere as good as Li Wu Yi.
He still had a long way to go!
Every tiny Void Crack in this stone contained Li Wu Yi’s comprehension of the Dao of Space, and the mysteries and profundities that lay within gradually intensified from the outside in. The Void Cracks on the outside were relatively rough and seemed dreadfully unstable, as if they might collapse at any time, but became more subtle and stable the deeper Yang Kai ventured into the stone.
Yang Kai inspected the stone layer by layer, prying into the mysteries of the Void Cracks. He soon realized that Li Wu Yi was presenting his own growth process in the Dao of Space perfectly in front of him without any concealment.
These Void Cracks were simply the fruits of Li Wu Yi’s lifetime efforts!
He unreservedly turned them into Void Cracks, branded the stone with them, and handed it to Yang Kai.
This stone was more precious than any lesson from Li Wu Yi as it was equivalent to Li Wu Yi passing down his own mantle to him, but how much Yang Kai could understand from it depended on his own talent and effort.
All of a sudden, Yang Kai’s expression changed as he used his Divine Sense to explore the most central part of the stone.
His breathing stopped at once and his heart beat wildly.
He discovered that there was a tiny black hole in the centre of the stone.
It was similar to the black hole that he formed with his Exile Secret Technique, but its size was shrunk countless times.
Although this black hole was so small that it was invisible to the naked eye, it still managed to create an image of a beast, devouring everything in sight. Yang Kai’s Divine Sense was also being devoured completely as it approached.
Such incredible skill!
If the previous Void Cracks were enough to stun Yang Kai, the appearance of this black hole truly horrified him. He truly acknowledged the huge gap between himself and Li Wu Yi at this moment.
In the Dao of Space, Li Wu Yi was indeed far ahead of him now, and Yang Kai had no hope of matching him with his current achievements.
Yang Kai was awestruck.
An inconspicuous stone could actually contain so many mysteries that were beyond his wildest imagination.
After his astonishment, Yang Kai focused his full attention on studying the stone like a madman.
He wanted to peel off each and every layer of mystery that was held in the stone to absorb all of Li Wu Yi’s accomplishments in the Dao of Space.
Yang Kai immediately put all distractions aside and immersed himself in the mystery of the stone, unable to extricate himself.
He examined the Void Cracks one by one, feeling their stability and hidden mysteries, experiencing their formation process.
It was as if he was dissecting Li Wu Yi’s Soul, studying whatever he wanted.
One day, two days, five days, ten days…
While studying the stone, Li Wu Yi’s own comprehensions of the Dao of Space seemed to appear vividly in front of Yang Kai. It was as if he was inside Li Wu Yi’s head, witnessing him display his prowess first hand. During the process, Yang Kai felt that he was growing stronger, gradually reaching the same level of mastery as Li Wu Yi.
At the very beginning, Yang Kai was still comprehending Li Wu Yi’s attainments in the Dao of Space and learning his subtle techniques, but as time passed, Yang Kai was no longer content with learning from others.
He would first comprehend Li Wu Yi’s attainments and understanding embedded in each Void Crack, then throw himself into emulating and improving in order to turn this new knowledge into his own capital.
Yang Kai skipped meals and sleep, completely neglecting everything else around him to study the stone.
Although his cultivation did not grow stronger, and there was now a deranged look on his face with dark circles under his tiring red eyes, his vision was exceptionally bright and sharp, unable to conceal the excitement he felt.
During this period of time, the growth in his comprehension of the Dao of Space had surpassed his growth in this Dao for the previous ten to twenty years.
He clearly felt that he had taken a huge step forward.
The thought of never accepting defeat lingered in Yang Kai’s mind. He researched the blue stone day and night, neglecting everything else.
At the very beginning, Zhang Ruo Xi, who lived next door, would come over to see Yang Kai from time to time, wanting to ask when they were leaving Purple Mountain City. However, as time passed, she assumed that Yang Kai’s seclusion meant that he was cultivating something of importance, so she dared not bother him.
Bored, and with nothing to do, she decided to leave the inn to take a walk around the city.
With her Third-Order Dao Source Realm cultivation, she was not afraid of wandering around, even if there were other cultivators in the same realm as her. During her walk, she found something novel so she decided to pluck up the courage to give it a try and instantly fell in love with it. During this period when Yang Kai was still researching the stone in retreat, she would go to this location everyday, and stayed there for a long time before returning to the inn.
Time flew and one month soon passed.
At a certain moment, Yang Kai took a deep breath, lifted his head with a face as tranquil as an ancient well, and withdrew his Divine Sense from the stone.
Blood vessels were prominently covering both of Yang Kai’s eyes, as if he was dreadfully exhausted, but his gaze was still bright like the stars.
After a month of sleepless research, Yang Kai finally absorbed all the mysteries contained in the stone. He witnessed Li Wu Yi’s growth with his own eyes and gained a lot from it.
He had made a huge step forward in the attainments of the Dao of Space.
Only now did he realize that the various Space Secret Techniques that he had comprehended previously were imperfect and there was still room for improvement. Yang Kai was ecstatic; being able to improve meant that he could still enhance the power of his own Space Secret Techniques, which was exactly what he needed now.
As an Emperor Realm Master, he would definitely encounter stronger enemies in the future. Space Techniques had always been one of his most important weapons, so any enhancement to them was of pivotal importance.
*Kacha!*
The blue stone in his hand suddenly broke apart and turned into dust, slipping through Yang Kai’s finger like a pile of sand.
The stone was packed with countless Void Cracks and a tiny black hole. During the process of researching, Yang Kai unceasingly released his Divine Sense to investigate the stone and it had finally reached its limit.
Fortunately, Yang Kai had absorbed all the essence that Li Wu Yi left in the stone, and felt no regrets at it being broken.
Suddenly, Yang Kai slapped his forehead and muttered, “Oh no!”
He has just realized that he was too engrossed in the mysteries of the Dao of Space and had completely forgotten about the time and the initial purpose of coming here.
After calculating the days, Yang Kai was surprised that one month had passed during this retreat.
He hurriedly released his Divine Sense to inform Zhang Ruo Xi to get ready to leave Purple Mountain City with him.
However, the room next door was empty.
There was still a cup of hot tea on the table, producing steam.
With a flicker, Yang Kai leapt across space and appeared directly in the next room. He felt the temperature of the cup of tea with his hand and muttered to himself, “She should have left not too long ago. Where did that little girl go?”
He had spent one month in retreat, so it was natural for Zhang Ruo Xi to go out for a walk.
But since he confirmed that she was not in danger, Yang Kai was not too worried.
He released his Divine Sense, and enveloped the entire Purple Mountain City in the blink of an eye.
Shortly after, Yang Kai found the figure of Zhang Ruo Xi on a high platform in the city, but her figure was moving around vigorously.
“Huh…” Yang Kai was bewildered. After a thought, he dropped some Source Crystals on the table for the inn fees and teleported out of the room.
Subsequently, Yang Kai’s figure reappeared beside a fighting arena in Purple Mountain City, named Rising Dragon Arena.
Except for a few cultivators nearby, no one noticed his sudden appearance.
They glanced at him with a puzzled look but immediately turned away afterwards.
This arena was well built; it was surrounded by light curtain barriers, allowing the cultivators to fully enjoy the fights within.
Such arenas existed in many cities. Every cultivator strived to improve themselves, and where there was camaraderie, there was often also hatred, and it was natural that conflicts would arise.
If it was in the wild, cultivators would just fight to the death and the winners would trample on the losers.
But in a place like a city, one could not simply take others’ lives unless it was unlawfully.
Each city had its own set of rules. Without rules, there would be chaos. Although Purple Mountain City was located on the edge of a desert, it was still inevitable that there would be conflicts between the cultivators in the city. In order to settle their conflicts, they could go to the arena, sign a consent form and fight with each other to the death.
Furthermore, one could compete with others in the arena even if there were no grudges between them.
As time passed, the arena gradually became a recreational place for various cultivators. Cultivators would compete with each other to improve their fighting ability in the arena.
For those who did not fight on the stage, they could still watch the battle from the seats around and learn from the experience.
When Yang Kai arrived, the seats in Rising Dragon Arena were all occupied, and many were without a seat. The cultivators who had no place to sit simply watched the battles in the arena while standing around the edges.
At least tens of thousands of people gathered here, all of them completely absorbed in the competition between two cultivators who were currently fighting with each other in the arena. Cheers and hurrahs rose from the audience from time to time, other times expletives and jeers were hurled.
A battle between normal cultivators would never attract such a large audience. Only the battles of those cultivators with high prestige and great reputation would attract the interest of tens of thousands of people.
At this moment, one of the two competitors in the arena was Zhang Ruo Xi.
However, unlike the soft and weak image that she usually presented in front of Yang Kai, Zhang Ruo Xi seemed more independent and resilient now, revealing the delicate curves of her well-developed body with her hair tied up behind her head, giving her a vigorous look.
Her aura was extremely ferocious, like a beast released from a cage, permeating a malevolent spirit all over her body.
Her opponent was a middle-aged man, who also had Third-Order Dao Source Realm cultivation. The middle-aged man had cultivated some unknown Secret Technique that shrouded himself in a blood-red radiance, giving him a strong and domineering appearance.
The both of them were fighting fiercely in the arena. Loud clangs erupted with each collision of their Source Qi, and the barriers surrounding the arena flashed crazily from the fallout of their attacks.
This little girl from the Zhang Family actually came to a fighting arena.
If Yang Kai did not see it with his own eyes, he would not have believed it.
Where did her courage come from? She was the kind of girl who blushed even when talking to a stranger, so since when did she have the guts to come to this kind of place and be in the spotlight of such a large crowd?
Furthermore, her aura was completely different from usual, which seriously concerned Yang Kai. Yang Kai understood that Zhang Ruo Xi’s Bloodline Power was profound, and all her changes were related to that bloodline.
Her opponent seemed to be a powerful and famous character in Purple Mountain City. Otherwise, how could he attract such a large audience?
As expected, when Yang Kai was secretly speculating, he overheard some comments from the crowd.
“Today is pitting a dragon against a tiger, I wonder who will win in the end!”
“There’s no doubt about it, the winner will definitely be Bloody Hand Gu Shan. Although Gu Shan doesn’t hail from a Sect, he has been dominating Purple Mountain City for fifty years with a notably high reputation and strength, especially in the arena. He defeated all his enemies who challenged him and has never lost a single match until now. He is like a golden signboard of Purple Mountain City.”
“How could a Sect-less cultivator reach the Third-Order Dao Source Realm? This Gu Shan is really amazing. If he ever joins a big Sect, wouldn’t it be just around the corner for him to break through to the Emperor Realm?”
“Heh heh, I’m sure you don’t know about this. I heard that Gu Shan found an ancient cave mansion in the Purple Mountain Range and obtained an extremely mysterious inheritance, that’s why he didn’t need to join any Sect. A few years ago, a Third-Order Dao Source Realm cultivator from Ahan Temple passed by here and had a conflict with Gu Shan. The two of them fought in the arena, and guess what?”
“What?”
“What else could it be? Gu Shan won! He completely beat the senses out of the cultivator from Ahan Temple and knocked him out of the arena in less than ten moves.”
“Tsk… Is Gu Shan that strong? Even a disciple of Ahan Temple was no match for him?”
Ahan Temple was one of the top Sects of the Eastern Territory, its status second only to the Serene Soul Palace. The cultivators who came from such a Sect were undoubtedly strong, let alone an elite disciple with a Third-Order Dao Source Realm cultivation.
“Of course! Since he defeated that elite disciple from Ahan Temple a few years ago, his strength seems to have improved greatly in the following years. How hard would it be for him to take down this weak little girl? Why do you think there are so many spectators here? Everyone came here for Gu Shan’s reputation.”
“Weak little girl?” Another person snorted, “Friend is really funny. Do you dare call her a ‘weak little girl’ directly in front of the Asura Girl? If you dare, I will call you my ancestor.”
“Ahem ahem…” The Gu Shan fan coughed so hard that he almost cried.
“Asura Girl?” Someone turned to the speaker after hearing this unfamiliar name and questioned in a confused manner, “Is this young lady famous?”
The third person glanced at him and asked, “Friend, are you new to Purple Mountain City?”
That man grinned, “I arrived three days ago. I heard that there are a lot of opportunities in Purple Mountain Range, so I came here to try my luck and was just in time for this event, so I just joined the crowd.”
“Three days, no wonder you have no idea about her,” the third person nodded lightly, “The lady in the arena is not simple. I don’t know her real name but everyone calls her the Asura Girl.”
“Is she strong?”
“‘Strong’ is an understatement!” The third person snorted coldly, “She is invincible! She suddenly appeared in the arena twenty days ago and beat the life out of a cultivator in the same realm as her. He was knocked out in just three moves, coughing up a pool of blood. Her moves were simple but brutal.”
“Wasn’t that… a crushing victory?”
“Yeah. It was crushing alright!”
No doubt, it could be described as ‘crushing’ if someone could win within just three moves in a match between two cultivators in the same realm.
“Since then, this little girl has come to the Rising Dragon Arena to fight everyday. No one could stand against her for more than a cup of tea’s worth of time. With her ferocious aura and brutality, everyone began calling her Asura Girl.”
“I’m surprised that this little girl is so powerful.” The first man’s eyes lit up as he exclaimed again and again, watching the arena with great interest.
“Asura Girl is really good, but Gu Shan is not bad either. I still think Gu Shan will win.” The previous Gu Shan’s fan insisted with an unwavering gleam in his eyes.
The third person sneered, “Gu Shan is indeed strong. He has a solid foundation, his Source Qi is vigorous, but he is definitely no match for Asura Girl.”
“Why do you say that?”
“Yeah, I think this friend is too subjective. Looking at the situation now, it is obvious that Gu Shan has an upper hand against her, he is no less brutal than that little girl.”
The third person glanced at the arena leisurely, and replied faintly, “I definitely have my own reason for saying that.”
“What’s your reason? Let’s hear about it.”
“Gu Shan’s strength has reached its limit. Unless he breaks through to the Emperor Realm, he won’t be able to improve any more in his life. But Asura Girl is different. She has an astounding cultivation, but it seems like she rarely fought before. However, she is constantly improving through each battle, and she is a lot more powerful than she was twenty days ago. Didn’t you guys notice that in the beginning of their battle, Asura Girl was put at a disadvantage, but now, she’s already capable of finding opportunities while defending, waiting for an opportunity to counterattack? If I’m not mistaken, she will continue to grow rapidly in this battle and I’m afraid it won’t be too long before she surpasses Gu Shan and takes him down.”
After listening to his analysis, the other two people thought about it carefully and found that he was right. They could not help praising him, “You have a point. It looks like Gu Shan really might not be able to defeat her.”
“Where did this little girl come from? She seems to be only in her early twenties. Could she have cultivated some Secret Technique that froze her age?”
“Humph, although the aura of this girl is ferocious, she still has the air of a child. It is obvious she is still young.”
“This friend seems to know this Asura Girl very well. Do you observe her a lot?”
The corner of the person’s mouth twitched, “Yes, because… the opponent of her first battle was me!”
“Ah?” The other two people gaped at him in shock. They did not expect that he was the cultivator who spat blood and fainted after being beaten by Asura Girl in three moves. The atmosphere of their conversation instantly turned awkward.
Around the stage, numerous audience members were commenting about this Asura Girl, wondering which Sect she hailed from. Nevertheless, they couldn’t find out as the way she fought was strange and unpredictable.
Furthermore, she did not use any artifacts at all, so people could not guess her identity from them.
This subtle sense of mystery intensified their interest in her.
Yang Kai looked at the arena indifferently, a weird feeling nagging at him.
He could not believe that Zhang Ruo Xi was actually participating in arena fights, and even had a renowned name that scared the cultivators in Purple Mountain City.
His impression of Zhang Ruo Xi was completely different from the little girl that he saw in the arena now.
He suddenly felt like he had raised a dormant beast in the past few years. It usually behaved very well in its cage, but once it was released, it could set off a reign of terror.
Meanwhile, the arena fight was heating up.
Although the previous cultivator lost miserably to Zhang Ruo Xi in the first battle due to his weak foundation, he had a keen eye for observation.
Perhaps, he had closely observed Zhang Ruo Xi for the past twenty days in endurance of his humiliation and clearly witnessed her terrifying growth.
The battle between Gu Shan and Asura Girl progressed from Gu Shan being at an absolute advantage in the beginning to an equally matched battle, then Gu Fang fell into a disadvantage. Gu Shan’s shift from an offensive stance to a defensive stance was obvious.
Neither of the pair used artifacts. Zhang Ruo Xi in fact did not have her own offensive artifact, only the Pink Clouds Phoenix Robe that she always wore. However, she did not activate the defensive power of the Emperor Artifact, so from Gu Shan’s perspective, since he was already a famous figure in Purple Mountain City, it would be embarrassing for him to summon his artifact to fight a little girl who had not summoned hers.
Various Secret Techniques collided with each other, and the light barrier rippled endlessly from each collision.
Compared to Gu Shan’s firm and steady tactics, Zhang Ruo Xi’s movements were flexible and agile. Her fighting style was unique and peculiar. It also seemed that she possessed an exceedingly keen fighting instinct. Yang Kai had never seen or even heard of those various Secret Techniques that performed so outstandingly in her hands and he had no idea when or where she learned them.
The bloody red radiance on Gu Shan’s body was quivering constantly and gradually dimmed, even his aura was fluctuating unstably.
[How strong!] Gu Shan shivered in his heart. Although he had long heard about this little girl who brought torment to the cultivators in Purple Mountain City, he realized now that he had still underestimated her.
Her growth in the battle had also deeply horrified him.
It only took a short time for her to turn the tide of battle; from a total disadvantage to taking control of the flow. Perhaps with a little more time, she would eventually win the match.
Seeing that the bloody red luminance of his body was about to shatter completely, Gu Shan gritted his teeth, took a step back, and opened his hand. A tiger head war hammer abruptly appeared in his grip as he bellowed, “Little girl, summon your artifact. If you don’t, you won’t stand a chance.”
He looked determined, obviously preparing to fight to the death.
Although he had no grudges against Zhang Ruo Xi, he had been fighting in Purple Mountain City all year round and gained a renowned reputation, being spoken of as the top cultivator below the Emperor Realm. If he was defeated by a weak little girl, how could he still have the dignity to stay here?
He had no choice but to pull out his ace, his victory-securing move.
However, he still kindly persuaded Zhang Ruo Xi to summon her artifact so that they could have a fair fight.
Surprisingly, Zhang Ruo Xi shook her head slowly, replying, “I don’t have an artifact!”
“What?” Gu Shan glared at her and burst into rage, “There should be a bottom line for you to look down on others!”
He thought that he was being despised by Zhang Ruo Xi as how could a cultivator not have his or her own artifact? Given that Zhang Ruo Xi was a Third-Order Dao Source Realm cultivator with this level of strength, it was impossible that she did not possess any artifact.
He did not know that Zhang Ruo Xi was actually telling the truth.
This little girl from the Zhang Family had her strength improve too quickly, so as much as Yang Kai wanted to give her an artifact, they had yet to find one that was suitable for her and could keep up with the growth of her strength. The problem with a low-level artifact was that it could not catch up with her cultivation speed, while for the high-level artifact, she would be unable to refine it.
Furthermore, Zhang Ruo Xi had always been cultivating safely in the Small Sealed World, so there was no need for her to use any artifacts.
As a result, she had only the Pink Clouds Phoenix Robe.
However, it was humiliating for Gu Shan, seeing that his opponent was going to fight him with her bare hands despite him already summoning his artifact.
Gu Shan fumed in rage, “Don’t complain that I didn’t give you a chance. Since you are so arrogant, don’t blame me for being impolite!”
Zhang Ruo Xi pursed her red lips. She did not intend to explain anything and decided to say nothing, her face turning solemn as she looked like she was ready to go all out at any time.
After a loud roar, Gu Shan’s body suddenly expanded, turning into a giant of a man as he madly surged his Source Qi, and poured it into the tiger head war hammer.
The roar of a tiger caused the whole arena to tremble, as if the king of the jungle leaped out of a deep forest, swearing to defend his territory until its death.
“Are you still not summoning your artifact!?” Gu Shan yelled again while surging more power into his artifact.
Again, Zhang Ruo Xi shook her head slowly.
“You asked for this!” Gu Shan was maddened. He let out a breath and his bulging body shrunk down again as all his power was poured into the war hammer. The wind and clouds collided in the sky forming a storm, and following a blinding light which exploded in the arena, a gigantic tiger as vivid as a real beast, carrying a Heaven-destroying and Earth-shattering aura, pounced straight at Zhang Ruo Xi.
Zhang Ruo Xi seemed to be aware of the ferocity of this skill as her face turned solemn. She joined her palms together in a strange fashion and charged towards Gu Shan’s monstrous attack.
*Hong Hong Hong… *
The continuous sounds of explosion and dazzling light filled the arena. No one could see what was happening in the arena, but they all knew that this competition had escalated to a battle of life and death.
The tremendous impact of energy completely deformed the light curtain restrictions of the arena and the audience all cried out. They were astounded by Gu Shan’s astonishing attack, but at the same time, they were secretly looking forward to how Asura Girl fared. Did she manage to counter this skill? Or was she decimated by it?
The audiences’ eyes widened, staring at the arena.
After a long time, the terrifying energy gradually dissipated, the light vanished, and the scene in the arena captured everyone’s eyes.
“Huh… Why is Gu Shan alone?”
“Where is the Asura Girl? Where did she go?”
“Is she hiding somewhere and preparing to ambush Gu Shan!?”
“The arena is so small, how could she have escaped?”
“Look, there are fragments of clothes on the floor. It’s the clothes that Asura Girl wore before.”
“Is Asura Girl dead? Blown to pieces?”
“Gu Shan won!”
Noises from the audience came up one after another like sea waves hitting the shores. There were exclamations, excitement, regret, pity, and curses…
Asura Girl was like a brilliant comet that suddenly appeared and just as quickly vanished. It was a real pity that a rising star in Purple Mountain City could only shine for just twenty days before being blown to pieces by Gu Shan. Many cultivators who supported Asura Girl secretly cursed Gu Shan for his undeserved win and blamed him for being cruel towards a young girl by using such an artifact on her.
Gu Shan, however, just stood on the stage, his body feeling dreadfully feeble. After unleashing that skill, he was no longer able to fight.
He stood in place with a weird expression, staring blankly at the fragments of clothes over the ground, without the slightest joy in his victory.
The victory of this battle was too odd.
Gu Shan clearly felt that his attack was mostly resolved by Asura Girl, and the remaining power was not sufficient to kill her. Moreover, even though there were fragments of clothes in the arena, there was no trace of blood.
If she were really blown to pieces by him, there should be at least some residual bits of blood and flesh.
But in reality, nothing else was left.
[That girl is not dead!] Gu Shan concluded in his heart.
[But if she is not dead, where could she be? Is it really like what the audience said and she is hiding somewhere, preparing to ambush me?] Considering all this, Gu Shan’s face changed drastically and he hurriedly searched around, but he could not find even the shadow of Asura Girl.
After a long time, Asura Girl did not appear, only then did Gu Shan accept the victory cheer for him with a puzzled face.
……
Ten thousand kilometres outside of Purple Mountain City, Yang Kai and Zhang Ruo Xi sat on his wooden boat, flying away as fast as lightning.
After Gu Shan unleashed his final skill in the last fight, Yang Kai stepped into the arena and brought Zhang Ruo Xi out.
The outcome was already decided, there was no need to carry on the fight. Gu Shan was already spent, while Zhang Ruo Xi was not in jeopardy. Zhang Ruo Xi would have easily destroyed Gu Shan in the next move.
Yang Kai was already in the Emperor Realm, and with his proficiency in the Dao of Space, the cultivators in Purple Mountain City were not sharp or strong enough to notice anything when he came and went, which led to the illusion of Zhang Ruo Xi being blown to pieces.
After being taken out of the arena, Zhang Ruo Xi’s ferocious aura immediately dissipated and she became extremely well-behaved, sitting quietly on the boat, constantly looking at Yang’s back with a timid look, afraid that he would be mad at her due to her previous reckless behaviour.
She did not know what was wrong with her. She had never fought with people before, but after she stepped into the arena, she was filled with passion. Every bit of pain on her body and every drop of her blood she shed brought her an incomparable satisfaction. It seemed that fighting with people had become her favourite hobby.
She regretted it every time she returned from the arena, knowing that she needed to follow her Master obediently and not fight with others. She even secretly warned herself that she must not go to the Rising Dragon Arena again.
But the next day, she could not resist the temptation and went out again, heading to the arena with the identity of ‘Asura Girl’, accepting more and more challenges from the cultivators, and beating all of them. She took great joy in fighting with others. Victory or defeat was not what she cared about, what she relished was the heat of battle itself.
She was a little afraid of herself and felt that there was a devil sealed within her heart.
“Do you like to use swords?” Yang Kai broke the silence with a question, without looking back.
“Hm?” Zhang Ruo Xi jumped, but she quickly reacted, “I don’t know.”
“I noticed that you favoured a sword hand style during your battle with Gu Shan, and your body released a strong Sword Intent unconsciously,” Yang Kai paused for a while, and continued, “Have you ever used a sword artifact before?”
“No,” Zhang Ruo Xi shook her head slowly, and murmured, “I have never used any offensive artifacts before.”
“That’s strange,” Yang Kai revealed a dubious look. Although Zhang Ruo Xi was not proficient in using her sword hand, it was still exceptionally powerful, and the Sword Intent unleashed from her body was genuine. A cultivator couldn’t have such power unless one immersed themselves in swordsmanship for many years.
Among the Masters Yang Kai knew, Chen Wen Hao of Heavenly Martial Holy Land had the strongest Sword Intent. He possessed the Emperor Artifact Flowing Water Sword, and his Three Thousand Sword Dao still appeared vividly in Yang Kai’s mind.
Yang Kai occasionally used a sword too, like the broadsword, Myriads Sword, but this was not his strength. All the tricks that he performed were the Secret Techniques which paired with the Myriads Sword itself, and they were incomparable to Chen Wen Hao’s techniques.
Nevertheless, Zhang Ruo Xi’s Sword Intent seemed natural and powerful. She was like a piece of unpolished jade, but once her full potential had been developed, the greatness that she could bloom into would absolutely be terrifying.
Suddenly, Yang Kai recalled a specific memory.
During Zhang Ruo Xi’s Great Realm breakthroughs, a giant figure of a woman would always emerge behind her. Yang Kai had no idea who this woman was, but every time she opened her mouth, she absorbed the Heavenly Manifestation from Zhang Ruo Xi’s breakthrough and surprisingly, it made Zhang Ruo Xi’s breakthrough effortless.
When that phantom woman appeared, she was holding an exceedingly astounding and broad sword in her hands.
[Perhaps, the reason why she has Sword Intent and instinctively used a sword hand has something to do with that phantom?]
Although it was just a guess, Yang Kai believed it must be the case.
Since Zhang Ruo Xi liked to use swords, Yang Kai thought that he should hand over the Myriads Sword to her.
The broadsword that was held in the hands of the giant woman phantom was similar to the Myriads Sword, so Zhang Ruo Xi would like it.
It was just that… the Myriads Sword did not belong to Yang Kai. It was an ancestral treasure of the Qin Family in Maplewood City. Old Patriarch Qin made it very clear when he handed over the Myriad Sword to Yang Kai, that he hoped Yang Kai could take care of it for him and return it to Qin Yu when she became an Emperor Realm Master.
Therefore, after a few thoughts, Yang Kai decided not to give Zhang Ruo Xi the sword as he believed that giving away an item that belonged to others was something that went against his principles.
It looked like it was time for Yang Kai to find a broadsword type Emperor Artifact. Among his companions, Liu Yan obtained the Annihilation Thunder Bead, Hua Qing Si wielded the Five-Coloured Spear, and even his Embodiment obtained the Demonic War Hammer. All of them were Emperor Artifacts.
Yang Kai naturally could not be biased.
“Sorry, Sir. Ruo Xi shouldn’t have caused such a big mess without your permission!” Zhang Ruo Xi lowered her head and finally plucked up her courage to admit her mistake.
Yang Kai chuckled, “Why are you sorry? I am not blaming you.”
Zhang Ruo Xi lifted her head in befuddlement, “Sir, are you not angry?”
Yang Kai smiled gently, “Choose your own path and don’t be bothered by what others think, as long as you feel no shame in your heart. Let me ask you, do you feel happy fighting in the arena?”
“I was very happy!” Zhang Ruo Xi nodded her head like chicken pecking rice, without even needing to think about it.
“Then, did you kill anyone?”
Zhang Ruo Xi shook her head, “I just knocked them down every time, but I didn’t kill them.”
“Do you feel guilty?”
Zhang Ruo Xi pondered seriously and shook her head again. “No, they were not as skilled as their opponent yet decided to challenge them in the arena. It was only natural that they were prepared to be defeated. Ruo Xi also went in knowing the risks.”
“That’s right,” Yang Kai nodded, “If you think it was correct, it is correct. There will no doubt be people who point fingers at you and make irresponsible accusations against you in the future. If the advice is reasonable, listen to it humbly and accept it with an open mind; but if they are simply trying to find trouble, just let them bark as much as they want. The key is here…” Yang Kai pointed at his heart.
“Ruo Xi understands!” Zhang Ruo Xi nodded gently, smiling like a flower and cheered, “It is wonderful to travel together with Sir.”
……
After travelling around for half a month, Yang Kai reached the central region of the Eastern Territory.
During the journey, he and Zhang Ruo Xi had travelled across countless mountains and rivers together. While appreciating the local customs, Yang Kai also guided Zhang Ruo Xi in cultivation, making the journey a lot less dull and lonely.
Zhang Ruo Xi’s growth rate was insanely quick. Even though she did not improve much in terms of her cultivation, she made great progress in controlling her strength, which certainly had something to do with her twenty days of battles in the Rising Dragon Arena.
Intense battles could often make one realize one’s own flaws and potential, and further promote their growth.
Zhang Ruo Xi had not only grown stronger, she had also gained more experiences and learned lessons through her previous fights.
During the trip with Yang Kai, she kept recalling the battles in the arena, turning all those accumulated experiences and lessons into nutrients, constantly growing herself.
Yang Kai witnessed this, but he did not comment on it.
One day, Yang Kai suddenly stopped, bringing the boat to a halt in mid-air.
“Sir? What happened?” Zhang Ruo Xi hurriedly asked, and covered the surroundings with her Divine Sense.
She thought there was some danger.
But there was nothing unusual nearby.
When she turned to Yang Kai, she saw that he took out a golden token with a bewildered look, and sent his Divine Sense into it.
The next moment, his face darkened.
Zhang Ruo Xi was so frightened that she dared not to speak. It was her first time seeing Yang Kai this angry since the day she began following him. It was obvious that something serious had happened that maddened Yang Kai.
[What exactly… is that golden token? Why did Sir get so angry after examining it?]
Zhang Ruo Xi was puzzled, but she dared not to question.
Subsequently, Yang Kai immediately spread his terrifying Divine Sense around like a tide, covering a large area in an instant.
After a while, Yang Kai seemed to have discovered something, and with a flicker, he shattered space, bringing Zhang Ruo Xi together with him, the both of them disappearing directly from the spot they stood.
When they reappeared, Zhang Ruo Xi found that she and Yang Kai had arrived at a place an unknown distance away, standing in the void as a group of cultivators were besieging a Monster Beast that resembled both a turtle and a tiger underneath them.
This Monster Beast seemed to be at the peak of the Eleventh-Order, and was rich in Monster Qi. If it was converted to the cultivation of a human cultivator, it would be at the peak of the Dao Source Realm.
There were only three Dao Source Realm cultivators among the crowd, while the rest were just Saint Kings. The three Dao Source Realm cultivators did not really have high cultivations, with only one of them at the Second-Order Dao Source Realm. They seemed to be Elders of some small Sect leading their disciples to come out for training. From a cursory glance, it could not be deduced how they encountered this Monster Beast.
It was common for disciples to train together as a Sect and most of them would have some Elders with higher cultivation travelling with them to provide guidance and protection. If it was not necessary, these Elders would not usually show up.
There was already a torn corpse on the ground, while the remaining cultivators were wounded and had panicked looks on their faces.
Judging from their situation, they seemed to be no match for the Monster Beast.
The Monster Beast was in a berserk state when Yang Kai and Zhang Ruo Xi appeared. With its mouth wide open, it charged towards a First-Order Dao Source Realm cultivator. Either the First-Order Source Realm cultivator was running out of steam or he was not watching, but he did not manage to dodge the Monster Beast in time. With a scream, a chunk of his abdomen was chomped off, and blood spurted out of his wound uncontrollably.
At that moment, Yang Kai’s face hardened and he swung a out fist.
With a punch, the once majestic Monster Beast suddenly wailed, a hole appearing on its robust body, blood and intestines pouring out of it. The Monster Beast died instantly.
The cultivator who was still held in the mouth of the Monster Beast had not regained his senses from the shock, and continued to struggle and scream miserably.
However, the other two Dao Source Realm Masters noticed. They lifted their heads and looked towards Yang Kai before turning back to the dead Monster Beast. They shuddered in their hearts, realizing that they had met a powerful Master.
Although Yang Kai looked young, he was undoubtedly an Emperor Realm Master if he was able to kill a Monster Beast at the peak of the Eleventh-Order with just a punch.
The two of them did not dare hesitate. They cupped their fists with solemn faces and just when they were about to thank Yang Kai, he interrupted them, “Which direction is Earth City?”
They were stunned. One of them, a man who was wearing a purple robe, hurriedly pointed to a direction, “Sir, fly five thousand kilometres towards that direction, and you will reach Earth City.”
Although he could not figure Yang Kai’s real age, since he was an Emperor Realm Master, it was only right to address him as Sir.
Yang Kai took a look in the direction he pointed to, then teleported. He and Zhang Ruo Xi disappeared out of sight of the group in the blink of an eye.
After a long time, someone asked in a low voice, “Was… was I hallucinating? Were there two people here just now?”
“Senior Brother, you did not hallucinate, I saw them too. He killed the Green Tiger Turtle and saved Martial Uncle Xiao.”
“Ah, Martial Uncle Xiao is injured. Quickly take out some Spirit Pills!”
“Hold on, Martial Uncle Xiao. Please don’t die.”
A group of inexperienced youths gathered around their ‘Martial Uncle Xiao’ who was bitten by the Green Tiger Turtle and dealt with his injury hurriedly, while the two Dao Source Realm Masters remained standing on the spot, feeling befuddled, staring at the place where Yang Kai disappeared for a long time.
They had no idea how Yang Kai arrived, or how he left. Their eyes were fixed on Yang Kai the whole time he was here, but he still strangely vanished from their sights.
If it were not for the fresh corpse of the Green Tiger Turtle here, they would think that it was just a dream.
After all, that was an Emperor! A peak Master revered by all in the Star Boundary.
Once upon a time, they were fired up in enthusiasm and believed that they could one day catch a glimpse of the mysteries of the Emperor Realm. Unfortunately, due to the restraints of poor aptitude and resources, they could only roam around the Second-Order Dao Source Realm. As they grew older, the passion in their heart had extinguished, leaving a mindset of simply muddling along for the rest of their lives.
They turned around and glanced at those young people in their Sect, thinking that they were just as high-spirited as they once were in their youth, but after several dozen or a hundred years, how many of them would still be alive? Even if they were still alive, would the young stop striving just like they did?
……
Yang Kai pushed his Emperor Qi, injecting it into his wooden boat to fly at a far greater speed than before.
“This token is a disciple token of Azure Sun Temple. In addition to representing the identity of a disciple of Azure Sun Temple, it can also be used as a communication artifact. I just received a request for help from a disciple of Azure Sun Temple,” Yang Kai explained to Zhang Ruo Xi while standing on the boat.
Ever since meeting Xiao Bai Yi and Murong Xiao Xiao in the Source Sea, Yang Kai had kept the Azure Sun Golden Token on his person so he could sense messages from the pair at any time, but he did not receive any back then.
Nevertheless, Yang Kai did not throw it back to his Space Ring. He just continued to keep it with him since it did not affect his movement.
Unexpectedly, Yang Kai actually received a request for help from a disciple of Azure Sun Temple in this remote Eastern Territory.
It was a short message, with just a single sentence.
‘Earth City, Azure Sun Pavilion, requesting help!’
It was obvious that only a disciple of Azure Sun Temple could send this message to Yang Kai’s Golden Token, but there were two questions that troubled him. One, how did this disciple come to the Eastern Territory? And two, what danger had he gotten into?
Azure Sun Temple was a Sect from the Southern Territory, more than a billion kilometres from here.
Yang Kai naturally could not just sit back and ignore a request for aid though; therefore, he quickly found someone to inquire about the location of Earth City.
It was also his first time coming to the Eastern Territory, so it was natural that he did not know where this Earth City was. Fortunately, there was a group of people nearby and Yang Kai immediately teleported there to ask for directions.
“I don’t know what’s going on there, but if there’s a fight, take care of yourself,” Yang Kai gave a warning.
Earth City no doubt had Masters guarding it, so even though Yang Kai was already an Emperor, he was not arrogant enough to look down on everyone in the world. If he really needed to fight with someone, he may not be able to take care of Zhang Ruo Xi.
As such, he was taking the time now to instruct her clearly, so that she would act according to the circumstances later.
“Understood,” Zhang Ruo Xi nodded heavily, “Sir, just do what you need to, Ruo Xi won’t be a burden to you.”
Yang Kai nodded lightly and further accelerated his speed anxiously.
Earth City was located in the central region of the Eastern Territory and was one of the most important cities in the whole Eastern Territory, far more flourishing than Purple Mountain City. The surrounding vast territory and abundant resources of Earth City attracted many cultivators to settle down here.
The visits of numerous cultivators brought increasing prosperity to this city.
The City Lord of Earth City, Zu Hong, was a First-Order Emperor Realm Master and had many capable subordinates under him. Ever since he took charge of Earth City fifty years ago, he had been keeping the entire city in good order until now.
The city was bound with strict laws; as such, not many people dared to commit crimes there.
Zu Hong had even set nine thousand nine hundred and eighty-one rules in Earth City. Anyone who dared to violate them would be punished equally, ranging from public flogging to a death sentence. His ruthless spirit and just attitude gained him the love of the people.
At this moment, in front of a shop called Azure Sun Pavilion in Earth City, was a group of cultivators dressed in city guard uniforms, blocking off access. There was also a Dao Source Realm cultivator sitting in a nearby teahouse, enjoying his drink leisurely. He was constantly inspecting everyone who passed by the shop, his eyes sharp like a falcon.
Whispers spread around the citizens, discussing what bad deed the Azure Sun Pavilion could have done to cause the people from the City Lord’s Mansion to surround it.
Azure Sun Pavilion was just a small shop that did not sell anything special. They mostly resold Spirit Pills and artifacts collected from others, so they did not really gain a lot of profits and just barely maintained their business.
Everyone who had visited the Azure Sun Pavilion knew that other than a shopkeeper, there were only two other attendants in the shop. These two shop-hands were notoriously unmotivated, and even when there were customers in the shop, they would just continue to sleep on the desk and took no initiative in serving them.
Over time, cultivators who became familiar with their service stopped going to Azure Sun Pavilion.
If it were not surrounded by the cultivators of the City Lord’s Mansion, perhaps most of the people would not have even remembered its existence.
No one knew what Azure Sun Pavilion had done, but it would definitely suffer from being surrounded by the guards. Every cultivator who walked past the shop would stay a good distance away from it like they were avoiding snakes and scorpions, worried about being stung by bad luck if they got too near.
Just then, a man and a woman from the crowd suddenly walked out, straight towards Azure Sun Pavilion.
Both the man and the woman looked young. The man had a tall and strong body, dressed like an ordinary youth. His steps were steady, and even though he was not very handsome, he had a rugged, resolute look to him. The woman on the other hand looked beautiful and gentle, following closely behind the young man. Her age was even younger and she seemed to be in her early twenties.
Because Azure Sun Pavilion was surrounded by guards, no one was seen walking in the area of several tens of meters from the entrance, so when the man and the woman walked straight towards the shop, they immediately attracted a lot of attention.
The Dao Source Realm cultivator, who was sipping his tea in a nearby teahouse, squinted, his eyes flashing with a brilliant light as he carefully examined the pair.
He silently released his Divine Sense, but it was bizarre that he could not inspect their cultivation.
The Dao Source Realm cultivator’s face instantly turned solemn.
He was a Third-Order Dao Source Realm Master, so the reasons for him to be unable to sense this pair’s cultivation were either they were Emperor Realm Masters, or they possessed some kind of artifact that could keep their cultivation hidden.
Such a pair would certainly not be Emperor Realm Masters. In that case, they must have some unique artifact.
[They must not have simple backgrounds to possess such artifacts, just who are they? Why are they interested in Azure Sun Pavilion?]
While he was still pondering, the young pair arrived in front of the guards. The young man simply glanced around at these people, however, and shouted, “What are you doing? A good dog doesn’t block the path. Quickly, make way!”
When the words fell, the surrounding cultivators were taken aback.
[How dare this young man humiliate the guards? Does he not fear death?]
Everyone seemed to be able to foresee that this man would be thrown into the city prison to suffer. Horrified, they simultaneously moved a little further away from the shop.
The few guards who were blocking off Azure Sun Pavilion were infuriated and threw a burning gaze at the young man in unison. The head of the guards snorted coldly, “Pay attention to your words. It’s a crime to insult the guards.”
The young man seemed amused by this response and grinned, “Is it a crime to scold someone? Don’t tell me you have never scolded anyone.”
The head of the guards reprimanded, “According to the law established by the City Lord, I can take you away at any time, put you in prison, and give you eighty whips.”
“Is it that serious?” The young man was startled, his face pale.
The head guard looked at him in disdain, snorted coldly, “Are you scared now?”
“Don’t take it so seriously, Sir,” the young man grinned, “I didn’t mean to scold you. Alright, alright, I really need to buy something from this shop. Can you please let me in?”
It was uncertain if the casual words of the young man had some kind of magic in them, but after a short pause, the head guard actually made way for the couple.
The other City Lord’s Mansion guards were looking at their Commander in bewilderment, secretly questioning his decision but they dared not speak out.
“What the hell!?” The Third-Order Dao Source Realm cultivator, who was monitoring Azure Sun Pavilion from the nearby teahouse, jumped up in anger. He immediately released his Divine Sense towards the Commander, and condemned, “What’s wrong with you?”
“Sir Jia!” The Commander’s face turned solemn after receiving the voice transmission.
“Didn’t I tell you not to let anyone in? How dare you disobey this King’s order!”
“I allowed someone in?” The Commander was shocked and soon, he remembered what he had just done. Wiping the cold sweat on his forehead as his face turned pale, he mumbled, “How could I have let someone in…”
He had no idea what happened just now. Although he was clear-headed, he could not resist the young man’s request and obediently made way for the young man to enter Azure Sun Pavilion.
If it were not for Sir Jia’s voice transmission, he probably would not be able to recall his actions.
“A Soul Technique!” Seeing the Commander’s complexion, Sir Jia immediately deduced that he was affected by some kind of Soul Technique, which led him to act involuntarily.
“Sir Jia, what should we do now? Should this subordinate bring the team in and capture that man?” The Commander asked.
“Calm down. That man seems to be very strong. We don’t know his purpose for coming here yet. Perhaps, he really just wanted to buy something. Let’s continue to observe.” Sir Jia replied.
“Yes!”
While Yang Kai and Zhang Ruo Xi were inside the shop, they looked around and found that it was truly small, with few goods on sale. The goods did not seem to be valuable and were messily placed around the shelves.
Two shop-hands, who had low cultivation, were sitting near the counter. They looked aggrieved, as if they had just lost their parents, and occasionally glanced at the guards outside, “It’s over, it’s over,” one shop-hands mumbled, “What trouble did Shopkeeper cause? It’s really over now!”
The two shop-hands were extremely nervous and did not even notice that Yang Kai and Zhang Ruo Xi had entered the shop.
After taking a brief glance at them, Yang Kai turned to the rear of the shop and headed straight towards the backyard, completely ignoring them.
After passing a corridor, Yang Kai arrived at a small garden. He proceeded further until he reached a certain room. He stood in front of the room and knocked at the door gently.
“Who!?” A woman’s voice called out, one that sounded dreadfully exhausted, as if she had not slept for many days.
Yang Kai answered in a deep tone, “I’m here to buy something.”
After a moment of silence, the woman inside responded, “This shop has faced some problems recently and it will be closed for some time. Please leave.”
Yang Kai could not help rolling his eyes, he continued “This Young Master came from Southern Territory and travelled a great distance to buy something, and you’re asking me to go back?”
“Southern Territory…” After a cry of realization and a gust of wind, the door flew open with a bang and a haggard-looking young woman abruptly appeared in front of Yang Kai.
This young woman seemed to be in her late twenties, was dressed decently, and even though her looks were not outstanding, she could still be considered quite pretty.
Perhaps troubled by something recently, dark circles rimmed her bloodshot eyes; however, she directed an exceedingly bright gaze towards Yang Kai at this moment, as if she were hoping for a miracle from him.
“Did you… really come from the Southern Territory?” The young woman asked nervously.
“Indeed.” Yang Kai nodded.
He noticed the young woman was in the Second-Order Dao Source Realm and the aura she exuded seemed to be a bit lacking, meaning she definitely could not unleash the full potential of her cultivation at this time.
Yang Kai was not sure whether it was due to laxness in her cultivation or because there was something wrong with her foundation.
“Do you have any proof?” The young woman questioned suspiciously.
Yang Kai smiled faintly and took out his Azure Sun Golden Token, waving it in front of her.
The young woman’s eyes lit up and her previous doubts and anxiousness disappeared, as if she had just reunited with a long-lost family member.
“Let’s talk inside,” the young woman made way for him.
Yang Kai nodded in agreement and walked into the room together with Zhang Ruo Xi.
The young woman looked around in worry, making sure there was no one hiding nearby, before finally closing the door and activating a few restrictions with a wave of her hand.
After she finished these preparations, Yang Kai turned to her with a gloomy face, “What trouble have you gotten into? Why are there so many people surrounding this shop, treating you like a criminal?”
Instead of answering Yang Kai’s question immediately, the young woman solemnly took out a token from her Space Ring and handed it over to Yang Kai with her hands.
The token looked similar to Yang Kai’s Azure Sun Golden Token, but Yang Kai’s token was gold in colour while hers was bronze in colour, which symbolized the difference of their status.
Although Yang Kai was not familiar with the different rankings of the Azure Sun Temple’s disciple tokens, he could still guess that gold should be the highest grade, followed by silver, then bronze. In other words, there was a two rank difference between him and this woman.
“Senior Brother, the name of this disciple is Lu Wen, I follow Elder Chen Qian.”
Yang Kai raised his brow, because he was quite familiar with Chen Qian who was one of Azure Sun Temple’s Elders and a First-Order Emperor. She was mainly responsible for the logistics and materials in Azure Sun Temple. Yang Kai had met Elder Chen several times, but this Elder Chen had often been more reserved and not spoken much.
“Is Senior Brother Xia Sheng?” Lu Wen asked Yang Kai quizzically.
Yang Kai curled his lip and snorted, “Can Xia Sheng be as handsome as me?”
Lu Wen could not help feeling slightly embarrassed at his narcissistic attitude. Her cheeks flushed when she asked again, “Are you Senior Xiao Bai Yi?”
“I’m not Xia Sheng, and I’m not Xiao Bai Yi either. My name is Yang Kai,” Yang Kai said in exasperation.
“Senior Brother Yang…” Lu Wen frowned, she seemed to be unfamiliar with this name.
Yang Kai questioned, “If you are an Azure Sun Temple disciple, how could you not recognize the faces of Xia Sheng and Xiao Bai Yi? They are the top elite disciples of the Temple.”
Lu Wen replied in embarrassment, “This Junior Sister left Azure Sun Temple many years ago and has not returned since, so I’ve never had the chance to meet those two Senior Brothers.”
Yang Kai was surprised, “I see… Then why did you come to the Eastern Territory and start a shop here?”
Lu Wen answered, “I’m here on a mission for the Temple. This shop was opened as a front for my convenience. My duty here is to report everything that occurs here to my Honoured Master to support her operations.”
“Explain in detail,” Yang Kai pressed on with a deep voice.
“Although our Temple is based in the Southern Territory, it still needs to gather information about the other three territories. Therefore, a number of disciples are sent out to gather intelligence in each territory, and they will report to the Temple at specific intervals. This Junior Sister is the person in charge of this matter in Earth City. We usually will keep our names anonymous and our identities hidden so as not to expose our origins unless we are in life-threatening danger.”
“There is such a thing?” Yang Kai was astonished.
Lu Wen smiled lightly, “Senior Brother Yang must be an elite disciple of the Sect, so you don’t need to know about such trivial matters as your only task is to strengthen your own cultivation. This type of mission is usually handled by disciples who are not very talented or have no hope of raising their cultivation further in their lives.”
“Such tasks take up a great deal of effort and time, so it would delay the disciples’ cultivation. It is unrealistic to allow elite disciples to take part in them.”
Yang Kai nodded in acknowledgement, “Many thanks for your hard work.”
Lu Wen smiled slightly, “It’s nothing. When our Senior Brothers and Sisters get stronger, the Sect will be more prosperous, and people like us will have a place to live and carry out our duties in safety. Not only our Azure Sun Temple, but this practice is also followed by all other great forces. Many disciples will travel to all parts of Star Boundary to collect information.”
“Then what trouble have you gotten into now?” Yang Kai asked.
Lu Wen’s face darkened, “It’s not me who’s in trouble, but Elder Gao.”
Yang Kai was puzzled, “Elder Gao? Which Elder Gao?”
Suddenly he was startled, whispering, “Elder Gao, as in Gao Xue Ting?”
“En.”
Yang Kai’s face changed as he continued, “Has Elder Gao come to the Eastern Territory?”
“That’s right, and she might be in life-threatening danger right now.”
“What happened?” Yang Kai hurriedly asked.
“Relax, Senior Brother. I will explain everything to you.”
Only after Lu Wen’s explanation did Yang Kai understand the issue.
Lu Wen had been in Earth City for more than twenty years since she left Azure Sun Temple and had been collecting all kinds of information and passing it back to the Sect. For her own convenience, she opened a shop here; but instead of making money, the shop was actually a camouflage to cover up her real identity. As such, she did not put much effort into operating her business, which resulted in its current messy state.
Half a year ago, Lu Wen bought half of an animal skin from a downtrodden cultivator. The seller told her that it was handed down by his ancestors and there was an ancient secret hidden in it.
Lu Wen naturally would not believe this kind of nonsense and had only bought the animal skin out of compassion for the poor man.
After studying the animal skin for a notably long time, she still could not discover any clues about it. Still, she realized that there was something mysterious about it so she sent the animal skin together with the information that she collected back to Azure Sun Temple through a special channel.
Three months ago, Gao Xue Ting suddenly came to Earth City and asked her various questions about the animal skin.
It was only then that Lu Wen truly believed that the animal skin had some kind of profound background and seemed to truly contain some precious secret. Otherwise, how would it attract a Master like Gao Xue Ting to come here?
Lu Wen certainly did not hide anything and shared everything she knew when the Sect Elder questioned her.
Unfortunately, Gao Xue Ting did not get any useful clues from her.
In the days following her arrival, Gao Xue Ting had been studying the secrets hidden in the animal skin, and from time to time, she would leave Earth City for a while. However, Lu Wen had no idea of what she was doing.
A month and a half ago, Gao Xue Ting told her that she had found something, but she would need to work with others to finish whatever she was working on. On the same day, she left some cultivation resources before departing Earth City, and had been missing ever since.
Seven days ago, Azure Sun Pavilion was suddenly surrounded by the City Lord’s Mansion guards. Without giving a reason, they just surrounded the shop and forbade anyone from coming or going.
Having explained until that point, Lu Wen realized something and asked, “How did you get inside, Senior Brother Yang? Those City Lord’s Mansion people should still be outside.”
Yang Kai grinned as he replied, “Those trash couldn’t stop me even if they wanted to.” After a pause, he frowned, “Elder Gao left here a month and a half ago, saying that she wanted to work with others to crack open the secrets of the animal skin. But seven days ago, this place was surrounded by the people of City Lord’s Mansion for no reason…”
Lu Wen explained anxiously, “Junior Sister suspects that Elder Gao might be in danger. The reason Azure Sun Pavilion was surrounded was because they didn’t want me to pass on any news out of here; after all, Elder Gao did not hide her whereabouts when she was in Azure Sun Pavilion. It’s easy to find out that she was related to this place.”
Yang Kai nodded in acknowledgement, “You’re right, if that’s the case… this must have something to do with Earth City itself.”
Lu Wen expressed sadly, “Junior Sister really had no choice but to use her own token to send out a message in the faint hope that it would reach someone. I really didn’t expect Senior Brother Yang to come.”
“I just happened to pass by while I was out on my own business.”
If Yang Kai did not pass by here by chance, Lu Wen probably would not be able to reach any of her fellow disciples; after all, this was the Eastern Territory, far away from Azure Sun Temple’s headquarters, and the disciples and Elders would not travel so far away from the temple for no reason.
Although Gao Xue Ting was always cold and aloof, she had taken very good care of Yang Kai and had personally given Yang Kai the Azure Sun Golden Token. She also took in Yang Kai as a disciple and gave him some pointers in cultivation.
Yang Kai certainly would not stand idly by when there was a possibility that Gao Xue Ting was in trouble.
Of course, everything was only speculation at this point, and it may just be a big misunderstanding, but it seemed a little evident since the City Lord’s Mansion had surrounded Azure Sun Pavilion. If it was not related to Gao Xue Ting, why would they need to surround this unimportant shop for no reason?
“From what Junior Sister Lu says, the City Lord’s Mansion must be greatly related to this matter,” Yang Kai pondered for a moment, sorting out his thoughts.
Lu Wen agreed, “Junior Sister thinks so too. Elder Gao had said that she would need to work together with others to crack the secret of the animal skin, and City Lord Zu Hong is the only First-Order Emperor Realm Master in Earth City, so he would be the best choice for Elder Gao to work together with.”
“Oh?” Yang Kai raised his eyebrows and grinned, “Since there is a suspect, it makes everything much easier.”
“Senior Brother Yang, what are you going to do?” Lu Wen looked at his impish smile, feeling uneasy.
“What else can I do? I will have to go to him and get answers.” Yang Kai snorted softly.
Lu Wen was shocked, “Senior Brother must not be impulsive! Zu Hong is a First-Order Emperor Realm Master who broke through more than forty years ago and is extremely powerful. He also has an Emperor Artifact. Junior Sister knows that Senior Brother is an elite disciple of the Temple, but against an Emperor Realm Master…”
She stopped speaking, but it was obvious what she was implying.
She thought Zu Hong was out of Yang Kai’s league.
Yang Kai smiled slightly, “Junior Sister Lu, don’t worry, a trivial Zu Hong is nothing to your Senior Brother.” Here, he paused and turned to Zhang Ruo Xi, “Take Junior Sister Lu out of Earth City from the back door and wait for me outside the city. Since this has happened, Junior Sister Lu doesn’t have to stay here any longer and should return to the Temple.”
“Yes, Sir!” Zhang Ruo Xi received the order solemnly.
Yang Kai then disappeared with a flicker.
“This…” Lu Wen was startled and anxious. She had clearly told this Senior Brother Yang that Zu Hong was an Emperor Realm Master, but why was he still so passionate and impulsive?
Zhang Ruo Xi smiled slightly in assurance, “Don’t worry about my Sir, Elder Sister. Zu Hong is really nothing to him.”
“Sir?” Lu Wen looked at Zhang Ruo Xi in amazement, “Sister is not a Temple disciple?”
Zhang Ruo Xi shook her head, “I’m only a member of a small family. I could only have such achievements today thanks to Sir’s compassion to keep me by his side and teach me how to cultivate.”
“Ah!” Lu Wen was flabbergasted.
As a Second-Order Dao Source Realm cultivator, Lu Wen could perceive that Zhang Ruo Xi’s cultivation was higher than hers and was stronger than her by a fair margin, which meant that Zhang Ruo Xi was a Third-Order Dao Source Realm. [Such a Master was trained by Senior Brother Yang? She is just as strong as the elite disciples of top Sects.]
“What… What cultivation does Senior Brother Yang possess?” Lu Wen inquired curiously.
Zhang Ruo Xi smiled as pride welled up in her and answered lightly, “Sir is already an Emperor Realm Master.”
Lu Wen was completely stunned for a moment before brightness gradually lit up her eyes, and her helplessness and anxiety were swept away.
…..
In a teahouse outside of Azure Sun Pavilion, Sir Jia watched the entrance of Azure Sun Pavilion like a falcon observing its prey, unconsciously taking sips from the teacup in his hand.
He did not recognize the man and woman who entered Azure Sun Pavilion earlier; his subordinates went down to investigate, but returned empty-handed. It seemed that they had only entered the city today. Sir Jia could not help increasing his vigilance, for fear that the pair was really related to what the City Lord ordered.
Sir Jia did not dare to let slip any details, and was completely focused on Azure Sun Pavilion.
Suddenly, his heart rate spiked as an extremely uneasy feeling rose in his chest, like danger was approaching.
Before Sir Jia could react though, he noticed a stranger appearing from the corner of his eye.
He quickly turned his head reactively, and his eyes widened as he saw the young man from before sitting on the chair opposite him, a smile fixed on his face.
*Pu…*
Senior Jia spat the mouthful of tea right towards Yang Kai.
Yang Kai waved his hand casually, and the splash of tea turned around and doused Sir Jia’s face.
He stood up and wiped his horrified face clumsily, and stared at Yang Kai vigilantly.
He did not understand how this young man appeared in front of him, even with his level of cultivation. It was obvious from this display that this young man in front of him could have killed him just now without him even noticing.
At this moment, Sir Jia broke out in a cold sweat.
“Sit!” Yang Kai smiled at him coldly. Sir Jia shuddered at this cold glare and stared at the young man as though he was a poisonous snake.
Sir Jia hesitated for a while, before he grit his teeth and sat again with a painful expression, as if he was sitting on countless needles.
“How should I address you?” Yang Kai asked.
“Jia Si!”
“En, a fortunate meeting!” Yang Kai greeted him insincerely, his eyes flashing a dangerous light, “Sir Jia should know the reason why this Young Master is here, yes?”
Wiping off the cold sweat from his forehead, Jia Si smiled forcefully, “Young Master must be joking, this Jia is just here to enjoy tea and relax, and I don’t know why Young Master…”
He stopped mid-sentence as his eyes fixed on a palm-sized shield-type artifact in Yang Kai’s hand, whispering, “This shield…”
Jia Si’s had exceptional eyesight, and could immediately identify that the shield in Yang Kai’s hand was not some common treasure. It seemed to be a Dao Source Grade High-Rank artifact, and a defensive artifact at that, making it extremely valuable.
Even though he had a Third-Order Dao Source Realm cultivation, Jia Si could not help his breathing from becoming a big ragged.
*Kacha…*
Yang Kai stretched out his hand and clenched his fist, and like a rock that had been corroded and worn by wind and rain for thousands of years, the shield artifact was pulverized into dust which then slipped from his fingertips and scattered all over the ground.
“What shield?” Yang Kai looked at him coldly, “We were talking about something else, why did you suddenly talk about a shield?”
Jia Si’s sweat poured down his forehead like droplets of rain. Trembling all over, he replied nervously, “Nothing, nothing.”
Yang Kai snorted, “Sir Jia seems to be a smart person, so you shouldn’t be difficult to ‘reason’ with. This Young Master would like to ask for Sir Jia’s help to answer some questions.”
Jia Si responded hurriedly, “Ask away, Young Master, although this Jia is not talented, he has lived here for a long time and has many connections in Earth City.”
“Very good!” Yang Kai nodded with satisfaction before his eyes sharpened and his voice turned cold, “Who gave you the order to blockade Azure Sun Pavilion?”
Jia Si divulged reluctantly, “It… was Sir City Lord!”
“Why did Zu Hong ask you to do this?”
Jia Si replied, “Sir City Lord just ordered us to arrest anyone suspicious who tried to enter or exit Azure Sun Pavilion. That they must not be allowed to leave Earth City.”
Yang Kai raised his brow and snorted, “How domineering your City Lord is.”
Jia Si was horrified as he hurriedly tried to explain, “This Jia is only acting on orders, Young Master. Please be calm.”
Yang Kai demanded, “Then do you know which great force this Azure Sun Pavilion belongs to?”
“I didn’t know before. This Jia only just recently found out that this is a shop opened and operated by a disciple from Azure Sun Temple in the Southern Territory. This discovery was only made after the City Lord asked me to investigate the details of Azure Sun Pavilion a few days ago.” Jia Si explained.
“The information is quite complete, how impressive of Sir Jia,” Yang Kai sneered sarcastically.
Jia Si shivered and scrunched up his face as he pleaded, “I was just acting on orders…”
Yang Kai interrupted him, “Have you seen this woman in the City Lord’s Mansion?”
While speaking, Yang Kai raised his hand and pushed his Emperor Qi to create an image of Gao Xue Ting in front of Jia Si.
Jia Si glanced at this picture before shaking his head blankly, “I have never seen this woman, but I heard from my subordinates that an unfamiliar woman who matches this image often came and went from Azure Sun Pavilion. This Jia had only found out about Azure Sun Pavilion by investigating clues about her.”
Yang Kai frowned, “You’ve never seen her personally?”
According to his and Lu Wen’s deduction, Gao Xue Ting should have gone to Zu Hong to work together to crack the secret on the animal skin. Logically speaking, she should have been in and out of the City Lord’s Mansion a few times. Since Jia Si was Zu Hong’s confidant, it did not make sense that the two of them had never met.
But Jia Si did not look like he was lying.
[Could it be that Gao Xue Ting did not go to Zu Hong? Then, who did she want to join forces with?]
[Is the City Lord’s Mansion involved with this matter or not? If it weren’t for Gao Xue Ting, why would they be surrounding Azure Sun Pavilion?]
Yang Kai was now thoroughly confused.
Jia Si carefully observed Yang Kai’s reaction and suddenly thought of something, gulping as he proposed, “Young Master, there is one thing that this Jia might know. I wonder if I could speak about it?”
“Don’t waste my time if it’s nonsense!” Yang Kai stared at him coldly.
Jia Si nodded and continued, “One and a half months ago, Elder Ju Tian Qing visited Sir City Lord, then Sir City Lord left Earth City the next day.”
“Ju Tian Qing?” Yang Kai raised his eyebrows, “Who is he?”
Jia Si replied, “He is one of the Emperor Realm Elders of Brahma Holy Land. He has a close relationship with the City Lord.”
“Brahma Holy Land?” Yang Kai was surprised.
Yang Kai was well aware of Brahma Holy Land as it was one of the top Sects in the Eastern Territory. In terms of status, it was similar in position to Azure Sun Temple in the Southern Territory.
The two Holy Sons, Zhang Xian and Zhang Hao, who Yang Kai met in the Shattered Star Sea, were from Brahma Holy Land, and their aptitude in cultivation was indeed extraordinary. If it were not for their bad luck of encountering Yang Kai, perhaps they would have already broken through to the Emperor Realm in the Shattered Star Sea.
Ju Tian Qing was one of the ten Emperor Realm Elders of Brahma Holy Land. This Sect lived up to the prestige of being one of the top Sects in this territory as its overall strength was above Azure Sun Temple.
“What specific cultivation does Ju Tian Qing have?” Yang Kai vaguely had a hunch that this Ju Tian Qing had something to do with the matter of Gao Xue Ting.
“He is a First-Order Emperor,” Since Jia Si had already disclosed so much, there was no point trying to hide any information anymore. He just revealed everything he knew and was hoping to leave here as soon as possible. Judging from Yang Kai’s previous ability to crush a Dao Source Grade High-Rank shield with his bare hands, Jia Si knew that Yang Kai could kill him with a flick of his finger.
Jia Si did not think that his physique was tougher than that shield.
Yang Kai nodded, and raised his index finger, “One last question, do you know where Ju Tian Qing or Zu Hong are now?”
Jia Si wiped the cold sweat on his forehead and answered anxiously, “I don’t know anything about that!”
The chill in Yang Kai’s eyes turned horrifying.
Jia Si’s face paled in fright as he cried out dismally, “I really don’t know about it, Sir City Lord didn’t tell me anything before he left.” After a pause, he continued, “If Young Master really wants to know, this humble one can try to find out for you…”
“Find out for me?” Yang Kai snorted heavily, “How are you going to find out for me? Didn’t you just say that Zu Hong told you nothing when he left?”
“This humble one could try to probe the City Lord’s son or Madam City Lord, perhaps they might know something. If not, this humble one could still send a messenger to the disciples of Elder Ju. In all honesty, this humble one has a decent relationship with some of those disciples, and they might know where Elder Ju is.”
“How long do you need?” Yang Kai asked, his expression icy.
“Four hours… No, no, two hours is enough.”
Yang Kai instantly beamed, “Then I shall trouble you, Sir Jia. Go and come back quickly, I’ll wait for you here.”
Jia Si got up immediately and rushed outside without turning back, as if he was being chased.
However, after his first step, Yang Kai casually tapped his shoulder.
Jia Si’s face changed drastically and was petrified. He looked at Yang Kai, and only felt that that part of his body was burning with unbearable pain.
“Don’t be anxious. This is just a small Secret Technique of this Young Master. It won’t cause you any harm in the short term…” Yang Kai put on a harmless smile.
“And in the long term…” Jia Si’s voice trembled.
“If the mark left behind by the Secret Technique is not removed by this Young Master’s unique method within twenty-four hours, your bones will be separated, your meridians will be broken, and you will beg for death!” Yang Kai’s words sent chills down Jia Si’s spine, as if a cold wind blew from the depths of purgatory to surround him.
Jia Si’s face was as pale as a ghost’s, but he dared not to resist as Yang Kai showed him just how powerful an opponent he was. After being stunned for a moment, Jia Si flickered and flew off as swiftly as the wind.
Yang Kai summoned the waiter of the teahouse and asked him to serve a new pot of tea, so he could spend some time in leisure.
Jia Si returned in just about a stick of incense worth of time.
“So fast?” Yang Kai stared at him in amazement, praising him, “Sir Jia is quite exceptional. Given your performance in intelligence work, you must be the right-hand man of the City Lord.”
Jia Si smiled obsequiously, “It was just a coincidence. Sir City Lord left a message to Madam City Lord before his departure, so it was easy for me to obtain some information.”
“I can’t believe you can obtain the information from Madam City Lord personally. Tsk tsk, perhaps Sir City Lord wears a green hat?” Yang Kai looked at him with a knowing grin.
Jia Si hurriedly explained in terror, “Young Master, please don’t joke like this. It’s not what you think. This Jia just inquired about the information from a maidservant of Madam City Lord.”
“Alright,” Yang Kai replied lazily, and pressed on with a solemn face, “Tell me what I want to know.”
Jia Si reported, “Sir City Lord mentioned he would be going to the Dragon Bone Wilderness, but I’m not sure about his exact location.”
“Dragon Bone Wilderness!” A cold brilliance flashed across Yang Kai’s eyes.
Jia Si continued, “This Jia could only find out this much, it is impossible to obtain any more information. Young Master, can you…”
Yang Kai nodded and stood up, patting his shoulder casually as he said, “Understood. Goodbye.”
When the words fell, Yang Kai’s figure blurred and instantly disappeared.
Jia Si’s face changed drastically as he hurriedly asked, “What about the mark?”
However, there was not a trace of Yang Kai anymore. Jia Si began panicking like a cat jumping on hot bricks, secretly cursing Yang Kai for not keeping his promise.
But soon, he realized something was different. The burning sensation was gone. He examined himself with his Divine Sense and found that there was nothing abnormal about him anymore.
Only then did he realize that Yang Kai had probably removed the mark when he patted his shoulder.
Jia Si could not help shuddering in joy before he secretly rushed to the city gate, preparing to leave Earth City.
He revealed so much information to Yang Kai today, so no matter what the outcome was, he could no longer stay in Earth City. If the City Lord returned safe and sound, he would surely find out he had sold him out, and the punishment for the crime of leaking information would be unbearable.
Even if the City Lord never returned, he was afraid that Yang Kai would come back for him. For the sake of his own safety, it was better for him to run as far as he could. It would be best if he could escape the Eastern Territory and hide in one of the other three.
……
It did not take Yang Kai too much effort to find Zhang Ruo Xi and Lu Wen outside the city. After embarking on his boat, Yang Kai queried Lu Wen, “Where is the Dragon Bone Wilderness?”
Lu Wen pointed in a certain direction, “That way. It will take about two days to travel there.” After a pause, she asked in shock, “Is Elder Gao in the Dragon Bone Wilderness?”
“Most likely,” Yang Kai replied in a deep voice, “But her exact location is not clear. Is it a big region?”
“Big, very big!” Lu Wen nodded, “It is rumoured to have been an ancient battlefield. Many fell there and it is a place filled with Yin Qi. Many cultivators like to explore it and sometimes they find some ancient treasures if their luck is good, especially in the central region where it is possible to make a great fortune. The central region also has Yin Qi as dense as fog though, so not even ordinary Emperor Realm Masters easily approach it. Rumours say that the corpse of a True Dragon lies somewhere in the central region, hence it is called the Dragon Bone Wilderness.”
“Oh?” Yang Kai raised his eyebrows and grinned, “Then let’s go to the central region to take a look.”
The speed of the boat was superb. It was a Dao Source Grade High-Rank flight artifact. With the complement of Yang Kai Space Techniques, the boat flew across hundreds of kilometres in the blink of an eye, seemingly skipping along space.
In the beginning, Lu Wen did not notice this anomaly, but after she settled down, she quickly realized that the speed of the boat was unusually fast. She was amazed when she saw this and felt more confident about Yang Kai.
After half a day, Yang Kai had arrived at the Dragon Bone Wilderness. Below was a piece of lifeless, desolate land. There was a strange scene where Yin Qi was spinning like a whirlwind about a few kilometres away, and as if sensing the aura of the living nearby, it gathered together in a cluster.
This was just the periphery of the Dragon Bone Wilderness, where the Yin Qi was so weak that it diminished before even getting close to Yang Kai and his group.
Ignoring the mass of Yin Qi, Yang Kai spread out his Divine Sense like a vast ocean before he ventured deeper, examining every inch of this place.
He did not know if Gao Xue Ting was in the Dragon Bone wilderness, but he could only try his luck as it was the only clue he had now.
Half a day later, Yang Kai reached the central region of the Dragon Bone Wilderness.
Along the way, Yang Kai found that the Dragon Bone Wilderness was an exceptional place for cultivators to train and temper themselves. This would no doubt be an excellent training ground for him if he were still a Dao Source Realm cultivator; however, he had already broken through to the Emperor Realm, so there was no point for him to cultivate here.
All of a sudden, Yang Kai looked intently in a certain direction as if he had discovered something.
He sensed several powerful cultivators guarding a certain region, seemingly warning travellers not to enter this place. On top of that, Yang Kai noticed some odd energy fluctuations coming from that place.
Yang Kai could not help feeling suspicious about this and changed the direction in which he was flying.
“Who goes there?” Someone yelled before Yang Kai approached.
“Stop! Do not come any closer, otherwise don’t blame me for being impolite to you!” Another person threatened him.
Yang Kai ignored them and charged straight forward.
“Impudence!”
“Courting death!”
After a few roars, flashes of lights from Secret Techniques and various violent forces launched towards the boat.
Lu Wen’s face turned pale in fright and she almost fell over after losing her balance.
Zhang Ruo Xi, on the other hand, stood behind Yang Kai steadily, turning a blind eye to the attacks.
*Hong Hong Hong… *
Several explosions were heard, but the impacts were not as the attackers had expected. On the contrary, they, who stood at the opposite side, screamed as if they had been attacked. They started to groan in pain, and a few of them even collapsed on the ground directly.
Lu Wen’s eyes widened with shock as she had not even seen exactly what Yang Kai had done.
The blood drained from the faces of the cultivators who attacked Yang Kai. All of them were not weak; otherwise, they would never be able to go this deep into the Dragon Bone Wilderness, but they were one-sidedly defeated even after they attacked first.
[Where did this Master come from?!]
All of them stared at the wooden boat with wide eyes and horror.
“You are… Yang Kai!?”
After having a good look, it was a short and chubby man who recognized Yang Kai and immediately yelled in surprise.
As if they had seen a ghost in broad daylight, the others stared at Yang Kai in astonishment.
“Hm?” Yang Kai was stunned. Retracting his gaze from the anomaly in that strange space, he glanced down frowning, “Do I know you?”
The cultivators below look extremely unfamiliar to him. He was sure that he had never met them, so how did they know him? Although he was now an Emperor Realm Master, he was not so arrogant as to think his name and face had spread all throughout the Eastern Territory.
The pudgy cultivator knew that he had made a mistake and hurriedly shut his mouth, refusing to say another word, but when he met Yang Kai’s eyes, it was burning with hatred and anger, as if he had a great grudge against him.
“Senior Brother Yang, these people are the Legacy Disciples of Ju Tian Qing from Brahma Holy Land!” Lu Wen suddenly whispered behind Yang Kai.
Her main purpose in the Eastern Territory was to gather all kinds of information, so she was familiar with the origins of these people, and was quickly able to identify them with just a glance.
Yang Kai’s eyes flashed, and nodded, “Ju Tian Qing’s Legacy Disciples, good, very good!”
If his Legacy Disciples were here, it meant that Ju Tian Qing should also be nearby. According to the information disclosed by Jia Si, Ju Tian Qing was very likely to be with Zu Hong.
Excitement rose in Yang Kai’s heart as he would probably be able to find Gao Xue Ting after finding those two people.
A sudden realization struck him in the next moment, causing Yang Kai to grin and ask, “Did Yin Le Sheng tell you about me?”
Although Yin Le Sheng suffered a huge loss in the Shattered Star Sea at Yang Kai’s hands, he did not die. He made a deal and signed the Soul Contract with Yang Kai at the cost of revealing information about Xiao Xiao in exchange for Yang Kai bringing him out of the Void Crack.
With the Soul Contract, Yang Kai could not kill Yin Le Sheng even if he had the intention to, and could only watch him leave.
Yang Kai had only met a few Eastern Territory Masters in the Shattered Star Sea.
Yao Si, Chi Gui, and the others were not bored enough to spread his identity around, so only Yin Le Sheng would do such a thing.
He probably guessed that Yang Kai would come to Eastern Territory to look for Xiao Xiao, and informed the people of Brahma Holy Land in advance, which explained why he was recognized by these cultivators.
[That bastard is truly despicable, trying to murder me with a borrowed knife!]
Yin Le Sheng would have no idea that Yang Kai had already broken through to the Emperor Realm.
The pudgy cultivator did not deny Yang Kai’s statement, simply gritting his teeth and snorting, “Good, it was Senior Brother Yin from Netherworld Sect who told me about you.”
“What else did he say?” Yang Kai asked with a snicker.
The pudgy cultivator bellowed in a low voice, “He said that Zhang Hao and Zhang Xian, the two Holy Sons, died tragically at your hand!”
Yang Kai nodded, “En, it seems that you people from Brahma Holy Land have been searching for my whereabouts.”
The pudgy cultivator snorted, “The two Holy Sons were my Brahma Holy Land’s hope for the future, and they were killed by you! Do you think the Holy Land would let this slide? If you are smart, follow us back to the Holy Land to meet with our Elders and Holy Master, and maybe your punishment will be lighter, refuse, and Brahma Holy Land will chase you to the ends of the world, no matter where you hide, you will not be able to escape death.”
Yang Kai was indifferent, “You don’t have the skills to talk about my death, but it is up to this Master if you are going to die here.”
The faces of the pudgy cultivator and his companions changed drastically, immediately staring at Yang Kai vigilantly.
Yang Kai’s gaze swept across them before turning back to a certain point in the sky behind them and asking bluntly, “Is Ju Tian Qing in there?”
The pudgy cultivator was shocked and stuttered, “What are you talking about…”
There was a look of panic on his face, obviously trying hard to hide something.
With a cold snort, Yang Kai took a step forward and reappeared directly above their heads, both of his hands rapidly forming a set of hand seals while he manipulated the Space Principles around him.
The pudgy cultivator and the others turned pale all of a sudden, as if a mountain was pressing on top of their heads, each of them finding themselves out of breath and their blood flowing backwards, completely unable to resist Yang Kai.
“Emperor Realm!”
Only now did these people realize Yang Kai was already an Emperor Realm Master. The pudgy cultivator shuddered when he thought about how he had shamelessly boasted in front of an Emperor, and a chill spread from his head to his toes.
[No wonder this Yang Kai could so easily resolve our joint attack just now. It turns out that this bastard has already broken through to the Emperor Realm! The gap in strength is huge, we’re not his opponent!]
[But why… Why is a newly promoted Emperor Realm Master this powerful?] The pudgy cultivator did not even feel such a powerful aura from his Honoured Master, Ju Tian Qing.
Was this boy stronger than his Honoured Master? But how was that possible? His Honoured Master had been an Emperor Realm Master for centuries and had a completely consolidated foundation! How could a cultivator who just broke through be comparable to him?
Just what was happening?
Just as the pudgy cultivator was lost in confusion, a wave of ripples suddenly appeared somewhere in the sky, caused by Yang Kai’s manipulation of the local Space Principles.
As the ripples spread, a dark corridor suddenly appeared. The pitch-black corridor was seemingly endless, and in front of the entrance of the corridor was a very primitive animal skin, exuding a peculiar power. It seemed that the existence of this animal skin was the key to opening this Void Corridor.
“That’s…” Lu Wen’s beautiful eyes lit up as she pointed at the animal skin, “That’s the animal skin I found!”
Yang Kai raised his brow as he confirmed that he was at the right place.
It was just that he did not expect a Small Sealed World to be hidden here, and the way to open it was with this animal skin.
“No, this animal skin is bigger than the one I found, about twice the size…” Lu Wen suddenly frowned.
Yang Kai replied lightly, “Because the one you found was only one half, and the other half is here. It’s now obvious why Elder Gao needed someone to solve this problem, because she realized that the animal skin was incomplete. She probably wanted to find the owner of the other half.”
Yang Kai’s eyes flashed as he turned to stare at the pudgy cultivator below, “Answer me, did the other half of this animal skin belong to your Master?”
It was a simple question, but it was laced with Yang Kai’s Spiritual Energy.
Yang Kai had benefited a lot from the Soul battle between the two Great Emperors in his Knowledge Sea, and was now far more proficient in the usage of his Soul. Supplemented with his already powerful Spiritual Energy, forcing information out from a Dao Source Realm cultivator was as simple as breathing.
Sure enough, even though a hint of resistance flitted across his face, the pudgy cultivator was unable to resist the coercion from Yang Kai’s Soul and soon replied mechanically, “Yes.”
Yang Kai narrowed his eyes, “Was there a woman who came to your Master for help more than a month ago?”
“Yes!”
“What is your Master planning?”
“Honoured Master went to Earth City’s City Lord, Zu Hong, whom he had a good relationship with, to join forces and defeat that woman to take all the secrets stored in here.”
Yang Kai was furious upon hearing this and a murderous aura so cold that it seemed a winter blizzard had descended surged out of him. Snorting heavily, he shouted, “What is the difference between working with that woman and working with Zu Hong? Why not just split the secrets of this place equally? Why did Ju Tian Qing need to make such a fuss, at the cost of offending another Master of the same level?”
The pudgy cultivator answered honestly, “Honoured Master said… that woman still retained her Primordial Yin, and she was very strong, so if he could capture her and refine her Primordial Yin, he could break through to the Second-Order Emperor Realm. It is not easy to find a woman with a First-Order Emperor Realm cultivation, especially one with her Primordial Yin intact. Compared with the secrets here, Honoured Master was more interested in her.”
“How dare he!” Yang Kai roared loudly, his face looking extremely terrifying.
The pudgy cultivator spewed out a mouthful of blood when he was released from the Soul pressure and fell into a state of total shock upon realizing that he seemed to have revealed some incredible information.
The other cultivators looked aggrieved as well, but due to their inferior strength, they did not even dare to say a word.
“Sir, it should not be too late, you should go in now,” Zhang Ruo Xi urged worriedly. Malevolent aura churned inside her as she glared at Ju Tian Qing’s disciples with her beautiful eyes, and her tone became cold as she assured him, “Leave them to me.”
Yang Kai nodded and seethed, “Kill them all.”
Zhang Ruo Xi shouted in a low voice, “Yes!”
Including the pudgy cultivator, there were five cultivators here, but only two of them were Third-Order Dao Source Realms. The pudgy cultivator, whose Soul had been heavily injured by Yang Kai just now, was one of those two and, as a result, he would probably not be able to use even half of his strength. Among the other three, two of them were Second-Order Dao Source Realms while the last was just First-Order.
Based on Zhang Ruo Xi’s previous performance in Purple Mountain City’s arena, it would take some effort for her to defeat them, but it should not be a problem.
What’s more, Zhang Ruo Xi was wearing a defensive Emperor Artifact, the Pink Clouds Phoenix Robe, so Yang Kai had no worries about her safety.
This little girl still had a lot of potential for growth, and a life and death battle was the best whetstone for the current her.
Therefore, there was no need for Yang Kai to bother with others weaker than him as he could leave them to Zhang Ruo Xi to deal with, saving him time and allowing her to grow.
After giving orders, Yang Kai stepped out and came directly to the front of the surging Void Corridor. He stretched out his hand to press the animal skin lightly, and with the surge of Space Principles, his hand vanished, followed by the rest of his body into the darkness.
This Void Corridor was currently concealed and sealed, so others may not have been able to enter it, but thanks to Yang Kai’s proficiency in the Dao of Space, entering was as simple as pushing a door for him.
The misty Small World was filled with a rich and dense World Energy that seemed to be milky in colour. At a glance, the whole space seemed to be filled with fluffy cotton.
The entire Small World was only about a dozen kilometres wide and seemed more man-made than natural.
It was most likely crafted by an ancient and powerful Master.
Various rich medicinal fragrances permeated the air.
The ground with a radius of more than a dozen kilometres was split into dozens of square plots of land. Most of these plots were empty, but had fertile soil. It seemed that someone had just recently collected all the herbs here as there were still traces of it being dug up.
This was an unbelievable discovery. Never would anyone have guessed that there would be an ancient medicine garden in this Small Sealed World!
Yang Kai could only imagine the numerous exotic plants planted on these fertile plots, and how many miraculous and precious spirit medicines were accumulated over the years.
Only two squares of the medicine garden were still well preserved, covering an area of two to three square kilometres. In these two squares, there were many kinds of exotic plants well over the age of ten thousand years, growing vigorously. The rich medicine fragrances that filled the air actually came from these two plots.
These two plots were covered with a faint golden light curtain, acting as a kind of protective barrier.
At this moment, Gao Xue Ting was sitting cross-legged at a certain spot in the medicine garden, recovering from her wounds with her eyes closed. Her aura was weak, her face as pale as snow, and her hairpins were dislodged in multiple places, causing her hair to be dishevelled. The Emperor Artifact Radiant Sun Mirror was hovering above her, shrouding her with a soft, gentle light.
There were blood patches on her white snowy dress, a particularly large one still oozing out from a wound on her abdomen.
She seemed to have undergone a huge fight as her Emperor Qi was almost exhausted and her tender body could not help shivering even while she was healing herself.
Although there were countless precious spirit grasses and elixirs here, they could not restore her combat strength in a short time.
Outside the golden light curtain, a man was repeatedly striking the barrier with his glowing blade, the Burning Ocean of Stars Blade. Every blow resulted in an Earth-shaking explosion, causing the light curtain to vibrate unstably, as if it could be broken at any time.
Yang Kai did not know who had created this light curtain that, while seemingly fragile and weak, was in fact exceptionally strong. It still remained intact after being attacked for such a long time by the man with the glowing blade.
The man was shouting like a madman, furious at the light barrier that separated him from Gao Xue Ting.
Suddenly, Gao Xue Ting opened her eyes and she glared coldly at the man who was attacking the barrier, remarking lightly, “Ju Tian Qing, this Queen has known you for hundreds of years, but I didn’t know your true colours until now. You really surprised me.”
Ju Tian Qi fumed, “Slut! This King is going to make plenty of love to you after breaking this barrier!”
Disgust and anger flashed across Gao Xue Ting’s eyes as she bellowed, “Give it up! This Queen will never let you touch a strand of her hair even if she needs to self-destruct.”
Ju Tian Qing snorted coldly, “That will depend on whether you have the opportunity. You are seriously injured now, and it’s dreadfully difficult for you to even move a muscle. Once this barrier is broken, the rest is not up to you to decide.”
Gao Xue Ting retorted, “This Queen is an Azure Sun Temple Elder. If I die here today, you will be chased to death by Azure Sun Temple in the future!”
Ju Tian Qing growled as he sneered, “Azure Sun Temple is truly strong, and this King has great respect for the strength of your Temple Master Wen Zi Shan, but so what? Your Azure Sun Temple can act domineering in the Southern Territory, but this is the Eastern Territory! Even if Temple Master Wen is strong, he can’t make a scene in the Eastern Territory. Haven’t you heard the phrase, ‘even the mighty dragon is no match for the native serpent’? Since this King has plotted this out, he is naturally not afraid of retaliation from your Temple!”
After hearing this, Gao Xue Ting could not help revealing a look of despair. Fortunately, she managed to activate the barrier left behind in the medicine garden by some Ancient Master. Given her current dire condition, she could only hide in the medicine garden; however, she had no idea how long this barrier could last. Once Ju Tian Qing succeeded in breaking through, she would not be able to fight back.
Her plan was that once the barrier was destroyed, she would immediately self-destruct and end her life without letting this vile man contaminate her purity.
A man who had a playful smile on his face and a lazy tone of voice, whose attitude always seemed to anger others, unrestrainedly surfaced in of her beautiful eyes and the fierce gaze of Gao Xue Ting was slowly replaced by a sense of gentleness.
[What does it matter that I was raised by you? I’m not a child! I’ve not been one since I turned eighteen years old!]
[It upsets me that even after I reached the Emperor Realm, I’m still a little girl in your eyes. You have never treated me as a woman.]
[If there is an afterlife, I don’t want to be raised by you again! I want to grow up healthy and stand in front of you again as a woman!]
“Brother Zu, are you done resting? If you are, how about you give me a hand?” Ju Tian Qing was a little anxious seeing that his attacks were in vain after such a long time, so he turned around and stared at another man who was sitting cross-legged not far away, adjusting his breathing, recovering from his injuries.
This man was the City Lord of Earth City, Zu Hong.
The cultivations of these three people were the same, First-Order Emperor Realm. If they really wanted to fight, their strengths would be on par with each other.
The reason Gao Xue Ting suffered such a serious injury was not that she was inferior to Ju Tian Qing, but because she was outnumbered.
Battles between cultivators in the same Realm were always extremely dangerous, yet Gao Xue Ting displayed her great strength by still being able to seriously wound one of them in a one-against-two situation.
Zu Hong’s face was pale, and his aura was fluctuating unstably. An enormous seal stamp engraved with countless beasts was placed beside him. As he breathed, the flesh on his body squirmed, and his wounds were gradually recovering. It seemed he cultivated a very mysterious healing art.
Hearing Ju Tian Qing’s calling, Zu Hong opened his eyes with a frown, “Brother Ju, you didn’t tell me that I would have to deal with an Azure Sun Temple Elder before coming here.”
Ju Tian Qing smiled, “What’s wrong? Are you scared, Brother Zu? It’s true that Azure Sun Temple does have some fame, comparable to my Brahma Holy Land, but… since it is a Sect of the Southern Territory, what is Brother Zu afraid of?”
Zu Hong replied, “Of course Brother Ju is not afraid. Brahma Holy Land has a great number of powerful Masters, but Azure Sun Temple is strong as well. After this, Brother Ju just needs to hide in Brahma Holy Land and Azure Sun Temple can do nothing about you even if they learn of your involvement; however, this Zu is unlike you. I’m just a mere City Lord. If Temple Master Wen Zi Shan really comes to the Eastern Territory, how is this Zu supposed to fight against him? I would just be slaughtered.”
The corner of Ju Tian Qing’s mouth twitched, “Brother Zu, don’t be bothered by unnecessary worries. No one will know about what we did here today. Even if Azure Sun Temple received some news about this, they don’t have enough evidence to prove us guilty. Brother Zu, there is nothing to be afraid of.”
Zu Hong shook his head, “It’s always good to be careful. Brother Ju has a huge backing, allowing you to enjoy a cool shade under a big tree. You don’t understand the difficulties of us Sectless people.”
Ju Tian Qing sneered, “We have already come this far, don’t tell me Brother Zu wants to back out now?”
After a pause, Zu Hong responded, “Of course not; after all, I have already joined hands with you to hurt Elder Gao. I’m afraid I won’t be able to get out of this deal even if I wish to quit.”
“Since you already understand, what are you still hesitating for?” Ju Tian Qing pressed on.
Zu Hong replied, “Previously, Brother Ju told me there were huge opportunities here, and offered to split those benefits evenly with me. This Zu accepted without any hesitations, but right now, it doesn’t seem that you are really going to split the benefits evenly with me!”
Ju Tian Qing was stunned and asked, “Why do you think so? This place is an ancient medicine garden full of countless rare and exotic spirit medicines. After we settle matters with her, we will evenly split these spirit medicines. Don’t you trust the credibility of this Ju?”
Zu Hong answered as he grinned, “Spirit medicines can be split evenly, but how about her Primordial Yin? Brother Ju, how are you going to share it with me?”
After hearing this, Ju Tian Qing could not help putting on a puzzled look, questioning, “How can it possibly be shared?”
Primordial Yin was not an object and definitely could not be shared.
Zu Hong suddenly revealed, “Brother Ju has been stuck at the peak of the First-Order Emperor Realm for many years, and this Zu heard that you have cultivated a Dual Cultivation Technique in recent years. In order to promote your cultivation, you have collected Primordial Yin from many women and even two of your Legacy Disciples. If you really manage to capture Elder Gao today, isn’t Brother Ju going to break through his shackles, and break through to the Second-Order Emperor Realm?”
Ju Tian Qing was somewhat embarrassed after being exposed by Zu Hong, especially when Zu Hong mentioned the things that he had done to his two Legacy Disciples…
This matter should have been a well-guarded secret, so he had no idea how Zu Hong knew about it.
“I think I understand what Brother Zu means,” Ju Tian Qin nodded his head in acknowledgement, snorting lightly with some displeasure. “Brother Zu, just state your terms. We have been friends for a long time, you don’t have to beat around the bush.”
Zu Hong raised his eyebrows and grinned, “Calm down, Brother Ju. This Zu is just speaking the truth. This Zu would do his best to help Brother Ju break through his shackles. It is extremely hard to break through when in the Emperor Realm, and if Brother Ju gets an opportunity to reach the Second-Order Emperor Realm, it would really be a blessing from the Heavens, incomparable to the benefits that these herbs can bring.”
“Get to the point!” Ju Tian Qing was starting to be impatient.
Zu Hong continued with an embarrassed look, “About the spirit medicines here, this Zu wants to split the share in thirty-seventy; you take thirty percent, and I get seventy percent!”
Ju Tian Qing’s face darkened, “Brother Zu, aren’t you being too greedy? Every spirit medicine here has an age of over ten thousand years and many of them are Emperor Grade! I don’t know which Ancient Master owned this place, but there are many spirit medicines here that have long gone extinct. They are unobtainable treasures in the outside world, yet now you are telling me to give a seventy-percent share of them to you? How about you take the thirty-percent including this Elder Gao, while I get seventy-percent?”
Zu Hong smiled, “Why would I want Elder Gao? Although it’s good to have a beautiful lady, she has thorns all over her body; this Zu can’t afford to enjoy her. Besides, everyone wants to gain the most in every deal. Am I not trying to negotiate with Brother Ju now?”
“Forty-sixty, no more than that.” Ju Tian Qing offered with a cold face, “Although this Ju can most likely break through to the Second-Order Emperor Realm after this, there are so many spirit grasses and elixirs here and it’s just a matter of time before Brother Zu breaks through too. You’ll not lose out in this arrangement!”
After pondering for a while, Zu Hong nodded as a trace of determination flashed in his eyes, “Good, we will do as Brother Ju proposed.”
Zu Hong knew that Ju Tian Qing definitely had the advantage in the forty-sixty terms, but Ju Tian Qing was an Elder of Brahma Holy Land after all. Once Ju Tian Qing had broken through, he would grow a lot more powerful. Doing him a favour now meant Zu Hong would be on better terms with him in the future.
Gao Xue Ting could not help trembling in anger as she heard these two bargaining over her like some marketplace commodity; however, she could do nothing even if she was enraged as she did not even have the power to protect herself.
“Forty-sixty? I’m afraid that’s not acceptable.”
A sudden voice interrupted both Zu Hong and Ju Tian Qing, causing them to jump as they turned to look at the source of the sound in horror. Zu Hong, who was in the process of recovering, stood up abruptly and the radiance of the Emperor Artifact Ten Thousand Beast Seal shone lightly beside him, releasing a vicious aura.
This was a Small Sealed World hidden in The Void. If the restriction was not opened by the two halves of the animal skin, no one could enter. They could come in only because the two pieces of animal skin had opened a Void Corridor for them to pass through.
Nevertheless, another visitor had suddenly appeared.
Even Zu Hong and Ju Tian Qing, who were Emperor Realm Masters, could not help feeling a chill running down their spines.
[Is it a ghost?] The two of them murmured in their hearts.
After hearing this voice though, Gao Xue Ting, who had been in despair, shook as her dull eyes beamed with hope again, focusing in the direction of the voice.
A young man appeared about a few dozen meters away from the trio, smiling lightly. No one realized his presence before he spoke, as if he really was a ghost.
“Who are you!?” Zu Hong shouted.
Ju Tian Qing furrowed his brow as he released his Divine Sense to scan Yang Kai, soon figuring out that he was just a First-Order Emperor Realm Master like them, allowing him to slightly relax.
No matter how this person came in, or what his purpose was, as long as his cultivation was the same or below him, Ju Tian Qing was not afraid.
“City Lord Zu, Elder Ju,” Yang Kai cupped his fist and smiled at them, like he knew them for a long time, “Long time no see.”
Zu Hong was flabbergasted, examining Yang Kai seriously once again to confirm he did not know him, soon asking again, “Who are you?”
Yang Kai smiled faintly, “My trivial name is not worth mentioning.”
Zu Hong was steaming in rage, but he knew that there was no use asking again since this person did not want to reveal his name. Calming down, his expression turned serious as he asked, “How did you get in?”
Previously, when Ju Tian Qing and Gao Xue Ting worked together to enter, Ju Tian Qing had quietly left a secret way in for Zu Hong, and that was the reason why he could enter this place; however, he did not understand how Yang Kai could get in here.
[Did he use the secret entrance too?]
[It can’t be. Only Ju Tian Qing and I know how to enter using that method. Others can’t know of it. There are supposed to be a few Legacy Disciples of Ju Tian Qing guarding outside.]
[If this guy can appear here in silence, perhaps the people outside are already dead.]
Considering all this, Zu Hong panicked and he secretly glanced at Ju Tian Qing, only to find that his expression was indifferent, as if he did not care about the safety of his disciples at all.
“Looks like this friend has outstanding ability to be able to find us here. This King is impressed!” Ju Tian Qing stared at Yang Kai coldly. Even though his words said so, his face did not show the slightest bit of admiration. “Friend remarked that there is something wrong with the forty-sixty arrangement, may I know if you have any other brilliant ideas?” He came straight to the point.
Yang Kai replied lazily, “I wouldn’t call it a brilliant idea, it’s just a small proposal from me.”
“I would like to hear about it,” Ju Tian Qing’s face darkened.
“I’ll take everything here, and you two scram back to wherever you come from. What do you think?” Yang Kai beamed at them.
“Impudence!” Zu Hong was maddened. He initially thought that this young man probably just wanted a share of the harvest. If it was just that, Zu Hong would grant his wish for now as it was always not too late to get revenge later. However, he did not expect that this young man would be so greedy, intending to take everything for himself.
Then what was the purpose of him following Ju Tian Qing all the way here, and even offending an Azure Sun Temple Elder? He could never accept this proposal. Everyone was a First-Order Emperor, so he was not afraid of fighting against Yang Kai. Moreover, he had Ju Tian Qing with him, while Yang Kai was alone.
Ju Tian Qing was infuriated too and snorted coldly, “Friend, you sure have a big appetite. You should mind your table manners.”
Yang Kai’s face darkened and a cold brilliance shone in his eyes as he spoke, “Old dog, mind your words. If you offend this Young Master, don’t blame me for disrespecting you elders.”
“Very good!” Ju Tian Qing laughed in anger, “This King really wants to see how capable you are for having the guts to boast so shamelessly.”
“Stop putting up a front,” Yang Kai burst into laughter, and looked at him contemptuously, “Elder Ju, don’t tell me you don’t know this Young Master. Even your disciples were able to recognize this Young Master at a glance, while you, as an Elder of Brahma Holy Land, are still trying to pretend this is the first time you’ve seen my face? Tsk tsk, what are you plotting?”
“Huh? Brother Ju, do you know this little brat?” Zu Hong looked at Ju Tian Qing in surprise.
Ju Tian Qing’s face turned ugly after being exposed by Yang Kai, and he replied in a deep voice, “I do. This little brat is named Yang Kai, and he is the murderer of Zhang Hao and Zhang Xian in the Shattered Star Sea. He is an enemy of my Brahma Holy Land. It is impossible for us to coexist beneath the same sky!”
“What? Both Zhang Hao and Zhang Xian Holy Sons died at his hand?” Zu Hong was appalled.
Besides the news about the closing of the Shattered Star Sea for no reason, Zu Hong was also informed that Brahma Holy Land had suffered a huge loss this time. The death of two Holy Sons alone was enough to damage the foundation of Brahma Holy Land as they were both talented rising stars who could only be found once in a hundred years. Both of these Holy Songs were highly valued by the Elders of Brahman Holy Land and were considered its future pillars.
No one could have guessed their trip to the Shattered Star Sea would be their last.
Only at this moment did Zhu Hong learn that the two Holy Sons died at Yang Kai’s hands.
But soon, realization dawned on Zu Hong, and he questioned with a puzzled look, “Since this little brat just came out of the Shattered Star Sea, doesn’t that mean that he has just broken through to the Emperor Realm?”
“Yes, that should be the case,” Ju Tian Qing nodded lightly.
Zu Hong snorted as he turned a disdainful look towards Yang Kai, “Little brat, your courage is admirable. How dare you bark in front of this City Lord and Elder Ju when you only just reached the Emperor Realm? I pity… your limited intelligence.”
One should be focused on consolidating their foundation after breaking through to a new Great Realm, as, if it was unstable, there was a risk of one’s cultivation regressing. Zu Hong wondered why Yang Kai was still running around at this time instead of solidifying his new Emperor Realm cultivation in retreat and questioned how his Sect Elders had been teaching him.
In an instant, Yang Kai turned into an arrogant and ignorant kid in Zu Hong’s eyes, and he replaced his bewildered face with one of contempt.
Yang Kai turned a deaf ear to his words and looked at Elder Ju as he continued, “Elder Ju, I want to clarify something with you.”
“What?” Ju Tian Qing’s face was cold.
Yang Kai continued with a smile, “I don’t mind if you say that Zhang Hao died in my hands, because I really killed him, but Zhang Xian’s death is none of my business. Besides… before Zhang Xian died, he was the one who begged me to kill Zhang Hao to avenge him. Ahhh seriously, I don’t know what kind of conflict there was between your Sect’s two Holy Sons that they would wish earnestly for each other’s deaths even as they died. You know, I’m a soft-hearted person, so I felt obliged to fulfil the last wishes of those whom I meet, so I killed Zhang Hao for Zhang Xian in order to allow him to die in peace.”
“Utter nonsense!” Ju Tian Qing was furious, “Zhang Hao and Zhang Xian were very close to each other. Although they are not direct brothers, their bonds were even stronger than that. Zhang Xian would never let you kill Zhang Hao!”
Yang Kai snorted coldly, “It’s up to you to believe it or not.”
Ju Tian Qing took a deep breath to calm down his anger before pressing on in a cold voice, “Since you have entered here, this King’s useless disciples outside…”
“I don’t know. Probably dead.” Yang Kai grinned.
He was confident in Zhang Ruo Xi’s strength. Even if she could not win against them, she would still not be hurt with the Pink Clouds Phoenix Robe that she possessed, and if the terrifying power hidden in her bloodline was forced out, the few disciples of Ju Tian Qing would be in trouble.
In short, the disciples of Ju Tian Qing were heading for a disaster.
“Good! The two Holy Sons died at your hands, and this King’s disciples died at your hands too. Now that you have brought yourself here, then don’t you think about leaving alive!”
Ju Tian Qing was infuriated and his whole body exuded a rich murderous intent. As soon as he pushed his Emperor Qi, a dense Emperor Intent burst out like an explosion, causing the World Principles in this Small Sealed World to shake. He slightly shook the blade in his hand and slashed towards Yang Kai.
Witnessing such a hot exchange of words between Yang Kai and Ju Tian Qing, Zu Hong knew that it was inevitable to have a battle, but with both him and Ju Tian Qing cooperating, he did not put Yang Kai in his eyes at all.
Furthermore, why should he be afraid of a young man who has just broken through to the Emperor Realm?
During this recent period, many rising stars had gained opportunities in the Shattered Star Sea and broken through their shackles to become Emperor Realm Masters.
But how could these newly promoted Emperors compare with veteran Masters like him? Maybe they would stand a chance if they cultivated for another thirty to fifty years.
Pushing his Emperor Qi madly, roars came out of Zu Hong’s Ten Thousand Beasts Seal, causing the Small Sealed World to shake. Then, the Ten Thousand Beasts Seal released several beams of light, which turned into different Monster Beasts in mid-air.
All those Monster Beasts had a dense aura, and they were at least in the early stage of the Eleventh-Order.
With Zu Hong’s overflowing Emperor Qi, these Monster Beasts charged out endlessly from the Ten Thousand Beasts Seal and stampeded towards Yang Kai.
The Ten Thousand Beasts Seal was a special artifact that could seal the Souls of fallen Monster Beasts and release them to fight against the enemy. The sealed Monster Beast Souls retained most of their abilities from their past lives, and the more Souls sealed into the Ten Thousand Beast Seal, the more powerful it became.
Ever since Zu Hong broke through to the Emperor Realm, he had been hunting Monster Beasts all over the Eastern Territory. There were eight hundred to a thousand Monster Beast Souls sealed inside the Ten Thousand Beasts Seal now, most of which were Eleventh-Order, while some were even Twelfth-Order.
But even this was far from the limits of the Ten Thousand Beasts Seal as, like its name implied, it could seal ten thousand Monster Beast Souls.
If he really put forth all his might, ordinary First-Order Emperor Realm Masters were no match for him.
And it was exactly with the help of the Ten Thousand Beasts Seal that Zu Hong could control Earth City and become its City Lord.
However, he was currently injured, and although he had been recuperating and recovering for some time now, he had not been restored to his peak, so he could not unleash the full power of the Ten Thousand Beasts Seal and was only able to summon some Eleventh-Order Monster Beast Souls.
But this was enough. As long as Yang Kai’s actions could be restrained for a moment, that would be enough to create an opportunity for Ju Tian Qing to show him the consequences of offending the veteran Masters.
Previously he also used the same tactic when he joined hands with Ju Tian Qing to deal with Gao Xue Ting, so doing the same thing again would be a breeze.
*Hong hong hong…*
The endless army of Monster Beasts bared their fangs and roared at Yang Kai. There were all kinds of Monster Beasts; some were flying in the sky, while some were running on the ground, and all of them were gathered into a formidable army.
Yang Kai’s eyes lit seeing how remarkable an artifact the Ten Thousand Beasts Seal was.
Although this Monster Beast army was fierce, Yang Kai did not feel the slightest bit of fear, and with a wave of his hand, the Myriads Sword appeared. Swinging the sword, a beam of light slashed towards the army of Monster Beasts.
“Those are the Souls of Monster Beasts, normal attacks are ineffective as they don’t have physical bodies… Watch out for an ambush!” Gao Xue Ting’s voice reached Yang Kai’s ears.
Even though it was inconvenient for her to move as she was hiding behind the barrier to heal, it did not prevent her from watching from the perspective of a spectator.
She was surprised yet anxious when Yang Kai appeared.
She was surprised because she did not expect to meet Yang Kai here, but on the other hand, she was anxious for Yang Kai’s safety in this damned place.
No matter how gifted he was, he was still young after all. He couldn’t win against Ju Tian Qing and Zu Hong. Even she had suffered a great loss at their hands so she naturally knew how powerful they were. If she was no match to them, how could the newly promoted Yang Kai be?
Perhaps, Yang Kai’s achievements would surpass them in the future, but definitely not now.
Her first thought was to ask Yang Kai to run.
She knew that Yang Kai probably came here for her. She had no idea how he located her, but this was the only logical explanation as there was no such convenient coincidence in this world.
However, since he was already here, he could not leave even if he wanted to.
Gao Xue Ting was extremely shocked when she realized that Yang Kai was an Emperor Realm Master.
She still remembered her first encounter with Yang Kai. He was just a First-Order Dao Source Realm cultivator, accompanying Qin Zhao Yang to Azure Sun Temple to request for a quota to enter the Four Seasons Realm with the Bustling World Token. But in just a few years, he had already reached the Emperor Realm, his cultivation comparable to her own.
This kind of cultivation speed was unprecedented.
Her aptitude was considered phenomenal too, otherwise, it would have been impossible for her to spy on the mysteries of the Emperor Realm. But how long did it take for her cultivation to reach the Emperor Realm from the First-Order Dao Source Realm back then? Fifty years? A hundred years?
She did not remember anymore.
Even their Temple Master, Wen Zi Shan, could not be compared to Yang Kai in terms of cultivation speed. As for those geniuses in the Sect, comparing them to him was like comparing a firefly with the bright moon.
What opportunities did he get in Shattered Star Sea that made him grow up to such an extent!?
While Gao Xue Ting was shouting, Ju Tian Qing had taken advantage of Yang Kai’s attention being attracted to the Ten Thousand Beasts Seal. He flew over Yang Kai and slashed down with his blade. The power of his Burning Ocean of Stars Blade spread out in all directions, creating an image of stars all over the sky crashing downwards, in an instant enveloping Yang Kai.
All of a sudden, Yang Kai seemed to be trapped in an illusion, being placed in the vast Star Sea, greatly aware of how small and insignificant he was.
Yang Kai’s actions were slightly delayed at this moment, and when he finally regained his senses, the ferocious blade of light was already about to reach his chest.
Yang Kai’s eyes narrowed slightly, a trace of panic and horror flashing across his bright eyes as he was hit directly by the sword wave.
Next, the Monster Beast army rushed forward and stampeded over the place where Yang Kai was located. It could be seen that Yang Kai was torn to pieces by the raging momentum.
“No!” Gao Xue Ting exclaimed, her pretty face draining of all colour.
Although she knew that Yang Kai couldn’t be victorious against Ju Tian Qing and Zu Hong with his current strength, she did not expect that he would just die like this. Her tender body trembled, unable to accept this cruel reality. A strong sense of guilt and anger built up in her heart, and her enchanting eyes turned scarlet red instantly.
The purpose of Yang Kai coming here was absolutely for her, so how could Gao Xue Ting not feel guilty after watching him die here?
Judging from Yang Kai’s previous cultivation speed and Heaven-defying aptitude, if he was given more time, he would become the brightest star of the Star Boundary eventually. He would be able to rise and shine brightly, making his name echo throughout every corner of the world.
However, that bright future had just been destroyed.
A young man with an endless future had his journey ended before he even had the chance to truly feel the power of the Emperor Realm.
“Hmph, overconfident brat!” Ju Tian Qing sneered and sheathed his blade while standing in the void.
“Hmm? That little brat actually had more bark than bite. This City Lord was wondering how strong he could be, but it turned out that he was just an embroidered pillow.” Zu Hong cackled mockingly. If he had known that Yang Kai was this weak, he would not have bothered helping Ju Tian Qing as the latter could have easily won on his own. He now felt like he had wasted the strength that he had barely restored.
“Young people nowadays really do not know the immensity of Heaven and Earth. They’re easily blinded by arrogance after having just some small achievements and most forget that there is always someone better. There is always a higher Heaven and a deeper Earth.”
“You’re right, Brother Ju, such an arrogant Junior needed to be taught a harsh lesson.” Zu Hong nodded in agreement.
“Both of you are indeed right! How about the two of you tell this Young Master exactly how high are the Heavens and how deep is the Earth then?” Yang Kai’s voice emerged once again, and this time, it came from behind Zu Hong.
“Brother Zu, watch out!” Ju Tian Qing hurriedly exclaimed, his eyes bulging so large that they almost popped out of their sockets.
There was Yang Kai, who was supposed to have been torn to pieces by their attacks, standing behind Zu Hong unscathed with a broadsword in his hand that was radiating waves of Emperor Intent, and releasing a dreadfully vicious aura. He was going to stab Zu Hong from behind, who was completely caught off guard.
Zu Hong jumped out of his skin. Despite his powerful Emperor Realm cultivation, he had not even noticed how Yang Kai appeared behind him. As if he could not believe this was happening, he turned to look at the place where Yang Kai formerly stood. There, he saw the ‘corpse’ of Yang Kai fading away, nothing but an afterimage.
[Damn it!] Zu Hong’s heart sank as he did not have the time to escape or turn around. Pushing his Emperor Qi madly, he roared as a bright layer of light filled his surroundings.
The light was particularly blinding, especially at his back, and it could be seen that he had pushed his protective Emperor Qi to his limit.
A violent impact hammered him in the next moment, and Zu Hong only felt that his internal organs were shaken hard, making him extremely uncomfortable. An unstoppable aura sliced through his protective Emperor Qi and struck directly at the back of his body.
With a cry, Zu Hong spat a mouthful of blood. Using the force of the impact, he immediately rushed forward and distanced himself away from Yang Kai.
“An Artifact Armour?” Yang Kai raised his brow and stared intently at the spot where he landed the blow on Zu Hong’s back, seeing a light cyan scale armour underneath his damaged robes.
It was a high-grade Artifact Armour, and with Zu Hong’s mighty cultivation, Yang Kai’s ambush failed to achieve its desired effect.
“How dare you backstab this City Lord!” Zu Hong turned around and bellowed at Yang Kai with an angry glare, his face pale.
If he was not wearing his Artifact Armour, he would have been seriously injured even if he did not die.
[What the hell is this brat!?] Fear grew in his heart after the incident as he did not understand how Yang Kai could have such strength when he had just recently broken through to the Emperor Realm. The Secret Technique Yang Kai had used to escape had caught both Ju Tian Qing and him off guard.
“Brother Zu, fall back. This King will teach this boy a lesson,” seeing that Zu Hong was injured again and his aura was unsteady, Ju Tian Qing advised him to stand aside instead of joining the fight with him. After a shout, his sword once again produced multiple blades of light that splashed towards Yang Kai like sea waves.
Zu Hong nodded heavily, but the anger in his heart was still erupting like a volcano, so while withdrawing he quietly surged the power of the Ten Thousand Beasts Seal and controlled the Monster Beast Souls to charge towards Yang Kai again.
It was shameful for him to be ambushed by a newly promoted Emperor, and if he did not get revenge now, he would not have the face to call himself a man.
The combined force of the two Emperor Realm Masters was monstrous and powerful, as if they had maddened deities.
Gao Xue Ting, who just had a moment of relief, grew worried again.
Previously, Yang Kai’s reversal surprised her and she realized that she had underestimated Yang Kai just like Ju Tian Qing and Zu Hong did, but still, now he was going to face two enemies in the same Realm alone; how could he possibly fight against them?
Gao Xue Ting gritted her teeth, flipped her hand, and took out a jade bottle. She uncapped the bottle and poured out a scarlet Spirit Pill filled with a bloody aura.
She hesitated for a moment, then raised her hand in an attempt to put the Spirit Pill into her mouth.
“Elder Gao, stop!”
Yang Kai hurriedly shouted to stop Gao Xue Ting.
Gao Xue Ting was stunned and she lifted her head and looked at Yang Kai in confusion.
“You’re already heavily injured. If you take that Mad Blood Pill now and forcefully stimulate your potential, I’m afraid it will damage your foundation beyond repair. Please don’t take it. What’s more, the quality of this Mad Blood Pill is extremely poor and there will definitely be harsh side-effects from taking it. I don’t know which Alchemist refined this for you but he is one hell of an irresponsible bastard.”
As she looked around, Gao Xue Ting saw Yang Kai flickering about as he engaged in a melee against the combined force of two Emperor Realm Masters, but even so, he still had enough leeway to pay attention to Gao Xue Ting and advise her in clear terms. Gao Xue Ting was utterly shocked by his capability when seeing this.
It was not difficult to refine a Mad Blood Pill as it was just a Dao Source Grade High-Rank Spirit Pill, but the ingredients for it were quite rare.
All the materials needed to refine this Spirit Pill were priceless Emperor Grade spirit medicines. Gao Xue Ting just happened to be very fortunate to have collected the appropriate materials, and then hired someone to refine one for safekeeping.
Once this Spirit Pill had been consumed, her innate potential would be fully stimulated and she would be able to exert the power of a Second-Order Emperor Realm Master even with just the cultivation of the First-Order Emperor Realm.
This was her trump card.
Even when she was cornered by Zu Hong and Ju Tian Qing, she resisted taking this pill, but now, she could not sit back and watch Yang Kai in danger.
She did not expect Yang Kai to stop her when she took out the Spirit Pill.
She smiled wryly. She knew that taking this Mad Blood Pill would cause great damage to herself that may lead to instability in her foundation, and even the decline of her current realm or the destruction of her meridians. There was even a possibility it would rupture her dantian, crippling her cultivation permanently.
But in this situation, she had no other hope except for the Mad Blood Pill.
“A brat like you should take care of yourself before taking time to take care of others’ affairs!” Ju Tian Qing growled, the Burning Ocean of Stars Blade in his hand yearning to cleave a sea of stars into Yang Kai, who was dodging and evading every attack without fighting back.
Although he was holding the advantage, for some reason, Ju Tian Qing had a very strange feeling that sent chills down his spine, as if something bad was about to happen.
“Elder Gao, this disciple is fine. You must not take that Mad Blood Pill!” Yang Kai’s erratic voice echoed in all directions.
Gao Xue Ting’s eyes brightened at Yang Kai’s confident words. She nodded lightly, “Good, I won’t take it, just be careful. Don’t overexert yourself and retreat to me immediately if all else fails.”
Yang Kai snorted loudly, “This disciple is not what he used to be. Two trivial First-Order Emperors are nothing to me.”
“Junior is simply too rampant with his words! This King will teach you how to show proper respect today!” Ju Tian Qing was furious, and his power rose to another level.
Zu Hong’s face was also green from rage, and without saying a word, he worked harder to activate the power of the Ten Thousand Beasts Seal. The Souls of Monster Beasts continuously shot out of the large seal, turned into phantom forms, and rushed towards Yang Kai.
Suddenly, Yang Kai’s figure froze at a certain place and he stared towards Ju Tian Qing with a pair of icy eyes.
Ju Tian Qing could not help but shudder at his stare as for some reason, the thought of escaping growing in his heart. He forced himself to resist the increasing fear and spurred a frenzy of sword waves towards Yang Kai. Suddenly, thousands of light explosions occurred, filling the sky above them.
Yang Kai commented coldly, “This Young Master is afraid that you don’t have the qualification to teach him how to show proper respect.”
He flicked his fingers as soon as he finished speaking, long and narrow Moon Blades emerged leisurely. There were as many as several dozen of these Moon Blades, crisscrossing in mid-air, forming a net large enough to envelope the entire land as they shrank towards a certain point.
Li Wu Yi gave him a stone in which his understanding of the Dao of Space was ingrained. In that one month, Yang Kai absorbed all the mysteries of the Dao of Space contained inside that stone like a leech. Now, his attainment in the Dao of Space had improved by leaps and bounds.
*Chi chi chi…*
The dark Moon Blades charged forward, like a dark web that devoured everything in its path, annihilating the thousands of sword lights and even the Monster Beast Souls Zu Hong summoned were cut to pieces, reducing several dozen of them to points of light in an instant.
“What kind of ability is this!?” Ju Tian Qing was shocked, retreating continuously as he bellowed. He could clearly feel the deadly threat of the Moon Blade net, and knew that he would be severely injured if not dead if he was hit by them head-on. Instead of meeting the attack directly, he would rather run as far as he could.
In a rush, he raised his blade again to resist the attack.
But he was horrified to realize that no matter how many blades he produced, the black net could not be cut apart.
In the blink of an eye, the big black net was right in front of him.
Ju Tian Qing’s face turned pale, and the urge to panic and escape swelled up inside him.
At this moment, the space around him suddenly seemed to freeze, locking him firmly in place.
“Space Principles!” Ju Tian Qing exclaimed, his eyes almost popping out of their sockets.
He recalled some information disclosed by Yin Le Sheng from the Netherworld Sect only now. Yin Le Sheng had said that this little brat named Yang Kai was proficient in the Dao of Space.
It was just that Ju Tian Qing did not take this warning seriously; after all, the Dao of Space was one of the most difficult Daos to cultivate. How could someone he had never heard of before be proficient in it? Countless people in the Star Boundary dreamt of cultivating the Dao of Space, but how many actually succeeded?
There was only one; Li Wu Yi from Spirit Beast Island.
As a trivial Junior, even if Yang Kai grasped the basics of the Dao of Space, it should not have been enough to be used against enemies in battle.
But at this moment, Ju Tian Qing realized that Yang Kai’s accomplishments in the Dao of Space were beyond his imagination. Even if it was not on par with Li Wu Yi, it was not far off.
[There’s no point in fighting!]
Everyone knew that cultivators who were proficient in the Dao of Space were the hardest to kill, because even if they were placed in a life-threatening situation, they could easily escape.
[No wonder he was able to enter this Small Sealed World. As an Emperor Realm Master who is proficient in the Dao of Space, entering a Small Sealed World like this that had just been opened would be as simple as breathing!]
As those distracting thoughts flashed across Ju Tian Qing’s mind, blood seemed to stop circulating around his body and his hands and feet grew as cold as ice. In this critical moment, he bit his tongue and spouted a mouthful of Blood Essence, causing his aura to surge.
At the crucial moment of life and death, he activated an extremely powerful Secret Technique.
This finally allowed him to move his body.
*Chi chi chi…*
A strange noise was heard, and together with Ju Tian Qing’s screams, blood suddenly shot out like a fountain.
Zu Hong looked around frantically and was stunned.
He saw that one of Ju Tian Qing’s arms was cut off right above his shoulder. The cut was neat and clean; and from the cross-section of the wound, Ju Tian Qing’s violently beating heart could be seen.
*Si…*
Zu Hong gasped, unable to believe his eyes.
What was going on? He clearly saw Yang Kai being forced into a corner by Ju Tian Qing, so how did Ju Tian Qing suddenly receive such damage?
He could not help feeling a little dizzy, which also caused the Monster Beast Souls that flew out of the Ten Thousand Beasts Seal to fall into disarray, scurrying about like headless flies in agitation.
“Yang Kai, we will meet again and this King will remember you! One day, this King will rip your corpse into ten thousand pieces in vengeance for this lost arm!” Ju Tian Qing bellowed with a ferocious face and immediately turned around to fly towards the entrance.
He wanted to escape.
It was undeniably the wisest choice.
With one of his arms cut off, he suffered heavy losses from Yang Kai. It would be detrimental to him if he continued to fight with his strength reduced.
What’s more, Yang Kai was a cultivator who was proficient in the Dao of Space, so there was no way to kill him in the first place. It was only natural for Ju Tian Qing to escape first.
He would go back to the Holy Land and gather reinforcements first. As long as Yang Kai was still in the Eastern Territory, they would find him even if they had to turn the entire territory upside down, trap him, then shred his corpse!
Ju Tian Qing was cursing both out loud and in his heart and his whole body was burning in rage like an erupting volcano.
Yang Kai did not even chase after Ju Tian Qing, however, instead choosing to stand aside and watch him escape with a strange mocking grin on his face.
Zu Hong was frozen for a moment, but seeing that the situation was deteriorating, he quickly put away the Ten Thousand Beasts Seal and followed Ju Tian Qing.
He was already badly injured, and now that Ju Tian Qing had run off, he would just be courting death if he remained.
Cursing endlessly in his heart, he resented his hundreds of years of friendship with Ju Tian Qing. It was too unkind of him to have escaped without any concern for Zu Hong. During such times, the only person he could trust would be himself.
The two left hastily, one after the other, and arrived at the entrance of this Small Sealed World in the blink of an eye.
With one arm chopped off, Ju Tian Qing could only endure the pain in his heart and perform the necessary hand seals with one hand to open the entrance.
He had created a secret entrance before he came in, which could only be revealed with a secret method, for Zu Hong to follow after him. So, it was also convenient for him to leave this small world.
However, even after sending out the seals, the entrance did not open.
Ju Tian Qing’s face changed and the colour suddenly drained from his face as he gulped, as if he realized a terrifying truth.
Zu Hong, who still had not realised the situation, urged vigorously, “Brother Ju, quickly open the entrance, what are you doing?”
Ju Tian Qing answered darkly, “It can’t be opened.”
“Why not?” Zu Hong was shocked, fighting the strong urge to slap Ju Tian Qing to death. It was impossible to tolerate a screw up at this crucial moment.
“Hahaha,” Yang Kai appeared abruptly behind the two of them, looking at them with a smile on his face, “After this Young Master came in, he sealed up the entrance. Without this Young Master’s approval, no one else can access this place again.”
“What?” Zu Hong was horror-struck, “How, how can you have such ability?”
Ordinary people couldn’t seal off the entrance to a Small Sealed World as they wished.
Ju Tian Qing looked devastated as his heart dropped into the depths of the abyss and continued to sink. He only spoke in a bitter voice a moment later, “Brother Zu, this little brat is proficient in the Dao of Space…”
As if struck by lightning, Zu Hong was dumbfounded and froze in place.
Yang Kai snorted coldly, “We will meet again? Elder Ju, this Young Master doesn’t like to procrastinate. Didn’t you want to teach me how to show proper respect? Come here, hurry up and teach me a lesson. This Young Master is waiting.”
Ju Tian Qing’s spirits fell to the bottom of the valley and his mouth tasted bitter after being mocked so ruthlessly by Yang Kai; unfortunately, he could not refute a word.
The light in his eyes was dim as he slumped, “Little brother, what happened today is our fault, but no permanent damage has been done. How about we just let this matter go?”
Yang Kai’s face hardened, “This Young Master is not very good at showing proper respect, are you going to teach him a lesson or not?”
Ju Tian Qing grew agitated, “Why insist on being so overbearing?”
“If you’re not teaching, I will!”
“Don’t go too far and burn your bridges!” Ju Tian Qing’s teeth chattered violently while glaring at Yang Kai ferociously.
Seeing this, Zu Hong barked too, “That’s right. Even if you are proficient in the Dao of Space, you are still on your own, while Brother Ju and I can fight together. Even if we can’t beat you… do you think we can’t self-destruct?”
Yang Kai curled his lips disdainfully, “Like you have the chance to self-destruct.”
Saying so, he turned solemn and swiftly performed a set of hand seals. A mysterious and profound aura began to radiate from Yang Kai’s form.
“W-what are you doing!?” Ju Tian Qing roared in alarm. He instinctively felt that danger was coming.
Yang Kai replied in a deep voice, “What am I doing? I’m of course going to release my ultimate skill and kill the both of you. Let me tell you a simple truth, the two of you can do nothing against this Young Master’s ultimate skill. You are all doomed to be slaughtered by me, so if you really want to self-destruct, quickly do it now before it’s too late!”
“Ahh…” Ju Tian Qing and Zu Hong gasped and staggered back.
They were dreadfully afraid of Yang Kai after he made such a declaration with such seriousness, where his face was filled with murderous intent. No one would want to self-destruct unless it was a last resort. Most of the time, those who said they would were just bluffing.
They did not expect him to be totally unaffected by their threat, and was ready to release his ultimate skill…
The hand seals that he was performing were so mysterious and unique that Zu Hong and Ju Tian Qing could not see through their purpose at all, but one thing was for certain, the skill he was preparing was incredibly powerful.
“Brother Zu, we need to go all out!” Ju Tian Qing gritted his teeth with a decisive face.
“Good!” Zu Hong also knew that there was no way out at this moment. Given Yang Kai’s aggression and determination to kill, Ju Tian Qing and he would not be his opponents if they continued to have reservations in fear. They could only give it their all in a last-ditch effort to survive.
Having steeled themselves, the two pushed their Emperor Qi fiercely and roared.
Blood gushed from the wound on Ju Tian Qing’s shoulder from the pressure of his surging power. It was uncertain how many litres of blood he lost, but his face was as pale as paper.
In an instant, their auras reached their peak.
Countless beast roars emerged from the Ten Thousand Beasts Seal while the Burning Ocean of Stars Blade vibrated fiercely and numerous Sword Waves shot out from it.
All of a sudden, Yang Kai’s hands stopped. He slowly pushed his palms forward with a solemn face, whispering, “Time Flows on Infinitely, Like a Mighty Stream, Like an Unending Dream!”
Time seemed to freeze at that moment.
*Honglonglong…*
The Time Flies Seal appeared in a brilliant flash, completely enveloping Ju Tian Qing and Zu Hong. Both of them widened their eyes as they felt like their lives rapidly passed before their very eyes. In just a blink, it seemed like dozens of years had suddenly gone by.
As time continued racing by, the pair’s momentum, which had been at its peak, rapidly deflated. At the same time, their figures rapidly aged, and their vitalities waned; even their hair began turning grey.
Within a breath, the two Masters, who had at most looked middle-aged, turned into decrepit old men who already had one foot into the grave.
The Flowing Time Great Emperor’s Divine Ability, which involved Time Principles, was not something that Ju Tian Qing and Zu Hong could resist, on top of their severe wounds. When Yang Kai was just a Third-Order Dao Source Realm cultivator, he had used this skill to defeat a Third-Order Emperor Realm Master’s Soul, though it was just a wisp that manifested through a Soul Descent. Now, Yang Kai was an Emperor Realm Master, and his strength was vastly superior to that time.
Suffering from this ability, the two old men had totally lost their combat strength.
“Get in here!” Yang Kai snorted coldly and his eyes shone in a strange brilliance. With a push of his Spiritual Energy, he threw the pair which had lost the ability to resist into the Sealed World Bead.
The Embodiment had long waited for this moment in the Small Sealed World. Once Yang Kai threw them in, the Embodiment immediately surged his power and covered them with one hand, yelling viciously, “Heaven Devouring Battle Law!”
The fate of Zu Hong and Ju Tian Qing was nothing more than to be devoured.
The stationary time began to flow again, and the Small Sealed World was restored to peace.
Inside the barrier of the medicine garden, Gao Xue Ting was flabbergasted, and could not regain her senses for a long time.
The Time Flies Seal had also affected her to a certain extent, causing a temporary confusion in her mind, and by the time she recovered from the chaotic state, Zu Hong and Ju Tian Qing had vanished.
She only saw Yang Kai turning around and flying towards her.
Gao Xue Ting gaped at him with her jaw dropped, subconsciously opening the medicine garden barrier for him.
It was easy to operate the barrier, otherwise, she would not be able to hide inside here in the first place.
“Elder Gao, how are your injuries?” Yang Kai hurriedly asked as he reached her side.
Gao Xue Ting looked up at him with a slightly complicated expression on her pretty face. Her eyes examined him up and down, as if she wanted to know if this was really the young man she knew.
Just a few years ago, there was a huge gap in strength between him and her, but now, it seemed that she now needed to look up to him…
“Elder Gao…” Seeing that Gao Xue Ting did not say a word, Yang Kai could not help shouting again.
Only then did Gao Xue Ting’s lost eyes focus and after a soft cough, she answered, “They’re not light, but neither are they fatal. I’ll be fine after some rest. What about the two of them? Did you chop them up into tiny pieces?”
But even if they were chopped into pieces, there should be some traces left.
However, it was like they simply vanished from sight for no reason.
“Of course they are dead,” Yang Kai grinned, “Elder Gao, you don’t need to be bothered about them. The death of those two scum is not worth pitying.”
Gao Xue Ting nodded in relief and sighed, “You’ve grown a lot, much more than any of us had expected.”
Yang Kai scratched his head, “This little brat could only achieve success today thanks to the support and care of all my Seniors.”
Gao Xue Ting replied lightly, “It doesn’t have much to do with others, you worked hard yourself to achieve this strength.”
After saying so, she coughed again.
“Elder Gao, what’s important now is for you to heal yourself. I will stand guard for you here,” Yang Kai said with concern.
“Good,” Gao Xue Ting did not say anything more and simply closed her eyes, focusing on adjusting her breathing.
During the battle between Yang Kai and the other two, she would not have sat back and watched if she had any strength left to use. It could be seen that her injuries were quite serious.
Now that the disaster had been eliminated, she naturally could not afford to delay any longer.
Gao Xue Ting’s breathing soon calmed down.
Only then did Yang Kai have the time to look around.
This Small Sealed World had been completely closed by him, so no one could enter without his permission and there was no need to worry about Gao Xue Ting.
He gained tremendous interest in this strange plot of land, which composed a giant ancient medicine garden.
Looking around the medicine gardens, there were two square plots with at least three hundred spirit medicines planted in each. Every herb here was Emperor Grade and had a medicinal age above ten thousand years. Yang Kai was exhilarated by the scene that was captured in his eyes, unable to restrain his uplifted emotion.
“A Seven Coloured Ginseng! It’s even produced multiple rings of colour! It must be at least fifty thousand years old!”
“Profound Heavenly Thunder Flower! Siii… its stamen is golden, this, th-this…”
“Swaying Light Enlightenment Fruit. How can it be as big as my fist? How did it grow like this?”
“Extreme Essence Dragon Saliva Grass, isn’t this already extinct…”
“Nine Petal Blue Jade Flower…”
Those spirit medicines were like naked beauties in Yang Kai eyes, swaying and displaying the best view of their bodies, arousing him so much that his eyes were glowing.
As an Alchemist, nothing could make him happier than this scene. Plots of mature spirit medicine were laid out in front of him, and he could just collect them for free. Only an Alchemist could understand this kind of feeling.
He continuously teleported here and there in the medicine garden, dancing excitedly. If he were not afraid of disturbing Gao Xue Ting’s rest, he would have laughed out loud like a madman.
And these Emperor Grade herbs were just from these two square plots. There were actually more than ten square plots here, but the other spirit medicines must have been collected by Gao Xue Ting and the others.
In other words, most spirit medicines were in the Space Rings of Gao Xue Ting, Ju Tian Qing, and Zu Hong.
What Yang Kai was seeing here was just a small part.
Many of the spirit medicines he saw were legendary herbs that were thought to already be extinct, but they were actually blooming healthily here.
“Hm?” Yang Kai’s face changed suddenly as he stared intently at a certain fruit tree that was about half a person’s height. The fruit tree was filled with radiance, as if it was carved from the most exquisite jade, shimmering magnificently.
On top of the fruit tree, there was a white fist-sized fruit.
The shape of this fruit was extremely odd, almost like a tiny shrunken person, with complete limbs, body and head. Not only that, there were even clear facial features.
Yang Kai’s eyes suddenly filled with enthusiasm as he exclaimed in pure shock, “Flesh Incarnation Fruit!”
There was a Flesh Incarnation Fruit here!
Yang Kai furiously rubbed his eyes to make sure he did not see wrongly, but even upon re-examination, there was no doubt a Flesh Incarnation Fruit was presented in front of him, exactly the same as the information recorded in the jade slip left by Gong Sun Mu, the Third-Disciple of Wondrous Pill Great Emperor.
The Flesh Incarnation Fruit was the primary material for refining the Flesh Incarnation Pill.
Flesh Incarnation Pill was a Heaven-defying Spirit Pill that could reshape one’s physical body.
If a cultivator was killed, but his or her Soul had not been extinguished, that cultivator could rebuild his or her body by using a Flesh Incarnation Pill, essentially granting them a new life.
Not even the Immortal Tree possessed such a miraculous effect. Although the Immortal Tree could bring someone back from the brink of death, and even allow one to obtain an immortal and indestructible form, it could not reshape one’s physique from only a Soul.
This was the Heaven-defying effect of the Flesh Incarnation Fruit.
Like the Soul Warming Lotus and Immortal Tree, this fruit only existed in ancient records, with no one in the current era having seen it before.
Yang Kai did not expect that he would be lucky enough to encounter a Flesh Incarnation Fruit in this ancient medicine garden.
With this Flesh Incarnation Fruit, it meant that he could refine the Flesh Incarnation Pill, and with Flesh Incarnation Pill, it meant that he could fulfill the promise that he made to Tian Yan.
Senior Tian Yan was the Great Emperor of the Divine Ascension Mirror who had been a Soul Avatar since birth and never possessed his own physique. When Yang Kai was training in the Divine Ascension Mirror, he told Tian Yan that, he would refine a Flesh Incarnation Pill from a Flesh Incarnation Fruit for him one day, so that he could experience the feeling of having a physical body, release himself from the shackles of Divine Ascension Mirror, and see the outside world.
Tian Yan seemed to be immensely excited about this matter too, but how could it be so easy to find a Flesh Incarnation Fruit?
However, there was now one right in front of Yang Kai!
Yang Kai’s face turned solemn, and condensing his Emperor Qi into both hands, he cautiously grasped at the Flesh Incarnation Fruit.
He plucked the fruit lightly, and the Flesh Incarnation Fruit plopped into his palm immediately. Yang Kai quickly placed it into the jade box he had prepared beforehand, and after placing several barriers around it, he put it into his Space Ring.
“Phew…” Yang Kai let out a sigh of relief. With this Flesh Incarnation Fruit, he would have a good chance to refine the Flesh Incarnation Pill, but he would need to improve his Alchemy skills first.
Although he was now an Emperor Grade Alchemist, he did not have much experience in refining Emperor Grade spirit medicines, so if he hastily tried to refine the Flesh Incarnation Fruit, his chances of success would be quite low. This might be the one and only Flesh Incarnation Fruit left in the world, so if the refinement failed and the raw materials were destroyed, Yang Kai’s would definitely develop a kind of heart demon, and it may even affect his Alchemy abilities in the future.
Fortunately, there were bounteous Emperor Grade herbs here, so he could use some of the relatively low-value spirit medicines for practice to improve his Alchemy skills before confidently refining the Flesh Incarnation Pill.
After a moment of inspection though, Yang Kai found that all the spirit medicines in this medicine garden were invaluable. Nevertheless, the Flesh Incarnation Fruit still stood out from the rest in terms of rarity and value.
He immediately started collecting the rest.
There were only two medicine gardens with a few hundred herbs planted in them, but it still took Yang Kai more than two hours to collect them all.
There were still about twenty trees left in place, including the Flesh Incarnation Fruit Tree.
There were numerous buds and flowers remaining on these fruit trees, so it was not impossible for them to bear new fruits after a few hundred, or thousand years, so Yang Kai did not dare to touch any of these trees.
After doing this, Yang Kai took a look at Gao Xue Ting and found that she was still focused on healing her injuries, and it seemed that she would take a long time to wake up.
Yang Kai was not in a hurry, so he simply sent his Divine Sense into the Sealed World Bead and retrieved Zu Hong’s and Ju Tian Qing’s Space Rings.
As expected, there was a large number of Emperor Grade spirit medicines inside their Space Rings, most likely collected from this ancient medicine garden.
In addition, there were many valuable treasures in these rings, enough for Yang Kai to make a fortune.
The Emperor Artifacts, the Burning Ocean of Stars Blade and the Ten Thousand Beasts Seal, that belonged to the two also fell into Yang Kai’s hands.
The Burning Ocean of Stars Blade did not interest Yang Kai much as, although it appeared to be very powerful, he did not primarily use such weapons and had no plans to refine it. Besides, refining an Emperor Artifact would not greatly improve his strength.
Likewise, the Burning Ocean of Stars Blade could not be considered a broadsword, so it was unsuitable for Zhang Ruo Xi.
On the contrary, Yang Kai was more interested in the Ten Thousand Beasts Seal. This Artifact was not an ordinary Emperor Artifact. It seemed to be able to seal the Souls of fallen Monster Beasts and then could release them during a battle to fight one’s enemies without great consumption of the owner’s strength.
This could be given to Zhang Ruo Xi.
Although Zhang Ruo Xi seemed to prefer swords, the Ten Thousand Beasts Seal was powerful, and it was definitely a good treasure for her. As long as Zhang Ruo Xi could refine it, her strength would definitely increase by leaps and bounds.
Considering all this, Yang Kai pushed his Spiritual Energy to erase Zu Hong’s Soul Imprint from the Ten Thousand Beasts Seal.
After a while, there was a flash of light, and the Ten Thousand Beasts Seal became grey and dull. Yang Kai then tossed it into his Space Ring, reminding himself to give it to Zhang Ruo Xi when he left the place.
After waiting for a while, Gao Xue Ting still showed no signs of waking up, so Yang Kai took out his Alchemy Furnace and some Emperor Grade herbs, and began refining on the spot.
A day later, Yang Kai, who was concentrating on Alchemy, suddenly noticed that someone was watching him. His expression became alert and glanced to his side without stopping his hands, only to meet with Gao Xue Ting’s elegant and delicate eyes.
Feeling guilty that she had interrupted Yang Kai’s Alchemy, Gao Xue Ting did not speak and simply motioned him to continue.
The worst thing that one could do to an Alchemist during Alchemy was to disturb them. Gao Xue Ting had known Yang Kai was an Alchemist for a long time, otherwise, it would be impossible for him to refine the Extraordinary Treasure Pill when he was in the Four Seasons Realm.
She felt a little uneasy knowing that her gaze interfered with Yang Kai’s focus when he stole a glance at her.
On the contrary, Yang Kai did not seem to be affected and just smiled broadly at her, “Elder Gao, wait a moment, this disciple will finish the Pill Condensing step soon and will be able to speak to you freely as soon as the pill is done.”
Having said so, Yang Kai immediately turned solemn and immersed his focus into Alchemy again. Gao Xue Ting continued watching in amazement.
A mysterious Pill Condensing Technique was performed by Yang Kai, one that had extremely perplexing hand seals and seemed to harmonize extremely well with the Heavenly Way.
Gao Xue Ting was astonished as her beautiful eyes suddenly glowed with a strange light, observing Yang Kai’s movements firmly, unwilling to let slip a single motion.
She discovered that Yang Kai’s Alchemy’s technique could actually stimulate deep thoughts on her Martial Dao and show her an unseen side of the Heavenly Way. It was as though all her understanding of Martial Dao was being consolidated as she watched, an unbelievable experience.
As one of the top Sects in the Southern Territory, Azure Sun Temple naturally had its own Emperor Grade Alchemist. Although there was only one, he was nonetheless still at Emperor Grade Alchemist.
Gao Xue Ting once had the honour of observing this Emperor Grade Alchemist perform Alchemy from a distance, but compared to Yang Kai’s Alchemy technique, the Temple’s Alchemist seemed rather unsightly and incomparably clumsy.
That Alchemist could be described as a child flailing a hoe wildly in the field, while Yang Kai’s Alchemy could be described as a warrior wielding a sword, dancing in the moonlight.
The two were not comparable at all.
[Who did he learn Alchemy from? How can he be this accomplished at such a young age? Not only that, but he has also entered the Emperor Realm.]
Gao Xue Ting was shaken as she suddenly realised that all those so-called genius disciples were completely eclipsed by Yang Kai’s current achievements. Even the children of the Great Emperors could not compare with him.
Time seemed to pass by quickly, but it also seemed to have slowed down. Just when Gao Xue Ting was immersed in a peculiar sentiment, her resonance with the Heavenly Way and Martial Dao suddenly disappeared.
She was slightly startled, and when she fixed her eyes on Yang Kai, he was already performing another technique, bellowing, “Condense!”
*Dinglingling… *
Suddenly, a clear and sweet sound emerged from within the dainty Alchemy Furnace. Yang Kai turned his head to listen to it and his brow furrowed slightly, as if he was a little dissatisfied with the results of his Alchemy.
Gao Xue Ting couldn’t hide her surprise seeing this.
Although she was not an Alchemist, she knew that this Spirit Pill should have been successfully refined. From the scent wafting out of the furnace, it was easy to infer that this Spirit Pill was Emperor Grade, and the quality should not be low.
[Is he still not satisfied? What extent does he need to reach to be satisfied?]
Yang Kai stretched out his hand and patted the Alchemy Furnace, causing the lid to fly off and three round and fragrant Spirit Pills to zoom out, where Yang Kai promptly caught them and sealed them into a jade bottle.
After taking a look, Yang Kai curled his lips and threw the bottle into the Space Ring. Turning his head, he looked at Gao Xue Ting with a smile and said, “Sorry for making Elder Gao wait for so long, how are you feeling?”
“I’ve almost completely recovered.” Gao Xue Ting replied, “It was not a fatal injury anyway.”
After a pause, she wondered, “How did you know that I was here? And you even came here directly.”
Yang Kai answered, “Junior Sister Lu Wen sent me a message…”
He briefly explained the entire journey from how he was passing by Earth City to receiving Lu Wen’s request for help.
After listening, Gao Xue Ting smiled, “It seems that I wasn’t meant to die here today. Who would have known that you would pass by Earth City at just the right time.”
Her smile seemed to cause thousands of flowers to suddenly bloom, and the whole world became a shade dimmer. She was a cold woman, and she rarely smiled, so this was Yang Kai’s first time seeing her smile since he had known her.
Yang Kai could not help but stare blankly.
Gao Xue Ting quickly retrieved her smile at his abnormal expression, looking a little uncomfortable.
Yang Kai urged her, “Elder Gao, you should smile more, it’s beautiful.”
“Have some respect, stop your flattery!” Gao Xue Ting snorted coldly.
Yang Kai grinned, “I can guarantee that if you smiled at Temple Master Wen that way, he would definitely be mesmerized by your beauty!”
Gao Xue Ting snorted, “Mesmerized? More like he would immediately ask me if I had fallen into cultivation dissonance and then force a purifying spirit pill into my mouth; then I would spit that Spirit Pill right back at his face!”
Yang Kai’s jaw dropped, “How could Temple Master Wen be so unchivalrous?”
He imagined the scene she just described and was speechless for a while; but from the tone of Gao Xue Ting’s words, it seemed that this had happened before.
Cold sweat beaded on his forehead and he wisely changed the subject, “By the way, Elder Gao, this disciple has prepared something for you.”
“Something for me?” Gao Xue Ting was surprised, and asked suspiciously, “What is it?”
Yang Kai took out a jade bottle and handed it over, “Here.”
Gao Xue Ting took it and opened the cap to look inside. It was a round and red Spirit Pill, exuding a rich blood aura.
“Mad Blood Pill!” Gao Xue Ting’s beautiful eyes lit up.
She already possessed a Mad Blood Pill and had wanted to take it to stimulate her potential to help Yang Kai who was under siege yesterday, but Yang Kai stopped her in time.
So, she recognized it at a glance.
“This is a High-Grade Mad Blood Pill. Its effects will be better than your original one by thirty percent, and after taking it, as long as you only exert your strength within a stick of incense, the backlash will not be too harsh. You would be able to fully restore after a long rest, and it will not damage your foundation. Disciple can only refine this level of Mad Blood Pill at the moment, so keep this one for now and only use it if absolutely necessary. I will refine a better one in the future to replace this one.”
“A better one…” Gao Xue Ting was speechless. This was already a High-Rank Mad Blood Pill, so what could be better? This was already the highest quality for normal Mad Blood Pills, any higher meant that it would either have to have formed Pill Veins or Pill Clouds, but that was not a feat one could easily achieve.
Yang Kai had mentioned that her Mad Blood Pill was of low quality, and made by a lousy Alchemist. He was obviously worried that Gao Xue Ting’s foundation might be damaged from taking that Mad Blood Pill, so he made another one for her.
Considering all these, a warm feeling filled her heart.
The Mad Blood Pill was not difficult to refine, but finding the materials was difficult because they were all Emperor Grade Spirit Medicines, many of them rare and extremely hard to source.
Back then, Gao Xue Ting was lucky to gather all the materials for the Mad Blood Pill and requested the Emperor Grade Alchemist in the Temple to refine a furnace of it. Unfortunately, only one Mad Blood Pill was successfully produced from the furnace, and it was a Low-Grade one.
But now, Yang Kai actually made a High-Grade Mad Blood Pill; its value was far greater than the previous one.
Looking at the dregs on the ground, Gao Xue Ting immediately realized that Yang Kai had refined many furnaces, and picked the best product for her.
“Elder Gao, just throw away your old Mad Blood Pill, that thing should never be taken,” Yang Kai advised solemnly.
Gao Xue Ting nodded in agreement and took out the jade bottle that contained the Mad Blood Pill from her Space Ring. She put the Spirit Pill on her palm, and crushed it into dust. Then, she placed the new one made by Yang Kai into her jade bottle.
“Are you relieved now?” Gao Xue Ting looked at him.
Yang Kai grinned, “If Elder Gao wants any Emperor Grade Spirit Pill in the future, just look for me. Disciple is skilful and outstanding in Alchemy, and can give a twenty percent discount to Elder Gao.”
Gao Xue Ting chuckled, “You’re already an Emperor Realm Master, don’t be shameless and make a fool of yourself like the one surnamed Wen.”
The corner of Yang Kai’s mouth twitched, “So, Elder Gao has always regarded Temple Master Wen as a fool…”
Gao Xue Ting snorted lightly, turned and looked around, “I see that there are still some spirit medicines left in the medicine garden. Why didn’t you collect them? What’s the purpose of leaving them there?” She changed the subject.
After asking, she seemed to recall something and continued with a realization, “I see, Alchemists usually avoid cutting roots when collecting spirit medicines and deliberately leave stems behind to promote future growth?”
Yang Kai nodded, “It’s true that this is the standard practice, but that only applies to some immature herbs. This medicine garden has existed for a long time, and all the spirit medicines are already mature, so we can pluck all of them.”
“Then why did you still leave some of them here?” Gao Xue Ting was puzzled.
Yang Kai smiled wryly, “These spirit medicines cannot be touched. In this world, once some spirit medicines are harvested, no matter how well preserved they are, they will lose their efficacies and wither in a very short time. So, most of the time, you can only collect these spirit medicines when you are prepared to use them. Elder Gao, some of the herbs that you collected before are actually like this.”
Gao Xue Ting was shocked at the information and she hurriedly checked her Space Ring, only to discover that two herbs had seriously deteriorated already.
“Ah… I see.” She sighed with regret.
It was just more than one day ago that she collected these two spirit medicines, but they already lost so much of their medicinal efficacies. If they were given another two to three days, perhaps they would just turn into dead dregs.
“Isn’t it a waste for these spirit medicines then?” Gao Xue Ting looked at the twenty or more exceptionally rare spirit medicines in the medicine garden.
“It’s fine,” Yang Kai smiled faintly, but he was not sincere with his words.
It was fine for him to leave other spirit medicines here. At most, he could just come back to collect them if he needed them in the future.
However, it was dreadfully hard for him to let go of the Flesh Incarnation Fruit Tree.
There were already three flowers blooming on this particular tree, and although it was unknown how many years it would take to produce a new fruit, the thought of giving up on such a rare extinct prize pained Yang Kai’s heart.
Fortunately, he had the Sealed World Bead, and if he handled things properly, he still had a great chance to move the entire medicine garden into it. However, Gao Xue Ting was still here; he had to first send her out of this place if he wanted to collect this place.
“If Elder Gao feels well enough, let’s set out. Junior Sister Lu Wen is still waiting outside.” Yang Kai suggested.
“Good.”
When they got to the entrance, Yang Kai waved, sending out several threads of Emperor Qi to remove the restriction he placed before opening the Void Corridor and leaving the small world with Gao Xue Ting.
A pungent smell of blood irritated their noses as they arrived outside, and looking around, several corpses were lyingfulfil in the wilderness, their body parts scattered about. All of these people had apparently died horrifyingly.
Gao Xue Ting was startled as she thought there was an ambush outside.
However, she soon saw only two young women standing there quietly. One of them looked unfamiliar to her. She was young, about twenty years old, but she had a powerful Third-Order Dao Source Realm cultivation. Meanwhile, the other woman was the Temple disciple Lu Wen, but she seemed to be a little frightened as her face was slightly pale.
Seeing Gao Xue Ting and Yang Kai appear, the two women’s eyes lit up and came up to greet them.
“Elder Gao!” Joy overflowed from Lu Wen’s eyes, her face flushed red, as if she saw a long-lost family member.
Zhang Ruo Xi beamed, “Elder Sister Lu can now be relieved. No one can beat Sir.”
Lu Wen smiled in embarrassment, “Many thanks, Senior Brother Yang for your help.”
Yang Kai responded, “You’re welcome, Junior Sister Lu. I’m also a Temple disciple. I’m duty-bound if an Elder is in trouble.”
Gao Xue Ting remarked, “Anyway, I really owe it to you this time, otherwise I would have been…”
She could not help shivering as recalling the crisis before still left her a bit unnerved.
Shaking her head, she pressed on with a soft voice, “Since everything is over, I’m planning to return back to the Temple. Lu Wen, follow me.”
“Understood!” Lu Wen was delighted.
Although she was ordered by the Temple to collect all kinds of information in the Eastern Territory, she had been wandering alone for a while and often missed her Brothers and Sisters back in the Sect, as well as the scenery of her hometown.
Now that Gao Xue Ting wanted to take her back to the Temple, it was natural that she was overjoyed.
“How about you, Yang Kai?” Gao Xue Ting turned to him and asked.
Since Yang Kai appeared in the Eastern Territory, he must have something to deal with. Therefore, she did not rashly ask him if he wanted to return to the Southern Territory with her.
As she had guessed, Yang Kai shook his head, “I have a place to go, to find a friend.”
Gao Xue Ting nodded, “Then you should be careful. Even though you are an Emperor Realm Master now and your strength is not weak, there are many talented and powerful people in this world. A lot of them are not as simple as they seem.”
“Disciple knows,” Yang Kai replied respectfully.
“If you have time… Come back to the Temple and have a look. You are still an in-name disciple in the Temple after all.”
“I will.”
He definitely would want to return to Azure Sun Temple one day, because he still had to go to the Divine Ascension Mirror to fulfill his promise with Tian Yan.
Then, Gao Xue Ting and Lu Wen departed.
About a hundred kilometres away, Lu Wen asked Gao Xue Ting quizzically, “Elder, that Senior Brother Yang is so strong, but why is he just an in-name disciple in the temple?”
With Yang Kai’s strength, he was more than qualified to be a Sect Elder. At first, she thought that Yang Kai was one of the top disciples like Xia Sheng and Xiao Bai Yi, but it turned out that he was just an in-name disciple.
After pondering for a moment, Gao Xue Ting replied, “Because he didn’t join the Temple of his own free will. Even the Azure Sun Golden Token was given to him forcefully by this Queen.”
“Ah…” Lu Wen immediately lost her ability to think.
…..
On the wasteland, in front of the entrance of the Small Sealed World, Yang Kai watched Gao Xue Ting and Lu Wen leave. Only when they were out of sight did he take out the Ten Thousand Beasts Seal and toss it to Zhang Ruo Xi, “Refine this and use it for now.”
Zhang Ruo Xi caught it and took a close look at it before immediately squealing in joy, “Many thanks, Sir, for this great treasure!”
Yang Kai had never given her any treasures before, but Liu Yan, Hua Qing Si and the Embodiment each had their own Emperor Artifact, all of which were given to them by Yang Kai. Although Zhang Ruo Xi kept quiet about it, she was looking forward to such a gift finding its way to her eventually.
She knew that Yang Kai did not have a habit of favouring one over another; it was just that he had not found anything suitable for her yet.
Nevertheless, she did not expect Yang Kai to give her one so soon.
As long as it was given by Yang Kai, it was a treasure to her even if it was a lump of iron, let alone a strange Emperor Artifact stamp seal.
Zhang Ruo Xi flipped the Ten Thousand Beasts Seal in her hands over and over with a bright smile. The more she looked at it, the more she liked it.
Yang Kai glanced at her and commented, “You seem to display a lot of bloodthirst when you battle. The next time you fight with others, you should try to control it a little.”
After hearing this, Zhang Ruo Xi stuck out her tongue, “I also don’t know what happened. As soon as I start fighting with someone, I feel like I turn into a different person, and I seem to have scared Sister Lu Wen…”
Previously, Lu Wen’s face was bloodless because she could not stand the bloody fight that had just taken place. She had fought and killed before too, so this kind of scene naturally should not be frightening to her. Therefore, her fear must have mainly stemmed from Zhang Ruo Xi herself.
Yang Kai had no idea why Zhang Ruo Xi would act so violently at such a small age. It would not be strange if this kind of aura appeared on a bloodthirsty murderer, but it concerned Yang Kai that Zhang Ruo Xi possessed such cruelty within her.
The only explanation he could think of was Zhang Ruo Xi’s bloodline.
If he ever had another chance to see Duan Hong Chen, he must ask about it. Otherwise, the cruelty of Zhang Ruo Xi may affect her character in the future, which would be a disaster if she turned into an emotionless murderer.
“Sir, where are we going now?” Zhang Ruo Xi asked.
“We’re not going anywhere until I’m done here.”
Saying so, Yang Kai opened the entrance of the Small Sealed World again, stretched out his hand, and grabbed Zhang Ruo Xi to enter with him.
Apart from the twenty remaining trees and the few spirit medicines that could not be harvested, there was nothing more left in the ancient medicine garden except exceedingly rich World Energy.
Yang Kai asked Zhang Ruo Xi to find herself a place to rest, then he went straight to the two medicine gardens.
After observing for a while, Yang Kai made a decision.
Pushing his Emperor Qi, Yang Kai formed a seal with his hands and began releasing streams of his power into the ground.
Although Yang Kai’s actions were swift, he was extremely careful to avoid damaging anything.
Even if Yang Kai was already an Emperor Realm Master, he still sweated profusely after working for an hour non-stop. He seemed to have exhausted a tremendous amount of energy.
However, Yang Kai had managed the preliminary step properly, so the rest would be much easier.
After a moment of meditation while sitting cross-legged, he regained some of his strength and got up again.
He madly surged his Divine Sense next, and like a tide, it enveloped the two medicine gardens in front of him at once. Then, Yang Kai stomped his foot fiercely and bellowed, “Rise!”
The entire Small Sealed World shook and rumbled as the two squares of the medicine garden rose up slowly under the support of a tremendous force.
Since it was impossible to harvest the remaining trees and spirit medicines without damaging them, Yang Kai figured he could just collect the entire medicine gardens instead!
Such an insane plan could only be accomplished by Yang Kai, since he possessed the Sealed World Bead that could easily accommodate the two gardens.
Anyone else would have no choice but to sigh and lament their loss.
*Hong long long…*
Yang Kai enveloped the medicine gardens with his Divine Sense and lifted them into the sky. They resembled two miniature floating islands as he sent them into the Sealed World Bead and placed them right beside his own medicine garden.
Afterwards, he used his Divine Sense to carefully scan the herbs for signs of damage or wilting before nodding in satisfaction.
However, he didn’t intend to stop here. Completely ignoring his own excessive consumption, he proceeded to spend a great deal of time moving the rest of the ten medicine gardens into the Sealed World Bead.
Seeing that the ancient medical garden was able to cultivate so many ten-thousand-year-old spirit medicines, there must be something miraculous hidden within the soil. If nothing else, there was no doubt they had extremely fertile soil.
By taking these gardens into the Sealed World Bead, Yang Kai could not only expand his own garden, but could also increase the survival rate of the plants he would grow in the future by transplanting them into the enhanced soil.
When he was finally done, he checked the place one last time before leaving with Zhang Ruo Xi.
Half a month later.
Yang Kai and Zhang Ruo Xi shot through the sky on his wooden boat. The lands below them were desolate, with no one in sight as far as the eye could see.
During this period of time, the further they travelled, the fewer people they saw. At first, there may be a city here and there, but eventually, it became difficult to spot even a single person.
Zhang Ruo Xi didn’t know where Yang Kai was taking them, and she didn’t ask. She silently followed him and refined the Ten Thousand Beasts Seal whenever she was free. Like this, time passed quickly.
One day, a dilapidated city suddenly appeared below them. It looked like it had been haphazardly put together with no regard for aesthetics whatsoever, as the buildings were all in complete disarray.
However, despite its appearance, the city was very lively, with countless tough-looking cultivators running amok.
Yang Kai observed it for a few moments before landing the boat.
Soon, he and Zhang Ruo Xi entered the city.
The city didn’t seem to have a name, but there was no shortage of people coming and going, all of them seemingly in a hurry.
The narrow alleyways were crowded on both sides with stalls and their respective vendors shouted loudly to attract the attention of customers. Yang Kai and Zhang Ruo Xi were bombarded by their voices as soon as they stepped inside.
“This is an Emperor Grade Purple Lunar Jade, which is the best material for nourishing Emperor Artifacts! Don’t miss it, come take a look!”
“High-Rank Emperor Grade spirit medicine, Profound Soul Solidifying Grass! Even direct consumption will bring you endless benefits! Trade only, not selling!”
“This is the Secret Art of a Third-Order Emperor Realm Master, Sect Leader Duan San Tai of Mountain Sect, which existed over a thousand years ago! If you successfully cultivate it, you will obtain an indestructible metal body! I’m selling this cheap for ten thousand Mid-Rank Source Crystals. I risked my life to bring it back from the Ancient Lands! This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity!”
“What? Who said that it’s fake? Come here and say it louder, I promise I won’t beat you!”
“Selling the location of a Twelfth-Order Six-Tailed Spirit Fox cub! It’s a rare beast that has the bloodline of the Nine-Tailed Spirit Fox! Those who want to tame it can come speak to me personally, and I will provide paid guidance service.”
“……”
Zhang Ruo Xi stared wide-eyed at her surroundings, her head whipping from side to side as she tried to take in everything around her. It was all so novel to her.
After a while, she pulled on Yang Kai’s clothes and asked in a low whisper, “Sir, what is this place? Why are there so many Emperor Grade materials, ancient Secret Arts, and even the locations of Monster Beast pups being sold? And what are these Ancient Lands they speak of?”
She could understand if it were just Emperor Grade materials, but it was truly strange for Secret Arts and locations of Monster Beast cubs to also be sold.
However, after listening for a while, she was able to gather that all of the items being sold here were brought from a place called the Ancient Lands, and the locations of the Monster Beast cubs were also in that place.
The city was chaotic but undeniably lively. Moreover, she realized that almost all of the cultivators here were Dao Source Realms or above. There were even quite a few passing Masters who exuded Emperor Aura!
How was a place like this able to attract so many Masters? Why was it so attractive to them?
Yang Kai responded with a smile, “This place sits at the border of the Ancient Wild Lands. The Ancient Lands they speak of are precisely the Ancient Wild Lands.”
“Ancient Wild Lands?” She repeated in astonishment, evidently never having heard of such a place.
“I know little about the Ancient Wild Lands. It is a place that is extremely dangerous to explore as it is home to countless Monster Beasts and even Divine Spirits, as well as many other lethal threats. Even an Emperor would not be able to guarantee his safety inside.”
“Yet despite the dangers, so many people are venturing inside… That must mean it is a place filled with treasures!” Zhang Ruo Xi realized immediately.
“This world is driven by people, while people are driven by profits. That is the sole reason for which these Masters have gathered here. Although perilous, the Ancient Wild Lands brim with treasures, and most of the items sold by people here contain a sliver of the Ancient Wild Lands’ aura, which means they were all brought out from there. Even the Yuan Ding Great Emperor’s Mountains and Rivers Bell originated from the Ancient Wild Lands.”
“The Mountains and Rivers Bell!” Zhang Ruo Xi’s eyes lit up with excitement. She had also undergone training in the Shattered Star Sea and naturally knew of the Mountains and Rivers Bell, but she wasn’t aware that it was now in Yang Kai’s possession.
Taking a deep breath, she asked, “Sir, are you here to enter the Ancient Lands?”
He nodded, “En, I came for the Ancient Wild Lands.”
According to the information provided by Yin Le Sheng, Xiao Xiao was indeed teleported to the Eastern Territory with him back then. However, Yin Le Sheng was injured at the time and was unable to capture Xiao Xiao, so he simply chose to fall back and lie in wait for an opportunity to subdue the strange creature.
He never thought Xiao Xiao would enter the Ancient Wild Lands to escape his pursuit, however. At the time, although he didn’t know what the Ancient Wild Lands were, Yin Le Sheng had instinctively sensed the danger from this place and was forced to give up his pursuit.
After that, he never saw Xiao Xiao again.
If the information was correct, then Xiao Xiao should still be inside the Ancient Wild Lands.
Under the constraints of the Soul Contract, and unless he knew a Secret Technique that could counter the backlash, it was unlikely for Yin Le Sheng’s words to be false.
In any case, Yang Kai had to enter the Ancient Wild Lands regardless.
He didn’t know much about this place though, and if he hadn’t come to the Eastern Territory, it was likely that Yang Kai would not have even heard this place’s name. Thus, he needed someone to provide him with information about the Ancient Wild Lands.
Originally, he had a suitable candidate: Qi Hai from Qi Family Fort!
Back when they were in the Shattered Star Sea, this person had urged Yang Kai to visit his Qi Family Fort as a guest which was situated close to the Ancient Wild Lands. Since Qi Hai was a member of the Qi Family, Yang Kai was certain that he knew many top secrets about the Ancient Wild Lands.
With his help, Yang Kai reckoned that his chance of survival in the Ancient Wild Lands would increase significantly.
Alas… the main reason Qi Hai wanted him to visit was for the Phoenix True Fire.
When she was exploring the Ancient Wild Lands, Qi Hai’s wife was inflicted with one of the Ten Extreme Poisons, the Heavenly Frost Earth Rain, instantly sealing her fate. The only possible cure was to undergo nirvana with the help of the Phoenix True Flame.
It was for this reason that Qi Hai entered the Shattered Star Sea, to find the Phoenix True Flame, conquer it, and then use it to save his wife.
However, he didn’t have such good fortune, and now the Phoenix True Flame was being refined by Liu Yan. Liu Yan had been taken to Spirit Beast Island by Jiu Feng, so naturally it would be too shameless for Yang Kai to go to Qi Hai and ask for help now.
Qi Hai had been naive to think that he could save his wife as long as he obtained the Phoenix True Flame, not knowing that refining it was dangerous and time-consuming.
As Yang Kai was speaking with Zhang Ruo Xi, a man with the head of a buck and the glinting eyes of a rat suddenly approached them and whispered furtively, “Friend, I have an Emperor Grade spirit fruit here, the Nine Heavens Vibrant Cloud Fruit, that I can sell to you at a cheap price. What do you think?”
While speaking, he flipped over his palm, revealing a glowing red fruit that exuded rich Qi. It was only for a second, but the strong Spirit Qi fluctuations caused the surrounding cultivators to simultaneously look over in surprise. Contrary, the handful of stall owners who turned their heads away, all revealing strange expressions.
“Nine Heavens Vibrant Cloud Fruit?” The corners of Yang Kai’s lips arched, revealing a meaningful smile.
Zhang Ruo Xi frowned and took a step back. This man was not only dressed sloppily but also smelled horrible, as though he hadn’t washed his body in several days. Moreover, as he spoke, she could see a mouthful of rotten, yellow teeth.
“Do you want it?” The man lowered his voice, as if he was afraid of being heard, “I risked my life to bring this back from the Ancient Lands. There was even a Twelfth-Order Monster Beast guarding it!”
“A Twelfth-Order Monster Beast guarding it…” Yang Kai looked speechless.
As an Emperor Grade Alchemist, he could tell with a single glance that this Nine Heavens Vibrant Cloud Fruit was fake. The real Nine Heavens Vibrant Cloud Fruit was indeed an Emperor Grade spirit medicine, and it was extremely rare; however, its aura was always restrained and would never exude such strong energy fluctuations.
The Nine Heavens Vibrant Cloud Fruit would only be guarded by one Monster Beast, and that was the Nine Heavens Thunder Python. It was indeed a Twelfth-Order Monster Beast, but this man’s cultivation was only First-Order Dao Source Realm. If he were to actually encounter the Nine Heavens Thunder Python, there was absolutely no possibility of him returning alive, for he would be swallowed whole in a matter of seconds.
In this nameless city, snakes and vipers crept around among dragons. Yang Kai was unfamiliar with this place, but he was familiar with that principle, so he didn’t pay it much heed.
It was most likely that this person chose to target Yang Kai and Zhang Ruo Xi because they looked young and new to the city, easy to swindle and make a fortune off of.
Yang Kai didn’t want to pay attention to this kind of person, but a similar figure suddenly surfaced in his mind.
Thinking back when he first encountered the Bustling World Great Emperor in Maplewood City, he had also looked this sloppy…
When he thought about Duan Hong Chen, Yang Kai couldn’t help but feel a little worried and wondered how he was doing after his Soul fused with Wu Kuang’s.
“Can you give me an answer, friend? If you don’t want it, I’ll go find someone else!” The man couldn’t help but urge when he saw Yang Kai become absentminded.
Yang Kai glanced at him and then released his Emperor Pressure for a fleeting moment.
The man’s face immediately paled. He stumbled back and then said with a look of amazement, “So it turns out that Sir is a mighty Emperor Realm Master!”
As a cultivator in the Second-Order Dao Source Realm, this man wasn’t exactly a weakling, but compared to an Emperor, he was like an ant. Yang Kai’s act of releasing his Emperor Pressure made him realize that this unremarkable-looking youth was not to be provoked.
Amidst his horror, he gave an ugly smile and said, “Since you don’t need it, Sir, this lowly one will take his leave.”
Who was he kidding? He only dared to swindle cultivators in the Dao Source Realm and was in no way courageous enough to provoke an Emperor Realm Master. If he didn’t leave now, the young man might make him suffer the consequences of disturbing him!
“Wait!” Yang Kai suddenly called out.
The man’s forehead was dripping with cold sweat.
“Y-Y-Yes, Sir?” he answered, trembling.
“It appears that you have been here for a long time?”
“Yes, Sir. This lowly one has resided in this city for over thirty years now.”
“Thirty years!” Yang Kai raised an eyebrow, “In other words, you must be quite familiar with the Ancient Wild Lands?”
His amiable attitude seemed to be infectious, for the sloppy man gradually calmed down and hurriedly responded, “Naturally.”
“I have some questions for you then,” Yang Kai said lightly.
“About the Ancient Land?” The man was quick-witted, immediately grasping the implications behind Yang Kai’s words.
Yang Kai nodded, “Is there a place here that we can talk?”
“If you don’t mind, Sir, this lowly one can guide you to a place. However, it is a little… expensive.”
“Very well. Lead the way!” Yang Kai waved his hand.
The man was overjoyed and quickly led the way.
Before long, the three of them entered a building that resembled a restaurant. Just like the rest of the city, the outside of the restaurant was haphazardly put together; however, the inside was quite a contrast.
Its interior was luxuriously decorated with thick, unknown animal fur on the ground and softly glowing light stones of all sizes on the walls. Even the air was filled with a faint but refreshing fragrance.
A single glance at this restaurant was enough to tell Yang Kai that its owner was a capable individual, as it would be impossible to furnish the restaurant so luxuriously otherwise.
As soon as the three walked in, a man dressed as a shop-hand came out to greet them, but when he saw the filthy swindler, he waved his hand rudely, “Shoo, shoo, shoo. Is this a place you can enter, Pi San? Hurry up and get out before you dirty our floor.”
Despite only being responsible for greeting customers, the shop-hand was actually a Third-Order Saint King, and he also looked to be quite young.
This caused Yang Kai’s eyes to flash subtly. It seemed that there were some hidden dragons and crouching tigers in this restaurant. Although a Third-Order Saint King was nothing in his eyes, the shop-hand was clearly overqualified for his job.
The swindler, Pi San, was enraged by the shop-hand’s words though and blue veins bulged on his forehead as he shouted, “Don’t you look down on us! I am here today with this Sir to eat. Hurry up and serve us whatever delicious foods and drinks you have, we do not lack Source Crystals!”
Watching him bluff and flaunt with Yang Kai’s prestige and power was quite hilarious.
“Sir?” The shop hand glanced at Yang Kai and Zhang Ruo Xi, his brow slightly furrowed.
Zhang Ruo Xi looked to be around twenty years of age, so even if her aptitude was good, it should be impossible for her to be an Emperor Realm Master. Yang Kai, on the other hand, appeared somewhat reserved and mysterious, and didn’t seem to be weak.
This shop-hand worked all year round and had developed a very keen eye, so with just a glance, he was able to determine that Yang Kai was most likely the strongest of this group, as well as its leader. If that wasn’t the case, Pi San wouldn’t go as far as to call him ‘Sir’.
Since they were here to eat, the shop hand naturally had no reason to block them. He bowed and said respectfully, “Please come in, honoured guests.”
Likewise, Pi San fawningly bowed and stepped forward to lead the way, saying, “Come with me, Sir, I’ll guide you to a private room.”
Yang Kai nodded and followed him inside.
When they passed by the shop-hand, the shop-hand suddenly said, “Sir, Pi San is a well-known swindler in these parts, especially towards those who are new to the city. Many people have been deceived by him. Be sure to keep your eyes open, don’t let yourself fall for his tricks.”
Yang Kai glanced at him and responded with a slight smile, “Many thanks for the warning, Little Brother, but don’t worry. If he dares to swindle me, I will ensure that he won’t be able to see tomorrow’s dawn.”
The shop hand smiled, “You are wise, Sir!”
When Pi San heard this, he immediately blanched and said hurriedly, “Rest assured, Sir! I, Pi San, am not a blind swindler. Sir, you are clearly so wise and powerful, how could I dare to play tricks in front of you? Wouldn’t I be courting my own death?”
However, Yang Kai’s face simply remained unchanged, the faint smile causing Pi San to feel more and more nervous.
Soon, with Pi San guiding them, the three entered a private room.
He seemed to be aware of his own unpleasant odour, so after Yang Kai and Zhang Ruo Xi took their seats, he deliberately took a seat far away from them.
“Sir, since this is your first time here, you must try the restaurant’s Wild Wine!” He said with great enthusiasm.
Yang Kai snorted lightly, “You may order whatever you wish. Consider it a reward for answering my questions.”
Pi San was overjoyed and hurriedly said, “Many thanks, Sir!”
He was almost drooling as he spoke and immediately slapped the table to call for a waitress in an imposing manner, then he proceeded to rattle off more than a dozen dishes with ease and familiarity.
Yang Kai was slightly surprised by the names he heard as he could tell that these dishes were all made using Monster Beast parts and spirit herbs. Not only that, but they were Eleventh-Order Monster Beasts and Dao Source Grade spirit herbs!
Dishes such as these, even if they tasted horrible, were greatly beneficial for any cultivator, and with long-term consumption, they would definitely experience an increase in strength.
The waitress was quite young, and after Pi San finished ordering, she turned toward Yang Kai and said awkwardly, “Honoured guest, your order comes to a total of 530,000 Low-Rank Source Crystals. Please pardon this humble one for asking you to settle the account first.”
She seemed to know that Yang Kai was the one with the Source Crystals, not Pi San.
Upon hearing this, Pi San angrily slammed the table, “What!? Are you afraid we’ll run after eating? Both you and that shop-hand outside, so young yet already so disrespectful! Is this how you were taught to treat customers?”
The waitress’s beautiful face turned pale with fright and quickly waved her hands while denying, “No, no…”
Just as Pi San opened his mouth again to teach her a lesson, Yang Kai gave a sudden cold snort, which immediately made him shrink back and shut up.
Yang Kai took out a cloth bag from his Space Ring and handed it to the waitress, “Here.”
The waitress took it and confirmed the amount inside with her Divine Sense before smiling and nodding, “Please give us a few moments, Honoured Guests. Your food and drinks will arrive shortly.”
Saying so, she turned around and left.
This restaurant proved to be quite efficient because, before long, their order was ready. The table was filled to the brim with delicious food and wine that saturated the air with their mouth-watering aromas.
There was no lack of variety, and each and every dish looked absolutely delectable.
Pi San picked up the wine jar, respectfully walked to Yang Kai and Zhang Ruo Xi’s side, and graciously filled their cups while introducing, “The Wild Wine here is a treasure that must be tasted, Sir.”
However, Zhang Ruo Xi frowned as she snapped, “Hurry up and finish eating, so you can answer Sir’s questions!”
She treated him with undisguised displeasure.
“Young Lady, please do not regard this with offence, but it is best to drink this wine if you plan to enter the Ancient Land.”
“Why?” She looked at him suspiciously.
He responded with a slight smile, “Because every ingredient used to make this wine is from the Ancient Land, which imbues it with the aura of the Ancient Land itself. Drinking this wine will allow you to adapt slightly to the Wild Force, which will help you greatly in your venture.”
“Wild Force?” Zhang Ruo Xi still didn’t quite understand.
Meanwhile, Yang Kai revealed a thoughtful look and nodded, “Ruo Xi, drink some and feel the mysteries of the Wild Force.”
Since Yang Kai had spoken, she naturally didn’t continue to refuse, “Yes!”
She took a slight sip and savoured it, then her brow furrowed in surprise. Quickly, as though resisting something, she began to circulate her Source Qi.
Pi San watched on with a knowing look, “The energy contained within the Wild Wine is strong and vigorous. Even an Emperor Realm Master will struggle with drinking more than one jar. Please drink slowly and carefully, Young Lady.”
While he was speaking, Yang Kai also took a sip. Indeed, there was a strange power hidden in the wine that after entering his abdomen, melted into his physique, meridians, and dantian, affecting the circulation of his Emperor Qi.
However, this power was not unfamiliar to Yang Kai. He raised an eyebrow at this realization and thought to himself, [Isn’t this so-called Wild Force the same as the aura released by my Mountains and Rivers Bell?]
When Yang Kai activated the Mountains and Rivers Bell, its power surged forth and suppressed the Wild Force contained within the Wild Wine, which was indeed very similar but countless times weaker.
After figuring out the secret behind the Wild Wine, Yang Kai urged his Emperor Qi to dissolve its effects.
Pi San, who had returned to his end of the table, was already wolfing down the food like a starved ghost. He seemed to be aware that neither Yang Kai nor Zhang Ruo Xi were interested in the food, so he didn’t say anything and simply focused on stuffing his face.
Normally, he would never be able to afford to eat at a restaurant like this, but since Yang Kai said that this table of food and wine was a reward, he would not be polite.
After some time, he finally sat back, rubbed his protruding stomach in satisfaction, and let out a sound burp.
Meanwhile, Yang Kai and Zhang Ruo Xi had only consumed half of the jar of Wild Wine. Yang Kai only drank one glass, while Zhang Ruo Xi drank the rest. At this point, her cheeks were already flushed, and her expression slightly dazed.
She was in the Third-Order Dao Source Realm, so the fact that a little under half a jar of Wild Wine could intoxicate her showed that the wine was indeed potent; however, part of the reason was probably also because she’d never drank wine before.
“Since you’ve had your fill, I will ask you my questions,” Yang Kai said indifferently, turning his gaze to the man lying relaxed in the chair.
Pi San shuddered and immediately sat up with a solemn expression on his face, “Please do, Sir! This lowly one will tell you everything he knows!”
“En,” Yang Kai was quite satisfied with his attitude and continued, “I am here for the first time and know nothing about the Ancient Lands, so tell me everything you know.”
Pi San fell silent as he organized his thoughts. After a while, he opened his mouth and said passionately, “Sir, since you’ve come to this city by word of mouth, this lowly one believes you are not absolutely ignorant about the Ancient Lands. It is a region that has never been occupied by man, for a legion of powerful Monster Beasts reside within it. There are countless natural dangers as well, so much that not even an Emperor Realm Master would be able to guarantee his own safety inside. In other words, cultivators who enter the Ancient Lands must be prepared to leave their lives there, for they may fall at any time. But of course, the greater the danger, the greater the benefits. All sorts of rare herbs grow inside, and there is no lack of other precious treasures. Thus, despite the dangers, countless Masters from across the entire Star Boundary are eager to explore this region. Countless people have met with fortune in the Ancient Land, including the famous Yuan Ding Great Emperor. It is said that his signature Mountain and Rivers Bell was found within the Ancient Lands, and it was that very bell that allowed him to rise to seize the title of Great Emperor!”
Although everything Pi San had said so far was common knowledge that Yang Kai was already aware of, he didn’t interrupt him and continued to listen attentively.
“The Ancient Lands is not a place that can be entered at will. The minimum cultivation level for those who wish to enter is the Dao Source Realm. Any lower, and they would lack the qualifications to even set foot inside.”
“There is only one path leading to the Ancient Lands, a colossal canyon that is shrouded in a thick and strange fog year-round. The fog is so thick that one would not be able to see their own five fingers stretched out before them, and it also interferes with one’s Divine Sense. This alone doesn’t pose much of a threat, but there’s more… a deadly, invisible Astral Wind that blows from time to time. Any cultivator in the Dao Source Realm who encounters this wind… heh, heh… would be left on the verge of death. Yet, there is something even more dangerous than the gale, and that is… the Falling Thunder. It is as strong as an attack from an Emperor Realm Master and thus very difficult to resist. Several years ago, there was an Emperor Realm Master who ventured into the Ancient Lands for the first time. He was confident in his strength and didn’t bother to gather information about the Ancient Lands, and as a result… he never returned. It was only three years ago that someone found his body just fifty kilometres from the entrance.”
“Masters from countless influential Sects have investigated the Ancient Lands and determined that the canyon entrance is filled with Natural Spirit Arrays. The mysterious fog, the Astral Wind, and the Falling Thunder are all produced by those very Natural Spirit Arrays. They appear sporadically, ungoverned by any discernible law. Therefore, in order to enter the Ancient Lands, luck is more important than strength. If you are lucky, you will be able to pass safely, but if you’re not… only death awaits you.”
“But that’s not all! ‘What other dangers could there be?’, you may ask. Of course, it’s the danger of our own kind! There are people who lurk in the canyon and target lone cultivators, killing and then looting them. Such people are very familiar with the environment because it is essentially their home. Encountering them would prove more troublesome than any of the canyon’s natural dangers. Therefore, you must never let your guard down while you’re there, Sir.”
“Needless to say, beyond the canyon, the Ancient Lands themself are also filled with danger at every turn. The entire region is covered in its natural aura, the Wild Force. No one knows exactly what this power is, but according to the people who returned alive, it can suppress your power by as little as less than a quarter percent to an entire half. Several Masters have fallen because of this.”
“That is also the reason I insisted that you and the Young Lady drink the Wild Wine, Sir. Although the Wild Force contained within it is much weaker than in the Ancient Lands, it will greatly familiarize you with the strange power.
“The most prevalent dangers are the ones you will face in the canyon, as well as the Wild Force. As for what dangers you may encounter once you enter the Ancient Land… Need I say more? Monster Beasts reign there amidst countless other Natural Restrictions and Spirit Arrays. It is even said that a number of Divine Spirits reside within the Ancient Land. I believe that there is truly no place in the Star Boundary more dangerous than the Ancient Lands.”
As he listened to Pi San’s explanation, Yang Kai’s expression became slightly tense.
According to what he said, the entrance alone was already extremely dangerous, let alone the land inside.
He wasn’t worried about whether he would encounter any danger after entering, but rather about Xiao Xiao whose cultivation didn’t even reach the peak of the Origin King Realm when they separated. Could he have survived in such a perilous place?
As for the Wild Force, he didn’t pay it much heed as he was already very familiar with it.
After all, the Primitive Aura from his Mountains and Rivers Bell was far stronger than the so-called Wild Force. Moreover, as the owner of the bell, Yang Kai believed that the Wild Force would not affect him much.
Pi San, on the other hand, interpreted Yang Kai’s solemn expression as wariness.
This was the normal reaction. People would hear rumours and travel to this desolate city without knowing what dangers lay within the Ancient Lands and leave in dismay once they learned. Pi San had lived in this city for over thirty years and was no stranger to the occurrence.
He pondered for a while and then said, “Sir, although the Ancient Lands are filled with opportunities, if you wish to enter merely for the sake of treasures, you should leave. It would be better to take the Young Lady elsewhere.”
The table of food had cost Yang Kai 530,000 Low-Rank Source Crystals, yet he didn’t even bat an eye, thus Pi San was very grateful and couldn’t help warning him earnestly.
“I have other reasons for entering the Ancient Lands, ones that cannot be ignored,” Yang Kai responded.
He had to find Xiao Xiao.
“I see…” Seeing Yang Kai’s determination, it would be inappropriate for Pi San to continue dissuading him. Realizing this, he pondered some more, grit his teeth, and retrieved a jade slip from his own Space Ring. “In that case, Sir, I will give you this.”
“What is this?”
Pi San grinned meaningfully, “A map of the Ancient Lands.”
“There is such a thing? Yang Kai suddenly became interested and quickly accepted the jade slip. He poured his Divine Sense into it and saw that it was indeed something like a map, and it was very easy to read.
“This is just a map of the outskirts. No one knows how vast the Ancient Lands truly are, but after so many years of exploration, some information of the outskirts has naturally been revealed. Some have combined all of the information to produce this map which marks the known dangerous regions. You should try to avoid as many of these places as possible, Sir.”
“What do the black dots on this map represent?” Yang Kai asked after studying the map for a while.
“Natural Arrays. The darker the colour, the more formidable the restriction or array.”
“What about the red dots? Are they for Monster Beasts?” Yang Kai asked again.
“Indeed, the red dots signify Monster Beasts. Similarly, the brighter the colour, the stronger the Monster Beast.”
Yang Kai nodded slightly. He looked at the map again and saw areas with densely packed red dots, clearly symbolizing areas where Monster Beasts gathered. Those were the areas that even he would have to avoid.
Pi San laughed, “If it were anyone else, this lowly one would’ve sold them a simplified jade slip, but this one is the newest and most detailed, so you can use it with confidence, Sir!”
He’d finished an entire table of food and knew how to return a favour with a favour, making Yang Kai feel that he had not spent 530,000 Low-Rank Source Crystals in vain!
“Many thanks, then!” Yang Kai nodded.
“You are too polite, Sir,” Pi San can’t help being flattered, for he had never been treated so courteously by an Emperor Realm Master before. Despite his strength, normally, people would show a look of disgust at the sight of his face and try to stay far, far away.
Yet, Yang Kai brought him to the best restaurant in this desolate city and fed him an entire table of good food and wine.
“Sir, there is one more thing I would like to tell you.”
“Go ahead. “
“If you must enter the Ancient Lands, it would be best for Sir to find Old Ban!”
“Old Ban?” Yang Kai raised his brows.
Pi San nodded, “No one knows his true name, so everyone just calls him Old Ban. He’s lived in this place for far longer than me and is very familiar with the canyon. Sir, if you can get him to be your guide, your safe entry into the Ancient Lands will be guaranteed.”
“A guide?” Yang Kai asked in surprise. To think that there was someone who could act as a guide for the Ancient Lands! It was quite relieving, actually, considering how dangerous this place was.
“You mustn’t look down on Old Ban, Sir. Although he is only a First-Order Dao Source Realm and is quite elderly, there is no better guide in this desolate city! This lowly one has lived here for thirty years and heard others speak of him countless times. The most impressive thing is that he’s actually entered and returned from the Ancient Lands over a hundred times already! Not even mentioning a hundred times, just being able to travel back and forth safely three to five times is already a big accomplishment. He is truly the most brilliant and experienced guide in the city!”
Yang Kai was visibly moved, “Over a hundred times? How is that possible?”
Pi San responded with a bitter smile, “I would also like to know, but it is a secret that Old Ban keeps to himself. However, this lowly one reckons that he must’ve established a safe route in and out.”
“He is absolutely worth paying a visit to, then. Is he currently in this city?”
It was better to be safe than sorry. Although Yang Kai was a Master who didn’t fear anything, the best option was undoubtedly to have a veteran guide him into the Ancient Lands.
“En, I saw him just yesterday; however, one must pay at least 300,000 Source Crystals for his service.”
“That’s not a problem,” Yang Kai said with a slight smile.
300,000 Source Crystals was a drop in the bucket for him. The table of food Pi San had just eaten was worth over 500,000 Source Crystals already.
“Shall I take you to him, Sir?” Pi San offered politely.
Yang Kai nodded and thought for a moment before calling the waitress over once again. He asked her to prepare ten more bottles of Wild Wine for them to take away.
He didn’t need to drink it, but it wouldn’t hurt Zhang Ruo Xi to drink more.
Before long, the waitress returned with ten jars of Wild Wine. However, to Yang Kai’s surprise, before he could take out his Space Ring to pay, the waitress smiled and told him, “Sir, the manager instructed me to give you these ten bottles of wine free of charge. Please kindly accept them.”
“The manager?” He frowned.
Pi San, however, looked amazed.
“Why did your manager decide to gift me this wine?” Yang Kai asked, looking at the waitress.
“This servant does not know,” she replied, shaking her head.
Yang Kai frowned again and waved his hand, withdrawing some Source Crystals from his Space Ring and leaving them on the table. Next, he threw the bottles of wine into his Space Ring and called out to Zhang Ruo Xi and Pi San, “Let’s go!”
The waitress was somewhat stunned. It seemed that she had never seen someone refuse a free luxury, and before she could react, they were gone.
Outside of the restaurant, Pi San opened and closed his mouth several times before losing to his curiosity, “Sir, are you acquainted with the manager?”
“No, that was my first visit!” Yang Kai responded faintly.
“That’s strange. Why did they want to give you so much Wild Wine then?”
Yang Kai chuckled, “The shopkeeper gave them to me of their own accord. I neither stole nor swindled them, so there is no need to pay it any heed.” He paused and then asked, “What is the background of this restaurant?”
“This lowly one is unsure. It was established a long time ago, and the manager has always been mysterious and never appeared in public, so no one in this city knows the background of the restaurant. However, we believe that the shopkeeper has a great force supporting him from behind. They couldn’t have gained a foothold in this place and set up such a luxurious restaurant otherwise.”
For even a local scoundrel like Pi San to not know the restaurant’s background… it seemed that the restaurant really was supported from the shadows by a great force.
Yang Kai had refused the free Wild Wine precisely because he didn’t want to have any ties with the restaurant and regret it later on.
On the second floor of the restaurant, a pair of bright eyes followed Yang Kai’s departing figure. After a moment, this figure sighed and spoke, “Send a message to Young Master and inform him that the person he mentioned has arrived. It seems that he is about to enter the Ancient Lands, so tell everyone to be prepared.”
“Yes,” a reply came from the darkness.
…..
The city was quite vast, so Yang Kai and Zhou Ruo Xi had to follow Pi San for some time before reaching their destination in the western district.
Pi San pointed to a certain stone house in the distance and said, “That is Old Ban’s residence. It would be best for Sir to go alone, as Old Ban does not have a good impression of this lowly one. This lowly one is afraid he will be prejudiced against Sir if he sees me, so I will not be accompanying you further.”
Yang Kai nodded, “You’ve worked hard.”
“You flatter me, Sir. I wish you a smooth journey and a safe return. Farewell!” As soon as his words fell, he was gone.
“Let’s go,” Yang Kai said before walking directly towards the house Pi San had pointed to.
The houses here were all haphazard in appearance, but they were very sturdy and conformed with the overall look of the city.
Before long, they arrived in front of the house. It resembled a farmyard, fenced in by a wall made of layered thick stones, with a gate at the centre.
Presently, the door was open, and two black-clad cultivators were standing on either side of it.
They looked at Yang Kai and Zhou Rou Xi, their expressions cold.
“Hm?” Yang Kai made a sound of surprise. Did he come to the wrong place? Not only were there cultivators guarding the entrance, but they were also both in the Dao Source Realm. Judging from their auras, they were quite powerful.
However, according to Pi San, Old Ban was just an ordinary man without a noble status. Otherwise, he wouldn’t be acting as a guide for a living.
“What is your purpose here?” One of the black-clad cultivators questioned.
“Excuse me, is this Old Ban’s residence?” Zhang Ruo Xi asked.
“Don’t know!” He replied coldly.
Zhang Ruo Xi frowned. She was annoyed by the man’s flippant ‘don’t know,’ as her question was just a simple yes-or-no question.
“What do you mean, you don’t know? What are you doing here, then?”
The black-clad cultivator glanced at her, then he gave a slight sneer and didn’t respond, greatly angering her.
Yang Kai glanced inside the house and then smiled, saying, “This should be the right place, but it seems that there is someone inside.” He turned his gaze to the black-clad cultivator, “Is it your Master?”
“You talk too much. You should hurry and scram out of here,” the cultivator on the right suddenly spoke up.
Yang Kai grinned, “Why?”
The cultivator on the left snorted coldly, “Are you looking for trouble? Didn’t you hear me tell you to scram? “
“Isn’t this the residence of Old Ban? What right do you have to tell us to leave?” Yang Kai wondered.
“Our Young Lady is inside. Scram if you don’t want to die!”
Yang Kai was taken aback slightly by this situation. He didn’t know which great force these two cultivators and their Young Lady belonged to, but it should be common knowledge that this desolate city was crawling with hidden experts. There was no telling when you might offend the wrong person.
However, seeing that these guards were completely fearless, the force behind them must be quite formidable.
Unfortunately for them, Yang Kai had killed a cultivator at the Third-Order Emperor Realm and even fought against a Great Emperor before. There were very few people in the world who could intimidate him.
He wasn’t angered by these fierce-looking guards and instead said in a harmonious voice, “I’ve come to see Old Ban. Please make way.”
His eyes flashed as he spoke.
The two black-clad cultivators, who had looked so domineering and arrogant, suddenly groaned. As if they had been struck by lightning, they staggered back several steps, their faces pale.
A feeling of extreme pressure descended upon them, and they felt as if they had been pressed down by a mountain, making it difficult to breathe or even lift a finger. Cold sweat dripped from their foreheads, and they could only watch as Yang Kai and Zhang Ruo Xi walked past them.
Zhang Ruo Xi was still angered by their previous actions and even raised her fist to hit them.
Before they could step foot inside the house, however, there was a sudden yell, and then the sound of something breaking.
After a soft thump, a low groan sounded. At the same time, the shrill cry of a little girl entered Yang Kai’s ears.
His expression sank and he immediately rushed into the house. He looked around and found an old man with grey hair kneeling down on the floor. His aura was First-Order Dao Source Realm; however, due to his old age, his vitality was weak, rendering his cultivation somewhat weaker than it should have been.
This person was most likely Old Ban.
His back was facing away from the entrance as he clutched a little girl in his arms. On his shoulder was a horrifying bloodstain, which seemed to have been caused by a whip, and there were even signs of flesh being cleaved from his form.
The little girl in his arms was crying loudly, seemingly extremely frightened.
Aside from the old man and the little girl, there were two other people inside the house.
One was a man who looked to be in his fifties, wearing a cold and indifferent expression on his face.
The other one was a young woman in a flaming red dress. She didn’t look much older than Zhang Ruo Xi. She bore exquisite features and a voluptuous figure, which was further accentuated by her tight-fitting dress. Her appearance was like the embodiment of a blooming red rose.
However, at the moment, she was holding a whip in her hand and raising it high, ready to lash out. With a fierce expression on her face, she snarled, “Don’t refuse a face-saving offer, you old thing. You should feel honoured that this Young Lady is asking you to guide her! If you dare to refuse, I’ll kill you!”
The bloody wound on the old man’s shoulder was caused by the red-clothed girl’s whip, and it was also because of her that the little girl was crying.
“I’ll ask you once more! Will you guide me or not?” The young woman asked as she looked down viciously at the old man.
The old man lowered his head and grit his teeth, “Young Lady, could you spare me a few days? Xiao Ling’er is ill and must be taken care of. If I leave now, she’ll…!”
“What does this dirty brat being sick have to do with this Young Lady? This Young Lady’s time is very precious. Not even a moment of delay is acceptable, let alone a few days! I’ll ask you one last time, will you guide me or not?!” The red-robed girl coldly snorted, not the slightest bit moved.
Old Ban pleaded bitterly, “Two days, this old man only needs two days of time. After two days, this old man will guide you safely into the Ancient Land, Young Lady!”
“Since you’ve chosen to refuse a toast, you must drink a loss. You’re courting death, you old thing!” The red-clothed girl snarled. She was evidently incensed as she lashed out with her whip.
The young woman’s cultivation was not low. Like Zhang Ruo Xi, she was in the Third-Order Dao Source Realm. Yang Kai couldn’t tell what type of Secret Technique she was using, but as her rage increased, her attack also seemed to become more vicious, calling forth the peals of wind and lightning.
If this whip were to land, Old Ban, with his First-Order Dao Source Realm cultivation, would have no way of resisting and be left half dead. However, her whip was suddenly caught mid-air. The other party didn’t seem to be exerting much force, yet the red-clothed young woman found herself unable to budge one bit.
She was furious, and turning her head, she immediately caught sight of another young woman like herself who had appeared behind her without her realizing.
Zhang Ruo Xi was the one who grabbed the whip. Although she was ruthless and savage when fighting, her personality was still innocent and kind. She was naturally enraged by the atrocity occurring before them and intervened without needing Yang Kai to give the command.
“What’s wrong with you?!” she exclaimed.
The red-clothed girl frowned and snapped, “Who are you, little girl? How dare you meddle in this Young Lady’s affairs!”
Zhang Ruo Xi snorted coldly, “Who are you calling a little girl? Aren’t you one too? No matter what, it’s wrong to beat people. This elder said to give him two days. Can’t you see that the little girl is sick?!”
“You dare talk back to me?” The red-clothed girl was like an active volcano, always erupting in anger, “I’ll kill you!”
As she spoke, she tried to pull back her weapon, but no matter how hard she tried, she was unable to free it from Zhang Ruo Xi’s grasp.
Zhang Ruo Xi’s small, fair hand looked like it barely contained any strength, but her grip was like a vice.
The red-clothed girl’s face changed slightly as she realized Zhang Ruo Xi wasn’t as easy to deal with as she thought. Although they were both Third-Order Dao Source Realms, the red-clothed girl was clearly a spoiled, sheltered girl with no real combat experience.
She tried several times to get her whip back but always failed, causing her little face to turn red with embarrassment.
“Why haven’t you moved yet, Old Fu?” She stomped her feet angrily and grit her teeth, “This Young Lady has been bullied! If you don’t make a move now, I’ll go back and tell Lord Father to break your legs! And what are the two wastes outside doing? Their job was to stop people from intruding! When we get back, this Young Lady is going to take their Souls and turn them into slaves!”
However, even after she finished yelling, Old Fu didn’t move.
It wasn’t that he didn’t want to, but he couldn’t.
He’d noticed when Yang Kai and Zhang Ruo Xi broke in but he still didn’t pay them much heed; after all, they both looked young, so even if they had some skill, they wouldn’t be too much to handle.
When Zhang Ruo Xi moved to grab his Young Lady’s whip, Old Fu had wanted to stop her, but when his eyes suddenly met Yang Kai’s, his heart suddenly jumped, and then his mind fell into a momentary trance. As a result, he was unable to stop Zhang Ruo Xi.
Afterwards, he and Yang Kai just stared at each other silently.
In that moment, Old Fu was given a great shock, because he discovered that the young man in front of him was actually a genuine Emperor Realm Master!
[To think he is already an Emperor at such a young age. Does he belong to one of the great forces, or did he encounter a great opportunity in the Shattered Star Sea?]
Recently, many rising stars appeared in the Star Boundary, and it was no secret that there were many new Emperors. Old Fu believed that Yang Kai was one of those rising stars.
However, even though he was shocked, he still didn’t pay much attention to Yang Kai. Few people would dare to provoke his Young Lady, and compared to those few people, Yang Kai was nothing special.
Thus, under the repeated urging of his Young Lady, he finally took action.
A divine light suddenly shot out from his two eyes, and like a sharp sword, it pierced into Yang Kai’s mind.
“A Soul Technique!” Yang Kai raised his eyebrows in surprise.
Since they were both First-Order Emperors, Old Fu couldn’t unleash a Soul Attack as his first strike if he didn’t have absolute confidence in the power of his own Soul. Doing so was risky because if his opponent’s Soul was stronger than his, he would be dealt a strong backlash.
Judging from the strength of Old Fu’s attack, his Soul was indeed very strong, superior to most cultivators in the First-Order Emperor Realm, and almost on par with a Second-Order Emperor.
This was most likely the source of his confidence.
As soon as he unleashed the attack, Old Fu turned his attention from Yang Kai to Zhang Ruo Xi. He seemed to believe that even if the attack failed to hurt Yang Kai, it would at least force him back for a while.
When the red-clothed girl saw Old Fu moving to take action, she began to shout excitedly, “Good, good, good! Old Fu, grab this cheap slut for me. This Young Lady is going to ruin her face to show her the consequences of messing with me!”
Zhang Ruo Xi felt a strong pressure bearing down on her as Old Fu drew near, and it even became slightly difficult to breathe. When she heard the red-clothed girl’s vicious words, her face turned pale.
She was only in her early twenties and hadn’t seen much of the world. If her face really were to get ruined, she would have a hard time going out in public.
Although she was indifferent about her looks, who would want to experience such torture?
The visible panic on Zhang Ruo Xi’s face gave the red-clothed girl a great sense of pride and satisfaction.
“Oh, now you’re afraid? It’s too late! This Young Lady will not only ruin your face, but will also strip you naked and throw you out so those dirty men outside can enjoy you!” She said, laughing happily.
Zhang Ruo Xi grew dizzy with fear, and her pale face became even more bloodless.
In her mind, she couldn’t help but imagine herself naked and surrounded by countless men, and she almost started to cry.
If that kind of thing really were to happen, she was afraid she would be too ashamed to keep on living.
Suddenly, a cold snort sounded from the side, “Hmph! Which family’s little girl is this? To be so vicious at such a young age!”
It was Yang Kai. Even as a man, he couldn’t tolerate the red-clothed girl’s words. Ruining Zhang Rou Xi’s face and tearing off her clothes? It was too cruel.
Old Fu, who had just grabbed towards Zhang Rou Xi, suddenly began to shake from head to toe, as though he had seen a ghost in broad daylight. The powerful aura around his body suddenly weakened, and he staggered back several steps in shock.
Yang Kai had countered his Soul Technique. Fortunately, Old Fu was simply focused on protecting his Mistress and didn’t use his full strength. Otherwise, the consequences would be unimaginable.
[This young man’s Spiritual Energy… is actually stronger than mine?]
[How could this be?]
He knew very well how strong his Spiritual Energy was because in his early years, he came across the Waterfall Divine Grass, which allowed his Spiritual Energy to soar after it was refined. An ordinary First-Order Emperor Realm cultivator couldn’t be stronger than him in this regard, yet this young man was not only able to protect himself, but also to deal a small injury to him in return. Was this young man actually a Second-Order Emperor?
He’d heard that there were many hidden dragons and crouching tigers in this desolate city, and apparently, that saying was true!
Old Fu turned towards Yang Kai with a gloomy expression.
He had thought that he would be able to run rampant in this city and protect himself with his status and strength, but now, it seemed that he was a little naive.
How many Monsters like this young man were hidden in this city?
Without Old Fu’s aura oppressing her, Zhang Ruo Xi’s spirit was immediately restored. Meanwhile, the red-clothed girl was still chattering away about how she was going to torture her.
Zhang Ruo Xi angrily let go of the whip and leapt forward, striking the red-clothed girl in the chest with a palm.
“Ah!” The red-clothed girl was still waiting for Old Fu to finish off her opponent and was caught off guard by Zhang Ruo Xi’s palm. She screamed and flew backwards in the air.
Old Fu was startled and immediately stretched out a hand, his Emperor Qi sweeping forth to catch his Young Lady as he didn’t even dare to touch her with his hands.
However, what bewildered Yang Kai was the fact that the red-clothed girl did nothing to counter Zhang Ruo Xi’s palm. After she fell down, she simply stood back up, shook her head a few times and then stared at Zhang Ruo Xi blankly.
It wasn’t until several moments later that she reacted, “You… hit me?”
She seemed to be in disbelief.
Then, all of a sudden, she became hysterical, as if Zhang Ruo Xi had done something absolutely unforgivable. Her beautiful eyes turned red, and her face twisted into a ferocious expression.
“How dare you hit me, you cheap slut!”
As soon as her words fell, the peals of wind and thunder sounded again and her whip sliced through the air, flying viciously toward Zhang Ruo Xi.
Zhang Ruo Xi was also stunned. She’d attacked the young woman in anger but didn’t expect her to just stand there and get hit! Moreover, when her palm came into contact with this red-clothed girl, it felt as though she had struck not a human body made of flesh, but a mass of cotton.
It was her first time encountering something like this, so she couldn’t help but become slightly distracted.
She returned to her senses just before the whip landed. Gritting her teeth, Zhang Ruuo Xi flickered and reappeared again before the red-clothed girl. Her fair hands moved quickly, turning into countless afterimages as she pushed her Source Qi and sent a rush of fists towards the red-clothed girl.
The red-clothed girl was clearly a pampered Young Lady from a great force. Although she was strong, she lacked actual combat experience. The state of rage she was in made her lose any semblance of control and she could now only lash her whip around haphazardly, completely unable to draw out her full strength.
Zhang Ruo Xi had not participated in many battles, but in the twenty-odd days she spent in Purple Mountain City, she’d fought countless life or death battles in the arena. As such, she had far more experience than the red-clothed girl.
Thus, their fight quickly became one-sided, with the red-clothed girl being completely suppressed.
*Peng peng peng…*
Zhang Ruo Xi landed blow after blow on the red-clothed girl, each one causing her to stagger and fall back, while none of her blows landed on Zhang Ruo Xi.
However, even after receiving several dozen blows in rapid succession, the red-clothed girl remained unhurt, and her fierce aura was not diminished at all. However, the fight did make her extremely angry and she was constantly yelling curses, her pretty face twisted into an expression that made her look like a man-eating monster.
“A defensive Emperor Artifact!” Yang Kai’s eyes narrowed slightly, finally understanding why the red-clothed young woman was not injured.
With every blow that Zhang Ruoxi landed, the red-clothed girl’s body would flash with a faint gleam of light, which absorbed the impact of the blows.
Such a powerful defensive ability could only be due to a defensive Emperor Artifact. In other words, she was definitely wearing a powerful Artifact Armour!
Emperor Treasures were rare, and defensive ones were even rarer. The fact that this girl possessed one proved that her status was by no means low.
Although the red-clothed girl was not injured, she was battered and exhausted by Zhang Ruo Xi. She was forced back repeatedly as she continued to scream fiercely, “I’ll kill you, kill you, kill you…!”
After a while, she realized that she was not Zhang Ruo Xi’s opponent at all though and shouted at Old Fu, “Why haven’t you killed her yet, Old Fu?!”
However, Old Fu was also suffering. Yang Kai had just countered his Soul Technique, and although he wasn’t seriously injured by the backlash, he could tell that Yang Kai was keeping an eye on him. Thus, he didn’t dare to act rashly.
When he heard his Young Lady’s call, he could only gnash his teeth and rush towards Zhang Ruo Xi. However, as soon as he moved, Yang Kai appeared in front of him like a ghost and unleashed a palm in his direction calmly as he stated, “You shouldn’t interfere in the fight between the two young girls, Old Fu. An Elder shouldn’t bully his Juniors.”
*Sii…*
Old Fu drew a sharp breath of cold air and forced himself to draw back. Yang Kai’s palm seemed absolutely ordinary and undistinguished, yet it brought him a sense of deadly danger.
He didn’t doubt that if it had landed, he would’ve been left half-dead.
[Who is this little brat?! How is he so powerful?]
Even though he wanted to save his Mistress, his eyes were filled with anxiety and hesitation. There was nothing he could do now.
Meanwhile, Old Ban had long retreated to a corner of the house. He was still holding Xiao Ling’er tightly in his arms, protecting her as he watched the ongoing fight with a look of horror on his face.
Although he had lived in this desolated city all his life, he was only a First-Order Dao Source Realm cultivator in the end. Now that he had Xiao Ling’er to take care of, he was naturally afraid of provoking other people’s anger.
But now, two young women and two Emperors Realm Masters were facing off inside his house, causing him to feel dazed.
Both groups of people seemed to come from great backgrounds, neither of which he could afford to provoke. Although he was grateful to Yang Kai and Zhang Ruo Xi for their help, he dared not say a single word and could only pray secretly for there to be no deaths.
*Peng peng peng…*
The red-clothed girl was forced to a corner by Zhang Ruo Xi’s attacks. She was completely helpless, and all of the attacks she unleashed were easily avoided by Zhang Ruo Xi. It was as though she had become a sandbag, unable to do anything except passively accept the blows.
Fortunately, her defensive Emperor Artifact was extremely strong, and Zhang Ruo Xi was attacking without murderous intent. Therefore, although the red-clothed girl looked battered and exhausted, her life was not at any risk.
However, being beaten like this really made her lose all face, and her aggrieved eyes were red, either from anger or the urge to cry.
Old Fu was frightened by Yang Kai and couldn’t help his Young Lady directly, so he gritted his teeth and shouted, “Junior, tell your little companion to stop and apologize to my Young Lady, otherwise the two of you will die!”
“You dare to threaten me?” Yang Kai coldly snorted, his chilly gaze sweeping over to Old Fu, causing the latter’s heart to tremble and his throat to bob nervously.
Old Fu calmed himself down and continued, “I’m warning you now, my Young Lady’s identity is…”
Without waiting for him to finish, Yang Kai turned his head and shouted to Zhang Ruo Xi, “She’s wearing a defensive Emperor Artifact, Ruo Xi. It’s pointless for you to keep attacking her like this.”
Due to some unknown power, Old Fu felt a buzz in his head and became unable to finish his words.
“A defensive Emperor Artifact?” Zhang Ruo Xi was enlightened by his words. No wonder it felt like she had been hitting cotton the whole time. It turned out that, like her, this red-clothed girl was being protected by an Emperor Artifact!
“What should I do, then?” Zhang Ruo Xi stepped back and stopped attacking.
Although she was still angry, after being attacked so furiously for so long, the red-clothed girl also looked pale. Anyone who had been beaten so furiously without being able to hit back would be frightened, even if she was being protected by an Emperor Artifact.
Her eyes, as she looked at Zhang Ruo Xi, were now full of fear. No one had dared to defy her from when she was a child until now, and even if she had asked for the stars in the sky, many people would clamour to pick them for her!
She had never been hit by someone before, yet… today, in this dilapidated stone house, in this desolate city, she was hit by Zhang Ruo Xi over a hundred times.
Upon hearing Zhang Ruo Xi’s question, Yang Kai touched his chin and said leisurely, “That Emperor Artifact may be powerful, but it cannot protect every part of her body. Didn’t she say that she wanted to ruin your face?”
Zhang Ruo Xi immediately nodded and said, “Ruo Xi understands!”
As she spoke, she coldly looked at the red-clothed girl, her beautiful eyes sweeping up and down her face.
“You… What are you planning?!” As soon as she saw the malicious intention in Zhang Ruo Xi’s gaze, the red-clothed girl’s eyes filled with panic. She cried out and tried to step back, but how could she retreat when there was only a wall behind her? The whip in her hands had long fallen to the ground.
Old Fu’s face also turned pale with fright. According to Yang Kai’s words, the other young woman was going to hit his Young Lady’s face. With his Young Lady’s temper, he was afraid the whole Eastern Territory would be shaken by her rage, so he shouted loudly, “Listen carefully, little brat, my Young Lady is from…”
“I can’t hear you, I can’t hear you, I can’t hear you!!” Yang Kai shook his head back and forth like a rattle, and once again, Old Fu’s words came to an abrupt end as he was unable to finish. Old Fu immediately realized that Yang Kai knew that their background was extraordinary and thus didn’t want to know it, lest he regret his actions after knowing.
[How despicable and shameless!] Usually, even the strongest of opponents would retreat in fear after learning the identity and background of his Young Lady; however, because this brat was using some strange power to seal his mouth, he was unable to reveal their status!
Yang Kai then coldly snorted, “Ruo Xi, if anyone here other than me dares to say another word, slap that girl’s face!”
“Okay!” Naturally, Zhang Ruo Xi obeyed. Since it was Yang Kai’s order, even if the person standing before her was the Heavens’ Jade Emperor, she would still comply.
“You dare!” The red-clothed girl shouted.
*Pa…*
With a crisp sound, the girl’s head whipped to the side, and a red palm imprint appeared on her left cheek.
Dumbfounded, she covered her cheek with her hand and stared dazedly at Zhang Ruo Xi. The burning pain on her cheek both terrified and amazed her. It wasn’t until several moments later that she reacted, “You actually dared to…”
*Pa…*
This time, a red palm imprint appeared on her right cheek.
“Wa…” The red-clothed girl cried out as her tears streamed down like a trail of glistening pearls, looking completely heartbroken.
Seeing this, Zhang Ruo Xi frowned and threatened, “Shut up! If you keep crying, I’ll slap you again!”
These words seemed to carry infinite intimidation, because the red-clothed girl abruptly stopped crying. However, her shoulders were still shaking with sobs.
She was really scared of being beaten.
Zhang Ruo Xi coldly snorted, “I only slapped you twice, yet you’re already crying like it’s the end of the world! Did you stop to think about your own actions when you were hitting the old man? He only asked you to wait two days! It’s not like he refused to guide you! Do you even know how painful your whip is?!”
“Impudent little girl!” Old Fu couldn’t help but shout. How could he possibly tolerate seeing his Young Lady be slapped and severely berated by this little girl?
In response, Zhang Ruo Xi raised her hand and slapped the red-clothed girl again.
“Sir said to hit you if anyone dares to speak. If you want to blame someone, blame the person who just spoke.”
The red-clothed girl turned her head, her beautiful eyes erupting in rage as she glared murderously at Old Fu.
“Urk…” Old Fu shrunk back under her glare, knowing that his Young Lady would remember this and resent him for it.
Yang Kai laughed and looked at him, “Do you have something else to say, old man? If so, this Young Master is all ears!”
Old Fu’s expression was frigid as he glared at Yang Kai, but he dared not say a word.
Who was he kidding? His Young Lady would be slapped if he said a single word. She already bore resentment against him for the first incident, so if it happened again, he was afraid she would make it so he wouldn’t be able to see the next dawn.
However, he had already failed his duty as the Young Lady’s guard, because he was completely helpless as she was being bullied. Who knew what kind of punishment would be awaiting him after they returned.
The predicament weighed down on his heart. He felt dizzy and sick, his stomach tossing and turning like wine in a shaking jar. He wanted nothing more than to faint right this instant. After all, what the eyes do not see, the heart does not grieve.
“Do you really have nothing more to say, old man?” Yang Kai asked, smiling.
Old Fu’s expression was calm as he stayed silent. He was old and experienced, so how could he fall for Yang Kai’s trick? His Young Lady would be slapped if he spoke again.
Yang Kai turned back around and looked at the red-clothed girl, “What about you? Do you have anything to say?”
Tears were still streaming down her face, stinging her burning red cheeks. She didn’t dare to say anything, so she quickly shook her head back and forth like a rattle.
“In that case…” Yang Kai’s expression suddenly sank, and he coldly snorted, “Get out!”
To Old Fu, those words were like an amnesty. He didn’t dare to say anything as he rushed to his Young Lady and enveloped her in his Emperor Qi, grabbed her fallen whip, and bolted for the door.
However, just as he reached it, he turned his head and shot Yang Kai a cold, hatred-filled glare.
He didn’t dare to voice a blatant threat because he knew he wasn’t Yang Kai’s opponent, but he refused to leave in such a shameful manner. Thus, he chose to leave him with a meaningful glare.
Zhang Ruo Xi didn’t stop them and only watched as they retreated.
After they disappeared, she made her way to the other side of the house, squatted down, and looked at the girl named Xiao Ling’er, “Don’t be afraid, Little Sister, we’ve chased the bad people away!”
Xiao Ling’er’s cheeks were stained with tears. Perhaps it was because Zhang Ruo Xi had saved her and her Grandpa, but at this moment, she wasn’t frightened at all. She stared wide-eyed at Zhang Ruo Xi, seemingly curious about how this Elder Sister could be even more amazing than her Grandpa.
Old Ban stood up shakingly and cupped his fists, saying, “Many thanks to this Little Brother and Young Lady for your assistance. This old man will be forever indebted!”
If Yang Kai and Zhang Ruoxi hadn’t come here today, he would undoubtedly have no choice but to leave with the red-clothed girl. He didn’t care about entering the Ancient Land as he was confident he would be able to return safely, but how could he rest assured knowing that Xiao Ling’er would be alone while sick?
“You are too polite, Elder. It was only natural for us to intervene,” Zhang Ruo Xi smiled slightly, not taking credit.
Old Ban sighed and said, “This old man has implicated the two of you. May I know the names of my great benefactors?”
Having lived in this desolated city for so long, he’d naturally developed a keen eye for people. The red-clothed girl was undoubtedly of extraordinary status, and his benefactors had offended her for his sake. He was afraid the red-clothed girl would target them for revenge and felt extremely apologetic.
Yang Kai slightly smiled and didn’t answer. Instead, he just said, “Elder, Xiao Ling’er’s illness seems to be quite severe. It would be best to focus on her recovery and then leave this place as soon as possible. We won’t bother you any longer.”
As he spoke, he sent Zhang Ruo Xi a glance, signalling that it was time to leave.
Although his main purpose for coming here was to ask Old Ban to guide him into the Ancient Lands, he would have to abandon his original plan. He couldn’t make the old man leave his sick granddaughter alone like this.
Furthermore, Yang Kai was confident that he would be able to enter the Ancient Lands even without Old Ban’s guidance. There may just be some more twists and turns on the road.
He would only be making things hard for Old Ban if he asked him to guide them.
“Grandpa…” Xiao Ling’er suddenly called out in a weak voice.
Immediately afterwards, Old Ban shouted, “Please, wait!”
Yang Kai looked back at him.
“Little Brother, I presume you came to ask this old man to take you into the Ancient Lands?”
Old Ban had no other friends or family, so this was the only reason people visited him. It was what the red-clothed girl came for, and he had no doubt Yang Kai was the same.
There was nothing to hide, so Yang Kai nodded, “Yes.”
“In that case, this old man shall ask the two of you to wait outside the entrance of the Ancient Lands tomorrow. This old man will meet you there and take you inside!”
Yang Kai raised his brows and said with a slight smile, “Many thanks for your kind offer, but… You should take care of Xiao Ling’er first.”
Old Ban touched Ling’er’s head and replied, “This is what Xiao Ling’er wants. I cannot disappoint her.”
Yang Kai frowned, “But if you lead me into the Ancient Lands, where will Xiao Ling’er go?”
“I have lived here for many years and am not without connections. Naturally, I know a safe place that Xiao Ling’er can go to.” He paused and then continued, “This old man possesses nothing of value, and this is all I can do to thank my two benefactors. I hope you will accept this, Little Brother.”
At this point, it wouldn’t be appropriate for Yang Kai to keep refusing, so he nodded, “Very well. I will thank you in advance, Old Ban. Ruo Xi and I will be waiting for you tomorrow at the entrance.”
“Then it’s settled! Take care!” Old Ban cupped his fists and bowed slightly.
Just then, Xiao Ling’er suddenly called out to them, “Big Brother, Elder Sister, be careful! I’ve heard Grandpa say that it’s very dangerous there. You must come back alive!”
Zhang Ruo Xi smiled upon hearing her, “Okay! Xiao Ling’er also needs to take good care of herself and grow up quickly!”
Xiao Ling’er nodded enthusiastically. Her face, which was pale from her illness, blushing a little red.
After leaving Old Ban’s residence, Yang Kai took Zhang Ruo Xi and left the city, heading straight in the direction of the Ancient Lands. They found its entrance an hour later.
They searched for a quiet spot and sat down cross-legged, after which Yang Kai took out the jade slip given to him by Pi San and studied the map of the Ancient Lands carefully.
The Ancient Lands were filled with danger at every turn. There was no lack of Monster Beasts and natural arrays, and even an Emperor Realm Master could not guarantee their safety inside. Although Yang Kai was strong, he was not arrogant enough to enter without making the proper preparations.
Furthermore, he intended to use this map to see if he could find Xiao Xiao’s location.
Naturally, it would be best if he could find Xiao Xiao on the perimeter of the Ancient Lands, but if not, he would have to venture into deeper, more dangerous regions.
…..
“Kill, kill, kill, kill, kill them all!” A hundred kilometres away from the desolate city, on a deserted hillside, the red-clothed girl was seething. Her face was twisted with anger and hatred as she cursed incessantly.
She had never suffered a single loss from when she was a child till now, let alone get slapped in public.
Although she was terribly frightened at the time, so much that she lost the courage to even speak, when she got to a safe place, the humiliation and rage immediately surged forth. It was so suffocating that it almost made her vomit blood.
She had to get revenge, no matter what!
She grit her teeth and continued to curse as she held her whip and lashed at the two Third-Order Dao Source Realm guards over and over again.
These two cultivators were talented and had come from a powerful Sect. In the outside world, they could be considered top experts. However, facing the red-clothed girl’s whip, they didn’t dare to dodge or use their Source Qi to resist. They could only clench their teeth and stay rooted in place.
The whip fell once more. Fresh blood flowed, and flesh tore open. Their tattered clothes were already covered in blood.
There was also a burst of anger in their eyes. However, the anger was not directed at their own Young Lady, but Yang Kai.
In their minds, they believed that if it weren’t for Yang Kai and Zhang Ruo Xi, their Young Lady wouldn’t be beating them.
It was all Yang Kai’s fault.
Old Fu stood beside them, terrified that his Young Lady would also beat him with a whip in her fury, and he didn’t dare to speak up.
If he, an Emperor Realm Master, was whipped by his weak Young Lady, he would really lose all face.
Fortunately, his Young Lady seemed to be giving him some consideration. Although she was angry to the point of losing her mind, she didn’t punish him openly. Instead, her whip only fell on the two Third-Order Dao Source Realm cultivators again and again, faster and harder with each lash. They were in so much pain that they couldn’t help but look at Old Fu for help.
However, Old Fu turned a blind eye, leaving them to howl miserably in their hearts.
After venting for a long time, the girl finally seemed to be tired. Gasping for breath, she fell to the ground. Her clothes were damp with sweat, making her graceful body faintly visible.
However, no one dared to appreciate this beautiful scenery. Old Fu kept his gaze downward, while the two guards were practically on the verge of death. They stood there trembling and looked as though they could fall at any moment.
“Old Fu, send a message back to the palace and tell them to quickly send some people here!” The red-haired girl ordered suddenly.
Old Fu was startled, “What do you plan to do, Young Lady?”
The red-clothed girl sneered and responded, “What do I plan to do? What do you think? Of course, I’m going to capture those two dogs. I’m going to skin them, eat their meat, and drink their blood. I’m going to kill them!”
“You mustn’t, Young Lady!”
“What? Am I supposed to expect you to avenge me? I know you’re too scared!”
Her words were humiliating but true. He didn’t dare to go up against Yang Kai.
Even so, he advised, “Young Lady, Sir said that he permitted you to leave this time so you can train your temperament. You cannot bully others again using your status. If Sir were to hear the whole story, Young Lady, you would never be let out of the palace again! Have you forgotten what happened three years ago?”
As soon as Old Fu mentioned ‘what had happened three years ago’, the red-clothed girl suddenly seemed to recall something and her face immediately turned pale and filled with fear.
Three years ago, she ventured out just like this and made a small mistake. She bullied several cultivators using her identity to get her way, and the next day, she was caught by her father and was put under house arrest for three years.
Three years, three whole years. It was truly torturous to be imprisoned for three years, so close yet so far to the noise and prosperity of the outside world.
Finally regaining her freedom wasn’t easy. If her father caught her again, she was afraid three years of confinement would become thirty this time.
After being reminded by Old Fu, the red-clothed girl dared not mention sending a message back to the palace again. She would be locked up while that dog couple would remain unscathed.
The red-clothed girl’s eyes reddened with grievance, “Lord Father is biased! He lets Big Brother leave the palace whenever he wants, and he doesn’t even have to take guards with him! Lord Father doesn’t care if he slaughters people or sets fires to cities, but when it comes to me, I have to not only bring trash along but also abide by so many rules! Lord Father is so unfair!”
She was filled with resentment and kept on yelling incessantly, but Old Fu dared not agree to anything she said. His Sir possessed extraordinary strength and ability. It was acceptable for the Young Lady to say such things because she was his biological daughter, but if he were to agree and his Sir found out… he would lose his life!
“What should I do then?!” The red-clothed girl stomped her foot. Not being able to vent her anger made her feel uncomfortable all over.
It was impractical to ask the palace to send people over while relying on these three good-for-nothings was impossible, but she couldn’t just let this go. If she did, she was afraid she would no longer be able to sleep at night! The humiliation would induce a lifelong nightmare, enough to leave a severe psychological shadow in her heart!
Old Fu didn’t seem to have any ideas either as his expression twisted into one of bitterness.
“Waste, you’re all a bunch of wastes!” The more she looked at Old Fu and the two guards, the angrier she became, until she burst out, “This Young Lady was bullied, yet you can’t do anything! What use do I even have for you?!”
At this moment, Old Fu suddenly lit up as though he’d thought of something, “Please calm your anger, Young Lady! This Old Master may have thought of a good idea!”
“What? Hurry, let’s hear it! If it succeeds in crushing that dog couple and helping this Young Lady get revenge, this Young Lady will reward you handsomely and even put in a few good words for you in front of Lord Father!”
Old Fu chuckled, “Being able to accompany the Young Lady is already the greatest honour this Old Master can have. There is no need for…”
“Stop dawdling and spit it out already!” The red-clothed girl interrupted him impatiently.
Old Fu lightly coughed and said, “The power of the palace cannot be mobilized, and this Old Master is not that little brat’s opponent. If the Young Lady wants revenge, then we can only borrow the hands of outsiders.”
“Outsiders?” The red-clothed girl’s eyebrows wrinkled in confusion, “Who?”
“This Old Master will have to inquire about that first and see who in the vicinity can be of use to you, Young Lady.”
Upon hearing this, the red-clothed girl’s beautiful eyes suddenly brightened and she urged anxiously, “Then what are you still waiting for? When this Young Lady was still in the palace, those people were practically tripping over each other while trying to please me! Now that this Young Lady has a use for them, they definitely won’t refuse.”
“Yes, yes, it is an honour to be of use to the Young Lady! Who would refuse?” Old Fu smiled, spewing flattery as he withdrew a communication artifact from his Space Ring.
“Please allow this Old Master a few moments, Young Lady.”
He poured his Divine Sense into the communication artifact, which emitted faint rays of light as it began to send out messages.
The red-clothed girl watched on eagerly with an expectant gaze. It seemed as though she could already see Yang Kai and Zhang Ruo Xi being surrounded by a group of people, kneeling down, and begging her for mercy… the thought of it made her incredibly happy.
Her heart was utterly ruthless. When the time came, she intended to make Yang Kai kneel down and lick the dirt off her shoes. Then, she would ruin the woman’s face, strip her naked, and throw her onto the busiest street here.
[Anyone who dares to provoke this Young Lady will suffer the consequences!]
“I have found someone!” Old Fu exclaimed after some time.
“Who is it?” she asked excitedly.
“Some time ago, many people from the Netherworld Sect entered the Ancient Lands, including Elder Hua Fei Chen,” Old Fu replied.
“Hua Fei Chen?” The red-clothed girl raised her eyebrows, “The Second-Order Emperor Realm Master who has a good relationship with you?”
“Yes, him!”
The red-clothed girl clapped her hands together, “Good! With Hua Fei Chen on our side, that dog couple won’t be able to escape from my palm! Old Fu, quickly, send a message to those Netherworld Sect people and tell them to get out of the Ancient Lands. Just say that this Young Lady has an order for him!”
“There is no need for that, Young Miss. We will be able to find him once we enter the Ancient Lands,” Old Fu said.
Upon hearing that, she frowned, “Find him? Why?”
Old Fu couldn’t help but think that this little girl’s intelligence was limited. How could she not even understand something so simple? If she were someone else, he would’ve slapped her already for her foolishness. However, since she was his Young Lady, he could only patiently explain, “Young Lady, what do you think that dog couple’s purpose for going to that old man is?”
The red-clothed girl looked at him blankly, “What?”
The corner of Old Fu’s mouth twitched. Still, he had to push down his frustration and explained, “What was our purpose for going to see that old man”?
“So he can guide us into the Ancient Lands!” The red-clothed girl exclaimed, “Didn’t the people here say that he’s the best guide in the entire city? Why else would this noble Young Lady go to that rundown shack of his.”
After she said this, she seemed to have been hit with a great realization, “That dog couple was also there to get the old man to take them into the Ancient Lands!”
Old Fu was relieved. [Oh, thank Heavens, you finally figured it out.]
It wasn’t easy on his conscience, but he had to praise her, “As expected, the Young Lady is bright and talented.”
The red-clothed girl coldly snorted, “Why did you have to make such a simple matter sound so complicated? You could’ve just said that they’re also going to enter the Ancient Lands!”
“Haha…” Old Fu forced a smile and then continued, “Since they are going to enter the Ancient Land, we should dispose of them there to avoid being found out.”
“Good!” The red-clothed girl nodded and waved a hand, “In that case, let’s also enter the Ancient Lands. Old Fu, send that Hua Fei Chen a message and tell him to cooperate with this Young Lady. After this is over, they will be rewarded.”
“This subordinate will obey!” Old Fu hurriedly cupped his fists in response.
Thus, the group of four rushed towards the Ancient Lands.
An hour later, they reached the entrance of the canyon. Not far away, Yang Kai, who was inspecting the jade slip, suddenly raised his head and glanced in that direction.
“What is it, Sir?” Zhang Ruo Xi looked at him questioningly.
“It’s nothing,” Yang Kai responded, “Just that the domineering Young Lady and her guards have entered the Ancient Lands.”
“Hmph!” An unhappy expression appeared on Zhang Ruo Xi’s face, “For people like her who don’t know the immensity of Heaven and Earth, entering the Ancient Lands is no different from courting death!”
Yang Kai smiled slightly, “Although she is spoiled and tyrannical, I believe she will survive the Ancient Lands.”
“Why are you defending her, Sir?” Zhang Ruo Xi couldn’t help but pout.
“It’s not that I’m defending her, but her background is certainly extraordinary. She must possess numerous treasures, so unless a great incident happens, her life should not be in any danger,” Yang Kai explained.
“An extraordinary background…” Zhang Ruoxi murmured, and she asked suddenly, “Is that why you let them go so easily, Sir?”
Yang Kai nodded, “She and that Old Fu are nothing to worry about, but if I really killed them, I’m afraid it would incur the wrath of some truly powerful figures. Moreover, she didn’t kill anyone, so hopefully, she’ll learn from this setback.”
“I doubt that’s possible, Sir,” Zhang Ruo Xi snorted.
Yang Kai glanced at her, then looked at the wine bottle in her hand, and said, “Wild Wine is good, but don’t drink too quickly. Focus on feeling the Wild Force, it’ll benefit you greatly once we enter the Ancient Lands.”
“Yes!” Zhang Ruo Xi replied softly. Perhaps it was due to the alcohol, but her face was flushed, her eyes slightly wet, and her breathing a little heavy.
Suddenly, Yang Kai thought of something and reached into his Space Ring, “By the way, this belongs to you.” He handed the item to her.
“The Space Spirit Jade! “Zhang Ruo Xi exclaimed softly.
“This is your family’s ancestral artifact, and it only reacts to you. Previously, since your cultivation level was too low, I didn’t dare to give it to you. Now, you have the ability to protect yourself. When you have the time, sit down and probe its secrets. You may be able to discover the secret behind your Bloodline Power.”
Zhang Ruo Xi accepted it solemnly. At that moment, the Space Spirit Jade began to give off peculiar fluctuations and images of a magnificent scenery appeared on its smooth surface.
Most of these images were of great rivers and spiritual mountains as beautiful as brocade, and among them, there were numerous glorious pavilions and towers. Countless rare Monster Beasts roamed the skies and land, emitting extremely powerful auras that startled the birds and insects.
Years ago, when Zhang Ruo Xi first touched the Space Spirit Jade, these images had also appeared.
Now, seeing them appear again, they were both at a loss. Neither of them knew what these images meant.
Yang Kai used to believe that this Space Spirit Jade was hiding a Space Divine Ability. After all, someone had once used it to cultivate the Dao of Space; however, he had probed into it many times and found nothing special about it.
It seemed that due to some mysterious mechanism, it would only react in Zhang Ruo Xi’s hands.
Suddenly, she raised her head and stared intensely into the Ancient Lands.
Yang Kai looked at her sceptically and quickly asked, “What’s wrong?”
It wasn’t until several moments later that Zhang Ruo Xi snapped out of her daze and said, “Sir, something is calling out to me from there.”
“Calling out to you?” Yang Kai was slightly surprised. The place Zhang Ruo Xi was looking at was the depths of the Ancient Lands, but what could possibly be calling her from there?
Moreover, it happened just after she received the Space Spirit Jade. Could the two be related?
“Are you sure?”
Zhang Ruo Xi frowned, then after a long silence, she shook her head, “No. It was there for a moment, and now it’s gone.”
“There may be a connection between the Space Spirit Jade and the Ancient Wild Lands. Maybe the jade originated from there. Inspect it carefully again once we enter, and you may discover something.”
The next day, Yang Kai suddenly opened his eyes and said in a low voice, “He’s here!”
Upon hearing this, Zhang Ruo Xi quickly put the Space Spirit Jade away, then she stood up and focused her gaze forward.
A figure was running in their direction, constantly looking around, as though looking for something.
Yang Kai sent out a sliver of Divine Sense to guide him, and the man immediately felt it and ran over, soon arriving in front of them.
“I apologize for the wait, Little Brother,” Old Ban said.
“You are too polite, Old Ban,” Yang Kai replied, “We’ll be troubling you.”
Old Ban smiled, “Rest assured. With me as your guide, entering the Ancient Lands safely is guaranteed!” When he said this, his face was filled with confidence. It was a stark contrast from the submissiveness he showed when he was beaten by the red-clothed girl the day before.
Yang Kai nodded to himself. Pi San was right to introduce Old Ban to him.
His cultivation level may be low, but Old Ban had undoubtedly mastered a safe passage to and from the Ancient Lands, or at least understood some of the patterns there. Otherwise, with his cultivation, he would not be so confident.
“The two of you should refine this before we enter the Ancient Lands,” Old Ban said, handing something to Yang Kai and Zhang Ruo Xi.
Yang Kai took it and found that it was something similar to a Sound Bead, but not exactly. Moreover, the workmanship was extremely rough. It didn’t look like it was made by a professional Artifact Refiner, but rather a random person with whatever materials they had.
“What is this?” Yang Kai looked at Old Ban questioningly.
“The Ancient Lands Passageway is shrouded in a strange fog that interferes with one’s Divine Sense. It is easy to get lost if you enter without guidance. This old man gathered some stones from the passageway and created these Communication Beads. They can be used to sense each other’s locations and will be unaffected by the strange fog; however, the detection range is only one hundred metres, so the two of you must follow me closely,” Old Ban explained.
Yang Kai nodded to express his understanding, “Good!”
Afterward, he and Zhang Ruo Xi began to refine the jade beads.
They weren’t difficult to refine, and after only a stick of incense’s worth of time, they both finished. As they held them in the palms of their hands, they could clearly sense the location of the other two jade beads. It was extremely convenient.
Old Ban was right. With the help of these jade beads, it would be very unlikely for him to lose Zhang Ruo Xi and Old Ban.
“Now that we’re ready, let’s go. Before we enter though, this old man must remind you again that you must stay close to me! Otherwise, if you get lost, it will be difficult to find your way out again.”
Old Ban solemnly warned Yang Kai to not be dependent on his cultivation, even giving a special example, “Over thirty years ago, an Emperor Realm Master got lost and remained in the strange fog for an entire decade.”
“Ten years!” Yang Kai exclaimed in shock.
Old Ban nodded solemnly, “Indeed.”
“How come you know such specific details about it, Old Ban?” Zhang Ruo Xi asked. She wasn’t doubting him, but just curious.
Even if an Emperor Realm Master was lost in the strange fog for ten years, how would an outsider like Old Ban know? Even if he knew the Ancient Lands Passageway like the palm of his hand, his cultivation level wasn’t high enough for him to be able to observe a person for ten years under the interference of the strange fog.
“Because in those ten years, I encountered that person many times in the passageway. Every time, I would see her wandering aimlessly like a ghost. I was almost injured by her multiple times, but thankfully, I was able to run away,” he replied.
“What happened to that person in the end?” She asked nervously.
Old Ban shook his head, “I don’t know. Maybe she died somewhere inside the passageway, or maybe she found an opportunity to escape twenty years ago. Nonetheless, I never saw her again. She seemed to have been trapped there for a long time, so her consciousness became a little muddled.”
“How pitiful!” Zhang Ruo Xi sighed.
A woman, no matter how strong, was still a woman. How did she spend those ten years, trapped and alone in the strange fog? Did she escape or die in the end?
[What would become of me if I were to be trapped for ten years in this strange fog?] Zhang Ruo Xi shuddered while thinking about it.
However, this was just an anecdote from the past that Old Ban mentioned with the intent of warning Yang Kai and Zhang Ruo Xi to be careful, nothing more.
“Rest assured, Old Ban. We’ll stay beside you at all times,” Yang Kai reassured.
“Alright, then. Let’s go,” Old Ban nodded, waved his hand, and headed towards the Ancient Lands Passageway.
Yang Kai and Zhang Ruo Xi followed closely.
While they were waiting for Old Ban, Yang Kai had taken some time to inspect the Ancient Lands Passageway. It appeared to be a large canyon spanning over a dozen kilometres in width and an untold distance in depth. Countless cultivators had entered, each one looking more confident and energetic than the last, eager to go inside and hunt for treasures. This included the red-clothed girl’s entourage.
For the first twenty kilometres or so, it was still relatively easy to see. Even if there was some fog, it didn’t affect their vision. However, the deeper they traveled, the thicker the fog became, and at around fifty kilometres, they would no longer be able to see their fingers.
When Yang Kai tried to use his Divine Sense to probe around him, he felt that he was trying to stretch an elastic piece of cotton. His Divine Sense bounced back, so he couldn’t see any deeper into the fog.
Of course, he wasn’t surprised as he’d long known about this strange fog that could turn many of the cultivators in the desolate city pale just at its mention.
Old Ban moved like he was flying, without rest, and before long, they reached the fifty-kilometre mark.
At this point, the strange fog took full effect.
Yang Kai and Zhang Ruo Xi suddenly felt like they had plunged into the bottomless deep sea. Their vision became dark, and even their Divine Senses could only extend about ten metres from their bodies.
Yang Kai was shocked. [Nature really is uncanny. A normal person would never be able to set up such a powerful restriction. If this strange fog was placed around a Sect, it would undoubtedly be comparable to one of the greatest Sect Defending Arrays. Anyone who dared to invade would get completely lost in it.]
Although he was a First-Order Emperor Realm Master, his Divine Sense was no worse than a Second-Order Emperor Realm Master’s. Yet, even he couldn’t penetrate this strange fog.
How many people in the Star Boundary would be capable of prying into the dangers and secrets of this strange fog?
Perhaps only a Third-Order Emperor Realm Master would be able to do this.
After stepping into the area of strange fog, Old Ban suddenly slowed down his steps and quickly said, “Now, you must focus on the jade beads and follow my location closely, so we don’t get separated.”
“Yes!” Behind him, Zhang Ruo Xi nodded repeatedly.
In fact, there was no need for another reminder. Yang Kai and Zhang Ruo Xi had already grasped jade beads in their hands and poured their Divine Sense inside as soon as they entered the strange fog.
This way, even though they couldn’t see in front of them and the range of their Divine Sense was limited, they could still follow Old Ban.
*Kacha…*
An odd, creepy crunch sounded beneath their feet, as though they had stepped on something and crushed it.
Curious, Yang Kai let out some Divine Sense to investigate. When he saw what was beneath his feet, he couldn’t help but suck in a breath.
Because the ground here was covered with white bones from an untold number of skeletons. Having been weathered for so long, they were extremely brittle and immediately turned into dust when trodden upon.
Yang Kai quietly looked at Zhang Ruo Xi and saw that she didn’t seem to be too scared. Although she looked a little nervous, it wasn’t fear, so he was relieved.
She was quick to adapt.
Old Ban’s voice came from the front, “Through the ages, countless heroes have died in the Ancient Lands Passageway. This place is almost entirely paved with white bones. Their flesh and blood withered away, but their skeletons remained here. Sometimes, their Souls find the opportunity to continue on, possibly as a result of the bizarre characteristics of this fog, making it easy for them to become Yin Souls.”
“Yin Souls!” Zhang Ruo Xi shuddered, goosebumps raising all over her body.
She wasn’t afraid of the bones on the ground, but the mention of the Yin Souls frightened her greatly.
Old Ban continued, “They hide in this strange fog and come out to attack people from time to time. As a matter of fact, they are one of the three fatal dangers of the Ancient Lands Passageway. Regular Yin Souls aside, it would be extremely troublesome if we encounter a Ghost General or Ghost Lord. Not only that, but at the heart of the passageway, there is a powerful Ghost King! It is said to be transformed from the Soul of a dead Second-Order Emperor Realm Master. Anyone who has even the slightest understanding of the passageway knows this and would avoid the central region.”
As he was speaking, Zhang Ruo Xi suddenly cried out as though frightened by something.
Immediate after, she unleashed her Source Qi and sent a fierce blow in a certain direction.
The energy surged forth with terrifying momentum, and in that direction, there was suddenly a shrill cry as sharp as a baby’s wail at night.
The instant she made a move, Yang Kai had sent out his Divine Sense to investigate. He found at an unknown point in time, half a metre to her right, a strange energy hidden within the fog which gathered into a distorted face had approached her and was staring at her curiously.
But with Zhang Ruo Xi’s blow, the distorted face immediately became ferocious.
Old Ban’s face changed, and he whispered, “A Yin Soul?”
He was the weakest in their group, so even if he sent out his Divine Sense, he wouldn’t be able to tell what had happened to Zhang Ruo Xi, so he could only ask Yang Kai.
Upon hearing Old Ban’s question, Zhang Ruo Xi said in a trembling voice, “I don’t know if it’s a Yin Soul, but it has no physical body… and it seems to be very angry!”
“Ordinary attacks have no effect on them, so when it draws near, use a Soul Attack. Don’t be afraid, Young Lady, with your cultivation, an ordinary Yin Soul cannot harm you. Only the Ghosts with higher cultivation, like a Ghost General or Ghost Lord, could pose a threat, so you must remain calm and act accordingly!” Old Ban quickly told her. He seemed to be quite familiar with encounters like this and knew how to handle them.
Zhang Ruo Xi took a deep breath and spread out her Divine Sense, paying attention to the movement of the Yin Soul.
It appeared that the Yin Soul was indeed enraged after being attacked. Its distorted facial features became even more ferocious and twisted and its semi-transparent body retreated slightly into the strange fog, then rolled up into a chilling gust of wind and lunged at Zhang Ruo Xi.
Before it reached her, a sharp scream could be heard. It was not only harsh but also contained a kind of strange Spiritual Energy that threatened to tear through Zhang Ruo Xi’s Knowledge Sea defences.
However, after being warned by Old Ban, Zhang Ruo Xi was prepared. Although her face was still a little pale, she didn’t make a sound, waiting until the moment the Yin Soul was just a metre away from her before suddenly releasing a burst of pure Spiritual Energy.
The Yin Soul’s semi-transparent body was like a water droplet that bumped into a hard surface, suddenly splitting and disappearing with a shrill scream.
“Ha…” Zhang Ruo Xi took a breath and slowly calmed down.
After killing a Yin Soul herself, she realized they weren’t that scary after all.
At the front, Old Ban reminded, “The Yin Souls here can be dealt with by even this old man, so long as you can remain calm, Young Lady, they are no threat at all. However, you may have noticed that in this bizarre environment, the Yin Souls have cultivated a special ability which is quite overwhelming. If you have a Soul type defensive artifact, you should activate it for good measure.”
He didn’t tell Yang Kai such things because he knew that an Emperor Realm Master didn’t need such precautions or warnings.
Zhang Ruo Xi stuck out her tongue, “I don’t have a Soul type artifact.”
She only had two artifacts on her body. One was the Pink Clouds Phoenix Robe given to her by Divine Spirit Qiong Qi, and the other was the Ten Thousand Beasts Seal from Yang Kai.
Hearing this, Old Ban didn’t say any more and focused on leading the way.
As they went, Yin Souls would appear from time to time to disturb them; however, because Old Ban was familiar with the passageway, the paths he chose were all quite safe, and they didn’t encounter any strong Yin Souls. Naturally, none of the ones that did get in their way met with good ends.
Rather than Yang Kai, it was Zhang Ruo Xi who handled all of them. After half an hour, she became so familiar with killing them that she didn’t even blink when she did so anymore.
Due to the interference of the strange fog, Yang Kai couldn’t tell where they were; however, judging from Old Ban’s actions, they had taken a path with many torturous twists and turns.
From time to time, Old Ban would stop to observe the nearby terrain and then turn in a different direction entirely. Sometimes he would even stand in one spot for a long time, doing nothing, and then move again several moments later.
Yang Kai felt that his guess was right. The best guide in the entire city had figured out a way to safely enter the Ancient Lands every time.
However, since it was Old Ban’s secret and also his only way to make a living, Yang Kai didn’t probe into it.
Half a day later, Yang Kai had completely lost sense of where they were. After Zhang Ruo Xi dealt with a Yin Soul, the leading Old Ban suddenly halted. He lifted his nose and sniffed the air. Only the sound of light breathing could be heard.
Yang Kai raised his brow, realizing that Old Ban had discovered something, and released his Divine Sense so he could react quickly.
After sniffing the air for a while, Old Ban’s expression suddenly changed and he shouted, “Follow me closely, and don’t fall behind a single step!”
As soon as the words left his lips, he sprinted forward.
Old Ban had been extremely cautious the entire time, never daring to make any rash movements, but now, he was acting so frantically, so he must have noticed some approaching danger.
Although Yang Kai wasn’t as experienced as Old Ban in this place, he also felt an approaching sense of crisis. It seemed that something dangerous was coming.
As an Emperor Realm Master, Yang Kai was extremely sensitive to danger. Furthermore, it was obvious from Old Ban’s reaction that the situation had gone awry.
Yang Kai quickly released his Emperor Qi to cover Zhang Ruo Xi, stepped forward, and followed Old Ban closely.
Zhang Ruo Xi didn’t say a word, but the look on her face revealed her nervousness.
The three quickly shuttled through the strange fog, and within ten breaths of time, Old Ban stopped again and took in a breath. His body, which was rushing forward, suddenly stopped. Then, with a slight shift of his feet, he leapt back and shouted simultaneously, “Retreat!”
Yang Kai’s reaction was not slow. Although he had been right behind Old Ban, he’d stepped back as soon as Old Ban moved.
Simultaneously, he locked his Divine Sense on an area in front of him to scan for any changes.
*Kacha…*
Before Yang Kai could find out what was happening, explosive thunder entered his ears and a purple bolt of light came crashing to the ground, leaving a black pit about four metres wide. Everything in that region turned into ashes.
Yang Kai let out a choked cry as wariness flashed through his eyes and cold sweat poured down his forehead as he grit his teeth and muttered, “Soul Extinguishing Divine Thunder!”
He was only curious about what would happen but never expected this one bolt of falling thunder to completely cut off his thread of Divine Sense.
In the face of this falling thunder, his Divine Sense that was on par with a Second-Order Emperor Realm was as akin to a baby’s fist. If it were an ordinary person, they would be holding their heads and howling miserably right now.
Although Yang Kai felt extremely uncomfortable, he had the Soul Warming Lotus protecting him. A sense of coolness emerged from the Soul Warming Lotus and infused into his mind, which greatly alleviated his pain; therefore, although he still looked pale, it was not a big problem.
The location of the bolt of thunder was where Old Ban had been standing. There was no doubt that if he hadn’t moved away at the last moment, his Soul would’ve been extinguished.
It was truly curious how he was able to avoid dangerous situations at the most crucial moments.
“Follow me!” Old Ban continued shouting.
Yang Kai didn’t dare to neglect his instructions and quickly followed.
After five breaths worth of time, there was another crackling sound behind him, and the earth under his feet began to shake, as if thousands of troops were trampling towards them.
Although Yang Kai couldn’t see what had happened behind him, he could infer from the shocking movement that several bolts of purple lightning had just fallen.
In his heart, he was becoming more and more impressed with Old Ban.
When Pi San told him to seek out Old Ban, Yang Kai had agreed but regarded his advice casually. He’d believed that with his current strength, entering the Ancient Lands without a guide would be no problem.
However, after this incident, Yang Kai realized that he had been treating this place too lightly.
The strength of the thunderbolt just now was unimaginable, and if Old Ban hadn’t helped him and Zhang Ruo Xi avoid it, Yang Kai was certain it would be difficult to get past even with his current cultivation.
The thunder was so terrifying and erratic, while the strange fog could entrap an Emperor Realm Master for over ten years.
*Kacha…*
The booms of purple lightning falling sounded from all directions, and although the strange fog was obstructing his sight, Yang Kai could still vaguely see the faint purple flashes in the mist, making for a truly shocking sight.
They suddenly seemed to have entered a sea of thunder, surrounded by crises. Zhang Ruo Xi didn’t dare to move at will and simply allowed Yang Kai to envelop her with his Emperor Qi and carry her along.
In front of them, Old Ban’s movements seemed entirely irregular, but he was able to somehow lead them to avoid all of the falling thunder.
He was like the most experienced sailor who could conquer the majestic sea and witness the mesmerizing scenery of its deepest depths while only operating a wooden boat.
All of a sudden, a scream came from nearby. It seemed that some cultivator had been hit by falling thunder and was crying out for help tragically.
However, the voice stopped after just a moment, as if it was strangled by the neck. One could imagine how that cultivator met their end.
The Yin Souls that used to be everywhere were all gone now.
Fortunately, with Old Ban guiding them, they were able to avoid every bolt of thunder and safely travel through the fog.
After an unknown amount of time, the falling thunder became weaker and weaker, until finally, it fell silent completely.
However, it wasn’t until several paces later that Old Ban finally stopped and bent over, his face pale and bloodless as he gasped for air.
Yang Kai stood close behind him and used his Divine Sense to check their surroundings for potential threats.
“Sir, are you okay?” Zhang Ruo Xi looked at him nervously.
Yang Kai had obviously been injured by the first bolt of thunder. At the time, she didn’t dare to disturb him and only decided to ask after determining that his condition had stabilized.
He motioned that he was alright, then he turned to Old Ban and asked, “Old Ban, are we safe now?”
The fear of the Soul Extinguishing Divine Thunder still lingered in his mind.
Upon hearing Yang Kai’s question, Old Ban chuckled bitterly, “Safe? This is just the beginning!”
Yang Kai’s face changed, “Could it be that the Soul Extinguishing Thunder…”
Old Ban shook his head, “We do not need to worry about it anymore. Now that the thunder tide has passed, it will not happen again within this one month. There will only be stray bolts here and there. What we need to guard against now is… the Astral Wind!”
Previously, Pi San had warned Yang Kai about the three deadly dangers of the Ancient Land Passageway, the strange fog, the thunder tide, and the Astral Wind.
The strange fog existed everywhere in the passageway, and anyone who wasn’t familiar with the path would easily get lost in it. As for the thunder, Yang Kai had personally experienced its terrifying power when his Divine Sense was easily cut off by a single bolt.
Since the Astral Wind was mentioned alongside the Falling Thunder, it was undoubtedly something that couldn’t be looked down upon.
Moreover, Old Ban’s face was very grim at the moment, which only made Yang Kai feel more apprehensive.
“How powerful is the Astral Wind?” Yang Kai asked in a low voice.
Old Ban responded, “In terms of direct lethality, the falling thunder is much stronger; however, anyone who is familiar with this passageway will tell you that they would rather face the thunder tide than the Astral Wind.”
“Why is that?” Zhang Ruo Xi’s expression was blank with confusion.
“Because the Astral Wind does not stop. Although it is not instantaneously lethal like the falling thunder, it is continuous. Passing through it feels like your flesh is being shaved off by the sharpest of artifacts and it can not only tear away at a cultivator’s physique but also grind down their Soul. If one stays in the Astral Wind for a long time, they will die a miserable death.”
Upon hearing this, she immediately broke out in a cold sweat.
It sounded like being attacked by the Astral Wind was like being cut by a blunt knife over and over again, and the scariest thing was that it could even grind down the Soul!
Old Ban continued solemnly, “Now that the thunder tide has passed, a howling wind will sweep through the area. If we fail to find shelter within the time it takes for a stick of incense to burn, we will die.”
“Astral Wind!” Yang Kai’s face sank. Although he had never heard of it before, he could imagine what it was like, “Is there a shelter around here?
Old Ban looked around at their surroundings before quickly stating, “In order to avoid the thunder tide earlier, this old man had to take some unplanned turns; thus, I am not very familiar with this area, but if my guess is right, this should be the heart of the passageway.”
“The heart…” Zhang Ruo Xi frowned, then suddenly, her expression shifted, “Old Ban, didn’t you say that the core region is where…”
Before she could finish speaking, two dots of glowing red light shone out from the distance. It was unobstructed by the strange fog, so they could see it very clearly.
An extreme chill filled the air as a frigid domain enveloped Zhang Ruo Xi and Old Ban, causing them to shiver.
“Ah…!” She cried out, as she had discovered that the glowing red dots were actually a pair of eyes.
They seemed to be filled with unimaginable anger and seemed to be pouring out blood. Just one glance at them was enough to petrify a person.
“The Ghost King!” Yang Kai murmured. Instead of looking away, he unleashed his vast Spiritual Energy, which turned into a pure Soul Attack and flew directly toward the Ghost King.
After the silent collision, his face slightly paled.
The red lights flashed with smugness as its power didn’t falter but increased instead, and it suddenly charged forth, seemingly intent on taking advantage of its victory to crush Yang Kai to dust.
Immediately, Yang Kai’s mind sank into chaos. He felt as though he had plunged into Hell’s purgatory, surrounded by horrifying, hostile Ghosts. Their strange calls filled their ears as they tried to bite and claw at him, to seize him and drink his blood and eat his flesh.
They were truly disgusting, hideous, and terrible.
“Demon Eye of Annihilation!” Yang Kai no longer dared to hold back. His right eye instantly turned golden in colour, shining with majestic brilliance. From his golden pupil, a strange force flowed out, dispelling the illusion and stabilizing his mind.
Not only that, but there was a strange attraction from his right eye, like a bottomless abyss, that sought to pull the Ghost King inside and trap it forever.
“Hmph!”
From the depths of the strange fog, a cold snort rang out. It seemed that the Ghost King was a little angry because of Yang Kai’s counterattack and a dark wind began to blow, causing the chill in the air to suddenly intensify, physically freezing the earth around them.
Amidst the wailing, translucent ghost claws erupted from the earth and grabbed at the three people’s ankles.
The changes happened almost instantaneously, and old Ban and Zhang Ruo Xi weren’t strong enough to resist them, so as soon as the Ghost King snorted, they fell into a state of confusion and seemed to lose consciousness, simply staring forward without any other reaction.
Yang Kai reached out and lifted them up while shouting to the Ghost King, “Ghost King, we are just escaping the thunder tide and passed here by accident. We don’t mean to disturb you. Please allow us to pass.”
“Keke…” The Ghost King’s grating laughter resounded from all directions, making it impossible to tell where it originated from. At the same time, the two red lights in the fog disappeared.
The Ghost King had erased its presence.
The Yin Souls that had disappeared, due to the falling thunder, emerged again and hid in the strange fog. They swarmed around Yang Kai’s group, waiting for an opportunity to strike. The ghost claws that had come out of the ground gradually solidified and continued to target Yang Kai, but they all retreated with a hiss after coming into contact with his Emperor Qi.
Yang Kai turned his head and stared in a certain direction and coldly snorted, “I suggest that you don’t get complacent, Ghost King!”
With this, the Ghost King was completely enraged, and a huge ghost claw suddenly emerged from the depths of the strange fog. It slashed down on Yang Kai like a tall mountain, the claw itself seemingly sharp enough to tear through space.
“You’re overestimating yourself!”
Yang Kai’s Spiritual Energy surged forth, and a column of light shot out from his forehead. Instead of going upwards to meet the ghost claw, it went in another direction, transforming into a long sabre that cut through the air.
Soul Splitting Sabre, Heaven Severing Slash!
As the attack landed, a shrill wail sounded from within the strange fog.
At the same time, the huge ghost claw above Yang Kai’s head flickered and disappeared, along with countless ghost hands rising up from under the ground.
The Yin Souls gathered around them were stunned for a moment, and then they screamed and scattered.
In the blink of an eye, their surroundings returned to peace, as though no fight had happened at all.
Yang Kai knew that if it weren’t for this display of strength, the Ghost King wouldn’t have retreated.
Moreover, the fact that his Secret Technique, Heaven Severing Slash, executed with an attack from his Soul Emperor Artifact, had only injured the Ghost King somewhat, was astounding.
As expected, this Ghost King hidden within the strange fog would be difficult to deal with.
If it weren’t for their circumstances, Yang Kai wouldn’t have bothered to waste so many words trying to negotiate; however, since they were amid the strange fog, he really didn’t want to fight unless absolutely necessary.
As soon as the Ghost King retreated, Zhang Ruo Xi and Old Ban woke up. Evidently, they understood what just happened to them and their hearts pounded as cold sweat dripped down their foreheads.
“Time is running out. We must hurry!” Old Ban didn’t ask why the Ghost King retreated and simply continued to lead the way.
The sound of the Astral Wind was approaching, and if they failed to find a shelter by the time it arrived, they would certainly die.
Old Ban observed the landscape from time to time, occasionally changing direction.
In the beginning, he seemed to be hesitant, unsure whether he was going in the right direction, but after a while, he suddenly began to go faster and no longer hesitated as much.
Seeing this, Yang Kai knew that he had found the right path again. After all, Old Ban was so familiar with this place that even if they went off-track for a while, it shouldn’t be difficult for him to return to the right path.
As time went by, a gentle breeze began to blow. It wasn’t strong, but it made one’s skin sting, as though cut by a small knife.
But if this light breeze was already like this, one could only imagine how painful the Astral Wind would be once he truly began to blow.
Both Yang Kai and Zhang Ruo Xi could tell that Old Ban was right; the Astral Wind was definitely a more terrible disaster than the thunder tide.
Although the falling thunder was deadly, it fell sporadically and was easy to find a safe place to hide from. However, with the Astral Wind, the entire passageway was a danger zone.
The wind gradually picked up. For Yang Kai, who had tough skin and strong cultivation, it was still manageable; however, Zhang Ruo Xi and Old Ban had to push their Source Qi to protect themselves from the Astral Wind’s effects.
“Over there!” Old Ban suddenly exclaimed with joy, pointing in a certain direction and immediately picking up his pace, “Hopefully, there is still room there!”
Before Yang Kai understood what he meant by ‘room,’ he saw Old Ban’s body flash and reappear where he had pointed.
Yang Kai quickly followed suit with Zhang Ruo Xi and found that the place Old Ban had pointed at was actually a cave.
Strangely enough, everything seemed to be restored to normal upon entering the cave. Their vision was perfectly restored, and even the strange fog was gone. Only a faint whistling sound of the wind could be heard.
Looking around, the cave was quite narrow and spanned about fifteen metres in depth and would become crowded with ten people inside.
Before the arrival of Yang Kai and his group, six cultivators had already taken shelter here. These people obviously knew about the Astral Wind, so they found a safe haven early and hid in it, waiting for the storm to pass.
Well, of course Yang Kai would meet him. Of course!
The cultivations of the people in the cave ranged from First-Order Dao Source Realm to the Third-Order. After determining that none of them were Emperor Realm Masters, Yang Kai stopped paying them much heed.
They also looked at Yang Kai when he entered and didn’t show much reaction other than some bright eyes when Zhang Ruo Xi followed him in.
“Little Brother, Young Lady, come over here! There’s space here!” Old Ban beckoned them over.
There was space in a corner where three people could sit down cross-legged and quietly wait for the howling wind to pass.
The other people in the cave seemed to be acting alone, each of them silent as a stone. The entire cave was quiet for some time as only the sound of the wind outside could be heard, making it feel as though they had plunged into the cold winter.
After a while, the wind grew louder and several more people rushed in from the outside, taking up the rest of the place.
The cave was truly small, barely able to accommodate over ten people, so the cultivators who came in later had no choice but to stand near the cave entrance. They were all extremely nervous, praying that the Astral Wind wouldn’t blow in, because they would be the first ones to suffer if it did.
“Old Ban, how long will the wind last?” Yang Kai observed for a while and asked upon noticing that the wind was only growing stronger.
“It’s difficult to say. It could be over in just half a day, or it could take up to six days to cease. The Astral Wind usually comes and goes without pattern, although it always rages right after a thunder tide. You must remember this for when you return from the Ancient Lands, Little Brother,” Old Ban replied.
Yang Kai nodded, “Many thanks for your reminder, Old Ban!”
“However, you don’t have to worry too much. Although the Astral Wind is fearsome, you can rest easy as long as you find a cave like this before it arrives,” Old Ban continued with a smile.
Yang Kai raised his eyebrows, “You mean… there are other caves like this in the passageway?”
“Naturally,” Old Ban nodded and continued, “The Ancient Lands Passageway is enclosed on both sides, and numerous caves exist along those cliff-faces. Don’t take this old man’s word for it, but I believe there are always around ten spots to take in each shelter. Moreover, the caves seem to have been formed naturally in this special environment, so they’re extremely sturdy and can’t be destroyed by ordinary attacks. You must find one before it’s too late, or there’ll be no more space left. We were lucky this time. Every year, countless cultivators die in this passageway because they can’t find shelter. Even if they do find one, getting here before the Astral Wind starts is a whole other matter.”
Upon hearing this, Zhang Ruo Xi couldn’t help but stick out her tongue, “No wonder when we got here, we saw so many bones at the entrance of the cave.”
Old Ban shook his head and sighed, “No, not all of those corpses are due to the Astral Wind. Most of them were caused by humans.”
She frowned, but before she could ask what he meant, he continued, “You will see what this old man means soon, Young Lady.”
Although sceptical, she didn’t ask anymore.
Just then, a figure suddenly approached from the outside and rushed fiercely towards the cave.
However, without waiting for the figure to draw near, a thin cultivator standing by the entrance suddenly raised his hand and unleashed an attack.
The figure didn’t show any weakness and returned the attack with his own.
A loud bang rang out in the next moment, and both cultivators remained unmoved. They seemed to be equally matched.
In the next moment, a sorry figure landed at the entrance of the cave, his eyes filled with hatred and impatience towards the man who was blocking him from entering the cave.
“There is no space left here. Please go elsewhere, friend,” the skinny cultivator coldly snorted and said with a displeased look.
“Where else can I go?” The newcomer gnashed his teeth. He had run all the way here and looked like he had suffered a lot from the Astral Wind. Evidently, his energy was rapidly depleting, as the protective halo around his body was flickering. Now, he was being denied entry after finally finding shelter, so naturally he was infuriated.
However, the thin cultivator wasn’t an easy opponent. If they really were to start fighting, it would be impossible to tell who would win. The newcomer was in no mood to do that when his most pressing concern was finding shelter before the Astral Wind arrived with full force.
His gaze swept past the thin cultivator into the cave.
Since there were no spots, he just had to snatch one.
As a First-Order Dao Source Realm Master, Old Ban was one of the weakest cultivators inside and was undoubtedly the easiest target.
However, before the newcomer could open his mouth to drive Old Ban out, he suddenly noticed Yang Kai and frowned.
Although Yang Kai was just sitting cross-legged and didn’t release his aura, he was still an Emperor Realm Master. The newcomer couldn’t see through his cultivation, and Yang Kai and Old Ban were clearly companions. Regardless of what Yang Kai’s cultivation really was, the newcomer didn’t want to risk getting into more trouble.
With barely any hesitation, the newcomer’s eyes moved away from Old Ban’s body to a different corner of the cave. He stretched out a finger and shouted, “Boy, get out of here. I want your spot.”
He was pointing at a young man who looked to be in his early thirties. The young man had been hiding in the dark and shrinking into himself the entire time, as if he didn’t want anyone to notice his existence.
His cultivation, like Old Ban, was only First-Order Dao Source Realm.
Upon hearing the newcomer’s demand, the young man shuddered and pretended that he didn’t hear anything.
The newcomer sneered seeing this, “I’ll give you three breaths of time to get out. If you don’t, I’ll have no choice but drag you out myself. Whether you live or die will be entirely up to you.”
Seeing that he had no choice, the young man raised his head and wailed, “Why me? Why is it me?!”
He was the first to enter the cave after the thunder tide and had even hidden deep inside to avoid encountering a situation like this, yet he was still called out.
The Astral Wind was approaching, and there was no other place to take shelter. If he went out now, he would surely die. The newcomer was about two times stronger than him, so he wouldn’t be able to resist if it turned into a fight. Therefore, despite his rage, the young man was also helpless.
The newcomer sneered, “A weakling like you shouldn’t have tried to enter the Ancient Lands. However, since you did anyway, you should’ve been prepared to die here! Now, scram!”
“I won’t! If I go out now, I’ll die! Don’t push me. If you do, I… I’ll self-detonate and drag everyone here down with me!”
As soon as this threat came out, several people’s faces darkened. They were evidently displeased with his threat; however, the stronger ones didn’t mind at all. After all, even if this young man wanted to self-destruct, he would need to find an opportunity first.
Out of the many people present in the cave, at least half of them could subdue him if he actually tried to blow himself up.
“Hahaha!” The man burst out laughing and stared at the young man mockingly, “If you want to self-destruct, go ahead! Let’s see if you can!”
He appeared confident and fearless, which made the young man panic. The young man could only look around and plead, “Sirs, please help me! I don’t want to go out and die. Please, Sirs, stand and uphold justice here!”
As he spoke, he cupped his fists and held them against his chest, just one step away from kneeling down to beg.
However, everyone here was a stranger, so who would bother to help him in this type of situation? Thus, no one answered him.
Zhang Ruo Xi couldn’t bear it and glanced at Yang Kai, but seeing that he wasn’t going to respond either, she could only grit her teeth.
A look of impatience appeared on the newcomer’s face and he snapped, “I’ll give you one last chance to get out yourself, otherwise… Don’t blame me for using force!”
As the words fell, he reached out and grabbed the young man.
Although the cave was small and crowded, the newcomer was a Third-Order Dao Source Realm Master, so he was able to grab the young man without accidentally touching anyone else. Judging from his action, he planned to just grab the young man and throw him out to make room for himself.
The young man suddenly became dazed. Facing the attack of a Third-Order Dao Source Realm Master, he had no way to defend at all, nor did he really have the courage to detonate himself, so all he could do was stand there and wait for his demise… Until, just then, there was a gleam, and Source Qi burst forth.
With a slight grunt, the newcomer staggered back a few steps.
When he regained his balance, he was furious, “Who did that?! Who dares to interfere in my business?!”
It was obvious that someone had stopped his attack just now, and their cultivation was not low, otherwise, he wouldn’t have been pushed back.
His gaze swept over everyone in the cave before locking onto Zhang Ruo Xi, then his expression changed, “It was you!”
“Yes, it was me!” She readily admitted.
The newcomer’s expression was a little ugly as he glared at her.
It wouldn’t be an issue if she had been alone, but this young woman was together with Yang Kai. Once they began to fight, Yang Kai naturally wouldn’t stand by. The newcomer was bound to eat a loss if he went against the two of them with just himself.
Therefore, he pondered for a bit and then cupped his fists together, “The Astral Wind is approaching, Young Lady. This one just wants to find shelter from it and has no other choice. This one would be very grateful if you could make an exception in this one’s favour, but if you insist on meddling in this one’s business, then… this one will have to take necessary countermeasures. Even a rabbit will bite if forced into a corner.”
Although he said this to Zhang Ruo Xi, he was looking at Yang Kai’s face.
However, to his disappointment, Yang Kai continued to sit silently without showing any reaction, as if it had nothing to do with him. It made him really uncertain whether Zhang Ruo Xi and Yang Kai were together.
“There’s no problem with wanting to find shelter, but it’s first come first serve! There is no room left here. How could you try to drive someone away? Your life may be precious, but are not other people’s lives as well?” Zhang Ruo Xi looked at the man angrily.
In the past, the Zhang family was bullied because it was small and weak, so she couldn’t stand this kind of wanton oppression. She had tried to hold it in, but she just couldn’t.
The newcomer erupted with rage, “Must you insist on being a defender of justice little girl? Have you stopped to consider whether it’s worth it? You don’t know this person, do you? Do you intend to offend others for the sake of a stranger?”
Zhang Ruo Xi snorted, “I don’t know whether it’s worth it or not, but I can’t just sit still and watch it happen!”
“How unreasonable!” The anger of the newcomer was like an active volcano, and it almost swallowed him up. [How unlucky! I just had to encounter a meddlesome little girl like her when my life is at stake!]
On a regular day, he wouldn’t mind wasting a few words with her, but right now, he didn’t have the luxury!
Just then, Yang Kai raised his head and looked at the newcomer and said faintly, “The wind is getting stronger outside. I’m afraid you won’t be able to find another place if you don’t go now, friend.”
The newcomer stared back with deep, hatred-filled eyes before turning around and dashing out.
He didn’t even bother to spit out a threat, because he knew that if he stayed to argue with Zhang Ruo Xi, he would miss the opportunity to find another cave. Being exposed to the Astral Wind was lethal, but if he left now, he would still have a chance to survive.
It was a gamble.
“Many thanks! This humble one will never forget what you did for me today and will definitely return my gratitude in the future!” The young man hiding in the deepest part of the cave cupped his fists and bowed over and over again to Zhang Ruo Xi.
If Zhang Ruo Xi didn’t stand up for him just now, there was no doubt that he would’ve been thrown out of the cave and left to die. Therefore, he was very grateful to her.
She dismissed it with a smile and a wave of her hand, “Don’t mention it.”
Her smile seemed to light up the whole cave, and the young man couldn’t help staring at her, stunned, while her face turned a little red when she noticed. At the same time, she felt slightly annoyed.
Old Ban lightly coughed, “This old man admires your kind heart, Young Lady, but… I’m afraid what you’ve done just now is pointless.”
“What?” Zhang Ruo Xi turned her head and looked at Old Ban with a puzzled expression on her face.
The old man sighed, “As the time of the Astral Wind draws closer, more and more cultivators will come and fight for a spot. You’ve managed to drive one of them away, but will you be able to drive away all of them?”
As soon as his words fell, the sound of heavy breathing came from outside the cave.
Following it, several cultivators who were escaping from the strange fog rushed directly towards the cave. They were undoubtedly looking for shelter.
When they reached the entrance, they looked inside, and when they saw that there was no space left, their faces turned dark. However, they seemed to have expected this situation, because instead of stopping to talk nonsense, they summoned their respective artifacts and unleashed their strongest attacks.
Amidst the chaotic flashes of Source Qi, two distressed cries rang out.
Blood splashed, and the two cultivators standing closest to the entrance fell before they could even react. The pungent smell immediately filled the air.
Afterwards, the newcomers laughed and kicked the bodies aside.
“Give us some room if you don’t want to die!” They sneered.
As they spoke, their attacks rained down harder, causing the cultivators near the entrance to cry out miserably and incessantly.
Zhang Ruo Xi was stunned upon realizing the truth behind the skeletons outside.
It turned out that those people weren’t killed by the Astral Wind, but by other cultivators. Every time the Astral Wind blew, they would fight to the death for shelter, causing countless cultivators to fall over the years. It wouldn’t be inaccurate to call this place a graveyard.
It was the case for this cave, and most likely for every other cave in the passageway too.
Rather than simple competitions, the cultivators treated the battles as deadly life-and-death duels, because they all knew that if they failed to obtain shelter, they would die in the Astral Wind. Therefore, their attacks were completely without mercy.
The scene at the entrance of the cave was one of a murky sky over dark earth, with flying sand and rolling pebbles.
Streams of people came and went, attacking fiercely without saying a word.
The situation was extremely chaotic. From time to time, the screams of the fallen would resonate through the cave. The ground was dyed red by blood and dead bodies with severed limbs piled up at the entrance, leaving a strong, nauseating smell of blood.
Only the extremely powerful Masters were able to survive the madness. Those who lacked strength also lacked the qualifications to survive.
The Masters broke into the cave and forced their way inside. They wanted to squeeze into the depths of the cave, because only then would they truly be able to relax. If they stayed near the entrance, they would have to face more latecomers.
Before long, the entire cave fell into complete chaos.
Soon, it spread to the inside of the cave, with different artifacts and Secret Techniques flying loose, everyone seeming to be an enemy.
Yang Kai and his group were deep within the cave, but even so, they couldn’t avoid the fighting. However, after Yang Kai killed two Third-Order Dao Source Realm Masters who tried to attack Zhang Ruo Xi and Old Ban with a wave of his hand, people instinctively began to avoid their spot. Only then were they able to relax.
From time to time, the cultivators from the cave would be thrown out by the more powerful newcomers. Soon, out of the ten people who were inside originally, less than half remained.
The wind roared and grew stronger.
All of a sudden, the cultivators who failed to get inside the cave cried out. Extremely frightened expressions appeared on their faces, and they immediately rushed towards the cave without a care for their lives. However, once again, they were blocked.
Then, in front of everyone’s eyes, countless slashes appeared on their physiques that were exposed to the outside, as though made by invisible knives. Their skin was peeled away, revealing their muscles and bones.
The screams were truly terrifying, and the scene gave the onlookers goosebumps and caused cold sweat to begin dripping down their backs.
All of the cultivators hiding in the cave stepped back involuntarily
In less than ten breaths of time, the cultivators outside were turned into skeletons, with no flesh or even clothing left on their bodies, their ghastly bones scattered all over the ground, clattering and clanking.
It wasn’t until several moments later that Old Ban let out a sigh of relief and said, “Now, we’re safe.”
The power of the Astral Wind had been fully revealed, so at this point, the cultivators who failed to find shelter had also lost their chance at survival. The Astral Wind would kill anyone caught outside, so no one would intrude within the cave. In other words, the many cultivators inside the cave no longer had to worry about having their spot taken.
It was strange to think that just a few moments ago, they were almost all enemies fighting each other to the death, as though their opponent had killed their family and stolen their wife.
But now, they were all relieved and immediately restrained their hostility. After exchanging a glance, everyone just sat down cross-legged and began to adjust their breathing.
It was as if nothing had happened.
Just now, the battle was to seize shelter, so naturally they had to fight each other to the death, but now that the crisis was over, there was no longer a need to fight. Everyone understood this.
Zhang Ruo Xi looked around, and when she failed to find the young man she had saved before, she couldn’t help but sigh. There was no doubt that he had been killed or thrown out at some point during the scuffle just now.
When Old Ban told her that what she had done was pointless, he was telling the truth.
She could save the young man once, but not keep him safe forever. One’s own strength was the only real capital one had to survive.
At present, there were more than a dozen people in this cave, and with the exception of Old Ban, the rest were all either Second or Third-Order Dao Realm. They were all latecomers with powerful auras.
The battle had exhausted a lot of them and they were all trying to recover now, so the cave turned silent, save for the nerve-wracking sound of the howling wind outside.
There was no sign of the Astral Wind dying down; rather, it only grew louder and stronger.
Two hours later, Yang Kai, who was meditating, suddenly frowned and looked toward the entrance of the cave.
He felt a faint and inexplicable sense of uneasiness.
At this moment, the cave was surrounded by strange fog and the howling of the Astral Wind though, so even with his powerful Divine Sense, he couldn’t tell what was going on outside.
As Yang Kai paid close attention to any movement outside the cave though, a cry and a howl travelled inside from the depths of the strange fog. Although it was distorted by the wind, everyone was able to hear it clearly.
Several pairs of eyes opened at once, turning in scepticism towards the entrance.
“Am I the only one who heard that…?” A cultivator near the entrance asked, frowning.
“A Yin Soul!” Another other replied in a deep voice.
“Hmph, the Ancient Lands Passageway is filled with those, what’s so strange about that? Who knows how many people have died here? It’s the perfect breeding ground for Yin Souls.”
“Naturally, I understand that, but… Don’t you feel that the Yin Souls are heading in our direction?” Asked the cultivator who had spoken first.
“Haha, how funny. When the Astral Wind comes, we’re not the only ones who need to find shelter, the Yin Souls must also lie dormant in a secret place. Why would they come here?”
“That’s right. This King has been here for several years, and never once have I met a Yin Soul during the Astral Wind storm. You must be thinking too much, my friend.”
“Indeed!” The first man thought about it and agreed that what they said made sense, so he dismissed his concerns.
The cultivators’ conversation naturally entered Yang Kai’s ears; however, instead of feeling reassured, he became more vigilant and asked quietly, “Is it true that Yin Souls don’t come out when the wind blows, Old Ban?”
“Generally, yes. It’s because the Astral Wind is so powerful that not even the Yin Souls here can resist it and are likely to be blown away,” Old Ban paused and continued, “However…”
“However?”
“It’s not absolutely true all the time. The Yin Souls do not come out not because they can’t, but because they choose not to. This old man has only seen them come out once during such a time, so it’s very rare. Little Brother, you can rest…”
All of a sudden, Old Ban stopped talking and stared at the entrance of the cave with a look of utter horror. There, he saw ten semi-transparent figures bursting out from the strange fog.
The figures were humanoid but somewhat distorted, making it hard for one to discern their true form.
However, no matter what they were, the cold and violent auras around their bodies were unmistakable.
As soon as they left the strange fog, one by one, their blurry facial features became ferocious and terrifying, as though they were looking for someone to bite.
“Damn it, they’re here! Whose big mouth was it that jinxed us?!”
“Be careful, everyone!”
At the entrance of the cave, several cultivators shouted and sprung to their feet, preparing to fight. As soon as these Yin Souls rushed in, they would be the ones to bear the brunt of the attack with no way to advance or retreat. Thus, they could only choose to fight.
In an instant, flashes of light from summoned artifacts appeared one after another and rushed toward the Yin Souls.
Naturally, none of the cultivators who attacked were weak. If they were, they wouldn’t have gotten a spot in the cave; however, when their attacks fell, the Yin Souls were hardly affected, their bodies faltered for a moment, but none of them died.
“Damn it… they’re all at the Ghost General level!” Someone exclaimed, their face paling.
Yin Souls also had a hierarchy, from Ordinary Ghost to Ghost Generals, Lords, and finally, Kings. Naturally, each one was stronger than the last.
Ordinary Ghosts were so weak that even Old Ban could deal with them easily, but if a Ghost General or Ghost Lord appeared, Old Ban would be completely helpless. As for the Ghost King they had encountered previously, it was essentially the overlord of the Ancient Lands Passageway and not even an Emperor Realm Master would dare to look down on it.
Previously, Old Ban and Zhang Ruo Xi couldn’t resist it at all. If it weren’t for Yang Kai’s protection, they would’ve died right there and then.
Therefore, when the cultivators inside the cave heard that the Yin Souls were at the Ghost General level, their faces changed greatly and every single one of them could feel the danger they were in.
None of the attacks that landed on the Ghost Generals caused fatal damage. They merely paused before charging forward even more ferociously.
However, the cultivators at the entrance were clearly veterans who knew how to deal with these Yin Souls. They all stood there calmly, prepared and with heavy expressions on their faces, before suddenly releasing Soul Attacks one by one.
The invisible attacks landed fiercely on the Ghost Generals’ bodies.
The majority of the Ghost Generals wailed and were wiped out in an instant, while the surviving ones flickered dimly. They were obviously injured, but since they couldn’t feel the pain, they still lunged forth while baring their teeth and brandishing their claws.
There was another outbreak of Spiritual Energy, and the rest of the Ghost Generals suffered the same fate as their former companions.
Seeing this, several cultivators at the entrance of the cave breathed out a sigh of relief. Although they were not afraid of these Ghost Generals because of their cultivation, they were now avoiding the Astral Wind and naturally didn’t wish for any more unexpected developments. Fortunately, there were not many of these Ghost Generals, so they could still be easily eliminated.
“There are more!” Yang Kai suddenly turned solemn and warned.
“What?” The faces of those people at the entrance of the cave changed, but before they could ask anything more, they saw first-hand what Yang Kai meant.
From the strange fog, another group of Ghost Generals rushed out, each one having the same ferocious aura as the last group.
*Xiu xiu xiu…*
More and more Yin Souls poured in, but this time, their auras were mixed. Some were Ordinary Ghosts while others were Ghost Generals, and there were even a few Ghost Lords in their midst!
In the blink of an eye, the entire cave was surrounded by Yin Souls. There were so many of them that the cultivators felt as though they had fallen into the Netherworld.
*Gudong!*
Someone gulped as everyone was looking at the entrance of the cave with a dark and uneasy expression.
“How… How can this be?”
“Why are so many Yin Souls coming out when there is still the Astral Wind?”
“What the hell is going on here?!”
“Just shut up and start killing if you don’t want to die!”
The cultivators who had just settled down cried out in alarm again. They couldn’t believe what they saw and in that moment of hesitation, the Yin Souls launched a new wave of attacks.
The few people at the entrance of the cave had no choice but to push their Spiritual Energy and Source Qi madly to help them kill off the invading Yin Souls.
Shrill screams rang out one after another, and one by one, the Yin Souls disappeared; however, their numbers seemed to be endless. The cultivators at the entrance fought for quite some time, but although their attacks were effective, the number of Yin Souls wasn’t decreasing at all. Rather, it was increasing.
Such a situation made them desperate!
The most effective way to kill a Yin Soul was to wait until they drew close and then use a burst of potent Spiritual Energy to scatter them. However, Spiritual Energy was not inexhaustible. Every time an attack was used, a lot would be consumed, and once one’s Spiritual Energy was exhausted, they would only be able to wait for death.
Moreover, excessive use of Spiritual Energy was likely to damage the foundations of one’s Soul, which was something no cultivator desired.
Within the time it took to brew a cup of tea, the group at the entrance of the cave was already pale and soaked in cold sweat. It was evident that they had exhausted their Spiritual Energy reserves.
“Hey, brothers in the back, could you lend a hand? I can’t hold on for much longer.”
“That’s right, hurry and come help us! If we die, the next wave will be up to you. You can’t hide back there forever!”
“Can someone replace me for a while? I want to take a rest. My Spiritual Energy is almost exhausted. This one would be endlessly grateful.”
…..
Inside the cave.
The remaining nine people in the back watched on with heavy expressions. Although they knew that the cultivators at the entrance were right, who would dare to go up and take their place in this time of crisis? What if they went up and no one dared to take their place once their Knowledge Sea was exhausted? How miserable would their death be then?
It was every man for himself; therefore, although their expressions were grim, none of the people inside the cave said anything, let alone step forward to replace the cultivators at the entrance.
“Old Ban, you don’t think it’s…” Yang Kai suddenly looked at Old Ban and asked quietly.
It only took a moment for Old Ban to understand what Yang Kai meant and he nodded slightly, “It’s possible.”
Generally, Yin Souls would not appear during the Astral Wind period, so the situation now was quite strange. Moreover, judging from the way the Yin Souls were moving and staring into the cave, it seemed that they bore a grudge against a single person.
This reminded Yang Kai of the Ghost King!
The Ghost King had suffered a loss at Yang Kai’s hands, so perhaps this incident was related to that. Since the Ghost King wasn’t Yang Kai’s opponent, it decided to take advantage of this opportunity to mobilize the Yin Souls in the passageway in order to wear down Yang Kai.
However, despite knowing the truth, he had no way to escape. If the Yin Souls continued attacking, they would reach him sooner or later.
If so, then Yang Kai was the culprit, and everyone else was simply implicated because of him.
Just as Yang Kai and Old Ban were communicating secretly, a man inside the cave suddenly stood up and shouted, “Everyone, at this time of life or death, we have to work together if we want to survive!”
“Exactly! We need to work together! This wonderful Brother has such a profound sense of justice! Hurry and help me fight for a while! This one will thank you with twenty million Source Crystals after this!” A Third-Order Dao Source Realm Master hurriedly responded. He was pale and barely hanging on. He almost couldn’t resist pulling the one who spoke over so he could finally rest.
The one who spoke looked at him and said, “Please wait a moment, friend. This one will discuss with the others. It won’t be long.”
“What? We’ll die if you do that!”
“Hmph, we’re over here fighting with our lives on the line, while you are in the back relaxing. Do you think we’ll just let that happen? If you people don’t come and help, then don’t blame us for ‘accidentally’ letting some Yin Souls inside!”
“That’s right! If we’re going to die, then we’ll drag you all down with us!”
“Please be patient and allow this one thirty breaths of time to come up with a satisfactory plan!” The man inside the cave said.
As soon as his words fell, the cultivators at the entrance stopped clamouring. The man’s words sounded sincere, and they also wanted to see how he would deal with this.
Moreover, holding on for thirty more breaths of time was not hard to do.
Seeing that they had no objections, the man cupped his fists and said, “He Feng from the Qi Family Fort greets fellow cultivators!”
“Qi Family Fort!” Yang Kai was startled and he turned to look at He Feng, coincidentally meeting his gaze.
Qi He Feng smiled at him, while Yang Kai couldn’t help but snort.
[Does he recognize me?]
[If he does, he wouldn’t be smiling like that.]
“So, it turns out that you’re from Qi Family Fort! I have long admired your family!”
As soon as Qi He Feng reported his background, several people revealed looks of approval; after all, Qi Family Fort was a great force that existed near the Ancient Lands, so it held some prestige here.
Qi He Feng didn’t waste any words and went straight to the point, “I believe our current situation is clear to all. If the friends at the entrance were to exhaust their Spiritual Energy and fall, the attacks would fall on us next. It seems that there is no end to this wave of Yin Souls, and if they continue to pour in here, this Qi reckons only a handful of us will be able to survive.”
“Thus, this Qi would like to ask you all to set aside your personal opinions, cooperate sincerely, and fight together. Only then will we have a chance of surviving!”
“Moreover, there just happens to be twelve of us here. The opening is only wide enough to accommodate about four people standing side by side. This Qi suggests that we divide into three groups, and each one will take turns defending the cave for a stick of incense’s worth of time, and then switch out again.”
“This will allow each group to rest for about half an hour, which is enough time to recover almost completely.”
“Try to kill the Yin Souls if possible, and block them if not. As soon as the Astral Wind ends, we won’t have to entangle with them any longer. We can escape the cave and thus survive.”
“However, in order for this to happen, we must join hands and trust each other without harboring any other intentions.”
“That is this Qi’s proposal. What does everyone think?” Qi He Feng finished, glancing around at the other cultivators.
The four cultivators defending the cave naturally didn’t have any objections; after all, they had been fighting for so long and wanted nothing more than to rest. As they shouted their agreement and nodded repeatedly, they almost couldn’t resist retreating immediately.
Although it was hard for them to see each other’s expressions, every sensible cultivator inside the cave knew that Qi He Feng was right. The only way to survive and escape this crisis was to join hands and fight together.
Thus, after a moment of silence, someone said, “Brother Qi is right. I agree!”
“Agreed!”
“Agreed!”
One by one, the cultivators nodded and agreed. Before long, a general consensus was reached.
Qi He Feng turned to look at Yang Kai, as though he was seeking his agreement. Yang Kai smiled, “Let’s do as you proposed.”
Qi He Feng turned back with a solemn expression, “Since no one has any objections, let’s begin; however, this Qi will be blunt and say right now that no mistakes can be made during this. If anyone dares to hold back or do anything else that could sabotage us, this Qi, as well as everyone else here, will not show any mercy.”
“As it should be!”
Soon, under Qi He Feng’s guidance, the remaining eight people were divided into two groups.
He seemed to have noticed that Yang Kai, Zhang Ruo Xi, and Old Ban were together, so instead of separating the three, he asked a Second-Order Dao Source Realm Master to join them and take the third shift.
After making the groups, Qi He Feng moved toward the entrance with his group.
The original four cultivators at the entrance quickly retreated and moved out of the way.
Qi He Feng and his group were soon engaged with the Yin Souls, and the fight was in full swing. The original four cultivators pulled out pills and sat down to restore their energy.
They only had half an hour, so they had to make the most of their time.
Qi He Feng’s group cooperated well overall. Under the brilliance of their respective Secret Techniques and artifacts, the Yin Souls were constantly beaten back and killed.
As they watched on, the other cultivators were even more convinced that they had made the right decision to follow Qi He Feng’s proposal.
If they managed to survive this trip, Qi He Feng would undoubtedly be known as a great hero. If he hadn’t stood forth and proposed this plan, the twelve people in the cave would’ve likely turned into scattered skeletons.
Qi He Fen’s group fought nonstop for some time, and although the energy consumption was great, they were able to pull through without falling into danger.
Seeing that their turn was approaching, Yang Kai got up slowly and said in a soft voice, “Old Ban, just hide behind me and deal with the ones that slip through.”
Upon hearing this, Old Ban didn’t say much and only nodded.
As a First-Order Dao Source Realm, he was the weakest in the cave. Moreover, he was old, so he wouldn’t even be able to survive if he had to face ten or twenty Ordinary Ghosts, let alone these Ghost Generals.
He knew how strong Yang Kai was as he could deal with even the Ghost King, let alone its subordinates. There was no need to refuse Yang Kai’s protection.
Yang Kai’s movements seemed leisurely, but it took only an instant for his group to replace Qi He Feng’s.
A brilliant light burst from Zhang Ruo Xi’s hand as extremely rich and pure Spiritual Energy turned into an invisible blade that swept through the entire scene like a divine weapon, cutting down every Yin Soul before her as though they were nothing but straw.
The Second-Order Source Realm Master who was with them turned to look at her in amazement. Only then did he realize how powerful this beautiful girl was, and for a second, he felt both fear and respect. Then, he felt a stab to his self-esteem and clenched his teeth, releasing his Spiritual Energy and fighting to the best of his abilities so as not to be underestimated.
Yang Kai’s performance was not as exaggerated as Zhang Ruo Xi’s, but every time he used his Spiritual Energy, he would inconspicuously eliminate a large area of Yin Souls, most of whom were hidden in the strange fog, so no matter how much noise they made, no one noticed.
Occasionally, he would deliberately let one or two Yin Souls pass for Old Ban to deal with.
It wasn’t for the sake of Old Ban’s self-esteem, but because the other cultivators were working so hard and sincerely that it would seem unreasonable for Old Ban to be doing nothing.
One or two Yin Souls were easy to deal with and didn’t pose any threat.
As soon as Yang Kai took over the defence, the situation changed greatly.
Previously, no matter which group was at the entrance, their vision would be filled with endless Yin Souls. More would appear as they were killed, which made them feel desperate.
But this time, with Zhang Ruo Xi killing at the front and Yang Kai cutting off the Yin Souls’ reinforcements in the rear, the situation at the entrance became much better in just ten breaths of time.
The number of Yin Souls had obviously reduced, giving one the illusion that the disaster would pass soon.
Seeing this, the eight resting cultivators couldn’t help but perk up. It was as though they had seen a glimmer of hope in the fog.
After another stick of incense’s worth of time, without Yang Kai’s having to call out, the first group stood up and stepped forth to replace them.
By now, no one was thinking about their own benefits. Everyone knew that if they wanted to survive, they would have to cooperate with each other.
However, after the first group took over, they discovered that the overwhelming number of Yin Souls had been restored and were quite depressed.
Like this, the twelve people in the cave worked together in an orderly manner, constantly resisting the invasion of the Yin Souls.
A day passed and everyone’s expressions gradually turned sombre. This was because they had discovered that even after an entire day, the Yin Souls showed no intention of retreating, and continued to invade.
Most of the cultivators were injured now, and although no one had suffered fatal injuries, it would become a problem if they weren’t treated soon.
Only Yang Kai’s group of four, because of his secret protection, was still intact.
The reason for the injuries was due to the excessive and long-term consumption of Spiritual Energy. Although they were given time to rest and consumed numerous pills, the fatigue couldn’t be entirely dispelled.
Moreover, there was something even worse; they were running out of the Spirit Pills that could restore Spiritual Energy!
If they ran out of pills, they would no longer be able to replenish their Spiritual Energy, and if the Astral Wind didn’t calm down by then, only death awaited them.
Qi He Feng even took the initiative to distribute his spare Spirit Pills, but it was still just a drop in the bucket and didn’t play a big role.
Half a day later, the situation grew worse.
The atmosphere inside the cave was dark and gloomy, with people constantly shouting and swearing to vent their anger.
Qi He Feng’s brows are furrowed, but he couldn’t think of a way to save the situation.
He could only look at Yang Kai, his eyes full of helplessness.
Yang Kai glanced at him and snorted. Although he felt some displeasure, the situation had reached a point where he could no longer remain uninvolved.
After telling Old Ban and Zhang Ruo Xi to stay where they were, he slowly got up and walked towards the entrance of the cave step by step.
The others looked at him curiously, not knowing what he was going to do.
At the entrance of the cave, Yang Kai took a breath, and with a flick of his wrist, his Myriad Sword appeared and his aura suddenly erupted.
*Weng…*
The entire cave seemed to tremble.
“That’s…”
“An Emperor Realm Master!”
“There was an Emperor here all along?!”
All eyes turned to Yang Kai, who was standing at the entrance. The stalwart back now suddenly had a brave and heroic air about it, and even the group at the entrance stopped and turned around to stare at him.
Although Yang Kai performed well before, he didn’t unleash his full might, and the other cultivators were too worried about their own lives to pay him much heed.
It was only at this moment that they realized Yang Kai was actually an Emperor Realm Master!
No wonder! No wonder the three cultivators in his group were completely unharmed! No wonder every time it was their turn, the number of Yin Souls would become scarce. They’d thought it was strange before but didn’t dwell on it. Now, they understood!
“Haha, we’re saved! We’re saved!”
“Damn, I thought I would die here this time. It seems the Heavens still don’t want me to visit yet.”
“Sir, please hurry and give those Yin Souls a good bashing!”
At this time, everyone was shouting and cheering. They seemed to believe that the Yin Souls would all disappear as long as Yang Kai acted.
Qi He Feng said solemnly, “Many thanks, Sir.”
Although Yang Kai’s hand had been forced, it didn’t change the fact that he would become everyone’s life-saving benefactor if he managed to beat back all of these Yin Souls; therefore, it was natural for Qi He Feng to thank him.
“You guys should move to the rear,” Yang Kai said as his body flickered and appeared before the group defending the entrance.
Without saying a word, the four cultivators immediately stepped back and retreated behind him.
As soon as they retreated, countless Yin Souls roared and rushed forward madly. Each one looked so ferocious that it made the other cultivators sweat for Yang Kai, worried if he would be able to stop them alone.
An Emperor Realm Master was indeed strong, but he had been fighting and consuming energy for a day and a half already just like the rest of them.
Now that he had become their only hope, it was only natural that no one wanted to see him have an accident.
However, in front of everyone’s eyes, Yang Kai was as steady as a mountain and didn’t move until the Yin Souls were almost upon him. At the last moment, his Spiritual Energy suddenly burst out like a tsunami.
*Hong…*
It seemed like an invisible wall in front of Yang Kai suddenly formed, deflecting all of the Yin Souls and preventing them from getting closer. Moreover, under some invisible pressure, the Yin Souls disintegrated at an astonishing speed, and several shrill cries rang out.
It was like watching snowflakes under the scorching sun. Wherever the sun passed, the snowflakes melted away.
This was not the end. The Myriads Sword in Yang Kai’s hand swept out, the fierce attack rising and spreading all around like the light of the moon and stars.
A large number of Yin Souls was wiped out yet again.
Although this kind of attack was not as effective as one using Divine Sense, Yang Kai was an Emperor Realm Master, and his Myriads Sword was also an Emperor Artifact, so it was impossible for the results to be ordinary.
The lowest level of Yin Souls and even the Ghost Generals were reduced to dust as soon as they came into contact with his sword wave. Some of the more powerful Ghost Lords were barely able to hang on to their lives, but they were still pushed to the edge.
Seeing this scene, the morale of the cultivators inside the cave rose greatly and the despair in their eyes vanished, replaced by incomparable excitement.
“You don’t look very well, my friend,” Qi He Feng suddenly turned his head and asked a wrinkly-faced man beside him, his face full of concern, “Are your injuries severe?”
When he heard this, a look of panic flashed in the wrinkly-faced man’s eyes. However, he soon covered it up and said, “Many thanks for your concern, Brother Qi. My injuries are not severe. Simply getting some rest will do.”
“That’s good. With this Sir’s help, we will be able to escape this crisis safely. He is no doubt our saviour.”
The man didn’t know what Qi He Feng was getting at and felt uneasy, but even so, he could only smile and nod, “Indeed.”
“Which Sect are you from, friend?” Qi He Feng continued to ask.
“I don’t belong to a Sect. I’m a lone wanderer,” the wrinkly-faced man replied.
Qi He Feng raised his brow, “You must be quite talented, to be able to cultivate to the Third-Order Dao Source Realm with only your own effort. Are you interested in joining the Qi Family Fort?”
“I am honoured by Brother Qi’s offer, but I’m used to being free. I don’t wish to join any great forces yet.”
“Very well.” After that, Qi He Feng stopped talking and turned his head to watch Yang Kai.
The wrinkly-faced man frowned slightly and shot Qi He Feng a furtive glance. His expression had been normal, and it seemed that he had just been making casual conversation, so the wrinkly-faced man sighed in relief.
At the entrance, Yang Kai was like an impassable mountain, and with each swing of his sword, the Yin Souls were pushed back.
Occasionally, a few would slip through and be killed by the cultivators in the back. The Yin Souls had no way to break into the cave.
At this moment, everyone relaxed and was no longer anxious.
The crisis would pass as long as Yang Kai held on. The strength of an Emperor Realm Master was formidable as expected and truly awe-inspiring; however, they were afraid Yang Kai would run out of energy before everything ended. After all, one’s strength was always limited.
Alas, half a day later, their worries came true.
By then, it became obvious that Yang Kai’s attacks were no longer as powerful as before. The force behind both his sword waves and Soul attacks were greatly reduced, and most noticeably, the number of Yin Souls slipping through his defence had increased.
However, this wasn’t surprising. The fact that Yang Kai was able to hold on for half a day on his own was a testament to his great strength; after all, the four-person groups before could only hold on for a stick of incense’s worth of time.
After another half-day, Yang Kai’s hand trembled slightly, and his face turned pale. It was apparent he was nearing his limit.
Qi He Feng stood up, “Sir, please go back and rest for a while. You can leave the rest to us.”
“Yes, Sir. If you collapse, we will all suffer too. You should take a rest,” the other cultivators quickly agreed and urged.
Their concern wasn’t truly genuine, but Yang Kai was now their main pillar of strength. Without him, their chances of surviving would be too low.
Upon hearing this, Yang Kai pondered for a moment and nodded, “Alright.”
He had been defending for an entire day, while the rest of the cultivators were almost completely covered. They should have no problem taking the vanguard position for a period of time.
At that moment, all of a sudden, the wind howling outside the cave weakened drastically.
Everyone was stunned and carefully stared out in the direction of the entrance.
After a moment, someone said in a trembling voice, “The Astral Wind is ending.”
“Hahaha, it’s ending! It’s ending!”
“It’s really over! We’re saved! We’re saved!”
Upon realizing that the Astral Wind was about to end, everyone began to shout and yell excitedly, as though they had picked up an amazing treasure and wanted to share the news with the entire world.
What made them even happier was that when the sounds of howling wind began to abate, the Yin Souls seemed to have received some kind of signal and retreated back into the strange fog. In just the blink of an eye, the crisis that plagued them for two days was over.
Everyone was overjoyed and one by one, they crowded at the entrance of the cave and peered out.
They saw that only a weak wind remained, and there was not a single Yin Soul in sight.
The disaster was really over.
“Watch out, Sir!” Qi He Feng suddenly cried out loudly.
Just then, a turbid light burst out from a certain part of the cave and rushed straight towards Yang Kai’s head. Yang Kai’s body suddenly flickered, as if he might fall at any time.
The next moment, a figure rushed behind Yang Kai and aimed at his forehead with a fierce palm.
“You dare!” Qi He Feng roared and prepared to give chase, but the attack had happened too suddenly and he could only watch as the blow landed on the unprepared Yang Kai.
The others, too, began to panic and hastily spread out and put up their guards despite not knowing what had happened.
*Hong…*
A muffled sound rang out, and as soon as his palm landed on Yang Kai’s forehead, the perpetrator revealed a vicious smile.
After the successful blow, he immediately ran out of the cave at the fastest speed, because he knew that if he stayed, he would be besieged by the other cultivators; after all, Yang Kai had saved the lives of all the people here and was regarded as their benefactor.
When their benefactor was attacked, they would have to pursue the perpetrator whether they were willing to or not.
Before the man left, he turned his head and looked at Zhang Ruo Xi, his face filled with pride and triumph.
However, he saw that Zhang Ruo Xi wasn’t panicking at all. Instead, she was looking at him coldly and made no move to stop him.
This situation made the man’s heart jump, and a wave of unease washed over him.
“Do you want to run after hitting me?” A voice sounded from behind him, making his hair stand on end.
The man’s gaze snapped in Yang Kai’s direction, only to see the young man looking back at him mockingly. His pale face was now rosy as could be, and gone was the weak aura around his body.
There was no sign of exhaustion or weakness.
[How is this possible?]
Even though Yang Kai was an Emperor Realm Master, he had been defending the cave entrance for an entire day. How could he not be exhausted?
The only possible explanation was that… he had been hiding his true strength from the start!
Upon realizing this, the man broke out in cold sweat.
Yang Kai stretched out his hand and easily grasped the man’s ankle, exerting just a small amount of force, causing bones to crack loudly.
“Ahh!” The man screamed miserably. He wanted to use his strength to resist, but was shocked to find that under Yang Kai’s grasp, his cultivation was suppressed, rendering him completely helpless.
Yang Kai threw the man back into the cave, slamming it against a wall and causing blood to spurt from his lips.
“What’s going on?”
“What’s the situation?”
“What’s wrong? What happened?”
It was only then that other cultivators reacted; however, they were confused by the scene before them and couldn’t tell why Yang Kai had attacked the other cultivator.
Qi He Feng answered their questions with a cold expression on his face, “This man had ulterior motives. He took advantage of Sir’s exhaustion to launch a sneak attack. Unforgivable!”
Everyone was shocked and looked at the cultivator who had fallen to the ground.
It was the wrinkly-faced man Qi He Feng had been talking to before.
The unbearable pain in his ankle caused his wrinkled face to appear even more wrinkled, and his forehead was dripping with beads of sweat.
“How despicable! If it wasn’t for Sir, we would be dead right now! You not only didn’t repay gratitude but also tried to sneak attack Sir?! Do you have any conscience?”
“Such a despicable person deserves to be punished with the pain of Soul extraction and refinement! This one only knows a little about Soul refinement, if you wish for it, Sir, just say the word and this one will make him regret being born into this world!”
“Heh, heh, I also know a bit about Soul refinement. If Sir wishes for it, I can also help and guarantee that he lives a life worse than death for ten days to half a month.”
As soon as the wrinkled-face man heard this, his face turned pale as snow, and his whole body trembled.
“Speak! Why did you try to attack Sir?” One of the cultivators shouted, glaring at the wrinkly-faced man.
The wrinkly-faced man clenched his teeth and said nothing despite the pain.
“Heh, heh, it looks like you’re pretty tough. I guess we’ll have to give you a taste of having your Soul pulled out and refined for you to speak!” Another one approached with a sinister smile.
“Hahaha!” The wrinkly-faced man suddenly burst out laughing. His laughter contained so much madness that it immediately stunned everyone.
A moment later, he sneered and said coldly, “You want to refine my Soul? You’ll need to have the courage first! Do you know where I come from? If you dare to hurt a single hair on my head, my Sect will not let you off!”
Everyone’s faces changed as soon as they heard these words. The intimidation from the possibility that the wrinkly-faced man came from a great background was quite effective.
When they stopped to think about it, it did make sense. The wrinkly-faced man wouldn’t dare to attack an Emperor Realm Master if he didn’t have something like a top Sect backing him.
Perhaps Yang Kai had offended the Sect somehow, so the wrinkly-faced man was sent to assassinate him.
Just minutes ago, the other cultivators were only focused on repaying Yang Kai for saving their lives and didn’t think much about the situation; however, now that they had stopped and looked back on it, they found the matter to be quite strange.
“Hahaha, scared now?” Seeing the looks on the cultivators’ faces, the wrinkly-faced man sneered, “I advise you all to mind your own business. Don’t get in my way…”
*Pa…*
Before he could finish speaking, Zhang Ruo Xi suddenly flashed in front of him, and a sound slap landed on his face.
The wrinkly-faced man was slapped silly. It wasn’t until several moments later that he recovered from the shock. Over ten teeth had been knocked out of his mouth, and blood was now dripping from its corners.
Although Yang Kai was unharmed by the wrinkly-faced man’s sneak attack, Zhang Ruo Xi was enraged nonetheless. She never imagined there could be someone so ungrateful in this world. Right after Yang Kai saved his life, he tried to kill him!
The death of a person like him wasn’t worth pitying!
If she hadn’t tried her best to suppress her anger, the wrinkly-faced man would’ve likely died from her slap.
The other cultivators were afraid of him, but she wasn’t.
It seemed that she was truly enraged this time, because an overwhelmingly violent aura surrounded her body, making her appear like a wild beast.
Everyone was stunned and looked at her, dumbfounded. They never thought a beautiful girl like her could have such a terrifying side.
“The wind has stopped howling, and the Yin Souls have dispersed. I won’t be seeing everyone out,” Yang Kai said indifferently, his expression unchanged.
The other cultivators quickly understood his meaning. No matter what grudge he shared with the wrinkly-faced man, and no matter what the wrinkly-faced man’s background was, he didn’t want nor need anyone else to interfere.
It was pointless to insist on staying when they were too afraid to do anything. What the eyes do not see, the heart does not grieve, why draw unnecessary fire to themselves?
After thinking about it, someone immediately cupped his fists and said, “Sir, this one will engrave today’s gratitude in his heart. I wish Sir great fortune and a safe return. Farewell!”
As soon as he finished speaking, the man ran out of the cave and quickly disappeared into the strange fog.
After one person left, the rest quickly understood the situation and followed.
A moment later, Yang Kai turned to look at Qi He Feng with great interest and asked, “You’re not going?”
Everyone else had left except him, which made Yang Kai speculate. And indeed, Qi He Feng shook his head, “This Qi has something to say to Sir.”
Yang Kai grinned meaningfully, “So, you recognize me!”
It was not a question, but a statement. When Qi He Feng first introduced himself, he’d subconsciously glanced at Yang Kai, which made the latter somewhat suspicious. Now, he was certain.
When Qi He Feng heard his words, he couldn’t help but smile, “You noticed, Sir.”
“Was it Qi Hai?”
“Indeed, it was the Young Fort Lord,” Qi He Feng responded, “After his return from the Shattered Star Sea a few days ago, the Young Fort Lord gathered some confidants and described your likeness to us. He instructed us to keep our eyes open since you told him you would be coming to the Eastern Territory, Sir.”
Yang Kai snorted, “I only said that I was going to the Eastern Territory, but not that I would go to the Ancient Lands. Seeing you here… What a coincidence.”
“I believe you have heard of the restaurant in the city outside. That is actually owned by my Qi Family,” Qi He Feng explained awkwardly.
Upon hearing that, Yang Kai finally realized why the owner of the restaurant had wanted to give him ten bottles of Wild Wine for no reason. At that time, he’d already been recognized by the people of Qi Family Fort.
“We heard that Sir would be entering the Ancient Lands, so we came in early and waited inside the passageway!” Qi He Feng carefully picked out his words while constantly observing Yang Kai’s expression in fear that he would be displeased.
Yang Kai, of course, was not very happy, and said coldly, “I see your Qi Family Fort’s influence spreads quite far.”
“Please calm your anger, Sir!” Qi He Feng said hastily, “We only dared to inquire into Sir’s whereabouts because the Young Fort Lord…”
“I know!” Yang Kai coldly snorted, “The Heavenly Frost Earth Rain. You can go back and tell Qi Hai that I can’t cure the poison! I no longer have ‘it’.”
“Ah?” Qi He Feng exclaimed in shock, “Then… Where is it?”
“What? Do I need to tell you that?” A cold light flashed through Yang Kai’s eyes. The existence of the Phoenix True Fire was not something that should be easily disclosed to others. Although Yang Kai believed that Qi Hai wouldn’t expose the news broadly, with enough clues one would only need to make a few assumptions to conclude that the Phoenix True Fire was with Yang Kai.
At that time, trouble would find him on its own.
Therefore, Yang Kai was dissatisfied with Qi Hai’s conduct this time. He hadn’t promised Qi Hai anything and only told him that he would go to the Eastern Territory in the future. He’d never agreed to get involved.
“Of course not, Sir!” Qi He Feng was shocked and quickly cupped his fists.
“Good, then leave and tell Qi Hai that if he dares to do this again, I will go to Qi Family Fort personally to give him my ‘regards’.” Yang Kai waved his hand impatiently.
Qi He Feng’s face changed. Qi Family Fort was formidable in its own right, but nothing good would come out of offending an Emperor Realm Master like Yang Kai; however, he couldn’t just go back without doing what his Young Fort Lord had instructed him to do either!
After thinking about it, he cupped his fists and said, “Sir, this Qi has one more thing to say.”
Yang Kai looked at him coldly, “If you say one more word about the detoxifying, I will throw you out.”
“No, no. It’s not about the detoxifying. It’s about… this person!”
As he spoke, he pointed to the wrinkly-faced man.
“You know where he’s from?” Yang Kai asked in surprise.
He was also curious. He was not familiar with the Eastern Territory and had barely entered the Ancient Lands Passageway when he encountered an assassin. It was truly quite strange.
Qi He Feng replied, “Sir, this Qi believes that this man is from Netherworld Sect!”
“Netherworld Sect!” Yang Kai narrowed his eyes and turned to stare at the wrinkly-faced man, whose expression was still twisted in pain, and then turned back, “Do you have proof?”
“Yes. In the past month, several disciples of Netherworld Sect were seen entering the Ancient Lands Passageway. According to the information I received from one of the Qi Family Fort’s disciples, these Netherworld Sect disciples stayed inside the passageway as though waiting for someone. The leader of the group is an Elder from Netherworld Sect, Hua Fei Chen. He is a Second-Order Emperor Realm Master.”
“Hua Fei Chen…” Yang Kai murmured to himself. The name was unfamiliar.
“You may not know Hua Fei Chen, Sir; however, there is someone in his group that Sir should be familiar with!” Qi He Feng said.
“Who?”
“Yin Le Sheng!”
Yang Kai raised an eyebrow and grinned, “Is he here too? Great! Enemies really do meet on a narrow road.”
Qi He Feng was stunned by Yang Kai’s evident anticipation. There were many disciples from the Netherworld Sect waiting for him, not to mention that this group was headed by a Second-Order Emperor Realm Master, yet Yang Kai wasn’t afraid; as a matter of fact, he appeared to be very pleased!
According to his Young Fort Lord, Yang Kai was only a Third-Order Dao Source Realm Master when they met in the Shattered Star Sea. Therefore, he should only be a First-Order Emperor Realm Master now. No matter what kind of fortuitous encounter he had in the Shattered Star Sea, it should still be impossible for him to rival an old and experienced Master like Hua Fei Chen.
“We were confused as to what the people from the Netherworld Sect were up to in the passageway, but since Qi Family Fort is the great force controlling this area, we kept an eye on them. It wasn’t until Sir arrived at the desolate city that the Young Fort Lord realized it must be related to you, Sir. We’d heard that Sir and Yin Le Sheng had a very unpleasant argument in the Shattered Star Sea and deduced that the other side was holding a grudge. However, we do not know how they knew Sir would be coming to the Ancient Lands,” Qi He Feng said with a confused look on his face.
“Of course they’d know,” Yang Kai snorted.
The news that Xiao Xiao was in the Ancient Lands was revealed by Yin Le Sheng himself.
After seeing Yang Kai’s reaction back then, Yin Le Sheng must’ve guessed that he would come to the Ancient Lands to search for Xiao Xiao. Thus, he gathered people and laid in ambush, knowing that Yang Kai would appear sooner or later.
It seemed that the loss Yin Le Sheng suffered in the Shattered Star Sea was too much to swallow, and he held a great grudge because of it. It hadn’t been long since the Shattered Star Sea closed, and he was already prepared to set up a trap to kill him.
As for the wrinkly-faced man, he was likely sent out as a scout to track Yang Kai’s whereabouts. Little did they know the wrinkly-faced man would try to act on his own and launch a sneak attack on Yang Kai, which ultimately resulted in their plan falling one step short of success.
“Yin Le Sheng… you’re dead this time!” Yang Kai sneered as he muttered to himself.
Last time, he let Yin Le Sheng go because he wanted to find out Xiao Xiao’s whereabouts. They had signed a Soul Contract, and were bound by its terms, so Yang Kai couldn’t kill him even though he wanted to.
Now that Yin Le Sheng had sent himself to his doorstep, Yang Kai naturally would not show any mercy.
“Sir, Hua Fei Chen is an Elder of the Netherworld Sect. He became a Second-Order Emperor close to a hundred years ago and is now a renowned Master. Not only that, but Yin Le Sheng is now an Emperor Realm Master too. It would be best to stay away from them, Sir.” Yang Kai’s reaction stunned Qi He Feng; he had never met someone so ignorant to the immensity of Heaven and Earth. Yang Kai was clearly just a newly promoted Emperor Realm Master, yet he dared to take Hua Fei Chen lightly.
“Sir, it would be best to leave here first and think of a plan later,” Qi He Feng urged.
“Yin Le Sheng also broke through to the Emperor Realm?” Yang Kai frowned, “When did that happen?”
“We are uncertain of the exact time, but we do know that he was an Emperor Realm Master when he left the Shattered Star Sea,” Qi He Feng responded.
“It seems that he had quite a few fortuitous encounters there,” Yang Kai mused to himself.
When they were in the Shattered Star Sea, Yin Le Sheng was only a Third-Order Dao Source Realm Master. Yang Kai himself was only able to break through after witnessing the battle between two Great Emperors and studying the auras released by the clash. He wondered what kind of fortuitous encounter Yin Le Sheng had.
However, he wasn’t very surprised, as the Shattered Star Sea was filled with opportunities, and Yin Le Sheng had a good aptitude.
After sorting out his thoughts, Yang Kai bent down and lifted the wrinkly-faced man’s chin, forcing him to meet his gaze. Next, Yang Kai’s right eye flashed with golden light as he released some Spiritual Energy and pressured the other’s consciousness.
“Are you from the Netherworld Sect?” Yang Kai asked.
As a Third-Order Dao Source Realm Master, how could the wrinkly-faced man resist? He succumbed and responded within a breath.
“Yes.”
“Am I the reason you guys came to the Ancient Lands Passageway?”
“Yes.”
“How many people are there, and are there any Emperor Realm Masters other than Hua Fei Chen and Yin Le Sheng?”
“Twenty-five people came. Other than Elder Hua and Senior Brother Yin, there are no Emperor Realm Masters.”
Yang Kai coldly snorted, “Is Yin Le Sheng stupid? He thinks this Young Master can be defeated with just that? What paltry tricks do you have in store for me?”
“My fellow Brothers will set up the Heavenly Net Absolute Sealing Array. Once you are trapped inside, Elder Hua and Senior Brother Yin will enter and personally kill you,” the wrinkly-faced man responded.
“The Heavenly Net Absolute Sealing Array!” Qi He Feng suddenly exclaimed.
Yang Kai looked at him, “What kind of Spirit Array is that?”
“It is one of the Netherworld Sect’s most powerful Trapping Arrays. Once it is set up, the person inside would be suppressed inside like a ghost and have their vitality constantly sucked out of them. Moreover, the area covered by the array will be completely isolated from the outside world, making it impossible to break out,” Qi He Feng explained with a strange expression on his face.
Afterward, he frowned and added, “Why would they use the Heavenly Net Absolute Sealing Array… isn’t that going too far?”
Evidently, in Qi He Feng’s eyes, Hua Fei Chen was already giving Yang Kai enough face by dealing with him personally; after all, no matter how powerful Yang Kai was, it should be impossible for him to escape a First and Second-Order Emperor Realm Masters’ siege. Sooner or later, he would be brought down.
The collaboration of the two was more than enough to capture Yang Kai, so why did they decide to set up the Heavenly Net Absolute Sealing Array too? One must know that the setting up the array required the use of Netherworld Purgatory Banners that the disciples of the Netherworld Sect needed to refine using their own Blood Essence.
If the array was broken, the artifacts would be destroyed completely, and each disciple would suffer the Ten Thousand Ghost Biting Backlash that made life feel worse than death.
The Sect Defending Array covering the Netherworld Sect itself was a gigantic Heavenly Net Absolute Sealing Array with three Emperor Artifact rank Netherworld Purgatory Banners as its Cores. If an outsider was to invade, the array would activate and trap them inside with no way to escape.
Thus, the Heavenly Net Absolute Sealing Array set up using over twenty Netherworld Sect disciples was undoubtedly formidable.
Was Yang Kai so powerful that the Netherworld Sect had to take such extreme measures to deal with him? Qi He Feng simply couldn’t figure it out.
However, what he didn’t know was that Yin Le Sheng had insisted on using this array because he knew Yang Kai was proficient at using Space Principles. Hua Fei Chen might be stronger than Yang Kai, but wanting to kill him without cutting off his path of escape was all but impossible.
Since ancient times, cultivators who were proficient in the Dao of Space were the hardest to deal with. In order to kill them, one must first think of a way to seal them in a certain region in order to prevent them from simply escaping.
“Isolated from the outside world… Hmph,” Yang Kai coldly snorted. He immediately understood what the Heavenly Net Absolute Sealing Array was for.
“Sir, you should retreat. If your purpose for entering the Ancient Lands is to look for something, our Qi Family Fort can help. You would only need to wait for our message,” Qi He Feng said, looking at Yang Kai eagerly.
He believed that with Yang Kai’s current strength, throwing himself into the array would be the same as throwing himself into a grave.
“Your Qi Family Fort cannot help with what I’m seeking.” Yang Kai shook his head.
He was not looking for treasure, but Xiao Xiao. How could he let the Qi Family Fort help with that?
As he spoke, Yang Kai’s outstretched hand jerked, and the wrinkly-faced man immediately fell over. On the outside, there was not the slightest sign of injury, but his insides had already turned to dust. He couldn’t be more dead.
“Let’s go,” Yang Kai said to Zhang Ruo Xi and Old Ban. There was nothing more he needed to know. As he spoke, he wrapped his Emperor Qi around the two and disappeared like a ghost.
“Sir! Sir!” Qi He Feng yelled twice, but Yang Kai had already left. Qi He Feng ran out after him, but the strange fog quickly obstructed his sight and Divine Sense.
Qi He Feng stood in one spot for a moment, then he stamped his foot and quickly went on his way.
It would be impossible to find Yang Kai again. He had waited inside the cave for him, but now that he was gone, so Qi He Feng had to send word back to Qi Family Fort as soon as possible so that the Young Fort Lord could decide what to do next.
…..
Fifty kilometres away from the original location of Yang Kai’s group, in another cave.
This cave was much larger than the one Yang Kai’s group hid and could accommodate over twenty without feeling crowded.
The people inside the cave were all wearing the same clothes and were from the same Sect.
Their leader was a Second-Order Emperor who was wearing a traditional-style robe. He appeared to be around fifty years old, but his face looked rosy and young.
This person was Elder Hua Fei Chen of the Netherworld Sect.
Sitting beside him was Yin Le Sheng, whose venomous gaze had been staring into the surging strange fog as though wanting to pierce through its depths. There was a cold and unsettling smile on his face.
Whenever he recalled his encounter with Yang Kai in the Shattered Star Sea, he would have trouble eating and sleeping.
He had never suffered such a great loss since he became a cultivator. He had always been the one to crush others with absolute strength and never expected that one day, someone of the same level would oppress him.
He couldn’t stand it.
Worse, in order to survive last time, he even had to lower himself and flatter Yang Kai. Yin Le Sheng reckoned that if he didn’t have information Yang Kai was interested in, he would’ve died at that time. In the end, he had to rely on a Soul Contract to stay alive.
Back when they were in the Starlight Corridor, Yang Kai wasn’t his match at all. He never expected that in just less than ten years, Yang Kai would advance to such heights.
Who knew how monstrous Yang Kai would become if he was given a few more years? Thus, Yin Le Sheng had to get rid of Yang Kai once and for all, like cutting weeds and pulling out their roots. Yin Le Sheng was certain that if he allowed Yang Kai to grow further, his life would become exceedingly difficult.
Therefore, as soon as he returned to his Sect, he asked his Honoured Master to send Elder Hua Fei Chen to the Ancient Lands Passageway with over twenty disciples to help him kill Yang Kai.
With the assistance of Hua Fei Chen, the Heavenly Net Absolute Sealing Array, and his own trump cards, there was no way Yang Kai would be able to survive!
Yin Le Sheng could already imagine the wonderful scene of Yang Kai falling to his knees and begging for mercy.
Suddenly, a loud voice shouted, “Elder, we have bad news!”
His reverie interrupted, Yin Le Sheng was somewhat displeased and turned to see a Netherworld Sect disciple standing beside Hua Fei Chen, an ugly expression on his face.
“What’s the matter?” Yin Le Sheng asked with a frown.
Hua Fei Chen also opened his eyes and looked at him calmly.
“Senior Brother Yao… is dead,” the disciple said in a trembling voice
“Who killed him?” Yin Le Sheng asked.
Although there were many hidden dragons and crouching tigers in the Ancient Lands Passageway, the Netherworld Sect was a name that caused those in the Eastern Territory to tremble and obey. Who would dare to kill one of their disciples so casually?
“It seems to be… this man,” said the disciple, revealing a bead in his palm. An illusory phantom appeared from it, reflecting the scene of Yang Kai’s hand crushing the wrinkly-faced man’s five viscera and six organs.
This was a mysterious technique that could replay the scene of the wrinkly-faced man’s death clearly to Hua Fei Chen and his group.
“Yang Kai…” Yin Le Sheng clenched his teeth, glaring at the image of Yang Kai in the illusory image. His eyes turned red as soon as he saw this enemy of his.
“That’s him! That’s the bastard who bullied this Young Lady! So he really did enter the Ancient Lands Passageway! Hua Fei Chen, you need to catch him so this Young Lady can torture him.” On the other side of the cave, a young red-clothed woman suddenly jumped up and cried out, glaring at Yang Kai’s figure with gnashed teeth.
This young woman was the one who had troubled Old Ban; she had met up with the Netherworld Sect at an unknown time. Old Fu, who was protecting her, was also present; however, the two Third-Order Dao Source Realm Master guards were nowhere in sight, their life or death unknown.
She was only a Third-Order Dao Source Realm Master, yet she showed no respect for Hua Fei Chen, an Emperor Realm Master.
Despite that, Hua Fei Chen wasn’t angry at all. There was only some helplessness in his expression.
Yin Le Sheng turned to the red-clothed girl, the corners of his lips turning upwards as he asked, “Young Lady Lin’er, you mean… The person you want to punish is him?”
“That’s right!” The girl named Lin’er, gritting her teeth, fire almost shooting from her eyes, “I would recognize him even if he turned to ashes! You, hurry up and catch him for me! I want to see him kneel down in front of me and beg for mercy!”
Two days prior, this Young Lady had suddenly stumbled into the cave where the Netherworld Sect’s members were hiding and ordered Hua Fei Chen and others to teach someone a lesson for her.
She said that the man had brazenly bullied her.
Hua Fei Chen and Yin Le Sheng felt their heads hurt when they heard this demand; after all, they were here to ambush Yang Kai and had no time to waste on other people.
If it was someone else, Hua Fei Chen and Yin Le Sheng wouldn’t even need to pay attention to them; however, this Young Lady wasn’t just anybody. This woman’s background was so great that even the Netherworld Sect’s Sect Master would need to treat her politely, let alone Hua Fei Chen and Yin Le Sheng.
In their hearts, they were cursing the blind fool who offended this Young Lady. If it weren’t for him, they wouldn’t be caught in this mess. Lending a hand wasn’t an issue, but there was the chance their movements would alert Yang Kai.
However, no matter how reluctant they were, they couldn’t disobey this Young Lady’s orders.
Just as they decided to grit their teeth and bear with it, the wind began to howl. Their group was forced to stay inside a cave for two days and couldn’t go outside until now.
Now, however, Yin Le Sheng was quite happy, “Young Lady Lin’er, it seems… we are dealing with the same person,” he said with a smile.
“The same person?” A shocked expression appeared on the girl named Lin’er’s face, and even Old Fu’s eyes widened, “Such a coincidence?”
Yin Le Sheng slowly rose, “I will not hide anything from you, Young Lady. That man’s name is Yang Kai, and I have some grievances with him. The reason I came to the Ancient Lands is to deal with him!”
Upon hearing this, a strange expression appeared on Old Fu’s face, “It’s only one person, yet you’ve brought so many people and even prepared the Heavenly Net Absolute Sealing Array. Don’t you think your Netherworld Sect is giving him too much face?”
“You mustn’t underestimate him, Old Fu,” Yin Le Sheng responded solemnly, “I’m not sure if you’ve confronted him before, but he’s not as simple as he seems.”
Old Fu’s face turned red, then he nodded, “Indeed.”
After thinking back to his confrontation with Yang Kai in the desolate city, Old Fu knew that Yin Le Sheng was right. This young man was clearly a First-Order Emperor Realm Master like him, yet when they fought, he was completely suppressed to the point of not being able to fight back at all.
Otherwise, he wouldn’t have had to turn to the Netherworld Sect for assistance; after all, as an Emperor Realm Master himself, there were only a few things he couldn’t deal with personally.
“Sheer strength aside, that man is also skilled in a truly esoteric power. That’s what I’m worried about the most. If not for that, I wouldn’t have requested for the Heavenly Net Absolute Sealing Array to be used,” Yin Le Sheng coldly snorted, with a little jealousy on his face.
“What power?” Old Fu asked.
“The Dao of Space!”
“Sii…” Old Fu drew in a sharp breath, his shock could not be concealed, “Did you say… The Dao of Space?” he asked.
“Indeed,” Yin Le Sheng’s expression was gloomy as he nodded, “Moreover, he is so skilled at using Space Force that he seems to be able to tear space at will.”
“For there to be such a thing…” Old Fu’s eyes flickered, then he asked, “Could it be… Is he the disciple of ‘that’ man from Spirit Beast Island?”
Although he didn’t name who he was referring to, both Hua Fei Chen and Yin Le Sheng knew who he was talking about.
If Yang Kai really was that person’s disciple, then things would become troublesome. That person was ranked first below the Ten Great Emperors and was known as the most powerful Emperor in the Star Boundary. Even without his title as strongest Emperor Realm Master though, that man still lived on Spirit Beast Island and was a highly valued direct subordinate of Martial Beast Great Emperor.
Who would dare to touch his disciple? Making an enemy of him meant making an enemy of Spirit Beast Island. Not even Old Fu and the girl named Lin’er could afford those consequences.
Therefore, Old Fu couldn’t help but feel worried. What if they had provoked someone they shouldn’t have?
However, to his relief, Yin Le Sheng shook his head, “As far as I know, there is no relationship between the little brat and that Sir, so you can rest assured.”
“How do you know?” Old Fu asked cautiously. As the Young Lady’s bodyguard, he needed to be a careful and thorough person.
Yin Le Sheng smiled and responded, “Because he is from the Southern Territory!”
“The Southern Territory…” Upon hearing this, Old Fu finally put down his worries, “In that case, he should have no ties with that person.” He paused and continued, “So, the Heavenly Net Absolute Sealing Array is for sealing space!”
“Indeed,” Yin Le Sheng said with a hideous grin, “I’d like to see how he’ll be able to escape without his Space Abilities.”
Hua Fei Chen suddenly interjected, “Is that little brat already an Emperor Realm Master?”
The disciple surnamed Yao that Yang Kai killed was a Third-Order Dao Source Realm Master, and Old Fu and the Young Lady had also suffered at his hand. This showed that Yang Kai was likely already an Emperor Realm Master.
“Yes, what did you think he was?” Old Fu looked at him strangely.
Hua Fei Chen frowned, “Martial Nephew Yin said that when they were in the Shattered Star Sea, the little brat was only a Dao Source Realm Master. To think…”
“His aptitude is also astonishing, and the opportunities that exist within the Shattered Star Sea are truly Heaven-defying; thus, it is not surprising that he was able to break through to the Emperor Realm there. Wasn’t I the same? If he wasn’t an Emperor Realm Master, I wouldn’t have asked Martial Uncle Hua and my fellow brothers to lend a hand,” Yin Le Sheng explained with a slight smile.
He looked as though he had expected it.
“The Shattered Star Sea… He was in the Shattered Star Sea?” Old Fu was surprised, “You mean he broke through to the Emperor Realm not long ago?”
A young man who had just broken through to the Emperor Realm, possibly without having stabilized his new cultivation and was still unfamiliar with Emperor Qi, was able to completely suppress him. Old Fu couldn’t believe it.
[Am I just too old?]
“Rest assured, Old Fu. No matter what kind of opportunities he had, he will surely die here today,” Yin Le Sheng said, his expression grim.
“What are you muttering about?” The Young Lady, Lin’er, was silently listening for a long time and finally grew impatient, “I’m telling you to catch that man and bring him to this Young Lady, so why are you all still standing here for?”
Yin Le Sheng turned his head and said with a smile, “We will need to use some means to deal with that man, but please rest assured, Young Lady Lin’er. Within five days, this Yin will surely deliver him to you. At that time, Young Lady Lin’er will be able to do whatever she wishes with him.”
The girl named Lin’er snorted, “It’d better be that way. When the time comes, this Young Lady will strip him of his clothes and throw him to a place filled with people so they can laugh at him!”
She looked so vicious and gleeful, as though this was the heaviest punishment she could think of for Yang Kai.
Previously, she had also threatened Zhang Ruo Xi with these same words.
Yin Le Sheng and others watched on awkwardly, then Hua Fei Chen spoke up.
“Since Martial Nephew Yao has died, we cannot stay here any longer. It is possible that brat surnamed Yang now knows about our trap and will try to escape it. We must change our plans.”
Yin Le Sheng nodded, “We will do as Martial Uncle suggests.”
As soon as they finished their discussion, the group moved out. Old Fu and the Young Lady named Lin’er naturally followed.
…
Deep in the strange fog, Old Ban was leading the way, with Zhang Ruo Xi behind him and Yang Kai at the rear. The few ignorant Yin Souls that appeared were easily and swiftly dealt with.
After they’d walked for a long time, Yang Kai suddenly asked, “How much further, Old Ban?”
Old Ban’s voice sounded from the front, “We are still barely halfway. It will take at least two more days for us to reach the exit of this passageway.”
“Two days…” Yang Kai pondered for a while and said, “You should have seen what happened before, Old Ban. Some of my enemies seem to be waiting for me ahead. They’re not easy to deal with, so you should head back now. We’ll go the rest of the way alone.”
However, Old Ban grinned meaningfully, “This old man has heard a few things about the Netherworld Sect, and indeed, I cannot afford to provoke them; however, in this Ancient Lands Passage, I am confident in my ability to come and go at will, so Little Brother doesn’t have to worry about me. Since I’ve promised to guide you out of the passageway safely, I will not leave halfway. This old man’s title may not be valuable, but it’s not to be underestimated either.”
Of course, he understood that Yang Kai didn’t want to implicate him, but inside this Ancient Lands Passageway, Old Ban was fearless. If he met an enemy, he could simply dart into the strange fog, then not even a Third-Order Emperor Realm Master would be able to find him.
His familiarity with this place is his greatest assurance.
After a pause, he continued, “You can also rest assured, Little Brother. Even if they wanted to ambush you, they wouldn’t choose to do it in this damned place. This old man reckons they’re waiting at the exit, so I will be fine as long as I leave before then.”
What he said was quite reasonable. Even if the Netherworld Sect was planning to ambush Yang Kai, they wouldn’t do it in the obscurity of this strange fog; therefore, the road ahead should be safe.
Thus, Yang Kai was no longer reluctant and nodded, “Many thanks then, Old Ban.”
There was nothing more to say along the way, and the three continued to move forward.
Since the most dangerous Falling Thunder and Astral Wind had passed, they no longer had to make any major detours. According to Old Ban, the Ancient Lands Passageway would be relatively safe for another month, and they would only need to pay attention to the occasional Yin Souls that attacked.
Yang Kai was worried that the Ghost King hadn’t given up; after all, he had killed so many Yin Souls when he was in the cave. However, after walking for half a day, Yang Kai realized that he was overthinking things.
Perhaps the Ghost King knew that there was nothing it could do to Yang Kai, even if it attacked personally. What the eyes do not see, the heart does not grieve, so it decided to ignore Yang Kai.
As for the hundreds of Yin Souls that were killed… there was no lack of them in the Ancient Lands Passageway. It didn’t matter how many were killed, since they could always be replaced.
The route Old Ban took was winding and irregular as usual, but with the guidance of the jade beads, the group of three stuck together and always kept a distance of three steps between them.
Two days later, Yang Kai felt that the surrounding strange fog had thinned out a little. He wasn’t sure if it was his imagination though.
Old Ban, who was walking in front of him, suddenly stopped and said, “We’ve almost reached the exit, Little Brother. The strange fog will no longer affect Divine Sense much. With your strength, you should be able to find the way out safely.”
Hearing this, Yang Kai quickly released his Divine Sense to investigate his surroundings and sure enough, he was able to scan a far wider range than before.
As long as he could use his Divine Sense, he should be able to navigate through the strange fog without trouble; moreover, his Divine Sense would only become clearer as he moved closer to the exit.
“Many thanks for guiding us until now, Old Ban. Please be careful going back,” Yang Kai said, cupping his fists.
“You don’t have to worry about me, Little Brother,” Old Ban replied with a slight smile, “If you need this old man’s guidance on the day of your return, you can go to the cave over there and wait.”
He pointed in one direction and then continued, “This old man will go there once every month to guide people back through the Ancient Lands Passageway; however, the time isn’t fixed.”
Yang Kai understood his meaning, “Old Ban is doing two-way business.”
He could take people who wanted to enter the Ancient Lands, and then take people out when he exited. It was quite a good business.
“This old man’s cultivation is low. Although I am knowledgeable about the terrain, I will not be able to resist if I encounter a powerful Yin Soul. As a guide, I also receive the protection of those I’m guiding.”
“You’ve thought of things out quite meticulously,” Yang Kai nodded.
“Alright, this old man will leave now. I wish you safe travels, Little Brother, Young Lady,” Old Ban bid farewell before leaving in the direction he had pointed out earlier, presumably to wait for people to guide back.
As soon as the old man disappeared, Yang Kai turned his eyes to the front, and after looking for a moment, he said, “Ruo Xi. I’ll go the rest of the way alone.”
Zhang Ruo Xi’s face was filled with distress. Although she wanted to help Yang Kai, she was still too weak and would only be a burden if she stayed, so she had no choice but to grit her teeth and leave.
With the flash of light, Yang Kai hid Zhang Ruo Xi inside the Sealed World Bead, then he began to move forward.
The more he moved forward, the less influence the strange fog would have, and the wider the range that Yang Kai’s Divine Sense could detect.
Just as he was about to leave the passageway and set foot into the real wilderness, Yang Kai suddenly stopped and looked around.
Here, the strange fog was almost transparent and barely affected him, so he could sense his surroundings clearly.
It was quiet, without any sign of living creatures or even the slightest fluctuation of Qi.
However, Yang Kai grinned and shouted, “I’m sure you’ve been eagerly awaiting this moment, Brother Yin. Now that it’s come, why bother hiding like this?”
As soon as his words came out, somewhere in the sky, it was as though a piece of perfect brocade and silk had been torn off, and suddenly, a line of more than twenty people appeared.
A pair of eyes, carrying great murderous intent, focused on Yang Kai.
At the same time, a streak of light flashed by, turning into a cloak-like artifact that fell into the hand of a red-clothed woman.
Yang Kai’s eyes lingered on the cloak for a moment before raising his brow and muttering, “A concealment artifact?”
He wasn’t certain that this was the place, but his intuition had told him the people from the Netherworld Sect were hiding here, so he spoke up to check and sure enough, his intuition was right.
It seemed that they were able to conceal themselves not because of a Secret Art, but because of the cloak.
To be able to hide so many people at once and escape even his detection… It was quite an amazing artifact.
Yang Kai looked at the red-clothed girl with some slight surprise.
Although he knew that she and Old Fu had entered the Ancient Lands Passageway one day prior, he hadn’t expected them to be together with the people of the Netherworld Sect. Furthermore, he didn’t know whether they were Netherworld Sect’s people or not.
At the moment, the red-clothed girl was glaring fiercely at him, seemingly very angry. She grit her teeth and demanded, “How did you find us?”
Old Fu could not help but sigh, “That shouldn’t be the case, Young Lady. This artifact is a treasure gifted to you by Sir himself. How could a trivial First-Order Emperor Realm Master be able to see through it?”
“How could that be? I clearly heard him speak just now,” the red-clothed girl said in dismay.
Old Fu was speechless, as were Yin Le Sheng and Hua Fei Chen.
[He was just probing, yet you revealed us immediately. Now you’re asking how he found us? Why are you running around outside without a brain?]
Originally, they thought they could take advantage of the red-clothed girl’s Emperor Artifact to catch Yang Kai off-guard; however, she had exposed them when Yang Kai was only three metres away from where they needed him to be!
At that moment, Yin Le Sheng and Hua Fei Chen’s faces were as black as the bottom of a pot.
If they had known this would happen, they wouldn’t have tried to borrow the power of the red-clothed girl’s artifact to conceal themselves.
“Are you two also from the Netherworld Sect?” Yang Kai asked, looking at the red-clothed girl and Old Fu.
Before Old Fu could answer, the red-clothed girl coldly snorted, “What thing is the Netherworld Sect? How could this Young Lady be from such a lowly place?”
With these words, Old Fu’s face cramped, and the expressions of Hua Fei Chen and Yin Le Sheng became even worse.
The red-clothed girl spoke thoughtlessly, but saying it so easily in front of the Netherworld Sect’s people was no different from slapping them in the face; after all, the Netherworld Sect was one of the top Sects in the Eastern Territory, its name inspiring awe and fear in the masses, but it was described by the red-clothed girl so disdainfully.
It was no wonder Hua Fei Chen and Yin Le Sheng’s expressions were so ugly.
If it were anyone else who said that, Hua Fei Chen would have slapped them in the face. However, he didn’t dare to touch a single hair on this red-clothed girl’s head.
Old Fu cut in hastily, “Please don’t take it to heart, Elder Hua. My Young Lady is always like this, it couldn’t be helped.”
Although Hua Fei Chen was annoyed, he could only respond with a cold face, “Very well. Young Lady Lin’er is quite frank. This King will not quibble with her.”
Upon hearing this, Yang Kai’s eyes flashed, and he nodded, “I understand now.”
The girl named Lin’er snapped, “You understand what?”
Yang Kai shook his head, “Nothing, just that this Young Lady seems to want to make things difficult for this Young Master by colluding with the Netherworld Sect.”
“So what if I am?” The girl named Lin’er said, gritting her teeth. When she saw Yang Kai standing there motionless, she assumed that he was afraid and immediately puffed out her chest.
“If you want to live, you’d better get on your knees and kowtow to this Young Lady, then give me your Soul Imprint and serve this Young Lady for ten years! Who knows, I might let you live!”
“No!” When Yin Le Sheng heard that, his face changed greatly and he immediately tried to stop her.
He brought so many people with him together, all to kill Yang Kai, so how could he let this red-clothed girl say that she could let him live?
Yang Kai must die today, no matter what!
However, without giving him a chance to continue, the girl named Lin’er turned her head and said angrily, “Shut up! How dare you interrupt this Young Lady?!”
Yin Le Sheng was so infuriated that his face twisted up, but he didn’t dare to say a word.
He could barely stand it. This little girl was clearly here to ask for their help, but at this moment, it was as though he and his Sect members had become her subordinates and needed to heed her every command.
The girl named Lin’er turned her attention to Yang Kai again, then she glanced around and frowned, “Where did that wench who was with you go?”
When she saw Yang Kai earlier, she was caught up in her anger and forgot about the existence of Zhang Ruo Xi. Now, she suddenly realized that Yang Kai was alone.
When he smiled without responding, she was angered, “Are you deaf? This Young Lady is asking you a question! Where did that wench who slapped my face go? I’m going to make her life worse than death!”
“Slapped…” Hua Fei Chen’s ears perked up as he directed a look of shock at the young girl.
The other disciples of the Netherworld Sect also looked horrified.
Someone who dared to slap this Young Lady’s face… existed? Who was this so-called ‘wench’ that truly didn’t fear the Heavens?
Meanwhile, Old Fu was standing off to the side, his forehead dripping with cold sweat, his legs almost shaking.
His Young Lady was slapped in the face while he was escorting her. It would’ve been fine if no one learned about it, but she just had to expose it to the public. If this were to spread to Sir’s ears, how could he possibly survive now?
The fearful Old Fu immediately looked over at Hua Fei Chen pleadingly, silently begging him to not let this out.
Hua Fei Chen returned his gaze and observed him, quickly figuring out what Old Fu was thinking and simply nodding.
Although Old Fu’s cultivation was lower than his, he was nonetheless born and raised from ‘that’ place and served as this Young Lady’s guard, so it wouldn’t hurt to have a good relationship with him. There may come a time when they need to use Old Fu, so this could benefit them in the future.
After getting a response, Old Fu quickly cupped his fists to express his gratitude.
The girl named Lin’er continued shouting, her bosom heaving in anger. Finally, she put her hands on her hips and scolded angrily, “Call that wench out for me. This Young Lady won’t spare her!”
She was confident that Yang Kai had hidden Zhang Ruo Xi somewhere.
Yang Kai coldly snorted and looked at her indifferently, “Little girl, this Young Master would advise you to learn your place. Otherwise, you will die somewhere sooner or later.”
“How dare you!” Old Fu roared. How could he just stand by and watch as his Young Lady was being threatened like this?
The girl named Lin’er was utterly stunned and didn’t react until several moments later, “You want to kill me?” she frowned.
“My patience is not limitless, girl. So what if I kill you?” Yang Kai sneered.
Upon hearing that, the girl flew into a hysterical rage.
“You want to kill me? You sure have guts! You people, hurry and come capture him for me!” She shrieked, urging Yin Le Sheng and the others around her to take action. It was as though the Netherworld Sect’s people were her subordinates.
Although the Netherworld Sect members were upset that they were being bossed around by the girl named Lin’er, since the matter had gotten this far, they couldn’t retreat either.
Not to mention, they were here to kill Yang Kai in the first place.
“Form up!” Yin Le Sheng suddenly shouted, waving his hand.
*Shua Shua Shua…*
Over twenty Netherworld Sect disciples flew up at once, floating in the air, surrounding Yang Kai all of a sudden. They appeared to be very particular about their positions, and whether it was the top or below, left or right, front or back, they didn’t leave a single route of escape.
Yin Le Sheng was nervously keeping an eye on Yang Kai, afraid that he would use his teleportation ability to escape.
If Yang Kai felt that things weren’t looking good for him and escaped, all their efforts would be for nought. They had not laid out the Spirit Array yet, and neither had they sealed the space around him. Basically, they were currently unable to kill or capture Yang Kai.
But what made him happy was that Yang Kai didn’t seem to attach any importance to them; he didn’t care the slightest bit about these twenty or so Netherworld Sect disciples and just stood still in his position.
[Enjoy being arrogant while you can! Do you think that you are invincible with your Space Tearing ability and your breakthrough to the Emperor Realm!? Today, I will let you know what it means that there are mountains beyond mountains and Heavens beyond Heavens.]
Yin Le Sheng was feeling extremely happy in his heart, but there wasn’t the slightest bit of change in his expression as his Divine Sense was locked right onto Yang Kai.
In the blink of an eye, the twenty or so Netherworld Sect disciples had already taken their respective positions.
*Hualala…*
After a series of clattering, those twenty or so Netherworld Sect disciples had summoned their respective artifacts. Their artifacts were exactly the same, as if they were made by the same person. All of them were carrying a huge pitch-black banner that was fluttering and flapping in the wind, exuding an extremely cold aura.
These banners were exactly the same as the Netherworld Purgatory Banner that Yang Kai got from Zhong Zhen Yong in the Shattered Star Sea. Obviously, they were the same kind of artifacts and seemed to be a favorite for Netherworld Sect disciples.
However, the energy fluctuations emitted by the Netherworld Purgatory Banners in these disciples’ hands were weaker than Zhong Zhen Yong’s. It should be because their refinement of these artifacts wasn’t up to par.
Everyone had already taken their respective positions and summoned their banners as well; now, everything was ready except for the crucial thing.
The corner of Yin Le Sheng’s lips rose as he revealed a hideous grin before shouting, “Start the Array!”
The twenty or so Netherworld Sect disciples shouted together before their hands started wildly dancing, forming hand seals. In an instant, a very subtle connection seemed to have formed between these twenty or so men, and an invisible barrier which was formed with them as its anchors, sealing Heaven and Earth appeared. A faint black Qi gushed out of the Netherworld Purgatory Banners next and diffused towards the centre.
“An Array!?” Yang Kai appeared startled as a flustered look appeared on his face, asking in shock, “What Array is this?”
Yin Le Sheng broke into laughter and arrogantly replied, “Of course, it’s the Array that will take your life!”
At this point, he didn’t need to worry about anything anymore. Since the Heavenly Net Absolute Sealing Array was already activated, Yang Kai could not escape from this place even if he was proficient in the Dao of Space, unless he could break this Array, of course.
But could the Heavenly Net Absolute Sealing Array arranged by more than twenty Dao Source Realm disciples using their Netherworld Purgatory Banners be destroyed by a mere First-Order Emperor Realm Master?
Even a Third-Order Emperor would be trapped for a while by this setup.
Yang Kai looked horrified and his face had gone totally pale as he looked at Yin Le Sheng. He nervously gulped as he stated, “Brother Yin, what enmity or grievance is there between you and me that you are so dead set upon going against me? I even spared you in the Shattered Star Sea, didn’t I? Shouldn’t we discard our old enmities?”
Yin Le Sheng was dancing in joy in his heart, but outwardly he just let out a cold snort and stated, “Spared me? Don’t make it sound so pleasant. I just happened to have the information you needed. Otherwise, would you have spared me? Discard old enmities my foot! Yang Kai, spare me the rubbish. Today is the day you die.”
Yang Kai bitterly asked, “Brother Yin, do you really have to kill me?”
Yin Le Sheng raised his head as he sneered, “What’s wrong? Could it be that you still want to live at this point?”
Yang Kai pursed his lips into a smile, replying, “If one can live, who wants to die? Brother Yin, why don’t you let me go today, I will pay you a visit in the future, for sure, to repay your kindness.”
“Do you think that I am a three-year-old child? Aren’t you even embarrassed to say this?”
Yang Kai helplessly said, “I guess Brother Yin has already decided to kill me, whatever I say will be useless…”
Yin Le Sheng yelled, “No matter how pleasantly you spew bullshit, no one is going to listen to you.”
Yang Kai couldn’t help but sigh before reaching out to his forehead and tucking his hair back as he requested with a forlorn look, “Brother Yin, I have another request!”
“Hmph, what else do you want to say?” A cold smile was hanging on Yin Le Sheng’s lips, feeling extremely pleasant in his heart. He did not know why, but seeing Yang Kai at his wit’s end and helpless, felt as if he had just ravaged several dozen beauties. He felt as if his entire body was filled with a pleasure he couldn’t vent.
“Please let me die in the most beautiful way!” Yang Kai turned his cheek toward him and stood carrying his hands behind his back, looking at the sky with a sidelong glance, striking a cool pose.
Lin’er’s lips involuntarily twitched as she whispered to Old Fu, “This man is really a showoff.”
Old Fu had no idea how to respond.
Suddenly, a frown appeared on Yin Le Sheng’s forehead as he shouted in anger, “You dare play a joke on me!?”
At this moment, he had finally realized that the reason Yang Kai was bullshitting so much was not because of fear, and neither was it because he wanted to leave a pretty speech on his deathbed, rather he was clearly amusing himself.
Yang Kai broke into laughter as he stated, “I was just playing around! Brother Yin, don’t be so serious. Do you really think that this Young Master is afraid of you?”
The mischievous look on Yang Kai’s face angered Yin Le Sheng so much that he almost spurted blood in anger.
Just as he said this, Space Principles surged as Yang Kai’s figure suddenly blurred.
But very soon, his body phased out and became tangible again, reappearing on the same spot. He hadn’t moved from his position even a step.
“The Heavenly Net Absolute Sealing Array is well-deserving of its reputation!” Yang Kai raised his brow. Although Qi He Feng had mentioned the might of this Array and he knew that it could isolate space, Yang Kai still wanted to see whether he could get out of it.
After giving it a try, Yang Kai found that the surrounding space was utterly sealed, and with his current achievements in the Dao of Space, he was unable to teleport out of here.
“What are you all waiting for!?” Yin Le Sheng shouted at the sight of this, lest Yang Kai escape if they delay any longer.
The twenty or so Netherworld Sect disciples pushed their Source Qi after receiving the order, pouring it into their Netherworld Purgatory Banners, fully activating the might of the Array.
*Hu Hu Hu…*
Suddenly, ghastly cries and wails appeared out of nowhere, making everyone feel as if they had fallen into the netherworld. A cold and sinister aura spread into the surrounding, freezing the ground and withering the grass and trees instantly before they were reduced into dust that blew away with the wind.
Dense and thick streams of black Qi kept gushing out from those twenty or so Netherworld Purgatory Banner while countless faint Yin Souls could be seen in the darkness, dancing around, bearing their claws and fangs, a terrifying sight to behold.
In just three breaths, the Heavenly Net Absolute Sealing Array had sealed this region, turning it pitch-black. From the distance, it looked as if a giant pitch-black ball had suddenly appeared.
This black ball was a few hundred meters in diameter, covering a fairly wide area, and Yang Kai’s figure had completely disappeared inside.
This Spirit Array was already terrifying with this kind of partial initialization, so it was easy to imagine how frightful it would be if fully completed.
Yin Le Sheng pursed his lips into a hideous grin, his eyes completely glued onto the huge black ball, as if he couldn’t wait to witness Yang Kai’s death with his own eyes.
If Yang Kai had a slim hope of escaping a moment ago, with the Array activated now, Yang Kai had no chance of surviving. Inside the Array, his vitality would keep on withering away. Furthermore, the might of twenty or so Netherworld Purgatory Banners would be greatly increased under the effect of the Array, making the joint attack of more than twenty Netherworld Sect disciples quite capable of taking Yang Kai’s life.
“Yin Le Sheng, it seems you went to great lengths just to take my life, but do you really think that this Young Master can’t break this Array?”
Suddenly, Yang Kai’s fierce shout came from inside the black ball, one that sounded completely energetic, as if he wasn’t affected by his situation at all.
Yin Le Sheng’s pupils shrank as he suddenly felt a foreboding feeling grip his heart.
Before he could reply, a wave of terrifying energy fluctuations suddenly spread from the black ball, followed by a deafening explosion.
The huge black ball suddenly doubled in size under the explosion of energy, and looked as if it would burst at any moment.
The twenty or so Dao Source Realm disciples responsible for arranging the Heavenly Net Absolute Sealing Array also turned pale and their figures trembled as if they had suffered some kind of backlash.
Yin Le Shen was completely taken aback and his eyes nearly popped out of their sockets.
Hua Fei Chen also spoke in amazement, “How is this possible? Hasn’t he just broken through to the Emperor Realm?”
Although he couldn’t see what move Yang Kai had just unleashed because of the isolation of the Array, judging by how the Array was affected, he could easily tell how powerful the attack was.
But how could a newly promoted Emperor display such prowess?
Hua Fei Chen imagined himself in Yang Kai’s shoes, wondering what it would be like if he was trapped inside the Array. In that case, he might not be left with any choice but to wait for his death. He would not be able to shake the Array at all.
What he saw just now felt so surreal!
*Hong…*
Another deafening explosion rang out as that black ball that had just recovered swelled again, this time ballooning even more than before.
*Pu…*
The twenty or so Dao Source Realm disciples coughed up mouthfuls of blood as their figures trembled.
Yang Kai’s previous attack had caused them to bear some shockwaves, and before they could steady themselves, they were struck again. They were injured this time, and while the damage wasn’t serious yet and it would not affect their operation of the Array, who knows how many such attacks Yang Kai could unleash?
If this went on, this Array might really be broken.
“Martial Uncle Hua, Senior Brother Yin, we can’t withstand it anymore!” Someone loudly shouted.
Yin Le Sheng was dumbstruck. He wanted to kill Yang Kai, and for this, he had brought so many people from the Sect, even inviting a Second-Order Emperor, Hua Fei Chen, to participate. What’s more, he had also laid out the Heavenly Net Absolute Sealing Array. If he was still unable to kill Yang Kai after all this, what face would he have left to return to the Netherworld Sect? How would he face his Honoured Master who had placed such high hopes on him?
If he failed, it would be far worse than killing himself.
*Hong…*
The third explosion rang out.
*Pu Pu Pu…*
The twenty or so Netherworld Sect disciples spurted blood directly and went completely pale. More importantly, a tear had appeared on the huge black ball. Dense black Qi had suddenly started permeating into the surroundings.
Yin Le Sheng was flabbergasted.
[The Array… Will really collapse!]
At this moment, only five breaths had passed since Yang Kai had started making his move!
“Young Lady Lin’er, please assist us!” Hua Fei Chen, seeing that the Heavenly Net Absolute Sealing Array was on the verge of collapsing, unable to contain Yang Kai anymore, quickly shouted to the red-robed girl.
The girl named Lin’er rebuked, pouting, “What trash Spirit Array is this? More than twenty people can’t trap one guy, and you still aren’t embarrassed to call this waste powerful!? When this Young Lady asked you whether you needed help, you guys refused, and now you are begging me?”
Hua Fei Chen nearly spurted blood after hearing this. In his heart, he thought, [It’s not the Spirit Array’s fault, rather the enemy is too strong! Those who laid down the Array aren’t strong enough to maintain it!]
The stronger the people arranging the Heavenly Net Absolute Sealing Array were, the more power the Netherworld Purgatory Banners could exert, and the stronger the Heavenly Net Absolute Sealing Array would be. Otherwise, how could it become the Sect Defending Array of Netherworld Sect?
Yin Le Sheng and Hua Fei Chen had thought that this plan was foolproof. After all, Yang Kai had at best just broken through to the Emperor Realm, so how strong could he be? As long as they sealed the space around him, he would be at their mercy.
But the facts were completely different from their estimation. Yang Kai’s strength couldn’t be inferred by common sense at all.
“Young Lady Lin’er, there is no need for sly criticism.” Anxious, Hua Fei Chen’s forehead became drenched in cold sweat as he stated, “If Yang Kai escapes, I’m afraid Young Lady Lin’er’s goal would also fail.”
The girl named Lin’er suddenly came to her senses as she responded, “I guess you’re right! Then, I will help you this time.”
Saying so, a crystal clear jade bowl appeared in her hand. The jade bowl wasn’t that big, easily held in her slender white hand. Also, it was glowing and there was a picture of a cinnamon flower on it. It was unknown who had carved this flower, but it was vivid and lifelike, even shaking slightly as if it was blowing in the breeze.
The girl named Lin’er shouted, raising her hand as the jade bowl shot out of her hand, “Go!”
The jade bowl suddenly flew above the black ball, leaving a white trail of light. The next moment, it started growing bigger, turning into a semi-circular white screen in the blink of an eye. Next, it fell down upside down, completely covering that black ball.
Not only that, the illusory image of the cinnamon flower in the jade bowl became tangible, taking root in the ground, becoming a towering old tree. Immediately, a wonderful fragrance slowly began to permeate into the surroundings.
*Hong…*
Right then, Yang Kai struck again.
The black ball suddenly swelled again, but the jade-bowl-transformed white light screen blocked its expansion. This time, the black ball was suppressed, unable to swell noticeably.
The twenty or so Netherworld Sect disciples, whose faces were pale, thinking that the Array would definitely break this time and they would have to bear the backlash, were all pleasantly surprised after seeing the Array completely safe and sound under the protection of the light screen. Immediately after, they pushed their Source Qi even harder, increasing the might of the Array.
A covetous look appeared in Hua Fei Chen’s eyes as he blurted, gulping, “Is that the Taiyi Cinnamon Bowl?”
This Emperor Artifact was famous. Only a few masters of Eastern Territory hadn’t heard of it, but even fewer than a few people had ever laid their eyes on it. Hua Fei Chen was also seeing for the first time. With his experience and knowledge, he naturally knew the terrifying might of this Emperor Artifact.
“So what if it is? You want it?” The girl named Lin’er turned her head, staring at him coldly.
Hua Fei Chen was terrified and hurriedly replied, “I dare not! I dare not! It’s just that Young Lady Lin’er has opened this Old Master’s eyes today. This trip has become really worthwhile.”
“Enough with all this nonsense, quickly get on with it, I can’t keep this up for too long,” the girl named Lin’er’s face had gone red as her Source Qi kept pouring out like a flood. She could easily tell that the consumption of summoning the Emperor Artifact was pretty big and she wouldn’t be able to maintain it for a long time.
Hua Fei Chen immediately regained his wits and solemnly responded, “I request Young Lady Lin’er to cooperate for a bit.”
While speaking, he motioned to Yin Le Sheng as the two tacitly came to an understanding. Their figures flickered as they jumped straight towards the black ball.
The girl named Lin’er formed a few hand seals and opened a slight gap on the white light screen when the two approached it, letting them pass through.
The twenty-some Netherworld Sect disciples naturally did the same, allowing Hua Fei Chen and Yin Le Sheng to rush into the Heavenly Net Absolute Sealing Array.
Inside the Array, Yang Kai let out a soft exclamation with an extremely weird look on his face.
He was almost about to destroy this Array, but somehow some strong and sturdy force had stabilized it all of a sudden.
Not only that, but even the surrounding space had been more tightly sealed. Even he felt like he was being suppressed now.
Inside this ghastly Array, Yang Kai felt that he was surrounded by dark fog and he was unable to spread his Divine Sense very far. So naturally, he was oblivious to the fact that the girl named Lin’er was using a mighty Emperor Artifact to create difficulties for him.
He simply thought that he had underestimated the might of the Spirit Array.
*Chi chi chi chi…*
Swishing sounds kept coming from all around as the abominable Yin Souls swam around Yang Kai, attacking him whenever they found an opportunity.
The Heavenly Net Absolute Sealing Array was arranged with Netherworld Purgatory Banners as its foundation. The black fog that was capable of sealing space was also coming from the Netherworld Purgatory Banners, and thanks to the Array, the might of the Netherworld Purgatory Banners was enhanced.
Inside the Array, it was like fighting more than twenty Netherworld Sect disciples; it wasn’t as simple as one plus one at all.
The Yin Souls seemed to have been greatly strengthened in this strange environment, and although Yang Kai tried his best to shake them off, he wasn’t able to kill more than a few as he was focused on breaking the Array before, which led to his current predicament.
At this moment, he finally noticed the strangeness of this Spirit Array.
Entrapped in this place, Yang Kai discovered that his vitality was withering away bit by bit, and the black Qi around him was extremely corrosive; it was eroding his physique and Emperor Qi.
*Wu Wu Wu…*
Hair-raising ghost cries rang out to no end, and one after another, Yin Souls hidden in the black fog attacked him from every direction.
Yang Kai flicked his fingers, firing off Moon Blades in every direction.
Although this space was isolated, stopping him from teleporting out of the range of the Array, nothing was stopping him from using the Space Principles inside the black ball.
Yang Kai’s Moon Blades were terrifying, and the Yin Souls were torn to ashes by them on contact.
Right then, Yang Kai suddenly had a bad premonition. Prompted by instinct, he swung his hand to palm the space behind him.
But this backhand struck nothing but the air. Instead, he was ruthlessly struck on the shoulder, which caused him to stagger back, sending his blood and Qi circulation into turmoil.
Fortunately, his body was strong, otherwise, this strike would have been enough to break his arm.
“Yang Kai, I am the Master in this Heavenly Net Absolute Sealing Array. If I want you to survive, you will survive, and if I want you to die, you will die. You will have no chance of living past today!” Yin Le Sheng’s voice suddenly came from every direction, drifting from place to place, making it impossible to tell where he was hiding.
Yang Kai tightly furrowed his brow, faintly feeling that things were a little troublesome.
Yin Le Sheng and Hua Fei Chen were both members of the Netherworld Sect and were like fish in the water within this array, whereas Yang Kai’s hands and feet were tied, making him unable to display his full strength.
And with the array devouring his vitality and countless Yin Souls attacking him, if Yang Kai didn’t find a way out soon, he wouldn’t be able to escape and would definitely die here.
Yang Kai’s thoughts turned rapidly, but before he could regain his footing, he felt a chill strike his neck.
Shocked, he promptly summoned the Myriads Sword and struck toward that oncoming chill.
A crisp clang rang as sparks flew about.
A cry of surprise immediately followed, which seemed to be Hua Fei Chen’s voice.
Obviously, he hadn’t expected Yang Kai to detect his sneak attack in such a desperate situation, rendering his strike useless.
The Myriads Sword in Yang Kai’s hand formed a curtain of Sword Qi as he looked around, and although he couldn’t see anything clearly, Yang Kai still pursed his lips into a smile and stated, “Yin Le Sheng, I thought that you would conduct yourself well after I let you go once in the Shattered Star Sea, I never thought that you would run to the Ancient Lands just to kill me. Since you wish so much to die, then it wouldn’t be right if this Young Master wouldn’t fulfill your wish.”
Yin Le Sheng blew his top and immediately lashed out, “You are still being so stubborn moments before death. I want to see what you will do now.”
Yang Kai laughed and stated, “Just wait and watch. But don’t cry later!”
Yin Le Sheng was completely furious and still wanted to retort, but Hua Fei Chen interrupted him, “Martial Nephew Yin, don’t listen to him, he is trying to find your location!”
Yin Le Sheng felt that Hua Fei Chen was right. Yang Kai was clearly at the end of his rope, so he was constantly provoking him to make him talk so that he could find his position.
[I should keep my mouth shut for now.]
Yang Kai, on the other hand, lightly sneered before speaking, “Do you think that this Young Master can’t do anything to you because of this weak Spirit Array? You will be kneeling and begging for mercy in just fifteen minutes.”
“Shameless boasting!” Yin Le Sheng was really furious and couldn’t help but shout back.
Hua Fei Chen was also shivering with anger. He had never seen such an ignorant Junior who didn’t know the immensity of Heaven and Earth. Clearly, death was knocking on his door but he was still boasting. Where was he getting all this confidence from? Hua Fei Chen secretly decided that he would torture Yang Kai well after capturing him.
After a few more rounds of bickering, no more words could be heard inside the black ball, just constant swishing sounds.
The red-robed girl and Old Fu, who were standing outside, also understood that Yang Kai must be having a hard time even though they had no idea what was going on inside.
Because every once in a while, they could hear Yang Kai’s groans. Obviously, he was attacked by Hua Fei Chen and Yin Le Sheng.
The girl named Lin’er tried her best to rouse the might of the Taiyi Cinnamon Bowl, and although this was taking a toll on her, her face was filled with excitement. Just like Hua Fei Chen, she was looking forward to torturing Yang Kai.
As long as she could take down Yang Kai, she would be able to vent all her frustrations; no matter what price she had to pay, it would be well worth it.
*Peng Peng Peng…*
Sounds of clashing swords could be heard coming from inside the black ball every now and then; however, it was quite obvious that Yang Kai was at a complete disadvantage. He was passively taking a beating, and if not for his proficiency in the Dao of Space, allowing him to notice subtle fluctuations around him and dodge incoming attacks, he would have died many times over by now.
Even so, he was in a tight corner at this moment. His body was riddled with multiple wounds, and although there weren’t any serious injuries, the number of injuries was slowly increasing.
“You are still not dead!” Yin Le Sheng was shocked and furious. Just like him, Yang Kai had just broken through to the Emperor Realm, but he was showing far greater strength than Yin Le Sheng, which was very hard to accept.
But all that should be over soon as Yang Kai’s vitality was constantly being drained by the Array and the surrounding Yin Qi invading his body as well as the accumulated injuries. Soon, Yang Kai would no longer have any strength left to resist, and when that happened, he would be a fish on the chopping block.
Proud, Yin Le Sheng arrogantly laughed, “Yang Kai, do you think you will live after today?”
A Master proficient in the Dao of Space could tear space at will, but now, he was trapped here. Yin Le Sheng was so filled with joy that it couldn’t be described with mere words.
So, even though he knew that he shouldn’t talk to Yang Kai at this moment, Yin Le Sheng couldn’t help but arrogantly taunt.
Hua Fei Chen, on the other hand, didn’t speak a word as he was constantly looking for a chance to attack.
Yang Kai, blocking the next attack, drew back. He put the Myriads Sword horizontally before his chest, taking a defensive stance, before rebuking with a snort, “The frog at the bottom of the well knows nothing of how vast the sky is. Today, this Young Master will open your useless eyes. Just watch how I break this useless Array of yours!”
Saying so, he flipped his hand as a bracelet suddenly appeared. Although bracelets were usually artifacts worn by women, this bracelet didn’t appear to be suitable for women to wear because it was filled with mysterious runes and was surging with Spiritual Energy. One could tell that it was a powerful Emperor Artifact at a glance.
“You still dare to be so arrogant?” Yin Le Sheng was enraged. With the cover of Heavenly Net Absolute Sealing Array, Yin Le Sheng sneaked close to Yang Kai, but just as he raised his hand, preparing to launch a sneak attack, he suddenly heard a buzzing noise ringing next to his ear.
That buzzing sound was extremely strange, as if countless tiny insects were flying over.
“What is this?” Yin Le Sheng raised his brow, and lest he found himself in another troublesome situation, he didn’t dare to make a move and rather pulled back.
“Something that will take your dog life!” Yang Kai sneered, standing on the spot, waving his hands to release countless black insects from the bracelet.
The bracelet was naturally the Insect Enslavement Bracelet, and the black insects were naturally the evolved Soul Devouring Demon Insects.
When he was besieged by the countless Yin Souls in the cave before, Yang Kai suddenly wondered whether his Soul Devouring Insects would have a restraining effect against them.
Soul Devouring Insects fed on Spiritual Energy, and could even swallow Demon Qi.
As for Yin Souls, to a certain extent, they were just a mass of Spiritual Energy.
However, earlier, there were too many eyes on him. If the Soul Devouring Insects did not take a fancy to the Yin Souls, his secret would be exposed with him not being able to kill all the onlookers.
But now, there were only two that were watching, so Yang Kai secretly released a few Soul Devouring Insects earlier while dealing with Yin Le Sheng and Hua Fei Chen, waiting for the results.
After giving it a try, it went as he had expected. The Yin Souls were simply delicious dishes laid out for the Soul Devouring Insects. Not only did the Soul Devouring Insects devour the Yin Souls gleefully, they also seemed able to devour the black Qi as well.
They loved this type of energy too.
Now that the result of his experiment was already out, naturally, Yang Kai would no longer be polite to the Netherworld Sect. The next moment, countless Soul Devouring Demon Insects flew out, swarming in every direction. The insects rushed forward like a pack of hungry wolves charging into the flock of sheep, catching each and every Yin Soul wandering around.
In a flash, miserable wails sounded everywhere. Although these Yin Souls were devoid of the sentience they had when they were still alive, they still screamed when they were being eaten, giving jitters to the listeners.
Both Yin Le Sheng and Hua Fei Chen were shocked. They had no idea what was going on. All they understood was that their side was taking heavy losses.
With having no idea of what was happening, they didn’t dare to rashly attack anymore, lest what Yang Kai said came true.
“What’s going on?” Helpless, Hua Fei Chen could only ask the twenty or so disciples managing the Array.
Only they knew about the situation inside the Array, because they were the ones who had arranged it. More importantly, the foundation of the Array was made up of their artifacts, so it could even be said that their lives were related to the array, their life and death tied to it.
“It’s very bad, Elder Hua!” A disciple cried in horror, “That guy has suddenly released a swarm of insects.”
“A swarm of insects?” Hua Fei Chen’s eyes widened in shock before he furiously shouted, “Why are you making a fuss about a few insects? Just kill them!”
[What a bunch of wastes! Even an Emperor Realm Master can be killed inside the Heavenly Net Absolute Sealing Array, and you are afraid of a bunch of insects? The disciples taken into the Sect over these past few years have really dropped in standard.]
That disciple added with trepidation, “Elder, these insects can’t be killed. Rather they are devouring the banner’s Yin Souls.”
“What!?”
Hua Fei Chen was taken aback this time. The Yin Souls inside the black ball were the ones from each Netherworld Purgatory Banner and were completely intangible. They were identical to the Yin Souls found in the Ancient Lands Passageway, an accumulation of grievances after a person’s death. They were sinister and treacherous, not good to provoke.
Yet there were actually insects in this world that could swallow Yin Souls stored within the banners?
What kind of insects were they?
Before Hua Fei Chen could ask any further questions, he suddenly felt a chill coming over from the front, rushing straight at him.
Hua Fei Chen was greatly shocked and immediately shouted, “Junior! You dare to sneak attack me!?”
Evidently, this chill was the result of Yang Kai’s sneak attack, and while shouting, Hua Fei Chen hurriedly blocked the oncoming strike. A deafening clap of thunder immediately followed and his eyes bulged in shock so wide that the corners of them almost cracked. Much to Hua Fei Chen’s shock and dismay, he was actually pushed back.
This was the first head-on confrontation between Yang Kai and him as all the previous clashes were just him sneak-attacking, taking advantage of the concealment of the Array. Therefore, he hadn’t expected Yang Kai to be this powerful.
[Is he even human?] Hua Fei Chen couldn’t help but find it surreal, as if he was dreaming.
Yang Kai broke into laughter as he taunted, “If you can do it, why can’t I? What’s so strange about me sneak attacking you? Does Elder Hua think that this Young Master should just stick his neck out and let you cut it off?”
The corners of Hua Fei Chen’s lips twitched, but he couldn’t help but agree with a snort, “That would be best.”
Yang Kai meaningfully grinned and said, “Then it would depend on whether you even have the strength to make me!”
As he spoke, his figure flickered as he attacked him with an earth-shattering momentum. Somehow or the other, he had accurately grasped Hua Fei Chen’s location.
Hua Fei Chen was greatly shocked and hurriedly shouted, “Martial Nephew Yin, help me!”
A Second-Order Emperor Realm Master was attacked by an enemy, who was one Minor Realm below him, inside a Spirit Array his allies controlled, yet he was still calling for his Martial Nephew’s help. Hua Fei Chen felt like he lost all face at this moment.
But compared to his life, his face was simply nothing.
Naturally, Yin Le Sheng wouldn’t let Hua Fei Chen take risks alone and promptly rushed over after hearing this cry for help while fiercely shouted, “Yang Kai! Don’t go too far!”
Martial Nephew and Uncle instantly teamed up, their Emperor Qi surging as they launched one Netherworld Sect Secret Technique after another against Yang Kai, locking him in a fierce struggle.
Deafening claps of thunder rang out one after another as violent energy fluctuations spread outward.
Strange looks appeared on the faces of Old Fu and the girl named Lin’er, who were hovering in the air.
Old Fu furrowed his brow, criticizing, “What the Hell are those from the Netherworld Sect doing?”
“A bunch of wastes!” The girl named Lin’er ground her teeth and cursed.
She had even taken out an Emperor Artifact, the Taiyi Cinnamon Bowl, to help, but she hadn’t expected for the Netherworld Sect to be unable to take down Yang Kai even after this. This really caused her to look down on them.
“Young Lady, do you want this Old Master to help them out?” Old Fu inquiringly asked.
Judging by the shockwaves and rumblings, the chances of Hua Fei Chen and Yin Le Sheng being able to defeat Yang Kai anytime soon appeared bleak. At any rate, Old Fu was a First-Order Emperor Realm Master, and if he helped them now, they would definitely be able to suppress Yang Kai.
“No need,” the girl named Lin’er refused, “This Young Lady has already personally given them a hand, which is already giving them a lot of face. Why should you intervene too? If they still can’t win, these guys from the Netherworld Sect are truly useless.”
Old Fu didn’t dare to violate her order, so all he could do was bow his head and agree.
Right then, a cry of shock sounded.
Old Fu’s pupils shrank as he looked toward the source of the cry. The next moment, he saw the twenty or so Netherworld Sect disciples, who were presiding over the Array, stumble as if they were struck by lightning. Their faces were pale as paper and large beads of sweat were rolling down their foreheads while blood could also be seen coming out of the corners of their lips.
They seemed to have suffered serious injuries.
“What happened?” Old Fu stared with widened eyes, unable to understand what was going on.
One of the Netherworld Sect disciples cried for help, “Elder! Please… Save us! The Yin Souls within our banners are about to be completely devoured! Ple-”
The Netherworld Sect disciples’ lives and cultivation were tied to their Netherworld Purgatory Banners, so while their strength might be greatly enhanced with them, if their Netherworld Purgatory Banner was damaged, they would have to bear an extremely serious backlash.
They were just presiding over the array and weren’t directly clashing with Yang Kai.
But the Soul Devouring Insects released by Yang Kai were constantly devouring their banners’ Yin Souls, and at an extremely fast pace at that.
This disciple was rather unlucky, as all the Yin Souls released by him were devoured clean by the Soul Devouring Insects, resulting in serious damage to his Netherworld Purgatory Banner. He even had to bear a tremendous backlash.
Before he could finish talking, a streak of black light suddenly shot over from that enormous black ball.
It was the very same Netherworld Purgatory Banner that was tied to his life and cultivation.
But when this disciple saw his artifact, not only did he not feel the slightest joy, but he appeared as if he had seen something extremely horrifying, hurriedly got up, turned around, and fled.
The approaching Netherworld Purgatory Banner seemed to be sentient as it chased right after him.
In the blink of an eye, the Netherworld Purgatory Banner had already caught up with the Netherworld Sect disciple.
*Hong…*
The Netherworld Purgatory Banner blew up into a cloud of pitch black energy, enveloping the Netherworld Sect disciple.
“Ahhh!!!!…” A heart-rending scream immediately resounded. It sounded extremely miserable, as if the one caught in it was subjected to the most terrifying torture in the world.
The pitch-black energy was like black flames that were attached to this disciple, they couldn’t be put out and were like poisonous vipers that were invading his body through every pore and orifice.
Miserably screaming, the Netherworld Sect disciple kept rolling on the ground, scratching his cheeks with his hands.
He was scratching very hard, clawing his flesh and skin, and in the blink of an eye, his entire face was mangled; even his bones could be seen.
“What… what’s happening to him?” On the other side, the red-robed girl, who was controlling the Taiyi Cinnamon Bowl, turned pale and couldn’t help but ask in a trembling voice.
She had never seen such a horrible sight.
If a person wasn’t in such excruciating pain that his mind couldn’t process it, how could he do such a horrible thing to himself?
“Ten Thousand Ghosts Biting Backlash!” Old Fu too nervously gulped as he added in shock, “He is finished.”
The Netherworld Purgatory Banner was greatly damaged, so much so that even its owner had received a horrible backlash. This backlash was even more unbearable than falling into a hot wok filled with oil.
While he was speaking, the black energy on that disciple converged, completely seeping into his body all of a sudden. Right after, he screamed even more miserably, tossing and turning on the ground, clawing off pieces of his own flesh. Very soon, the ground was dyed red.
Within just ten breaths, the Netherworld Sect disciples suddenly made a huge jerk before he ceased breathing, lying still on the ground. No part of his body remained intact; even his intestines had been dug out by himself. It was a horrendous sight.
And the pitch-black energy was still burning around him, as if it would continue burning till the end of time.
*Xiu Xiu Xiu…*
Streaks of black light continued to fly out of the Heavenly Net Absolute Sealing Array, one after another, shooting straight towards the Netherworld Sect disciples.
These disciples were utterly terrified and all turned tail and ran, crying to the Elder to save them.
But, how would Hua Fei Chen have the time to rescue them when he and Yin Le Sheng were still being chased by Yang Kai. They didn’t even have the time to gasp for breath, so despite knowing that these disciples were suffering from the Ten Thousand Ghosts Biting Backlash, they were completely helpless.
However, even if he had the time, he would still not be able to rescue those disciples.
For Netherworld Sect disciples, the Ten Thousand Ghosts Biting Backlash was the cruellest torture and the most unbearable method of death. This was related to their cultivation technique and their artifacts.
But at the end of the day, it was the foundation of the Netherworld Sect, so how could the disciples not cultivate it?
Miserable screams resounded, one after another, but this time, it wasn’t the Yin Souls that were being bitten, but rather the Netherworld Sect disciples who were afflicted with the Ten Thousand Ghosts Biting Backlash.
In just thirty breaths, the number of Netherworld Sect disciples had been reduced by half, all of them having suffered the backlash and died because of their Netherworld Purgatory Banners being damaged.
However, the array was still operating.
The Heavenly Net Absolute Sealing Array was a rather peculiar Spirit Array in that it was quite flexible; five could lay out the Array and ten could too. The same went for twenty…
So, even if so many had died, the Spirit Array still had not stopped.
It was just that the pitch-black ball had faded a lot, and the three figures inside could already be seen flying about rapidly, locked in a fierce battle.
With the sudden death of half of the disciples on their side, the remaining Netherworld Sect disciples were naturally terrified. They knew that if they didn’t run away, they would not fare any better than their departed Brothers. Sooner or later, they would be killed by the backlash.
But Hua Fei Chen didn’t give out any orders to retreat, so how could they dare escape? If they really tried to escape at this point, they would definitely be chased by the entire Netherworld Sect, so they could only grit their teeth and persevere.
“Summon the Ghost King, you fools!” Yin Le Sheng suddenly shouted.
The remaining Netherworld Sect disciples all jolted when they heard this. Immediately after, a resolute look flashed across their faces before they started making hand seals as their Source Qi surged.
Next, they spewed mouthfuls of Blood Essence towards the black ball, one after another.
The red blood splashed through the black ball, vanishing from sight like the rain falling into the sea.
However, the banner’s Yin Souls inside the black ball seemed to have been stimulated and started roaring non-stop.
Hua Fei Chen timely flew over, blocking Yang Kai. Yin Le Sheng quickly pulled away, looking at Yang Kai with a glare of hatred. In the next moment, a Netherworld Banner suddenly appeared in his hand.
It was the very same Netherworld Purgatory Banner, the symbol of being a Netherworld Sect disciple.
Holding the Netherworld Purgatory Banner, he opened his mouth and spurted a mouthful of Blood Essence towards his artifact as he fiercely urged it, causing it to rapidly inflate in size.
*Huchi Huchi…*
Suddenly, rhythmic sounds started coming from the Purgatory Banner, like the sound of breathing, making everyone feel unnerved.
And along with this sound, the dense black Qi and the countless Yin Souls inside the black ball gathered towards the Netherworld Purgatory Banner in Yin Le Sheng’s hand, as if they were drawn in by some irresistible force.
In a flash, all the black Qi and Yin Souls had disappeared.
Yang Kai and the two were left standing, their fields of vision bright and clear, only the white light screen of the Taiyi Cinnamon Bowl left covering them, sealing them in this space.
Yang Kai’s heart skipped a beat as he instinctively had a dangerous feeling. While fighting with Hua Fei Chen, he found a moment to glance at Yin Le Sheng, whereupon he saw Yin Le Sheng grinning hideously before shouting, “Yang Kai, let’s see how you will remain alive now!”
Just as he said this, the Netherworld Purgatory Banner in his hand suddenly burst into a cloud of black mist, and from that surging cloud of black mist, a pair of scarlet eyes suddenly flickered with a strange gleam, like it could devour everyone’s Soul. No one could keep their eyes away from it.
Immediately afterwards, two enormous ghastly claws stretched out from the black mist.
Amid the tumbling mist, an enormous figure appeared.
The figure was more than five meters tall and was completely black, its appearance completely repulsive. There was a curved horn on his forehead, and a mouth packed with sharp fangs. When the figure appeared, it gave off an oppressive feeling.
The temperature of the surrounding air seemed to have dropped to the freezing point in an instant.
*Huchi…*
A streak of white mist gushed out from the figure’s nostrils, freezing the air.
“Ghost King!” Old Fu’s pupils shrank. He knew that the Netherworld Sect disciples had put their lives on the line now, otherwise they wouldn’t resort to such a Forbidden Technique. Once they had used this technique, they had pushed themselves to an impasse; either their enemy would die, or they would.
This Ghost King was different from the Ghost King found in the Ancient Lands Passageway. The Ghost King in the passage was born naturally and had reached its terrifying cultivation over many years of accumulation. But this Ghost King was formed by the Netherworld Sect disciples through merging the Yin Souls stored within their banners.
Nevertheless, the undeniable fact was that the aura exuded by this Ghost King was terrifying; in fact, it was comparable to a Third-Order Emperor Realm Master. Old Fu, who was spectating the fight from outside, couldn’t help but shiver as the Yin Qi radiating from the Ghost King hit him.
On the contrary, the girl named Lin’er, whose cultivation was lower, remained unaffected; however, a faint aura flashed around her figure at this moment. Apparently, the glow surrounding her had negated the corrosion of the Yin Qi.
“Martial Uncle, help me!” Yin Le Sheng shouted.
Hua Fei Chen made a feint, causing Yang Kai to back away, and then immediately flickered as he retreated to Yin Le Sheng’s side and punched himself right in the chest.
*Pu…*
Blood spurted by Hua Fei Chen landed on the Ghost King, causing its aura to grow stronger still.
The two rapidly formed hand seals and a serious look filled their faces as they seemed to be resonating with something; they had established a connection with the Ghost King.
Yang Kai on the other hand stood in place with a solemn look on his face, his eyes narrowing as he sized up the newly summoned Ghost King.
[Worthy of a top Sect from the Eastern Territory, they actually had such a bizarre Secret Technique!] Yang Kai thought his victory was secured, but he had never expected such a development.
Yin Le Sheng, gritting his teeth, shouted, “Yang Kai, I didn’t anticipate you being so strong, but can you beat this Ghost King? This is the full power of the several dozen disciples of my Netherworld Sect! Your death has now been assured!”
Yang Kai derided with a snort, “You have already said that so many times today, yet this Young Master is still standing here, isn’t he?”
Yin Le Sheng was unable to suppress his anger as he stopped arguing and formed a hand seal, shouting, “Die!”
When the words fell, the Ghost King’s eyes flashed with a red gleam, it rushed toward Yang Kai.
“Devour it!” Yang Kai pointed at it as countless Soul Devouring Demon Insects flew out and crashed into the Ghost King, forming a dark cloud in the sky.
*Honglong…*
The dark cloud of insects suddenly collapsed as countless Soul Devouring Insects were knocked back and fell to the ground; it was difficult to tell whether they were alive or dead.
The Ghost King, on the other hand, was completely safe; its momentum wasn’t diminished in the slightest.
After all, the dark cloud of insects was composed of countless Soul Devouring Insects, so they didn’t form a dense or rigid structure. How could a cloud withstand such a collision? It was natural for it to collapse, giving the impression that it couldn’t take even a single hit.
Yin Le Sheng broke into laughter and sneered, “Who asked you to act so arrogantly and presumptuously? You brought this upon yourself!”
Judging by his words, it seemed as if Yang Kai was in the wrong.
Yang Kai pursed his lips into a sneer, indifferently staring at the oncoming Ghost King, showing no intention of moving away.
Yin Le Sheng’s laughter abruptly came to a stop as he stared ahead with bulging eyes when he noticed pitch-black insects crawling all over the Ghost King at some point, covering it completely. Obviously, they had secretly landed on the Ghost King during the collision.
*Kacha…*
Suddenly, a crisp sound akin to the silkworm biting the mulberry leaves rang out. Immediately, an extremely painful look appeared on the charging Ghost King’s face and it let out a howl as it suddenly slowed down.
“This…” Yin Le Sheng was stunned. He didn’t expect these strange insects would be so powerful that they could even devour the Ghost King.
Hua Fei Chen’s face suddenly brightened and then darkened as a flash of confusion appeared in his eyes. Soon, he seemed to have recalled something as he called out in alarm, “Soul Devouring Insects! These are Soul Devouring Insects!”
As a Second-Order Emperor Realm Master, he had cultivated for many, many years and naturally had an extremely rich breadth of experience and knowledge. It wasn’t surprising for him to know about Soul Devouring Insects.
He didn’t recognize them at first; after all, these Soul Devouring Insects were really different from the records he had seen in the ancient books he had read. Whether it was their size or brutality, these were on a completely different scale compared to the ancient records.
Only now did he come to realize their true nature.
And after having come to know that they were Soul Devouring Insects, Hua Fei Chen was struck with panic.
Yin Le Sheng may not know how powerful these Soul Devouring Insects were, but he knew that the Netherworld Purgatory Banner and Yin Souls were absolutely not opponents of these insects. No wonder so many disciples had so miserably died, it was because of these bugs!
While he was crying out in shock, the Soul Devouring Insects that had been knocked down and fallen on the ground also crawled back up, fluttered their wings, and buzzed towards the Ghost King, biting at it.
Currently, the enormous Ghost King was covered in Soul Devouring Insects, leaving only its faintly discernible scarlet eyes visible.
Being gnawed by the Soul Devouring Insects, the Ghost King was slowly slipping out of Yin Le Sheng and Hua Fei Chen’s control, howling and writhing as if in excruciating pain.
Hua Fei Chen knew that things weren’t looking good for them and he hurriedly shouted, “We have to end this quickly!”
Once the Soul Devouring Insects had come into play, they couldn’t delay things any longer. If they continued to drag the situation, the Ghost King would be completely devouring clean. When that happened, he and Yin Le Sheng would also suffer the Ten Thousand Ghosts Biting Backlash.
Over a dozen disciples had miserably died already, and Hua Fei Chen didn’t want to follow in their footsteps.
Yin Le Sheng was also sharp and naturally knew about the fearsome relationship with this Ghost King, so he immediately teamed up with Hua Fei Chen to force the Ghost King to attack.
*Hou…*
The Ghost King let out a deafening roar and its two eyeballs turned redder, as if blood was pouring out from them. It completely disregarded the Soul Devouring Insects gnawing at it and shot straight at Yang Kai, stretching its enormous ghastly claws as a pitch-black sickle suddenly appeared in its hands. Immediately after, it swung it straight towards Yang Kai.
The momentum of the Ghost King’s attack was astonishing, and before it even reached Yang Kai, the resulting wind tore open Yang Kai’s skin.
*Weng…*
The Myriads Sword hummed as Yang Kai swung it diagonally and Emperor Qi surged through it. Immediately after, it bloomed with a dazzling halo.
The next moment, a crisp metallic clang rang out as sparks flew everywhere.
The lunging Ghost King paused for a moment before its enormous figure leaned back a bit, proof in itself how powerful Yang Kai’s blow was. The feedback from the Ghost King made Yin Le Sheng and Hua Fei Chen’s pupils simultaneously shrink as looks of disbelief appeared on their faces.
Meanwhile, Yang Kai was knocked back like a rucksack, crashing right onto the white light screen before stopping.
A flash of horror appeared in his eyes as he hadn’t expected Ghost King to be this powerful.
When Yin Le Sheng saw Yang Kai suffer a loss, he couldn’t help but laugh, “After I have teamed up with Martial Uncle Hua, the Ghost King is as powerful as a Third-Order Emperor Realm Master! Yang Kai, how are you going to fight against me now? Quickly come and accept your death!”
While speaking, he controlled the Ghost King to lunge at Yang Kai again. Apparently, he wanted to kill Yang Kai before he could regain his breath.
*Chi Chi Chi…*
The enormous pitch-black sickle struck again with an unstoppable momentum, directly cutting Yang Kai’s figure in half.
Hua Chen Fei raised his brow before speaking without a moment of hesitation. “An afterimage!”
With the two collaborating, their senses had become sharper and they could immediately tell that Yang Kai had already escaped. The only thing that the sickle had split in two was an illusory phantom left by Yang Kai, that’s all.
“Ghost King, come back!” Yin Le Sheng also shouted without hesitation, rapidly forming hand seals. Suddenly, the Ghost King burst into a cloud of black mist before mysteriously disappearing from where it was.
The next moment, Yang Kai’s figure strangely appeared about ten metres away from Yin Le Sheng and Hua Fei Chen, his face cold and the Myriads Sword in his hand pulsating, preparing to cut the two down.
Surprisingly, Yin Le Sheng was gazing right into Yang Kai’s eyes, sneering; not a single trace of panic could be found on his face.
Suddenly, a cloud of black mist appeared behind Yang Kai, and the Ghost King’s faint figure loomed inside it. Right then, the enormous sickle swept horizontally towards Yang Kai.
Yang Kai furrowed his brow, sensing the oncoming chill behind him. How could he not know that the Ghost King had already caught up with him?
He hadn’t expected this thing to be so difficult to get rid of; it was like maggots on rotting bones. He had planned to cut off the leader to defeat his subordinates; finish Yin Le Sheng and Hua Fei Chen. He didn’t want to confront the Ghost King head-on.
But now, his plan had gone awry.
In a hurry, Yang Kai could only flee from his position. When his figure reappeared again, he was already several tens of metres away.
“What’s the point of jumping around? Yang Kai, if you are still a man, you should fight head-on!” Yin Le Sheng roared in anger. He discovered that even though the space here was sealed, stopping Yang Kai from simply teleporting away to flee, the latter was still at ease and as slippery as a loach. He couldn’t catch Yang Kai at all.
Yang Kai sneered, “You have teamed up with your Martial Uncle, and also have the help of an Array arranged by so many of your fellow Brothers, yet you have the gall to tell me to fight head-on? Is your head messed up?”
Yin Le Sheng looked embarrassed, but nevertheless, he stubbornly continued, “If you have ability, find a Martial Uncle and fellow Brothers and bring them here. This Yin will definitely not object.”
Yang Kai rebuked with a snort, “What lopsided logic!” He then pointed the Myriads Sword at Yin Le Sheng, provocatively continuing, “Yin Le Sheng, I will definitely settle our old and new grudges today. If you are still a man, come and fight this Young Master one-on-one, and see if this Young Master doesn’t beat you to the point that not even your mother will be able to recognize you!”
“My mother is already dead, why are you dragging her into this!?” Yin Le Sheng furiously stated.
Yang Kai sarcastically added, “In any case, you are also the top disciple of the Netherworld Sect and a hegemon of Great Desolation Star Field. What’s wrong? You don’t even have the guts to fight with me one-on-one?”
Yin Le Sheng’s face turned gloomy as he burned with fury. Even the Ghost King he was controlling seemed to flicker with rage.
Whether it was about being the top disciple of Netherworld Sect or the hegemon of Grand Desolation Star Field, Yin Le Sheng was naturally proud of his achievements, and had these words been said by someone else, he would have already slapped him. But he was up against Yang Kai and really didn’t dare to challenge him one-on-one.
He had experienced Yang Kai’s strength and abilities first hand and knew he wasn’t his opponent by any means. Rather, if he were to attack alone now, he would soon be lying in his grave.
“Martial Nephew, he is trying to stall for time!” Hua Fei Chen warned Yin Le Sheng with a cold face as he glanced at the Ghost King.
At this moment, the Soul Devouring Insects were crawling all over the Ghost King’s body while crisp biting sounds could be continuously heard. Obviously, they were devouring the Ghost King’s strength and Hua Fei Chen could already see that it had weakened a lot in this short moment. If they didn’t kill Yang Kai soon, the Ghost King would cease to exist before Yang Kai fell.
And once the Ghost King was destroyed, all the Netherworld Sect members present at the scene would also suffer a backlash, including Yin Le Sheng and himself.
“I know!” Yin Le Sheng replied, grinding his teeth.
“We can’t delay, we must act now!” Hua Fei Chen shouted, rapidly forming hand seals again.
Yin Le Sheng promptly acted in concert, while glancing at Lin’er outside fleetingly.
“What a bunch of wastes!” Lin’er coldly snorted, “They are fighting one man, and had even laid out this Heavenly Net Absolute Sealing Array, but still, they haven’t killed him yet and are still allowing him to run around all over the place! These Netherworld Sect disciples are truly useless! Had I known this earlier, I wouldn’t have helped them out.”
Now, unable to vent her anger, she was even more pent up than ever before, especially when she saw Yang Kai flaunting his prowess. Lin’er blew her top and wanted to go in and teach him a lesson personally.
It never crossed her mind that she was just a Third-Order Dao Source Realm. How could she have the ability to teach Yang Kai a lesson? She also didn’t notice Hua Fei Chen, Yin Le Sheng, and the others all sweating from the extreme exertion.
“Ao!!” The two Emperors of the Netherworld Sect cast some mysterious Secret Technique at that moment and the Ghost King suddenly let out a roar, facing the sky. The sickle in its hand was giving off powerful energy fluctuations and its enormous figure shot towards Yang Kai in the blink of an eye, ruthlessly sweeping the sickle down at him.
Yang Kai impatiently asked, “You have used this attack over and over again, do you think it will still work against this Young Master?”
He wasn’t able to cut down the ringleader, but as long as he continued to make them consume their energy, it would not take long for the Soul Devouring Insects to finish off the Ghost King. When that happened, he wouldn’t need to make a move as all those from the Netherworld Sect would face a miserable end.
So, while taunting them, Yang Kai prepared to move away from his position to dodge the incoming attack.
But right then, the enormous phantom of a cinnamon flower on the screen of white light that had been enveloping them suddenly moved, one of its branches sweeping towards Yang Kai at lightning-fast speed.
How could Yang Kai expect such a thing to happen?
He didn’t know how this layer of white light was formed, and thought that it was laid out by the Netherworld Sect disciples.
This was a natural assumption as this white light curtain seemed to just be blocking space, so Yang Kai hadn’t put up any defences against it.
Caught off guard, one of his arms was caught by the branch.
He tried to free himself, but wasn’t able to.
And it wasn’t over yet. The illusory phantom of the cinnamon flower shook again as three branches shot out from the light screen, binding Yang Kai’s other arm and his legs with great precision.
In a flash, Yang Kai’s limbs were completely tied and pulled by the branches, forming the ‘大’ character with his figure.
The branches tightened their hold before lifting him up in the air.
Suddenly, Yang Kai turned his head and stared at the red-robed Lin’er. He noticed that her face was pale and she was rapidly forming hand seals, as if she was casting some Secret Technique.
[So, it’s her doing!]
Yang Kai suddenly understood everything and ground his teeth angrily, “Little Girl! You court death!”
He was worried about her background before, so he had given her a small punishment in the desolate city, and he saw her mingling with the Netherworld Sect members, he still hadn’t considered what to do with her. Yang Kai had only planned to get rid of those from the Netherworld Sect and then completely disregarded this girl.
How could he have known that she would have such strange tricks up her sleeve? And having been caught by surprise, Yang Kai finally felt killing intent towards her.
Lin’er was scared by the sight of the fierce, murderous look on Yang Kai’s face, but she gritted her teeth and countered back, “I won’t die if you are dead, will I!?”
Yin Lin Sheng broke into laughter before speaking, “Well done Young Lady Lin’er. I’d like to see how this bastard will escape now!”
Although Hua Fei Chen didn’t say anything, he was trying his best to push his Emperor Qi, controlling the Ghost King with Yin Le Sheng to attack Yang Kai.
As the enormous sickle slashed down, an aura of death caressed Yang Kai’s face.
Yin Le Sheng widened his eyes, as if he wanted to enjoy every moment of Yang Kai’s death.
Hua Fei Chen was also smiling, relieved that things were finally over. If Yang Kai could break loose and escape now, that would be an inconceivable feat.
The attack came instantaneously, and Yang Kai’s pupils immediately shrank to the size of needle tips as he roared, “Dragon Transformation!”
With a deafening roar, a shining Golden Dragon Head suddenly appeared behind Yang Kai. The entire world seemed to tremble with its appearance as Dragon Pressure immediately spread everywhere, causing every living being to submit.
Even the charging Ghost King couldn’t help but momentarily freeze, its sickle strike stagnating for a moment.
Yin Le Sheng and Hua Fei Chen had their jaws drop, watching the roaring Dragon Head in a daze, a sense of absurdity rising in their heart.
It became even harder for Lin’er to hold on once this happened. Her cultivation was the lowest here, and under the intense Dragon Pressure, her tender figure stumbled, almost falling over and collapsing. Owing to this, the power of Taiyi Cinnamon Bowl’s restraints also greatly fell.
From the start, she was unable to bring out the full power of this Emperor Artifact and even her current condition couldn’t be maintained for too long. Now, under the Dragon Pressure, the white screen of light was showing signs of collapsing, but through sheer force of will, she hurriedly grit her teeth and held on, not daring to let Yang Kai break free.
The shining illusory phantom of the Dragon Head flickered as it drilled into Yang Kai’s body.
Immediately after, Yang Kai’s hands transformed into Dragon Claws as Dragon Scales mysteriously appeared on his bare body. Even a Dragon Tail formed of golden energy had appeared behind him, sweeping left and right, leaving gullies on the ground as it did. It was a shocking sight.
*Hong…*
The Ghost King’s attack arrived in the next moment, cutting Yang Kai right in the chest.
*Chi Chi Chi…*
A grating sound immediately followed as sparks flew everywhere.
It seemed as if the Ghost King’s attack hadn’t struck a human but the hardest artifact that could possibly be made.
Yang Kai spurted out a mouthful of blood, but what everyone found surprising was that the blood wasn’t red like others, but golden.
And on his chest, a half-metre long gaping wound had appeared, one so deep that even his bones were visible.
Yang Kai had cast the Dragon Transformation Secret Technique, which had greatly improved his physical defences, but nonetheless, he was still hit hard by the Ghost King’s attack.
If the Ghost King’s energy had not been devoured by the Soul Devouring Insects, and had his body not been this strong, this blow would have killed Yang Kai instantly.
Although his life wasn’t in any danger, the injury was shocking. There was dark energy lingering around his wound, corroding his body and preventing Yang Kai from healing his injuries.
This was the Yin Energy of the Ghost King, which was extremely difficult to get rid of.
“He’s still not dead!?” Yin Le Sheng couldn’t help but cry out loud as his eyes bulged in shock, having a hard time believing how sturdy Yang Kai’s body was as well as the strange Secret Technique he just used to cause a Dragon Head and pure Dragon Pressure to manifest.
Was it an actual Divine Spirit?
Considering all this, Yin Le Sheng’s legs trembled.
“I… I can’t hold on anymore,” Lin’er stated in a low voice, gritting her teeth.
It was already a remarkable feat for her to maintain an Emperor Artifact like the Taiyi Cinnamon Bowl for so long with her low cultivation. In addition, she had been deterred by the Dragon Pressure just now and her concentration was shaken. At this moment, the Source Qi in her body was of no use and she was unable to hold out any longer.
Yin Le Sheng and Hua Fei Chen were greatly shocked after hearing this and didn’t dare to delay any further, pushing their Emperor Qi hard to control the Ghost King to launch another attack.
Finally, with the help of Young Lady Lin’er, Yang Kai was suppressed and had become an easy target. If they couldn’t kill him now, a miserable end was waiting for them.
“All of you are dead!” Yang Kai’s eyes flickered with a cold gleam as he struggled hard to get free.
Crisp cracking sounds immediately followed as Yang Kai broke the branches binding his limbs.
Lin’er let out a tender cry, as if she had suffered a backlash, and the white light screen suddenly converged before turning back into the crystal-clear jade bowl and flying towards her, disappearing into her body right after.
Without the suppression of this strange Emperor Artifact, Yang Kai felt the pressure around him suddenly lighten and immediately felt full of energy.
Only now did he come to understand that the white screen of light was actually an Emperor Artifact.
The Ghost King was fiercely rushing at him, but Yang Kai acted as if he didn’t see it. Rather, a serious look appeared on his face and his Emperor Qi surged like a tide as he rapidly formed a seal with his hands.
“Time Flows on Infinitely, Like a Mighty Stream, Like an Unending Dream!”
Once the Flowing Time Great Emperor’s Divine Ability was brought into play, time seemed to have frozen.
That seal rumbled straight towards Yin Le Sheng and Hua Fei Chen, but the pair were completely oblivious to it; they just kept looking ahead with widened eyes.
It seemed like thousands upon thousands of years had passed by in an instant.
When their eyes finally regained clarity, the seal was already upon them.
A terrified look immediately appeared on Yin Le Sheng’s face and his hands rapidly danced as he continuously spurted Blood Essence, shouting, “Martial Uncle, hold on!”
Who knows what Secret Technique Yin Le Sheng had used, but he fled as quickly as a loach. At the same time, his Spiritual Essence was rapidly declining; even his cultivation, the Emperor Realm that he had just recently reached, was also regressing…
This Secret Technique seemed to have brought great harm to himself.
“You…” Hua Fei Chen was filled with grief and anger.
Others might not know what Secret Technique Yin Le Sheng had cast, but he knew it very well.
Obviously, Yin Le Sheng had cut off his own cultivation, thereby giving up the connection with his Netherworld Purgatory Banner. This way, he would not suffer the Ten Thousand Ghost Biting Backlash. But in light of this, it was tantamount to giving up all the cultivation he had achieved in the Netherworld Sect over so many years.
He would have to start everything from scratch, and there was a serious risk that his foundation would suffer serious damage.
Trusting his Martial Nephew, Hua Fei Chen had brought over twenty disciples to help him kill his enemy, but at this critical juncture of life and death, Yin Le Sheng had actually chosen to escape, pushing everything onto Hua Fei Chen.
What could be more depressing than this?
Hua Fei Chen almost spat blood in anger, cursing in his heart that the Netherworld Sect had raised an ungrateful wolf. He blamed himself for not seeing this beforehand. As distance tests a horse’s strength, so does time reveal a person’s heart. If he was given a choice again, he would rather meditate and cultivate in the Sect rather than put his foot into this chaos, and place himself in this precarious situation where there was just a fine line between life and death.
While his mind was filled with a jumble of thoughts, the Time Flies Seal had already struck him.
And thanks to him blocking it, Yin Le Sheng was able to escape.
The next moment, Hua Fei Chen’s skin grew old at a rate visible to the naked eye and his vitality was quickly passing away. Thousands of years seemed to have passed in the blink of an eye for him.
“Ungrateful bastard!” Hua Fei Chen turned his head and cursed, glaring at Yin Le Sheng and grinding his teeth in anger. After which, his head slumped to one side before he fell on the ground, struggling to breathe.
The Flowing Time Force was corroding his body and he was unable to resist it; death was only a matter of time.
And without his control, the Ghost King suddenly went mad, its eyes turning red as if hot charcoals were burning in them. It kept aimlessly swinging the huge sickle in its hand.
“Ahhh…”
Close to a dozen pitiful cries rang out at the same time as the Netherworld Sect disciples, who were on their last legs already, fell down on the ground together. Black energy emerged from their bodies, burning them like flames.
Obviously, they were suffering from severe backlash and had no hope of surviving.
Yang Kai didn’t pay attention to them, nor did he take care of the Ghost King that was out of control, he just coldly glanced in the direction of Lin’er and stated with a cold snort, “I’ll deal with you later!”
Lin’er couldn’t help but shiver when she met with his icy gaze. She was scared, but she still stubbornly glared back at Yang Kai without flinching.
Yang Kai’s figure flickered and he chased after Yin Le Sheng.
“Young Lady, let’s quickly escape!” Old Fu hurriedly and secretly suggested; his forehead was drenched in cold sweat.
[If we don’t escape, we won’t get the chance to escape again! Two Netherworld Sect Emperor Realm Masters had teamed up, and even had the support of over twenty Dao Source disciples, even going so far as to summon a Ghost King, yet they were unable to do anything to this young man. Instead, they were all killed by him, like plucking feathers from a chicken!]
This boy was simply a monster!
His loss in the desolate city was not unjustified. With the strength Yang Kai had just displayed, killing Old Fu would have been no more difficult than stepping on an ant.
“Why should I escape!” Lin’er angrily shouted, “This Young Lady will remain here! I want to see if he dares to attack me!”
She might have retorted in anger just now, but there was also reason backing up her confidence as no one had dared to attack her so far. More importantly, she had grown limp and couldn’t run.
Old Fu became anxious and hurriedly said, “Young Lady, didn’t you see his bloodshot eyes filled with murderous intent? If he accidentally hurt Young Lady’s noble body, how would this Old Master explain it to Sir?”
Lin’er snorted again even louder and declared, “I would like to see if he dares!”
Old Fu simply didn’t know what to say. Yang Kai was cut by the Ghost King because of his Young Lady’s interference and was still bleeding from his wound as they spoke. He would definitely not let his Young Lady go, but Old Fu’s earnest advice was completely useless and he didn’t dare to force Lin’er to obey. He was really as anxious as an ant on a hot wok now.
On another side, Yang Kai had caught up with Yin Le Sheng, who had not been able to escape far.
Yang Kai was proficient in the Dao of Space, so escape and pursuit were his forte. Not to mention, Yin Le Sheng’s strength was plummeting and his aura was constantly declining. At this moment, Yin Le Sheng’s cultivation had already dropped to the peak Dao Source Realm, so how could he escape from Yang Kai?
While running, Yin Le Sheng looked back and noticed Yang Kai hot on his tail like a hungry ghost, and his expression sank so low that a layer of frost could almost be shaved from his face.
While pursuing Yin Le Sheng, Yang Kai teased, “Run! Keep on running, I’d like to see where you can escape!”
Yin Le Sheng knew that he couldn’t flee, so he steeled his heart as something suddenly appeared in his hand. He grit his teeth and turned around, wanting to activate it.
But the moment he turned around, he was taken aback, because Yang Kai was already standing in front of him, coldly staring at the thing in his hand.
Before Yin Le Sheng could trigger it, Yang Kai had already swung the Myriads Sword.
*Shua…*
Yin Le Shen’s arm flew into the air as blood gushed out like a fountain from his shoulder.
Yang Kai stretched his hand out, catching the thing in his hand, glancing at it and muttering with a cold snort, “An Emperor Authority Bead! I knew it!”
In the past, he had suffered a big loss at the hands of the Young Sect Master of the Seeking Passion Sect, Feng Xi, inside the Shattered Star Sea. Yang Kai knew that the most outstanding disciples of a Sect, like the Netherworld Sect, would be bestowed with defensive treasures by their Elders.
And the Emperor Authority Bead was the most powerful of such treasures.
Although it wasn’t easy to create and was a one-time consumable object, if one had it, he or she could turn the tides at a critical moment.
Feng Xi had almost killed Yang Kai using the Emperor Authority Bead given to him by his father.
As the old saying goes, ‘once bitten, twice shy’, so how could Yang Kai not prepare against this action by Yin Le Sheng?
He had not allowed Yin Le Sheng to use the Emperor Authority Bead, and had directly chopped off his arm.
“Ahhh…”
Yin Le Sheng only just realized that his arm had been chopped off after staring at his severed limb in a daze before miserably screaming. He staggered back and fell to the ground, his face completely pale.
*Zheng…*
A cold gleam flashed before his eyes as the Myriads Sword in Yang Kai’s hand appeared right before him as the latter condescendingly looked down at him. The sword tip was pointing right at his nose, and the gleaming sword aura was like a poisonous snake hissing at him.
Yin Le Sheng’s cries came to an abrupt halt as he couldn’t help but nervously gulp with a look of horror on his face.
He knew that he had lost, and his defeat was thorough and complete. Even if Yang Kai let him go now, he would not be able to cultivate anymore as he had used a forbidden technique to sever his cultivation to escape with his life. His foundation was damaged and he had already regressed to the Saint King Realm, his strength still continuously declining.
“In truth, there is no deep grudge between us,” Yang Kai gazed at Yin Le Sheng, blood dripping down his chest and onto the ground as he continued with a stoic look on his face, “You brought this upon yourself!”
If Yin Le Sheng had stayed honestly in the Netherworld Sect, consolidating his cultivation, putting aside his grievance with Yang Kai, he may be able to take over his Honoured Master’s mantle and might even take charge of the Netherworld Sect in the future, but he just had to bring people to intercept Yang Kai.
One wrong step, led to another, and then another!
Yin Le Sheng grimly smiled and stated, “Who can tell what path is right or wrong on the Grand Dao. I might have lost today, but it’s not definitive that you will reach the peak in the future. What are you feeling proud about!?”
“Perhaps you are right,” Yang Kai nodded in agreement before adding, “But I can go farther and see more than you.”
The corner of Yin Le Sheng’s lips twitched. He was rendered speechless.
“Do you have any last words? Let’s hear them,” Yang Kai indifferently asked.
Yin Le Sheng grit his teeth and stated, “I’ll be waiting for you on the road to the Yellow Springs…”
“You’re still reluctant to admit your faults!” Yang Kai let out a cold snort before pushing the tip of his sword forward a bit, “Do you believe I won’t pull out your Soul and refine it instead of killing you?”
Yin Le Sheng immediately shut his mouth, not daring to act presumptuously.
Yang Kai tilted his head and said with a smile, looking at him, “I lied.”
Saying so, he thrust the Myriads Sword ahead, slowly stabbing into Yin Le Sheng.
Yin Le Sheng’s eyes widened in an instant. He could hear the Myriads Sword slowly piercing his body and stabbing his heart loud and clear. That slow and terrifying feeling instantly filled his heart and Soul.
“My Netherworld Sect… Will not spare you!”
A murmur-like voice came from nearby. Yang Kai turned his head and looked towards the source. He noticed Hua Fei Chen, who was hanging by a breath, lying on the ground, staring in his direction with wide-open eyes that were grey and devoid of any lustre, like those of a fish that had been dead for many days.
After having said his piece, his head slumped to one side as his vitality completely disappeared.
It was already a pretty impressive feat that he had remained alive till now after having been struck by the Time Flies Seal.
Naturally, Yang Kai didn’t attach importance to a threat from the dead, simply reaching out and taking Yin Le Sheng’s ring before throwing it into his pocket.
He was the top disciple of the Netherworld Sect, so he definitely had many treasures on him. How could Yang Kai miss such a prize?
Before he could turn and deal with Hua Fei Chen, Yang Kai’s expression drastically changed and he hurriedly threw away the Emperor Authority Bead in Yin Le Sheng’s hand.
*Peng…*
With a deafening clap, the Emperor Authority Bead suddenly exploded, reducing into dust before scattering in the air.
Yang Kai’s expression rapidly changed as his good mood suddenly turned bad, gritting his teeth as he murmured, “So, there was a restriction!”
He had no idea what restriction was placed on the Emperor Authority Bead, but it must have been related to Yin Le Sheng’s life; after all, it was a treasure bestowed to Yin Le Sheng by the Netherworld Sect’s Sect Master. Such a restriction must have been set to trigger upon Yin Le Sheng’s death, rendering the Emperor Authority Bead useless.
Yang Kai was saddened, but now that it had already happened, it was pointless to brood over it; all he could do was collect himself then walk over to Hua Fei Chen and take his Space Ring as well.
As for the out-of-control Ghost King, Yang Kai was totally unconcerned about it. Countless Soul Devouring Insects were gnawing on it, treating it as a delicious meal, so presumably, it would not be long before it would be completely devoured.
With over twenty fresh corpses lying around, there was a pungent bloody smell lingering in the air.
Yang Kai was injured as well. The wound caused by Ghost King’s slash hadn’t healed even now and pitch-black energy was lingering around the edge of the wound, continuously corroding his flesh and skin.
Yang Kai stretched his hand out and made a gesture, immediately drawing a small swarm of Soul Devouring Insects towards him and directing them to his wound.
Since the Soul Devouring Insects could devour a being like the Ghost King, it shouldn’t be a problem for them to deal with its Yin Qi. Yang Kai had summoned them to deal with his injury, and as he expected, just as the Soul Devouring Insects landed on his wound, they started devouring the lingering energy.
In just a few moments, that pitch-black energy was devoured clean and without the corrosion and interference of the Yin Qi, the strong restorative properties of Yang Kai’s Golden Blood came into play. His flesh and skin started squirming, and Yang Kai estimated that his wound would fully heal in just a few days.
Only now did Yang Kai finally turn his head, looking at the red-robed girl.
As soon as their eyes met, Lin’er couldn’t help but nervously gulp. She might have put up a brave front, but she was still scared to death in her heart. She had never seen someone as fierce as Yang Kai, who could kill all his opponents even when he was so heavily outnumbered. Furthermore, he didn’t murder ordinary people, but two Emperor Realm Masters from the Netherworld Sect plus a group of Dao Source Realm Masters who had laid out the Heavenly Net Absolute Sealing Array.
The huge wound on Yang Kai’s chest gave him an even more ferocious appearance.
Seeing Yang Kai looking in her direction, it would be a lie if she said that she wasn’t in a panic. Lin’er was currently regretting a little. Had she known, she would have escaped with Old Fu earlier. What could she even do by putting up a brave front and remaining here?
It never crossed her mind that with Yang Kai’s skill, she wouldn’t have been able to escape even if she wanted to. Unless she and Old Fu escaped back to the Ancient Lands Passageway where they could throw Yang Kai off with the help of the strange fog.
*Sha Sha Sha…*
Yang Kai walked towards her, step by step, his eyes completely cold, putting a lot of pressure onto Lin’er.
Old Fu earnestly tried to protect Lin’er, his figure flickering and standing before her, a wary look on his face.
“You are pretty obedient!” Yang Kai stood just ten metres away from them and coldly stated, pointing his sword at them, “For your honesty and compliance, this Young Master will give you a quick and painless death. Tell me, how do you want to die?”
Old Fu grew anxious upon hearing this. Was he serious? There were only a few people in this world who would dare to point their swords at his Young Lady and ask how she wanted to die, and judging by the murderous look on this young man’s face, he really was not planning to let the two of them go.
This was only natural, however, as his Young Lady had used an Emperor Artifact to bind him in a life and death fight, almost causing him to die at the hands of the Netherworld Sect’s people. Anyone would be enraged if they were in his place.
But how could he let his Young Lady die? If she died, the entire world would be thrown into chaos.
Old Fu quickly intervened, “Young Master, enmity should be resolved rather than settled. We were in the wrong today, please show mercy on us this time. In any case, nothing happened today, yes?”
“Nothing happened!?” Yang Kai, who was burning with fury, looked sidelong at him as he snorted as he rebuked, “Do you think this Young Master is faking his injuries? How can you say nothing happened?”
His wound had still not healed and his bones could be seen quite clearly. How could it be treated as nothing?
Old Fu’s face sank as he justified, “This Old Master is also doing this for your own good. If you refuse to realize your errors, you will be facing a huge disaster.”
Yang Kai laughed in anger and stated, “This Young Master knows that you have strong backing and there is someone big behind you, but so what? Since you have fallen in this Young Master’s hand, your life or death is for me to decide. Losers should act like losers, yet you still dare to shamelessly boast like this! Do you really believe I won’t run you through with my sword!”
While speaking, Yang Kai thrust his sword, resting it straight on Old Fu’s chest and with a flick of his wrist, he tore Old Fu’s shirt apart, scaring him to the point that he hurriedly backed away. His bold front instantly vanished in a puff of smoke and his puffed up chest shrivelled like a wilted eggplant.
He was utterly afraid that Yang Kai would stab him in a rage. If his Young Lady died, this young man would suffer a deadly crisis, but if he was killed, no one would stand up for him.
In the end, he was just a guard, responsible for protecting his Young Lady. But how was he supposed to protect her if he couldn’t even protect himself now?
They had really run into a true madman!
Old Fu was filled with hatred, but he knew very well how strong Yang Kai was now. Had he known that the Netherworld Sect disciples were such wastes, why would he have gone to look for them and actively cooperate with them, provoking Yang Kai with his Young Lady time and time again?
But then again, how could he have known that a mere First-Order Emperor Realm Master could be so overwhelmingly powerful?
“Th-then what do you want?” Old Fu softened his stance and weakly asked.
At present, he was the fish on the chopping block, facing Yang Kai’s blade. He had no choice but to lower his head, throw his pride and humiliation aside, and look for a way to survive this. Ten years wasn’t too late for a gentleman to take his revenge.
Yang Kai’s face sank as he stated, “An eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth. This Young Master can let things go once or twice, but certainly not thrice. Your Young Lady obstinately insists on her foolish actions and will cause a catastrophe sooner or later. Why doesn’t this Young Master clean up your Sect on behalf of the Sir behind you and save him from future worries?”
Old Fu was greatly shocked, feeling like he was trying to make a clever speech to a cow. Yang Kai’s murderous intent hadn’t been reduced at all and he seemed dead set on his Young Lady. What was he supposed to do?
He didn’t dare to hesitate anymore and hurriedly added, “Do you know who we are? Who my Young Lady is? She is…”
“Shut up!” Yang Kai kicked him before he could finish.
Old Fu was caught unprepared and helplessly watched himself get kicked right in the face, letting out a miserable scream as he was sent flying. His nose was broken from this kick and he crashed to the ground, not getting up no matter how much time passed.
After kicking away Old Fu, Yang Kai finally turned his gaze at the red-robed girl and quickly said, “Girl, this Young Master let you go back in that desolate city, and instead of feeling grateful and seeking ways to repay me, you actually joined forces with the Netherworld Sect to try to attack this Young Master. Today, this Young Master will take your life to let you know that there are some people in this world you cannot provoke!”
Lin’er was greatly shocked and her pretty face turned pale as she cried, “How dare you!?”
She had not even finished her words though when Yang Kai lifted his sword and swung it at her.
In a flash, Lin’er pretty face went as pale as paper as the aura of death enveloped her. She broke into a cold sweat and her hands and feet froze up.
She had never experienced something like this. She had been completely spoiled since birth, with everyone at her beck and call. Wherever she went, no one would dare disobey her every command, much less dare to kill her.
But now, she had encountered someone who wanted to take her life, and he wasn’t just trying to intimidate her, he meant what he said and was actually trying to do it.
She was just a Third-Order Dao Source Realm, who was exhausted from using her Emperor Artifact. Now, she couldn’t even smoothly walk, much less defend herself from a blow like this.
[So, this is what death feels like!]
[He really intends to kill me!?] Lin’er stood in a daze, as if a petrification spell had been cast on her.
Emperor Qi surged as the Myriads Sword horizontally slashed at her. Yang Kai hadn’t held himself back at all. Even Old Fu would be cut into two by this slash, not to mention a tender girl like Lin’er.
But just when the Myriads Sword was about to cut her, a black pendant on Lin’er neck suddenly cracked and turned into a black barrier, covering her completely.
*Hong…*
A crisp and reverberating clang immediately rang out. The Myriads Sword struck the barrier, but it couldn’t damage it even a bit. Instead, Yang Kai retreated a few steps from the recoil.
Yang Kai narrowed his eyes, but he didn’t look surprised at all. It appeared as if he had expected this and just stared at the black barrier while letting out a cold snort.
After protecting Lin’er, the black barrier turned into a streak of black light as it shot out and sank into Old Fu, who was still lying on the ground.
*Weng…*
The surrounding world suddenly trembled as an unimaginable pressure spread into the surroundings, a pressure which clearly originated from Old Fu.
*Hualala…*
The birds and beasts within a hundred kilometres fled, as if they had sensed the approaching danger.
Yang Kai couldn’t help but nervously gulp as he raised his vigilance.
He couldn’t be any more familiar with the phenomena before him. This was clearly a powerful Master’s Soul Descent.
Feng Xi had also resorted to this technique back in the Shattered Star Sea, so the experience was still fresh in Yang Kai’s memories.
The elites of top Sects seemed to have many tricks up their sleeves, with Emperor Authority Beads being the most common. The Soul Descent was undoubtedly an even stronger form of protection as a wisp of a true Master was able to manifest itself through it. Although this Master was unable to bring out their full strength in a borrowed body, it still wasn’t something an ordinary person could deal with.
The manifestation of a Master’s Soul not only put tremendous pressure on the opposite party, but also deterred the enemy with prestige and reputation.
There were only so many top Masters in the world, but once one of their Souls appeared, who would dare to disregard them?
Since even Feng Xi had a Soul Descent of his father placed on him in the Shattered Star Sea, of course this Young Lady Lin’er could have a similar technique protecting her.
Yang Kai had already expected this, so he didn’t expect to be able to really kill Lin’er at all. Still, being unable to vent his anger vexed him greatly.
The mysterious Master, who chose to Soul Descend in Old Fu’s body, might have his own considerations. First, Lin’er was a girl, making it a little inconvenient, and second, Old Fu was much stronger than Lin’er. The mysterious Master would be able to use a few more moves by manifesting his Soul in Old Fu’s body. Furthermore, he didn’t have to worry about damaging Old Fu afterwards.
Also, it would be a bigger burden on the person with a weaker body when a Master’s Soul manifested in their body.
Under Yang Kai’s watchful gaze, Old Fu, who was lying on the ground, stood up straight, his grey hair dancing as if in the wind despite there not being any blowing. His eyes were now as deep as the sea, giving off an awe-inspiring impression.
In the blink of an eye, Old Fu’s temperament had drastically changed, and the look in his gaze was now one of a superior being, who considered everyone beneath him, like the ruler of the world.
Old Fu glanced around, his gaze momentarily stopping on Yang Kai, before turning to Lin’er’s direction. His face remained stoic, making it hard to tell whether he was happy or angry.
At this point, Lin’er finally showed a response. She reached out to her neck and touched the area where the pendant was originally hanging, then she glanced at Old Fu. After noticing a familiar gaze, she couldn’t help but shrink her neck again, already realizing what had just happened.
“Father…” She called out in a mosquito-like voice. Rather than being happy that her father’s Soul had appeared, it looked more like she was scared.
“Hmph!” Old Fu let out a cold snort before indifferently speaking, “Why are you outside? You should be behind closed doors, reflecting on your mistakes.”
Lin’er was rendered speechless after hearing this, flinching as she looked away, not daring to meet her father’s gaze.
Yang Kai’s brow twitched upon hearing this. It turned out that this Young Lady had secretly run away from home! No wonder she looked afraid when her father had used a Soul Descent. Why did all these little girls like to do this? Mo Xiao Qi also often sneaked out of Spirit Beast Island, now there was this girl too.
All of them were so spoiled! Yang Kai coldly snorted in his heart.
“What did you do now?” Old Fu asked.
Lin’er didn’t answer and instead began glancing left and right, as if she was looking for a way to escape.
“I’ve asked you a question. Why aren’t you answering?” Old Fu suddenly shouted.
Lin’er trembled before blurting out in a conditional reflex, “Your dear daughter was bullied…”
While she replied, tears rolled down her white cheeks before dripping down on the ground. She appeared as pitiful and as sad as could be. Her previous arrogance and domineering bearing were nowhere to be found. Her current performance was completely opposite from before.
Yang Kai was flabbergasted, thinking in heart, [This Young Lady’s acting skills are pretty good. I guess she does this quite often.]
Her tears started pouring out as soon as she started speaking and they kept rolling down like there was no end to them. Her cries sounded extremely miserable and pitiful, as if someone had really bullied her intolerably. Next, she pointed at Yang Kai and shouted, “It was him! He wanted to kill me! Father, you must uphold justice for me!”
Old Fu, maintaining a stoic look, stated, “Is there anyone who would dare to bully you? It’s always you who has been bullying others and causing trouble everywhere you go, but this time you were taught a harsh lesson, am I right?”
He seemed to know his daughter very well and didn’t believe her story at all, hitting the nail on the head in just a few sentences.
Lin’er’s cries came to an abrupt stop as she looked at Old Fu, mouth agape.
“Sir is really wise!” Yang Kai praised, hurriedly cupping his fists, a grin on his face.
Old Fu turned and indifferently looked at Yang Kai, “This King is talking to his daughter. You have no right to interrupt us.”
Yang Kai couldn’t help but disdainfully snort, finding the whole situation tiresome and frustrating.
Old Fu then asked, “Aren’t you surprised to see this King?”
Yang Kai replied with a snort, “What’s there to be surprised about? Had you not been spoiling and protecting her, with your daughter’s temper and ability to cause trouble, how could she survive till today? Without such sheltering, you wouldn’t even know how she died.”
Since the opposite party wasn’t polite towards him, Yang Kai didn’t bother to give him face. In any case, he was in the right now, so Yang Kai didn’t believe that the opposite party could bully him.
Feng Xi’s father, Feng Xuan might forcefully stand up for his son, paying no attention to his face, but the opposite party couldn’t do this as he still had to have qualms regarding his identity. And precisely because of this, Yang Kai wasn’t afraid at all.
Lin’er glanced at Yang Kai in astonishment. She had never thought that Yang Kai would have such guts that he could say such things right in her father’s face. Not just anyone could do this.
[Why did I provoke this kind of crazy person?] Lin’er was deeply regretting it now.
Old Fu’s face turned grim as he doubtfully asked, “Little brat, are you accusing this King of being too lax in his discipline?”
Yang Kai snorted and ignored him. What was the point of asking this when he clearly knew the answer already?
Seeing his indifferent appearance, Old Fu was also taken aback and immediately asked, “Aren’t you afraid of this King?”
Yang Kai gave him a sidelong glance and stated, “Why should I be afraid?”
Had it been before his trip to the Shattered Star Sea, Yang Kai might have still been frightened, but he was far more experienced now and had even met the Bustling World Great Emperor and the Heaven Devouring Great Emperor. He already had an extremely rich experience.
“Do you know who this King is?” Old Fu asked again.
Yang Kai remained indifferent for a while before he cupped his fists and greeted, “Junior Yang Kai greets Senior Serene Soul!”
He didn’t greet him out of fear, but rather he was showing his respect towards a Master.
Old Fu was really shocked by this, but that couldn’t be helped as Yang Kai had actually known his identity. It was quite evident that Yang Kai knew who he was dealing with and what his status was.
As Yang Kai had just said, the Soul Manifestation before him belonged to one of the Ten Great Emperors of the Star Boundary, the Serene Soul Great Emperor; the hegemon of the Eastern Territory and founder of the Serene Soul Palace.
The Soul Contracts that widely circulated throughout the Star Boundary were this Master’s personal creation.
Yang Kai could guess all this because of the attitude the Netherworld Sect disciples had towards Lin’er. The Netherworld Sect was a top Sect of the Eastern Territory, so if Lin’er’s status wasn’t nobler than theirs, why would they treat her so politely?
Who could have a higher status than a top disciple and Elder from the Netherworld Sect?
It wasn’t that strange to make the connections.
“How did you know?” Old Fu furrowed his brow.
Yang Kai grinned meaningfully and stated, “I made a guess.”
Old Fu’s eyes glimmered but he didn’t pursue it, pondering for a moment before asking, “Since you know about Lin’er’s background, how dare you try to kill her? Could it be… That your purpose was to draw this King out?”
[Seems this old man does have some brains at least…]
After having his intentions revealed, Yang Kai didn’t bother playing dumb and cupped his fists and stated, “Sir’s vision is truly sharp. Junior did have such intentions.”
Of course, if he didn’t show up, Yang Kai would have really silenced all the witnesses. Lin’er had provoked him many times already. More importantly, her interference had almost gotten him killed, so Yang Kai couldn’t assume that this had never happened.
Old Fu curiously asked, “What do you get by drawing out this King?”
Yang Kai sighed and replied with a pained look on his face, “Sir, Junior had no choice as well. I was forced by your daughter.”
“How is this related to me!?” Lin’er was now calmer than before. With her father here now, she wasn’t worried for her life. What she was rather worried about was how long she would be grounded for this time.
Yang Kai glanced at her and angrily responded, “If you didn’t have an astonishing background, do you think you would still be alive to be able to speak right now?”
Lin’er let out a snort. She was too lazy to argue with him, but when she recalled how Yang Kai slashed at her without a shred of hesitation, she was gripped with lingering fear and knew that Yang Kai was right. Without her father’s protection, she would indeed be dead.
Yang Kai cupped his fists and continued, wearing a sad face, “Senior Serene Soul, your daughter has made things difficult for me over and over again. This Junior had no intention of haggling over such matters though, as with this little girl’s background, a little mischief is justified. Junior let her indiscretion pass several times, but not only did she not appreciate it, she colluded with the Netherworld Sect to set an ambush for me, an unforgivable act! With no other choice, Junior was forced to slaughter twenty Netherworld Sect members right here…”
Old Fu raised his brow and looked around. He had already noticed the corpses littered on the ground before, but he hadn’t expected these guys to be from the Netherworld Sect.
[Is this brat really so impressive? He is just a First-Order Emperor, how did he kill so many by himself?]
Yang Kai continued, “The death of the Netherworld Sect’s members isn’t worth pitying, but this Junior doesn’t dare to make rash moves against your daughter!”
“You… You are lying!” Lin’er angrily pointed at Yang Kai and shouted, “You clearly wanted to kill me!”
Yang Kai sneered and stated, “If I didn’t threaten your life, how would I draw Sir out!?”
Old Fu asked, looking at Yang Kai with narrowed eyes, “What do you want by drawing out this King?”
Yang Kai was taken aback but still promptly responded, “Sir, I don’t dare to kill your daughter, but I have to vent my anger one way or another, don’t I? Naturally, I can only ask you to settle it. Who asked my fists to not be bigger than yours?”
Old Fu softly sneered.
[So, you think that it’s okay for me to be bullied, right?] Yang Kai’s heart burned with fury and immediately continued, “Sir, I almost lost my life because of your daughter. Look at this wound, it burns even now.”
Old Fu gazed down at the half-meter long scar on Yang Kai’s chest and was indeed shaken a little.
[This brat really is one of a kind, speaking so boldly with me even after suffering such a serious wound while maintaining a straight face! Isn’t he afraid that I will crush him into nothing with just a wave of my hand?]
“This King understands! How do you want this King to settle this?” Old Fu gazed at Yang Kai, maintaining a calm and composed look, “Since I am here now. Just say what’s in your mind. If you don’t say it right now, you won’t get another chance again.”
Yang Kai’s face sank as he asked, “Sir, are you thinking of silencing me? Sir, if a man of your status does something like this, how will you keep your face if the word ever got out?”
Old Fu replied, “Whatever your motive was, it is a fact that you wanted to kill this King’s daughter. What does it matter if this King kills you?”
Yang Kai immediately blew his top and lashed out in anger, “Sir, are you really going to do this? Relying on your own status and strength to bully me?”
This old fart was simply too shameless! As one of the Ten Great Emperors, he was someone of great prestige. How could he do something so deplorable?
Lin’er, on the other hand, was excited and immediately shouted, “Father, there is no need to talk nonsense with him. Quickly kill him!”
Old Fu coldly smiled and asked, gazing at Yang Kai, “Are you afraid now?”
Yang Kai grit his teeth and stated, “What have I to be afraid of? This Young Master has fought shoulder to shoulder with the Bustling World Great Emperor, it’s not like I have never seen the power of a Great Emperor! This Young Master is also an experienced person. What’s there to be afraid of?”
Once he mentioned this, a strange look immediately appeared on Old Fu’s face as he asked, “You have fought shoulder to shoulder with Old Hong Chen?”
“That’s right!” Yang Kai snorted before continuing, “Sir, if you really came in person, this Junior would naturally flee right away, but with just a wisp of Sir’s Soul having manifested here, how much of your strength can you display? Forgive this Junior for being blunt, but if forced to, this Junior can drag your daughter down with me before he dies! I wonder if Sir cares about your daughter’s life or not!?”
A ferocious look appeared on Yang Kai’s face. He would really do it. He wasn’t just making an idle threat.
“Despicable!” Lin’er’s face turned pale. [This bastard still wants to kill me! He has been harbouring impure motives from the start. You better not fall into this Young Lady’s hand, otherwise, I will definitely take good care of you!]
“Sir, if you don’t believe me, you are welcome to give it a try!” Yang Kai waved the Myriads Sword, taking a posture that he was ready to die along with the enemy.
Old Fu maintained the same stoic look as he rebuked in a low voice, “You fought shoulder to shoulder with the Bustling World Great Emperor? Brat, haven’t you gone overboard with your bragging? Aren’t you afraid of getting exposed?”
Yang Kai replied, “This Junior only states facts, he never brags.”
“Is that so…” Old Fu meaningfully laughed before he paused and stated, “Wait a moment!”
“Wait for what?” Yang Kai stared at him in amazement, his brow slightly furrowing. He had no idea what the opposite party was planning on doing now, but he knew that he was clearly not the opposite party’s opponent; therefore, he didn’t dare to take things lightly.
The opposite party couldn’t be compared with the likes of Feng Xuan. Even though it was just a Soul Manifestation here, Yang Kai didn’t have much confidence in being his enemy; however, he still had some confidence in escaping. If it weren’t for this, how could he dare to stay here and confidently talk with the opposite party, maintaining a straight face?
Meanwhile, Old Fu’s gaze lowered a little as he stood completely still. Yang Kai immediately became suspicious. But he still didn’t dare to make a rash move, lest he provoked the other party’s anger.
…
Somewhere among a towering, snow-capped mountain range, buildings of all shapes and sizes stood erect. From time to time, cultivators would fly over from the sky. The buildings below were filled with people, painting an extremely lively picture.
Senior Brothers of the same Sect were exchanging pointers with each other or playing games of chess. Teams of maids passed by, moving in a hurry without speaking or smiling.
Plum blossoms were blooming everywhere as their sweet fragrance lingered in the air. Many tamed, rare, and exotic animals were roaming in the mountains and forests, where rays of morning sunlight were shining through the clouds and the leaves of trees.
The beautiful sights painted the picture of a paradise on earth that was extremely rich in World Energy.
This was the hegemon Sect of the Eastern Territory, Serene Soul Palace.
Those who had never been to Serene Soul Palace couldn’t even imagine this scenery inside this Sect. Its name containing ‘Soul’ alone gave the impression of a mysterious and ethereal place. There was a vast difference between imagination and reality.
On the highest mountain covered in snow, there was a palace that stood on a vast piece of land. The palace was cold and deserted, seemingly not having been inhabited by anyone for a long time.
Also, not a single person could be seen within a hundred kilometres of this mountain. Not even the birds and beasts wandering in the mountains dared to approach this place.
It couldn’t be helped as this was the Restricted Area of Serene Soul Palace, where the Serene Soul Great Emperor cultivated in secluded retreat.
Serene Soul was one of the Ten Great Emperors and stood at the apex of the Star Boundary. It was quite common for his retreats to last several dozen years to over a century. Unless one was summoned, no one dared to disturb him at all. Even his children needed to ask for his permission before they could set foot here.
Even the Young Palace Master of Serene Soul Palace, Yao Si, hadn’t seen his father for three years. He only knew that his father was comprehending some Secret Technique and could not be disturbed.
At this moment, under the swaying lights inside the palace, two figures were sitting cross-legged opposite each other.
One was a person with black hair and wearing a black robe. He had an indifferent look on his face, but there was a natural aura of majesty and superiority to him, giving a daunting impression. He was none other than the Serene Soul Palace’s Master, one of the Ten Great Emperors, Serene Soul Great Emperor himself.
And the other person sitting opposite him was an elderly man. This elderly man seemingly didn’t know how to sit or stand properly and was literally just slumped on the ground, looking left and right with a bored look on his face, as if he wanted to see what this damned place had to offer. Apparently, he was preparing to take advantage of the moment the Serene Soul Great Emperor wasn’t paying attention.
His appearance, the sneaky look on his face, perfectly matched his movements.
If Yao Si saw this scene, he would be completely surprised.
Because only his father and a few of his most trusted confidants had ever set foot in this place; no outsider had ever entered it, but at this moment, an elderly man of unknown origins was sitting face to face with his father, and his great Father was completely unguarded against him…
If Yang Kai saw this scene, he too would be greatly shocked.
Because this elderly man wasn’t a stranger, he was none other than Duan Hong Chen, who had just parted ways with him in the Purple Mountain Range.
Who knew why Duan Hong Chen had come here and went directly to the Serene Soul Great Emperor.
Only the crackling sound coming from the wicks of the lamps could be heard in the silent palace. Right then, the Serene Soul Great Emperor slowly opened his eyes, scaring Duan Hong Chen, who immediately straightened his back and eagerly asked, “Are you done?”
“Not yet,” the Serene Soul Great Emperor shook his head.
Duan Hong Chen was at a loss and asked in amazement, “Why did you open your eyes when you aren’t done yet? Hurry up and finish whatever it is quickly, this Old Master still has other things which require your help.”
He showed not the slightest politeness, as if he was very familiar with the Serene Soul Great Emperor.
The Serene Soul Great Emperor smiled and stated, “Your business isn’t that pressing, but I have something to ask you.”
Duan Hong Chen curiously asked, “Ask me? What do you need to ask me about?”
The Serene Soul Great Emperor replied, laughing, “There is a little brat who doesn’t know the immensity of Heaven and Earth and says that he fought shoulder to shoulder with you, is it true or false?”
Yang Kai had just boasted so shamelessly, so the Serene Soul Great Emperor had come back to ask Duan Hong Chen right away. Who knows how Yang Kai would feel if he came to know about this strange coincidence.
Duan Hong Chen sneered before replying, “What nonsense is that? Would you believe anything anyone says? When has this Old Master fought side by side with others? Whoever it is must have tried to scare you using the Old Master’s name. Send him away right away, this Old Master’s business is more pressing.”
Serene Soul agreed with a nod, “I also thought so…”
He also felt that Yang Kai was just uttering nonsense; after all, who was Duan Hong Chen? Even if he cut his own cultivation and his strength had sharply dropped, he didn’t need to team up with others to fight his enemies, and since Duan Hong Chen happened to be in his Serene Soul Palace, it didn’t cost him much to casually ask him.
“Wait!” Duan Hong Chen suddenly shouted, a strange look appearing on his face as he asked further, “What does this brat look like?”
He suddenly remembered that there was indeed a guy who had fought alongside him just recently.
The Serene Soul Great Emperor didn’t reply in words and instead waved his hand, causing the space between the two to ripple. A clear picture immediately entered Duan Hong Chen’s eyes. It was the scene of Yang Kai standing at the entrance of the Ancient Lands Passageway with the Myriads Sword, surrounded by corpses everywhere.
The corners of Duan Hong Chen’s lips twitched after just a glance before speaking, “Why is it this brat…”
The Serene Soul Great Emperor was stunned and immediately asked, “Do you know him?”
Duan Hong Chen’s face suddenly grimaced as he began grinding his teeth, “This King will recognize that brat even if he is reduced to ashes! Quickly kill him! If you help this King vent his anger, this King will definitely owe you one!”
The Serene Soul Great Emperor heaved a sigh before responding, “Heaven Devourer, if you come out and talk nonsense again, this King will not be polite to you. This King’s Serene Soul Finger isn’t something to be trifled with.”
He could easily tell at a glance that it wasn’t Duan Hong Chen speaking, but the Heavenly Devouring Great Emperor, Wu Kuang, who was sharing bodies with Duan Hong Chen.
Duan Hong Chen gave a weird smile, retorting, “Oh! How gutsy of you! You actually dare to use this kind of tone with this King! I didn’t see you having such guts back then.”
The Serene Soul Great Emperor repeated with a smile, “This King’s Serene Soul Finger isn’t to be trifled with…”
He kept silent about what happened back then. Apparently, he had suffered a huge loss at the hands of Heaven Devourer.
Duan Hong Chen’s face turned gloomy as he retorted, “Can’t you change the line you keep using? Is it that interesting to threaten this King with the same line, over and over again?”
The Serene Soul Great Emperor remained unaffected and kept smiling, “This King’s Serene Soul Finger…”
“You are sick!”
The Heaven Devouring Great Emperor didn’t have a good temperament to begin with, so at this moment, he couldn’t help but lash out.
At that moment, Duan Hong Chen’s suddenly jolted before the vicious look on his face suddenly disappeared, replaced by an angry look.
If somebody was speaking but someone took over his body suddenly, anyone would be annoyed, but Heaven Devourer and he couldn’t do anything to each other right now.
“Do you really know this brat?” Serene Soul asked after seeing that Heaven Devourer was suppressed.
“Yes…” Duan Hong Chen smacked his lips and said, “He is that boy I just told you about.”
Serene Soul raised his brow and asked, “Did both of you attack Heaven Devourer together, and ruin Heaven Devourer’s plans?”
“That’s right! But it’s more complicated than you think. I can’t explain it to you in just a few words. In any case, you have seen the final result,” Duan Hong Chen helplessly replied.
The Serene Soul Great Emperor slightly nodded before confirming, “So to say, he really isn’t just idly boasting, right?”
“What do you want to do to him?” Duan Hong Chen worriedly glanced at Yang Kai in the light screen before him.
He knew that the Serene Soul Great Emperor had used a Soul Descent somewhere. Apparently, his spoiled daughter had encountered some danger. The Soul Descent of a Great Emperor wasn’t a joke. It was like some treasured sword that couldn’t be drawn from the sheath, but once it was drawn, it needed to drink blood.
If the Great Emperor returned without killing someone after using Soul Descent, it would damage his reputation.
[It’s fine if it’s someone else, but if it’s Yang Kai…] Duan Hong Chen really didn’t want him to die at the hands of the Serene Soul Great Emperor; after all, he had indeed helped him a lot in the Shattered Star Sea.
Serene Soul asked, glancing at him, “Do you want me to let him go?”
Both of them were old monsters who had lived and cultivated for countless millennia, so Serene Soul could easily tell what was going through Duan Hong Chen’s mind even without any tell-tale signs and thought, [This is perfect. I can make this old thing owe me one.]
Serene Soul secretly made up his mind.
“I have nothing to do with him. Whether he lives or dies has nothing to do with me. You can do what you want. You don’t need to ask me,” Duan Hong Chen flicked his sleeve, wearing a disinterested look as though such matters were of no concern to him.
If Serene Soul could guess what was on his mind, why couldn’t he guess what Serene Soul’s plan was? He already owed him one, so if he owed him another, he might have to serve Serene Soul for a lifetime. This was a huge loss to him. He wouldn’t do it!
“Alright then, this King will kill him!” Serene Soul nodded, “Although it would be wilful, I can’t let anyone bully my daughter.”
“Heh,” Duan Hong Chen slyly laughed and stated. “If you want your daughter to die along with him, you are welcome to make a move.”
Serene Soul’s face sank as he snarled, “Duan Hong Chen, aren’t you looking down on this King too much? Although just a wisp of this King’s Soul has manifested on the other side, it will only take a wave of my hand to kill a First-Order Emperor.”
Duan Hong Chen explained, shaking his head, “If it was a normal First-Order Emperor, he would naturally not be your opponent. But this kid… Haa… Isn’t that simple. If you want to take him down, you might have to sweat a little.”
Serene Soul angrily lashed out, “Duan Hong Chen, enough is enough!”
[He isn’t looking favourably on that brat but rather looking down on me!] Serene Soul immediately blew his top.
Duan Hong Chen indifferently stated, “He is proficient in the Dao of Space!”
“Is that so?” Serene Soul was slightly shocked, but since Duan Hong Chen said this boy was proficient in the Dao of Space, then he really must be so. Such a person would really be hard to kill.
“He has also mastered the Time Flies Seal!”
“What!? Time Flies Seal!?” Serene Soul was really shocked this time. Time Flies Seal was the Divine Ability of the Flowing Time Great Emperor, the only Divine Ability related to the Dao of Time in this world. Even Serene Soul himself had not been able to get a glimpse of its secrets. Once the Time Flies Seal was used, his daughter really might be buried along with him.
“By the way, he also has the Mountains and Rivers Bell!” Duan Hong Chen threw out information in bits and pieces, each time giving Serene Soul a bigger shock than the last, making his expression change even more drastically than before. Giving it another thought, even Duan Hong Chen felt uncomfortable.
He didn’t have an idea about any of this; after all, Yang Kai hadn’t revealed much information in the Shattered Star Sea back then.
The Serene Soul Great Emperor was flabbergasted and in a daze, the corners of his lips were constantly twitching.
After a long time, he confirmed in a grim voice, “Yuan Ding’s Mountains and Rivers Bell?”
Duan Hong Chen raised his brow before rebuking, “Apart from that Mountains and Rivers Bell, are there any other Mountains and Rivers Bell you know of?”
Serene Soul’s facial muscles twitched even more fiercely.
Although he was one of the Ten Great Emperors and had no shortage of Emperor Artifacts, he couldn’t help but covet an artifact like the Mountains and Rivers Bell, an Ancient Exotic Artifact. In the past, when Heaven Devourer was besieged, he killed Yuan Ding first at the cost of serious injuries all because of the fear of the suppressive capabilities of the Mountains and Rivers Bell.
How could Serene Soul not desire something that even Heavenly Devourer was afraid of?
[Dao of Space, Time Flies, Mountains and Rivers Bell…]
[This brat’s luck is simply too good. How could he gather all these treasures for himself? It’s already a blessing if an ordinary cultivator can obtain one! Is he simply that loved by the Heavens?]
[Those who are not blessed will not encounter such fortuitous opportunities. The blessings of this brat are too Heaven defying.]
After a while of silence, Serene Soul stated with a snort, “What’s the point in telling me this? How boring!”
Duan Hong Chen replied, chuckling, “I’m just making small talk…”
He knew that Serene Soul wouldn’t attempt to kill Yang Kai anymore, because he wasn’t confident that he could behead Yang Kai with just his Soul Descent. Duan Hong Chen wouldn’t have revealed all this if that wasn’t his objective.
While speaking, Duan Hong Chen impatiently urged again, “You should quickly settle the things there. This Old Master is waiting for you to separate me from Heaven Devourer. Ever since this old dog has occupied this Old Master’s body, it has become inconvenient for this Old Master to visit the brothel!”
The Serene Soul Great Emperor was titled Serene Soul naturally because he was proficient in Souls and Spiritual Energy. He had done the most thorough research on the topics related to Spiritual Energy and Souls among the Ten Great Emperors. Therefore, Duan Hong Chen had come to Serene Soul Palace and asked the Serene Soul Great Emperor for help. He wanted to check whether Serene Soul could strip Heaven Devourer’s Soul from his body.
If even Serene Soul couldn’t help him, then he could only temporarily maintain this state while trying to find other solutions. When he contemplated the future, Duan Hong Chen couldn’t help but shudder.
Speaking of proper business, Serene Soul’s face also turned serious as he replied, “Hong Chen, I won’t hide it from you. Your situation is a bit tricky. I may not be able to help.”
“Whether you can help or not, it’s fine. Just give it a try,” Duan Hong Chen replied in a grim voice.
Serene Soul nodded before closing his eyes again.
Outside the Ancient Lands Passageway, Yang Kai was keeping an eye on Old Fu while holding the Myriads Sword, not daring to let down his guard.
The Soul Manifestation of the Serene Soul Great Emperor spoke a sentence to him before he stopped moving, leaving Yang Kai puzzled. He couldn’t comprehend what Serene Soul wanted to do.
[Should I take advantage of this situation and run away?]
[But if the matter here isn’t resolved, I might be targeted by the Serene Soul Palace. The Serene Soul Palace and the Netherworld Sect are on completely different levels. Being targeted by those from the Serene Soul Palace will definitely be troublesome.]
Thinking about it, an even bolder idea flashed in his mind.
[How about I be the ruthless one and kill these two first? Their deaths would end all my troubles.]
However, the moment this idea appeared in his mind, it was quashed by Yang Kai. If he really did this, he would completely offend the Serene Soul Great Emperor.
[Let’s look at how things proceed first.] Yang Kai decided to act depending on the situation. If the Serene Soul Great Emperor really tried to attack him, it would not be too late to react. Considering all this, he glanced at Lin’er and coincidentally, she too was looking at him.
As their gazes met, Yang Kai pursed his lips into an evil grin, one that made him look extremely ferocious.
Lin’er was frightened and hurriedly looked away, questioning what her Father was doing. [Things won’t end even with the death of this brat… I was bullied and can’t lift my head anymore… How depressing…]
At this moment, Old Fu, who had been standing still, suddenly raised his head and looked at Yang Kai as if he had regained his senses.
Yang Kai couldn’t help but nervously gulp before speaking in a stiff voice, “Sir, what advice do you have for me?”
Old Fu slightly narrowed his eyes as he sized up Yang Kai. Then, he turned his gaze to the corpses of the twenty or so Netherworld Sect disciples. He knew that these people had unjustly died. How could they be an opponent of someone who had fought together with the Bustling World Great Emperor to deal with Heaven Devourer?
[Mountains and Rivers Bell! After this Ancient Exotic Artifact was brought out of this place by Yuan Ding tens of thousands of years ago… To think it would return to this place again…]
“I understand the gist of what has happened here,” Old Fu indifferently stated, “My daughter was in the wrong in this matter and deliberately made trouble for you. You did nothing wrong.”
“Haha, Sir’s vision is truly sharp,” Yang Kai relaxed after hearing this as he knew that he wasn’t in danger. In any case, Serene Soul was a Great Emperor, and since he had given such a judgement, he would definitely not make trouble for Yang Kai any longer.
On the contrary, Lin’er pouted in anger upon hearing this, her face filled with dissatisfaction.
Old Fu added with a nod, “The Ancient Lands are a dangerous place, take good care of yourself.”
Having said so, he stretched his hand toward Lin’er and wrapped her up in his Emperor Qi before turning to leave.
“Wait!” Yang Kai hurriedly shouted seeing his stance.
“You have something more to say?” Old Fu turned his head, looking at Yang Kai with some impatience.
The corner of Yang Kai’s mouth twitched as he asked, “Sir, you are not thinking of leaving just like that right?”
[Are you kidding me? I was injured because of this stubborn girl, and now you want to leave without so much as a word of apology?] Even if Heavens’ retribution came down now, Yang Kai wouldn’t agree to this.
Old Fu was stunned and a strange look appeared on his face as he asked, “What do you want?”
Yang Kai grimaced in pain and stated, pointing at the gaping wound on his chest, “Sir, this Junior’s injuries are a result of your daughter’s interference, even my bones have been crushed and I’m afraid I won’t be able to recover from this for at least a half year…”
Old Fu turned his gaze down, looking at the squirming muscles near Yang Kai’s wound, and immediately, his face couldn’t help but twitch a little.
Did this brat think he was blind? Although he couldn’t see what Body Tempering Secret Art Yang Kai had cultivated, such an injury was clearly just a superficial wound to him and would fully recover in a few days, yet he dared to claim it would take half a year of rest to recover from? How outrageous!
Yang Kai didn’t seem to have noticed his expression and continued, “Sir also said that the Ancient Lands are dangerous. This Junior must continue to venture forth because of some personal matters. If Junior was to die here because of this wound, your dear daughter would not be able to escape blame. If this matter were to be spread out, Sir’s prestige would truly be affected. Others will definitely say that Sir schemed together with his daughter to commit murder. Tsk tsk… Sir’s also has a reputation to maintain, right?”
[Is he really trying to threaten me!?] Old Fu slightly raised his brow, his expression turning gloomy as he bluntly asked, “What do you want?”
Yang Kai put away his sword and replied in a trembling voice, “This Junior is confident in his strength, but isn’t sure that he can charge straight into the Ancient Lands unscathed. Sir, if you could casually offer me a defensive artifact, at least to protect myself due to my wounds, that would be the best.”
Angered, Old Fu broke into laughter before asking, “What defensive artifact do you want? Let’s hear it.”
Yang Kai replied with a stern face, “The bowl in your daughter’s hand… I think it’s pretty good…”
Lin’er was greatly taken aback and she furiously rebuked, “You ruffian! You dare to have eyes for my treasure!?”
Yang Kai snorted and countered, glaring, “When adults are speaking, children should keep quiet!”
Old Fu looked at Yang Kai, smiling, and asked, “Do you want the Taiyi Cinnamon Bowl?”
“So, it’s called the Taiyi Cinnamon Bowl…” Yang Kai raised his brow before continuing, grinning, “If Sir can bestow it to me, it would naturally be best. To tell you the truth, this Junior has been wandering alone in the Star Boundary and is currently quite poor. Although I have reached the Emperor Realm, I haven’t been able to find a good artifact. I have had truly bitter days!”
[You have the Mountains and Rivers Bell in your possession, and you still dare to call yourself poor? Only ghosts would believe you!] Old Fu snorted in his heart.
“Sir is a respectable Great Emperor and has no shortage of Emperor Artifacts, right?” Yang Kai continued to pester. He really wanted the Taiyi Cinnamon Bowl as it clearly had exceptional defensive abilities and he just happened to lack a defensive artifact. It was indeed a reckless waste of such a good treasure to be placed in the hands of Lin’er, so if Yang Kai could get his hands on it, it would just be like adding wings to a tiger.
“My Father is my Father, and I’m me! Why are you eyeing my treasure!?” Lin’er screamed. This man was truly loathsome! He kept making such unreasonable demands. If she could beat him up, she would have long ago taught him a lesson!
“Isn’t everything because of you? Just look at my wound!” Yang Kai puffed up his chest, his hideous wound immediately scaring Lin’er as she quickly turned her head away.
He might have been bringing up his wound at every turn, making for a dull argument, but it was indeed quite frightening.
Old Fu remained indifferent for a while before he agreed, nodding, “That also makes sense. It’s not impossible to give you the Taiyi Cinnamon Bowl!”
Yang Kai burst with joy after hearing this. He was just trying his luck; after all, the Serene Soul Great Emperor had a reputation to uphold and needed to keep some face. Even if he didn’t give Yang Kai the Taiyi Cinnamon Bowl, he would give something else. Otherwise, his enmity with Lin’er would remain unresolved!
But Yang Kai had never even imagined that the Serene Soul Great Emperor would be so easy to talk to. By the looks of it, the Taiyi Cinnamon Bowl would be given to him.
Yang Kai smacked his lips and stretched his hand out towards Lin’er, asking, “Give it!”
Mouth agape, Lin’er looked at Old Fu and grievously pleaded, “Father!”
Old Fu remained unmoved and indifferently stated, “I can give you the Taiyi Cinnamon Bowl, but I can’t give it for free. This King wants something in exchange from you. If you agree, the Taiyi Cinnamon Bowl is yours.”
Yang Kai suddenly became vigilant, “What is it?”
[There are conditions? What’s the meaning of this!?]
[I don’t think I’ve something on me that someone like the Serene Soul Great Emperor would be interested in, do I?]
[The Myriads Sword? Impossible…]
[Although the Myriads Sword is good, it can’t possibly enter Serene Soul’s eyes. As a Great Emperor, he has all kinds of Emperor Artifacts. Why would he be interested in a mere Myriads Sword?]
[Then, what does he want me to use to exchange?] Yang Kai thought about it over and over again but he couldn’t understand what Serene Soul meant.
“Sir, you wouldn’t happen to be thinking of wanting… This Junior’s life, do you?” Yang Kai laughed awkwardly.
Old Fu sneered as he rebuked, “What use is your life to this King?”
Yang Kai’s face turned ashen. Although he didn’t think that his life was worth much, it was natural to be unhappy when someone said it right in his face that his life was worthless. Had he not cared about the identity of the other party, he would have attacked Serene Soul already.
“Just say whether you agree or not,” Old Fu gazed at Yang Kai in a calm and composed manner, a smile of mockery hanging on his lips.
[How can I agree when you aren’t even speaking clearly? Do you think that this Young Master’s intelligence is like your daughter’s?] After a cold snort, Yang Kai replied, “Sir, since you haven’t made things clear, forgive this Junior for being unable to accept.”
Yang Kai didn’t dare to agree to anything in front of an old monster like him who had lived for who knows how long, so as not to fall into his trap. By then, he would be at others’ mercy.
Old Fu calmly stated, “It’s nothing much, this King just wants to exchange it for your bell!”
As soon as he said this, Yang Kai was greatly shaken and immediately put up his guard.
Exchange it for his bell? Which bell? What other bell did he have apart from the Mountains and Rivers Bell?
[How does he know about it?] Yang Kai had never used the Mountains and Rivers Bell in today’s battle, and the enemies who had seen the Mountains and Rivers Bell were already dead. So, how did the Serene Soul Great Emperor know about it?
Could he sense it? That’s unlikely. The Mountains and Rivers Bell had already been refined by Yang Kai and no one would be able to sense it unless he took it out to deal with them.
But this old fogey spoke so confidently, as if he was certain that Yang Kai had that bell. It really made Yang Kai wonder whether Serene Soul was really bluffing him or was really truly confident.
[He isn’t thinking of killing me and snatching it, is he?] Yang Kai secretly gnashed his teeth. If the Serene Soul Great Emperor was planning this, maintaining his life would indeed become really difficult.
“What bell? What does Sir mean?” Many thoughts flashed through Yang Kai’s mind but there was no change in his expression. Rather, he showed a puzzled look.
Old Fu mockingly looked at him before rebuking with a sneer, “Do you really not know, or are you pretending to not know about it?”
Yang Kai naturally didn’t dare to reveal any flaws, gritting his teeth as he replied, “I ask Sir to make himself clear. This Junior is confused and has no idea what you are talking about.”
Yang Kai had secretly come to a ruthless decision. If this old fogey mentioned the bell again, he would make him watch his daughter die first!
Old Fu, however, just stated, “If that’s the case, this King will not force you.”
Saying so, Emperor Qi wrapped Lin’er before the pair shot towards the outside. In the blink of an eye, they had disappeared into the Ancient Lands Passageway.
He said he was leaving and left. He did it in such a quick and straightforward manner that he didn’t leave Yang Kai any chance to react at all.
“Damn it! You didn’t need to give me the Taiyi Cinnamon Bowl, but you could have given me some Source Crystals at least! This Young Master was thrashed for no reason…” After a while, Yang Kai finally reacted, cursing loudly in anger.
He had suffered a great loss this time. Lin’er had made things difficult for him again and again, and even put his life in danger by teaming up with the Netherworld Sect. He was then forced to confront the Soul Descent of the Serene Soul Great Emperor… and when all was said and done, he didn’t reap a single benefit…
But soon, Yang Kai felt a cold and moist feeling on his back.
When Serene Soul mentioned the bell, it had really terrified him.
Yang Kai looked left and right warily, not daring to stay in this place anymore. He walked to the dead Netherworld Sect disciples and took away their Space Rings before hurriedly rushing deeper into the Ancient Lands.
After exiting the passage, he could be considered to have officially stepped into the Ancient Wild Lands.
This was a domain that had never been developed and was one of the most dangerous places in the entire Star Boundary. Even when an Emperor Realm Master entered it, he couldn’t guarantee his safety.
In the Ancient Lands, there were countless dangers that were difficult to resist. There were many natural restrictions and ancient relics here, all of them dangerous to anyone who triggered them.
There were even rumours that Divine Spirits were living inside the Ancient Lands, though no one knew whether it was true or false.
After venturing about a hundred kilometres deeper, Yang Kai finally noticed the strangeness of the Ancient Lands.
There was an unknown energy in the air, one that seemed to suppress the strength of cultivators. And the deeper one ventured in, the more obvious this effect was.
The towering old trees soared straight into the clouds, while on the ground, there were many strange flowers and plants that Yang Kai had never seen or heard of before. An ancient and desolate smell constantly blew in his face.
[Wild Force!]
The entire Ancient Wild Lands were filled with this peculiar Wild Force. Naturally, it was derived from primitive energy when the world was first created, and every living being would feel small and insignificant before it. Under the suppression of this energy, any cultivator who had ventured into this land would not be able to exert their full strength!
However, Yang Kai immersed himself in this place for a while and concluded that this Wild Force had no effect on him.
The corrosion spreading into his body was like a breeze blowing on his face; he could ignore it.
With an Ancient Exotic Artifact like the Mountains and Rivers Bell on him, all the Wild Force that invaded his body was actively resolved by it. Realizing this, Yang Kai’s confidence grew.
He had already noticed this somewhat when he drank the Wild Wine. Although he had made some conjectures back then, it wasn’t confirmed until now.
It seemed he occupied a huge advantage in the Ancient Wild Lands with the Mountains and Rivers Bell. Yang Kai was beaming with joy in his heart as he felt fortunate for that particular opportunity in the Shattered Star Sea. If not for him being able to collect the Mountains and Rivers Bell, things would not be so easy for him here.
While walking, he took out a jade slip and compared the surrounding terrain with the map inside. This was the jade slip given to him by Pi San, and it had all the known topography of the Ancient Wild Lands as well as the position of the more dangerous Monster Beasts. Only, the information in the jade slip was incomplete as no one knew how big the entire Ancient Lands was. So far, the cultivators figured they had explored less than a tenth of the Ancient Lands at the cost of countless lives.
But with this jade slip, Yang Kai was still spared from a lot of trouble.
After an hour, he had completely entered the Ancient Lands, where he found a cave and ventured inside.
Who knows which Monster Beast’s lair this was originally, but the cave was dry and spacious, with no owner to be seen. It was unclear whether it had gone out to hunt or was killed by someone or something.
Yang Kai estimated that the latter was far more likely as it was not far from the entrance. The cultivators coming in from the entrance could easily find this place, so generally, Monster Beasts would not be able to survive in places like this.
With a wave of his hand, Yang Kai let out Zhang Ruo Xi and ordered, “I want to heal, stand guard for me. Focus on resisting the Wild Force in the air and call me if there is any movement or if you can’t hold on.”
“Yes!” Zhang Ruo Xi obediently responded. Seeing the horrifying injury on Yang Kai’s chest, her heart inexplicably trembled.
Without any further question, she went and sat at the entrance of the cave, cross-legged.
Inside the cave, Yang Kai took out a bunch of healing pills and threw them into his mouth before he closed his eyes and started refining them.
In fact, his injury wasn’t that serious, and even if he didn’t actively deal with it, it would have only taken him a few days to recover; however, Yang Kai didn’t dare to be careless in this place as even the smell of blood might draw some unnecessary trouble. It really wasn’t worth the risk.
So, he thought about healing his wounds first before rushing to find Xiao Xiao.
Around the wound, his flesh and skin kept squirming, continuing to fill the gap, an eerie sight. Yang Kai’s recuperative ability was already pretty good, so with the assistance of good healing pills, it would only take him one or two days to fully recover.
Outside the cave, Zhang Ruo Xi, following Yang Kai’s instruction, prompted her Source Qi to defend herself.
In the beginning, she was a little worried about the so-called Wild Force; after all, Yang Kai had already mentioned its strange properties before. She knew that all the cultivators inside the Ancient Lands would be suppressed by the Wild Force, and the lower one’s cultivation was, the stronger the suppression was.
Although her cultivation was Third-Order Dao Source Realm, she couldn’t provide any help to Yang Kai on this journey at all. She was even sent inside the Sealed World Bead by Yang Kai during the last part of the Ancient Lands Passageway.
Zhang Ruo Xi hated her weakness, which made it impossible for her to share Yang Kai’s woes and foes, even making her a burden at times. [Sir had such a big wound on his chest. He must have bled a lot; he must be in a lot of pain; he must have been in a lot of danger at that time…]
[Everything I have today was given to me by Sir. Without Sir, I would have long been abducted and dirtied by those ungrateful wolves of the Lu Family. A small family like the Zhang Family would have not been able to gain a foothold in Maplewood City.]
[Not only has Sir saved me, but also the entire Zhang Family. Sir gave me countless cultivation resources, allowing me to have my current achievements.]
[I don’t know why Sir brought me out of the Zhang Family back then, but now I have been travelling with Sir here and there over many years.]
[When will I be able to ward off calamities and danger for Sir? I can’t always be protected by Sir like this, can I? Even if Sir had asked me to take care of his daily life, or tidy up his bed…]
[I haven’t done much of that either…]
Zhang Ruo Xi lightly nibbled her red lips. She felt her chest tighten and a desire to become stronger prompted her to circulate the Secret Arts to cultivate.
This was an unconscious action.
But soon, Zhang Ruo Xi was taken aback and quickly stopped.
She had no other choice as she suddenly remembered that she was in the Ancient Wild Lands and the World Energy here was filled with Wild Force. This place wasn’t suitable for cultivation, and if she absorbed too much Wild Force, not only would she be unable to assimilate it, it would also be detrimental to her cultivation.
Realizing this, Zhang Ruo Xi’s face immediately paled as she quickly checked on her condition.
But she found nothing serious, leaving Zhang Ruo Xi rather confused by her own situation.
Because she found that although she had inadvertently absorbed some Wild Force, it didn’t appear to be harmful to her. Rather, it spread around her body before it assimilated with her own strength.
And during this short round of cultivation, the efficiency of cultivation was almost twice that of before!
[What’s going on?]
Zhang Ruo Xi looked surprised and a little puzzled. She wanted to ask Yang Kai what was happening; after all, he knew many more things than her, but he was recuperating at the moment and she didn’t want to bother him.
Zhang Ruo Xi kept her silence for a long while before she summoned up her courage and started circulating her Secret Art again.
This time, Zhang Ruo Xi could clearly feel it. She wasn’t just absorbing the World Energy by cultivating here, she was also absorbing the Wild Force, yet strangely enough, both of those energies were beneficial to her, especially the latter. She almost couldn’t get enough of it and couldn’t stop absorbing it, nor did she want to.
[What’s happening? What’s wrong with my body? This is Wild Force… Right?]
Zhang Ruo Xi suddenly got a little afraid and didn’t dare to continue cultivating, stopping the circulation of her Secret Art and just sitting there in silence with a confused look on her face.
She couldn’t find any explanation for this other than her bloodline. [Sir had said once that I had a strange bloodline power with many unknown abilities.]
She was pretty bewildered by this, as she wasn’t cultivating the Secret Art taught by the Zhang family, but rather the one comprehended and invented by her. She had grasped it on her first cultivation attempt, as if it was engraved in the depths of her mind.
As she sat there in a daze, nothing unusual occurred, with the surroundings as quiet and peaceful as ever.
Zhang Ruo Xi mulled this over for a moment then took out the Space Spirit Jade from her Space Ring. Yang Kai had handed over the Space Spirit Jade to her before entering this land and he asked her to study it more deeply, insinuating that it likely contained the way to unseal her bloodline power.
At this moment, after Zhang Ruo Xi had taken out the Space Spirit Jade, her body shivered and she raised her head to look in a certain direction.
She got that strange feeling once again!
She faintly felt that the Space Spirit Jade in her hand was resonating with something far off in the distance, and whatever it was, it was summoning her. Zhang Ruo Xi’s blood felt as if it was set afire, circulating faster and faster.
She had gotten a similar feeling in the past and could affirm that it wasn’t just a product of her imagination.
But, it was still a fleeting feeling, and it had quickly disappeared before she could observe it more carefully.
As all kinds of spectacular scenery flashed past the Space Spirit Jade, Zhang Ruo Xi held it in her hand and started studying it for a long while, yet couldn’t find any clues. She couldn’t understand the function nor the meaning of those scenes.
…..
In a thick and dense forest in the depths of the Ancient Lands.
It was the true depths of the Ancient Wild Lands, a region never before tread upon by mankind, with only a myriad of Monster Beasts and Monster Race living and reproducing here since the dawn of its existence.
This was like a whole new world, completely different from the Star Boundary’s Four Territories.
On a towering mountain, a luminous oval object was shining brightly with blood-red radiance. This object was wholly blood-red, as if it was formed from fresh blood, but it emitted a sweet and enchanting fragrance.
The Blood Gate!
All Monster Race Masters living in the Ancient Wild Lands knew of the existence of the Blood Gate, but none had managed to enter it, nor did they know what kind of secrets were hidden within it.
However, some rumours about the gate had spread across the Ancient Lands. It was said that the Blood Gate hid behind it the secrets for allowing beings of the Ancient Lands to evolve into Divine Spirits.
The inhabitants of the Ancient Lands had all inherited a varying degree of one or another Ancient Divine Spirit’s bloodline. Even the lineage of the most ordinary-looking snake could be traced back to the Dragon Clan of ancient times.
Once the dormant primordial bloodline of the Ancient Lands’ beings was stimulated and awakened, then they would possess power rivalling their ancestors, the Divine Spirits, but since ancient times, the number of the Ancient Lands’ inhabitants that had successfully unearthed their bloodline power and transformed into Divine Spirits could be counted on one’s fingers and toes.
Yet, it was rumoured among the myriad races of the Ancient Lands that the Blood Gate possessed a mystical power, which would completely unearth the bloodline power of those Monster Race Masters. If they could fully stimulate their bloodlines, then they would get a great chance to relive their ancestors’ glory as Divine Spirits.
The Blood Gate’s location had turned into a sacred land for all races of the Ancient Wild Lands because of these rumours. Many living beings confident in their strength or luck would rush over one after the other to cross the Blood Gate in hopes of stimulating their bloodline, yet none of them had succeeded up to this day.
None could even approach the Blood Gate. Most who entered within a perimetre of ten kilometres around the Blood Gate would suffer a miserable death and turn into a pool of blood and flesh.
There was once a powerful Monster King at the peak of the Twelfth-Order who arrived near the end of his lifespan and decided to make one last struggle. He didn’t have much lifespan left, and if he couldn’t come up with a way to prolong his life, he would shortly die of old age, so he took the gamble.
The Blood Gate was his last hope!
A Monster King at the peak of the Twelfth-Order was tantamount to a Human Race’s Third-Order Emperor Realm Master. Only a few people in the whole of Star Boundary could reach this realm.
The Monster King used all his strength and techniques without restraint, yet he couldn’t get closer than three kilometres from the Blood Gate. In the end, he persevered for three days and nights there only to perish, melting down into a pool of blood.
Since then, no one in the Ancient Lands dared to approach the Blood Gate. Even a Monster King at the peak of the Twelfth-Order couldn’t enter the Blood Gate and awaken their bloodlines, so what hope did others have?
The Blood Gate had become the Ancient Lands’ forbidden area and no being dared to approach it again, out of fear of the death awaiting them there.
This was a custom that stood since ancient times, but fortunately, the creatures of the Ancient Lands were all endowed with a long lifespan. Moreover, a lot of Monster Kings ruling over large territories had witnessed the miserable death of the Monster King at the peak of the Twelfth-Order with their own eyes. Afterwards, they had all admonished their subordinates to stay away from the Blood Gate.
At this moment, the Blood Gate atop the towering mountain that didn’t go through any changes for innumerable years suddenly let out a blazing scarlet light. The scarlet light formed a large column that broke through the clouds, leaving a large hole in them.
But, this light column quickly disappeared, leaving only specks of red light behind that gradually disappeared into the air.
A hundred kilometres from the Blood Gate, a pitch-black python strangled its prey with its large body then opened its gaping mouth and devoured it.
At that moment, it had been facing the Blood Gate’s direction and it had clearly seen the red column of light that flashed past there.
The black python widened its eyes and stared intensely in the Blood Gate’s direction with clear fright.
The python’s fears were well-grounded, as the legends of the Blood Gate were all fairly intimidating. It had been standing there for innumerable years without going through any changes, yet it suddenly let out such a light. So, who wouldn’t tremble in fear in the face of this?
But, this abrupt incident had ended quickly and didn’t affect it, so the python quickly calmed down.
The python waited for a long while, not daring to make a rash move, and only after ascertaining that the Blood Gate had no other peculiarities did it twist its body, making its bones let out a crackling noise. The five-metre-long body of the large python started going through drastic changes.
But, those changes didn’t take more than an instant. The black python instantly turned into a dark-skinned middle-aged man with a treacherous gaze clad in a black robe.
The man’s mouth was still wide open, exposing its numerous large fangs, and it was still chewing on its prey, a pretty scary sight!
Along with a gulping noise, the black python that had turned into a middle-aged man swallowed down his prey, blowing it up, as if he was a woman pregnant for ten months. But, as he patted his large belly, it quickly shrank down to its usual size.
“This is a major incident, I must hurry up and report it to Sir!”
After the middle-aged man muttered to himself with his hesitation apparent on his face, his Monster Qi started surging and he turned into a ray of light that flew off in a certain direction.
The energy fluctuations emitted by the man reached the Eleventh-Order, which was more or less equivalent to a Dao Source Realm Cultivator.
After two hours, the black ray stopped outside of a gate in front of a large mountain.
The two Monsters standing guard there became alert as one of them took out a bone hammer while the other raised the two bone spears in his hands; glaring intensely at the black ray of light.
“Who goes there?” The Monster with the bone hammer let out a shout, placing his weapon in front of him as he continued, “This is the palace of Monster King Xi Lei. If you don’t identify yourself immediately, we will mercilessly slay you.”
“Indeed!” The Monster with bone spears also shouted imposingly.
The black ray stopped near the gate and showed itself. It was none other than the black python that had turned into a middle-aged man.
“I’m one of you, I’m one of you. Brothers, I’m also one of Xi Lei’s subordinates and I have something important to report to him. Please notify him!” The middle-aged man cupped his fists and spoke.
The two Monsters at the gate exchanged a glance then started sizing up the man doubtfully. One couldn’t blame those two guards for nor recognizing him as a lot of Monsters lived in this area and Monster King Xi Lei had more than a hundred thousand subordinates scattered in an area of several hundred thousand kilometres. They couldn’t recognize anyone other than the ones seen regularly.
Moreover, not just anyone could obtain an audience with Monster King Xi Lei whenever he wanted.
The Monster with bone spears in his hands let out a sneer, “You’re claiming that you’re one of us, aren’t you? Do you have any proof?”
It looked like the middle-aged man had already expected this and he quickly took out an object from his Space Ring and handed it over to the guards respectfully.
The Monster Race obviously couldn’t craft Space Rings, but a lot of Humans had come here to seek death, so these Monsters had obviously gotten their hands on a number of Space Rings left by the Humans over the years.
The middle-aged man had also once killed a Human cultivator, obtaining his Space Ring for himself. He usually put all of his possessions in it and he found it pretty convenient.
The Humans were pretty good at using their brains and could make a lot of good things such as artifacts and Spirit Pills. It was really a pity that none in the Monster Race could craft such exquisite things.
The Monster with the bone hammer accepted the object handed to him and he discovered that it was a token made out of bone with a design of a galloping rhinoceros depicted on it, as well as a large ‘Lei (雷)’ character on it.
This was the token crafted by Monster King Xi Lei. It was pretty crudely made, but not just anyone could imitate it because they were all made from the bones of the same Monster Beast.
The two Monsters standing guard at the gate had seen a lot of tokens and they could recognize with a glance that it was a genuine one.
Only a few Monster Race Masters could obtain this token. Among more than a hundred thousand Monsters, only around two thousand had one, and it was a sort of status symbol.
So, upon seeing the middle-aged man take out the bone token, the expressions of the two Monsters standing guard at the gate turned for the better. The one holding a bone hammer spoke, “Even though you’re one of his subordinates, we still can’t let you in. Sir has asked to not bother him for any little and trifling matter. If you have something to tell him, then just tell us and we’ll pass your message to him.”
The middle-aged man said anxiously, “This is not something trivial or insignificant; I must speak to Sir in person!”
This might be a great contribution to Sir Xi Lei, so how could the middle-aged man employ any other middle-man to act on his behalf?
Despite the middle-aged man’s strenuous effort, he couldn’t convince those standing guard at the gate to allow him to pass.
He was left without a better choice and could only offer them a bribe. This barren land had no valuable treasures, and he couldn’t offer them anything other than the Monster Cores of Monster Beasts slain by him.
Monster Cores were a pretty hard currency in the Ancient Wild Lands, as anyone could use them to raise their strength. Thus, upon receiving these gifts, the two beamed in delight, and after they discussed it for a moment, one of them turned around and went inside. He had obviously gone to make a report!
The dark python who had taken a humanoid shape had finally experienced and understood the meaning of the saying, ‘Meeting the king of Hell wasn’t difficult, but dealing with his lackeys was’.
The man started exchanging pleasantries with the others at the gate to pass time, while he vowed inwardly, [Once I get rewarded for this great contribution, I’ll surely teach you all a memorable lesson and make you regret putting on such a haughty front. I’ll make you spit out everything you took from me!]
After a short while, the one who had gone to make a report came back and cupped his fist at the middle-aged man, saying, “Today, Sir is in a pretty good mood and doesn’t mind meeting you. Go inside!”
The middle-aged man expressed his thanks to them then started climbing up the mountain, leaving the two guards playing with the few Monster Cores in their hands in delight.
There wasn’t anyone to guide the middle-aged man, but he could still make his way through with ease, as this wasn’t his first visit. He quickly crossed several checkpoints and reached the peak of the mountain where a large palace was built with a rough design completely different from the ones commonly seen in the Star Boundary. It was just a large mass of boulders piled up together without an ounce of beauty.
Moreover, there was a large sculpture of a mighty-looking galloping rhinoceros outside the palace.
This was the true body of Monster King Xi Lei. He had just been an ordinary rhinoceros who managed to cultivate to the peak of the Twelfth-Order. Who knew what kind of fortuitous encounter had helped him accomplish this great feat, but nonetheless, he had now become the ruler of a large expanse of the Ancient Wild Lands with over a hundred thousand Monster Race subordinates under him.
There were only thirty-two beings in the same realm as Xi Lei in all the Ancient Wild Lands. They all had their own territories and wouldn’t invade nor assault each other, and they were all under the jurisdiction of the Four Great Divine Spirits.
Every Divine Spirit had eight Monster Kings at the peak of the Twelfth-Order under them, while Monster Kings had Monster Commanders and Monster Generals, as well as an innumerable number of Monster Beasts below the Twelfth-Order. One could well imagine how dangerous the Ancient Wild Lands were.
However, the Humans outside were obviously oblivious to this and they only knew that the Ancient Wild Lands was a chaotic land fraught with dangers. They were unaware that deep within the Ancient Wild Lands, it had already developed its own social order.
After the middle-aged man reached the palace, the Monsters guarding the gate just checked his identity then allowed him in.
It couldn’t be said that they were careless, as it was pretty much impossible for the middle-aged man to wreak havoc in the face of the Xi Lei with his low cultivation. The Monster Race had always been pretty casual about customs and they didn’t attach great importance to them.
If this was a Sect of the Human Race, then it wouldn’t have been so easy for a Dao Source Realm cultivator to meet a Third-Order Emperor Realm Master.
After the middle-aged man entered the palace, soft music, light singing, as well as decadent noises reached his ears, taking him aback and almost making him assume he walked into the wrong place.
But, when he raised his eyes to take a look, he sighted a muscular man sitting cross-legged at the end of the hall with a table decorated with the corpse of a Monster Beast in front of him, a bloody corpse that died not long ago. The muscular man was holding the corpse of the Monster Beast and gorging himself with blood dripping off the corners of his mouth. It was a pretty ghastly sight, yet the man was eating with gusto with his eyes shining with a scarlet gleam.
The legs of the middle-aged man went soft and he had almost escaped on the spot.
He had heard that Monster Kings were fond of devouring their subordinates’ flesh, but he didn’t take it for more than a mere rumour. This was a sight he had never expected to see.
The muscular man was obviously none other than Monster King Xi Lei. The middle-aged man had once seen him from afar and he could recognize him with a glance.
Xi Lei took a few more bites of the meat then laughed heartily out of delight.
Two women clad in revealing clothes with pretty much all their skin exposed were next to the muscular man, serving him and fawning over him. They were both endowed with pretty good figures hidden behind light gauze, making for a breathtaking sight!
Once Xi Lei let out a peal of laughter, one of the women took advantage of this chance to stuff one of the peeled grape-like spirit fruits on the table into his mouth.
Xi Lei was pleased by this and he embraced the woman and started having his way with her.
After a short moment, the woman was also left with a bloody mouth, but she wasn’t displeased by this, rather, she licked off the blood with her little scarlet tongue in delight.
The middle-aged man observed this in trepidation and longing, wondering when he would obtain a cultivation equal to Xi Lei. At that time, beauties would throw themselves at him and he would also get to enjoy such a delightful experience.
In the hall below the table, there were a few women with slim waists and plump bottoms clad in revealing clothes singing and dancing.
The middle-aged man observed them in a daze with his eyes rolling around ceaselessly. He couldn’t make up his mind about which beauty he should observe.
The beauty embraced by Xi Lei a while ago had also taken notice of the middle-aged man and she curled up the corners of her mouth into a smile and threw a flirtatious glance at him, which almost stole his Soul.
The woman leaned closer to Xi Lei’s ears and started whispering to him.
At this moment, Xi Lei finally raised his eyes to look at the middle-aged man and he waved his hands, sending the women around him away.
The middle-aged man didn’t dare to slight this Master and hurriedly walked forward with a solemn look, then knelt and spoke, “Greetings, Sir. My name is Wu Zhui.”
Xi Lei asked in a deep voice, “Is it you who has claimed that you have something to report?”
“Indeed!”
“Speak. What is so important about it that you had to see me personally? If it’s just a trivial matter, then you may not keep your head.”
Wu Zhui’s expression darkened and didn’t dare to delay, quickly explaining, “Sir, it’s related to the Blood Gate.”
“The Blood Gate?” Monster King Xi Lei stood up and the few female Monsters in the hall covered their mouths and stared at Wu Zhui with their pretty eyes.
The Blood Gate was a pretty pivotal place for all beings of the Ancient Lands. It was rumoured that the Blood Gate contained a great secret, which could awaken their bloodline power and allow them to evolve into Divine Spirits.
Even though Xi Lei was an apex Twelfth-Order Monster Race, he still couldn’t repress his desire to enter the Blood Gate. If he could become a Divine Spirit, then he would get to change the current hierarchy of the Ancient Lands, which had remained unchanged for innumerable years. The Four Great Divine Venerables would become the Five Great Divine Venerables.
“All of you, leave!” Xi Lei waved his hand and shouted, realizing that this news was crucial and making him lose his calm.
“Sir…” One of the two females who served him a while ago leaned against him, putting on a pitiful look. She obviously wanted to stay here to listen to them.
Xi Lei simply turned his head around and glared at her with his blood-red eyes.
The body of the female stiffened and she didn’t dare to make any more presumptuous actions. She quickly retreated, followed closely by the others.
“Speak. What happened to the Blood Gate?” Once the crowd had left, Xi Lei questioned in a deep voice.
Wu Zhui quickly replied, “An unusual incident has occurred at the Blood Gate.”
“What kind of unusual incident?” Xi Lei asked in surprise.
Wu Zhui quickly told him everything he knew, and upon hearing him out, Xi Lei furrowed his brows with a bewildered look on his face.
This unusual incident was pretty eye-catching, and his subordinate had no reason to falsify it. He surely wasn’t the only one who had seen it as well, so verifying the claim would be as simple as questioning other Monsters Race members who were in the vicinity of the Blood Gate. But, what did this unusual incident mean?
A long time had passed since the Blood Gate appeared and it didn’t go through any changes since then. It had always been quietly sitting atop the peak of the mountain, yet on this day, it emitted radiant scarlet light that soared into the Heavens!
No matter what, this was a vital piece of news for any inhabitant of the Ancient Lands.
Xi Lei paced back and forth in the hall for a while with an indecisive look on his face, only stopping after a long while, “You should go with me to see the Divine Venerable and tell him everything you have seen.”
“The D-D-Divine V-V-Venerable…” Wu Zhui had almost bitten his tongue.
The Ancient Lands had four Divine Venerables, and Xi Lei served one of them. The Four Great Divine Venerable were rarely seen, and ordinary members of the Monster Race wouldn’t ever lay eyes upon them in their lifetime. Even the thirty-two Monster Kings couldn’t get to see them whenever they wanted.
Wu Zhui had never imagined that he would one day get to meet a Divine Venerable.
But he quickly got over his shock and became overwhelmed with excitement. Since he could see the Divine Venerable, then the news brought by him was surely anything but insignificant. He would get to lay down a great merit and make his rise from this day.
He didn’t hope to get a lot. After all, he was pretty weak, and he could only hope to get some rewards that could propel him to the rank of a Monster General. At that time, he could also get some subordinates and rule over a whole mountain, which would be a lot better than living on the move, scraping out a living each day.
After Wu Zhui composed himself, he cupped his fists and spoke, “I’ll heed Sir’s commands.”
“Let’s go!” Xi Lei was also pretty impatient. He had already decided to see the Divine Venerable, so there was no need to hesitate now. He summoned a wind that engulfed Wu Zhui and rushed out of the gate.
“Other than you… Who else knows of this?” Xi Lei suddenly asked.
Wu Zhui said, “I’m surely not the only person who has seen this unusual incident related to the Blood Gate, but I rushed over quickly to report it to Your Excellency, so I don’t know who else might know of it.”
Xi Lei nodded lightly, knowing well that Wu Zhui wasn’t mistaken. That unusual sight was pretty eye-catching and he surely wasn’t the only one who had taken notice of it. The other Monster Kings were probably also aware of this by now, and they would surely be rushing to their respective Divine Venerables to take credit for this.
Wu Zhui’s eyes flickered, mulling over something for a moment, before letting out a sigh, “Unfortunately, I have an insignificant and lowly status, so I was obstructed for a long time by the two guards at the mountain gate when I asked for an audience with Sir. Those two didn’t allow me to go in and I had to part with all of my wealth just to get them to agree to report my presence,” saying so, he looked nervously at Xi Lei and said. “Did I do something wrong?”
Xi Lei’s face darkened as he snorted, “They’re getting more outrageous with each passing day!”
Saying so, he suddenly thrust his fist down.
*Kacha*
Along with a thunderous crack so loud that it would leave one’s eardrums ringing in pain, a thick lightning bolt fell from the sky, rushing towards the ground.
After a short moment, a loud rumble echoed, accompanied by two sudden miserable shrieks.
Wu Zhui lowered his head to take a look, only to discover that the mountain gate was a total mess with a large hole left there. As for the two Monsters guarding the gate? They had already disappeared.
One day later, Yang Kai walked out of the cave with the wound on his chest fully healed. He had also changed into a new set of clothes, as the scent of blood might attract some unnecessary trouble for him.
Upon hearing some noise, Zhang Ruo Xi, who had been keeping watch at the entrance of the cave, quickly stood up and was relieved to see that Yang Kai’s complexion had already regained its vigour.
She was well aware that Yang Kai’s injuries were anything but serious, but she still couldn’t help but worry over him.
Upon exchanging a glance, Yang Kai nodded at her, while Zhang Ruo Xi said, “Sir, I noticed something peculiar.”
“What?” Yang Kai asked in bewilderment.
Zhang Ruo Xi quickly recounted to him what she experienced during her cultivation, then looked at him expectantly, waiting for him to dispel her doubts.
Yang Kai had no clue about this though, but he found it embarrassing to admit his ignorance to Zhang Ruo Xi, so he put on a pensive look and mulled over it for a moment, then spoke, “Better safe than sorry, you should stop cultivating in the Ancient Lands, and if you need to recover your strength, you can just use Source Crystals or Spirit Pills. If worse comes to worst, then you can just enter the Small Sealed World.”
Zhang Ruo Xi heeded his instructions without the least bit of hesitation, but shortly after, she questioned him, “Sir, what about you?”
Yang Kai said with a smile, “It’s fine, the Wild Force can’t harm me.”
Zhang Ruo Xi was pretty surprised and she looked in veneration at Yang Kai with stars almost sparkling in her eyes. She couldn’t help but inwardly praise, [Sir is really amazing. I have heard that even a Great Emperor will be affected by this land’s Wild Force, yet Sir hasn’t suffered any harm.]
Yang Kai coughed and said, “Let’s leave…”
Saying so, his expression suddenly changed and he turned his head towards a certain region and shouted, “Who dares hide there!”
Zhang Ruo Xi was startled by this as she had been keeping guard here all along and didn’t notice anyone approaching them. Yet, Yang Kai had shouted at someone shortly after coming out. Yang Kai wouldn’t raise a fuss over nothing, so there must surely be someone here.
She turned her head around to have a look and followed Yang Kai’s gaze to a large tree, one that looked peaceful and serene without any peculiarities. Even when she swept it with her Divine Sense, she didn’t notice anything out of the ordinary.
Yang Kai snorted coldly and spoke, “Still trying to die? Do I have to pull you out myself?”
After he said so, a rustling noise echoed out from the tree, shortly followed by a head poking out of the dense leaves of the canopy. Said head swayed around, its bright eyes then casting a glance at Yang Kai and Zhang Ruo Xi, giving them a silly smile.
Zhang Ruo Xi’s expression darkened, having been caught off guard by this; after all, someone she had failed to notice approaching her was now smiling dumbly at her in this damned place.
“Hmm?” Yang Kai exclaimed in surprise as he observed this human-looking face carefully. It could be seen that it had quite dishevelled hair, as if this individual hadn’t washed it for many years, leaving a nought but a tangled mass.
This person’s face was dark with indistinct features, but it had a pair of bright eyes and pearly white teeth.
It was definitely a woman!
Even though Yang Kai couldn’t get a clear look at her face, he still recognized with a glance that it belonged to a woman.
All women cared a lot about their appearance, yet this one was a total mess, even more so than the Bustling World Great Emperor in Maplewood City. Who knew what this woman had suffered and gone through in the Ancient Wild Lands?
It wasn’t limited to appearance though, as Yang Kai could clearly tell that this woman hanging upside down from the tree was mentally impaired. Her gaze was pretty bright, but it still looked chaotic and erratic.
However, what Yang Kai cared most about was this woman’s concealment technique.
If she didn’t suddenly let out some noise from the tree earlier, then even Yang Kai wouldn’t have noticed that she was hiding there.
Just who was she?
Upon sweeping her with his Divine Sense and detecting the faint energy fluctuations emanating from her body, Yang Kai discovered in surprise that she was a Second-Order Emperor Realm Master!
While doubts were still flooding Yang Kai’s mind, the woman suddenly giggled and spoke, “Come and catch me!”
Having said this, she jumped off the tree, but she turned around in mid-air and rushed into the forest, quickly disappearing, leaving only a peal of laughter behind her, “Come catch me, catch me!”
[Who the hell wants to catch you!?] The corners of Yang Kai’s mouth twitched. He was now certain that the woman had a mental impairment.
If that wasn’t the case, why would a solemn Second-Order Emperor Realm Master do such a ridiculous thing? She wasn’t just in a dishevelled state, her speech and words were also a mess. Yang Kai was dumbfounded. He had just come into the Ancient Wild Lands and ended up running into a crazy woman. He obviously wasn’t in the mood to play hide and seek with her.
“Sir, her attire…” It looked like Zhang Ruo Xi had noticed something, and she covered her rosy lips with her hand, looking in shock at the region where the crazy woman had disappeared.
“What about her attire?” Yang Kai furrowed his brows.
“Sir, didn’t you find what she was wearing familiar?” Zhang Ruo Xi asked back.
When the crazy woman had jumped off the tree, Yang Kai swept her with his gaze. Her clothes were also worn out and in a mess like her, revealing her skin with every little movement. He didn’t know what her real skin tone was, but it was currently completely grey, as if she hadn’t taken a bath for many years.
Yang Kai was surprised and bewildered by Zhang Ruo Xi’s words.
“Those were the robes of Ice Heart Valley!” Zhang Ruo Xi said anxiously.
“Are you certain?” Yang Kai widened his eyes.
Zhang Ruo Xi nodded, “I have seen many disciples of Ice Heart Valley the last time we were in the Northern Territory’s Ice Moon City. They were all clad the same way as her. Her clothes were torn and worn out, but they still had an ice crystal symbol over her chest.”
“Why would a disciple of Ice Heart Valley come here?” Yang Kai was pretty stunned.
Ice Heart Valley was located in the Northern Territory, while they were now in the Eastern Territory. There was a large distance between the territories and ordinary people wouldn’t ever travel so far, much less come to a place like this. But, upon giving it more thought, he recalled that all Masters of the Star Boundary eyed this treasure land.
He could also be counted as a disciple of the Southern Territory, yet, he had come here, so it wouldn’t be strange for the inhabitants of the Northern Territory to come here; after all, all Masters of the Four Territories converged here.
But, he was still bewildered by something. From the moment Ice Heart Valley was founded by its Martial Ancestor Bing Yun until this day, they didn’t have a lot of Emperor Realm Masters. So, how did a Second-Order Emperor Realm Master end up here? Worse, in a chaotic mental state.
Upon mulling this over, Yang Kai’s eyes suddenly lit up and he recalled something.
In the past, when Bing Yun returned from the Solitary Void Sealed World to Ice Heart Valley, its current Valley Master, her First Disciple, An Ruo Yun, made mention of a certain event.
When Bing Yun had gone missing, her Third Disciple went out to look for her, yet she didn’t find her trail and had also gone missing in the end. Three thousand years had already passed since then, and it was pretty much unknown whether that disciple was still alive or not.
When An Ruo Yun had reported this to Bing Yun. Yang Kai had been there to hear this and he had also sighed over it as he thought that this Third Disciple had most likely died in some unknown region; after all, the Star Boundary was fraught with dangers, and if she was still alive, then she would have at least contacted them over the past three thousand years.
However, those were private matters, so Yang Kai didn’t really care about them.
But upon getting Zhang Ruo Xi’s reminder, Yang Kai suddenly realized that this woman was most likely Bing Yun’s Third Disciple. A Second-Order Emperor Realm cultivation also fit the criteria, as the First Disciple An Ruo Yun and the Second Disciple Sun Yun Xiu were also in the same realm, so the Third Disciple would likely not be any worse than them.
Upon thinking of this possibility, Yang Kai looked at where the crazy woman had disappeared to, but he couldn’t catch even her shadow. She had already escaped from him.
Yang Kai could guess why this Third Disciple was here. In the past, she had left Ice Heart Valley to look for Bing Yun and she surely wouldn’t miss the famous Ancient Wild Lands. She must have come here to seek Bing Yun.
As for why the woman was now in a state of mental chaos? Yang Kai had no ideas about this, but he could still imagine that she must have suffered a lot here, else, why would a Second-Order Emperor Realm Master end up so demented with no regard to her own image?
However, all of this was obviously just Yang Kai’s guess, and he still did not have confirmation that the crazy woman was Bing Yun’s Third Disciple. She could have just killed that Third Disciple and stolen her clothes.
If Yang Kai didn’t get to see this, then he wouldn’t have bothered with it, but since he had already become involved, he couldn’t just ignore this matter; after all, it was related to Bing Yun and Ice Heart Valley.
“Sir, Old Ban once said that an Emperor Realm Master had gone missing in the Ancient Lands Passageway more than ten years ago… And it was a woman… Could it be her?” Zhang Ruo Xi suddenly asked.
This possibility didn’t cross Yang Kai’s mind, but upon giving it more thought, he realized that it was pretty likely the case. She must have gone crazy because she got lost in the Ancient Lands Passageway for more than ten years.
Old Ban had said that the woman was a First-Order Emperor Realm Master, but Old Ban was just a First-Order Dao Source Realm, so he surely couldn’t distinguish between the First and Second-Order Emperor Realm and must have just made an assumption.
“Let’s go after her and investigate,” Yang Kai waved his hand, enveloping Zhang Ruo Xi with his Emperor Qi, then rushing in the direction where the crazy woman had disappeared.
Along the way, he couldn’t find any trace of her, and even though he completely released his Divine Sense, he couldn’t detect even a wisp of her aura. He did, however, notice a lot of Monster Beasts.
It was as if that crazy woman had vanished into thin air, the same way she suddenly appeared.
“Where did she go?” Yang Kai was pretty vexed. If he had known earlier that the crazy woman was linked to Ice Heart Valley’s Third Elder, then he would have made a move to intercept her and not allowed her to run away. Now, it was extremely difficult for him to find her.
After Yang Kai spent most of the day searching for her in vain, he found himself forced to give up and stop. Running around the Ancient Wild Lands aimlessly was nothing short of insanity; after all, he might end up catching the attention of a powerful Monster Race.
If he couldn’t find her, then so be it, he would just give up for now, then, take a trip to the Northern Territory after dealing with his affairs here and pass the crazy woman’s news to Bing Yun, leaving her to deal with this herself.
Yang Kai took out a jade slip and checked it, only to discover that he had already ventured a lot deeper into the Ancient Lands in his half-day-long pursuit. If he continued further, then he would end up in a gathering spot for Monster Beasts, which had a Twelfth-Order Monster Beast presiding over them.
Yang Kai didn’t want to attract trouble for no reason as he had come here just to seek Xiao Xiao, so he would surely try to avoid danger as much as possible.
When Yang Kai had just put away the jade slip after deciding to make a detour around this region, a peal of laughter reverberated in a large tree near him, shortly followed by a dark face poking out of the tree’s leaves. She grinned at him, revealing her pearly white teeth, and she beckoned to Yang Kai, “Come catch me, hurry up and catch me!”
[This crazy woman!] Yang Kai was almost driven crazy with rage at this moment when he realized that all this time he was unable to find her, she had actually been hiding nearby to mess with him.
Yang Kai really didn’t know what to do with this kind of person. If she was sane and could think properly, he would have sat down and talked with her; asked her about her origins and background, but she was completely insane. The only way he could talk to her was if she allowed it…
Yang Kai ground his teeth in anger, but he didn’t dare to beat the bush and scare the snake away.
[This woman comes and goes without a trace. Her camouflaging technique is really profound too. If I scare her away, it won’t be easy to find her…]
Having set his mind, Yang Kai squeezed a smile and tried his best to put on a harmless face before beckoning to her, “Come here!”
The crazy woman wasn’t swayed at all. She just cheekily smiled at him and stated, “Come and catch me!”
She repeated the same thing as if she only knew one sentence and never got tired of it.
Yang Kai tried to call her a few times, but it didn’t work, leaving him feeling utterly helpless.
“Sir, why don’t you tempt her with something and see whether she will come over?” Zhang Ruo Xi suddenly proposed.
Yang Kai felt that it was a good idea and rummaged through his Space Ring to quickly find a red fruit. He had a lot of Alchemy ingredients on him, most of which were obtained from killing others, and the rest were found in the ancient medicine garden last time.
This Blue Crab Apple was an Emperor Grade Alchemy ingredient. It looked extraordinary and was completely ripe, and the moment Yang Kai took it out, a tangy fragrance wafted in the air.
Yang Kai flipped his hand and spread his palm, revealing the Blue Crab Apple as he called out, “Come and take it, there’s no need to be afraid.”
He looked like a perverted old man trying to lure in and kidnap a little girl. He was extremely embarrassed inside, but he still had to pretend that it was alright.
The crazy woman was hanging upside down from a tree and was clearly interested in the fruit, her bright and wide eyes totally fixating on it. She also made no effort to disguise the desire in her eyes and began smacking her lips a few times while salivating.
Who knows whether it was because of her situation though, but she was still very vigilant. Despite the hungry look on her face, she didn’t rush over as Yang Kai had hoped.
*Chi chi chi…*
The leaves rustled for a while before the crazy woman suddenly disappeared.
Yang Kai was struck dumb and quickly spread his Divine Sense to lock onto her position. If he lost her this time, considering how vast the Ancient Lands was, trying to find her would make looking for a needle in a haystack feel trivial by comparison. He would really have no idea where to search for her.
*Chi chi chi…*
Another rustling noise came from nearby. Yang Kai turned his head to look and suddenly found that the crazy woman had reappeared on the branch of another tree, holding the trunk with one hand, quietly standing there.
[Fast! So fast!]
Yang Kai’s pupils shrunk when he saw how swiftly she had moved. Before he could grasp her position, she had reappeared like a ghost.
However, she was a lot closer than before.
Yang Kai secretly breathed a sigh of relief, knowing that the fruit in his hand had finally aroused her interest.
Yang Kai smiled and pushed the fruit forward before speaking in a soft voice, “Do you want it or not? If you don’t want it, I will eat it.”
While speaking, he pulled back the fruit and slowly brought it towards his mouth.
The crazy woman immediately became anxious at this sight and took a bent stance, as if she could not wait to pounce and grab the apple. But she appeared to have some scruples still and swayed back and forth on the tree, refusing to come down.
Yang Kai ground his teeth in anger, steeled himself, and bit into the Blue Crab Apple.
In just one bite, Yang Kai’s mouth was filled with rich fruit juice. It was an Emperor Grade spirit fruit after all, and the essence within it was quite amazing. On top of that, it tasted quite good and the attractive fruity fragrance only grew stronger once the flesh was exposed.
*Baji baji…*
Yang Kai ate it with relish, making some exaggerated noises, clearly causing the crazy woman’s heart to ache.
She looked at the Blue Crab Apple again before a firm look flashed in her eyes. She seemed to have made up her mind and with a flicker she shot out towards Yang Kai, leaving a streak of white light in her wake like a bolt of lightning.
Yang Kai was waiting for this very moment, so how could he let it pass? He threw the spirit fruit in his hand straight at her while, at the same time, stretching his hand out, grabbing towards a certain place in the air like a dragon.
The crazy woman suddenly appeared in front of Yang Kai with a flash. Her bright and shiny eyes were focused on the Blue Crab Apple that had been thrown by Yang Kai, as if nothing in this world could distract her from her prize.
If the spirit fruit continued to fly like this and there was no accident, it would definitely hit her right in the forehead.
Although Yang Kai didn’t mean to kill her with this attack, it was by no means a casual throw either. Rather, he had poured some of his Emperor Qi into it as he wanted to distract the crazy woman so that he could proceed with his next move.
But much to his surprise, the crazy woman leaned back at the critical moment, evading the spirit fruit by a hair’s breadth. Immediately after, she opened her mouth wide and directly took a bite at the spirit fruit. In a flash, her eyebrows rose in pleasure and an overjoyed look filled her face.
In the twinkling of an eye though, Yang Kai had flashed to her side and grabbed her arm.
The crazy woman was greatly shocked and quickly looked at Yang Kai as an inexplicable coldness flashed through her smiling eyes.
She twisted her body at an impossible angle and changed her posture like there were no bones in her body, standing face to face with Yang Kai.
Next, she raised her hand, while palming hard at Yang Kai. Before her attack even reached him, an extremely icy cold pressure that seemed capable of freezing the entire world spread out.
Yang Kai took a deep breath and couldn’t help but shiver as he shouted in a grim voice, “Ice Principles!”
If it was just speculation before that this crazy woman was somehow related to the Third Elder of Ice Heart Valley, who had gone missing many years ago, now it was all but certain she was that very person.
After all, every Ice Heart Valley disciple cultivated an Ice Attribute Secret Art.
Yang Kai’s face turned serious as he didn’t dare to be negligent. He also sent out a palm that radiated Space Principles.
*Hong…*
A deafening clap immediately followed as both of their bodies fiercely shook like two small boats caught in a violent storm. The two different Principle Strengths clashed with each other, but they were evenly matched.
This wasn’t a surprise though, as the crazy woman’s cultivation was a little higher than Yang Kai’s, and she had attacked in anger, whereas Yang Kai could only hastily respond. Forcing a draw here was already Yang Kai’s limit, and had it been any other First-Order Emperor, he or she might have suffered serious injuries.
Before the two clashing Principle Strengths could dissipate, the crazy woman suddenly twisted her arm held by Yang Kai, which had turned soft and boneless like a snake, and in the next moment, she slipped out of his grasp.
Yang Kai was greatly shocked by this, but it was already too late to grab her again. After being frightened by Yang Kai once, the crazy woman had quickly retreated, opening a huge gap with him.
*Hu chi chi…*
Only now did the two clashing Principle Strengths finally die down. Yang Kai stood with a wry smile hanging on his lips as he didn’t dare to make a rash move for the fear of scaring off the other party. Over twenty metres away, the crazy woman stood in place, her eyes filled with resentment. It appeared as if Yang Kai had abused her and then abandoned her, making Yang Kai feel apologetic.
It was really not a glorious thing to lie to a person whose brain was not currently working right, and to a woman no less.
She reached out to take the spirit fruit bitten by Yang Kai before taking a bite; she bit it without a moment of hesitation even though it had been eaten by Yang Kai. She was eating it with great relish, and there was a big smile on her face, but her nose and eyes were telling another story; she looked completely furious.
Yang Kai slightly sighed at the situation. This was Bing Yun’s Third Disciple, a Second-Order Emperor Realm Master, but now just a simple spirit fruit was enough to give her incomparable joy. If the others of Ice Heart Valley saw this, their hearts would surely ache with incomparable pain.
Yang Kai secretly winked at Zhang Ruo Xi. Seeing this, Zhang Ruo Xi knew what to do. She quickly took out a fruit from her Space Ring and spoke in a soft voice, “Want more? I have one here too. If you want it, I will give it to you.”
The crazy woman raised her brow and looked at her, but the next moment, her face paled as she repeatedly waved her head in refusal.
Having been tricked by Yang Kai, she was acting like she was bitten by a snake, shying away from ropes for ten years.
Not only that, she turned around and ran off in panic.
Yang Kai immediately became anxious and began regretting being too hasty just now.
In fact, he was confident before he made his move; after all, with his current strength, he believed that taking down an unstable Second-Order Emperor Realm Master would be as easy as flipping his hand. But this Third Disciple’s reflexes and judgement turned out far sharper than what he had estimated.
But after carefully thinking about it, this wasn’t that strange. For her to wander outside for so long, and even survive in the Ancient Wild Lands for this long, if she didn’t have such ability, she would have been reduced to a pile of bones already.
Clearly, she was even stronger than her Eldest Senior Sister and Second Senior Sister now. Although An Ruo Yun and Sun Yun Xiu were also Second-Order Emperors, would they be able to survive in this environment like this with their current strength?
Hardship and danger will always be a stepping stone for a person’s growth.
Seeing the crazy woman turn around and escape, Yang Kai didn’t dare to hesitate anymore and immediately shouted, “Third Disciple, Senior Bing Yun is waiting for you to return, where are you trying to run to!?”
He didn’t know what Bing Yun called her as he hadn’t inquired about it before, so he could only bring up Bing Yun’s name, hoping it might affect her.
If this crazy woman was really Bing Yun’s Third Disciple, she would definitely not remain indifferent to this call even if she had lost her mind.
What pleasantly surprised Yang Kai was that after listening to his shout, the crazy woman suddenly stopped in her place, her tender body slightly trembling as she slowly turned around. She had even forgotten about the spirit fruit in her mouth.
When their gazes met, Yang Kai discovered that her eyes were filled with confusion. Obviously, Bing Yun’s name had triggered some of her memories, but she still couldn’t clearly remember and organize her thoughts because of her current chaotic state. Due to her muddled thoughts, a struggling and painful look appeared on her face.
[She is definitely the Third Disciple!] Yang Kai was sure in his heart now and followed up in a soft voice, “Third Disciple, Senior Bing Yun has already returned. Your Eldest Senior Sister, Second Senior Sister, and several Junior Sisters are waiting for you. Don’t run around, I will lead you back!”
While speaking, he stretched his hand toward her.
The struggling look on the Third Disciple’s face became even more severe and her beautiful pair of eyes trembled violently as two lines of tears slid down her cheeks while she muttered, “Honoured Master, Honoured Master…”
Yang Kai was overjoyed when he heard this. Obviously, some of this Third Disciple’s memories had returned.
Just as Yang Kai was preparing to strike while the iron was hot, the Third Disciple suddenly started scratching through her hair, crying her heart out, “Honoured Master, where are you, your disciple can’t find you…”
She fell on the ground, grabbing and pulling her messy hair that was all tangled together.
The bleak, sorrowful, and self-blaming tone was truly hard to listen to and brought tears to one’s eyes.
Zhang Ruo Xi’s eyes had turned red as she glanced at Yang Kai, thinking that if Sir suddenly disappeared one day, she would definitely go looking for him. Even if it was three thousand years, or thirty thousand years, she would never stop just because of the passage of time.
“Honoured Master!” The Third Disciple suddenly tenderly cried before her body rose into the air like a cannonball, shooting towards the depth of the Ancient Lands.
“We need to go after her!” Yang Kai was angry but helpless. What he was angry about was that he had told the Third Disciple the truth but she had completely ignored him, instead triggering this chaotic episode. As for helplessness, it was about the current situation of the Third Disciple that he couldn’t reason with.
For now, he could only chase after her and look for an opportunity to knock her out, even if it would hurt her.
While chasing after her, Yang Kai didn’t hesitate to use his Space Principles, teleporting a few times yet still losing track of her after the time it took for an incense to burn.
It was just like before. Had the Third Disciple not shown up again, he would have never been able to find her.
But the Third Disciple was having a nervous break, so it was impossible for her to show up again on her own. Yang Kai kept running around looking for her, annoyed and frustrated.
He had experienced the Third Disciple’s abilities first hand. She could freely come and go in this damned place, which he couldn’t help but admire.
*Hong long long…*
A series of approaching footsteps and rustles sounded from the distance suddenly. Apparently, many people were approaching. Obviously, the commotion made by Yang Kai and Zhang Ruo Xi while pursuing the Third Disciple had attracted some attention.
Yang Kai furrowed his brow and looked in the direction of the source of the sounds, wondering how so many had suddenly appeared in the Ancient Lands all at once.
He promptly spread his Divine Sense and discovered the aura of an Emperor Realm Master. Furthermore, the aura didn’t seem to belong to a Human.
[Monster Race?] Yang Kai immediately made an educated guess.
After a short while, a group of figures rushed out of one side of the jungle. Each of these figures looked exceptionally fierce, vicious, and ugly. In addition, Monster Qi was emanating from them. With so many gathered in one place, the Monster Qi soared into the sky in an unstoppable manner.
[As I thought, it’s the Monster Race!]
The fellow leading the group of Monster Race Masters was a burly man. He was holding a bone spear, which looked extremely scary. Who knows which Monster Beast’s bones were used to craft it. It was more than five meters long and as thick as a Human leg, but this burly man was holding it with ease. He was wearing a simple animal hide, revealing his strong and robust muscles. Every part of his body was a picture of strength. He was sitting on a steel-back maned boar with two-metre-long tusks pointed upward. Every time this boar breathed it sprayed hot air from his nostrils, and its four hooves kept restlessly digging the ground, its scarlet eyes flickering with a scary gleam.
The pair of Monster Race and Monster Beast looked extremely imposing, like war gods descended to the mortal realm.
He was obviously a Monster General!
Also, there were about thirty to forty members of Monster Race with different levels of strength on either side of this Monster General, standing in a disorderly manner.
In a flash, several dozen gazes locked onto Yang Kai and Zhang Ruo Xi, sizing them up, with Zhang Ruo Xi being more of a focus than Yang Kai; after all, Zhang Ruo Xi looked beautiful and delicious. Her slim and slender figure always attracted the attention of males, no matter whether the opposite party was from the Human or Monster Race.
The female members of the Monster race, who were wearing revealing clothes, immediately became unhappy and glared at Zhang Ruo Xi with hostility, grinding their teeth and cursing. One or two whispers could be heard, calling her ‘slut’ and the like.
Zhang Ruo Xi, on the other hand, was looking at these Monster Race members who had suddenly rushed out of the jungle with curiosity. She had never seen members of the Monster Race before. She had seen many Monster Beasts, but how could it be that easy to see them take on Human form?
Seeing that they were no different from ordinary people, she couldn’t help but look at them a few more times.
She was showing no fear at all; after all, Yang Kai was by her side. She had complete confidence in her Sir.
“Human, I admire your courage, actually daring to trespass in this King’s territory!” The robust Monster General sitting on the steel-back maned boar pointed the spear in his hand with a majestic sweep.
Yang Kai’s brow momentarily twitched as he had no idea how to respond.
He knew that many Monster Races were living in the Ancient Wild Lands. Monster Beasts were different from members of the Monster Race as most Monster Beasts weren’t sentient, only surviving on wild instincts and absorbing World Energy to cultivate naturally. Although their lifespan was generally quite long, it was difficult for them to improve their strength quickly, much less assume Human form.
Those classified as members of the Monster Race were different. Although they stemmed from Monster Beasts, they were sentient and knew how to cultivate more effectively. Some even knew how to cultivate Secret Arts.
In the entire Ancient Wild Lands, the Monster Race was the strongest force. In addition to the Monster Race, there were many Primordial Species. These Primordial Species included countless near-extinct races that while small in number, were all extremely powerful because of their ancient bloodlines. All Primordial Species could unleash some unimaginable abilities.
Yang Kai wasn’t clear about the distribution of forces in the Ancient Lands as the only information he had was the things recorded in the jade slip given to him by Pi San. Naturally, this jade slip didn’t have comprehensive information and just gave a brief rundown about the outer areas of the Ancient Lands.
Seeing this team of Monster Race cultivators appear, Yang Kai immediately knew that while pursuing Ice Heart Valley’s Third Elder, he had inadvertently rushed into the territory of this Monster General.
“Kill, kill, kill!” The crowd of Monster Race suddenly started chanting. If someone ignorant of the situation saw this, he might think that this group of Monster Race was a group of bandits who were blocking the road to rob and pillage. It was a funny sight.
“This King has a question for you!” The Monster General reined in his Monster Beast mount while keeping his bone spear pointed at Yang Kai as he asked with no trace of politeness, “Have you seen a crazy woman?”
[Is he talking about Bing Yun’s Third Disciple?]
Yang Kai didn’t want to get involved with the Monster Race, but by the looks of it, they had obviously seen the Third Disciple, so Yang Kai immediately shouted, “Have you seen her?”
The Monster General blew his top seeing this and pushed his Monster Qi madly, rebuking with a cold snort, “It’s this King who will ask the questions here! If you don’t want to suffer, obediently answer this King! Otherwise, I will let you know how fearsome this King is.”
Determining that civil discourse was impossible with this fellow, Yang Kai decided to start talking with his fists instead, grinning as he taunted, “I’d like to see you try.”
The Monster General sneered, “Since you’re courting death, then don’t blame this King for showing no mercy!” While remaining seated on his mount, he waved his hand as he ordered aloud, “Kill the man, capture the woman!”
Just as he shouted the order, the thirty or forty members of Monster Race howled and acted as swiftly as the wind. In a flash, waves of Monster Qi spread into the surrounding area, lifting up the leaves into a flurry which they charged through to attack Yang Kai with reckless abandon.
[What the…] Yang Kai was stunned. He had known that the Monster Race was simple-minded, but he hadn’t expected them to be so dull. Before they even assessed the strength of their opponent, they all swarmed forward, as if they feared being late to the fight.
[It must have been really hard for the Monster Race to survive in the Ancient Lands for this long.]
However, Yang Kai’s vision was now higher, owing to his higher strength.
In any case, this group of Monster Race was led by a Monster General, and there were many of them. More importantly, the Human cultivators were usually suppressed by the Wild Force present here, so even if they ran into a Second-Order Emperor Realm Human, they could attack like this without any fear.
After so many years, many Emperors had lost their lives to the Monster Race like this. Furthermore, if a cultivator was not strong, how could they survive in the Ancient Lands for so long? They would have long died in a place like this where there was no peace.
The Monster Race group rushed in, unleashing all kinds of techniques. Many of them revealed their true bodies halfway through. In a flash, various strange Monster Beasts were seen galloping everywhere, showcasing all kinds of Monster Race Secret Techniques. The world instantly lost colour in the chaotic storm.
The Monster General, on the other hand, remained seated in the rear, coldly observing everything.
A giant python spewed a breath of poisonous mist, covering Yang Kai and the space around him, blinding him to his surroundings.
Inside the poisonous mist, a figure suddenly appeared and leapt at Yang Kai, its fangs shining with a cold gleam. It was a wolf-type Monster Beast that had launched a sneak attack under the cover of the poisonous mist.
*Zheng…*
A soft metallic cry rang out as a cold gleam flashed. Yang Kai remained standing in place, as if he hadn’t moved at all, but the Myriads Sword had at some point appeared in his hand.
The giant wolf flew past him, its scarlet eyes crazily flickering as if it had seen something terrifying.
After crashing to the ground, it uncontrollably slid forward before a squishing sound rang out and blood gushed from its neck like a fountain. Its head separated from his body as its body constantly twitched.
It was only an Eleventh-Order Monster Beast, so even if it had launched a sneak attack under the cover of the poisonous fog, it wasn’t Yang Kai’s opponent and was killed in a single blow.
*Xiu xiu xiu…*
Seven or eight members of the Monster Race showed their true bodies and rushed into the mist together, biting from all directions.
Yang Kai stood stalwart, releasing flashes of light one after another.
Splattering sounds echoed to no end as all the Monster Race attacking him flew past him, splitting into two in the air, their blood and internal organs dying the ground red as miserable wails rose and fell everywhere.
The remaining Monster Race members instantly quieted down and halted their charge right then and there. All of them were staring with widened eyes as a look of shock covered their faces. They hadn’t expected Yang Kai to be so powerful.
*Dida dida…*
Only the sound of blood dripping down the Myriads Sword could be heard, but to the members of the Monster Race, this light dripping was like a death knell deafening their ears, making them tremble in fright.
At this point, they finally noticed that Yang Kai was a little different from the Humans they had encountered before. He didn’t seem easy to mess with.
“Boy, how dare you! To have killed so many of my men. This King will send you to Hell!” The Monster General, who was originally sitting in the rear, continuously leering at Zhang Ruo Xi, blew his top when he noticed that over ten of his men had died in just the blink of an eye. He spurred his mount as he charged at Yang Kai with his spear.
Who knows what kind of exotic beast the steel-back maned boar was, but its speed was so fast that its limbs instantly blurred. The enormous trees in its path, which could only be hugged by several people working together, all broke under its charge, proof of how powerful it was.
As soon as the Monster General made his move, his subordinates naturally avoided and went to trouble Zhang Ruo Xi.
Yang Kai coldly snorted as he slid his finger across the Myriads Sword, a serious look appearing on his face as he mumbled, “Myriads Sword Arts, Radiant Moon Swallows the Wolf!”
*Chi Chi Chi…*
The sword danced around as thousands of Sword Qi blades shot towards the surroundings like a shower.
The Monster Race members were thrown off their feet, miserably wailing as they were helplessly struck by the thousands of Sword Qi blades before they could even approach Yang Kai. Blood gushed out from their bodies as if they had been riddled with holes like a sieve.
After this one move, Yang Kai suddenly disappeared from his position.
*Shua…*
His figure flickered as he flew to the front of the charging Monster General, swinging his sword down.
The Monster General had never seen such a scary Human before. After having seen his subordinates cut down like straws, he realized that things weren’t looking good for him. This Human seemed to be different from the ones he had encountered before. He was too scary!
Having been suddenly attacked, the Monster General was naturally shocked and angry.
However, his reaction was swift as well. The bone spear in his hand left afterimages, forming a screen of thrusts directed straight at Yang Kai. Monster Qi burst forth as the sound of the spear cutting through the air filled the surroundings.
Yang Kai similarly swung his sword again and again, and coupled with his Emperor Qi, the Myriads Sword became incomparably sharp; so sharp that the white bone spear was chipped off bit by bit and in the blink of an eye, only half of the long spear in the Monster General was left.
“Ah!?” The Monster General turned pale in horror. In this short time, who knows how many times he had visited the gates of Hell.
He had encountered a lot of Human cultivators before, but he had never seen one who could kill him without him being able to fight back. Even if the Human’s cultivation was higher than his, they were fighting him in the Ancient Wild Lands, where most of their strength was suppressed. And coupled with his several dozen subordinates, he had never been defeated. He had killed and robbed a lot of Human cultivators, making a big profit in the process.
This time though, it seemed he had kicked an iron plate. Not only did his feet hurt, but he might even lose his life if he didn’t handle things well.
Seeing Yang Kai swing his sword again, the Monster General screamed in horror and raised his arms up, lifting the remaining bone spear and pouring his Monster Qi into it to defend himself.
*Hong…*
A terrifying force struck him from above before the bone spear that had been with him for who knows how many years was cut into two. Sharp Sword Qi almost chopped off his face as it cut through his chest and abdomen.
The steel-back maned boar under him directly buckled to the ground, kneeling down. It was quite apparent how heavy this blow was.
In pain, the steel back maned boar’s eyes suddenly turned red and its steel-like hairs stood on end before they shot outwards.
Yang Kai raised his brow, surprised by this mount’s unexpected blow. It seemed this boar wasn’t just a status symbol but also a combat asset.
Yang Kai didn’t take this attack head-on, instead choosing to fly back as he swept his sword forward, deflecting the oncoming steel needles flying at him.
Taking advantage of this opportunity, the steel-back maned boar pig suddenly jumped, leading the Monster General away from Yang Kai.
Having hardly recovered from the shock, the Monster General patted himself all over for a while before laughing, “I’m not dead! Hahaha, I’m not dead!”
At that moment, he thought he would die for sure, but to his surprise, he was still alive, making him feel lucky to have survived.
However, how could he dare to fight with Yang Kai again after this short confrontation? He knew that he wasn’t Yang Kai’s opponent, so he spurred his mount with his legs, turning tail and fleeing. Right now, his little life was the most important. He didn’t dare to pester Yang Kai and couldn’t even care about his subordinates’ lives.
But just as he had taken a few steps, a figure flickered and appeared in front of him, blocking his path. It was Yang Kai.
With his black hair dancing in the wind and a cold look in his eyes, Yang Kai stated stoically, “You didn’t die because you are of use to me. Why else do you think you survived?”
Having said this, he swung his sword down again.
The charging steel-back maned boar was too late to dodge this time and was hit straight on by the Sword Qi. It immediately let out a miserable squeal before its enormous body was split in two, blood and organs splashing out on the ground as its two halves kept rushing forward due to the inertia.
The Monster General sitting on its back was also sent flying, knocking over a dozen or so towering trees one after another before finally sliding across the ground and coming to a stop at the base of a particularly large tree. He was heaving hard and couldn’t get up for a long time.
*Zheng…*
A cold gleam flashed before the Monster General’s eyes as he found a sword resting on his forehead. He immediately panicked, staring at the sword. When looked ahead, cross-eyed, he slowly noticed Yang Kai standing in front of him, condescendingly gazing down at him.
A drop of cold sweat trickled down his forehead as the Monster General knew that Yang Kai had spoken the truth. He wasn’t dead, not because of his own strength, but because Yang Kai had spared his life. If Yang Kai had wanted to kill him just now, it would only have taken a flick of his wrist.
*Gudong…*
The fierce face of the Monster General turned pale as the sound of him gulping sounded. He forced a smile and started begging for mercy, discarding the integrity of the Monster Race, “Spare me, Sir! Spare me!”
It wasn’t the first time Yang Kai had dealt with the Monster Race. In Tong Xuan Realm’s Nine Heavens Holy Land, he had many encounters with the Monster Race, so he knew that these guys were no different from Humans in a certain sense; many of them clung to life instead of choosing death.
Although the fellow before him was a Twelfth-Order Monster Race, he was no doubt a timid fellow.
“Do you want to live or die?” Yang Kai asked in a cold voice, pushing the Myriads Sword a bit, cutting the Monster General’s skin lightly and drawing out a trickle of blood that ran down his face. Of course, the Monster General shouted, “Live! I want to live!”
“If you want to live, answer my questions. If you dare to lie even one word, I will immediately take your dog life!”
“Sir, just ask away!” The Monster General didn’t dare to move, otherwise, his head would have been repeatedly nodding like a chicken pecking rice.
Yang Kai asked, maintaining a cold face, “You asked about a crazy woman just now, have you seen her?”
The Monster General immediately understood that the cause of this disaster was its stupid mouth. This Human Master must have some connection with that crazy woman! He nervously gulped and gingerly asked, “May I ask Sir a question, is that woman your…”
“Hmm?” Yang Kai immediately glared as he coldly snorted through his nose before rebuking, “I am the one asking the questions, you only need to honestly answer them!”
“Yes, yes, yes!” The Monster General’s body went stiff as he hurriedly replied, “I’ve seen her. Not only have I seen her, but I have also fought with her more than once!”
“What happened? Tell me everything in detail!”
Suddenly, an agonized look appeared on the Monster General’s face as he sorrowfully explained, “Sir, please understand, that crazy woman… Cough cough…” Knowing nothing about the relationship between Yang Kai and the crazy woman, the Monster General didn’t want to annoy Yang Kai and have his head cut off. He had been paying close attention to Yang Kai’s language and countenance, so he could tell that Yang Kai shouldn’t be annoyed yet, but was clearly not happy, so he immediately corrected himself and continued, “That woman has caused us a lot of harm. She has been stealing the Heaven Star Nurturing Spirit Fruits that this lowly one has been raising on the mountain. She would steal once every month. I had a total of five fruits and she stole them all in less than half a year. Even the tree was uprooted by her! This lowly one had been keeping those spirit fruits to use for his breakthrough and had spent a thousand years raising them. Just when it was about time to reap the harvest, I didn’t even get to taste one! She has also dug up a dozen or so Turtle Snake Grass that Old Niu, next door, had been raising…”
“Who is Old Niu?” Yang Kai furrowed his brow.
The Monster General hurriedly replied, “Niu Quan is a Monster General under Monster King Ying Fei, just like this lowly one. He lives next door to me.”
“Continue!” Yang Kai poked him with the sword, causing the Monster General to retreat as he could feel the sharp pain grow stronger, not daring to make a rash move so that he could keep his life.
“Hei Ya’s Ten Directional Fruit, Tu Rui’s Golden Rainbow Fountain Flower, Zhui Feng’s Royal Limes… All have suffered at her hands. This lowly one knows more than a dozen others who were robbed by her. I too have no idea exactly how many victims there are. She has been running around the surrounding region, and almost all of my fellow Brothers’ treasures had been taken away by her. Monster King Ying Fei was furious when he learned of this, cursing us as incompetent for being unable to catch one crazy woman. He ordered us to capture her within half a year, lest he loses face in front of the other Monster Kings.”
Yang Kai looked stunned.
Who were these Hei Ya, Tu Rui, Zhui Feng, and the like? Yang Kai had no idea, but he reckoned all of them must be Monster Generals like the one in front of him. He was quite familiar with the Ten Directional Fruit, Royal Lime and the like as well, as all of them were top-grade spirit medicines.
Judging by what this Monster General had said, it seemed like the Third Disciple had robbed these Monster Generals of a lot of the precious treasures they had been guarding.
But this wasn’t strange. She was still a Second-Order Emperor, even if her sanity had been lost. The Ancient Lands might be fraught with dangers, but it was also filled with opportunities, so her cultivation was bound to improve after robbing so many treasures.
After hearing this, Yang Kai couldn’t help but find it infuriating as well as funny.
Why did it feel like that the Ancient Lands had turned into the Third Disciple’s backyard, where she could come and go as she wished, take whatever she wanted, and enrage any Monster General she came across?
“When did this all happen?” Yang Kai asked again.
“It has been like this for fifty years…” The Monster General replied with an ashamed look on his face. A crazy woman had been roaming around in the Ancient Lands for fifty-some years, yet the Monster Race members here were unable to do anything to her. It was really embarrassing to speak of it out loud.
The corner of Yang Kai’s brow twitched before he continued asking, “You brought these subordinates to find that crazy woman?”
The Monster General replied, “Yes, yes. This lowly one heard my subordinate say that they found traces of her in this area, so this lowly one rushed straight here, but… we then ran into Sir,” the Monster General forced a smile as he gingerly asked, “Sir, how is that woman related to you?”
“None of your damn business!” Yang Kai coldly snorted.
The Monster General shrank his neck; however, he could tell that Yang Kai had something to do with the crazy woman, and they were obviously not enemies, otherwise, why would he look worried?
The Monster General rolled his eyes before speaking, “That woman is quite strange. Although we have been looking for her for so long, no one ever succeeded and every time we do spot her, she escapes before we even notice… Uh, Sir, what are you doing?”
While he was talking, he suddenly noticed Yang Kai’s eyes turn colder. Yang Kai appeared to be about to thrust the sharp sword in his hand into his body, frightening the Monster General greatly. Knowing that his life was hanging by a thread, he quickly pleaded, “Sir, please spare me! This lowly one can be of use to you! This lowly one will work very hard to repay this kindness, Sir!”
“What’s the point in keeping a bunch of vile members of the Monster Race alive?” Yang Kai coldly snorted, continuing to push his sword forward. He just wanted to inquire about the Third Disciple for a bit, so now that he had learned everything he needed, there was no reason for him to keep this Monster General alive.
Sensing his murderous intent, large beads of sweat rolled down the Monster General’s forehead. He racked his brain hard before an idea suddenly came to him and he hurriedly stated, “This lowly one can help Sir find traces of that woman! This lowly one has been tracking her for fifty years now and has some understanding of her habits. Sir, please give me a chance!”
The Monster General was utterly helpless. He had no idea whether his assistance would be useful or not; however, he was grasping at straws from the beginning.
To his surprise, Yang Kai really stopped.
The Monster General felt like he had just survived the storm and knew he had bet right, immediately adding, “Sir, rest assured. As long as Sir lets me live, this lowly one will definitely not disappoint Sir. Besides, this lowly one also has some men under him. If you make them search, they will surely be helpful one way or another.”
[That makes sense!]
Yang Kai had never ever thought that he would run into Ice Heart Valley’s Third Elder in the Ancient Wild Lands, but now that he had run into her, he couldn’t simply let her roam free like this. However, the Third Elder’s movement skill was extremely strange and her camouflaging techniques were fearsome. If just he and Zhang Ruo Xi tried looking for her, they might not be able to do anything no matter how hard they tried.
If they could get the help of this Monster General, it would save them some time; after all, the Monster General had many subordinates at his disposal.
In order to put Yang Kai at ease, and safeguard his own life, the Monster General gritted his teeth and proposed on his own, “If Sir wants, this lowly one is willing to hand over his Soul Brand. This lowly one will be at Sir’s beck and call and work myself to the bone.”
Handing over one’s Soul Brand was tantamount to be becoming a Soul Slave. His life and death would be up to Yang Kai to decide. In order to control Hua Qing Si, Yang Kai had done the very same thing.
However, Hua Qing Si was forced to do it and was powerless about it, but the Monster General was actively proposing it.
However, the Monster General wasn’t doing this for no reason; he could care less about anything else to save his own skin, but who knows whether he would regret it in the future or not.
“Hand it over!” Yang Kai stretched his hand towards him.
“Yeah…” The corner of Monster General’s mouth started twitching, noticing Yang Kai’s cold gaze pointed at him. He didn’t dare to resist anymore and obediently closed his eyes and used a certain Secret Technique. In a few moments, a glowing golden wisp flew out of his forehead before being caught by Yang Kai.
The Monster General let out a stifled groan; his face going slightly pale.
After Yang Kai had stored the Monster General’s Soul Brand in his Knowledge Sea using some means, he finally put away the Myriads Sword and indifferently ordered, “Get up!”
Although the Monster General was agonizing in his heart, he knew that his life was saved somehow. He quickly got up, patted the dust off his body, then faintly sighed as he glanced over at his mount that had been cut in half.
“Sir, can you ask that Young Lady… To stop? This lowly one is afraid that she might accidentally get hurt!” The Monster General pointed at Zhang Ruo Xi’, who was still fighting with the other Monster Race members.
Yang Kai nodded and transmitted his voice into Zhang Ruo Xi’s ears.
The Monster General also shouted at the same time, “Everyone, stop!”
By the looks of it, he had very high prestige among the Monster Race members here as all of them retreated with just his one command, distancing themselves from Zhang Ruo Xi while leaving two fresh corpses on the ground.
Although they were locked in a heated battle, few had actually died, mainly because Zhang Ruo Xi’s hands and feet were tied while fighting so many enemies at once. After all, she was only a Third-Order Dao Source Realm.
However, the fact that she had killed two members of the Monster Race and remained unscathed after just a short battle had terrified all her opponents.
Fortunately, the Monster General had ordered them to stop, otherwise, they had no idea if they would still have the courage to fight after a few more deaths.
The Monster Race members and their mounts both looked towards Yang Kai and the Monster General. Seeing them standing side by side in peace had made them curious.
The Monster General lightly coughed and explained, “Everything was a misunderstanding. This Sir is on our side, we don’t need to fight anymore.”
He was too ashamed to tell his subordinates the truth that he had already become Yang Kai’s slave; after all, he still wanted to save face. When he spoke, he surreptitiously looked at the change in Yang Kai’s expression, but after finding that Yang Kai didn’t mind, he finally put his heart at ease.
The Monster Race group on the other hand looked at each other blankly, confused about what their leader was doing. This man and woman were clearly humans, so how could they be on their side?
But after having experienced Yang Kai and Zhang Ruo Xi’s ferocity first hand, they didn’t dare to raise any questions, lest they draw trouble to themselves.
“In the future, seeing this Sir will be as if you are seeing me. Do you understand?” The Monster General shouted again, pointing at Yang Kai.
Although the Monster Race members were totally confused, they still nodded in agreement; mainly because they were scared and they had no desire to risk themselves to avenge their fallen comrades.
The Monster General turned and spoke with a flattering smile next, “Sir, you must be tired from the journey, how about you take a rest at this lowly one’s mountain?”
“Rest?” Yang didn’t give him face and ordered, waving his hand, “Hurry up and ask them to find her. If they can’t find her, death will be the punishment.”
The Monster General immediately looked bitter as he replied, “Sir, I believe you don’t know about this yet, but when that woman is frightened, she won’t show up for some time. It’s useless to look for her during that period.”
Yang Kai calmly asked, “What do you mean?”
The Monster General continued to explain, cupping his fist, “She is very timid, and every time she is frightened, she will hide for a month or two. During this time, no one has ever been able to find her. So, if Sir wants to look for her, the best method is to wait and lie low. After a time, she will naturally show up again.” Seeing Yang Kai looking at him suspiciously, the Monster General began sweating profusely, “Sir, this lowly one is speaking the truth, Sir can ask them.”
Yang Kai had experienced Bing Yun’s Third Disciple’s timidity first hand. It should be because of her problem with her sanity, so he felt that the Monster General wasn’t lying to him. Not to mention, his life was in Yang Kai’s hands, so this Monster General wouldn’t have the courage to lie to him in the first place.
“Even if you can’t find her, you still have to keep looking. Let me know if there is any news,” Yang Kai coldly snorted.
Although he knew that the Monster General was not lying, Yang Kai was still hoping for a chance that she would be found.
“Yes, yes, yes!” Since he couldn’t dissuade Yang Kai, all he could do was ask his subordinates to look around and immediately report back if there were any news.
After having received the order, the twenty or thirty Monster Race members of varying cultivation dispersed in all directions, leaving only five Monster Race members to escort the Monster General and Yang Kai.
“Where are we going to rest?” Yang Kai glanced at the Monster General with a straight face. Now that someone was helping him look for the traces of the Third Disciple, he didn’t need to work so hard. This Monster General also said that the Third Disciple won’t show up for a month or two, so Yang Kai had no intention to look for her immediately and decided to wait.
The Monster General immediately made an inviting gesture after hearing this, nodding and bowing his waist, “This way, Sir, it’s not too far. It will only take half a day.”
Yang Kai nodded before flying towards the indicated direction.
Zhang Ruo Xi didn’t know what Yang Kai was doing, but she didn’t ask any questions either, just flying into the air along with Yang Kai, shooting a contemptuously look at the Monster General as she passed him.
No matter what, he was a Monster General, a Twelfth-Order Monster Race equal to an Emperor Realm Master of the Human Race, so how could he be so spineless? He was no better than cowardly Humans. Zhang Ruo Xi had heard that the Monster Race of the Ancient Lands were brave and did not fear death, so how could she suddenly accept this great disparity in reality?
Having been looked at by Zhang Ruo Xi like this, the Monster General embarrassingly touched his nose before he followed them.
And following his lead, a file of people flew towards the Monster General’s abode.
“What’s your name?” Yang Kai suddenly asked in the middle of the journey.
The Monster General cupped his fists and introduced himself, “This lowly one is Yang You Wei!”
“I heard you mention a Monster King Ying Fei, who is he?” Yang Kai curiously looked at him.
Yang You Wei immediately turned serious as he replied, “Sir Ying Fei is one of the eight Monster Kings under the Divine Venerable. His strength is unfathomable and has already reached the peak of the Twelfth-Order, which is comparable to a Third-Order Emperor Realm Human Master!”
“Eight Monster Kings!” Yang Kai furrowed his brow, “So to say, there are seven other Monster Kings?”
Yang You Wei chuckled before proudly stating, “Not just seven, there are thirty-two Monster Kings in the Ancient Lands!”
Yang Kai was shocked, “So many? Are all of them at the peak Third-Order Emperor Realm!?”
Yang You Wei responded with a nod, “But of course! How can they secure the position of Monster King without such a level of strength? In fact, there are more than thirty-two with this level of strength, but there are only thirty-two Monster Kings, that’s all. Those who couldn’t seize the position of Monster King are all powerful Masters who serve the Divine Venerables directly. There are more than a dozen of them and they aren’t any worse than any Monster King. Some of them may even be stronger.”
Yang Kai gasped a cold breath of air.
Before coming here, he had never known that there were so many fearsome Monster Race Masters in the Ancient Wild Lands. Hearing information about this, Yang Kai finally realized that he had been greatly underestimating the Ancient Lands.
In the entire Star Boundary, no Sect had so many Third-Order Emperor Realm Masters! Even those sects led by Great Emperors did not have such formidable strength! At most, a single Sect would have seven or eight such Masters.
In other words, the force of the Ancient Lands was comparable to four or five Star Soul Palaces combined.
No wonder everyone called the Ancient Lands a dangerous domain. It was far more than dangerous, it was simply a gateway to Hell. One might not even know how they died in this place!
Yang Kai felt slightly lucky now that he didn’t kill Yang You Wei right away, otherwise, he might not have been able to get hold of this important information. This made him a little worried about the task that lay ahead of him.
“Then who or what… Is this Divine Venerable you speak of?” Suddenly, a fearsome notion flashed in Yang Kai’s mind as he hesitatingly asked.
“A Divine Venerable is a Divine Venerable!” Yang You Wei meaningfully grinned, “They rule over the entire Ancient Wild Lands. Oh yes, according to humans, a Divine Venerable is also referred to as a Divine Spirit!”
[As I expected…]
Yang Kai was shocked. Although there were rumours that Divine Spirits existed in the Ancient Lands, the general population didn’t know if this was true or not. After hearing what Yang You Wei had said, it seemed that the Monster Race living here was well aware of their existence.
There were really Divine Spirits in the Ancient Lands!
Zhang Ruo Xi looked at Yang You Wei in shock, unable to digest this shocking news, her mouth slightly agape as she gasped lightly.
Yang You Wei wasn’t finished yet though and immediately threw out another startling piece of information, “There are four Divine Venerables in the Ancient Lands, each of them having eight subordinate Monster Kings as well as two Great Kings under them. Heh heh, our Ancient Lands’ strength is extraordinary!”
[Four Divine Venerables… Doesn’t that mean that there are four Divine Spirits here?] Yang Kai turned pale.
Although his current cultivation was decent, he was still no match for a Divine Spirit.
Yang You Wei was paying close attention to Yang Kai’s expression, so when he noticed that there was some shock and awe in it, he secretly felt elated. He didn’t give him any face, but it looked like he was scared now!
Unexpectedly, Yang Kai turned to him and stated, coldly looking at him, “No matter how strong the Divine Venerables and Monster Kings are, your life or death is now mine to control.”
This time it was Yang You Wei’s turn to turn pale as he stated in an aggrieved voice, “Sir, this lowly one is loyal to you. Sir, I always keep my word, the Sun and Moon can testify to it. Sir, please understand!”
[Loyalty? What nonsense! How long have we known each other? To think you are actually talking about loyalty. You are lying right through your teeth!]
“Rest assured, I will give you back your freedom once I find that woman!” Yang Kai stated with a snort, giving him the carrot after hitting him with the stick.
Yang You Wei beamed with joy in his heart but said otherwise, “The lowly one will do anything for Sir, loyally and faithfully.”
Who knows where this guy learned to be this good with words, sucking up and flattering Yang Kai at every turn with complete seriousness, drawing even more contempt from Zhang Ruo Xi towards him.
After half a day, the group landed on a certain mountain. The entire Ancient Wild Lands was filled with who knows how many rolling and zig-zag mountains, making such places the best for Monster Race to establish themselves upon.
This was where Yang You Wei’s cave mansion was located.
According to him, with this mountain as the centre, the surrounding ten nearby mountains were his territory.
Yang Kai took out the jade slip handed to him by Pi San and compared it, soon finding that where he now stood already exceeded the range recorded by the detailed map. The only thing that was noted about this place was that it was a dark shade of red, meaning it was extremely dangerous.
Apparently, the information in the jade slip wasn’t useless. If an ordinary cultivator saw this indication in jade slip, he would definitely not dare to arbitrarily come here.
There was a cave halfway up the mountain, one leading to the belly of the mountain. Inside, there was a special Cave Haven, with many grottos and the like having been dug out. There was little aesthetic sense to it as the Monster Race probably never cared about decorations and cared only about practicality.
Yang You Wei led Yang Kai and Zhang Ruo Xi into a certain grotto for Yang Kai and the one adjacent for Zhang Rui Xi before he left with much nodding and bowing.
It was a good idea to be respectful to the one who had one’s life in his hands.
Inside the grotto, Yang Kai looked around and found that although the place was small, there were five rooms in it. It should be the place where Yang You Wei lived. There were stone beds in it with exquisite beddings that Yang You Wei obtained from who knows where.
There was also a natural bath in the grotto that used water seemingly gathered from a mountain spring. The water was crystal clear, and Yang Kai tried it out and found that the temperature was actually quite pleasant.
“These guys sure know how to enjoy life,” Yang Kai smiled slightly as he walked to a nearby stone bench and sat down.
“Sir, what should we do now?” Zhang Ruo Xi, who was next to him, asked.
“We’ll figure that out when we need to,” Yang Kai heaved a slight sigh. He didn’t expect the trip to the Ancient Lands to be this eventful; however, he couldn’t ignore the Third Disciple even if his primary concern was finding Xiao Xiao.
There was a spiritual connection between him and Xiao Xiao, similar to the one he once shared with Liu Yan, allowing him to sense Xiao Xiao’s existence as long as they weren’t too far apart.
Naturally, Zhang Ruo Xi would only follow his orders and raised no objections.
Suddenly, there was a knock on the door. The two looked at each other before Yang Kai signalled Zhang Ruo Xi with his eyes. The latter moved lithely and went to the door.
Outside the door, Yang You Wei was anxiously fidgeting. There were two beautiful maids carrying something on either side behind him. One was holding a pot of spirit wine and the other was holding a plate of spirit fruits. They had beautiful eyes and slim and slender figures while their voluptuous figures were only covered by a thin and translucent muslin, tantalizing one’s imagination, especially their bare snow-white slender thighs that instantly drew the attention of men.
Obviously, these two beautiful maids were not Human as they were exuding an obvious Monster Qi, their true forms unknown; however, since they could assume Human form, they had undoubtedly gained sentience and knew how to cultivate.
The two women were also very curious. They had always exclusively served Yang You Wei, but this time, Yang You Wei had asked them to serve an honoured guest. Yang You Wei clearly stated that no matter what the honoured guest wanted, they had to obey, and they had to do it with smiles and flattery, not showing any resistance.
It wasn’t like the two were totally oblivious to what Yang You Wei meant; though, they didn’t mind it either. Accompanying Yang You Wei was ‘accompanying’, and accompanying the honoured guest was also ‘accompanying’. They were just guessing which powerful Monster General or Monster King had come here. If that wasn’t the case, how could Yang You Wei be willing to ask the two of them to please someone else?
As the door opened, Yang You Wei looked up, but before he could address his new ‘Sir’, he swallowed his words back and asked in amazement, looking at Zhang Ruo Xi, “Young Lady, what are you doing here? Where is Sir?”
Zhang Ruo Xi vigilantly glanced at him before turning her focus on the two alluring women who were acting coquettishly and were indecently dressed. Her pretty face immediately turned colder, especially after seeing the two women peeking through the crack in the door. She could see what was going to happen, and this made her uncomfortable.
She looked back and found that Yang Kai happened to be curiously looking at this side, his eyes constantly scanning the two ‘offerings’ over and over again.
She immediately stepped forward and slammed the door shut behind her, cutting off the presumptuous gazes of the two women, making the two look at her with resentment.
“Sir is tired and resting. What’s the matter?” Zhang Ruo Xi didn’t give Yang You Wei any face.
Yang You Wei chuckled before replying with a bow, “It’s like this. Sir came here for the first time, but there is nothing for entertainment in this barren mountain, so this lowly one came to offer a pot of spirit wine and a plate of spirit fruits. This lowly one hopes that Sir will not refuse this lowly one’s hospitality!”
Zhang Ruo Xi finally shifted her gaze to the spirit wine and spirit fruits before lightly snorting through her nose.
Yang You Wei didn’t know what she was planning to do, so he remained standing there to make her give way, but he discovered that Zhang Ruo Xi had blocked the door like a guard, and she wasn’t showing any intention of giving way at all. In desperation, he turned to the two women and gestured to them, signalling the two to give the things in their hands to Zhang Ruo Xi.
“Anything else?” Zhang Ruo Xi took the items and impatiently asked when she saw that they hadn’t left yet.
Yang You Wei flatteringly smiled and said, “Sir is tired from the long journey, so this lowly one had also prepared these two maids to wait upon Sir, to help him take bath and rest… I wonder if you can…”
Before he could finish speaking, he saw Zhang Ruo Xi stretch her hand out, pointing towards the way out.
Yang You Wei turned his head but found nothing, making him doubtfully scratch his head.
“Sir has me to serve him, he doesn’t need you. You can go back where you came from. Apart from the news about the crazy woman, if you dare to disturb Sir again, I will take all of your dog lives!” Zhang Ruo Xi’s pupils turned colder as a murderous look appeared on her face.
Yang You Wei was taken aback. He had no idea what mistake he made to offend this Young Lady, but he didn’t dare to be presumptuous before her; after all, Zhang Ruo Xi was brought here by Yang Kai, so offending her would not bode well for him.
He repeatedly bowed and scraped before he took the two women and walked away in frustration. The two women had come here in excitement but were forced to return in disappointment, not to mention a lot of resentment.
“Shameless vixens!” Zhang Ruo Xi, holding the wine pot with one hand and the fruit plate with the other, ground her teeth and cursed.
[Two impure vixens actually dare to aim for Sir, how dare they!? How annoying!? What’s more annoying is that Sir’s eyes actually lit up when he looked at their bodies. That look was very different from…]
Turning around, Zhang Ruo Xi was just about to open the door and step in, fuming in anger, but suddenly, her raised foot froze in the mid-air.
Suddenly, she remembered that she had never seen Sir having close contact with any woman during all the years she had been accompanying him. She was no longer a child and was not ignorant of the relations between men and women. She used to live with Sister Hua in the Small Sealed World, who would often tease her about these matters, making her blush.
She knew very well that with Yang Kai’s cultivation, if he wanted a woman, thousands of beauties would line up to let him choose between them, but he seemed to have never had such ideas. He had been smashing his way through all kinds of difficulties and had been tirelessly cultivating; having almost no time to relax at all.
[How can a man possibly dislike women? Why is Sir so self-disciplined?]
Suddenly, she started blaming herself, feeling like she shouldn’t have blocked the two women; after all, judging by her Sir’s gaze, he seemed quite interested in those two vixens. But she had now presumptuously sent them away…
She anxiously pushed open the door and walked in, placing the spirit wine and fruits on the table before explaining what just transpired, carefully observing Yang Kai’s expression.
Yang Kai just nodded and didn’t do anything else.
[Sir isn’t angry because I ruined his good deed! Otherwise, why would his reaction be so dull, right?] Zhang Ruo Xi suddenly became a little concerned about the pros and cons. She couldn’t help but speculate something, and now, her imagination was running wild…
After a long silence, Zhang Ruo Xi bit her red lips and asked, “Sir, you must be tired from the long journey, do you want me to call back the two women and ask them… To serve you?”
After saying this, Zhang Ruo Xi’s cheek turned slightly red. She was a little embarrassed, and a little afraid that Yang Kai would agree.
Yang Kai took a sniff of the spirit wine and said without raising his head, “No need.”
He was just checking them out, curious about what their true Monster Beast form was. They were indeed charming and sexy, so if they were in the outside world, they would definitely bring a disaster to the nation, but there was no other meaning behind his gaze, so he replied calmly while pouring himself a glass of spirit wine to taste.
“Then… do you want Ruo Xi to personally serve you?”
*Pu…*
Yang Kai spurted the sip of spirit wine and hurriedly wiped it, flabbergasted.
Zhang Ruo Xi couldn’t help giggling at this comical sight, approaching Yang Kai and using her sleeve to wipe his wet clothes with gentle movements.
A sweet fragrance immediately tickled his nose, causing Yang Kai to stare at the flower-like tender and sweet face and say with a smile, “Ruo Xi has grown up.”
He still remembered when he brought Zhang Ruo Xi out from the Zhang Family; she was a little girl back then who had yet to mature, but after following him for so long, she had become a great beauty herself. Perhaps, it was because it was always darker under the lamp that Yang Kai hadn’t noticed it until now.
Zhang Ruo Xi blushed and her movements momentarily paused after hearing this.
Yang Kai patted her shoulder and motioned her to get up, then he got up and dispersed the wine from his robes before speaking, “If you find a man to your liking in the future, tell me. I’ll have him marry the beautiful you.”
Zhang Ruo Xi bit her lip a bit harder than before and held her tongue, a slightly bitter look flashing across her eyes.
“Okay, things should be fine now. You should focus on your cultivation. If there is any news, I will call for you,” Yang Kai waved her away.
Zhang Ruo Xi opened her mouth, but couldn’t come up with anything to say, so she eventually gave a meek ‘yes.’
After she went out and closed the door, Zhang Ruo Xi covered her cheeks with her hands and dashed into the grotto next door, blushing furiously as her heart pounded like a drum.
She couldn’t understand what was wrong with her today. She was hit with a sudden thought and said something she wouldn’t dare to say normally. Looking back now, she really didn’t know where she got the courage to make such a proposal.
These feelings had always been bottled up in a corner of her heart, and if she hadn’t spoken them today, she might not have even noticed them.
[Have I reached the stage mentioned by Sister Hua, the so-called ‘girl in spring’?]
Time passed on just like that while Yang Kai cultivated inside the mountain.
Yang You Wei was very astute, so after he was sent away by Zhang Ruo Xi that day, he did not appear again. But Yang Kai wasn’t afraid of him playing any tricks. Currently, Yang You Wei’s Soul Brand was in his hands, so Yang You Wei couldn’t get out of his control. If the latter dared to have any crooked thoughts, he would be seeking his own death.
Zhang Ruo Xi hadn’t come again either as she was completely focused on her cultivation. She was now a Third-Order Dao Source Realm and had gained a lot of benefits in Shattered Star Sea. She had even obtained an intact Star Source and after refining it, she had begun comprehending Emperor Intent. She was just looking for an opportunity now to break through to the Emperor Realm.
After one month, the door was knocked on again.
Yang Kai opened his eyes and opened the door with the wave of his hand.
Yang You Wei respectfully came in and reported, cupping his fists, “Sir, I have some news.”
Yang Kai didn’t want to delay the matter of Bing Yun’s Third Disciple any longer as once he was done with it, he could finally search for Xiao Xiao in peace. Therefore, as soon as he was done listening to Yang You Wei, he set off without wasting a single moment.
Just as he walked out of the door, Zhang Ruo Xi, who had received Yang Kai’s Divine Sense Message, also hurriedly walked out. After exchanging a glance, Yang Kai slightly nodded to her, after which Zhang Ruo Xi followed him without a word.
A streak of light soared into the sky, leaving the top of the mountain before turning in the air and shooting towards a certain direction.
On the way, Yang You Wei carefully reported his findings.
His twenty-some Monster Race subordinates who had survived the last incident had been searching for the Third Disciple’s tracks over the past month, and just half a day ago, one subordinate had suddenly discovered something and quickly reported it to Yang You Wei. The Third Disciple was too vigilant though, so that subordinate had kept a good distance after finding traces of her. They had found the Third Disciple many times over these few decades, but they were unable to capture her, so they had developed a habit of secretly tracking her from afar.
But then again, Yang You Wei’s subordinates weren’t the Third Disciple’s opponent even if they attacked her head-on.
Yang Kai knew that Yang You Wei wasn’t even aware that the Third Disciple was already a Second-Order Emperor, otherwise, how would he dare to attack her so valiantly and spiritedly?
According to the subordinate’s report, the Third Disciple seemed to have been hiding under a local river. They had been able to find her all because of some chances and coincidences. Perhaps it was because the Third Disciple was hiding for too long and wanted to take a breath, she had come out and exposed herself.
Yang Kai couldn’t help but sigh with emotion. As expected, it was easier to do things with more people.
It was a wise decision to not kill Yang You Wei and instead subdue him at the time, allowing him to search for the Third Disciple. If not, who knows how long it would have taken Yang Kai to find a trace of her.
The journey wasn’t long, but before Yang Kai’s group could even reach their destination, a Monster Race member came flying from the front.
Yang You Wei focused his gaze before hurriedly informing, “It’s my subordinate.”
He took the lead and greeted the Monster Race member, and as soon as the two met, they whispered a few sentences with each other. Immediately after, Yang You Wei’s expression drastically changed and he promptly turned and looked at Yang Kai with anxiety.
Seeing the drastic change in expression on his face, Yang Kai’s heart tightened and he quickly asked, “What’s wrong?”
Yang You Wei bitterly replied, “We were discovered.”
“She ran away again?” Yang Kai asked with a cold look on his face. Last time, the Third Disciple had been hiding for a month after running away. This time, she might hide for more than a month. How could he waste so much time here?
“It can be said that she ran, and it can also be said that she didn’t!” Yang You Wei looked embarrassed, as if he didn’t know how to explain this to Yang Kai.
“What do you mean?” Yang Kai coldly looked at him.
Yang You Wei opened his mouth and sighed before replying, “That woman entered the tomb!”
“What tomb?” Yang Kai frowned.
“The Ten Thousand Spirits Tomb!” Yang You Wei had an agonized expression as his face turned pale and he shuddered as he spoke this name, as if he dreaded it deeply.
Yang Kai coldly laughed and ordered, “I don’t give a damn. I order you to continue tracking her, otherwise, I will take really good care of you!”
Yang You Wei cried in surprise, “Sir! I think you are hearing about the Ten Thousand Spirits Tomb for the first time and do not know its circumstances. After you come to know about it, you will understand that this lowly one wants to follow your orders but is unable to do so.”
Yang Kai coldly glared at him, realizing Yang You Wei wasn’t just trying to alarm him and asked, “Fine. Let’s hear what tricks you are up to?”
Yang You Wei bitterly stated, “This lowly one wouldn’t dare. Sir, let me tell you, the Ten Thousand Spirits Tomb is an invisible place. It’s also the tomb of all the beings of the Ancient Lands.”
“How can it be invisible?”
Yang You Wei bitterly replied, “No one knows where it is, and it’s also impossible to find.”
Yang Kai angrily rebuked, “You just said that the Third Disciple has entered the Ten Thousand Spirits Tomb, now you are saying that no one can find where it is? Do you think this Young Master is a three-year-old who you can fool anytime?”
Zhang Ruo Xi also glared at him with a cold and unkind look on her face. The main reason was that what Yang You Wei had said was too contradictory, making it hard not to be suspicious of him.
Yang You Wei was terrified as he felt pressure on his Soul, knowing that if he didn’t explain it clearly, he would have to part with his life today. Anxiously, he stated, “Sir, please calm yourself, what this lowly one said is indeed true. The entire Ancient Lands knows about the existence of the Ten Thousand Spirits Tomb. You can find out about it by just asking anyone. How could I dare lie to you?”
Yang Kai furrowed his brow, feeling like Yang You Wei would not be joking with this, waving his hand and snapping, “Go on!”
Yang You Wei let out a breath of relief, knowing he had managed to keep his life for now. Organizing his thoughts for a moment, he then continued, “The Ten Thousand Spirits Tomb is ethereal and impossible to trace. It can appear anywhere or anytime in the Ancient Lands with no set pattern. It might remain for one or two days, or even several months, but only one entrance will appear each time. If you want to enter, you can only enter through that entrance, but after so many years, no one who has entered has ever come out ever again. And… Once the Ten Thousand Spirits Tomb appears, the nearby Monster Beasts and the Ancient Lands residents who are about to die of old age would take the initiative to enter it and wait for their death. This is why it is called the Ten Thousand Spirits Tomb. Along with the Blood Gate, they are the two Restricted Areas of the Ancient Lands.”
[What in the world is this Blood Gate?] Yang Kai didn’t know what the Blood Gate was, but since it was designated as a Restricted Area, it must be an incomparably dangerous place.
Yang Kai didn’t even bother to ask about the Blood Gate as he was only interested in confirming the current situation, “So, according to you, this Ten Thousand Spirits Tomb is the place where the residents of Ancient Lands go at their predestined time of death, right?”
“Sir understands correctly!” Yang You Wei said, bowing.
“So, why did the Third Disciple go in?” Yang Kai asked, furrowing his brow.
Yang You Wei thought to himself, [You are asking me, but who am I going to ask?] But he didn’t dare to complain and could only bitterly reply, “This lowly one also has no idea, but since she has gone in… I’m afraid things aren’t looking good for her because even when the strongest Monster Kings enter, they can only remain inside and wait for death.”
When he mentioned this, he hoped that this Sir would not do anything rash.
But Yang Kai only pondered for a moment before he ordered, waving his hand, “Lead the way, let’s go and see this Ten Thousand Spirits Tomb.”
Yang You Wei felt that he had wasted his breath and wailed in his heart. He wanted to dissuade him but when he met Yang Kai’s threatening gaze, he honestly led the way ahead.
After a short while, a small group landed near the entrance of a mountain valley. Immediately after, several Monster Race members came from the jungle. Yang Kai found them familiar as he had seen them last time. They were all Yang You Wei’s subordinates.
“Sir!” The few Monster Race members stepped forward and saluted.
Yang You Wei waved his hand and asked to stand aside, warily staring at Yang Kai.
Yang Kai also looked at the mountain valley, trying to find the Ten Thousand Spirits Tombs, but he found nothing, frowning as he asked, “Where is the tomb?”
Yang You Wei looked at a subordinate and that Monster Race member immediately replied, pointing ahead, “It’s just ahead.”
“Quit playing with me!” Yang Kai’s face turned gloomier and colder.
Yang You Wei was shocked as he hurriedly stated, “This lowly one doesn’t dare to. It’s just that the entrance to the tomb is invisible, one cannot see it unless they have reached the end of his or her lifespan, only then will they be able to find some clues.”
“Really?” Yang Kai suspiciously looked at Yang You Wei. He didn’t find anything with his powerful Divine Sense, but Yang You Wei seemed to be speaking with absolute certainty, which made it harder for him to not doubt it.
“Sir, can’t you see it?” Zhang Ruo Xi suddenly intervened.
“See what?” Yang Kai looked at her in amazement.
“There is a door of light over there, a dark grey door of light!” Zhang Ruo Xi replied, pointing in a certain direction.
The eyes of the few Monster Race members present here widened in shock as they stared at Zhang Ruo Xi in disbelief.
Yang Kai was still looking around and thoroughly swept the area with his Divine Sense, but still came up with nothing, stating in frustration, “There’s nothing there.”
“How is that possible? It’s obviously there…” A doubtful look appeared on Zhang Ruo Xi’s face.
Yang You Wei timidly looked at Zhang Ruo Xi and tentatively asked, “Young Lady… Can you see… The entrance of the tomb?”
“That’s right!” Zhang Ruo Xi didn’t know what was so strange about it.
Yang You Wei’s countenance immediately became unnatural as he looked around and found that the other members of the Monster Race had strange looks on their faces too.
Yang Kai coldly looked over at them and asked with a snort, “Didn’t you say that only someone at the end of their lifespan can see the entrance? How do you explain this? Is Ruo Xi about to die of old age too?”
Zhang Ruo Xi was taken aback, furrowing her delicate brow as she angrily glared at Yang You Wei.
It was like Yang You Wei was actually cursing her to die! Just as she had first suspected, he was a bad man!
Yang You Wei stated with a crying look on his face, “This saying has been there since ancient times and remains true till today. Therefore, when this lowly one said that the Ten Thousand Spirits Tomb is invisible he was simply stating the truth. I also don’t know what’s going on!” He turned to one of his subordinates and grabbed him by his collar, angrily asking, “Are you sure that the entrance to the tomb is right there?”
The Monster Race member hurriedly nodded, “Yes, yes! That woman disappeared when she went in. When she entered, the entrance to the tomb flashed. Everyone saw it!”
The two Monster Race members on the side also repeatedly nodded in agreement.
Yang You Wei finally let him go and anxiously looked at Yang Kai.
*Dong dong dong…*
Right then, several loud thuds sounded, as if something huge was approaching, and from the direction of the sound, trees could be heard snapping and crashing to the ground.
Yang Kai and the others turned their heads when they heard this clatter and quickly caught sight of a rising cloud of dust. A huge figure was coming from the jungle, step by step, shaking the ground and mountains.
Also, many Monster Race members happened to be flying in the sky above the huge figure, constantly shouting, all looking extremely anxious.
“Sir, it’s Sir Niu’s men!” A Monster Race member suddenly approached Yang You Wei and shouted.
Yang You Wei’s countenance changed after hearing this and quickly rose into the air to get a better look. After seeing the appearance of a behemoth figure approaching, he couldn’t help but shout, “Niu Quan!”
He had mentioned Niu Quan before, and although Yang Kai didn’t get into the details, he knew that Niu Quan was a Monster General, someone on the same level of strength and status as Yang You Wei, but he didn’t expect to meet him here today.
Yang Kai was considering whether he should ask Yang You Wei to cooperate with him to silence the witness, so as to prevent other irrelevant Monster Race members from knowing about Yang You Wei cooperating with him, which might lead to some accident. But he hadn’t expected Yang You Wei to actually fly straight ahead and shout loudly, hovering in the air, “Old Niu, what are you doing?”
He didn’t get any response.
Yang You Wei’s face changed again as he anxiously asked, “Old Niu, it’s Old Yang, wake up and look at me!”
The Monster Race members who were flying along with Niu Quan recognized Yang You Wei. Some of the Monster Race members broke down in tears as they requested, “Sir Yang, please do something and save our Sir. We don’t know what happened with Sir today, he suddenly revealed his true form and started running straight in this direction. We couldn’t stop him. He is also not responding to our shouts!”
Hearing this, Yang You Wei’s conjecture was immediately confirmed. He glanced at the place where the invisible tomb entrance was as a trace of sadness appeared on his face. He heaved a heavy sigh before waving his hand and flying back to Yang Kai’s side.
*Hong long long…*
The towering trees snapped as the behemoth figure finally rushed out of the woods. Yang Kai focused his gaze and found an enormous ox-shaped Monster Beast suddenly entering his vision. Its entire body was glowing green and its skin was filled with deep cracks. The criss-cross patterns were obviously the marks left by the passage of time. Each of its hooves were the size of a house and every time they fell, the ground and mountains quaked.
There were two sickle-like curved horns on either side of the Monster Beast’s head, but one of them was cut off; who knows by what or whom, but the broken horn did not make this ox look weaker, instead just giving him a ferocious air.
[This should be the Monster General named Niu Quan!] Yang Kai made an educated guess in his heart, but he couldn’t come up with the reason why this Monster General would show his real body here. Although the strength of a Monster Race member would increase after they took on their real form, that form wasn’t ever as agile or flexible as a human form, so most Monster Race Masters would not reveal their original forms unless it was a last resort.
“What happened?” Yang Kai looked at Yang You Wei.
“His pre-destined time has come. He is about to enter the tomb.” Yang You Wei suddenly heaved a sigh, his tone carrying a bit of sadness. He had known that Niu Quan would not live for much longer, but he hadn’t expected this day to come so suddenly.
Yang Kai looked at Niu Quan and then he looked in the supposed direction of the tomb entrance that the Monster Race members had pointed out before. Then he suddenly came to realize, “Can he feel the call of the Ten Thousand Spirits Tomb?”
Yang You Wei agreed with a nod, “All inhabitants of the Ancient Lands can feel the location of the Ten Thousand Spirits Tombs when their time of death arrives and will involuntarily try to enter it. Old Niu… Haaa…” He heaved a heavy sigh and was unable to speak any further.
“I see…” Yang Kai raised his brow.
He didn’t have any friendship with Niu Quan and he wasn’t sure about whether the Ten Thousand Spirits Tombs was real or not, but now, there was actually a way to verify everything, so Yang Kai didn’t hold any sadness. On the contrary, he was watching the situation with interest, thinking these next few moments would broaden his horizons.
Niu Quan’s subordinates were still calling out to him; however, after assuming his real form, it seemed that he couldn’t hear anything anymore and only knew how to charge towards the location of the tomb entrance, step by step.
After a while, all the Monster Race members following Niu Quan came to know about the truth of the matter from Yang You Wei’s subordinates. After they came to know that their Sir was about to enter the Ten Thousand Spirits Tomb, they were extremely saddened and started weeping loudly.
In front of everyone’s eyes, Niu Quan walked into the mountain valley and suddenly stopped. He raised his head and mooed loudly before plunging forward.
Yang Kai’s eyes widened in an instant.
Because a dark grey gate of light suddenly appeared out of thin air. This gate of light was tens of meters tall and had been invisible before now. Had Niu Quan’s entrance not caused a ripple, others might not have been able to see it.
As Yang You Wei had said before, only the residents of the Ancient Lands, who were close to their pre-destined time of death, could see the tomb entrance.
Niu Quan passed through the entrance, creating ripples as he did so, and his enormous body quickly disappeared. At the same time, the tomb entrance concealed itself again.
The Monster Race members, who had followed Niu Quan here, cried and wailed.
Yang You Wei also sighed as an unpleasant look appeared on his face.
“There really is a tomb entrance!” After witnessing it with his own eyes, Yang Kai knew that Yang You Wei and the others weren’t trying to deceive him. It also confirmed that the Third Disciple had really entered the Ten Thousand Spirits Tomb.
[What should I do now?] Yang Kai was having a terrible headache. He didn’t know what dangers were inside this strange tomb, or if he could leave if he entered it. If the Ten Thousand Spirits Tomb was really a place where one could only go in, but could never come out, wouldn’t it mean that he would be seeking his own death if he charged in recklessly? Although he was proficient in the Dao of Space, he dared not act rashly.
But Ruo Xi could actually see the tomb entrance, which made things all the stranger here.
Considering all this, Yang Kai turned his head and looked at Zhang Ruo Xi, receiving a great shock as he did because Zhang Ruo Xi had arrived at the front of the tomb entrance at some point. She had her hand stretched out, reaching it towards the invisible entrance, her pair of pretty eyes flickering with a strange glow as she stared blankly forward.
“Ruo Xi, what are you doing!?” Yang Kai shouted aloud.
Zhang Ruo Xi’s tender body trembled and she suddenly regained her senses. When she realized that she had unknowingly come to the tomb entrance, her beautiful face turned pale and she immediately tried to withdraw.
But right then, the hidden tomb entrance manifested again and this time, it revealed itself in its entirety.
In the vast mountain valley, an enormous dark-grey door of light flashed a gloomy light that bathed the surrounding space in dark light.
All the Monster Race members illuminated by this light were horrified as they found themselves suddenly unable to move. A terrified look appeared on everyone’s face as they shouted and clamoured madly.
Yang Kai’s eyes also bulged to the point that they were almost ready to pop out. Illuminated by that dark-grey light, he couldn’t take even a step at all, and no matter how much he prompted the Space Principles, he was unable to teleport away.
All the surviving humans and Monster Race in the mountain valley seemed to have a petrification technique cast upon them.
“Sir, I…” Zhang Ruo Xi was on the verge of crying. She too had no idea what she was doing, and when she took a sidelong glance at Yang Kai, she found that even Yang Kai was struggling to save himself and couldn’t protect her. Her heart immediately sank.
This happened so quickly that no one could react.
Yang Kai struggled for a while, but upon determining he couldn’t free himself at all, he grit his teeth and tried to summon the Mountains and Rivers Bell, but right then, the tomb entrance flashed once more and hid itself again.
And along with its disappearance, all the living creatures inside the mountain valley had disappeared as well.
In an ashen-grey world with no Sun, Moon, or Stars, no flowers or trees, there was only deathly silence, just like a cemetery…
Yang Kai and Zhang Ruo Xi appeared together with Monster Race members and the mysterious power binding them suddenly disappeared.
Yang Kai teleported to Zhang Ruo Xi’s side the next instant, pushing his Emperor Qi to envelop her while vigilantly looking around.
But what he saw next put him in a daze.
Everyone seemed to be standing on a bone mountain. There were only white bones as far as they could see; skeletons of all shapes and sizes were scattered on the ground. The small ones were almost of negligible size, but the big ones were utterly enormous. The true body of Niu Quan was simply not worth mentioning next to some of these giants.
These white bones were left by the Monster Beasts that had died here over the many years.
“Moo…”
A beast’s roar resounded from nearby, and as Yang Kai turned to look, his pupils immediately shrank and he shouted, “Niu Quan!”
Niu Quan, whom he had seen in the mountain valley before, was also here, but at this moment, thick Death Qi lingered around him. He was lying quietly on a part of bone mountain, motionless. He had reached the end of his lifespan and appeared to be waiting for his death.
Glowing specks of light were flying out from his body, like dancing sprites, adding a touch of life to this dark-grey monotonous world. The specks of light seemed to be drawn by something as they flew towards the depths of this place.
And with the disappearance of the specks of light, Niu Quan’s vitality was also declining.
“So, this is the Ten Thousand Spirits Tomb!” Yang Kai’s face turned darker.
If he had made some guesses before, then after seeing Niu Quan, he already had a clear idea what kind of place it was.
Ten Thousand Spirits Tomb!
It was the tomb for the entire Ancient Lands, a place where one could only go in but could never come out. Even the strongest Monster King could forget about leaving after entering this place.
[How did I enter this damned place?] Before, Yang Kai was still hesitating whether to come in and explore to find traces of the Third Disciple, but now, since he had come in, albeit not by his own choice, he basically didn’t have the chance to hesitate anymore.
“I’m sorry, Sir. I also don’t know what happened to me just now!” Zhang Ruo Xi was about to cry. She also knew that she had made a big mistake, but it was indeed involuntary; her body simply wasn’t under her control at that moment.
After entering the Ancient Wild Lands, she found that there was something wrong with her, but she had never expected to charge into a disaster like this.
Yang Kai glanced at her and patted her head, not saying anything.
It was too late to say anything anyway, and now that they were forced in, what would be the point of scolding Zhang Ruo Xi? It didn’t go unnoticed by Yang Kai that Zhang Ruo Xi’s actions were unintentional. The most important thing now was to leave this damned place.
He turned his head to look for Yang You Wei.
After all, Yang You Wei was a member of Monster Race, born and bred in this land, so his understanding of the Ten Thousand Spirits Tomb should naturally be better than Yang Kai’s. If there was a way out, he must know about it.
But after a glance, Yang Kai’s face started twitching because he realized that Yang You Wei would not be able to help him at all because, at this moment, Yang You Wei and the crowd of Monster Race were also stupidly standing on their spots, shrouded by a dark-grey aura while specks of light were escaping out of their bodies bit by bit.
Just like Niu Quan, the same thing was happening to Yang You Wei and the other Monster Race present. The specks of light flying out from their bodies were obviously related to their vitality, and the more time passed, the dimmer their vitality became. If this went on, they would undoubtedly die.
Niu Quan could be considered to have come here on his own initiative to die as his end was approaching, but Yang You Wei and the other Monster Race members were all dragged in here involuntarily.
“Sir… Please… Save me…” Yang You Wei, noticing Yang Kai’s gaze, shouted in a trembling voice, Death Qi lingering on his face.
An awkward look appeared on Yang Kai’s face as he clenched his fist and forced a cough before speaking, “I can’t do anything about this. You are on your own on this one.”
He had no clear understanding of the Ten Thousand Spirits Tomb, or how to save Yang You Wei and the others. Perhaps he could send them into the Sealed World Bead to escape this disaster, but the Sealed World Bead was Yang Kai’s closely guarded secret. Except for those he trusted implicitly, he would not expose it to others. Exposing the existence of the Sealed World Bead to save these Monsters wasn’t cost-effective at all.
Yang You Wei immediately despaired after hearing this, but he soon looked at Yang Kai in amazement and stated, “Sir, why are you…safe and sound?”
Yang Kai also discovered this as out of everyone who was sucked into this tomb, only he and Zhang Ruo Xi were safe. The other Monster Race members were quickly losing their vitality. If it weren’t for this, Yang Kai wouldn’t have calmed down this quickly.
“I don’t know. Perhaps it’s because we aren’t residents of the Ancient Lands. Didn’t you say that this is the tomb of all inhabitants of the Ancient Lands?” Yang Kai casually explained. Apart from this reason, he didn’t have any other explanation either.
“Is such an amazing thing possible…” Yang You Wei’s face twitched as a look of hatred filled his eyes.
[If you hadn’t asked me to search for the whereabouts of that crazy woman, we would never have been dragged by into this Ten Thousand Spirits Tomb and wound up here. That’s all fine and well, I can blame that on my bad luck, but you still acting carefree even after seeing that we can’t survive is intolerable! You basically don’t need to worry about dying here and yet you are not doing anything to help us!]
Yang You Wei’s heart was burning with indignation and he couldn’t wait to tear Yang Kai apart to vent his hatred.
“Sir, you can’t just ignore our plight!” Yang You Wei grit his teeth and shouted aloud.
Yang Kai furrowed his brow in impatience as he stated, “I said I can’t do anything. Only the damned ghosts know what happens in this tomb!” While speaking, he suddenly looked at Yang You Wei, squinting his eyes as he asked with a cold smile on his lips, “Why? Are you angry?”
[What nonsense! Who won’t feel angry about this situation?] In any case, he was about to die, so Yang You Wei suddenly got bolder, his eyes turning cold and sinister as he stated, “Sir, if you don’t do something, I can’t say that I’ll not drag you down with me.”
Yang Kai immediately smirked and taunted, “Drag me down with you? Did you forget that your life and death are just a matter of this Young Master’s thought? Do you think you can take me down with you?”
“…” Yang You Wei’s face immediately froze. In his moment of anger, he had forgotten this point, but now that he returned to his senses, he realized that he didn’t have any qualifications to threaten Yang Kai as his Soul Brand was in his grasp.
He was overcome with a feeling of sorrow and slumped down on the ground before he began crying out loud, “How tragic!? This Old Yang has been bitterly cultivating till now, but who would have thought that I would die without being able to enjoy my life. The Heavens really have no eyes! Damn you, Heavens! This Old Yang cannot coexist together with you!”
His cry was heart-wrenching and his voice was filled with sadness. Other Monster Race members also felt grief after hearing this.
After having fallen into the tomb, they could also foresee their own fate, but they weren’t reacting in such an exaggerated manner. Nevertheless, they too must be feeling extremely sad in their heart.
Yang Kai snorted, “Don’t cry in such an ugly manner. If you die, everyone will die together with you. Everyone will accompany you on the road to the Yellow Springs. You won’t be lonely!”
Yang You Wei wiped his tears and angrily stated, “If you were standing in my shoes, you wouldn’t say that. This is the tomb of all the Ancient Lands creatures. It has nothing to do with you!”
Yang Kai spat disdainfully and stopped talking. In fact, he also found it very strange why this place had no effect on him or Zhang Ruo Xi. Instead, the vitality of other Monster Race members was passing away with every breath, turning into specks of light and floating off.
[Is it really because of what I just said?]
At this moment, mournful wails rang out as glowing black wisps suddenly flew out from under the white bones. As soon as those pitch-black lights wisps appeared, they transformed into Monster Beasts of all kinds of shapes and sizes that swiftly pinned the surviving Monster Race members to the ground.
Every time the phantom of a Monster Beast crashed into them, it would dim the vitality of the surviving Monster Race, and the speed at which the glowing specks left their body would increase noticeably.
“A Beast Soul!” Yang You Wei turned pale and cried in shock.
Yang Kai’s countenance also changed, because in this short while, thousands of shadows flew out from below the bone mountains. These shadows were similar to Yin Souls and were emanating strong Yin Qi. Obviously, all of them were the residual Beast Souls of the Monster Beasts who had fallen here.
The Ten Thousand Spirits Tomb had existed for who knows how many eons, and countless Monster Beasts must have died here over all those years. After these Monster Beasts had died, at least some of their Beast Souls remained. By now, their number was surely uncountable.
In the blink of an eye, innumerable Beast Souls were stalking around the bone mountain, each of them a different shape and size, retaining the form they had before their deaths. They all had a strong air about them, giving the impression that a black aura had covered the entire tomb. It looked like a swarm of locusts was passing through.
Zhang Ruo Xi’s pretty face turned pale as she stuck closer to Yang Kai; she didn’t dare to make any rash moves.
Having prior experience with Yin Souls, Yang Kai directly summoned the Insect Enslavement Bracelet without a moment of thought, releasing all the Soul Devouring Insects and surrounding themselves with their swarm. He first ensured his own safety before allowing the rest of the Soul Devouring Insects to swarm the Beast Souls.
Once the Soul Devouring Sects appeared, the countless Beast Souls acted as if they had encountered their nemesis and fled away from Yang Kai and Zhang Ruo Xi’s location, not daring to approach them.
Yang Kai was pleasantly surprised. The success of Soul Devouring Insects in this place was too surprising and they were definitely the best way to deal with things like Yin Souls. He secretly decided to focus on training them in the future. When the Soul Devouring Insects fully matured, maybe he would be able to fight off Serene Soul Great Emperor if he ever ran into him again.
[That old fogie relied on his higher cultivation to cover up his daughter’s misconduct, but I couldn’t do anything!] This really made Yang Kai grind his teeth in anger.
The miserable shouts of Yang You Wei and other Monster Race members being annihilated rang out one after another, and within just a few breaths, silence had returned to the tomb. Obviously, all of them were dead. Yang Kai felt the Soul Brand belonging to Yang You Wei under his control shatter, making him sigh with some emotion.
Although he hadn’t planned to pay attention to Yang You Wei’s life and death before, and was controlling him to find the whereabouts of Bing Yun’s Third Disciple, the fact that he died like this was a little out of his expectations.
“Sir, please open a gap!” Zhang Ruo Xi suddenly requested.
Yang Kai didn’t know what she wanted to do now. He was really frightened by Zhang Ruo Xi’s previous actions, and someone bitten by a snake once would be afraid of a rope for ten years; however, once he saw Zhang Ruo Xi take out a huge wooden seal, his eyes immediately lit up and he promptly controlled the Soul Devouring Insects to open a gap.
Zhang Ruo Xi patted the seal with her hand, directly sending it flying through the gap.
Immediately afterwards, she continuously made hand seals, controlling the huge seal’s ability.
After the huge seal flew out, it suddenly grew bigger, turning into the size of a house and making it give off a pitch-black light.
*Hualala…*
The sound of chains clanking rang out as Zhang Ruo Xi’s hand seals changed. Suddenly, countless black chains shot out from the enormous seal, shooting in all directions.
The Beast Souls flying around were completely helpless against these chains and were bound by them, one after another.
The chains tightened as the tied up Beast Souls were pulled towards the huge seals under Zhang Ruo Xi’s control. In the blink of an eye, hundreds of menacing Beast Souls were pulled into the huge seal, disappearing in a flash, and no matter how the Beast Souls struggled, they couldn’t get free.
“You have already refined the Ten Thousand Beasts Seal completely?” Yang Kai asked, looking surprised.
“I finished refining it a few days ago,” Zhang Ruo Xi stated with joy without stopping her hands, “But who would have thought that such a good thing would happen.”
The huge seal was Earth City’s City Lord, Zu Hong’s Ten Thousand Beasts Seal. After Zu Hong was killed by Yang Kai in the ancient medicine garden, the latter had given the Ten Thousand Beasts Seal to Zhang Ruo Xi to defend herself. In any case, it was an Emperor Artifact that could display extraordinary might depending on the number and strength of Beast Souls sealed in it.
The more Beast Souls that were sealed inside, and the stronger their strength, the mightier the Ten Thousand Beasts Seals would be.
After Zu Hong got the Ten Thousand Beasts Seal, he had worked hard but was only able to kill less than a thousand Monster Beasts and seal their Souls inside this Seal using his Secret Technique. Furthermore, most of those Beast Souls were Tenth or Eleventh-Order. The number of Twelfth-Order Beast Souls he possessed could be countered on one hand, so he simply couldn’t unleash the true might of the Ten Thousand Beasts Seal.
But inside the Ten Thousand Spirits Tomb, Twelfth-Order Monster Beast Souls were everywhere. If all of them were sealed inside the Ten Thousand Beasts Seal by Zhang Ruo Xi, the might of this Emperor Artifact would be unimaginable.
Beast Souls were hard to find; after all, one could only get a Beast Soul by killing a Monster Beast and then refining it with a special Secret Technique. If one’s luck was poor, during this refinement they would damage the Beast Seal and drastically reduce its strength.
But this place was a natural gathering place for Beast Souls, simply tailored for supplementing the Ten Thousand Beasts Seal.
Before, Zhang Ruo Xi was still thinking about where she should go to kill Monster Beasts and increase the might of Ten Thousand Beasts Seal; however, she hadn’t expected for everything to be delivered to her doorstep. One could imagine how many tyrannical Beast Souls were gathered here.
If she could really seal all the Beast Souls present here into the Ten Thousand Beasts Seal, when she went to use it against an enemy, the entire Star Boundary would certainly tremble under its might.
*Hua la la…*
The sounds of chains clanking rang out to no end, and every time Zhang Ruo Xi made a move, hundreds of Beast Souls were dragged into the Ten Thousand Beasts Soul. She repeated it again and again, working without stop.
Seeing this, Yang Kai couldn’t help feeling a bit envious.
The Ten Thousand Beasts Seal obviously had a powerful restraint on the Beast Souls. Those flying Beast Souls, no matter how strong or weak they were, were all suppressed by the Ten Thousand Beasts Soul and were unable to break free. One after another, they were taken into the large seal and disappeared thereafter.
Yang Kai clearly saw many Beast Souls comparable to Twelfth-Order Monster Beast dragged into the big seal.
Ruo Xi was making a killing. After this trip was over, the might of the Ten Thousand Beast Seals would be unfathomable.
As this thought crossed his mind, Yang Kai’s countenance sank again. He was inside the Ten Thousand Spirits Tomb and had no idea how to get out of here. He didn’t even know whether tearing space would work here.
*Hualala…*
As the countless wandering Beast Souls collided with each other, the bone mountain shattered and the white bones turned into dust.
Suddenly, a vague yellow glow caught Yang Kai’s eyes. Curious, Yang Kai reached out, grabbing that glow in his hand. It was warm and round. Also, he immediately felt decent energy fluctuations from it.
“A Monster Core!” Yang Kai’s eyes lit up as a look of surprise filled his face.
Much to his surprise, it was a Monster Beast Core. Furthermore, judging by the energy fluctuations, it appeared to be the Monster Core of a Tenth-Order Monster Beast.
Yang Kai stood there in a daze for a while; who knows what was going on in his mind, but he seemed extremely excited. Suddenly, he flicked his sleeve, giving rise to a gust of wind.
*Huhuhu…*
The bone mountain collapsed into ashes that flew in every direction as if a white storm was blowing, and at the centre of the storm, an open area of tens of metres in radius remained, where several dozen Monster Cores of different colours lay strewn about.
“Hahaha!” Yang Kai couldn’t help but laugh out loud as he stared at the several dozen Monster Cores, excitement filling his face.
Although Zhang Ruo Xi was preoccupied with sealing the Beast Souls, Yang Kai movements hadn’t gone unnoticed by her. At this moment, she asked in a sweet voice, “Sir, could it be that the Monster Cores remained here after the death of these Monster Beasts?”
“It must be so. Ruo Xi, we’re going to be rich!” Yang Kai happily replied before he began collecting the several dozen Monster Cores.
These were several dozen Monster Cores of different grades, but the lowest was still of Ninth-Order, while the highest was of Twelfth-Order.
Countless Monster Beasts had died in the Ten Thousand Spirits Tomb, and after their deaths, their Souls transformed into Beast Souls, guarding this place while their flesh and skin disappeared into glowing specks, leaving behind their Monster Core.
It was impossible to calculate how many Beast Souls there were, and similarly, the number of Monster Cores lying here could not be calculated either!
Monster Beast Cores had many uses, but they were mostly used in Alchemy. Many Spirit Pills required Monster Beast Cores to refine, and while Yang Kai had collected many spirit grasses and herbs over the years, he was always short on Monster Cores, but after today, he would have many choices in this regard when refining pills.
Previously, he felt that Zhang Ruo Xi got an opportunity by coming here, but he hadn’t expected an opportunity to fall into his lap in the very next moment.
[If I could clean out the Monster Cores in this tomb, I would be making a killing! Even the Ten Great Emperors might be jealous!]
After collecting the several dozen Monster Cores, Yang Kai waved his hand again, sweeping away the nearby skeletons. Immediately, several dozen more Monster Cores of different grades appeared on the ground.
Zhang Ruo Xi was doing her best to seal the Beast Souls, while Yang Kai was doing everything to collect the Monster Cores. The two were performing their duties without interfering with each other, cooperating seamlessly.
In the beginning, Yang Kai would sweep away the bones to expose the cores, but he soon found that tiresome, so he began to simply spread his Divine Sense to search for every Monster Core he could find then use his Golden Blood Threads to pull them out, saving himself from dealing with the bone dust.
This way, his efficiency had improved a lot too.
In a short time, all the nearby Beast Souls had been collected by Zhang Ruo Xi, while all the Monster Cores within a dozen kilometres had been cleaned up by Yang Kai. Although he didn’t count, he was certain he collected over ten thousand Monster Cores.
Even if only one percent of the ten thousand or so Monster Cores were Twelfth-Order, there would be over a hundred Twelfth-Order Monster Cores! Each of which was extremely valuable.
“Let’s change places!”
Having cleaned the nearby region, Yang Kai immediately dragged Zhang Ruo Xi to a new spot. As for how to get out of here… It wouldn’t be too late to worry about that after getting enough benefits.
Soon they came to another bone mountain, where Zhang Ruo Xi summoned the Ten Thousand Beasts Seal, while Yang Kai spread his Divine Sense to search for the buried Monster Cores.
After a little less than the time it takes to boil a cup of tea, they had cleaned out this mountain as well. Needless to say, Yang Kai wrapped Zhang Ruo Xi with his Emperor Qi and changed positions again.
They kept clearing everything wherever they went. All the Beast Souls were sealed by Zhang Ruo Xi, whereas the Monster Cores were cleaned out by Yang Kai. This was the first time in the Ten Thousand Spirits Tomb’s history it had suffered like this.
This was nothing short of wanton plundering!
If the four Divine Venerables of the Ancient Wild Lands came to know about this, who knows how they would feel.
There were no Sun, Moon, or Stars here; no night or day either, but according to Yang Kai’s calculations, he and Zhang Ruo Xi had been here for about three days and had scoured almost the entire tomb.
This should be a Small Sealed World that spanned a small area. The two had spent three days only sealing Beast Souls and collecting Monster Cores, but if they had focused on just exploring, they could have searched this entire place in under an hour.
Their harvest was unimaginable though.
The Yin Qi around the Ten Thousand Beasts Seal was getting darker and darker. Even if Zhang Ruo Xi didn’t activate it, one could feel its tyrannical might. According to Zhang Ruo Xi, the Ten Thousand Beasts Seal was almost saturated, there were at least a few hundred thousand Beast Souls sealed inside, and this didn’t include the Beast Souls devoured by the Soul Devouring Insects.
The Soul Devouring Insects had eaten quite a lot these days in fact. Only half of the Beast Souls were sealed by Zhang Ruo Xi while the remaining half were devoured clean by the insects. Now, the Soul Devouring Insects were transmitting a sense of sleepiness to Yang Kai, showing signs of wanting to enter hibernation.
Yang Kai knew that this was a sign that they were on the verge of an evolutionary leap, which made him very happy.
As for the Monster Cores Yang Kai had obtained, there were more than a million. The Monster Cores had almost formed a hill in the Sealed World Bead, ranging from Ninth-Order to Twelfth-Order.
Not a single great force could have such a large amount of Monster Cores alone. Even the Sects founded by Great Emperors didn’t have such financial resources.
After travelling around the Ten Thousand Spirits Tomb once again, confirming that no fish had slipped through their net, Yang Kai finally stopped and looked in a certain direction.
“Sir, are you going there?” Zhang Ruo Xi, putting away the Ten Thousand Beasts Seal, gracefully stood by his side.
The two of them had been running around the entire tomb over these few days, but they hadn’t found any exit, nor did they find any traces of Bing Yun’s Third Disciple. If there were any exits, it would only be possible in that direction as there were no beast skeletons over there, so the two hadn’t gone to search there yet.
That should be the centre of the entire Ten Thousand Spirits Tomb. All the Monster Beasts that had come here to die had surrounded the central region in a circular ring, leaving a large empty space.
Yang Kai had been busy collecting Monster Cores and hadn’t paid much attention to this before.
[I need to check it out. If the Third Disciple is here, she must be at the centre. I wonder if she is dead or alive.]
Nodding, Yang Kai kicked the ground, running in that direction. Zhang Ruo Xi hurriedly followed after him.
Passing through the bone mountains, the two quickly arrived at the open area, and after looking around, Yang Kai noticed a dark grey glow in the distance. Yang Kai squinted his eyes to have a clear look.
After a moment, he happily smiled.
Because the dark grey glow was actually in the shape of the tomb entrance that he had seen before.
Maybe there really was an exit. If he could get out through there, it would save him the trouble of tearing the space to form an exit. Yang Kai wasn’t even sure he could tear a hole in the barrier around this Small World.
Yang Kai immediately increased his speed, but along the way, he suddenly froze and lowered his head to inspect something.
Zhang Ruo Xi’s pretty eyes also widened as she stared at this unexpected sight.
Because down below, there was an extremely fierce aura, the source of which was a thin and skinny body.
The figure’s hair was dishevelled and it cut a sorry figure, but obviously, it was still alive. The thin figure was surrounded by strands of black Qi and glowing specks were escaping from it, bit by bit.
“Monster Race!” Zhang Ruo Xi cried out in a low voice. At a glance, she could tell that the figure belonged to a member of the Monster Race, and a very powerful one at that.
“It’s a Monster King!” Yang Kai added; extremely shocked.
He had no idea how a Monster King appeared here because this area didn’t look like a palace where a member of the Monster Race could step into. Otherwise, this place would not be clean; it would be piled up with bones and skeletons.
Furthermore, the Monster King was still very much alive and kicking. He was trying very hard to resist the passing of his vitality, but by the looks of it, he wouldn’t last for too long.
No wonder Yang You Wei said that even the strongest Monster King would find themselves on a road to their doom after entering the Ten Thousand Spirits Tomb; the Monster King before them was the best proof. A Monster Race member had to be as strong as a peak Third-Order Emperor Realm Master to become the Monster King, yet even a Master this strong couldn’t get out after entering this place.
After hesitating for a while, Yang Kai flickered and flew over to the Monster King.
Obviously, the Monster King was taken aback, his skinny figure shuddering as he looked up at Yang Kai.
His gaze was as deep as an abyss and a little dull as well. He had indeed reached his rope’s end.
“How did a Human…” The Monster King’s lips moved as his lifeless eyes revealed a surprised look.
Yang Kai raised his brow. Hearing his surprised voice, he asked with a frown, “Have you seen anyone pass through here before?”
The Monster King had one foot in the grave yet he was still extremely arrogant and unyielding, pursing his lips after hearing this and somehow trying to show a cold smile, but only managing a grin that looked uglier than if he had been crying, “Why would this King tell you?”
A bright flash passed through Yang Kai’s eyes as he pointed at the door of light and suggested, “I’ll be leaving through that. If you want, I can bring you along!”
The arrogant Monster King was immediately moved, his lifeless eyes suddenly regaining their lustre as his expression changed; however, his excitement soon disappeared as he asked with a snort, “Why would you be so kind?”
Yang Kai indifferently replied, “We both need something from the other. As long as you can tell me what I want to know, it won’t be a big deal to save you.”
“What good would it do me lying to you? You are about to die soon anyway,” Yang Kai indifferently stated.
The Monster King replied, “The words of you Humans… heh heh…” He implied that the Humans were too deceitful and untrustworthy.
Yang Kai turned around and left without another word, “Since that’s what you want then forget it.”
“Hold on…”
Unsurprisingly, Yang Kai only walked a few steps before the Monster King called out to him.
After all, his life was at stake, and before him was a glimmer of hope and a chance to struggle.
Yang Kai glanced back and looked at him with squinted eyes.
The Monster King murmured a sentence, who knows whether he was cursing or not, but after a moment he finally spoke, “Take this King out first, then this King will tell you whatever you want to know.”
“You dream!” Yang Kai coldly snorted, not bothering to pay attention to him anymore.
Seeing that Yang Kai was really planning to leave, the Monster King immediately became anxious. He didn’t have the time to negotiate with Yang Kai either, so he replied in a hoarse voice, “Yes, someone did pass through here!”
Yang Kai halted his footsteps once more, turned around and added, indifferently looking at him, “Don’t play games with me, or I will immediately leave.”
The Monster King’s face turned ugly, but he didn’t dare to say anything.
Yang Kai stated, “What did the person who passed here look like?”
The Monster King angrily replied, “It was a woman. Her hair was a mess and she was clearly crazy. She even smashed a Monster Core on this King’s forehead. If this King hadn’t fallen in this predicament, how would this King be bullied by her?”
Yang Kai found it very funny; however, the Third Disciple might really do something like this, so he continued asking in a calm voice, “Did she leave in that direction?”
“Indeed!”
Hearing this news, Yang Kai couldn’t help but be relieved. Having failed to find the Third Disciple before, he was really afraid that something might have happened to her; after all, this place was extremely dangerous. It wasn’t good to provoke the countless Beast Souls here. Yang Kai, touching his chin, asked, “If she can leave, why are you trapped here?”
Monster King replied with indignation, “If you can leave, why is this King trapped here? The Ancient Lands’ residents are greatly suppressed inside the Ten Thousand Spirits Tomb. This King ventured into this place by mistake, and now this King can do nothing to leave!”
“It doesn’t look like your lifespan has come to an end. How did you come here anyway?” Yang Kai curiously looked at him.
Speaking of this, the Monster King looked like he would shed tears of blood. He heaved a sigh before replying, “Everyone has their shares of misfortune and blessings. This King came into this palace when this King was treading the sky.”
Like the Monster King here, who knows how many there were in the Ancient Lands that accidentally entered this place before their predestined time of death. However, after entering the tomb, they would really die, reaching the end of their life…
It was also thanks to this Monster King’s strength that he could reach this close to the exit, escaping from the pursuing Beast Souls. Otherwise, he would have already been dead and not even a pound of his flesh would remain.
After having replied to Yang Kai’s questions, the Monster King urged, “If you have something else to ask, ask quickly. This King can’t hold on for much longer.”
“I have no further questions,” Yang Kai shook his head before focusing his gaze on him.
Sensing the malicious intentions in his gaze, the Monster King’s heart skipped a beat, realizing that Yang Kai was going to burn the bridge after crossing the river. What Yang Kai had said earlier was complete nonsense. In a flash, the Monster King became extremely sad and angry. He had known that Humans never keep their word, but he still had a bit of hope in his heart. In the end, he was still pushed to his death though, so the Monster King felt extremely tired and weary…
He thought that Yang Kai would kill him immediately, but Yang Kai pondered for a moment instead before stating, “Hand over your Soul Brand, and you will live!”
And having tasted the sweetness once, Yang Kai was craving for more; he had controlled Yang You Wei to be at his beck and call, and had found the Third Disciple’s trail as soon as she appeared as a result. And Yang You Wei was just a Monster General, with a limited number of subordinates. If Yang Kai could subdue a Monster King, not to mention finding the Third Disciple, even his search for Xiao Xiao would be many times easier.
Furthermore, with this Monster King’s shelter, it would be much more convenient to walk around and do things in the Ancient Lands.
When the Monster King heard this, he immediately acted like a cat whose tail had been stepped on and snarled, “In your dreams!”
He was one of the thirty-two honourable Monster Kings, with a distinguished status and tyrannical strength, how could he be willing to be controlled by a Human? And he could easily tell that this Human was weaker than him, someone he could easily slap in half if he was at his peak. It would be nothing more than a joke to hand his Soul Brand to him.
Yang Kai didn’t pressure the Monster King though and just stated in a calm and relaxed manner, “Once someone dies, he can no longer do anything. Only by staying alive can you have hope.”
Monster King sneered, “It’s better than being enslaved and constantly being on the brink of death.”
Yang Kai glanced at him before indifferently speaking, “Monster King, don’t you have sons or daughters? If you die here, what will happen to your children? All the Monster Race members, who were once oppressed by you will certainly not be polite to your family. By the way, Monster King, you should have wives and concubines too, right? As a Monster King, your wives and concubines should be all beautiful and charming. After you die, I’m afraid those wives and concubines will quickly belong to others. They will be ravaged and savoured, again and again. They will never get to have the pleasure of being with you again. What a pity, your widows and children will have a hard time in the future!”
Hearing this, the Monster King’s dim face immediately turned as black as the bottom of a pot. He felt that Yang Kai’s every sentence was touching his sore spot, inevitably making him think of the misery his wives and children would have to face after his death.
Especially those wives and concubines, they would really be wantonly ravaged by others.
The Monster King couldn’t continue thinking about it anymore and his eyes turned red as he fumed through his nose.
Zhang Ruo Xi too was feeling extremely uncomfortable hearing this, her face flushing as she reflected, [How could Sir speak of something like this? It’s too shameful!]
The Monster King’s face changed as the speed with which the glowing specks escaping from his body suddenly increased. Apparently, he couldn’t suppress the passing of his vitality as his mood fluctuated.
Contrary to Yang Kai’s expectations though, the Monster King turned his head after a moment and said in a heavy voice, “This King would rather die than surrender!”
[He’s not bluffing!] Yang Kai was slightly stunned and began to admire him a little. When an ordinary person was about to die, he would agree to anything as long as he could be saved, just like Yang You Wei, who handed his Soul Brand over immediately. However, this Monster King seemed to have an iron will, which was really impressive.
With this line of attack having failed, Yang Kai could only choose even more extreme methods of persuasion. Yang Kai was still hoping for this Monster King to work for him, so he couldn’t kill him outright, instead turning to Zhang Ruo Xi and giving her a wink before saying, “Give him a taste.”
Zhang Ruo Xi was confused at first, but she was quite clever and soon understood what Yang Kai meant. She stretched her hand out and immediately summoned the Ten Thousand Beasts Seal.
The Monster King kept sneering, “If you want to kill me, you can stop wasting time and get on with it.” He looked as if he would calmly accept his death; it was quite a sight.
Yang Kai didn’t speak a word. Zhang Ruo Xi, on the other hand, constantly formed seals with her hands and then patted the Ten Thousand Beasts Seal, releasing a seemingly never-ending tide of Beast Souls of various shapes and sizes from it.
Each Beast Soul retained the appearance it had before its host’s death, and all of them were extraordinary and majestic. Judging by the aura, many of them weren’t any weaker than the Monster King, with some possibly even stronger.
The Monster King’s eyes widened as he blankly gawked at this sight.
Zhang Ruo Xi remarked, “This is the Ten Thousand Beasts Seal. It has strong suppression ability against the Souls of Monster Beasts. Are you going to surrender to my Sir, or should I use the Ten Thousand Beasts Soul to collect your Soul, stopping you from reincarnating ever again? Your choice!”
The Monster King’s sickly body immediately trembled, raising his finger and pointing at Yang Kai as he grudgingly scolded, “You… You’re going too far!”
He would rather die than surrender, and refused to hand over his Soul Brand just to save his skin, but now? With the appearance of the Ten Thousand Beasts Seal, he would not even be at peace after his death. His Soul would be received inside the Ten Thousand Beasts Seal.
By then, his life would be no worse than death. A slave either way.
Yang Kai grinned meaningfully, signalling Zhang Ruo Xi to put away the Ten Thousand Beasts Sea before he patted the Monster King’s shoulder and explained, “Don’t make it sound so ugly. Monster King, you would rather die than live on in dishonour; your heroic spirit is really admirable, but we belong to two different races. In the end, it’s not possible for me to simply save you out of good faith.”
“You just promised me,” Monster King glared at Yang Kai, but he could do nothing to him.
Yang Kai stroked his chin and stated, “Times have changed. As the saying goes, a wise man will submit to circumstances! Monster King, I will not make things difficult for you. If you surrender to me, I just want you to do some little things for me. When I’m done with them, I will leave the Ancient Lands. At that time, I will definitely return your freedom!”
“Do you think I will still believe you?” Monster King contemptuously looked at him.
Yang Kai stated with a snort, “Do you have any other choice?”
[This guy’s face flips faster than the page of a book.] The Monster King stared at him in a daze.
“I don’t have the time to waste on you. Either hand over your Soul Brand or I’ll immediately kill you and collect your Soul into the Ten Thousand Beasts Seal; your choice!” Yang Kai waved his hand; his tone was beyond question.
Meanwhile, Zhang Ruo Xi controlled the Ten Thousand Beasts Seal to fly over the Monster King’s head, giving the impression that if he didn’t agree, she would immediately do it.
The Monster King was unwilling, but he had no other choice. He could only grit his teeth and agree, “Take it!”
His voice was filled with grief, indignation, and unwillingness. This time, he was like a tiger that had gone down to the plains, leaving himself to be humiliated by the dogs, like a Phoenix in the cage mocked by the small birds.
Yang Kai immediately put on a smiling face, stretching his hand toward him.
The Monster King used a Secret Technique next, and soon, a wisp of golden light floated from his forehead. Yang Kai promptly grabbed it and took it inside his Knowledge Sea.
[I might have lost Yang You Wei in this tomb, but I have gained a Monster King instead. It’s not a loss.]
As for the Monster King, who had used the Secret Technique to surrender his Soul Brand, he had become incomparably weak and the glow around him collapsed, giving him the appearance of a man near death.
Yang Kai grabbed him, turned around, and sprinted straight towards the dark-grey door, asking, “It’s alright to get out from here, right?”
The Monster King slightly nodded, a complicated look in his eyes. He might have escaped alive, but he had lost his freedom. He was a slave now; it wasn’t something he wanted. Therefore, he didn’t appear to be happy being able to escape from the gates of death. Rather he was very depressed.
Not long after, Yang Kai had arrived before the door of light with the Monster King. He pushed his Emperor Qi, enveloping the Monster King and Zhang Ruo Xi before rushing straight into the door.
Everything before their eyes changed as the two Humans and one Monster Race member left the Ten Thousand Spirits Tomb and reappeared in a lush and vibrant world.
They were surrounded by ancient trees that reached straight to the clouds, and Wild Force filled the air once more. Clearly they had appeared somewhere inside the Ancient Wild Lands.
[It was so easy to leave!] Yang Kai couldn’t help but be a little surprised.
Apparently, the Ten Thousand Spirits Toms was really only for the Ancient Wild Lands’ residents and didn’t restrict outsiders from entering or exiting it. Of course, one had to escape the pursuit of countless Beast Souls after entering, otherwise, they would find themselves on a road to Hell.
[This doesn’t look like the mountain valley where we entered the Ten Thousand Spirits Tomb from. Where are we?]
Their appearance seemed to have made some noise as a Monster Race member came rushing over from not too far away to check things out. But before he could approach closer, the Monster King let out a low roar before rushing like a bolt of lightning, pouncing straight at the Monster Race member.
A miserable cry immediately resounded as the Monster Race member was knocked to the ground without even seeing who had sneak attacked him. The Monster King opened his mouth and bit his victim’s neck, swallowing his blood in large gulps. For a moment, the Monster Race member thrown on the ground miserably howled and wailed as he continued to struggle, but he wasn’t able to get free and gradually his struggle and wails died down.
After a while, the Monster King got up and turned around, wiping the blood off the corners of his mouth.
The Monster Race member’s blood seemed to have provided him a lot of energy, and his skinny and ragged figure had improved a lot; at least, his skin had regained a bit of luster, and his figure had become a little bulkier. Even his dwindling vitality had improved a little.
He glanced at Yang Kai with a complicated look in his eyes, but finally, he lowered his head and heavily sighed.
“What should I call you, Monster King?” Yang Kai asked.
“Xie Wu Wei!” The Monster King snappily replied; however, seeing that Yang Kai had no intention of disregarding him just because he was a Soul Slave now, he felt relieved. He was afraid that Yang Kai would throw insults and abuse him after bringing him out. If that were the case, he would definitely not be able to bear it with his explosive temper.
“Fearless and dauntless! A good name, Monster King!” Yang Kai smiled.
Xie Wu Wei responded, waving off, “It’s nothing like that!” After being silent for a while, he asked, “What should this King call you?”
Yang Kai replied, “You can call me Young Master Yang.”
Xie Wu Wei lightly nodded before speaking, “Young Master Yang, earlier you said that this King would need to do something for you, I wonder what exactly that is?”
He couldn’t wait to finish Yang Kai’s task and then try to get rid of his control, and he made no attempt to hide his intentions.
“There’s no rush,” Yang Kai chided, “First take me back to your base, then we will talk about what I want you to do. It needs many people.”
[Back to my base!?] Xie Wu Wei looked annoyed. As one of the thirty-two Monster Kings, he had a distinguished status, and it wouldn’t look good if someone saw him with a Human. Worse, if he were to be seen taking orders from a Human, how would he show his old face in the future?
Yang Kai could tell what was going on in his mind and added, “Monster King, rest assured, I won’t make things difficult for you. If your subordinates ask, you can tell them that this Young Master is your friend from outside. It’s okay for Ancient Lands’ Monster Race members to make one or two Human friends, right?”
Xie Wu Wei’s brow twitched as he reluctantly agreed, “Fine.”
With his Soul Brand being controlled by Yang Kai, how could he disobey? He was under the eaves now and had no choice but to bow his head.
Afterwards, the three figures used their respective Movement Skills, making a beeline towards the depths of the Ancient Lands.
Xie Wu Wei was quite familiar with the Ancient Wild Lands and led Yang Kai and Zhang Ruo Xi forward without trying to hide his tracks.
A few ignorant Monster Race members came to investigate, but they all became Xie Wu Wei’s supplements.
Half a day later, a towering mountain appeared before the trio. There were some buildings hidden on this mountain, and after taking a closer look, Yang Kai discovered that those buildings were made of large and small stones. They didn’t have any beauty at all, looking rough and wild, just like the Monster Race’s temperament.
On the mountainside, there were countless caves, with many Monster Race members living in them.
Yang Kai and the others flew over, obviously alarming the Monster Race members living on the mountain. They immediately walked out of the cave to investigate, but before they could clearly see who had come, the trio had already rushed into the main hall.
In the hall, the few beautiful maids present fearfully looked at Xie Wu Wei before bowing and greeting, “Sir!”
Xie Wu Wei was in a bad mood, so he didn’t bother to care about these maids. He didn’t even cast them a sidelong glance and rushed straight in. But Yang Kai and Zhang Ruo Xi, following Xie Wu Wei, had immediately provoked the maids.
After all, the two of them had no Monster Qi around them and were clearly Humans. They couldn’t fathom why Xie Wu Wei would bring back two Humans from his trip, and judging by the Humans’ appearances, they didn’t seem to be prisoners.
In the main hall, there was a throne made of white bones from who knows what Monster Beast. Xie Wu Wei walked straight ahead, turned around, flicked his robes, and sat down on the throne, looking around with his tiger-like fierce eyes, his actions giving him a sense of majesty.
But soon, Xie Wu Wei looked a little embarrassed.
After having returned to his home, his heart was finally at peace, making him forget his own predicament, but when he saw Yang Kai gazing at him with a smile, Xie Wu Wei quickly stood back up.
“Monster King, just sit down. We are just your friends from the outside,” Yang Kai sent him a voice transmission. He could tell that this Monster King had an unyielding temperament; therefore, he didn’t want to make things too difficult for him. After all, Yang Kai needed him to do something and didn’t care about such superficial things.
Xie Wu Wei felt grateful, thinking that this Human was at least reasonable, allowing his repulsion from before to lessen. So, he sat back down and said, stretching his hand, “Young Master Yang, please take a seat!”
Yang Kai slightly smiled and walked to the side and found a seat to sit. As he looked around, he found that this place was far more sophisticated than Yang You Wei’s place; the two couldn’t compare whether it was in terms of style nor in layout. A Monster King was a Monster King in the end, a trivial Monster General like Yang You Wei simply couldn’t be put on par with him. Just as he arrived, Yang Kai felt the auras of many Twelfth-Order Monster Beasts, which were equal to Emperor Realm Human Masters.
[Just a single Monster King has so many Emperor Realm Masters among his subordinates, so how many do the thirty-two Monster Kings have in total? Not to mention, there are four Divine Spirits in the Ancient Wild Lands.]
[If so many Monster Beasts and Monster Race members went out, unless the Ten Great Emperors joined forces, I’m afraid they could sweep through the entire Star Boundary.]
[The Ancient Wild Lands can’t be underestimated!]
Zhang Ruo Xi, who was obediently standing behind Yang Kai, was also curiously looking around with her pretty eyes.
“Come in!” Xie Wu Wei yelled in a deep voice.
Six Monster Race members with imposing auras promptly entered the hall, all of them seemingly having been waiting for a long time. Each and every one of them exuded a powerful pressure. Yang Kai’s pupils immediately shrank at the sight of them as all of them were Mid-Level Twelfth-Order, equal to Second-Order Emperor Realm.
The six Monster Race Masters entered the main hall and respectfully greeted, cupping their fists, “Greetings, Sir!”
Xie Wu Wei gestured to them to dispense with the ceremony before speaking, “Nothing happened while this King was away, right?”
He also didn’t tell his subordinates that he had accidentally fallen into the Ten Thousand Spirits Tomb; otherwise, he would be unable to explain how he got out.
A thin Monster Race member on the left immediately stepped forward and spoke, cupping his fists, “Reporting to Sir, there is something your subordinate wishes to report.”
“What is it?” Xie Wu Wei indifferently asked, without so much as raising his eyes, simply sipping the tea from the cup handed to him by the maid at his side. Who knows what was used to brew the tea, but it was red and thick like blood and exuded a strange aroma.
When the thin Monster Race member heard this, he hesitatingly glanced at Yang Kai, who was sitting on the side, and stopped talking.
Clearly, he didn’t want to make a report in front of a Human to prevent leaking of secrets.
Xie Wu Wei, taking another sip and putting down the cup, raised his eyes and stated, “You may speak freely, Young Master Yang is this King’s life and death friend. There is nothing to hide.”
He was also helpless in this situation as now his Soul Brand was in Yang Kai’s hands; his life and death were just a matter of Yang Kai’s whims. Even if he wanted to make Yang Kai leave, he couldn’t do so; he was completely powerless and secretly regretting it. If he had known how awkward this would be earlier, he would not have summoned his subordinates in. Now that things had come to this though, he could only choke down his grievances and let his subordinates report on whatever matters.
The Monster Race members were also taken aback when they heard this. When they saw a Human sitting in the hall earlier, they were filled with suspicion. They had no idea about his origins, or why Sir Monster King was treating a mere Human like this, but when they heard Xie Wu Wei mention that he was a ‘life and death friend’, they were even more shocked.
[When did Sir Monster King have such a good friendship with a Human?]
But then they recalled that Sir Monster King had once left the Ancient Lands several dozen years ago. Apparently, he had gone to the Human world to explore and rumour had it that it was an extremely dangerous trip and Sir Monster King almost lost his life. Later, they heard that the Monster King was rescued by a certain Human, which finally allowed him to return to the Ancient Lands safe and sound.
Unknowingly, the Monster Race members connected Yang Kai to Xie Wu Wei’s benefactor, who had saved Xie Wu Wei’s life. Suddenly, the arrogance and disdain in their eyes had lessened a lot.
The thin Monster Race member reported in a heavy voice, “Sir, the Blood Gate showed some changes!”
“Blood Gate!” Xie Wu Wei momentarily paused before looking up at his subordinate in shock. The latter slightly nodded in confirmation. Immediately, Xie Wu Wei’s breathing became rapid as he quickly asked, “Is this news correct?”
The Monster Race member replied, “It’s certainly true. It was first discovered by Monster King Xi Lei’s subordinate, but many saw the event and confirmed it happened. Now, the change in the Blood Gate has already alarmed even the four Divine Venerables and they have deployed people to investigate.”
Xie Wu Wei suddenly lost his calm, standing up and hurriedly ordering, “Tell me the details.”
“Yes!” The Monster Race member replied, arranging his thoughts before continuing, “It happened over a month ago, when the Blood Gate suddenly emitted a blood red beam straight up into the sky, but that only lasted a moment. However, during this past month, the Blood Gate has obviously become a little different from before, seemingly radiating a kind of intense energy fluctuation. Many people couldn’t help but want to rush in when they got close, but all who tried lost their lives.”
“Bloodline attraction!?” A crazed look immediately appeared in Xie Wu Wei’s eyes.
The Monster Race member agreed with a nod, “We hypothesised as much as well. Your subordinate risked his life to explore and found that the Blood Gate could indeed tempt your subordinate, making him have an impulse to rush in. If it weren’t for Shu Yu and the others quickly awakening and dragging him back, your subordinate might have already lost his life! All signs indicate that the Blood Gate is about to open and that the ancient rumours were true.”
Xie Wu Wei looked excited after hearing this, beginning to pace back and forth on the podium, folding his hands behind his back. After a while, he finally stopped and asked in a serious voice, “What are the Divine Venerables’s intentions?”
The Monster Race member replied, “The Divine Venerables have issued a joint command, asking us to not believe false rumours and lose our lives meaninglessly. Now, the eight Great Kings have been dispatched near the Blood Gate and are blockading the area near the it, preventing anyone from approaching.”
“False rumours!?” Xie Wu Wei sneered, “Bloodline attraction can only be caused by instinct. Do the Divine Venerables think that everything will be fine if they seal everyone’s mouth? I’m afraid that they are just worried about the emergence of one or two new Divine Venerables, which would affect their status.”
Xie Wu Wei’s defiant look immediately terrified his subordinates like frightened rats. They secretly thought, [Sir sure is hot-headed. Fortunately, there are no outsiders here, otherwise, if this reached the Divine Venerables’ ears, Sir might have to pay for it.]
“Blood Gate, what’s that?” Yang Kai, after listening for a while, finally couldn’t help but ask out of curiosity.
He had also heard Yang You Wei mention the Blood Gate before and knew that it was one of two Restricted Areas of the Ancient Wild Lands, just like Ten Thousand Spirits Tomb; however, he didn’t get into details that time. But now, seeing Xie Wu Wei’s expression and listening to his words, it was apparent that this Blood Gate was of great importance, so much so that even the four Divine Spirits of the Ancient Lands were interfering in matters related to it.
This was no small matter.
Yang Kai was now looking for Xiao Xiao in the Ancient Wild Lands, as well as the Third Disciple, so it wasn’t a bad idea to learn more about the situation here. As the saying goes, if you know your enemy and yourself, you can win a hundred battles.
Hearing Yang Kai’s question, Xie Wu Wei gawked, suddenly remembering that there were two outsiders present here. The corners of his lips momentarily twitched as he had been so excited that he had forgotten about this.
“If it’s inconvenient to speak about it, then forget it!” Yang Kai smiled lightly before picking up the dark red tea served by the maid beside him. But after smelling the scent, he didn’t dare to drink it, for the fear that it was really brewed from blood.
He might have casually spoken, but Xie Wu Wei didn’t dare to take it lightly; after all, Yang Kai was already interested and who knows what was going on in his mind. So, all Xie Wu Wei could do was go along with the flow and satiate Yang Kai’s curiosity, “Not at all. The Blood Gate is useless to Humans anyway. It’s one of the Restricted Areas in our Ancient Lands!”
Yang Kai asked, “I heard someone mention that the Blood Gate and the Ten Thousand Spirits Tomb are designated as the two Restricted Areas of the Ancient Lands. I wonder if that’s true or false?”
Xie Wu Wei agreed with a nod, “That’s right. The Ten Thousand Spirits Tomb is the place where we, who were born in the Ancient Lands, go when we reach our predestined time of death, while the Blood Gate is the place where one can go to obtain a whole new life. One for life and one for death, they are the two sides of the same coin.”
“Where you can get a whole new life?” Yang Kai was stunned.
Xie Wu Wei quickly added, “According to ancient rumours, if one can pass through the Blood Gate, he or she would basically be reborn, regain their ancestral bloodline, and transform into a Divine Spirit.”
“Transform into a Divine Spirit!?” Yang Kai was shocked, “Does that mean that if you can enter the Blood Gate, you can become a Divine Spirit?”
Xie Wu Wei replied with a nod, “That is the literal meaning, but no one knows whether it is true or not. Since the Ancient Lands came into existence, the Blood Gate Restricted Area has also existed; however, no one we know of has ever been able to approach it, much less enter it. There are still ancient rumours passed down from generation to generation about it though. In the Ancient Lands, even the weakest Monster Race member who has just gained sentience will know about these rumours. It’s no secret that the residents of the Ancient Lands all have some bloodline connection to ancient Divine Spirits, some having a stronger inheritance while others were weaker, but in the end, quality is the key. One’s strength is related greatly to his or her aptitude as well as the purity of their bloodline. If one can fully awaken their bloodline, and reproduce the glory of their ancestors, then naturally they will have strength comparable to a Divine Spirit.”
Yang Kai was shocked, “There is such a place in this world? Does the Blood Gate really have such a miraculous effect?”
Xie Wu Wei replied, “Whether it has such a miraculous effect or not remains uncertain, but rumours have it that all Divine Spirits originated from the Blood Gate. Unfortunately, those rumours are all from aeons ago so there is no way to verify them. Regardless, the Blood Gate is a great fortune to the residents of the Ancient Lands. Just like the rumours of a fish transforming into a dragon after leaping over the dragon gate, the Blood Gate is tantamount to the dragon gate. Who wouldn’t want to give it a try?”
“Monster King, do you also want to go in?” A strange look appeared in Yang Kai’s eyes.
Xie Wu Wei stated with a sneer, “That would depend on if the Sirs would give us a chance. They have now sent their Great Kings to block the vicinity of the Blood Gate, so who can get close to it? But by doing so, they have just given themselves away. If one asks who knows the most about the secrets of the Blood Gate best, the answer would undoubtedly be the four Divine Venerables.”
Yang Kai nodded in agreement. Listening to Xie Wu Wei, he immediately understood the significance of the Blood Gate. If it could really simulate the Ancestral Bloodline of the residents of the Ancient Lands, it would surely increase their strength. The Blood Gate was undoubtedly a place of rebirth; it was the complete opposite of the Ten Thousand Spirits Tomb, where the creatures at the end of their lifespan go to die.
[Nothing is too strange in this world…] Yang Kai sighed in his heart. If he had not entered the Ancient Wild Lands to search for Xiao Xiao this time, he wouldn’t have been able to imagine that there was such a mystical place in this world.
“The Divine Venerables have been consolidating their power for a long time, and since the eight Great Kings have been dispatched, no one would dare to do anything strange for the time being; however, no one can suppress the temptation of their ancestral bloodline. I’m afraid this move will only be counterproductive. “Pass my order to closely monitor the situation of the Blood Gate, and if there are any changes, immediately report to me. I don’t believe those thirty or so old fogies will obediently remain still,” said Xie Wu Wei, waving his hand.
“Yes Sir!” The thin Monster Race member immediately retreated after having received the order.
Xie Wu Wei, standing on the platform, pondered with an uncertain look on his face for a while before he finally raised his head and asked, looking at Yang Kai, “Young Master Yang, you said that you want this King’s help for something, what is it?”
“To find someone,” Yang Kai slightly smiled.
“Find someone?” Xie Wu Wei asked in astonishment.
“It’s the crazy woman you saw before,” While speaking, Yang Kai stretched his hand a bit as ripples appeared, displaying the Third Disciple’s appearance, causing Xie Wu Wei to gawk and his face to turn black.
He could still vividly remember the scene when he was hit by the Third Disciple with a Monster Core in the Ten Thousand Spirits Tomb.
“I have some connection with this woman. She has lost her sanity and it’s dangerous for her to remain in the Ancient Lands. Therefore, I need to find her and take her away.”
[This isn’t that difficult!] Xie Wu Wei finally put his heart at ease. He was worried that Yang Kai would ask him to do something difficult after taking his Soul Brand, but now, it seemed that he was just looking for someone, which was a trivial matter.
He cast his gaze on a man with a deer head and rat eyes, and said, “Shu Yu, let the men pay more attention to this woman’s tracks. Immediately report to me if you find something. Also, don’t let anyone hurt her.”
The Monster Race member with the deer head known as Shu Yu immediately obeyed, cupping his fists, “Yes, Sir.”
He then turned around and left the hall.
Xue Wu Wei then turned his head and stated, looking at Yang Kai, “If this woman is still in the Ancient Lands, as long as she shows up, she will definitely be spotted by this King’s subordinates. Young Master Yang, you just have to calmly wait for the news.”
Yang Kai nodded with satisfaction, “Sorry to trouble you, Monster King.”
Xie Wu Wei’s brow twitched before he spoke words contrary to his convictions, “Young Master Yang’s business is this King’s business, you need not be so polite. Come, lead Young Master Yang and arrange a place for him to take a rest.”
He couldn’t wait to send Yang Kai away; after all, he was still feeling uncomfortable with him around and was afraid that his men would find some clues from his words and expressions.
“That can wait,” Yang Kai raised his hand and interrupted him, “I still want to ask Monster King to inquire about another matter.”
Xie Wu Wei slightly furrowed his brow, looking at Yang Ka unhappily. Yang Kai ignored him and lifted his hand, about to show him Xiao Xiao’s image before a deafening clap from below interrupted them. Immediately after, the mountain and the ground started quaking, causing the entire palace to shake left and right. The maids immediately screamed in panic and even the faces of the four Monster Race Masters in the hall changed.
“Hou…” A muffled roar suddenly came from deep underground, as if there was a beast trapped for a thousand years down there. The roar was extremely stifled, but everyone could clearly feel the anger of the voice’s owner.
Yang Kai couldn’t remain indifferent and curiously looked at Xie Wu Wei. He had no idea what was going on here, or what kind of monster was suppressed under the mountain.
Xie Wu Wei’s face immediately turned ugly as he looked down at the Monster Race Masters standing before him and shouted, “Has that big guy still not surrendered?”
One of the Monster Race members replied with an ugly look, “That thing is a bit stubborn. We used all kinds of methods but we can’t make it submit.”
“A group of wastes!” Xie Wu Wei coldly snorted, causing the Monster Race Masters to all lower their heads.
“This King will go and see in person.” Who knows why Xie Wu Wei suppressed a monster under the mountain, but with a flick of his sleeve, he did just as he said and went to check the situation personally. However, after just a few steps, he turned around and stated, “Sorry about that, Young Master Yang, something has come up, so this King needs to personally deal with it. This King’s maid will take you to rest. This King will later come to apologize to you for this.”
“There is no harm. I’ll also join in the fun.” Yang Kai slightly smiled.
Xie Wu Wei rolled his eyes, but he knew it would be pointless to try to stop Yang Kai, so all he could do was quietly walk forward.
The remaining four Monster Race Masters hurriedly followed after him, grumbling in their hearts. They felt that Sir Monster King was way too polite to this Human, even allowing him to participate in such a confidential matter.
After leaving the main hall, the group came to a cave where they walked in, one after another, in a file.
The cave seemed to be the only entrance and had stairs leading downwards; who knows where it led to. There were luminous stones on the cave walls on either side, providing illumination so the cave wasn’t that dim.
Xie Wu Wei and the others descended the stairs in large strides.
After a few thousand meters descent, the cave suddenly widened up as a spacious underground cavern appeared below.
There were a lot of Monster Race members gathered in this underground palace, but at this moment, these Monster Race members were acting as if they were facing a powerful enemy. Many Monster Race members were even in their true forms, looking in a certain direction warily.
Seeing Xie Wu Wei and his men arrive, these Monster Race members retreated to either side, one after another, looking at him and his men with respect and fear.
Xie Wu Wei scanned them before he called a Monster Race member and shouted, “What’s going on?”
The Monster Race member immediately turned around and stammeringly replied, “We don’t know, it suddenly woke up and flew into a rage. We couldn’t suppress it with our low strength and a few of our Brothers and Sisters have already died. If Sir hadn’t personally locked him with that chain, I’m afraid it would have already broken free.”
“Scram, you lot are useless to this King!” Xie Wu Wei flicked his sleeve with a displeased look on his face, throwing the Monster Race member to one side then walking straight to the depths of the underground palace.
*Hou…*
Another roar came, giving rise to a powerful gust of wind that swept across the underground palace. Everyone’s clothes and hair flapped along with this gust.
A look of surprise appeared on Yang Kai’s face though as he had no idea who or what powerful being was suppressed in this underground palace.
Curious, he focused his gaze, looking inside.
But what entered his vision next left Yang Kai dumbfounded. He stood rooted on the spot as if he was struck by lightning, mumbling in a trembling voice, “Xiao Xiao…”
About several dozen metres away, a huge, fifteen-meter-tall Humanoid creature was shackled by heavy black chains. This enormous figure’s entire body was sharp and angular, and at a glance, it looked to be carved from stone. It had an ore-like lustre, but it also had distinct facial features and four robust limbs. It was giving off a sense of immense power.
The big guy before him clearly looked like what Xiao Xiao would look like after he assumed his stone giant form.
When the Monsters heard this, they all had strange expressions as they glanced at Yang Kai, thinking to themselves, [Small? What the heck? This guy is clearly huge! Is this Human blind?] There was also the Divine Binding Chain’s suppression involved. If it wasn’t for the Divine Binding Chain, this guy could become even larger and would likely wreck the palace.
Before the Monsters could finish thinking about this topic, they saw that Yang Kai had actually stepped forward and was striding with large steps, his eyes filled with a complex expression. It seemed as if his entire world only contained the big guy over there.
Xie Wu Wei was shocked as he shouted, “Be careful, Young Master Yang! This guy has a violent temperament and has incredible strength. Please stand back for the time being and allow this King to deal with him!”
He didn’t know what Yang Kai was trying to do, but he had personally experienced before just how difficult this big guy could be to deal with. Back when he was trying to make him submit, many of his subordinates had died, and even he had taken a blow that caused him to spit out lung-full of blood, nearly dying right there and then.
If it wasn’t for seeing that this big guy was incredibly strong and wanting to make it submit to him, Xie Wu Wei would have killed it long ago rather than trapping it here.
As a mere First-Order Emperor Realm Master, Yang Kai would likely suffer from approaching this big guy so recklessly, even if he was bound by the Divine Binding Chain.
Yang Kai ignored Xie Wu Wei of course and continued walking forward.
Xie Wu Wei furrowed his brow and was about to step forward to stop him, but Zhang Ruo Xi suddenly flickered forward and blocked his way while reaching out with one hand to stop him.
“Girl, what do you mean by this!?” Xie Wu Wei had a dark expression as he looked at Zhang Ruo Xi. A trivial Third-Order Dao Source Realm dared to act like this to him? If it wasn’t for his Soul Brand being under Yang Kai’s control, he would have slapped her already.
Ruo Xi had no fear though as she calmly stated, “Since Sir is doing this, he must have a plan in mind. Monster King, you simply need to silently watch what happens.”
She also didn’t know what Yang Kai was doing or why he would suddenly step forward, but she trusted him blindly and would not allow anyone to disturb him.
Xie Wu Wei was furious. If only he wasn’t a Soul Slave now! His life and death were connected to Yang Kai’s life, why else would he possibly care if this Human brat lived or died?
Xie Wu Wei had an ugly expression as he stood where he was, secretly circulating his Monster Qi as he prepared to jump over to save Yang Kai at any moment. He also gestured to his subordinates so that they would immediately save him if they noticed anything going wrong.
The Monsters all felt rather nervous as they watched Yang Kai go up to the big guy.
[It’s not Xiao Xiao…]
The excitement in Yang Kai’s heart gradually faded as he looked at the fifteen-metre-tall stone giant before him, gradually realizing that this stone giant wasn’t Xiao Xiao, because he shared a Soul connection with Xiao Xiao. If this stone giant before him was Xiao Xiao, it would have been impossible for him to not sense that link.
More importantly, even though Yang Kai was quite close now, the stone giant was still roaring in fury, acting like it wanted to kill him. It was struggling madly, but it was bound in place by the Divine Binding Chain.
“Hou!” The stone giant roared as a fierce gust of wind blew to the extent Yang Kai’s face became distorted. Flying sand and rock shards flew everywhere in the palace, and the walls themselves rumbled, as if they would collapse at any moment.
Yang Kai sent out his Divine Sense and tried to communicate with the stone giant, but found that it was in such a state of fury that it completely ignored him.
Yang Kai was helpless to do anything else other than ask out loud, “Are you Xiao Xiao’s clansman?”
Yang Kai couldn’t help but think that it wasn’t a coincidence that he met a stone giant who was identical to Xiao Xiao after transforming. Perhaps there were more than just two Stone Puppets in this world apart from Xiao Xiao and his Embodiment. Perhaps there was a mysterious race of Stone Puppets in this world. Perhaps Xiao Xiao had sensed his own clan was here, which was why he had entered the Ancient Wild Lands!
Or, perhaps this Monster even knew who Xiao Xiao was.
“Hou…”
However, only an angry roar greeted him. The Monsters watching in the distance all felt really afraid as they thought, [This Human is quite bold! He’s so relaxed even when facing a stone giant that even Sir Monster King wasn’t an opponent for single combat.]
Without mentioning anything else, just Yang Kai’s courage alone was enough for the Monsters to respect him.
But, he still seemed to be rather idiotic, and the Monsters around wondered if Yang Kai would soon be flattened into a pancake.
“In that case, have you seen him before?” Yang Kai reached out and tapped the air to create Xiao Xiao’s image before him.
The image displayed quite clearly what Xiao Xiao had appeared like back when he separated from Yang Kai. Xiao Xiao had a foolish and honest appearance with spirited eyes. He was only half of an average Human’s height and there was obvious sharpness to his stone skin. It was as if he was wearing a layer of stone armour that appeared quite sturdy.
On top of that, Xiao Xiao was carrying a pitch-black stick on his shoulder. Xiao Xiao had one hand on the stick, and his other hand was on his forehead as he gazed off into the distance.
The roaring stone giant suddenly quieted down, the fury in its eyes receding as he stared blankly at the image in front of him before he glanced at Yang Kai again. Soon, a confused look appeared on his face.
Xiao Xiao was simply too attention-grabbing with his Heaven Shaking Pillar.
“You’ve seen him before, haven’t you?” Yang Kai was delighted when he observed the stone giant’s expression.
The stone giant remained silent for a while before it slowly nodded.
[As I thought!]
Yang Kai was overjoyed as he hurriedly asked, “Where is Xiao Xiao now? Is he alright?”
Yang Kai was really eager to find out how Xiao Xiao had been recently as he blamed himself deeply for separating from him back in the Starlight Corridor. While he found Liu Yan rather quickly, and even found Chi Yue and the others, who were now safely cultivating in the Thousand Leaves Sect, Yang Kai had still been unable to locate Xiao Xiao after all this time.
The Star Boundary was a dangerous place, and Yang Kai didn’t know how Xiao Xiao was currently doing. In fact, Yang Kai felt incredibly worried after hearing from Yin Le Sheng that Xiao Xiao had entered the Ancient Wild Lands.
How could Yang Kai not be overjoyed now that he suddenly had a clue to Xiao Xiao’s whereabouts?
Yang Kai only wished that he could enter this stone giant’s mind to directly find out about how Xiao Xiao had been doing recently.
The stone giant opened its mouth and said in a coarse and low voice, “Who are you to the little one?”
The stone giant didn’t pronounce its words very clearly, making it evident that it rarely spoke. Additionally, its voice was like thunder that caused the entire palace to rumble.
All the Monsters were stunned as they looked with stupefaction at the scene in front of them. All of them were howling in their hearts, [this big guy actually opened its mouth and spoke!?] They had all been thinking for all this time that this big guy didn’t have any sentience and was unable to communicate with intelligent living beings. Only now did they understand that rather than not having any sentience and being unable to communicate, it simply didn’t bother to talk to them.
Xie Wu Wei also had a strange expression as he was secretly astonished.
He could now tell that Yang Kai seemed to have a connection of some sort with this stone giant. Otherwise, it wouldn’t have been so easy for him to calm down the stone giant’s rage and make it speak. Xie Wu Wei had spent such an effort leading his subordinates in trying to capture the stone giant, so was Yang Kai going to be angry at him…?
Xie Wu Wei felt really distasteful inside. If Yang Kai really got angry at him in front of so many of his subordinates, what was he going to do about his loss of face?
Xie Wu Wei even secretly wondered if he should have his subordinates leave right now so that he wouldn’t feel as awkward.
“Little one…” Yang Kai smiled because he realized that the stone giant was referring to Xiao Xiao, “The little one hatched with my Blood Essence. I also personally raised him.”
There wasn’t any need to explain anything else, as these two sentences were plenty.
The stone giant nodded in response as it spoke in its rumbling voice, “So, the Venerated One that Elder spoke of was you!”
“Elder…” Yang Kai arched his brow, not knowing who this Elder that had suddenly come up was. Still, he wasn’t in the mood to ask as he simply inquired, “Is Xiao Xiao doing well now? He hasn’t met with any danger over these years, has he?”
The stone giant answered, “Since you’re the Venerated One to the little one, you are a guest of my clan; I have no need to hide anything from you. The little one found our clan many years ago, and the clan also accepted him. He’s safe now.”
“You guys have your own clan?” Yang Kai was slightly surprised. Although he had already guessed at it previously, he still couldn’t help but be surprised now that it was confirmed. The Stone Puppet Clan was naturally impervious to weapons and possessed immense physical strength. Even one would be difficult to deal with if it was allowed to reach the peak, but if there was a big group of them…
It was likely that even a Divine Spirit would have to retreat before them.
The stone giant stated proudly, “Although we of the Stone Spirit Clan are low in number, we have not gone extent just yet. Honoured guest, why are you so surprised?”
[Stone Spirit Clan…]
Yang Kai was rendered somewhat speechless. It seemed that he had been incorrect to call them the Stone Puppet Clan before as they addressed themselves as the Stone Spirit Clan, but this was simply a matter of a name, which wouldn’t be any trouble for him to change to.
“Can you take me to see Xiao Xiao?” Yang Kai spoke up again with another question.
The stone giant fell silent for a moment after hearing this, and it was quite some time before it spoke, “You want to take the little one away? The little one is now a member of the clan, so it’s impossible for him to leave with you again. Our Stone Spirit Clan won’t be restricted by anyone. Anyone who has designs on our Stone Spirit Clan is an enemy.”
Yang Kai smiled, “I just want to go see him, not take him away.”
The stone giant swept its eyes over him for several glances before he nodded, “It seems you’re not lying…”
Yang Kai was astonished as he thought, [You can even tell if I’m lying or not?] Still, he didn’t have a good understanding of the Stone Spirit Clan, so he didn’t know if they had any special talents or Divine Abilities apart from refining ore.
“I can satisfy the honoured guest’s request, but currently…” The stone giant tugged on the chains binding its limbs as it spoke, which caused the chains to rattle. It was indicating to Yang Kai that it wasn’t even able to defend itself right now, so it was likely strong in will but weak in strength.
“That’s simple,” Yang Kai turned his head as he replied, “Monster King, please come over for a bit.”
Xie Wu Wei’s mouth twitched as he walked over somewhat unwillingly.
He had heard Yang Kai’s conversation with the stone giant quite clearly, so he knew what Yang Kai wanted him to do; however, he had finally managed to find an opportunity to capture this stone giant when it was alone to imprison it here. Xie Wu Wei had originally intended on making the stone giant submit and work for him, but never expected that Yang Kai would suddenly appear.
“Young Master Yang, what command do you have for me?” Xie Wu Wei walked over and spoke in a low voice, pretending not to know what Yang Kai wanted.
Yang Kai tilted his head, “Release him!”
“This…” Xie Wu Wei had a hesitant expression.
The stone giant was glaring angrily at him as if he had killed his father and stolen his wife. The stone giant seemed to be absolutely irreconcilable with him.
Xie Wu Wei had a bitter expression, “Young Master Yang, it’s not that this King is unwilling, but look at how he’s acting. If this King releases him, he is likely to immediately stir up trouble and ruin this land. If he starts causing a ruckus, my entire mountain will likely be flattened.”
Xie Wu Wei wasn’t just saying this, as the Stone Spirit Clan was born innately understanding how to control Earth Principles. It was quite normal that they would be able to instantly move or level a mountain.
Yang Kai turned to look at the stone giant, “If he releases you, let bygones be bygones, how about it?”
The stone giant coldly snorted, “Anyone who dares to have designs on our Stone Spirit Clan is an enemy!” Yang Kai was rendered somewhat speechless at how unwilling to compromise the stone giant was.
“Young Master Yang, just look!” Xie Wu Wei pointed at the stone giant, meaning that it wasn’t him who was unwilling to let the stone giant go, but rather, that he couldn’t do anything because the stone giant wasn’t willing to compromise.
Yang Kai rubbed his head and looked at the stone giant rather helplessly as he said, “The Monster King is quite strong, so if you two really start fighting here, both sides will end up losing in the end. As the saying goes, grievances should be resolved rather than settled. Could you simply let this incident go? It’s not like you’ve lost anything. When it is possible to forgive others, one should be forgiving, you know?”
The stone giant snorted, seemingly quite unwilling to reconcile.
Xie Wu Wei also swung his sleeve in evident displeasure.
Yang Kai glanced at the stone giant and sincerely implored, “Didn’t you say that I’m your clan’s honoured guest? Would you please give me some face?”
The stone giant snorted for a bit before saying with an unhappy expression, “Forget it, let’s just leave things at this.”
This meant it was willing to make big things small and make small things nothing.
Yang Kai immediately gestured at Xie Wu Wei, “Okay then, release him!”
Although Xie Wu Wei was still rather unwilling, he couldn’t go against Yang Kai’s orders so he could only circulate his Monster Qi. The Monster Qi instantly filled the air and rumbled as it poured towards the pitch-black chain binding the stone giant, causing it to suddenly fall to the ground with a clatter.
Upon seeing the stone giant be freed from its restraints, Xie Wu Wei instantly flashed behind Yang Kai with a vigilant expression.
It wasn’t that he was afraid of the stone giant, but rather that it really was quite difficult to deal with. Even he was made to cough up blood when he took a blow from it, so Xie Wu Wei really didn’t want to have to fight against it unless he had to.
The stone giant simply gave Xie Wu Wei a sidelong glance with a vicious look in its eyes, but he did keep his word and didn’t do anything right after he was freed.
Yang Kai asked from the side, “Can you take me to see Xiao Xiao now?”
The stone giant nodded gently, making loud popping noises as it instantly shrunk from its fifteen-metre height to a size comparable to a Human’s, making it suddenly look rather flexible. The stone giant waved at Yang Kai and started walking outside with large steps, completely ignoring Xie Wu Wei, as if the latter didn’t even exist.
Yang Kai hurriedly followed after the stone giant.
Xie Wu Wei had a displeased expression, hesitated for a moment, but eventually followed after them as well. The Monsters all came over with confused expressions, as they didn’t understand why their great Monster King was listening to a Human’s commands to release the stone giant that they had all worked so hard on capturing.
Of course, Xie Wu Wei couldn’t be bothered to explain anything to them, so he simply followed Yang Kai and the stone giant with a dark expression.
A stick of incense’s worth of time later, everyone had left the palace and returned to the surface.
The stone giant turned his head and looked around to determine his location before silently stomping the ground and leaping several thousand metres away, rushing into the dense primordial forest in the blink of an eye.
When Yang Kai saw this, he could only hurriedly say to Xie Wu Wei, “Monster King, please pay extra attention to the matter I previously requested of you. After you find that woman, it would be best if you could capture her safely, but if you can’t, have someone monitor her from afar instead until I return. You absolutely cannot harm her.”
Xie Wu Wei had a bitter expression, but he could only cup his fists and answer, “Young Master Yang, rest assured, this King shall definitely live up to your expectations; however, you must be careful on your trip.”
Although he really wanted Yang Kai to never return, if anything happened to Yang Kai right now, it would be difficult for him as well since he was Yang Kai’s Soul Slave, so he naturally didn’t want Yang Kai to meet with any danger.
Yang Kai didn’t have the time to say anything else to Xie Wu Wei, simply nodding and wrapping Zhang Ruo Xi in his Emperor Qi before moving the local Space Principles. Immediately after, the pair vanished from where they stood and chased after the stone giant.
The Monsters only walked over in unison after they watched Yang Kai leave, staring at Xie Wu Wei with confusion as they didn’t know what their great Monster King was doing.
Xie Wu Wei had a grim expression as he announced, “What happened today must not be exposed; otherwise, you will all be executed without mercy!”
The Monsters all felt afraid as they cupped their fists and answered that they understood.
It seemed that the stone giant was incapable of flight; however, its jumping ability was beyond imagination since every one of its jumps would cover several thousand metres, making it not slow at all.
The stone giant waited ahead for Yang Kai for a little while, and when he saw that Yang Kai was following quickly, he continued jumping forward without even looking back.
It was obvious that the stone giant was incredibly familiar with the Ancient Wild Lands as it kept making many turns that avoided the territories of powerful existences, so as not to cause trouble along the way.
However, it seemed that the stone giant was rather displeased with how Yang Kai had previously told it to not make any trouble for Xie Wu Wei, so the stone giant didn’t even try to talk with Yang Kai during the whole trip. This meant that Yang Kai didn’t even have a chance to ask about the Stone Spirit Clan or Xiao Xiao, only able to follow along in silence.
Ruo Xi could tell that Yang Kai had a lot on his mind, so she too remained silent and didn’t dare to disturb him.
This made the trip seem rather grim and silent.
The stone giant kept jumping through the Ancient Lands for an entire day and night before it suddenly stopped and its Human-sized stone body stepped on the top of a gigantic tree as it gazed into the distance and greeted the dawn.
*Shua…*
Yang Kai landed by the stone giant’s side and followed its gaze. He saw that deep within the forest was a dense patch of primaeval land where ancient trees reached up to the sky with many layers that were covered in mist. It all seemed like something out of an ancient story.
The stone giant made a fist and slammed it upon its own chest with a loud series of thumps. Zhang Ruo Xi felt afraid as she watched, fearing it would use too much strength and smash itself to death.
“Hou!” The stone giant roared to the sky, its voice containing a great deal of emotion that only rose in intensity with time. It seemed the stone giant was using a mysterious technique to send a message.
*Hualala…*
All the birds in the area were frightened and scattered.
Right after, another rhythmic roar sounded deep within the forest in response to the stone giant’s call.
Yang Kai felt his emotions rising because he suddenly sensed a mysterious Soul connection somewhere within the forest when he arrived here, one that was established via bloodlines. Even if tens of thousands of years passed, it would be impossible to eradicate this connection.
[Xiao Xiao!]
Yang Kai had used his own Blood Essence as a catalyst for Xiao Xiao’s birth. In other words, Xiao Xiao’s body contained Yang Kai’s blood. This was a connection that reached all the way down to the bones, and not a single person would possibly be able to break this connection.
“Elder has agreed to allow you entry into the clan’s territory. Come with me,” The nearby stone giant suddenly turned to speak before he jumped off the tree and sped through the forest with the agility of a monkey.
Yang Kai suppressed the excitement in his heart as he followed after the stone giant.
A grey figure half the height of a Human flew through the forest and rapidly approached Yang Kai.
The distance between the grey figure and Yang Kai shortened rapidly. Even though tens of thousands of trees were between them, both were able to clearly sense each other’s existence.
*Xiu…*
Yang Kai paused in his movements as he instantly stopped where he was.
Right after that, a grey bolt of light came pouncing with the speed of lightning towards him from the front. Ruo Xi was astonished as she thought Yang Kai had met with an ambush, so she instantly summoned the Ten Thousand Beasts Seal; however, she soon found out that she had misunderstood.
That was because Yang Kai was actually smiling while reaching out towards the grey light with his hands.
The beam of light didn’t decrease in speed at all as it crashed right onto Yang Kai’s body.
Yang Kai’s eyes bulged as he was hit by an enormous force that caused him to uncontrollably fly backwards. Many trees in his way were crushed like dry weeds and rotten wood before he finally came to a halt.
“Cough cough…” Yang Kai almost received internal injuries as he couldn’t catch his breath.
Xiao Xiao’s tackle embrace had been rather violent.
Yang Kai reached out with his hand as he leaned his back against a tree that had been half knocked over, patting Xiao Xiao who was on top of his body while constantly rubbing his head against Yang Kai.
“Wuwu…” Xiao Xiao made some mysterious cries, and although Yang Kai couldn’t understand literally, he could still clearly sense the latter’s happiness and excitement.
Xiao Xiao couldn’t control himself because of the excitement from their reunion after such a long parting. That was why Xiao Xiao had charged so wildly at Yang Kai right when he sensed him.
Xiao Xiao soon seemed to realize that he had done something wrong as he hurriedly got up and half kneeled in front of Yang Kai, his eyes sweeping up and down as he nervously looked Yang Kai over, fearing that Yang Kai had been hurt, he even reached out to pat away the dust on Yang Kai’s clothes.
However, Xiao Xiao’s strength was still rather strong.
“I’m fine, I’m fine!” Yang Kai was all smiles as he patted Xiao Xiao’s head and seriously looked him over. It didn’t seem like Xiao Xiao had changed very much after parting for many years, but Yang Kai could clearly sense his aura had become much stronger.
Meanwhile, the stone giant who led Yang Kai here was rather stunned at the sight. Xiao Xiao’s tackle from earlier was just a light hug to the Stone Spirit Clan, but such a hug wasn’t something that most Humans, who naturally had much weaker and smaller bodies, could handle.
Yet, this Human was completely unharmed and was even smiling happily. This Human’s body… was rather sturdy…
“Wuwu…” Xiao Xiao kept whimpering. If the Stone Spirit was capable of crying, its face would likely be covered in tears already. Xiao Xiao was unable to vent all the excitement in his chest, so he could only jump up and down and scratch at his head, as if he was a comical and naughty monkey.
Suddenly, Xiao Xiao darted to the side, opened his arms, and hugged a large tree. That tree had been alive for an unknown number of years, but it would require at least three people to encircle it. The tree’s crown reached high up into the clouds, so Xiao Xiao, who was only half a Human’s height, seemed to be as insignificant as an ant in comparison to it.
Yet, Xiao Xiao’s embrace caused the entire tree to suddenly begin shaking violently.
“Hou!” Xiao Xiao roared furiously, causing the land to vibrate as spiderweb-like cracks appeared on the ground as the tree roots became exposed.
*Hong hong hong…*
Xiao Xiao kept raising and lowering his arms, and every time that he moved, the tree kept shaking, after a few times actually being uprooted, causing dust and dirt to fly everywhere.
Ruo Xi was stunned at the sight.
She now finally witnessed what it truly meant to have unlimited strength.
Xiao Xiao pulled up the large tree by the roots. The tree seemed like it was as light as air as he tossed it into the sky. The tree instantly became a small black dot in the distance and it was unknown where it eventually landed.
“Hou…” Xiao Xiao kept roaring endlessly at the sky while pounding his chest with his fists, making a sound like a war drum.
“Silly child, hurry and pull our honoured guest up. Just what is all this?”
An elderly voice suddenly spoke up from the front. Although the voice was deep, it also seemed gentle and friendly, so that one couldn’t help but feel a sense of familiarity and comfort.
Xiao Xiao suddenly shook. It seemed like he was really respectful of the owner of this voice. He hopped up and skipped back over to Yang Kai’s side, pulled the latter up, and looked at him with a silly expression.
Xiao Xiao had calmed down now that he had vented.
Yang Kai looked forward and paused in surprise at what he saw.
Numerous Stone Spirits as tall as humans walked out of the forest. At a rough count, there were eight of them. It was evident that they had gathered here after noticing the commotion since their round eyes were all looking at him with curiosity.
One of the Stone Spirits was particularly attention-grabbing. It wasn’t because he was very stronger or taller than the rest; in fact, he was even shorter in comparison to the other Stone Spirits. He wasn’t short due to his height, but rather because his back was somewhat hunched.
This Stone Spirit would give others the first impression of being ancient.
His bent back was supported by a stone staff, and the stone skin on his body was also cracked. These were all natural traces of the weathering of time upon his body. His pointy chin actually had some small pointy stone pillars that seemed like a beard; however, his eyes were particularly bright as they shone with the light of wisdom.
Those of the Stone Spirit Clan were naturally born lacking intelligence, but for some unknown reason, Yang Kai could see the image of a wise Elder when he met this elderly Stone Spirit’s eyes.
Yang Kai instantly assumed a respectful demeanour as he knew that this old Stone Spirit had likely lived for many tens of thousands of years already. He also realized who this elderly Stone Spirit was, so he cupped his fists, bowed, and greeted, “Junior Yang Kai greets Elder. Please don’t mind how I came over to bother you without asking first.”
Zhang Ruo Xi heard this and realized that this Sir was someone of exceptionally noble status, so she hurriedly bowed and greeted the Elder as well.
The Elder chuckled with a hearty sound, “It’s no bother at all. We of the Stone Spirit Clan have been waiting for you for a long time, and today, you have finally come.”
“Waiting for me?” Yang Kai was surprised, but he soon thought of something as he turned to glance at Xiao Xiao who was standing next to him. Yang Kai smiled slightly and patted Xiao Xiao on the shoulder.
Yang Kai thought that it was because of Xiao Xiao that this Stone Spirit Elder had said he had been waiting for Yang Kai.
“Honoured guest, you have come from afar, and it must have been a tiring journey. Please come with this old one to rest. Our Stone Spirit Clan hasn’t had a guest for countless years now.” After the Elder said this, he turned to walk deeper into the forest without waiting for Yang Kai to agree.
Although he appeared rather elderly and used a staff, he still seemed quite agile, not being one bit slower than the other Stone Spirits.
After he left, the other Stone Spirits followed closely after him, although they all glanced at Yang Kai with curious expressions before they left.
Xiao Xiao pulled on Yang Kai’s hand and whined as he dragged Yang Kai away.
Yang Kai could only helplessly call Zhang Ruo Xi to follow him.
Not long after they started walking, everyone arrived at a place encircled by ancient trees. Each of these ancient trees was so wide that it would take ten people to hug them, and among the tree roots, there were numerous tree caves that had become natural homes with clear traces of someone inhabiting them.
Yang Kai felt that this was a fresh experience. He also realized that these tree homes were likely where the Stone Spirit Clan lived.
This seemed to be only natural since they were capable of transforming into several tens of metres tall, so no ordinary house would be able to handle them. These natural tree homes would actually be the best place for them to rest.
The Stone Spirit Clan had been here for an unknown number of years already, so all of the tree caves had traces of experiencing numerous tens of thousands of years of time.
After arriving, the Stone Spirit Elder went directly into a tree cave and disappeared.
Another Stone Spirit walked over and greeted Yang Kai with one hand across its chest, “Elder says that the honoured guest should go rest first, and come talk to him when it’s nighttime.”
Yang Kai glanced at the Stone Spirit, but he couldn’t tell if this Stone Spirit was the one that Xie Wu Wei had previously captured, since they all looked the same. No ordinary person would be able to differentiate them unless that person lived for a long time together with the Stone Spirits.
Yang Kai copied the Stone Spirit’s behaviour and placed one hand on his chest as he politely responded, “Many thanks.”
Although he didn’t know why he was supposed to wait until nighttime to talk, he had come here to find Xiao Xiao, and his wish had been achieved, so Yang Kai didn’t mind anything else. In fact, Yang Kai didn’t even need to consider if Xiao Xiao was going to leave with him or not.
Naturally, Yang Kai would be happy if Xiao Xiao was willing to leave with him, but if Xiao Xiao was unable to abandon his own kind and chose to stay behind, Yang Kai wouldn’t force Xiao Xiao to leave.
Every living being had their own clan, and Yang Kai was truly happy for Xiao Xiao since the latter was able to find his kind and was no longer alone.
“Treat the guest well,” the Stone Spirit told Xiao Xiao, who scratched his head before nodding.
The Stone Spirit glanced at Xiao Xiao and slightly sighed before he left. It seemed to feel rather helpless about Xiao Xiao, who was still just a child. Still, Xiao Xiao was the only one in the entire Stone Spirit Clan who was still just a mere child, so it couldn’t be helped if he was somewhat naughty and willful.
After the Stone Spirit left, Xiao Xiao dragged Yang Kai beneath a huge tree.
This tree also had a tree cave underneath and evidently, it was where Xiao Xiao lived.
Yang Kai and Zhang Ruo Xi followed him in, but Xiao Xiao suddenly looked all around and then darted outside. It was unknown what he had gone to do.
A moment later, an angry roar could be heard from within a nearby tree cave, “Little One, you’re being naughty again! Do you think I’ll not report this to Elder so that he will punish you!?”
*Honglonglong…*
After the earth shook for some time, Xiao Xiao returned a moment later with two stone chairs on his shoulder. He tossed the stone chairs on the ground and kept shouting something as he looked at Yang Kai.
Ruo Xi couldn’t help but cover her mouth and smile, since she understood that Xiao Xiao had likely run out to steal these two stone chairs from another Stone Spirit.
Even Yang Kai couldn’t keep a straight expression as he exchanged glances with Ruo Xi, flicking his sleeves and sitting down with a smile.
He glanced around and found that this tree cave was completely empty inside. While it wasn’t small at all, and was in fact even larger than an ordinary home, it didn’t have any decorations inside. There weren’t even any tables or chairs.
However, a few stone sculptures did attract Yang Kai’s attention.
These stone sculptures seemed rather rough, and it was evident that the sculptor wasn’t skilled; however, it was still possible to vaguely tell that these sculptures were all of a single man.
From left to right, the sculptures became better and better in quality. The last sculpture even had clear facial features.
Ruo Xi looked at them for a while until she had a sudden realization as she exclaimed, “Sir, these are sculptures of you!”
Although even the last sculpture didn’t resemble Yang Kai in the slightest, Zhang Ruo Xi still acutely sensed that this sculpture was based on him.
Xiao Xiao kept jumping up and down as he ran over to the best-looking sculpture and picked it up. He then ran over and placed it in front of Yang Kai, as if he was offering a treasure. Xiao Xiao pointed at himself and then pointed at Yang Kai.
Yang Kai’s heart was rather moved as he looked at the sculpture with a stunned face. He didn’t hold back on the praise as he exclaimed, “What a wonderful sculpture, it really looks like me!”
Xiao Xiao instantly jumped a metre high and backflipped in midair when he received praise. He ran over to the other stone sculptures and viciously smashed them to pieces in a rampage for seemingly no reason. It seemed as if he was fine with only having the sculpture that Yang Kai praised, with the other sculptures not mattering at all.
Xiao Xiao made some ‘wu wu!’ sounds as he kept waving his arms and gestured frantically.
Yang Kai arched his eyebrows, “You learned all this by yourself?”
Xiao Xiao nodded vigorously again and continued to gesture.
Zhang Ruo Xi quietly watched from the side with a faint smile on her face. She suddenly discovered that this was quite a warm scene. She couldn’t understand what Xiao Xiao was gesturing or saying, but Yang Kai was clearly able to understand Xiao Xiao without any mistakes.
The Human and Stone Spirit kept communicating with each other in the cave with their special means. Although they were simply chatting about trivial matters, they seemed to have a lot of fun.
The battles of the outside world seemed to be matters of the distant past here in this primaeval forest far away from all hustle and bustle. It was as if nothing from outside could possibly invade this place.
Ruo Xi could tell that Yang Kai had an excellent relationship with the Stone Spirit in front of him, named Xiao Xiao. Ruo Xi had never seen him being so patient before, as he was treating Xiao Xiao like his own child while being filled with generosity and magnanimity.
It would be quite nice if things could always remain like this. If Sir was willing to stay here, she would happily stay here as well, even if she had to live secluded from the rest of the world.
The sound of laughter kept coming from the tree cave as time swiftly passed.
Soon, it became nighttime as the sky gradually darkened.
A Stone Spirit walked in from outside as it placed its hand on its chest, “Honoured guest, Elder is inviting you to a banquet.”
[A banquet?]
Yang Kai paused in surprise. Although Elder had told him during the day to come at nighttime to talk, Yang Kai hadn’t expected that they would actually prepare a celebration to welcome him.
He felt like he was being somewhat spoiled as he hurriedly got up and said, “Elder is truly thoughtful. I shall come immediately.”
The Stone Spirit nodded and turned to leave.
Xiao Xiao no longer gestured at Yang Kai and instead pulled on his hand to drag him outside.
“Xiao Xiao, do you guys have any rules here I should be aware of?” Yang Kai asked as he walked.
The Stone Spirit Clan counted as an ancient species that had always been living in the deepest portion of the Ancient Wild Lands. This was Yang Kai’s first time here, so he was afraid that he would accidentally break some taboo and make them angry, so he naturally wanted to ask so that he could be aware of and follow the customs here.
However, Xiao Xiao only shook his head without saying anything else, as if he was trying to be mysterious. Yang Kai felt rather helpless about this.
They exited the tree cave’s entrance then and Yang Kai and Zhang Ruo Xi raised their heads to see a sight that caused a light to flash across their eyes.
“How beautiful!” Ruo Xi couldn’t help but exclaim in astonishment. The night sky at this Ancient Wild Lands was so beautiful that one could get addicted, and the ancient trees in the area had fireflies flying between them, spreading a colourful glow everywhere they went. It seemed as if mystic beams of light were flying around and illuminating this place like the so-called ‘fairy realm’.
Ruo Xi’s eyes were shooting stars as she now really wanted to just live here and never leave again.
Little girls typically had very little resistance against such beauty.
Yang Kai had also stayed many nights in the Ancient Wild Lands already, but no place had been as wondrously beautiful as this place where the Stone Spirits lived. He couldn’t help but exclaim over the miracles that nature could create.
Yang Kai followed Xiao Xiao towards the front and soon arrived at an empty area.
Eight Stone Spirits were already gathered here, all standing behind a table with stone plates on them that seemed to have been locally crafted.
Behind the stone tables were some stone chairs.
The ancient Stone Spirit Elder was already sitting at the head of the stone table, smiling widely as he looked in Yang Kai’s direction.
When Yang Kai and Zhang Ruo Xi followed Xiao Xiao here, the Stone Spirits standing at both sides all paid their respects to them, which made Yang Kai feel really awkward. He and Zhang Ruo Xi could only constantly pay their respects in return. All of these Stone Spirits had been alive for countless years already, so it could be said that they were older than almost everyone in the Star Boundary, and Yang Kai couldn’t be rude in front of them.
Two empty stone seats were next to Elder, obviously prepared for Yang Kai and Zhang Ruo Xi.
When they got closer, Elder raised his hand and announced, “Our two Honoured Guests, please have a seat!”
Yang Kai excused himself as he walked over to the stone table next to Elder and sat down. Ruo Xi saw this and could only sit down quietly on the other side.
Meanwhile, Xiao Xiao ran to the back and sat at the other end of the table together with the other Stone Spirits. He kept acting naughty, which caused the Stone Spirit next to him to knock him with its hand and make a clamorous sound. This instantly made Xiao Xiao start behaving.
“It is our Stone Spirit Clan’s honour to receive guests from afar and dedicate this banquet to them. Please don’t mind that our fare isn’t very fancy,” Elder laughed with an uproarious voice that was as loud as thunder which rattled the eardrums.
Yang Kai got up and replied, “Elder, you’re being too kind. It is my honour to receive such treatment from your clan. I wouldn’t dare to mind anything.”
Elder smiled and nodded, indicating for Yang Kai to sit before he continued, “My Stone Spirit Clan has few clansmen. Those you see here are all that remains of my clansmen. Everyone, introduce yourselves to our honoured guest so that he can tell you apart.”
“Yes!” The Stone Spirits all responded and got up in unison as they greeted Yang Kai. The first one introduced himself by saying, “Shi Yi!”
“Shi Er!”
“Shi San!”
…
“Shi Ba!”
Yang Kai was so stunned that his face couldn’t stop twitching.
These Stone Spirits had really simple names, as all of them were named with numbers. When counting Elder and Xiao Xiao, there were still only ten Stone Spirit clansmen in total. They really were ridiculously few in number.
More importantly, the Stone Spirits’ self-introductions weren’t very useful. Yang Kai kept glancing between them and felt like they all looked identical. He couldn’t tell who was who at all.
Although he couldn’t differentiate between them, he still had to be polite, so Yang Kai greeted them all and acted as if he remembered them, but to be honest, he couldn’t identify a single one.
After the eight Stone Spirits finished introducing themselves, Elder chuckled and said, “My Stone Spirit Clan has never had more than ten members before. One will definitely die if we exceed ten. That is the Will of the Heavens.”
Yang Kai exclaimed in astonishment, “Your clan has never had more than ten clansmen before?”
Elder nodded, “Indeed!”
Yang Kai had a sudden realization, [No wonder why only Xiao Xiao had hatched successfully back when I obtained two Stone Spirit Embryos. I was forced to refine the other one with my Soul Clone in order to help it survive.]
At the time, he thought that he had been unlucky, but now it seemed that it was actually related to Heavens Will, rather than any problem with how he raised them.
He wondered how the Stone Spirits would react if he let Embodiment come out right now.
Elder then continued, “Even though we have few clansmen, we have no conflict with the world, which is how we survived until now. It must seem silly to our honoured guest.”
Yang Kai hurriedly waved his hand.
“Haha, I think that is enough idle chat. Let’s begin the evening party,” Elder chuckled and continued in a hearty voice, “This place is simple and has nothing to treat you with apart from some spirit fruits and spirit wine. I hope you will not mind it, Honoured Guest.”
“I wouldn’t dare disapprove!” Yang Kai had a confused look as he replied.
Elder was talking about giving him some spirit fruits and spirit wine, but Yang Kai didn’t see anything on the table at all. Besides, all ten clansmen of the Stone Spirit Clan were here, so who would bring the plates of food and wine? Yang Kai glanced around but saw that the other nine Stone Spirits, Xiao Xiao included, were just sitting there without moving. In fact, all their eyes were filled with expectation as they looked at the deep part of the forest.
[What is going on?] Yang Kai’s mind was filled with doubts, but he could only quietly watch to see what would happen.
*Pa pa!* Elder suddenly clapped twice, as if he was summoning something.
The trees in the area suddenly glowed with many different brilliant colours, as if ribbons of light had come alive between the tree crowns and the forest.
It seemed as if numerous dainty figures started flying in the hazy light, all of them moving along the coloured ribbons like they were descending from the Heavens above, a scene of indescribable beauty.
Yang Kai instantly widened his eyes when he saw the numerous tiny people about the size of his palm mysteriously appear. These small people didn’t seem to have physical bodies as they glowed brilliantly and had dainty and exquisite figures, like they were carved from the purest jade.
The forest instantly became lively as several hundred of these tiny people poured out from all directions. There were both males and females, with the men having clean faces and handsome appearances, and the women having beautiful features. The women also wore tiny dresses that exposed their exquisite arms and legs to show their snow-white skin.
These tiny beings were all carrying various things as they flew to the stone table and placed their objects down.
Soon, the stone table was covered in stone cups, wine barrels, and baskets of fragrant spirit fruits. These baskets had likely been woven from vines, as they seemed quite exquisitely crafted, with each small basket being filled with various different spirit fruits that had already been cleaned and were ready to eat.
Yang Kai and Ruo Xi had never seen such beings before, so neither of them even blinked in their astonishment.
A small female fairy flew over to Yang Kai and put down the basket that was in her arms, raising her head to see that Yang Kai was staring right at her with eyes wide open, so her cheeks immediately became bright red as she covered her face and retreated. It seemed like she was incredibly embarrassed, which made Yang Kai feel rather apologetic since he felt like he had scared her.
Meanwhile, Zhang Ruo Xi reached out with a finger and poked a small female on the face, but the latter unexpectedly slapped away her finger, pursed her lips, and angrily left.
Ruo Xi couldn’t help but stick out her tongue. Still, her beautiful eyes kept staring unceasingly at these tiny people.
These beautiful small beings naturally attracted a great deal of her interest and she secretly felt like it would be nice if she could take a few back with her to raise.
“Elder, they are…” Yang Kai finally managed to regain his senses as he turned to look at the Stone Spirit Elder.
Elder chuckled, “They are the Wood Spirit Clan, who coexist symbiotically with our Stone Spirit Clan. They are our Stone Spirit Clan’s most reliable ally!” He paused for a moment before adding, “Our Stone Spirit Clan needs their assistance for many things, while the Wood Spirit Clan isn’t skilled at fighting, so it is difficult for them to survive in the Ancient Lands. They need our clan’s protection, so we mutually assist each other.”
Yang Kai understood as he nodded, “So, that’s how it is.”
These small people definitely didn’t seem like they were skilled at combat, and it was likely that any random Monster Beast would be able to kill a large number of them. The Ancient Lands were a dangerous place, so if this clan wanted to survive, they would have to rely on someone strong.
Obviously, they had chosen to rely on the Stone Spirit Clan.
Yang Kai had truly learned much on his trip to the Ancient Lands. Not only did he meet all of Xiao Xiao’s clansmen, he even met this wondrous Wood Spirit Clan. Any ordinary person likely wouldn’t even know of the existence of these two races.
As they were talking, a small Wood Spirit who seemed different from the others somehow flew over. She was wearing clearly more extravagant clothing than the others, and her aura was nobler and purer as well. Her exquisite face actually possessed a pearly white glow that made her seem divine and untouchable. She also had a strange crown on her head.
Elder introduced her, “This is the Wood Spirit Clan’s Clan Head, Mu Na.”
Yang Kai hurriedly got up, “Yang Kai greets Senior Mu!”
Although this Wood Spirit Clan Head was only as large as his palm, which made her seem rather cute and unimposing, since she was the Clan Head of her entire clan, she was obviously someone who had been alive for an unknown number of years already. It was only natural to address her as Senior.
Mu Na smiled gently and raised her hand, “Since you are the Stone Spirit Clan’s guest, you are my Wood Spirit Clan’s guest as well. Now that you’re here, treat this as your own home; there’s no need to be reserved.”
Elder smiled, “Normally, it’s quite difficult to be able to eat the Wood Spirit Clan’s spirit fruit and spirit wine. It’s thanks to our Honoured Guest today that we get to fill our stomachs.”
Mu Na covered her mouth and smiled, “Elder, you shouldn’t blatantly say such a ridiculous thing. Our Wood Spirit Clan has never been stingy with our spirit fruits and spirit wine to you.”
When the Stone Spirits heard this, they all chuckled, making it obvious that they often obtained food and drink from the Wood Spirit Clan.
Yang Kai could tell that these two species didn’t have a simple relationship of protection and reliance. Otherwise, it would have been impossible for Elder and the Wood Spirit Clan Head to have such a casual conversation.
Elder raised his hand, “Since our Honoured Guest has come all the way here, during such a fortuitous time, we shall drink until we are drunk!”
The other Stone Spirits all instantly began to cry and howl as they made loud banging noises on the stone table. It was as if they were about to head out for war and slaughter, which made Yang Kai’s heart tremble. He couldn’t figure out how such a violent species like the Stone Spirit Clan could coexist peacefully with the Wood Spirit Clan.
Even Xiao Xiao was going crazy with excitement.
More than ten female Wood Spirits instantly flew out from the side and went up to each guest as they struggled with the wine barrels and prepared to fill everyone’s stone cups.
The female Wood Spirit who came over to serve Yang Kai seemed to be the same one who flew away in embarrassment because he had been staring at her earlier. Yang Kai couldn’t help but feel sorry for her when he saw how difficult it was for her to pick up the wine barrel, so he hurriedly said, “I can do it by myself. There’s no need to trouble yourself.”
After he said that, the female Wood Spirit couldn’t help but look at him as her eyes instantly reddened with tears flowing in her eyes. She really seemed quite pitiful.
Yang Kai broke out into a cold sweat as he didn’t know what he had said wrong and hurriedly pleaded for help with his expression as he looked at Elder.
Elder chuckled, “Although the Wood Spirit Clan generally dislikes strangers, anyone who can become their guest will see their determination to be gracious hosts. Their most basic etiquette is about serving wine to their guests, so if a guest refuses, that means they haven’t done well enough, and the server will end up being excluded by all their clansmen.”
Poor little spirit girl…
“Ah!” Yang Kai was really shocked when he heard this, as this was a rather severe consequence. He originally only wanted to spare the small Wood Spirit from overexerting herself, so he never expected that this would cause her to be excluded by all her clansmen. He hurriedly took back his offered hand rather awkwardly and smiled apologetically at the small Wood Spirit, “Then I shall be troubling you!”
Only then did the small Wood Spirit continue to pick up the wine barrel and fill the stone cup in front of him before she quietly flew to the side.
Elder raised his stone cup and heartily announced, “The bright moon is in the sky and the Honoured Guests are like jade. This Elder represents the Stone Spirit and Wood Spirit Clans in toasting our guests! Honoured Guests, please drink to your fill!”
The Stone Spirits all raised their stone cups up high and gestured at Yang Kai as they followed Elder’s actions.
Yang Kai hurriedly rose up and toasted everyone around him. He then poured the delicious wine down his throat in one gulp. Only then did he turn over the stone cup to indicate that he no longer had any wine.
The Stone Spirits all drank the wine in their cups and shook their heads with expressions of delight. It seemed that this wine was incredibly delicious to them.
“Honoured Guest, please sit down!” Elder made a gesture, indicating Yang Kai to sit after he drank his wine. Only then did Yang Kai sit down again.
The wine in his stomach really did taste exceptional. Its flavour kept swirling around endlessly in his mouth as he enjoyed the memory of drinking it. Even someone like Yang Kai, who wasn’t that fond of alcohol, was feeling refreshed all over after drinking this wine. He wondered just what type of winemaking techniques the Wood Spirit Clan possessed.
After enjoying the wine, Clan Head Mu Na, who had been standing by Elder’s side all this time, suddenly clapped her hands lightly.
Twenty or so Wood Spirits instantly flew to the centre of the clearing. Half of the Wood Spirits were holding small and exquisite musical instruments. Nobody was conducting for them, but the sound of flutes and violin filled the air alongside the percussion of a strange wooden drum. It was as if the mountains and rivers themselves were playing music, and it was extremely pleasant to the ear. The Wood Spirits kept playing their instruments as the wonderful music echoed in the beautiful forest.
The other half of the Wood Spirits began to flit about and dance lightly with the musical melody. It was truly a sight that was completely foreign to Yang Kai; a completely different kind of culture.
What Yang Kai and Zhang Ruo Xi saw and heard seemed to contain a mystical effect that could cleanse the heart and soul, so the two guests instantly calmed down as they kept watching everything.
This was especially so for Ruo Xi. Her eyes seemed to glimmer as the more she watched the Wood Spirits, the more she liked them.
The Stone Spirit Elder was also smiling as he watched them. He would caress his stone beard and gently nod whenever he saw something good.
The small Wood Spirit refilled Yang Kai’s wine once again, but he didn’t even notice. He only felt as if his entire body and Soul had been sucked towards the music and dance, giving him a calm experience like never before. All idle thoughts in his heart had vanished completely.
Yang Kai didn’t return to his senses for a long while even after the dance ended.
However, a nearby commotion shocked him out of his reverie, and when he turned to look at what it was, his face instantly twitched.
The nine other Stone Spirits, Xiao Xiao included, were actually all eating ravenously as if they had been starving since they were born. All of them were gulping wine voraciously from their wine barrels. The delicious wine that ordinary people would never be able to see in their lifetime was spilling down from their mouths onto their chests, wasting countless litres. The Stone Spirits were drinking the delicious wine while grabbing the spirit fruits in the wooden baskets in front of them, stuffing the fruits into their mouths, and chewing wildly…
The nine Wood Spirits nearby serving them wine all had looks of awkwardness as they watched the Stone Spirits.
These two species put together seemed like a team of graceful beauties and utter barbarians. It was quite a powerful visual contrast.
Elder and Clan Head Mu Na seemed to be accustomed to all this as they both watched everything with slight smiles without saying a word.
Yang Kai decided to also quietly taste the spirit fruits.
The spirit fruits raised by the Wood Spirit Clan and the spirit wine they made were not only delicious, but they also seemed to have the miraculous effect of cleansing the mind and Soul. Yang Kai was really astonished by this as he secretly felt that if a person with dissonance in their cultivation could obtain such a thing, perhaps the dissonance could be significantly eased.
After several rounds of food and drink, the atmosphere became much livelier.
Two Stone Spirits that had become shaky from drinking suddenly stood up from their seats and walked to the central area with large steps. Yang Kai didn’t know which ‘Shi numbers’ they were, since they looked pretty much identical.
The instrument-playing and dancing Wood Spirits seemed to know what was about to happen, so they all hurriedly avoided the two Stone Spirits and flew out of the central area as they smiled and watched the show.
Yang Kai and Ruo Xi didn’t know what the two Stone Spirits wanted to do, so they watched with great interest.
The two Stone Spirits in the central area exchanged glances for a while before they suddenly roared angrily in unison and charged at each other. There was a huge boom as the two Stone Spirits crashed into one another like two mountains smashing together. One Stone Spirit grabbed the other’s neck with both hands, while the other had both hands grabbing onto his opponent’s waist. Both of them stood right where they were with legs wide open as their legs kept kicking at each other. It seemed as if they had absolutely irreconcilable enmity with the other, and truly wanted to kill each other.
Yang Kai was truly shocked and afraid that these two behemoths would forget themselves in the battle and accidentally injure the nearby tiny Wood Spirits; however, the small Wood Spirits actually seemed to really enjoy the battle as they even shouted loudly to cheer on the two Stone Spirits.
After quite a while, Yang Kai finally understood that the two Stone Spirits were apparently play wrestling with each other.
However, the Stone Spirit Clan possessed incredible physical strength, so there were no other species that would be able to play such barbaric wrestling. Every clash made his eyes widen, yet the two species’ clansmen felt that this was completely normal.
After quite a while passed, one Stone Spirit found an opportunity to trip the other’s foot as he exerted force with both hands and knocked his opponent onto the ground, which caused dust to fly everywhere.
“Hou!” The victorious Stone Spirit roared at the sky and energetically slammed his fists on his chest in an incredibly arrogant manner.
Another nearby Stone Spirit wasn’t able to take this as he immediately jumped to the central area and began to fight with the winning Stone Spirit…
Stone Spirits were constantly eliminated in battle, and as more and more were eliminated, the atmosphere kept getting more heated to the point where even the Wood Spirits seemed to forget themselves as they flew to the central area and kept shouting as they circled the two fighting Stone Spirits.
Yang Kai also enjoyed himself as he watched the commotion. His emotions were stoked as well as he also shouted to support the Stone Spirits.
However, trouble came for him as he watched.
Eight adult Stone Spirits had been eliminated by now, and when the final victorious Stone Spirit saw that he had no opponents left, he actually turned to Yang Kai and made a hand gesture for him to come up and fight him.
“Me?” Yang Kai pointed at his own nose and hurriedly waved his hand, “No, no, I’m fine with just watching.”
[Me wrestle them? What a joke! It would take a masochist to want to wrestle against a Stone Spirit!] Yang Kai had already tested Xiao Xiao’s immense strength long ago, and he could say for certain that in a pure contest of physical power, even ten of him wouldn’t be an opponent for a single Stone Spirit.
However, the Stone Spirit didn’t give him any face at all and insisted on waving at him to come and compete. When he saw that Yang Kai didn’t want to come forward, he actually waved his large stone hand widely.
A dozen or so small Wood Spirits immediately flew over and surrounded Yang Kai. Without giving him a chance to say anything, they directly lifted him up and brought him to the central area.
“You …” Yang Kai didn’t know whether to laugh or cry. For the first time, he felt that these small Wood Spirits weren’t actually cute at all.
After setting Yang Kai down in the central area, the small Wood Spirits all scattered outside with expectant expressions.
Yang Kai turned to look at Elder and the Wood Spirit Clan Head with a pleading expression.
Elder just laughed heartily though, obviously having no intent of helping Yang Kai. However, Mu Na said in a gentle tone, “Honoured Guest, you may use all of your might without any worries.”
Yang Kai felt rather helpless since even she was saying things to such an extent.
He estimated that if he used his Dragon Transformation Secret Technique, perhaps he would be able to compete with the Stone Spirit…
Before he even finished planning though, the Stone Spirit actually roared angrily while pouncing at him as he grabbed Yang Kai’s arm and tripped his foot.
Yang Kai was stunned as he felt the world around him spinning as he heavily crashed into the ground.
After the Stone Spirit succeeded in throwing Yang Kai, he raised his arms up high while crying and howling, acting like he was undefeatable and that nobody would dare to challenge him.
Yang Kai crawled up from the ground, covered his face, and backed away as he slunk back to his seat.
This was so embarrassing. He wasn’t an opponent at all! When competing only in strength, it seemed unlikely that anyone would possibly be stronger than a Stone Spirit.
The little Wood Spirit, who was serving Yang Kai wine, glanced at him sympathetically and poured him another cup in silence.
Seeing that Yang Kai suffered a loss, Xiao Xiao, who had not taken to the field yet, was furious. He suddenly rushed to the centre of the field and rolled up his imaginary sleeves, as if he wanted to avenge Yang Kai, but he was the youngest and smallest Stone Spirit, so when facing the adult Stone Spirit, he could only insist on three breaths of time before being thrown out, hitting the outside with a bang.
The banquet was lively, with the two races getting along joyously and enjoying each other’s company.
After the first round of play wrestling, the Stone Spirits began another round, using all their might.
After eating such a loss, Yang Kai reaffirmed that he would not try to compete against any of the Stone Spirits anymore, and just sat aside and watched quietly.
During the second half of the night, the Stone Spirits were still making noise. It seemed that they hadn’t celebrated like this in a long time, and looking at how they were acting, it was likely that this was going to continue until dawn. Meanwhile, most of the Wood Spirits were already exhausted, their heads bobbing up and down, almost dozing off.
The small Wood Spirit, who had been standing next to Yang Kai, suddenly flew to his side and leaned on his ear and said something softly.
Yang Kai looked ahead and saw that Stone Spirit Elder and Wood Spirit Clan Head over there had gotten up and walked towards a large tree cave not far away. While they moved, Mu Na gave him a meaningful glance.
Yang Kai understood and hurriedly stood up, quietly sending a message to Zhang Ruo Xi, telling her to stay put for now.
When he stood at the entrance of the tree cave, Elder had already gone in, leaving just Mu Na waiting outside. When she saw Yang Kai, she extended her hand and gestured, “Please enter!”
Yang Kai didn’t know what these two clan heads wanted from him, but he did not ask any questions and followed along, entering the tree cave.
This tree cave seemed to be bigger and older than the others.
Yang Kai looked around before asking, “What can I do for you, Elder?”
Elder turned back and gestured with his hand for Yang Kai to sit down so they could talk.
After Yang Kai took his seat, Elder asked, “Are you here to take Shi Jiu away?”
Shi Jiu was Xiao Xiao’s given name in the Stone Spirit Clan, since he was the youngest.
[So, it was about this…] Yang Kai understood and smiled, “If he is willing to leave with me, and if Elder is willing to allow him to leave, I will surely take him away. I will not lie to you, Elder, I came to the Ancient Wild Lands this time specifically to look for him, and to check up on his well being.”
Elder gave a gentle nod, indicating that he understood Yang Kai’s intentions.
Yang Kai continued, “However, if he wishes to remain here with you, I will not force him to leave with me. It has always been a wish of mine to have him meet with his own kind, so now that he has found his clansmen, and they are willing to accept him, I see no reason to take him away. I would actually like for him to stay here.”
“Honoured Guest, you are truly kind. Forgive this Elder for being overly suspicious and pessimistic,” Elder smiled lightly, stroking his beard.
Yang Kai added, “Actually, I hoped that Xiao Xiao could stay and live with you from the start. I am already satisfied by the fact that I found him.”
Exactly as he said, since Xiao Xiao had found his clan, it was far better for him to live with his clansmen than to remain alone with Yang Kai. All the living beings in the world, no matter what kind, were social creatures. If they remained alone, they would lose their minds sooner or later.
Elder and Mu Na glanced at each other before lightly nodding, seemingly agreeing with Yang Kai.
Mu Na then asked with a smile, “Honoured Guest, I wonder if you have heard of the Blood Gate?”
Yang Kai furrowed his brow, having no idea why they suddenly switched the topic to this, but he still replied with a nod, “I knew nothing about it before coming to the Ancient Lands, but I happened to have heard of the legends regarding the Blood Gate a few days ago.”
Mu Na’s beautiful eyes lit up as she continued, “Honoured Guest, since you know about it, then this saves this Queen the trouble of explaining it to you.”
Yang Kai asked in amazement, “What does the Blood Gate have to do with you?”
Mu Na didn’t speak this time, but turned to look at the Stone Spirit Elder, who replied in a grim voice, “The Blood Gate is connected to every creature of the Ancient Lands. In the Ancient Lands, there is a saying: If one can enter the Blood Gate, he or she can be reborn, stimulating his or her ancestral bloodline and transforming into a Divine Spirit!”
Xie Wu Wei had said the same thing a few days ago too, so Yang Kai still remembered it.
Elder continued, “Although most have heard of this rumour, they have no way to verify it. Only a few people know that it is indeed true.”
Yang Kai’s expression slightly changed as he asked, “Can one’s ancestral bloodline really be stimulated and he or she truly become a Divine Spirit after entering the Blood Gate?”
Elder chuckled before replying, “Not necessarily. It’s just a chance, that’s all.”
Yang Kai’s interest was piqued and he immediately asked, “I would like to hear the details.”
Elder pondered for a moment as he was sorting out his words before finally speaking, “Most of the Ancient Lands’ creatures are descended from Ancient Divine Spirits, thus inheriting some proportion of their ancient bloodline, and only those who fulfil this condition may become a Divine Spirit after entering the Blood Gate! Furthermore, the process is extremely dangerous. It could be said that nine out ten would certainly die.”
Mu Na added, “Guest, since you dare to enter the Ancient Wild Lands, your cultivation cannot be weak, so I assume you have already come into contact with Source Strength, yes?”
Yang Kai nodded in confirmation. Cultivators would have already come into contact with the Source Strength in the Dao Source Realm, and he was already an Emperor Realm Master, so how could he be unfamiliar with it?
Mu Na continued, “If one wants to become a Divine Spirit and regain the glory of their ancestors, entering the Blood Gate is just the first step, nothing more. After entering the Blood Gate, that’s when the real test begins. Most of the Ancient Lands’ creatures think that entering the Blood Gate is enough to become a Divine Spirit. Although this isn’t technically wrong, it is a somewhat naïve interpretation of the truth. They just know the possible end result, but do not know anything about the process involved.”
“What kind of test is it then?” Yang Kai tightly frowned, grasping some idea of the matter quickly.
Elder replied in a heavy voice, “Every Divine Spirit has its own Divine Spirit Source. Bloodline atavism is one aspect of regaining the status of a Divine Spirit, but the more important factor is obtaining the recognition of the Divine Spirit Source. Only after obtaining the acknowledgement and acceptance of a Divine Spirit Source can one have the opportunity to become the true Divine Spirit.”
Even though this was a somewhat convoluted explanation, Yang Kai understood it at once.
A Divine Spirit Source was a very peculiar existence. For instance, the Phoenix True Fire was a Fire Phoenix Source. If someone could get the Phoenix True Fire, he or she might have a great chance to become a Fire Phoenix, like in Liu Yan’s case, but whether she could succeed or not depended on her luck. If she couldn’t get the Phoenix True Fire’s recognition, it would be disastrous for Liu Yan. This was a kind of test for her.
In other words, if one wanted to become a Divine Spirit, Bloodline Power and the Divine Spirit Source were indispensable.
Yang Kai was stunned and hesitatingly asked, “Do you mean that there are Divine Spirit Sources inside the Blood Gate?”
Elder and Mu Na glanced at each other, feeling a little surprised. They felt that Yang Kai was too sharp, as he had arrived at this conclusion with only these few clues.
Elder agreed with a nod, “That’s right. There are Divine Spirit Sources inside the Blood Gate. If someone has the opportunity to enter it, he or she could attempt to merge with one, and if he or she succeeds, they can then really become a Divine Spirit. But if he or she can’t, then they would meet their end.”
“How can there be Divine Spirit Sources inside the Blood Gate?” Yang Kai was dumbfounded.
Elder replied with a bitter smile, “Because the Blood Gate is just an entrance. There is a Divine Spirit Palace inside the Blood Gate, where many Divine Spirit Sources are stored. It could be said that almost all Sources from the Divine Spirits in ancient times are kept there.”
Yang Kai was greatly shocked again, “How is that possible?”
He suddenly made an educated guess and asked, shocked, “Could it be that it’s something like the Ten Thousand Spirits Tomb, where those Divine Spirits would enter on their own when their predestined time of death arrives, leaving their Source Strength after their deaths?”
If not, how could there be countless Divine Spirit Sources inside this so-called Divine Spirit Palace.
“That’s not the case,” Mu Nu said, shaking her head, “The Heavens are impartial in all things. Divine Spirits are too strong, and in ancient times, Humans could not resist them. There were far too many Divine Spirits in the early eras of the universe, and each of them was incredibly powerful. Such immense strength led to many of the Ancient Divine Spirits becoming extremely cruel and violent. They would fight at every turn, disturbing the world around them and all other creatures in existence. However, all things in the universe have their nemesis, just like Yin and Yang counter and balance one another. One day, a peerless Master was born among the Humans, one who possessed a natural ability to restrain Divine Spirits. It could be said that the individual was the natural enemy of all Divine Spirits. That Master spent countless years executing rampant Divine Spirits and taking away their Sources to seal in the Divine Spirit Palace. Then, that peerless Master sealed the Divine Spirit Palace and hid it inside the Blood Gate, cutting off the inheritance of those Divine Spirits, preventing them from continuing to spread their destruction.”
“The Divine Spirit’s natural enemy!” Yang Kai gasped in shock. He had never expected that such a person could have existed in this world. How strong would someone like that have to be?
Nu Ma solemnly added, “Although that Master was strong according to the legends, that Master’s strength didn’t exceed that of the Masters of that generation by much. Rather, it was due to that Master’s innate ability to suppress Divine Spirits that they were able to achieve what they had. No Divine Spirit could pose any resistance when facing that Master, and their lives were all up to that Master to preside over! Therefore, there are lots of Divine Spirit Sources inside the Divine Spirit Palace. That person was called Heaven’s Order, enforcing justice on behalf of the Heavens. Heaven’s Order wielded the Heaven’s Order Sword, and wherever that Master went, Divine Spirits retreated. Everyone trembled at the mere mention of ‘Heaven’s Order.’”
[Heaven’s Order!]
Yang Kai memorized it and lightly nodded, but soon, he suspiciously asked again, “How do you know about such ancient matters?”
Mu Na glanced at Elder, who chuckled and explained, “If you want to talk about lifespan, I’m afraid there is no race in this world that can live longer than my Stone Spirit Clan. These things have been passed down word for word from one generation to another in my Stone Spirit Clan, which is just a matter of the last two generations, that’s all.”
[Last two generations!?] the corners of Yang Kai’s lips twitched when he realized that this Stone Spirit Elder was an even older monster than he originally thought, probably hundreds of thousands of years old already. It was no wonder he looked so aged!
Yang Kai took a deep breath, calming his throbbing heart, before curiously asking, “Elder and Matriarch, for what reason did you call me here and specifically tell me about this?”
Elder suddenly looked at him with a serious expression on his face before speaking in an earnest voice, “This Elder would like to request Honorable Guest’s help to retrieve a certain Divine Spirit Source left by my Stone Spirit Clan’s ancestor.”
Yang Kai was stunned, “Elder, your Stone Spirit Clan’s ancestor was a Divine Spirit!?”
Elder nodded, “Yes. The Stone Spirit Clan’s ancestor was known as Tai Yue. In the past, because he offended Heaven’s Order, he was killed. Heaven’s Order then collected his Source Strength and sealed it in the Divine Spirit Palace.”
Yang Kai’s facial features twitched, “But why do you think that I can help you? I don’t understand this point at all. Furthermore, something unusual is happening at the Blood Gate now and the Monster Race’s Four Great Venerables are keeping a close eye on it. It won’t be easy to enter the Blood Gate under these circumstances.”
Mu Na agreed, “We naturally know this. The change of the Blood Gate is a sign from the Heavens. If it weren’t for this, we too wouldn’t have come up with this plan.”
Elder added with a sigh, “Although the Stone Spirit Clan is strong, it has not been easy for us to continue surviving. Because of the extraordinary strength and abilities we wield, the Ancient Land’s Four Great Divine Venerables have always wanted to subdue us for their own use. Some time ago, the Four Great Divine Venerables gave us an ultimatum, that if our clans did not surrender to them, we would be completely destroyed. If our clans want to resist, we can only do so if we have power equal to theirs, and the Blood Gate is our last chance.”
Yang Kai furrowed his brow. He knew that the Stone Spirit Clan had no other option, so they considered the Blood Gate, wanting to regain Tai Yue’s Source to fight against the Four Great Divine Venerables.
Xiao Xiao was now a member of the Stone Spirit Clan, so the Stone Spirit Clan’s survival was in line with his interests. Yang Kai couldn’t ignore their predicament.
After thinking for a while, Yang Kai suggested, “If Elder wants to, I can take you out of the Ancient Wild Lands. Although the Four Divine Venerables are powerful, as long as you leave this place, I’m afraid you will be beyond their reach.”
Elder gave a wry smile before stating, “We can’t leave our homeland, please forgive me.”
He was rejected.
Mu Na stated, “Elder wants Shi Jiu to inherit the power of Tai Yue. If he succeeds, then Shi Jiu will be the new Tai Yue. By then, he will have the strength to protect the Stone Spirit and Wood Spirit Clans. Shi Jiu was raised by you, so you must also want what’s best for him, am I right?”
[Why does it feel that I’m being led into a trap?] Yang Kai couldn’t help but grumble in his heart; however, hearing that Elder wanted Xiao Xiao to inherit Tai Yue’s power, Yang Kai was inevitably a little tempted.
If Xiao Xiao could really inherit Tai Yue’s power, he would be a new Divine Spirit.
Although moved, Yang Kai still solemnly asked, “Why are you letting Xiao Xiao inherit Tai Yue’s power? Are there no other candidates?”
Elder replied with a smile, “Shi Jiu is still young and malleable. If he inherits it, the chances of success will be higher.”
“In other words, there is still a possibility of failure?” Yang Kai furrowed his brow.
Elder and Mu Na sunk into silence. This question was obviously difficult to answer.
Yang Kai asked, maintaining a stoic look, “Does Xiao Xiao know about this?”
Elder confirmed with a nod, “I have already consulted Shi Jiu about this, and he too has agreed.”
Yang Kai unhappily stated, “So to say, even if I don’t help you, you will still rush into the Blood Gate!?”
“That’s right!” Elder affirmatively replied.
Yang Kai’s expression immediately turned gloomy. Since they had already decided, then why the hell were they only telling him about this now? Although he had quite a good impression of the Stone Spirit and Wood Spirit Clans, Yang Kai didn’t have any deep friendship with them. If they wanted to court death, Yang Kai could care less about it, but the point was that Xiao Xiao was involved.
Yang Kai secretly thought. [How about I find a chance to take Xiao Xiao and run away, saving myself from the trouble of getting mixed up in this muddy water…]
Seeing the distressed look on Yang Kai’s face, Elder and Mu Na glanced at each other before they bowed together, pleading, “Honoured Guest, we request you to help our two clans!”
Yang Kai promptly stepped back and indifferently declared, “You two… The both of you are asking for the impossible from me.”
Elder shook his head and stated, “It’s not like that. We are just following the Heavens’ will.”
“The Heaven’s will?” Yang Kai sneered, “Where did this Heavens’ will come from?”
Elder smiled as he turned sideways and said, pointing at a certain cave wall, “Honoured Guest, please look.”
Mu Na also waved her hand as a streak of radiant light suddenly flew out, brightening the imprints on the wall of the cave. The stream of light remained close to a certain part of the wall, slowly lingering around it, and as the light shone on the wall, Yang Kai suddenly discovered a set of extremely old pictures.
In the first picture, a person was sitting cross-legged with a round stone before him. His finger was stretched out and blood was dripping from his fingertip down onto the stone. Strangely, the blood dripping from this man’s fingertip wasn’t red but gold.
Yang Kai stared at it this a daze, but before he could make the heads and tails of it, his gaze involuntarily shifted to the second picture, following the movement of the streak of light.
In the second painting, the man was still sitting cross-legged, but there was a small figure near him this time. The figure was crouching on all fours, like a monkey, chasing butterflies.
The two pictures were drawn using the simplest of lines and looked extremely rough, but they vividly expressed the meaning intended.
[Isn’t this Xiao Xiao and me!?] Yang Kai was dumbfounded and couldn’t believe his eyes. The small figure was clearly Xiao Xiao, and the figure dripping the golden blood could be none other than him!
[But this… painting has already mottled with time. It’s extremely old, at least thousands of years… so how can it be of me?]
Yang Kai couldn’t help but find it extremely surreal.
He then looked at the third picture. Yang Kai couldn’t help but have his pupils shrink at what he saw, because in the third picture, it was the scene of Xiao Xiao and him fighting side by side, with Xiao Xiao holding the Heaven Shaking Pillar. The painting was drawn with forceful strokes, it was vivid and filled with majesty.
The fourth picture seemed to be inside a tunnel with points of light lingering around it. The space was shattered and Xiao Xiao was falling into blackness, leaving only his one hand remaining outside, trying to reach out to grab hold of something.
[This is the scene from the Starlight Corridor, when we entered the Star Boundary!]
In the fifth picture, there were nine more stone men like Xiao Xiao around him, recuperating in an old and dense forest. There were many smaller Wood Spirits flying around.
In the sixth picture, the man who was in the first painting seemed to have found the small figure, reuniting after a long time. They couldn’t hold their happiness and a bonfire blazed while many Stone Spirits and Wood Spirits were singing and dancing around them. It completely overlapped with what happened tonight.
In the seventh picture, there was a huge oval-shaped gate that was as red as blood. Thousands of creatures of all shapes and sizes were fighting in the vicinity of the blood-coloured gate, with many injured and dead.
In the eighth picture, the small figure flew over from the horizon and rushed straight into the blood-coloured gate with the help of the human, disappearing into it.
In the ninth picture, there was nothing but the blood-coloured door, leaving everyone in great suspense.
There were a total of nine paintings etched on the walls of this tree, and although they were a simple outline, they were quite vivid and lifelike.
After having finished observing these pictures, Yang Kai’s mood was a mess. It took him a long time to recover and lift his head, asking, “What’s the meaning of this?”
Elder explained, “The Wood Spirit Clan might not be good at fighting, but the previous Matriarch of the Wood Spirit Clan was proficient in divination. Before her death, she had a premonition that our two clans would be annihilated at some point in the future, so she divined a way out for us at the cost of her remaining life, and what she left was these nine paintings.”
Mu Na added with a sigh, “For over a thousand years, Elder and I have been trying to comprehend the meaning of these nine paintings, but we couldn’t until Shi Jiu came to us from the outside world. His appearance helped us validate the content of the fifth painting. We then finally knew that the hope of the two clans wasn’t in the two clans, but rather Shi Jiu and you, our Honoured Guest.”
Yang Kai’s brow twitched as he asked, “Are you two going to risk all the lives of your clans on these nine paintings?”
Elder sternly shook his head and stated, “This is Heavens’ will, it’s a revelation, not a risk! Honoured Guest, we have truly been waiting for you for a long time!”
Yang Kai was taken aback. When he first saw Elder today, he heard the same words. At that time, he thought that it was because of Xiao Xiao, but he hadn’t expected the Elder to have other intentions.
Inside the tree cave, Elder and Mu Na stared at Yang Kai with scorching gazes.
Yang Kai spoke with a sigh, “Even if this revelation was left by the last Matriarch of the Wood Spirit Clan at the cost of her life, it doesn’t say that we will succeed.” Pointing at the ninth painting, he added, “There is nothing here.”
Mu Na solemnly stated, “I believe that the previous generation’s Matriarch would not fire an arrow without purpose. If it was a dead-end, she would not have left the revelation here. Since she left it, it is meant to be a guide to show us the right path.”
“Honoured Guest…” Elder exhorted again.
But before he could finish speaking, Yang Kai interrupted him, waving his hand, “This is no simple matter, I will have to consider it carefully. You don’t need to say anything more.”
After saying so, Yang Kai turned around and left the tree cave, regardless of what the other two inside wanted. The outside was still hustling and bustling with noises and the Wood Spirits and Stone Spirits were singing and laughing together. Ruo Xi had been dragged on to the stage by the Wood Spirits and was lithely and gracefully dancing, drawing applause from the Wood Spirits. Even the eyes of a few Stone Spirits brightened at the sight of this.
Xiao Xiao was also twisting and turning like crazy, but it really wasn’t that elegant.
Yang Kai didn’t bother them. His figure flickered as he returned to Xiao Xiao’s tree cave, sitting down cross-legged.
Seeing him disappear, Elder heaved a slight sigh, seemingly feeling sorry about not being able to convince Yang Kai right away.
Mu Na turned her head and stared at the nine paintings for a moment before suddenly stretching out her hand and waving. When the streak of light illuminated again, the ninth painting completely changed. The blood-coloured gate still existed, only a huge stone giant was standing outside, looking at the world with contempt, like nobody in the world could defeat him. On his shoulder was a pitch-black giant stick, signifying Xiao Xiao’s identity.
Mu Na asked, “If this was the case, would he have agreed just now?”
Elder replied, “Since it’s a divination, it should only guide the way, and not show the results. If it was the other way around, he might instead have become suspicious. He isn’t a fool. Showing the first one was the best possible choice.”
Mu Na, hearing this, nodded approvingly before she waved her hand once again, restoring the ninth painting to its original state.
Elder heavily sighed and continued, “We should not have collaborated to deceive him, but we really have nowhere else to turn. If we want to get things done, we need help. Naturally, we have to give him a chance to think about it.”
Mu Na agreed, “Elder is right.”
The two were racking their brains quite hard. How could Yang Kai have guessed that these two honourable heads of their respective clans would actually conspire to deceive him? The nine paintings on the tree wall were the handiwork of Mu Na. It wasn’t some revelation left behind by the previous generation’s Wood Spirit Clan’s Matriarch.
If Yang Kai came to know of this, he would surely beat them black and blue.
Yang Kai, sitting cross-legged inside the tree cave, was at his wit’s end. According to his assessment of the situation, his best choice would be to directly take the two clans away from this place, and if that didn’t work, he would simply take Xiao Xiao away.
But after hearing Elder talk about the difficulty of leaving their homeland, he quashed the very notion right then and there. It wasn’t impossible to take Xiao Xiao away by force, but this way, Xiao Xiao would lose the opportunity to become the Divine Spirit, Tai Yue.
On the one hand, there was a chance that Xiao Xiao would become a Divine Spirit, but on the other hand, he would be facing a huge risk. Yang Kai was in a dilemma.
It all depended on what Xiao Xiao’s wish was.
At dawn, the celebration of the two clans finally ended. The Wood Spirits then disappeared into the jungle, whereas the Stone Spirits went back to their respective tree caves.
Ruo Xi and Xiao Xiao walked back together, but when they saw Yang Kai sitting cross-legged there, Ruo Xi couldn’t help but ponder. She was so engrossed in the celebratory mood last night that she had no idea when Yang Kai left.
“Xiao Xiao, come here!” Yang Kai beckoned to Xiao Xiao.
Xiao Xiao immediately tottered to his side, curiously looking at him. He had no idea what Yang Kai wanted to do.
Yang Kai reached out and grasped Xiao Xiao’s hand before he surged his Divine Sense to communicate with him.
After a while, Yang Kai heaved a sigh, “Are you sure?”
As he had expected, Xiao Xiao truly wanted to enter the Blood Gate. Elder had already analyzed the pros and cons of it clearly with him, and he had no intention of forcing things on him.
Xiao Xiao stood up and hammered his fists on his chest, indicating that he was very strong and wasn’t afraid of anything.
Yang Kai wryly smiled, shaking his head. He pondered for a long while before finally stating, “Go tell your Elder that I agree to his request.”
Xiao Xiao was confused, obviously having no idea what Yang Kai meant. Nevertheless, he obediently ran out.
“Sir, did something happen?” Ruo Xi couldn’t help but anxiously ask, noticing the unsettled look on Yang Kai’s face.
Yang Kai furrowed his brow and replied, without hiding anything, “The Stone Spirit and Wood Spirit Clans want to send Xiao Xiao into the Blood Gate to inherit a Divine Spirit Source. So, I am a little worried.”
“Ah!” Ruo Xi immediately exclaimed, covering her mouth, “Enter the Blood Gate, but over there… right now…”
“Yes, it will be extremely difficult. If I don’t help them, they will not be able to break through the defences around the Blood Gate for sure, and even with my help, they might not be able to succeed.”
“Then, Sir, why did you still agree?”
Yang Kai stated, “I will try my best and leave the rest up to the Heavens to decide as I’m not sure that I can take them away from here.”
Ruo Xi’s eyes flickered before she grit her teeth and suggested, “Then, I’ll also help.”
Yang Kai glared at her and reprimanded, “No, if we really rush to the Blood Gate, things will be very dangerous. You’re not… strong enough. You have to be obedient.”
An aggrieved look appeared on Zhang Ruo Xi’s face, but she didn’t dare to violate Yang Kai’s command. All she could do was softly agree, “I know…”
Yang Kai glanced at her and gently said, “Since I brought you out from the Zhang Family, I have the responsibility to guarantee your safety. When you have advanced to the Emperor Realm, it won’t be too late to participate in such things.”
“Yes!” Ruo Xi replied, clearly frustrated.
In the Elder’s tree cave, the Stone Spirit Elder and the Wood Spirit Clan’s Matriarch were overjoyed after having been notified by Xiao Xiao. They secretly thought that they hadn’t racked their brains in vain; they had somehow managed to make Yang Kai agree to their two clans’ request.
The two even proactively came to Xiao Xiao’s tree cave together.
Ruo Xi and Xiao Xiao went outside, leaving Yang Kai and two Clan Heads sitting cross-legged alone.
Elder was chuckling, obviously in a pretty good mood. Mu Na was also overjoyed and couldn’t conceal this truth.
Only Yang Kai had a dark look on his face, looking quite gloomy.
“Elder, let me say this first, I have agreed to help you, but that is all. If things take a turn for the worse, I will take Xiao Xiao away right then and there. As for the rest, you will have to depend on yourselves.”
“But of course!” Elder repeatedly nodded, stroking his stony beard, “If something really can’t be done, I won’t force it either.”
Yang Kai nodded and then asked, “Since that’s the case, I have nothing else to add. So, how are we going to proceed?”
Elder and Mu Na glanced at each other before the former replied, “We will charge straight ahead, sending Shi Jiu into the Blood Gate. That counts as a plan, doesn’t it?”
Yang Kai’s face twitched hard as he angrily scolded, “Plan!? Plan your head! The Blood Gate is now being watched by Four Divine Venerables personally! Eight Great Kings and thirty-two Monster Kings would come rushing at the first sign of trouble. How are you going to charge through?”
Elder looked a little embarrassed as he stated, “Honoured Guest, aren’t you proficient in the Dao of Space? Can’t you just take us there?”
Yang Kai’s pupil shrank and he stared dead straight at him and asked, “Xiao Xiao told you?”
He had never shown any manipulation of Space Principles in front of the Stone Spirit Clan, but since Elder knew about this, obviously he had heard it from Xiao Xiao.
Mu Na explained, “Honoured Guest, please don’t be angry. Our clans don’t have any malicious intentions towards you and we will not divulge your secret. Also, Shi Jiu didn’t disclose this, it was when Shi Jiu found us that Elder learned of it from his memories.”
Yang Kai’s voice became colder as he stated, softly sneering, “What other secrets do the two of you know?”
Elder forced a cough before replying, “We also know that the Honoured Guest has a magical storage artifact that can take us together without anyone noticing our presence.”
Yang Kai couldn’t help but roll his eyes as thoughts of silencing these two suddenly flashed across his mind. He finally understood why these two clans were asking for his help. Even before that, they never inquired about his cultivation.
[I have the Sealed World Bead and I am also proficient in the Dao of Space, so I can indeed bring them to the Blood Gate without anyone noticing. That’s an advantage no one else has.]
It’s easier to ask for help from your friends and relatives than to ask a stranger.
Elder continued, “Our plan is like this, our clansmen will first hide in that Storage Artifact, then Honoured Guest will use your Space Divine Ability to lead us to the Blood Gate. After that, it’s our time to work; Honoured Guest, you don’t need to worry about what follows. As long as we can get close to the Blood Gate, we have our own way to send Shi Jiu inside.”
Yang Kai squinted his eyes and asked, “As far as I know, the Blood Gate is one of the two Restricted Areas of the Ancient Lands. Normally, no inhabitant of the Ancient Lands can even get close to it, let alone enter it. Do you have any solution for that?”
Mu Na replied with a smile, “That’s true, generally, but right now, the Blood Gate has changed. The restriction has loosened a lot, so it is not a problem to get close to it. The biggest problem is how to break through the Blood Gate’s seal.”
Elder proudly added, “We have ten Masters of immense strength. If my entire Stone Spirit Clan makes a move together, we can smash through any seal!”
Yang Kai’s face turned ugly as he asked, “Do you want to use brute force?”
Elder asked, raising his brows, “Is there something wrong with that?”
Yang Kai face-palmed before turning to Mu Na and asking, “Matriarch, the Stone Spirit Clan’s intelligence has always been so, so that’s fine, but why are you agreeing with this too?”
Mu Na asked, wryly smiling, “Is there a better way?”
Yang Kai was rendered speechless as he realized that the two tribes had no decent plans at all. They were simply going to use brute force to bend the situation to their will. Forced by the Four Great Divine Venerables, they had no choice but to take such a risk. If Xiao Xiao could really inherit Tai Yue’s power and become an Ancient Divine Spirit, he could naturally shelter the two clans under the noses of the Four Great Divine Venerables.
To put it bluntly, the two clans were at an impasse; it was a do or die situation for them.
After staring blankly for a while, Yang Kai stated, “Perhaps I can attempt to tear open the Blood Gate’s seal. Since the Divine Spirit Palace is sealed inside the Blood Gate, there must be a small world inside. My comprehension of Space Principles might give me the ability to tear open the boundary of that small world.”
When Elder heard this, he immediately spoke, rubbing his hands, “Honoured Guest, if you succeed, that will naturally be best, but if it doesn’t work, we will have to use brute force.”
Elder had always given Yang Kai a sense of wisdom, but now it seemed that a Stone Spirit was still a Stone Spirit. Even if they lived long enough, they would not get any wiser and would always advocate violence to solve their problems. The Wood Spirit Clan must have been having a hard time interacting with them over all the years they lived together.
“When are we leaving?” Yang Kai asked, looking at the two.
“This matter should not be delayed. We have to go sooner rather than later. This Elder is thinking of leaving tomorrow morning,” Elder solemnly said.
Mu Na lightly nodded; obviously, she agreed with this.
Yang Kai sighed helplessly and agreed, “Fine. You two should return and prepare your clansmen, we will depart… Tomorrow morning!”
Elder and Mu Na immediately left, apparently returning to inform their clansmen.
Yang Kai, on the other hand, sat cross-legged inside the tree cave. It could be said that what these two clans were planning to do was extremely risky. To be honest, Yang Kai wasn’t optimistic about their chances as failure seemed to be the far likelier outcome. What he needed to consider now was how to increase the safety margin and chances of success; after all, they were trying to make a move right under the Ancient Lands Four Great Divine Venerables’ noses. Once they alerted the four Divine Venerables, they might move to block their surroundings, and then Yang Kai might not be able to escape safely even with his Space Tearing abilities.
[Maybe… Xie Wu Wei can help.]
All night, Yang Kai was thinking hard.
At dawn, sounds of footsteps came from outside and Yang Kai opened his eyes and scanned with his Divine Sense. Immediately, he sensed that everyone in the Stone Spirit clan had been gathered. And not only the Stone Spirit Clan, but even over a hundred members of the Wood Spirit Clan were joining under Mu Na’s leadership, flying around the Stone Spirit Clan’s heads.
[Now that the arrow was already drawn, I can’t do anything but shoot it.] Yang Kai sighed before he stood up and went forward.
Seeing Yang Kai appear, the two Clan Heads’ faces turned solemn before Elder spoke, “Honoured Guest, we are ready.”
Yang Kai looked at Mu Na and asked, frowning, “Is the Wood Spirit Clan also coming?”
Yesterday, although Mu Na and Elder were discussing matters with him together, he really hadn’t expected the Wood Spirit Clan to come along with full force. This would be an extremely dangerous mission, so what could the Wood Spirit Clan do when they weren’t good at fighting? Once they were swept into the battle, any Monster King could massacre all of them.
Elder said with a smile, “The Wood Spirits coexist with my Stone Spirit Clan; although they will not directly participate in the battle, they will still be of great help. Honoured Guest, you don’t need to worry.”
Yang Kai furrowed his brow but didn’t object either. Instead, he nodded and said, “Since that’s the case, I will trust your decision.”
Yang Kai looked around before doubtfully asking, “Where is Ruo Xi?”
He didn’t see Zhang Ruo Xi anywhere. He had been sitting in the tree cave all day, thinking hard, so he thought she had simply been outside, but only now did he find out that Ruo Xi was missing.
Elder and Mu Na looked at each other, the two clansmen also exchanging looks and asking one another, “Have any of you seen that little girl?”
No one answered. Not to mention the few Stone Spirits, even the hundred Wood Spirits didn’t know where Ruo Xi was.
Yang Kai’s expression changed as he released his Divine Sense like a tide, sweeping the surroundings, scanning over a thousand-kilometre radius, but even then he didn’t find Ruo Xi’s aura.
This shocked and angered him. How could someone alive disappear for no reason?
“Shi Jiu, do you know something?” Elder suddenly asked in a deep voice.
Yang Kai turned his head to look, and saw Xiao Xiao standing there with an uneasy look on his face, constantly scratching his ears and cheek; his eyes erratically moving around.
Yang Kai’s brow twitched as he asked, looking at him, “Xiao Xiao, where did Ruo Xi go!?”
Seeing that he couldn’t hide anymore, Xiao Xiao immediately became dejected and whimpered a few times.
Yang Kai’s countenance drastically changed, raising his head and turning to gaze in the Blood Gate’s direction, grinding his teeth as he scolded, “That girl!”
Mu Na too couldn’t help but cry out in surprise, covering her mouth, “She actually set off to go to the Blood Gate first?”
Yang Kai angrily said, “She must have gone because I prevented her from participating yesterday. When I get my hands on her, I will spank her butt red!”
[This is outrageous! Ruo Xi has always been docile and obedient, so I never dreamed she would dare to sneak away without telling me. She has really gone too far this time!]
Yang Kai raised his hand again and knocked down on Xiao Xiao’s head, angrily scolding, “Since you know, why didn’t you tell me earlier?”
Xiao Xiao clutched his head, whimpering with an aggrieved expression on his face.
“It’s useless to argue about this now. Honoured Guest, it’s best to find her as soon as possible. The Blood Gate is surrounded by many members of the Monster Race. If she falls into their hands, things will be troublesome,” Elder persuaded.
It wasn’t like Yang Kai didn’t know this, so he quickly suppressed the anxiety in his heart and said, “Relax yourselves and don’t resist. Don’t make a fuss about what you see when you go in.”
After saying so, Yang Kai stretched his hand towards the two clans. Immediately, Space Principles surged, and the boundary of the Seal World Bead opened, allowing the two clans to enter the Small Sealed World one after another.
Embodiment, who had already been notified by Yang Kai, sat there with a smile, welcoming the arrival of the clansmen of the two clans.
Elder had said that the Stone Spirit Clan never had more than ten members; any more would die at birth.
[I wonder what expression they will have when they see him?] Yang Kai didn’t bother to pay attention to this, let alone explain to them the circumstances of his Embodiment. After he had collected the two clans into the Sealed World Bead, Yang Kai immediately turned around and rapidly flew towards the Blood Gate.
Along the road, Yang Kai constantly spread his Divine Sense to search, hoping to find Zhang Ruo Xi.
But she had set off a day earlier, so even if she wasn’t moving at full speed, she might have already reached the Blood Gate. Naturally, it was impossible to find tracks on the road.
And this turned out to be the case. At this moment, Zhang Ruo Xi was already within three hundred kilometres of the Blood Gate. She had been cautious along the way, and although luck had played some part in it, she hadn’t encountered too many twists and turns.
But when she arrived here, she didn’t dare to move forward. There were too many Monster Race members in front of her, and they weren’t hiding their presence either. If she dared to move closer, she would definitely be discovered.
At this moment, Ruo Xi was hiding in the canopy of a huge tree, trying her best to conceal her aura.
She might be fairly strong now, but she didn’t want to get in trouble in this kind of place. Naturally, she was mainly hiding and waiting for Yang Kai’s arrival. [When Sir arrives and clashes against the Monster Race, I will immediately rush out to help Sir. I think Sir will not blame me at that time.]
Deep in her heart, she just wanted to help out a little, that’s all. She didn’t want to be taken into the Sealed Word Bead by Yang Kai and be forced to wait, feeling useless once again.
A team of patrolling Monster Race members passed by, but they didn’t notice Zhang Ruo Xi, boosting her confidence somewhat.
It was the first time she had done something this dangerous, so she was quite nervous. Fortunately, following Yang Kai here and there wasn’t without any merits. After having gone through storms and fire, she could reluctantly maintain her composure even if she was nervous deep inside.
Time went by little by little.
Another Monster Race patrol crossed in front of her, and this time they were incomparably vigilant and checking everything, seemingly looking for even the smallest of suspicious trails. When this patrol team passed under a certain tree, one of them suddenly stopped and sniffed the air.
“What happened?” Another Monster Race member looked at him and doubtfully asked.
The Monster Race member didn’t answer as he continued sniffing, taking some time before raising his brows and commenting, “There is the scent of a Human.”
As soon as he said this, Ruo Xi’s face drastically changed as she knew things had gone wrong. She might have revealed something, and once the Monster Race found her whereabouts, it would be difficult for her to escape even if she had wings.
All she could hope for was that this Monster Race member was just sceptical. In that case, she might still escape this calamity.
But her hope was smothered very soon. After sniffing for a while, the Monster Race member abruptly raised his head and stared at the canopy of the tree.
Although their gazes didn’t meet due to the thick foliage, Zhang Ruo Xi’s heartbeat raced and she knew that she could no longer remain hidden here.
Just when she made up her mind to escape, a dirty and dishevelled head suddenly appeared by her side, hanging upside down in front of her, grinning from ear to ear at her.
Ruo Xi was scared out of her wits and almost jumped back and shouted; however, after seeing who exactly this unkempt person was, she quickly covered her mouth, not daring to make any noises. Her bulging pretty eyes were just staring at the unkempt and dirty face.
Suddenly, a hand reached out towards Zhang Ruo Xi, grabbing her. Immediately after, the two figures flickered before disappearing from her spot.
*Shua…*
Right afterwards, a Monster Race member rushed to the canopy of the tree. He looked around for a while, but after finding nothing, scratched his head with a suspicious look on his face.
“Did you find something?” The Monster Race members waiting below asked.
“Nothing…” The searching Monster Race member replied before jumping down and continuing with an embarrassed smile, “I might have made a mistake.”
The Monster Race members of the patrol team glared at him, displeased. They blamed him for being so anxious that every bush and tree appeared as an enemy to him. Without another word, they continued on with their patrol.
Above the canopy of another towering tree, watching the Monster Race patrol team move away, Zhang Ruo Xi finally sighed in relief, her chest fiercely heaving up and down. At that moment, her heart had almost jumped out of her chest. She thought that she was going to die. Fortunately, someone had given her a hand at the critical moment.
She quickly turned her head and looked to one side.
Right next to her, Ice Heart Valley’s Third Elder was looking at her with a silly smile. On closer inspection, Ruo Xi realized that this woman was quite the beauty, it was just that she had lost her mind and was completely careless about maintaining her appearance. She had been living in the Ancient Lands all year round, which resulted in her face being completely covered in dirt and grime. Ruo Xi couldn’t help but sigh at her condition.
“What is Senior doing here?” Ruo Xi didn’t know what her name was, so she could only address her as Senior.
The Third Disciple giggled; who knows whether she understood Ruo Xi’s question or not. In any case, she didn’t look like she was going to be answering anything anytime soon. Instead, she kept sniffing like that Monster Race member, her nose almost stuck onto Ruo Xi. It appeared as if she took a particular liking to Ruo Xi’s fragrance as there was an intoxicated look on her face while she sniffed.
Ruo Xi was feeling very uncomfortable, almost like she was itchy all over. She quickly stretched her hand out before her, blocking the Third Disciple, stopping her from continuing. She then said, “Senior, please don’t cause trouble, or we will be found by the Monster Race.”
Being pushed away by her, the Third Disciples suddenly pouted, seemingly saddened.
Ruo Xi couldn’t bear the sight of her despondent look. She was a beautiful Second-Order Emperor Realm Master. If she was outside, countless men would admire and pursue her like she was an immortal fairy, but she looked nothing like a Human or ghost now. If her Master, Senior Bing Yun, came to know about this, her heart would surely break.
“Good, Senior, I have something important to do now, so please behave!” Zhang Ruo Xi reached out and grabbed the Third Disciple’s dirty paws without showing any aversion at all. She gently cupped her hands as she softly said, “I’m waiting for Sir here. Sir is the one who gave you that fruit last time. Sir has been looking everywhere for you, so don’t run around and wait for him here with me, okay?”
The Third Disciple looked at Zhang Ruo Xi for a while before suddenly nodding.
Ruo Xi asked with a smile, “Can you understand me?”
The Third Disciple hugged Ruo Xi and buried her head in Ruo Xi’s plump peaks, scrabbling her head, doing whatever she wanted…
“Senior… I can’t breathe…” Ruo Xi’s face flushed red. A strange feeling rose from her chest, which made her feel slightly tingly. That tight groping made it even harder for her to breathe. In any case, she wasn’t as strong as the Third Disciple, so even if she wanted to free herself, she was unable to no matter how much she struggled.
…..
Ten kilometres away from the Blood Gate, as Mu Na had said earlier, after the changes at the Blood Gate, its inexplicable repulsion power seemed to have disappeared. Normally, the Blood Gate couldn’t be approached at all, and even the strongest Monster Kings would be reduced to nothing but a gory puddle of flesh and blood by its mysterious power once they tried, leaving not even a corpse behind. But now, even weak Monster Race members were swarming from every direction, their eyes red as if they had lost their minds. They were making a beeline towards the Blood Gate, trying to rush inside it.
This was due to the bloodline attraction!
As Xie Wu Wei had supposed earlier, after the changes in the Blood Gate, the aura of Divine Spirit Sources inside the Divine Spirit Palace were being revealed. This aura carried a great temptation to every resident of the Ancient Lands. These weak Monster Race members would rush over, hypnotized by the alluring aura, gradually losing their minds and flying straight towards the Blood Gate, throwing all caution to the wind.
But these Monster Race members were doomed to fail to approach even ten kilometres of the Blood Gate.
Because right now, eight figures were constantly patrolling around the Blood Gate, and once they found a Monster trying to get close, they would kill without mercy.
These eight Monster Race Masters were the Great Kings of each of the Four Great Divine Venerables.
Currently, corpses were lying everywhere outside the ten-kilometre radius of the Blood Gate. There was a nauseating smell of blood in the air. In just a few days, who knew how many Ancient Lands’ creatures had died at the hands of these eight Great Kings? Nevertheless, they still couldn’t prevent the countless Monster Race members from rushing to the Blood Gate.
On a peak about fifty kilometres away, four figures filled a stone pavilion, either sitting or standing. Some of the Monster Race members were respectfully guarding this pavilion, looking at the four figures in awe from time to time.
These four figures were none other than the Four Great Divine Venerables of the Ancient Lands.
The changes of the Blood Gate were of great importance, so the four of them had personally come to oversee and investigate the situation to prevent any mishaps.
The figure on the left side was a middle-aged man in purple brocade robes and a crown on his head. He looked no different than a normal Human, but there was an awe-inspiring aura about him. There was a lightning-like shine in his eyes, which gave anyone who met his gaze a chilling feeling. This man was the Easter Divine Venerable, Fan Wu.
The figure on the right resembled the Stone Spirits. He had a rock-like body and skin with a jagged texture. Only, he was lacking the temperateness of the Stone Spirits. His figure gave an extremely fierce feeling and, from top to bottom, he was covered in sharp barbs of stone. Even his face had a fierce and sinister look. There was an air of hostility around him and the shine in his eyes was like a mad flame, giving the impression that he was constantly looking for prey to eat.
He was the Northern Divine Venerable, Shi Huo!
In the Star Boundary, the other three domains might not have heard of Shi Huo’s name, but for Eastern Territory cultivators, Shi Hou was quite famous.
And there was a reason behind this. Roughly twenty thousand years ago, one of the top Sects of the Eastern Territory, the Black Tortoise Sect, was wiped from the face of the world by Shi Huo. Tens of thousands of its disciples had been massacred by him. The Serene Soul Great Emperor became furious when he got word of the brutal massacre and personally moved out to capture Shi Huo, but Shi Huo escaped to the Ancient Wild Lands.
Being able to escape from the pursuit of a Great Emperor was proof in itself of Shi Huo’s terrifying strength.
Maplewood City’s Qin Zhao Yang’s ancestor had once been a disciple of the Black Tortoise Sect. The Emperor Artifact, the Myriads Sword, was his ancestor’s sword. In the past, the Black-Tortoise Seven Points Formation taught by Qin Zhao Yang to Yang Kai was the closely guarded core technique of the Black Tortoise Sect, which wasn’t easily taught to ordinary disciples.
After the Black Tortoise Sect was destroyed, the Qin Family’s ancestor came to the Southern Territory and settled in Maplewood City. Not long afterwards, he succumbed to his injuries, and as the generations continued, his family declined.
At the centre of the stone pavilion was a stone table, on top of which was a pot of steaming hot fragrant tea.
A beautiful woman was sitting by the table, her skin as white as snow. She had an enchanting figure and charming eyes. Her silky hair was like a black waterfall falling behind her head, straight down to her hips. The beautiful woman stretched her soft and slender hand out and poured herself a cup of tea before calmly taking a sip of it.
She was the Southern Divine Venerable, Luan Feng!
If one didn’t know about her, they would not dare to believe that such a beautiful and charming woman was actually a Divine Spirit with an ancient inheritance. Anyone who dared to provoke her had been burned to ashes by her World Extinguishing Black Flames.
The last figure had a sinister and ruthless gaze. With one glance, it was apparent that he shouldn’t be provoked. He was sitting on the stone bench in front of Luan Feng, motionless, like he was petrified. Intentionally or unintentionally, his gaze was lingering on Luan Feng’s charming figure, but he didn’t dare to be too presumptuous. He was just sneaking a few peaks.
Luan Feng lightly took a sip of tea before her cherry red lips parted as she indifferently warned, “Cang Gou, if you stare at me again like that, this Queen will dig out your eyes!”
Hearing this, a look of fear flashed across the man called Cang Guo’s eyes, but he could only give an embarrassed smile as he asked, “Lady Feng, why are you keeping me at arm’s length? Don’t you know that this King has feelings for you?”
Luan Feng didn’t return his glance, her voice remaining indifferent as she snorted, “This Queen only knows that you are… Extremely disgusting.”
If others dared to say that Cang Guo was disgusting, he would have already rushed at the opposite party and torn him or her apart.
But the person in front of him had the right to speak this way. Without even mentioning that Cang Guo was very fond of her, he also wasn’t as strong as Luan Feng.
There were naturally differences in strength between each Divine Spirit. In ancient times, there was even a ranking for the Divine Spirits, with the Dragon and Phoenix Clans reigning atop that list. Compared to these two Divine Spirit Clans, the Divine Spirits at the bottom of the rankings weren’t even in the same class.
Luan Feng was from a branch of the Phoenix Clan, so although her strength couldn’t be compared with her ancestors’, it was still immense, especially her World Extinguishing Black Flames, which had extraordinary power.
Among the Four Great Divine Venerables of the Ancient Lands, Luan Feng was the strongest. This was something the other Divine Venerables couldn’t deny. It was just that these four had been living in the Ancient Wild Lands for millennia now and would not fight with each other unless it was absolutely necessary. Even though Luan Feng was a bit more powerful, in a life or death battle, the other three wouldn’t be easy for her to deal with. Even if they couldn’t kill her, they would be able to severely injure her.
The four Divine Venerables barely maintained a state of mutual checks and balances in the Ancient Lands.
After being severely despised by Luan Feng, Cang Guo inevitably became angry out of shame and lashed out, “These eyes belong to this King, this King will look wherever he wants to look!”
Luan Feng’s movements abruptly stopped as she slightly raised her eyes, a cold gleam flashing across their depths as she stared at Cang Guo. Right then, she suddenly opened her mouth and lightly exhaled towards him.
A wisp of pitch-black flame shot out of her mouth, straight towards Chag Guo like a snake.
“World Extinguishing Black Flame!” Cang Guo’s expression drastically changed as he realized that his joke had gone a little too far. Luan Feng had actually attacked him, forcing him to hurriedly back away while fiercely palming forward.
This palm shattered space and reduced the entire stone pavilion to rubble.
Several figures suddenly jumped up, hovering in the air.
“What the heck are you two doing?” Fan Wu coldly glared at Cang Guo and Luan Feng, shouting at them, “Why do you do this every time you meet!?”
Luan Feng flicked her silky hair over her shoulder and indifferently replied, “He is the one that provokes this Queen every single time.”
Cang Guo immediately blew his top and angrily rebuked, “This King just took a few glances at you, that’s all. It’s not like you lost anything! But you actually tried to attack this King! Do you really think that this King is that easy to bully?”
Luan Feng coldly glared at him and snorted, “I may not have lost anything, but your gaze feels extremely disgusting. This Queen was uncomfortable, so she had to remedy the situation.”
Cang Guo lashed back, “Good, good, this King has been bearing you for not just a day or two! Since you look down on this King so much, let’s decide today who is the better!”
“Good!” Luan Feng turned around, looking like she had been waiting for this. She coldly smiled and stated, “This Queen has been wanting to kill you for not just a day or two either. Since you are asking for death, this Queen might as well fulfill your wish!”
“You two…” Fan Wu’s face turned colder and immediately shouted, grinding his teeth, “That’s enough!”
He seemed to have some prestige among the four, so when he spoke, whether it was Cang Guo or Luan Feng, they stopped in place, both of them turning their heads and coldly scoffing.
“So many problems have cropped up this time, yet instead of working together, you have started internal strife!” Fan Wu looked exasperated from their failure to meet his expectations, “Is it fun to make a joke of yourselves before your subordinates?”
Both Cang Guo and Luan Feng, who were reprimanded, looked embarrassed and pouted.
The group of Monster Race members were currently staring at the former site of the Stone Pavilion with widened eyes. It seemed as if they couldn’t fathom why the high and mighty Divine Venerables were unable to cooperate and even attacked each other.
“And you!” Fan Wu looked at Shi Huo.
“What does any of this have to do with me?” Shi Huo shook his head with an innocent look on his face.
“Every time, you are just enjoying the show! Why don’t you try to stop them?” Fan Wu rebuffed, coldly snorting.
Shi Huo muttered with an unhappy look on his face, “They are fighting while I’m watching, the two are irrelevant to each other.”
Fan Wu’s brow twitched a few times before a resigned look appeared on his face. Only after a long time did he finally calm down, “Due to the changes of the Blood Gate and the sudden propagation of bloodline attraction, the Ancient Lands creatures are all moving strangely. If the four of us weren’t personally overseeing things here, the Monster Kings under us might have already tried to enter the Blood Gate. Everyone might have already inherited their ancestors’ Source Strength and memories. You should know what secrets lie inside the Blood Gate. In the past, ‘that’ Master wielding the Heaven’s Order Sword had almost exterminated all Divine Spirits from this world. Our ancestors somehow escaped that disaster. You don’t want that person’s power to reappear and make us flee about with nowhere to hide, right?”
Hearing him talk about ‘that’ Master, the other three Divine Venerables’ expressions couldn’t help but sink.
In the Ancient Lands, even the thirty-two Monster Kings were oblivious to most of the secrets of the Blood Gate, but that wasn’t the case for these four. The four had inherited the Source Strength and bloodline memories of their ancestors, so they clearly knew about what exactly was sealed inside the Blood Gate.
There weren’t just countless Divine Spirit Sources inside, but also the Heaven’s Order Sword that could make all Divine Spirits in the world tremble in fear at the mere mention of its name!
If someone broke the Blood Gate seal and allowed that sword to reappear in this world, there would be nowhere in the Star Boundary what would be safe for them anymore, and the four of them would undoubtedly be the first to bear the brunt of this catastrophe.
The four of them had personally moved because of the seriousness of this matter. They were here to supervise and had ordered all thirty-two Monster Kings under them to guard the surrounding area to prevent anyone from approaching the Blood Gate. They wanted to prevent the breaking of Blood Gate’s seal and the reappearance of the Heaven’s Order Sword no matter what.
Seeing the three go silent, Fan Wu lightly added with a nod, “As long as the four of us remain of one heart and one mind, even the Monster Kings under us would not dare to trespass into the Blood Gate Restricted Area no matter how much they want to. We can sit back and relax after we weather through this, but if you really start fighting seriously, the Monster Kings under us will definitely take advantage of the chaos caused. Once an accident occurs at the Blood Gate, who will be able to bear the responsibility?”
His words were well justified and well-founded, so the other three Divine Venerables had to nod in agreement. Cang Guo and Luan Feng also reigned in their hostility, understanding that now wasn’t the right time for infighting.
…
Thirty kilometres outside the Blood Gate, Xie Wu Wei was overseeing his group of subordinates, blocking any Ancient Lands inhabitants who were trying to enter the Blood Gate from approaching. However, from time to time, he would look in a certain direction.
That was the place where the Divine Venerables were gathered.
He was sitting on an armchair, sneering from time to time.
The Four Divine Venerables were gathered near the Blood Gate, and he knew why. These four were obviously worried that the Monster Kings under them could not resist the temptation of the bloodline attraction.
In fact, they weren’t overreacting. If the four of them weren’t nearby, perhaps Xie Wu Wei would have already tried to break the Blood Gate seal.
He had already reached the limit of his cultivation and there was no room for growth left. This was undoubtedly painful torture for members of the Monster Race, who always yearned for strength.
The strange changes of the Blood Gate had given him hope. He could clearly perceive a mysterious and powerful force from the Blood Gate, resonating with his bloodline. It was definitely the power that could make him be reborn, stimulate his ancestral bloodline, and transform him into a Divine Spirit.
Once he got his hands on this power, he could become an existence that could stand on equal footing with the four Divine Venerables and he would no longer need to follow someone else’s orders.
Unfortunately… He didn’t have this opportunity! He couldn’t even get close to the Blood Gate. Under the surveillance of those four, he believed that he would be reduced to nothing before he could even approach.
With a heavy sigh, Xie Wu Wei slapped the armrest of the chair, shattering it into pieces. He was extremely unwilling to accept the current state of things. If he really missed such a good opportunity, it would be utterly depressing!
At that moment, he suddenly seemed to sense something and turned his head to stare in another direction, his heart clenching tightly.
He furrowed his brow for a while before slowly standing up.
The Monster Race Master called Shu Yu, who was by his side, couldn’t help but ask, seeing this, “Sir, where are you going?”
“I’m feeling bored, I’m going for a walk. You continue to monitor the things here. If anyone tries to break through, kill without mercy!” Xie Wu Wei, carrying his hands behind his back, stoically ordered.
“Yes Sir!” Shu Yu respectfully cupped his fists and responded, sending off Xie Wu Wei with his eyes.
After Xie Wu Wei’s figure left his subordinate’s sight, his figure flickered before he disappeared into the jungle.
After a moment, his figure reappeared on top of a huge tree. He looked left and right for a while with a suspicious expression on his face.
Just when he was feeling at a loss, a figure suddenly appeared beside him; seemingly out of thin air.
Xie Wu Wei was taken aback and his Monster Qi surged; he immediately wanted to attack.
“It’s me!” A familiar voice reached his ear before he could move though, forcing Xie Wu Wei to suppress his strength.
“Young Master Yang!” Xie Wu Wei looked over with surprise, “Where did you come from?”
To his great shock, he was unable to sense Yang Kai’s arrival with his peak Twelfth-Order strength. It was really incredible.
Yang Kai smiled lightly but didn’t answer his question; rather, he asked him for his help, “Monster King, can you do me a favour?”
Xie Wu Wei immediately looked at him with vigilance and anxiously asked, “What’s the matter?”
Yang Kai beckoned to him. Xie Wu Wei looked annoyed, but had no choice but to get closer.
Yang Kai whispered a few words into his ear.
Xie Wu Wei’s face immediately changed as he asked in amazement, “You are asking me to inform the Divine Venerables of this? Why not ask me to court death directly!?”
Although he was Yang Kai’s Soul Slave, how could Xie Wu Wei be willing to play cat and mouse with death, so of course he was infuriated.
Yang Kai asked in surprise, “Why would you be courting your death?”
Xie Wu Wei replied with a cold snort, “They will immediately realize that it’s a lie as soon as they hear it. The Divine Venerables aren’t idiots, how will they not investigate? And once they have investigated, they won’t let this King live!”
While speaking, he kept shaking his head, “No, this King won’t go. Even if you beat me to death, I won’t go! It’s better to die at your hands than to die in the hands of four furious Divine Venerables. Just kill me right now!”
Yang Kai couldn’t stop himself from laughing before saying, “Who told you that it’s false?”
Xie Wu Wei took a sidelong glance at him before deriding, pursing his lips, “Don’t lie to this King. Every single creature of the Ancient Lands knows that the ancient bell has already been taken by a Human Master tens of thousands of years ago. How could it appear in the Ancient Lands for no reason?”
Yang Kai earnestly guaranteed, “It’s true! I’m not lying!”
Xie Wu Wei looked shocked and stated in surprise, “This King is a member of Monster Race, this King isn’t as scheming as you Humans. Don’t lie to me.”
Yang Kai pursed his lips into a smile and ensured, patting the Monster King’s shoulder, “Why would I lie to you? I only want you to disclose this news to the Divine Venerables. I guarantee nothing will happen to you.”
“But… How is that bell back here for no reason?” Xie Wu Wei still couldn’t believe it. Suddenly, something clicked and he asked, staring at Yang Kai, “Could it be that you…”
Yang Kai nodded, smiling, “That’s right! That bell belongs to me now. I was the one who put it there.”
Xie Wu Wei suddenly gawked, his eyes filled with shock. He simply couldn’t believe his ears.
“Monster King, can you help me with this little favour?” Yang Kai’s face turned serious, “Don’t forget, your Soul Brand is still in this Young Master’s hands.”
Xie Wu Wei inquired, furrowing his brow, “What exactly are you planning by asking this King to disclose this news to the Four Divine Venerables?”
“That’s this Young Master’s business, naturally, you don’t need to ask anything about it,” Yang Kai coldly snorted.
Xie Wu Wei ignored his evasion and continued, “You are trying to draw the Four Divine Venerables away… Are you planning to enter the Blood Gate? Aren’t you Human?”
The Blood Gate was a Restricted Area to the Ancient Lands’ residents. Only the Ancient Lands’ residents could feel bloodline attraction. Yang Kai was a Human, so it was strange that he had any desire to enter the Blood Gate. Xie Wu Wei couldn’t figure this out.
“What does it have to do with you?” Yang Kai impatiently pushed him, turned him around, and said, patting his back, “It’s important to quickly get it done.”
Xie Wu Wei didn’t leave but turned around and asked with shining eyes, “Young Master Yang, if you are planning to enter the Blood Gate, count me in too.”
“You also want to enter the Blood Gate?” Yang Kai glanced at him in amazement, but the next moment, he understood that Xie Wu Wei also wanted to get his hands on the power of a Divine Spirit.
Xie Wu Wei snorted and stated with disdain, “If those Four hadn’t been watching nearby, this King would have already rushed in. Why would I wait till now?”
Yang Kai chuckled and agreed, nodding, “Alright, then it will depend on whether you will have the opportunity or not.”
Xie Wu Wei immediately grew excited and his figure flickered, disappearing from Yang Kai’s sight.
..…
At the damaged stone pavilion, the Four Divine Venerables were standing shoulder to shoulder, looking in the Blood Gate’s direction with solemn eyes.
Right then, a Monster General suddenly rushed over below and said, cupping his fist before raising his head, “Greetings, Sirs and Madam!”
Fan Wu coldly asked, staring below, “What is it?”
The Monster General replied, “Reporting to Sir, Monster King Xie Wu Wei is requesting an audience.”
“Xie Wu Wei?” Fan Wu raised his brow.
Naturally, he knew that Xie Wu Wei was one of the eight Monster Kings under him, someone with both strength and intelligence. He could be regarded as one of the top Monster Kings, but what was he doing here at this time?
Fan Wu allowed the request, waving his hand, “Send him over.”
“Yes, Sir!” The Monster General replied before hastily retreating.
Not long after, Xie Wu Wei followed the previous Monster General back. Even as a Monster King, Xie Wu Wei felt a heavy pressure bearing down on him from the Four Divine Venerables, especially since he was conspiring with Yang Kai. This was no trifling matter. Once the Divine Venerable became aware of this, he would immediately die without a burial, so he couldn’t help but be a little nervous. Xie Wu Wei took a deep breath and greeted, cupping his fists, “Greetings Sirs and Madame.”
Apart from Fan Wu glancing at him, the other three remaining Divine Venerables simply ignored him; after all, Xie Wu Wei was a Monster King under Fan Wu. He had nothing to do with them.
“What is it?” Fan Wu indifferently asked.
Xie Wu Wei raised his head to meet Fan Wu’s eyes, putting on the appearance of someone who had something important to say. This look aroused the curiosity of the other three Divine Venerables and they all turned their heads to look at him, one after another.
Fan Wu urged, “If you have something to say, speak up. None of us Divine Venerables are outsiders.”
[I have been waiting for this.] Xie Wu Wei was secretly happy in his heart, but remained completely calm on the surface. He cupped his fists again and reported, “Reporting to Sir, a Monster General under me accidentally found a bell in a mountain three thousand kilometres away from here!”
“A bell? Why are you making so much fuss over a bell?” Fan Wu asked, furrowing his brow.
Xie Wu Wei replied, “According to that Monster General’s description, and coupled with your subordinate’s own speculation, the bell is likely to be the legendary… Mountains and Rivers Bell!”
“What!?” Fan Wu was greatly shocked, and the other three Divine Venerables’ eyes instantly lit up, their surprise no less than the former’s.
In an instant, Xie Wu Wei’s figure sank down to the ground as he felt mountain-like pressure descend on him; he was finding it extremely hard to even breathe.
“Are you sure that it is the Mountains and Rivers Bell?” Luan Feng couldn’t help but ask in a stern tone.
Xie Wu Wei said with difficulty, “I am eighty percent certain it is the Mountains and Rivers Bell because my subordinate said that the bell was exuding an intense Wild Force. It seemed to have an aura capable of suppressing the world. He just glanced at it from a distance before hurriedly reporting back, not daring to approach too close.”
“An aura capable of suppressing the world and intense Wild Force…” Cang Guo’s lips trembled in excitement, “It must be the Mountains and Rivers Bell! Where is it?”
Fan Wu glanced at the excitement in his eyes and indifferently stated, “This is strange, the Mountains and Rivers Bell was stolen from the Ancient Lands by Yuan Ding. We haven’t seen or heard of it for tens of thousands of years. Rumour has it that this Ancient Exotic Artifact was lost in the Shattered Star Sea when Yuan Ding died, so why would it appear in the Ancient Lands for no reason right at this moment?”
He was already getting suspicious. Even though the Mountains and Rivers Bell was of great use to him, he couldn’t help but point this out.
Hearing this, Luan Feng’s pretty eyes flashed and she lightly nodded, “It is indeed a bit strange.”
Shi Huo rolled his eyes and suddenly asked, “How many of you suspect that someone is trying to lure us away from here?”
Fan Wu coldly snorted and glared at Xie Wu Wei, “Wu Wei, this King has always treated you well. Do you know what end you will have if you try to deceive this King?”
Xie Wu Wei’s body turned stiff and he was unable to lift his head under the pressure. He could only continue in a struggling voice, “This subordinate appreciates how Sir has treated him over the years and naturally has not forgotten Sir’s many graces; this subordinate, however, has not spoken any falsehoods. This subordinate dares not hide anything. As for the bell… This subordinate heard that the Shattered Star Sea on the Human side had opened a few years ago. Perhaps someone has brought the Mountains and Rivers Bell out from the Shattered Star Sea?”
A pondering look immediately appeared on Fan Wu’s face after hearing this. Naturally, he knew about the Shattered Star Sea opening, so there was some truth to Xie Wu Wei’s words.
“Whether it’s real or not, we will know after checking it out. It’s only a few thousand kilometres away anyway!” Cang Guo looked as if he couldn’t wait any longer and urged everyone.
“Check, we can naturally go and check, but who will stay here to keep watch?” Fan Wu looked at the other Divine Venerables.
Luan Feng stated with a smile, “This Queen has never seen it. This Queen wants to broaden her vision.”
Cang Guo added with a serious face, “I also want to go and check.”
Fan Wu focused his gaze on Shi Huo, who quickly became unhappy and snapped, “What are you looking at me for? I also want to go. In any case, all of you are going, so I won’t be staying here alone.”
Fan Wu heaved a sigh. He knew that he could not count on these three. Since the Mountains and Rivers Bell had appeared suddenly, and it was just a few thousand kilometres away, he couldn’t help but suspect that someone was using it to lure the tigers out of the mountains; however, the Four Divine Venerables wanted it and were afraid that someone else would get their hands on it, so no one was willing to stay here.
Fan Wu sighed and agreed, “Alright, let’s all go and check it out. But not just anyone can collect Ancient Exotic Artifacts like the Mountains and Rivers Bell. It will depend on one’s luck.”
Even though he was suspecting that something was wrong, the temptation of the Mountains and Rivers Bell was too strong. Not to mention that thirty-two Monster Kings and eight Great Kings were overseeing things here. There should be no problem if they were only gone a short time.
Xie Wu Wei, who was all fidgety below, immediately became ecstatic, realizing that things were proceeding as they had expected. Once these four left, it would be much more convenient for Yang Kai to act. It was just that he didn’t know what was making Yang Kai confident that he could crack the Blood Gate seal right in front of so many Monster Race Masters.
There were forty peak Twelfth-Order Masters in the vicinity. If they teamed up, even a Great Emperor would be forced to retreat.
Before he could taste the fruit of his scheme though, Fan Wu suddenly beckoned him and ordered, “Wu Wei, lead the way!”
Xie Wu Wei’s heart turned bitter, but he didn’t dare to object. All he could do was obediently lead the way.
Streaks of light shot into the sky as the Four Divine Venerables disappeared from their spot, led by Xie Wu Wei.
In the distant forest, Yang Kai, who was hiding his own aura, finally heaved a sigh of relief after seeing the Divine Venerables leave. With the Four Divine Spirits overseeing things here, he really didn’t dare to make a rash move.
Fortunately, the biggest threat had now been eliminated. Even though the remaining Monster Kings and Great Kings were strong, they were not strong enough to make him give up.
After silently waiting for a while, making sure that the Four Divine Venerables had really left, Yang Kai released his Divine Sense to communicate with his Embodiment.
Inside the Small Sealed World, the Embodiment, who was sitting cross-legged, suddenly opened his eyes and informed in a deep voice, “Prepare yourselves.”
The group of Stone Spirits and Wood Spirits, who had been waiting all this while, exchanged knowing glances. Even Xiao Xiao took out the Heaven Shaking Pillar and put it on his shoulders. He was oozing a majestic and awe-inspiring aura.
Everyone knew that a life and death battle was waiting for them. It was a do or die situation!
A solemn atmosphere suddenly spread into the surroundings, making the air inside the Small Sealed World heavier.
On a towering peak was a completely barren and clear field with only an oval-shaped blood-coloured gate of light standing erect.
The Blood Gate!
One of the two Restricted Areas of the Ancient Wild Lands, and the place where residents of the Ancient Lands could be reborn.
A few figures were constantly patrolling around the Blood Gate, each one exuding a thick and strong aura, radiating potent Monster Qi, giving any onlooker an extremely uncomfortable feeling. These were the Great Kings who directly served the Four Divine Venerables, a grand total of eight.
They were the most trusted subordinates of the Four Divine Venerables, so, naturally, they were dispatched to patrol the innermost region, guarding against those Monster Kings who feigned compliance in public but defied in private.
However, the Blood Gate was also a pretty big temptation for these eight Great Kings. This was due to bloodline attraction, which couldn’t be overpowered by loyalty. These eight Great Kings were also looking towards the Blood Gate from time to time as they patrolled the Blood Gate back and forth. After a few glances, their eyes were filled with emotions.
However, with others present, keeping watch on them, they dared not rush towards the Blood Gate despite their pounding hearts.
This kind of thing was extremely painful and tormenting. It was like a delicious meal was placed before a starving man, but he could only see it and not eat it.
Fortunately, the eight Great Kings had incredible mental fortitude, so they could barely suppress their itching hearts.
“Hmm!?” Suddenly, a Great King, who was patrolling nearby, stopped and turned in the Blood Gate’s direction with a frown.
He felt some faint unusual energy fluctuations near the Blood Gate, something that had never happened before.
Before the Great King could investigate and understand what was happening, the space around the Blood Gate started distorting as a tall and stalwart figure appeared out of thin air.
The Great King was greatly taken aback. He and his seven compatriots had clearly blocked the area within ten kilometres of the Blood Gate, so not to mention a Human, not even a mosquito could enter this place without their knowledge. What’s more, the surrounding fifty-kilometre radius of the Blood Gate was being guarded by the thirty-two Monster Kings, so how did this person arrive here?
Furthermore, this aura clearly belonged to a Human!
This was outrageous!
The Great King was shocked and angry, hurriedly shouting aloud, “Bastard, how dare you trespass into the Restricted Area! Surrender your life!”
Just as he said this, Monster Qi exploded from his form and he pounced at Yang Kai, leaving a long afterimage behind him. While in the air, he palmed forward. This was the anger-fueled attack of a Third-Order Emperor Realm Master, so its might was extraordinary.
Yang Kai, however, just stood in place, despite feeling like his bones were creaking. For the first time, he truly got to experience the terrifying power of a Master on par with a Third-Order Emperor Realm Master first-hand.
But he didn’t panic and just coldly watched as the Monster Race Master closed in, waiting until the critical moment to wave his hand before himself.
*Shua Shua Shua…*
Immediately after, the Stone Spirit Clan, led by the Elder, made an entrance like divine soldiers descending from the Heavens.
However, the Wood Spirit Clan was nowhere to be seen, confusing Yang Kai.
*Hou…*
Instantly, a furious roar resounded, shaking the Heavens and Earth. Xiao Xiao jumped out in one step as his child-like figure grew bigger with crackling sounds. All of sudden, he transformed into a dozen-metre-tall stone giant with his entire body covered in rock-solid armour that looked extremely hard and impenetrable, giving the impression that it would be able to defend against any attack.
The Heaven Shaking Pillar resting on his shoulder also became longer and thicker at the same time as it swept towards the oncoming Monster Race Great King.
Wind howled and the air crackled as the Heaven Shaking Pillar cut through the air with the momentum that shook the world around it.
The attacking Monster Race Great King was in a state of total confusion. Before, when he saw Yang Kai alone, he didn’t hesitate to attack. He wanted to kill Yang Kai to eliminate any future troubles, so how could he have known that so many stone giants would suddenly appear in the blink of an eye?
In a moment of surprise, he was completely unguarded and couldn’t react. Meanwhile, Xiao Xiao’s stick was already upon him.
The moment before the Monster Race Great King was about to get hit, he hurriedly stopped and promptly pushed his Monster Qi to form a defensive shield around his body. At the same time, he crossed his arms before his chest.
*Hong…*
As the Heaven Shaking Pillar struck him, the Monster Race Great King felt a force beyond his imagination impact him. His Monster Qi defence shattered and his arms fractured as his figure was sent flying.
He spurted a mouthful of blood as his figure flew back several thousand metres before he finally stabilized himself.
The might of Stone Spirit Clan was so terrifying and domineering that even a Monster Race Great King with the strength comparable to a peak Third-Order Emperor Realm Master was unable to take it head-on.
“Stone… Spirit!” The Monster Race Great King’s eyes instantly turned red. He might have suffered a loss, but it was only a minor injury, so it didn’t pose a major problem to his combat efficiency. On the contrary, it stimulated his murderous intent.
*Shua Shua Shua…*
One after another, figures flew over from all directions after hearing the commotion here, landing on either side of the Monster Race Great King. Including the previous Monster Race Great King, there were a total of eight figures.
They were the eight Great Kings of the four Divine Venerables.
These eight Monster Race Masters undoubtedly recognized the Stone Spirit Clan; after all, when the four Divine Venerables wanted to subdue the Stone Spirit Clan, they were the ones passing messages between them, so they had met each other more than once.
One of the Great Kings with a stocky and imposing build stared ahead as his pupils shrank, letting out a cold snort as he asked, “Elder, what’s the meaning of this?”
The Stone Spirit Clan was standing by the Blood Gate with the Elder in the lead, who pointed his cane and replied in a reverberating voice, “My clan’s future is here, and you are asking what this Elder is doing?”
The Great King’s gaze turned colder as he stated in a heavy voice, “Elder, don’t do this. You should know the consequences of angering the four Divine Venerables. The Stone Spirit Clan members are few in number. You don’t want your clan to be exterminated, do you?”
Elder chuckled and replied, stroking his stony beard, “My clansmen live thanks to the luck bestowed by the Heavens, so unless the Heavens themselves will it, others can forget about exterminating my clansmen. I’m afraid you don’t have such ability!”
Another Great King immediately rebuked, gritting his teeth, “We were ordered to guard this place and cannot permit anyone near it. Elder, are you trying to make things difficult for us?”
Elder indifferently stated, “It’s not like we can’t work things out. If you turn a blind eye to this, my Spirit Clan will definitely be grateful to you.”
“In your dreams!” The Great King who was injured first angrily yelled, “Since you have intruded upon the Blood Gate Restricted Area, today you will definitely die!”
Elder sighed before proposing, “The changes of the Blood Gate are a great opportunity for the Ancient Lands creatures to revive their ancestral glory. As long as we can break the Blood Gate seal and enter the Blood Gate, we will have the opportunity to obtain Divine Spirit Sources. Since you have been by the four Divine Venerables’ sides, you must also know about the secrets of the Blood Gate. Rather than opposing my clan, wouldn’t it be better if we teamed up and shared the Sources inside the Blood Gate? Wouldn’t that be wonderful?”
“I really didn’t know that Elder was so good with words. Today, you have opened this King’s eyes,” the injured Great King coldly snorted, a mocking look on his face.
Elder stated, “Today, my Stone Spirit Clan will display its full strength. We are going to have our hands on the Blood Gate for sure, no matter what. Anyone who dares to hinder our path will be killed without mercy! Friend, you’d best think things through.”
Just as he said this, the expression of the eight Great Kings immediately darkened.
In the past, when they had come in contact with the Elder, they felt that this old guy was withering away and it took great effort for him to even speak. This had made them look down on him, but today, his staunch stance and the murderous intent overflowing from him had taken them by surprise.
The burly Great King sighed and stated, “If Elder insists on doing this, I’m afraid I can only offend you.”
No one dared to underestimate the Stone Spirit Clan’s strength. If they really had to fight with these stone giants, they weren’t sure of their victory.
While the talk was going on, the Great King who was hit by Xiao Xiao’s stick and had suffered some injuries, suddenly had his expression change as he fiercely shouted, “Despicable Human, what the hell are you doing!?”
Everyone was startled and turned their gazes towards the Human boy who had suddenly appeared at the very beginning. They saw his hands dancing wildly, constantly making mysterious seals. Moreover, the space around him was extremely distorted, giving the impression that it would collapse at any moment.
The eight Great Kings were extremely shocked by this sight and couldn’t fathom what mysterious ability this Human had mastered that was actually causing space to distort like this.
Yang Kai, without stopping, turned his head with a smile on his lips and stated, “I’m breaking the seal! It’s strange that Sir Great King is asking such an obvious question.”
“Outrageous!” The Great King’s face distorted in anger as he angrily shouted, “Stop right now or this King will tear you into a thousand pieces!”
Yang Kai let out a cold snort before retorting, “This Young Master’s act of breaking the seal is something beneficial for the future of the entire Ancient Lands, but instead of appreciating it, you actually want to kill me? Where is the logic in this?”
“Human, you are quite good at spurting nonsense! What gives you the right to intervene in the affairs of the Ancient Lands!?”
Elder intervened right then, “This Little Friend is the Honoured Guest of my Stone Spirit Clan. This Elder has asked him to break the seal.”
“You think a trivial First-Order Emperor Realm can crack the seal on the Blood Gate? What a joke!?”
Elder justified, “This Little Friend is proficient in the Dao of Space, while there is an independent small world beyond the Blood Gate. As long as Little Friend can tear the barrier between worlds, he can naturally open the seal.”
“The Dao of Space!?” The eight Great Kings were thoroughly shocked.
Elder continued, “Friends, there are many Divine Spirit Sources inside the Blood Gate, and all of you should be able to sense them resonating within your bloodlines. If Little Friend can really break the seal, it will be greatly beneficial for you too.”
The burly Great King stated, “It’s not like something cannot be arranged, but the Divine Venerables’ orders…”
Elder chuckled before adding, “The Divine Venerables aren’t here, are they? They are a few thousand kilometres away. They won’t notice.”
“The Divine Venerables aren’t here?!” The eight Great Kings were stunned and quickly turned their heads, looking in the direction the four Divine Venerables’ were previously located. Immediately after, they noticed that that place was completely empty.
In a flash, everyone couldn’t help but become a little eager.
No one wanted to be a subordinate forever. Although the eight Great Kings were loyal to the Divine Venerables, if they could make their own strength grow a step further, none of them would want to miss this opportunity.
[If we really allow this Human to tear the space barrier and open the Blood Gate, we might really be able to enter it and inherit the Divine Spirit Sources of our distant ancestors and attain the glorious strength they once possessed.]
[But… Who can say for certain that this Human will be capable of breaking the seal!? If he fails and the Divine Venerables learn we didn’t do everything in our power to stop him while they were away, we will certainly be blamed and punished.]
The eight Great Kings glanced at each other, seemingly able to guess each other’s thoughts.
The burly Great King stepped forward and indifferently stated, “Sorry, although Elder’s offer is tempting, the Divine Venerables’ order cannot be violated. Forgive me for offending you!”
Just as he said this, the eight Great Kings moved together, their figures flashing as they charged straight at the Stone Spirit Clan all of a sudden.
“Block them!” The Elder waved his cane and pointed forward.
Under his order, eight Stone Spirits apart from Xiao Xiao, from Shi Yi to Shi Ba (one to eight), jumped out one after another, each meeting a Great King head-on.
In an instant, Monster Qi surged in the vicinity of the Blood Gate. Bursts of Monster Qi swept outward as the Stone Spirits fought with the eight Great Kings, creating a Heaven shaking riot.
But very soon, the eight Stone Spirits fighting noticed something odd. The eight Great Kings weren’t displaying their complete strength, making it easy to block all of their attacks.
Although the Stone Spirits were lacking in intelligence, they weren’t that stupid; after all, after living so many thousands of years, how could they not know what the eight Great Kings were planning?
Everyone was secretly elated, but that did not stop their battle from causing the world to tremble. Very soon, the barren peak had rocks and dust flying everywhere, looking just like the scene of a heated battle.
Yang Kai had already guessed what was going on after seeing this and knew that the eight Great Kings had been tempted by Elder’s proposal. They were just pretending at this moment, that’s all, so that they wouldn’t be blamed by the four Divine Venerables if something went wrong.
But then again, even if they tried their best, they could do nothing to the Stone Spirit Clan.
Since the eight Great Kings were willing to play along, Yang Kai now had nothing to worry about and immediately focused on cracking the seal of the Blood Gate, weaving and manipulating the local Space Principles to the best of his ability.
At the same time, Xiao Xiao and Elder stood on guard by his side, nervously watching.
The vicinity of the Blood Gate was like a raging fire, filled with loud explosions and flashes of light. Naturally, all this commotion had drawn the attention of the Monster Kings in the outer region, and curious, all of them ran over to check the situation.
In a short while, more than a dozen Monster Kings had gathered about five kilometres away from the Blood Gate, and all of them were quite shocked after seeing the enemies of the Eight Great Kings.
“The Stone Spirit Clan? Why are they here?”
“How is that possible? We have been defending the perimeter the whole time, it’s impossible for them to appear here out of thin air!”
“Did they come from underground?”
“What do they want to do? Do they want to break into the Blood Gate!?”
…..
The Monster Kings broke into a lively discussion, but soon, their faces changed. Although they had always been thinking of breaking into the Blood Gate, they really didn’t dare to act upon this impulse, yet at this moment, seeing the Stone Spirit Clan appear out of thin air and stand against the eight Great Kings, admiration and fury rose in their hearts.
They admired their courage, their lack of fear about angering the Divine Venerables afterwards, and were angry at these guys for being so foolish. These Monster Kings would also be inevitably punished because of the Stone Clan’s actions.
At this point, many Monster Kings looked at each other, wanting to rush and help out.
The entire Ancient Lands residents recognized the fact that the Stone Spirit Clan were extremely difficult to deal with. Although the eight Great Kings were strong, they may not be able to take on the entire Stone Spirit Clan alone.
Only if they worked together could they reign in the insolent Stone Spirit Clan.
“Great Kings, we have come to aid you,” a Monster King loudly shouted as he shot straight towards the battlefield with surging Monster Qi.
The pupils of the burly Great King, who was fighting Shi Yi, immediately contracted before he refused in a heavy voice, “No!”
The rushing Monster Kings abruptly halted with a confused look on his face. In the Ancient Lands, although the thirty-two Monster Kings and eight Great Kings were almost on par with each other, when it came to status, the Great Kings were obviously higher. Being the confidants of the four Divine Venerables, following them left and right, they could be regarded as the heralds of the Divine Venerables.
Under normal circumstances, their words were equivalent to the Divine Venerables’ words.
So as soon as the burly Great King spoke, no Monster King dared to disobey his order. However, they were all filled with doubt, wondering what the Great King meant.
“Continue to guard the periphery. Prevent anyone from coming to their aid. If anyone dares to rush over, kill them without mercy!” While guarding against Shi Yi’s earth-shattering-like attack, the burly Great King shouted.
“Yes!” The Monster Kings acknowledged the order, one after another, but the expressions on their faces were extremely strange.
Under normal circumstances, everyone should work together to deal with the Stone Spirit Clan as soon as possible; after all, the Blood Gate was very important and there was no room for any negligence. But now, the Great King was asking them to continue to guard the periphery, preventing them from intervening in the fight.
The eight Great Kings certainly couldn’t handle the Stone Spirit Clan alone.
The Monster Kings glanced at each other as doubts arose in their hearts, unable to understand whether this was the Great Kings’ own intention or the Divine Venerables’ orders.
If it was the Divine Venerables’ orders, it was quite possible as well; after all, the Divine Venerables had been wanting to subdue the Stone Spirit Clan for themselves. Unfortunately, each of these Stone Spirits was as dull and inflexible as a rock. The Divine Venerables had tried many times to convince them, but to no avail. This time might be an opportunity. It was just that, no matter how much the Great Kings wanted to subdue the Stone Spirit Clan, they would never take the matter of Blood Gate lightly.
“Huh!? There is also a Human over there. What’s he doing?” Suddenly, a Monster King noticed something and stared in Yang Kai’s direction.
Hearing this, the other Monster Kings focused their gaze in that direction as well, and what they saw next caused their faces to drastically change.
“That Human is cracking the Blood Gate seal!”
“What!? That’s absurd! What are the eight Sirs thinking? Why are they calmly watching that Human break the seal? Why aren’t they stopping him? If the Divine Venerables came to know about this, it’s going to be really horrible!”
“Oh, no! While the eight Sirs are stopped by the eight Stone Spirits, that Human is really acting outrageously!”
“What should we do?”
“What are you all fretting about? Maybe…the eight Sirs are deliberately allowing it?” A seemingly shrewd Monster King’s eyes suddenly flashed with an intelligent gleam.
Another Monster King turned his head and indifferently criticized, glancing at him, “Hu Li, you can eat anything you want, but you can’t say anything you think!”
The Monster King called Hu Li chuckled and stated, “This King just made a casual remark, that’s all, you brothers are free to ignore it.”
But some words can’t be ignored after they have been heard. The burly Great King stopped them from approaching the battlefield, and even asked them to continue to guard the perimeter. This made these Monster Kings suspicious, and after listening to Hu Li, their hearts were crazily shaken; they faintly felt that this was probably the truth of the matter.
All of a sudden, everyone Monster King felt their scalp tingle as a chill ran down their spine.
[The Eight Great Kings…are they planning to go against the Divine Venerables? If that’s the case, the entire Ancient Lands will probably descend into chaos!]
Thinking so, when they looked at the fiery battle again, many Monster Kings discovered that something wasn’t right. The battle might seem fierce at first glance, with the eight Great Kings and the Stone Spirit Clansmen trying their best to tear each other into pieces, attacking without holding anything back…
But when their attacks actually landed on their targets, no one received any injuries, not even a minor one.
This situation was obviously strange.
Hu Li narrowed his eyes again and asked in surprise, gazing in a certain direction, “Where did the four Divine Venerables go? Why is there no sign of them?”
He couldn’t sense the four mighty presences where they should have been.
Immediately a Monster King added, “I heard that the four Divine Venerables had left in a hurry after receiving a certain piece of news. I don’t know where they went.”
“Received a certain piece of news?” A surprised look flashed across Hu Li’s eyes, “What piece of news is more important than the Blood Gate that the four Divine Venerables left in a hurry?”
“I’m not clear about it either,” that Monster King shook his head.
“Interesting! Lure the tiger from the mountain and enter the tiger’s den taking advantage of its absence, burning one’s boat… I never knew the Stone Spirit Clan had such intelligence!” Hu Li softly smiled.
Although his voice wasn’t loud, the other Monster Kings heard him loud and clear. At this moment, how could the Monster Kings fail to notice that something underhanded was going on around the Blood Gate?
Suddenly, everyone’s mood became complicated. They were both anxious and worried.
Anxious because the Human had been cracking the seal for a long time, but there had been no result at all; it was simply a waste.
Worried because… if the four Divine Venerables returned, the battle at the Blood Gate would immediately end. Of course, the Stone Spirit Clan was pretty strong, but before the four Divine Venerables, they still weren’t strong enough. And once the battle was over, the Blood Gate’s seal couldn’t be cracked.
“What should we do now?” The Monster King, who had spoken before, approached Hu Li and asked in a low voice.
Other Monster Kings focused their gazes on Hu Li, one after another; they seemed to be ready to follow his lead.
Why wouldn’t they? Hu Li was the one gifted with the sharpest mind among all the Monster Kings. No matter how complicated the situation was, or what convoluted conspiracy was taking place, he could easily see through it.
This was also why he could be one of the thirty-two Monster Kings despite only being a Mid-Twelfth-Order Monster Race.
In the entire Ancient Wild Lands, only Hu Li wasn’t a peak Twelfth-Order Monster Race. In a one-on-one fight, other Monster Kings would not put him in their eyes, but when it came to schemes and trickery, the other thirty-one Monster Kings were not even in the same class as him.
At this delicate moment, all the Monster Kings naturally hoped that he could come up with something.
Hu Li smiled upon hearing this before he replied in a calm and composed manner, “Everyone is asking me what we should do, but who should I ask?”
A certain Monster King let out a cold snort and rebuked, “A straightforward person does not resort to insinuations. Hu Li, we are brothers who have shared life and death in the Ancient Lands for so many years. If you have something in mind, just lay it out in the open, no need to hide it.”
“Yes, Hu Li, now is not the time to play tricks.”
The group of Monster Kings stared fixedly at him, indicating that they wouldn’t let him go until he spoke.
Hu Li spread his hands and replied with a wry smile, “You really shouldn’t be asking me about this, it’s meaningless!”
As soon as he said this, the other Monster Kings looked unhappy and secretly felt that this sly guy wasn’t playing by the rules, making them somewhat angry.
Hu Li smiled again and added, “Didn’t Sir just order us to guard the perimeter and prevent anyone from approaching? We should just follow that order!”
His words seemed to imply something as the Monster Kings’ eyes lit up after hearing this.
One of the Monster Kings clenched his fist and palmed it hard, creating a loud thump as he declared, “Indeed, we only need to do what we are ordered. If the sky falls, there will naturally be someone above to hold it.”
“Yes, yes!”
After everything was clarified, all the Monster Kings finally relaxed. They stood in their spots, watching the fierce and extraordinary battle. From time to time, they would point and comment about the fight; all while feeling completely at ease and leisurely.
As Hu Li had just said, all of them were just following orders and guarding the periphery. Even if the Divine Venerables blamed them afterwards, they had their excuses ready. Only the eight Great Kings would be punished, it had nothing to do with them.
But if the Human broke the seal before the Divine Venerables returned…
At that time, all the Monster Kings and the Great Kings would definitely rush into the Blood Gate the first chance they got. No one would care about the Divine Venerables objections.
“The Stone Spirit Clan has made such big plans, so they must be quite confident in succeeding, yes?” Hu Li, standing among the Monster Kings, furrowed his brow as he stared towards Yang Kai. As far as he knew, ever since the Blood Gate Restricted Area had appeared, no one seemed to have been able to crack it. Generally, it was impossible to even get close to it. If it weren’t for the abnormal changes in the Blood Gate this time, perhaps the area within ten kilometres of it would have been an impassable barrier.
In the dense canopy of a towering big tree some distance away, a small head poked out. It was Zhang Ruo Xi, who was hiding there.
Her eyes widened as she looked ahead, noticing the battle in the vicinity of the Blood Gate and also seeing Yang Kai who was pushing his Emperor Qi madly while constantly moving the local Space Principles.
The situation seemed very dangerous, and from time to time, a fearsome Monster Race’s Secret Technique would brush past Yang Kai.
[Sir is in trouble!]
Ruo Xi felt anxious and her tender body flickered, ready to fly out to help Yang Kai.
If it was before, she would never dare to rush over like this no matter how much she wanted to, but now it was different. She had the Ten Thousand Beasts Seal in her hands that had millions of Monster Beast Souls sealed inside, including many at the Twelfth-Order. As such, Zhang Ruo Xi believed that with the help of this artifact, she would certainly be helpful.
Even the slightest force could have some effect as long as it could appear and contribute at the right moment.
But just as her figure rose up, she felt her ankle being tightly grabbed by someone before she was pulled back down.
After falling down on the trunk again, Ruo Xi angrily shouted, “Third Senior, what are you doing?”
The one to pull her down was none other than the Ice Heart Valley Third Elder, who was still with her. Had it not been for the Third Disciple helping her out with her strength and camouflaging ability, it would have been impossible for Zhang Ruo Xi to get this close.
After all, she was just a Third-Order Dao Source Realm while right now, Mid Twelfth-Order Monster Race Masters could be found everywhere. Only the Third Disciple could bring Zhang Ruo Xi here without anyone noticing them with her mystical camouflaging technique.
The Third Disciple looked terrified seeing Zhang Ruo Xi angry, but she kept waving her hands as she pointed in the direction of the battlefield before bringing it back closer to her neck and sliding across it, at the same time, she also stretched her tongue out…
Ruo Xi grimly stated, “I know that it’s dangerous over there, and my life might even be in danger…but Sir is on that side. I need to help him.”
The Third Disciple grabbed Zhang Ruo Xi’s hands and shook her head like a rattle; it didn’t look like she was going to let her go.
Ruo Xi heaved a sigh and gently added, patting the back of Third Disciple’s hand, “Sir has taught and raised me. Ruo Xi has never gotten any chance to repay him for so many years of kindness. Now, Ruo Xi finally has some power to help Sir. I can’t keep watching from here. Senior, please let me go. Even if I die, Ruo Xi will never regret it!”
Who knows whether the Third Disciple understood her or not, but regardless, she tightly held Ruo Xi’s hand and wasn’t planning on letting it go.
“Third Senior, I will hate you if you keep this up!” Ruo Xi grew anxious.
The Third Disciples pursed her lips, grinning at her. Her teeth were white as jade, forming a sharp contrast with her dirty face.
…..
At the Blood Gate, Elder was waiting with a solemn look on his face. His hand on his cane nervously clenched.
Although the eight Great Kings had decided to cooperate after his persuasion, there were still thirty-two Monster Kings apart from the eight Great Kings. The thirty-two Monster Kings weren’t much weaker than the eight Great Kings.
If the thirty-two Monster Kings also rushed over, the Stone Spirit Clan might not be able to block them with their strength alone. At that time, all the Stone Spirits could only form a circle around Yang Kai, protecting him in the middle. They would then have to try to defend him as long as possible before withdrawing once there was no more hope.
But something happened that surprised him.
The thirty-two Monster Kings, who were rushing over, all stood at a distance after being ordered by the burly Great King, seemingly planning to enjoy the show with no intention of intervening in the fight.
[I guess…the temptation of the Blood Gate is pretty big.]
Elder knew the reason why the thirty-two Monster Kings were standing by. It wasn’t because the prestige of the burly Great King was extraordinarily high, nor was it because the Stone Spirit Clan was extremely strong, rather it was because they were also interested in the Blood Gate being opened. They hoped that the Stone Spirit Clan could break the seal on the Blood Gate, allowing them to reap the reward without doing anything.
Elder suddenly felt a burden lift off his shoulder. But soon, Elder secretly began worrying again.
In this situation, if Yang Kai could tear the space barrier and crack the Blood Gate seal, it was all fine and well. At that time, all the Monster Race Masters would move together and they would all charge straight into the Blood Gate.
But if Yang Kai failed…
Not to mention the Eight Great Kings would no longer hold themselves back, even the thirty-two Monster Kings would not let the Stone Spirit Clan go after being disappointed. At that time, nearly forty peak Twelfth-Order Masters would attack them together, and the Stone Spirit Clan would have no power to fight back!
Thinking of this, Elder’s expression turned serious and even his mood grew heavier.
“Elder!”
At this moment, Yang Kai suddenly shouted.
“Yes!” Elder hurriedly responded. As he turned his head to look, he noticed that the space around the Blood Gate was distorted but there were no signs of the seal breaking.
“Are you sure the painting you showed me was really a prophecy left by the Wood Spirit’s previous Matriarch at the cost of her remaining life?” Yang Kai kept moving his hands, but his face was darker than the bottom of a pot.
“Indeed, why? What’s wrong?” Elder felt a pang of guilt. Nevertheless, he answered very confidently, as if he didn’t know the meaning of lying.
“Is this Young Master really the one in the revelation?” Yang Kai continued asking.
Elder had a faint premonition in his heart as he forced himself to answer, “It must be so!”
“Prophecy my foot!” Yang Kai angrily shouted, “This damn seal, this Young Master can’t crack it!”
“Ah? How come!?” The Elder’s heart jumped, but how could he let Yang Kai back down, immediately persuading, “The Blood Gate seal is extraordinary and not that easy to crack. Honoured Guest, why don’t you try a bit more. There is no hurry.”
“It’s not a question of time,” Yang Kai heaved a sigh before withdrawing his hands, allowing the distorted space to stabilize once again. He then turned to the Elder and stated, “Everything I’ve tried is completely ineffective, I can’t even sense the spatial barrier, so how am I supposed to crack the seal? It’s futile to continue. Elder, I think we should withdraw, taking advantage of their cooperation. If we delay any longer, the four Divine Venerables might return.”
The Elder asked in surprise, “Weren’t those four lured away by Honoured Guest’s brilliant plan?”
Yang Kai stared at him with a sidelong glance as he replied, “They aren’t fools. They will definitely notice something is amiss, and once they do, they will immediately return. Three thousand kilometres is nothing to those four, and if we don’t leave now, we won’t be able to when they return.”
Elder sunk into silence. Although he knew that Yang Kai was right, he felt that it would be a shame to give up now since things had reached this point.
His face turned serious as he requested, “Guest, please step aside, let this Elder and Shi Jiu give it a try.”
Yang Kai knew that he was unwilling to give up, but he didn’t stop him either, instead just angrily stating, “The previous Wood Spirit Clan Matriarch has landed me in big trouble.”
Had it not been for the nine ancient paintings in the tree cave, Yang Kai would have never agreed to the Stone Spirit Clan’s request this easily. Because he really believed he might be the saviour of the two clans, he came to give it a try, but from the start, he was unable to do anything.
He couldn’t figure out why the last Wood Spirit Clan Matriarch left those nine paintings before she died. [The Human in those paintings is clearly me, but why can’t I open the Blood Gate?]
While he was filled with unwillingness, the Elder and Xiao Xiao were already giving out a war cry together.
Xiao Xiao, who was originally ten metres tall, swelled again as he became a fifteen metres tall stone giant.
And the Elder, who had always given the impression of being extremely old and feeble, looked like he had suddenly been given a second life. His rickety waist became completely straight as he turned into a stone giant that was taller than Xiao Xiao with cracking sounds. Not only that, but the layer of rocks on him was like an extra layer of muscles, filled with explosive power.
They looked at each other before Xiao Xiao raised the Heaven Shaking Pillar and smashed it down hard.
*Hong…*
A deafening clap immediately followed. The strike that was strong enough to destroy Heaven and shatter the Earth actually caused the Blood Gate to flicker a little, but very soon, it regained its calm.
As Xiao Xiao withdrew his Heaven Shaking Pillar, Elder punched straight at the Blood Gate.
Struck by the giant fist, a deafening clap rang as the Blood Gate shook, but it remained as strong as a sheet of iron.
*Hong hong hong…*
A series of deafening claps rang as Xiao Xiao and the Elder kept bombarding the Blood Gate one after another. The Stone Spirit Clan’s explosive power was being completely unleashed at this moment. Even if it was a thousand-metre tall mountain, these two could flatten it with just one blow, but the Blood Gate wasn’t showing any signs of breaking.
“That Human was unable to break the seal. Do they want to break it with brute force?” Hu Li, seeing what was happening now, had naturally guessed what the Stone Spirit Clan wanted to do.
“But it seems useless!” Another Monster King stated, furrowing his brow.
“The Stone Spirit Clan’s brute strength can be considered the strongest in the world. Even the Divine Spirits fall behind in that particular aspect. If they can’t break it, then the Blood Gate…”
The mood of the group of Monster Race Masters suddenly sank to the bottom, realizing that there was little hope of breaking the seal.
Before, they were filled with anticipation, looking forward to the moment the Blood Gate seal was broken, but at this moment, this anticipation had slowly turned into a deep disappointment.
The Monster Kings were only disappointed, but the eight Great Kings were also angry.
They had been putting on a show with the Stone Spirit Clan, turning a blind eye to their actions and allowing them to do whatever they wanted at the Blood Gate.
How could they have known that the Stone Spirit Clan would be unable to do anything at all? All their anticipation had gone to waste.
If the Divine Venerables found out about this later, they would definitely not be pardoned.
Furthermore, after such a big commotion, the Divine Venerables would definitely notice something soon and come to investigate.
*Hong…*
Another deafening clap rank as the Heaven Shaking Pillar in Xiao Xiao’s hands was reduced into fragments as its pieces flew in all directions.
The Heaven Shaking Pillar was something Yang Kai had obtained when he had ventured into the Emperor Garden on Shadowed Star. It had been Xiao Xiao’s weapon since then, but it finally broke today.
Xiao Xiao was shocked by the shattering of the Heaven Shaking Pillar.
Immediately afterwards, Elder’s punch was also unsuccessful, and a sliver of despair slowly appeared in his eyes.
“Elder, it’s time to leave,” Yang Kai, observing the eight Great Kings’ expressions and bearing, noticed that they were both becoming increasingly ugly. He secretly felt that their patience was reaching the limit, so he couldn’t help but urge.
The Elder didn’t answer, and kept punching at the Blood Gate with Xiao Xiao, giving rise to deafening claps.
“Elder!” Yang Kai shouted, “Where there is life, there is hope. If we don’t leave now, the Stone Spirit Clan will surely be annihilated today!”
This sentence finally woke the Elder from his daze, and he loosened his fist with a heavy look on his face, unwillingly shouting, “Let’s go!”
“You think you can come and go as you please? How can there be such an easy thing in the world!” The burly Great King’s voice turned colder as he attacked, showing no restraint this time. Terrifying Monster Qi surged from him as he punched straight at the Stone Spirit’s chest right before him.
The Stone Spirit had failed to react in time and was knocked back several dozen metres, flipping through the air.
The muscular Great King was extremely angry too. He felt that he had been tricked, so, naturally, he didn’t want the Stone Spirit Clan to leave so easily.
The same was true for the other seven Great Kings. Realizing that there was no hope of breaking the Blood Gate seal and the Stone Spirit Clan was now planning on escaping, the Great Kings no longer held themselves back and instantly brought out their full power. The Stone Spirit Clan immediately fell into a disadvantage and suffered a huge loss, retreating again and again.
However, the Stone Spirit Clan was not only inherently powerful, but they also had extremely strong and sturdy physiques. Unless their bodies were crushed into pieces, not only would they not die, but they would not suffer any injuries either.
After the burly Monster King knocked his opponent back, he shouted, “All Monster Kings, hear my order, the Stone Spirit Clan has trespassed the Blood Gate Restricted Area with sinister intentions. Under the Divine Venerables’ authority, they must all be taken down!”
As he pointed at the Stone Spirit Clan, the thirty-one Monster Kings who were enjoying the show nearby immediately lunged over like a pack of wolves, surrounding the Stone Spirit Clan in an instant.
Yang Kai’s heart sank as he realized that they were in big trouble. Eight Great Kings and thirty-one Monster Kings, that was thirty-nine peak Twelfth-Order Masters surrounding them. Even a Great Emperor might surrender before this powerful lineup.
*Weng weng weng…*
One after another, the Monster Kings unleashed fearsome auras that made the entire world feel like it was shaking. Bits and pieces of rocks on the ground slowly floated up from the ground, as if an invisible force was lifting them up.
“Why play with fire if you don’t have any protection!” Hu Li heaved a sigh and shook his head, his gaze sweeping through the ten stone giants before finally resting on Yang Kai, “Leave the Human to this King, you deal with the others.”
He only had a Mid Twelfth-Order cultivation, so he had no confidence to face a Stone Spirit head-on. On the other hand, he felt no pressure facing a mere First-Order Emperor Realm Human.
The burly Great King obviously knew what Hu Li’s plan was and just gave Yang Kai a cold glance before warning Hu Li, “Hu Li, you have to be careful with this Human, he is proficient in the Dao of Space.”
Hu Li was surprised as he murmured, “Dao of Space? Interesting!”
That being said, he still didn’t attach any importance to Yang Kai; after all, the gap between their cultivations was pretty wide.
The burly Great King’s face turned sullen as he coldly glared at Elder and proposed, “Elder, this King isn’t shedding all pretences of cordiality because of the respect I have for your old age. As long as you are willing to surrender without a fight, the Divine Venerables might leave a way out for you when they return, but if you remain stubborn, then this King will have no choice but to offend you.”
The Elder sighed and stated, “This Elder has taken Great King’s kindness to his heart, but my Stone Spirit Clan… will surrender to no one!”
“Not even to the Divine Venerables?” The stalwart Great King’s gaze turned colder.
The Elder shook his head in refusal.
The stalwart Great King lightly nodded before indifferently adding, “Since that’s the case…” He raised his hand high and swung it down hard, shouting a single word, “Attack!”
*Shua shua shua…*
Over thirty Monster King figures flickered as they charged straight at the Stone Spirit Clan wrapped in copious Monster Qi. In an instant, with the Elder in the lead, the Stone Spirit Clan let out war cries as they swung their enormous fists wrapped in unimaginably violent energy, greeting the oncoming the Monster Kings. Their punches seemed as if they could shatter this world.
How could the Monster Kings dare to take this strike head-on? All of them promptly cast their own unique techniques one after another, their figures fluttering as they dealt with the Stone Spirits using their numbers advantage and flexible movement skills.
*Hong hong hong…*
Deafening crashes rang one after another, accompanied by dazzling flashes of colourful lights. A shocking battle kicked off in an instant.
“Take Shi Jiu away! Preserve my Stone Spirit Clan’s bloodline!” Elder suddenly shouted as he swung the cane in his hand in a circle before smacking it down hard on the oncoming Monster King. Unfortunately, his blow was swiftly avoided.
Yang Kai knew that Elder was talking to him, but at this moment, how could he have any room to leave even if that was what he most wanted to do? If he was alone, he could indeed come and go freely, but if he wanted to take Xiao Xiao away, he would first need to put him into the Sealed World Bead.
However, Xiao Xiao seemed to have become completely engrossed in the heat of battle as he fought shoulder to shoulder with the other Stone Spirits. If he didn’t cooperate, Yang Kai couldn’t force him into the Sealed World Bead.
“Human, this King will be your opponent!” Suddenly, a figure flashed before his eyes. Yang Kai found that the Monster King named Hu Li had appeared before him, lightly sending a palm at him with a smile hanging on his lips.
“Scram!” Yang Kai too raised his palm and greeted him head-on.
“You are quite courageous!” Hu Li chuckled, feeling that this Human was really interesting. Much to his surprise, the Human actually dared to meet force with force despite the gap in their cultivation. Did this human boy simply lack real combat experience?
But very soon, the smile on Hu Li’s face turned stiff, because the moment their palms came in contact, he felt that the strength of his opponent’s palm was no weaker than his own. In fact, the force he felt seemed like it could crush his strike like it was smashing rotting wood. Not only that, but there were also mysterious spatial fluctuations around Yang Kai’s attack, which appeared to be tearing apart his palm.
Hu Li was shocked and quickly pulled back his arm, looking at Yang Kai in amazement. The contempt and indifference in his eyes had disappeared right away and was replaced with an extremely solemn look.
“Solidify!” As Yang Kai shouted, causing the local Space Principles to surge. Immediately after, the space around Hu Li became thick and viscous, making Hu Li feel like he had fallen into a swamp. Not only did it become hard for him to move his body freely, even circulating his strength became difficult.
Yang Kai waved his hand in a slashing motion, sending out an enormous jet-black Moon Blade that flew straight at Hu Li.
Hu Li’s face drastically changed as beads of cold sweat could be seen emerging on his forehead. He felt his limbs go cold and numb as goosebumps appeared all over his body. He desperately urged his own energy to escape like his life depended on it, but in the end, he could not summon sufficient strength due to the odd pressure he was under. Under the invisible shackles of the local Space Principles, he couldn’t avoid this blow at all.
In a hurry and left with no choice, he opened his mouth wide and spat out a white ball about the size of a quail egg. An extremely strange fragrance was wafting from this white ball.
Monster Core!
At the critical moment of life and death, Hu Li acted in an extremely decisive manner, spitting out his Monster Core that should not be easily revealed.
Suddenly, a thick defensive shield manifested in front of the spinning Monster Core.
*Hong…*
The enormous Moon Blade struck straight on the defensive shield and slowly began cutting through it, like it was trying to slice up an extremely resilient cloth, barely fraying the outer layer of protection!
At the same time, the Space Principle shackles around Hu Li also disappeared, and without any hesitation, he quickly collected his Monster Core and withdrew several dozen metres, putting distance between them. Finally, he had a breath of respite, a look of fear still lingering on his face.
He almost parted with his life just now for underestimating this Human. Had he not promptly and decisively used his Monster Core, he might have been split in half.
[Where did this Human…come from?]
“Hmm!?” On the other side, one of the eight Great Kings, who wasn’t participating in the fight, had a look of surprise flash past his eyes upon seeing this, amazed by Yang Kai’s astonishing strength.
But he also knew that the Monster King Hu Li’s combat power wasn’t that great and he mainly relied on schemes and trickery to secure his position, so he wasn’t too surprised and simply let out a cold snort as he took a step forward.
An afterimage remained where he originally stood, and in the blink of an eye, he arrived before Yang Kai.
Condescendingly looking down at Yang Kai, the Great King grabbed towards him. By the looks of his stance, it seemed as if he was trying to catch a chicken by its neck; he had a relaxed and free look on his face, indifferently mocking, “A trivial First-Order Emperor Realm Master actually dares to be so presumptuous in the Ancient Lands? It seems that your Elders never told you about the dangers of the Ancient Lands. This is not a place where you Humans can move and do as you wish.”
A solemn look appeared on Yang Kai’s face as he rapidly formed hand seals, exuding a mysterious aura into the surroundings. Immediately, time itself seemed to have stopped passing.
The Great King felt that his own thoughts had suddenly stopped and a bright light flashed before his eyes before he saw Yang Kai’s palms being pressed towards him.
“Time Flows on Infinitely, Like a Mighty Stream, Like an Unending Dream!”
A murmur rang in the Great King’s ears. To everyone else, it looked like the Great King had been struck by a petrification technique and simply allowed a strange seal to hit him without defending himself.
Only once everything was over did the Great King snap back to his senses.
In a flash, his face drastically changed as he felt a terrifying energy creeping up his arm. He roared in shock and hurriedly retreated, promptly pushing all the Monster Qi in his body towards his arm to resist this terrifying encroachment.
When he looked down at his arm, the Great King’s eyes involuntarily bulged.
It looked as if his arm had aged by thousands of years and his vitality was rapidly being eaten away. His originally robust muscles had become weak and withered while even his bones felt creaky.
“What kind of energy is this!?” The Great King was shocked and confused, hurriedly pushing his Monster Qi to try to expel the foreign energy from his body.
But how could Yang Kai give him such a chance? Now that he had already dropped all pretences of cordiality with the Ancient Lands Monster Race, Yang Kai would fight to kill. In any case, anyone Monster Race Master he took down would relieve some pressure on the Stone Spirit Clan.
Yang Kai promptly summoned the Myriads Sword and flooded it with his Emperor Qi, condensing a hundred-metre-long dazzling sword light as he swung it down on the Great King.
If this blow found its mark, the Great King would be severely injured, if not dead. At least, he would temporarily lose his combat power.
In truth, the strength of this Great King had completely surpassed Yang Kai’s expectations. The Time Flies Seal had never once failed to defeat his enemies since Yang Kai began cultivating it, but to his surprise, this Great King actually freed himself from the Dao of Time’s interference at the most critical moment, rendering the Time Flies Seal ineffective; the most it did was injure his arm.
He proved his strength as a peak Twelfth-Order Masters in name and in fact. Yang Kai even suspected that if this Great King had been on guard beforehand, the Time Flies Seal would not even have landed.
A dazzling sword aura and a powerful Sword Intent was radiating from the Myriads Sword as a thick, nearly tangible Murderous Intent was emanating from Yang Kai.
“Human, you dare!” That burly Great King shouted. Yang Kai didn’t notice when this Master moved, but he had unexpectedly appeared between Yang Kai and the Great King who was struck by the Time Flies Seal. Without dodging or avoiding the oncoming attack, the burly Great King fiercely punched towards Yang Kai’s Myriads Sword.
First, the Monster King, Hu Li, was forced to retreat by Yang Kai, and now a Great King had been injured in a single move by him. If this Great King really lost his life under Yang Kai’s sword, a human’s sword, the Ancient Lands Monster Race would lose all face.
Even if they could kill Yang Kai later, they would inevitably be punished by the Divine Venerables.
How could the burly Great King watch Yang Kai continue showing off his strength unimpeded?
Before the burly Great King’s punch, the sword aura radiating from Yang Kai’s Myriads Sword shattered into pieces. Even Yang Kai himself lost his footing and was swept up by the wind pressure generated by his punch.
“Overconfident!” The burly Great King coldly snorted, his murderous intent flaring as he punched again. This looked like a simple, straight punch, without the slightest bit of fanciness, an attack that pursued only simplicity and power.
Regarding the Stone Spirit Clan, the burly Great King still wanted to subdue them and was unwilling to fight to the death with them unless it was a last resort, but as far Yang Kai was concerned, a Human…a trivial Human was nothing. He could kill him without any scruples!
Before the punch even reached Yang Kai, he could feel a piercing sensation all over his body due to the resulting pressure.
[Can’t block it!] Yang Kai instantly judged; there was too big of a gap between their cultivations.
He had just been able to injure a Great King-level Master because he had the element of surprise on his side and because his opponent had underestimated him. Great credit also belonged to the Flowing Time Great Emperor’s Time Flies Seal. However, at this moment, the punch from the burly Great King was already upon him and he didn’t have the time to form another seal.
“Come out!” Yang Kai suddenly shouted, while at the same time, hurriedly retreating.
The next moment, an enormous stone giant appeared. This stone giant bore startling resemblance with the Stone Spirit Clan, but rather than raw aggression in its eyes, there was a sliver of shrewdness instead.
The Embodiment!
As soon as he appeared, the Embodiment swung his first, punching forward.
Before the blow of the burly Great King could even land on Yang Kai, a Stone Spirit had mysteriously appeared between them, causing the former’s brow to twitch and even causing him to question if his eyes were playing tricks on him.
But when he saw the oncoming punch, he knew this was no illusion.
It was too late to withdraw, so he could only grit his teeth and meet the Embodiment’s punch with his own.
*Hong…*
A deafening explosion reverberated, and in the aftermath, the Embodiment staggered back two steps while the burly Great King let out a groan as faint sounds of bones cracking came from his wrist before he was sent flying like a rag sack.
The six other Great Kings, who were watching from afar, were also dumbfounded at the sight of this.
They stood rooted on the spot, as if petrified. Their response was a little sluggish as if they had lost their wits. They were unable to accept the reality of this situation at all.
On the surface, the Human, who seemed the weakest, actually forced a Monster King to back away, then injured two Great Kings. Although the burly Great King wasn’t personally injured by him, the result of the battle was still shocking.
What the Monster Race Masters were unable to fathom though was where this Stone Spirit came from.
[Can’t the Stone Spirit Clan have no more than ten members? Wouldn’t a Stone Spirit born after there are already ten of them die prematurely? Counting this last Stone Spirit, the Stone Spirit Clan already has eleven clansmen! This has broken the myth that no more than ten Stone Spirits may walk the world at once.]
[This is horrible! If the Stone Spirit Clan can have more than ten members, which clan will be able to fight against them? These guys are crazy about fighting and each one of them is extremely terrifying once they fully mature!]
“Go and help them!” Yang Kai flew up and landed on the Embodiment’s shoulder, saying in a low voice as he turned his head and looked in Stone Spirit Clan’s direction. At the same time, he stretched his hand in a certain direction and opened his palm, as if he was summoning something to him.
Things weren’t looking good for the Stone Spirit Clan. Even if they were naturally born fighters, even if they didn’t know the meaning of exhaustion, even if they had endless strength, even if their bodies were extremely robust and sturdy, against Monster Kings three times their numbers, they would still be stretched and hard-pressed to hold their ground.
One by one, the Stone Spirits seemed to have gone mad. They wantonly punched left and right, but they were completely powerless against the strong and vigorous Monster Kings. On the contrary, the Monster Kings spread out and attacked them from multiple directions, leaving them with no choice but to chase their opponents while defending themselves.
Basically, every Stone Spirit was fighting three Monster Kings, but these Monster Kings were extremely cunning. They had divided their tasks and were cooperating with each other. Two of them would cooperate on the ground to contain the Stone Spirit’s attacks and movements, while the last one would hover up above and look for opportunities to send out devastating attacks.
The Stone Spirits might not have to worry about their lives for the time being, but if things went on like this, it was only a matter of time before they were suppressed.
Elder was obviously aware of this and a look of determination flashed across his eyes as he shouted, “Mu Na, assist me!”
Just as he said this, colourful rays of light suddenly emerged from his back. These rays of light gathered and stretched behind him, forming a pair of radiant wings.
Yang Kai stared in a daze for a moment, finally realizing how the Wood Spirits would provide help in this situation. These radiant wings should be the auxiliary support the Wood Spirits could give to the Stone Spirit Clan.
[No wonder I didn’t see any of the Wood Spirits when I summoned the Stone Spirits. No wonder the Wood Spirits joined us before we set off. It turns out that the two clans really share a symbiotic relationship that goes beyond simply sheltering and supporting one another.]
The biggest drawback the Stone Spirit Clan faced was that they couldn’t fly; it was related to their body structure, but the Wood Spirit Clan could give the Stone Spirits this ability.
*Shua shua shua…*
A pair of radiant wings suddenly emerged behind each Stone Spirit. As those wings fluttered, the Stone Spirits’ movements became nimbler and more flexible. It seemed as if these wings were natural extensions of their bodies, without the slightest bit of discord between them.
The Monster Kings’ faces sank as they rose into the air one after another, flanking back and forth, surrounding the Stone Spirits. By the looks of their stance, it seemed that they wouldn’t let them break through their line of defence.
The Great Kings watching the battle couldn’t sit still anymore when they saw this scene, their figures also rising up to help.
For a moment, the world lost its colour while the sun and moon lost their radiance. A terrifying and dazzling battle broke out mid-air as the collisions between various Principles and raw strength seemed like it would shatter and tear this stretch of the world asunder.
“What are you going to do?” Yang Kai’s face turned black as he asked, looking at his Embodiment. The battlefield had suddenly shifted to the sky, so the Embodiment couldn’t provide any assistance at all.
The Embodiment pursed his lips and stated, “I also have the assistance of the Wood Spirits.”
*Shua Shua…*
Suddenly, rays of light emerged behind him as a pair of wings stretched from his back. After rising from the ground, he shot straight into the air.
Yang Kai’s eyes lit up, realizing that his Embodiment had formed an agreement with the Wood Spirit before. He couldn’t help but breathe a sigh of relief as he then swung the Myriads Sword forward and sternly shouted, “Kill!”
…..
A few thousand kilometres away from the Blood Gate, four figures were rushing back towards it as swiftly as the wind. At their current pace, it would not take them long to reach the battlefield.
Each of these four figures was radiating a fearsome aura, one that seemed as vast and deep as the sea. They were none other than the four Divine Venerables of the Ancient Lands.
After having received Xie Wu Wei’s report, they had gone to investigate the appearance of the Mountains and Rivers Bell. When they arrived, they indeed found the Mountains and Rivers Bell, but unfortunately, no matter what they did, they were unable to collect it, let alone bring it away with them. The bell sat in a mountain valley, completely still, and none had any idea why it appeared there seemingly out of thin air.
The four Divine Venerables dared not underestimate the bell’s power to suppress Heaven and Earth.
Just when the four Divine Venerables were feeling helpless and frustrated, they suddenly noticed abnormal movements at the Blood Gate.
The distance of three thousand kilometres was not close, but it wasn’t far either. The perception of the four Divine Venerabeles was extremely keen while the battle at the Blood Gate was extraordinarily fierce, so it couldn’t remain hidden from their senses.
In a flash, the four knew that they had been lured into a trap.
Without a moment of hesitation, they immediately hurried back to the Blood Gate; after all, the Mountains and Rivers Bell couldn’t run away from here while there was room for mistakes at the Blood Gate.
Before they could rush back to the Blood Gate though, they felt a fearsome and shocking aura emerge from behind them. This aura was spreading over and actually made them have a feeling of suppression.
“The Mountains and Rivers Bell!” Cang Guo abruptly turned his head before his figure came to an immediate stop. As expected, he saw a streak of light rushing over, reaching them in the blink of an eye.
Luan Feng, Fan Wu, and Shi Huo all had their faces drastically change as they dared not confront it head-on and hurriedly scattered to the sides.
*Xiu…*
The Mountains and Rivers Bell directly flew between the four Divine Venerables and shot straight ahead before disappearing from their sight in the blink of an eye.
“What’s going on?” Fear could be seen lingering on Shi Huo’s face. He thought that someone was going to use the Mountains and Rivers Bell to suppress them and was so frightened he almost used his Source Strength to attack.
But the Mountains and Rivers Bell actually flew straight ahead, ignoring them entirely. It was really confusing.
The other three Divine Venerables also looked confused.
Suddenly, something seemed to have clicked for Fan Wu and his face turned ashen and cold as he grit his teeth and stated, “The Mountains and Rivers Bell actually has a Master!”
Luan Feng’s pretty eyes were also filled with shock as she confirmed again, “You mean to say… its Master just summoned it?”
Fan Wu replied with a cold snort, “What other explanation could there be?”
Cang Guo’s face turned unsightly as he looked towards the Blood Gate and bitterly said, “Whoever it is that subdued the Mountains and Rivers Bell actually used it as bait to interfere with our business!”
Fan Wu added, “No matter who it is, his goal is definitely the Blood Gate. Let’s go!”
After having finished, he hurriedly shot off.
Luan Feng, Cang Guo, and Shi Huo glanced at each other before they hurriedly followed after him.
Several dozen kilometres behind them, Xie Wu Wei had a bitter look on his face as he saw the four Divine Venerables pick up their pace. His speed wasn’t as good as theirs, so he could only chase after them while eating their dust. Just now, when the Mountains and Rivers Bell flew over, he had seen it and naturally knew this was Yang Kai’s handiwork.
Deep down in his heart, he was already raining down curses on Yang Kai, but he also had no choice but to pray for his safety.
Now, he was Yang Kai’s Soul Slave, so once Yang Kai died, he would definitely die along with him.
“Little brat, you better not have an accident and leave as soon as possible. The Divine Venerables are already returning,” Xie Wu Wei muttered under his breath.
At the Blood Gate, the crowd of Monster Race Masters were locked in a heated battle, with the Stone Spirits rushing left and right in a chaotic fashion. Nonetheless, they were unable to break through the line of defence and were trapped in this place.
In the end, the difference in numbers was too great, and with all the Monster Kings not holding back, the Stone Spirits were basically unable to escape.
At this moment, a streak of light suddenly came from nearby. Judging by its direction, it came from the centre of the battlefield.
The streak of light seemed to contain a terrifying aura. Wherever it passed through, the world started shaking.
“Human, go to hell!” The burly Great King, who was injured by the Embodiment, shouted as an enormous illusory phantom of a giant tiger appeared behind him, biting down at Yang Kai the next moment.
Having suffered a huge blow at Embodiment’s hands, he didn’t dare to get close and instead focused on killing this brat first.
At this moment, the Embodiment was blocked by another Monster King and was unable to support Yang Kai at all. Seeing the illusory enormous tiger pouncing at him, glaring, roaring and baring fangs at Yang Kai, the Embodiment instantly released the Heaven Devouring Domain, violently draining his opponent Monster King’s vitality.
“What the hell!” The Monster King was extremely shocked. He had never seen such a bizarre Secret Technique and he promptly tried to pull back. The Embodiment, on the other hand, grimly smiled before stretching his hand out and smacking it down on him.
But there was still a wide gap between their strengths, so the Embodiment could only helplessly watch the Monster King break free from the Heaven Devouring Domain and flee.
Meanwhile, the attack of the burly Great King was already about to reach Yang Kai.
“Don’t worry about me!” But then, Yang Kai shouted. Hearing this, the Embodiment, who was about to pull back its hand and help Yang Kai, instead pressed forward.
*Xiu…*
Suddenly, a streak of light flew over as a small bell appeared in Yang Kai’s hand. The bell was covered in rust and cracks, but the flowers, birds, beasts, mountains, and rivers carved on it were still distinctly visible.
Yang Kai stretched his hand out and lightly pushed the bell forward. His Emperor Qi surged as the small bell suddenly grew, reaching the height of an adult and blocking his front.
*Hou…*
The giant radiant illusory phantom happened to pounce at Yang Kai right at this moment, biting down hard on the big bell.
*Dang…*
A deafening knell that reverberated throughout the sky rang as a wave of ripples suddenly propagated outward with Yang Kai as the centre. The ripples seemed to contain extremely mysterious energy and all the creatures who heard the tolling, no matter whether it was Monster Kings or the Stone Spirit, all momentarily stagnated as they felt a sense of suppression bearing down on them.
The radiant giant tiger phantom was directly dispersed, reducing into a million specks of light before disappearing.
*Pu…*
The burly Great King spurted a mouthful of blood as he suddenly became listless and dispirited.
The giant tiger phantom was the full power blow activated using his Monster Core, so after having it scattered by the Mountains and Rivers Bell, the burly Great King had suffered a certain degree of backlash.
“The Mountains and Rivers Bell!” The burly Great King held his chest with one hand as he staggered back, the corners of his eyes madly twitching and he stared in a daze, unable to believe his eyes.
“The Mountains and Rivers Bell!?”
“That’s impossible!”
“Wasn’t it taken away by a Human a few tens of thousands of years ago? How can it appear here again?”
The crowd of Monster Race Masters were shocked as well while the Great Kings kept exclaiming; their eyes filled with surprise.
This couldn’t be helped though as the prestige of the Mountains and Rivers Bell was simply too big. In the beginning, it belonged to the Ancient Wild Lands, so as residents of the Ancient Lands, no one knew the horrors of the Mountains and Rivers Bell better than them.
In a flash, a look of fear appeared in the eyes of the Monster Kings.
They might not place any importance on a mere First-Order Emperor Realm Human, but if that Human had the Mountains and Rivers Bell and could control it as he wished, that was another matter.
No one wanted or had the guts to test the terrifying might of the Mountains and Rivers Bell.
With the bell in Yang Kai’s hand, the faces of the Monster Kings and Great Kings turned colder, but they also became more cautious with their movements.
Yang Kai raised the Mountains and Rivers Bell up high and shouted, “Follow me!”
The Stone Spirits finally reacted. Taking advantage of the chaos the Monster Kings had been thrown into, they rushed towards Yang Kai, gathering by his side.
“I will kill anyone who tries to stop us!” Yang Kai, holding the Myriads Sword with one hand and raising the Mountains and Rivers Bell with the other, aggressively shouted, turning to look towards a certain direction before flying to that side.
The Monster Kings hovering in that direction gawked at Yang Kai and the Mountains and Rivers Bell, dumbfounded, but seeing Yang Kai leading the Stone Spirits towards them, they were completely startled.
Before they could make way, Yang Kai had already lifted the Myriads Sword before hitting it hard on the Mountains and Rivers Bell.
*Dang…*
The resonating knell from the bell almost formed a visible shock wave, sweeping towards the Monster Kings blocking the road ahead, suppressing space itself everywhere it passed through.
The faces of the Monster Kings drastically changed as they hurled all kinds of curses at Yang Kai, but how could they dare to hesitate? They immediately dispersed, narrowly avoiding the oncoming shockwave.
Just as they retreated, Yang Kai, leading the group of Stone Spirits, rushed through the gap between them with an unbearable insolence, encountering no resistance.
Every Monster King’s face was extremely ugly, while the Great Kings’ expressions were so cold and gloomy that one could shave off a layer of frost from them.
Almost the entire high-end strength of the Ancient Lands’ Monster Race was gathered here, yet a puny Human was able to come and go as he liked. Once word about this got out, none of them would be able to lift their heads.
But Yang Kai was radiating an intense murderous intent that no one wanted to be the first to test. Who knows what the consequences of attacking the Mountains and Rivers Bell would be? The condition of the burly Great King wasn’t hidden from them; he was dispirited and constantly coughing blood, and this was obviously not just the effects of backlash from his technique being broken. If they really fought head-on with this bell, perhaps not even a dreg of them would remain.
The disarray in the Monster Race Masters allowed Yang Kai to take the Stone Spirit Clan safely out of their encirclement and he was just about to escape into the wild.
But right then, Yang Kai, who was leading the charge, suddenly had his pupils shrink as he blankly stared in a certain direction.
The Stone Spirits, who were closely following him, instinctively felt a dreadful feeling slowly rising in their hearts.
*Weng…*
The world suddenly shook as tiny little black spots appeared on the horizon.
In the blink of an eye, those tiny little black spots were already within visible distance. Meanwhile, four fearsome pressures came bearing down from the sky. With these four approaching Yang Kai and his group, they all felt as if ten thousand mountains were weighing down on him. Letting out a muffled groan, Yang Kai was having difficulty even breathing smoothly.
“Divine Spirits!” Yang Kai looked on at the four figures that had appeared over the horizon with bulging eyes, his face as gloomy as could be.
He only needed a little time to put the Stone Spirit Clan back into the Small Sealed World, then he could use his teleportation ability to easily escape from here.
However, before the four Divine Spirits, even a little time was a luxury he couldn’t afford.
Yang Kai’s figure suddenly came to a halt, along with the Stone Spirit Clan, their eyes filling with despair.
They knew that since the four Divine Venerables had returned, they would not be able to escape today.
Elder forced a bitter smile, “Little Brother, my Stone Spirit Clan has brought you a lot of trouble!”
Had he and Mu Na not tricked Yang Kai into bringing them to the Blood Gate, how could he be facing a catastrophe like this today? It was indeed true that they had brought a lot of trouble to Yang Kai, causing Elder to feel bogged down with guilt.
“Elder, it’s too early to say anything before we have reached a conclusion,” Yang Kai pursed his lips and shook his head, sweeping a gaze over the four Divine Venerables.
His stay in the Ancient Lands might not have been too long, but it wasn’t a short one either. During this stay, Yang Kai had often heard about the four Divine Venerables, the true overlords of the entire Ancient Wild Lands!
[Fan Wu, Luan Feng, Cang Guo, and Shi Huo…]
Four names flashed in Yang Kai’s heart as he swept his gaze over these four faces.
“Hm?” Luan Feng suddenly narrowed her eyes as she asked, sizing Yang Kai with a little surprise, “Kid, where has this Queen… seen you?”
[Kid…]
Yang Kai’s brow twitched; however, thinking about it for a moment, he realized that someone as strong as her, who had lived for who knows how many years, was quite qualified to address him as such.
Yang Kai wryly smiled and replied, “About ten years ago, Junior had the honour to catch a glimpse of Madam’s elegance on Clear Jade Mountain outside Maplewood City. I’m afraid Madam would not recall such an insignificant encounter.”
Naturally, everything he said had really happened. When he was escaping from Blue Feather Sect with Liu Xian Yun, heading towards Maplewood City, an infant Luan Feng had appeared in Clear Jade Mountain. Many cultivators came searching and hunted it, but in the end, the Luan Feng who stood before him now appeared and annihilated everyone with her World Extinguishing Black Flames.
At that time, it was Yang Kai’s first encounter with a Divine Spirit that was really alive. Back then, what he had seen was Luan Feng’s true form, but now she was in human form. However, in this world, there was only one Divine Spirit Luan Feng. Naturally, Yang Kai knew that this beautiful woman was that massive black bird that he had seen back then.
Hearing this, Luan Feng’s beautiful eyes flashed with a gleam before she lightly nodded, seemingly having some impression of him.
“Lady Feng, do you know him?” Fan Wu indifferently asked.
Luan Feng replied, smiling, “We just met once, that’s all. I didn’t expect that he could grow to this extent in just ten years. I guess his talent is pretty good. He might become a powerful figure in time.
“Hmph!” Cang Guo sneered and glared at Yang Kai with ill-intentions, “Only those who manage to grow up can be considered true Masters.”
“The Mountains and Rivers Bell is actually his. It seems that his opportunities weren’t small,” Fan Wu’s face turned cold, staring at the Mountains and Rivers Bell in Yang Kai’s hands.
The four of them were lured away by someone using the Mountains and Rivers Bell and were still somewhat annoyed by this. At this moment, they knew that the Mountains and Rivers Bell belonged to Yang Kai, so of course their faces wouldn’t look good as it was like Yang Kai had managed to trick all of them.
“Little brat, how do you want to die?” Shi Hou suddenly took a step forward as a near tangible pressure came rushing from the front. Even with the Mountains and Rivers Bell protecting him, Yang Kai still felt extremely uncomfortable.
[I’m afraid things won’t end well today,] Yang Kai felt bitter and astringent.
The Stone Spirit Elder interjected in a reverberating voice, “Sir Shi Hou, this Little Friend was kidnapped by this Elder and forced to act as he did. Today’s matter has nothing to do with him. If you can let him go, my Stone Spirit Clan’s fate will be entirely up to your discretion.”
Shi Huo sneered, “It’s too late for that. Over the years, this King has tried multiple times to make you submit to me, but you didn’t even consider my generous offer. Now, when you are at the end of your rope, you actually want to bargain with this King? You think that this King will agree?”
Elder’s face turned bitter, not knowing what to say. Stone Spirits were basically not good with words.
Shi Hou coldly shouted, “Today, your Stone Spirit Clan will either submit to me or be exterminated. As for this brat… since he dares to trick this King, even the Heavens won’t be able to save him!”
“Trick… when did that happen?” Elder looked confused. Apparently, he was unaware that Yang Kai had used the Mountains and Rivers Bell to concoct the plan of luring the tiger from the mountain.
The Divine Venerables had ruled the Ancient Lands for so many years, but today, they had been humiliatingly tricked by a Human using the Mountains and Rivers Bell. When this matter was brought up, their faces turned extremely ugly. If this Human was strong enough, there would be some room for discussion, but he turned out to be just a First-Order Emperor.
Shi Hou had no intention of explaining either. With his identity and status, he naturally disdained to explain too much and just arrogantly stated, “Submit or be destroyed, Elder, it’s your choice. You have ten breaths to decide!”
Elder stated in a heavy voice, “This Elder just said that as long as Sir can let this Little Friend go, my Stone Spirit Clan is willing to surrender!”
“You don’t have any say in this. You are not qualified to bargain with this King!” Shi Huo waved his hand, impatience covering his face.
The Elder looked at the other three Divine Venerables and bitterly asked, “Sirs and Madam, do you also have such intentions?”
Elder looked at Fan Wu, Luan Feng, and Cang Guo’s faces with hope, one after another, but he was ultimately disappointed. The three had stoic looks on their faces, expressing nothing.
“He’s just one Human, why would Sirs and Madam make things difficult for him?” Elder angrily asked.
The other three Divine Venerables remained silent, but Shi Hou replied with a cold snort, “Elder, don’t be stubborn. If not for your Stone Spirit Clan and this King having some common origins, this King would have no choice but to exterminate your clan for today’s matters. This King is already showing kindness by sparing you. You shouldn’t try to reach out for a yard after taking an inch!”
Elder wanted to say something but Yang Kai suddenly intervened, “Elder, agree with him, don’t worry about me.”
Elder shouted in a low voice, “This incident was caused by my clan and we have put Little Friend in a lot of trouble. If word got out, my clan would never be able to lift their heads in public.”
Xiao Xiao, who was standing beside him, also vigorously shook his head. Obviously, he didn’t want Elder to discard Yang Kai.
Yang Kai helplessly heaved a sigh before whispering, “I would have already left if I was alone; however, it’s not too late to leave now. Take care of yourselves, I’ll be leaving first!”
Saying so, he manipulated the local Space Principles and his figure disappeared into thin air.
Since it had been confirmed that the Divine Venerables just wanted to subdue the Stone Spirit Clan and didn’t want to ruthlessly kill them, Yang Kai was able to rest assured. In the current situation, the Stone Spirit Clan would definitely not be able to leave, so all he could do was protect himself first. In a hurry, he didn’t have the time to even collect the Embodiment into the Small Sealed World.
However, the Embodiment also had the body of a Stone Spirit, so it wasn’t in any danger with the Stone Spirit Clan. After escaping from here, Yang Kai would find a way to get the Embodiment back. He would even find a way to take the Stone Spirit Clan away from this place where they were bound to always be in trouble.
This bizarre scene left Shi Huo, who had been keeping an eye on Yang Kai, in a daze. Apparently, he still couldn’t figure out what just happened.
Fan Wu’s eyes flickered with a bright gleam as he exclaimed, “A Spatial Divine Ability!”
Just as he spoke, his figure suddenly made a sharp turn and he thrust his finger towards a certain point in the void.
Immediately, a groan was heard as a figure mysteriously appeared out of thin air. At this moment, Yang Kai looked in Fan Wu’s direction in shock.
He didn’t expect that this Divine Spirit would actually be able to force him out of the void.
Their eyes met only for a moment, with Fan Wu’s face being as tranquil as an ancient well. It was hard to tell what was going through his mind from his expression. Yang Kai ground his teeth and tore space again, his figure phasing out and disappearing in the next moment.
Luan Feng’s pretty eyes darted left and right before she opened her mouth wide and breathed out a jet of black flames. The black flames slithered through the air like a nimble black snake, shooting into the void before disappearing.
A moment later, a strange cry rang out as Yang Kai appeared, cutting a sorry figure. He was being chased by the World Extinguishing Black Flames and was unable to shake them off.
Cang Guo sneered and said, “This boy’s teleportation ability is pretty good, but unfortunately, his strength is still lacking a little.”
Fan Wu indifferently stated, “If he were allowed to grow even a bit more, I’m afraid he would be able to come and go freely even in front of me. No one would be able to stop him then. The Dao of Space is truly remarkable.”
*Dang…*
Suddenly, a deafening knell resounded. At the critical moment, Yang Kai had summoned the Mountains and Rivers Bell in front of him, blocking the World Extinguishing Black Flames. After the knell, the World Extinguishing Black Flames, that could burn anything in the world, suddenly went out.
Standing in the air, a pale Yang Kai stated, grinding his teeth, “Sirs and Madam teaming up to deal with this Junior is truly an honour.”
Anyone could hear the sarcasm in his words, but whether it was Fan Wu or Luan Feng, they didn’t look ashamed. Fan Wu rather replied, “It’s natural to use extraordinary means to deal with extraordinary people. There is no need for any sarcasm.”
Yang Kai sneered outwardly, but his heart had already hit rock bottom.
He hadn’t expected for his Teleportation Secret Technique to be useless before the Divine Spirits. This had cut off all his routes of retreat. Today, things were really not looking good for him.
“Human brat, this King also doesn’t want to bully you with numbers, but it’s not impossible to let you live. If you waste your cultivation and leave the Mountains and Rivers Bell, you may leave the Ancient Lands,” Shi Huo stared at Yang Kai, but his eyes kept wandering to the Mountains and Rivers Bell, filled with greed.
Elder snapped after hearing this, “Sir, how is having him cripple himself any different from killing him?”
Shi Huo turned his head and stated in a freezing cold voice, “Elder, don’t challenge this King’s patience anymore. This King has been tolerating you long enough, if you keep acting stubborn, don’t blame this King for teaching you a lesson.”
Elders quickly added, “He is the guest of my clan. My clan has dragged him into today’s affairs. Sir, if you want to do anything, direct it to my clan!”
Shi Huo agreed, grimly smiling and nodding, “Alright, since Elder refuses to realize the errors of his ways, then this King will educate you on showing proper respect.”
As he said this, he let out a roar before transforming into a twenty-metre tall stone giant, similar to the Stone Spirit Clan. However, Shi Huo’s stone giant form appeared much more vicious than the Stone Spirit Clan. His entire body was covered in black flames, which looked quite similar to Luan Feng’s World Extinguishing Black Flames. What’s more, there were sharp thorn-like protrusions on the surface of Shi Huo’s body, giving him an extremely violent and fearsome look. The aura around him made others extremely uncomfortable and seemed to have an effect of suppressing the mind.
Having revealed his true form, Shi Huo sneered and contemptuously stated, beckoning towards the Elder, “All of you can come at me together, this King will let you taste what the gap in our strength is first hand.”
These words were too insulting. Every member of the Stone Spirit Clan was a top Master and a natural-born fighter. They couldn’t bear Shi Huo’s provocation and immediately roared in anger as they charged him without waiting for the command.
Even if Elder wanted to stop them, there was nothing he could do at this moment. He could only grit his teeth and join the attack as well.
In an instant, twelve enormous stone giants were entangled together. It looked like twelve mountains were colliding with each other. Their fists danced against each other, knocking each other back and forth. Their fight caused the sky to shatter and the world to turn upside down.
All the Monster Kings’ eyes trembled. A contest of pure strength like this was extremely rare. They have fought with the Stone Spirit Clan just now, so they knew how difficult these stone giants were to deal with. But Shi Huo was fighting the entire Stone Spirit Clan alone; this scene was extremely shocking.
“Hahaha!” Shi Huo arrogantly laughed as the dark flames on the surface of his body burned more and more fiercely.
While the punches were exchanged back and forth, the attacking Stone Spirit Clan endlessly complained to themselves. They couldn’t even get close to their enemy and when their attacks occasionally did land on Shi Huo, the sharp protrusions on his skin made them injure themselves more than they injured him.
*Hong…*
During the melee, a Stone Spirit was knocked flying by Shi Hou and crashed straight to the ground, leaving a huge pit.
Before the Stone Spirit could crawl back out of the pit, Fan Wu raised his hand and shot a seal straight towards the Stone Spirit that found its target right away.
The struggling Stone Spirit knelt down on the ground, not even having the strength to stand up.
“Secure him!” Fan Wu coldly snorted.
A few Monster Kings immediately flew over, surrounding the Stone Spirit who had been struck by the seal. Each of them returned to their true form and clawed and bit at him, restraining him right then and there.
“Hou!” The Stone Spirit was unwilling, but having been hit by Fan Wu’s seal, eighty percent of his strength was locked up. Also, he was restricted by a few Monster Kings in their true forms, so how could he have the strength to move?
All he could do was kneel down on one leg on the spot, looking at the sky with a look of unwillingness hanging on his face.
*Hong…*
Another Stone Spirit was knocked away by a tremendous force, smashing into the ground and leaving behind an enormous pit. Fan Wu did the same again; he shot out a seal, and before he even gave the order, a few other Monster Kings rushed forward to suppress the Stone Spirit.
*Hong hong hong…*
Stone Spirits were sent flying, one after another. The battle of an entire clan against the Divine Spirit, Shi Huo, actually was completely one-sided. The Monster Kings were bedazzled and gratified at the sight of this.
Among the four Divine Spirits, only Shi Huo could defeat the Stone Spirit Clan with such brutal and direct methods. Except for him, neither Fan Wu, nor Luan Feng or Cang Guo could accomplish this. Not to mention others, even the three Divine Spirits weren’t as good as him when it came to pure strength. But if they were really compared, Luan Feng was the strongest, with Fan Wu as second, and Cang Guo and Shi Huo almost on par.
However… Shi Huo’s Stone Monster form was like the Stone Spirit Clan’s Stone Giant Form. He was born with rock-hard skin but had an extra support of Monster Fire as compared to the Stone Spirit Clan. Also, his entire body was covered in sharp spikes, giving him an added advantage in close combat.
When it came to endurance, Divine Spirit Shi Huo was almost the same as the Stone Spirit Clan.
When it came to strength, Shi Huo was above the Stone Spirit Clan.
Who had the advantage was quite obvious even without fighting. At this moment, the Stone Spirit Clan wasn’t Shi Huo’s opponent even with their entire clan taking action together.
Ten Stone Spirits plus Yang Kai’s Embodiment were all wiped out in less time than it would take to drink a half cup of tea by Shi Huo. After each Stone Spirit fell, they were sealed by Fan Wu and then restrained on the spot by the Monster Kings.
Each Stone Spirit kept roaring. Their faces filled with humiliation.
Shi Huo, on the other hand, stood arrogantly under the sky with eyes filled with disdain and contempt. Finally, he coldly gazed at Yang Kai.
In the previous battle, Yang Kai didn’t intervene not because he didn’t want to, but because Fan Wu’s Divine Sense had locked onto him, making him unable to move.
“Little brat, this King gave you a chance. Since you don’t want to cripple your cultivation, this King will send you to hell!” Just as he said this, Shi Huo punched in Yang Kai’s direction.
Yang Kai’s expression drastically changed and he promptly slapped the Mountains and Rivers Bell, causing the Ancient Exotic Artifact to instantly grow to the height of a human, protecting him. A deafening knell rang as a shockwave spread towards Shi Huo’s oncoming punch.
Shi Huo sneered, “If you were a Third-Order Emperor Realm and had that bell in your hand, this King might have some scruples, but unfortunately… you are only a First-Order Emperor. How much of its power can you even bring out!?”
Shi Huo didn’t even try to evade the oncoming shock wave and met it head-on.
*Kachaca…*
The shockwave visible to the naked eye was suddenly smashed apart. Although Shi Huo’s fist stagnated a little, it continued forward in the next moment and struck right on the Mountains and Rivers Bell.
Another knell rang as Shi Huo’s massive body quaked before he retreated a few steps.
Whereas Yang Kai’s chest violently heaved up and down as his blood and vitality were sent into turmoil by that tremendous force. He opened his mouth and spurted a mouthful of blood as his figure flew back.
“Worthy of an Ancient Exotic Artifact!” Shi Huo was overjoyed instead of getting angry, gulping hard as he stared at the Mountains and Rivers Bell that flew off together with Yang Kai; greed clearly filling his eyes.
A mere First-Order Emperor Realm Master could block his blow with the Mountains and Rivers Bell, so if he could conquer this treasure, he might even dare to fight with the Dragon Clan.
A dishevelled Yang Kai slowly lifted his head up at that moment, his eyes flashing with an almost imperceptible gleam as he rapidly formed a set of hand seals. The Mountains and Rivers Bell suddenly started spinning before it grew bigger than the size of a house, a powerful suppressive force suddenly bursting from it as it fell towards Shi Huo, who was approaching Yang Kai step by step.
“Be careful!” Cang Guo’s face changed drastically as he warned Shi Huo.
Shi Huo was also taken aback. Apparently, he hadn’t expected Yang Kai’s physique to be so strong that he hadn’t suffered any major injuries from his indirect blow just now. If it was any other First-Order Emperor Realm Master, he might have already lost his life.
The power to suppress the World itself caused Shi Huo to stagnate. Seeing the Mountains and Rivers Bell falling down on him, he hurriedly tried to escape, but it was already a little late.
*Hong…*
In front of everyone’s eyes, the enormous Mountains and Rivers Bell directly suppressed Shi Huo, perfectly encasing him.
“Hahaha!” Yang Kai broke into wild laughter, wiping the blood off the corner of his mouth and cheerfully shouting, “You might be stronger, but this Young Master is smarter!”
Fan Wu, Luan Feng, and Cang Guo’s faces turned ashen.
The Ancient Lands’ four Divine Venerables might not like each other, and even had some grudges between them, but generally speaking, their rise and fall were linked to one another; if one suffered, all suffered; if one prospered, all prospered.
After Shi Huo was suppressed by Yang Kai under the Mountains and Rivers Bell, the faces of the other three turned extremely unsightly. Shi Huo had also smeared mud on the faces of Divine Venerables. Although Yang Kai had relied on the Ancient Exotic Artifact to do this, he was still just a Human First-Order Emperor. In the eyes of the Divine Venerables, he was no different than an ant.
But now, Shi Huo has been suppressed by an ant. It was tantamount to a slap on their faces.
*Hong Hong Hong…*
Suddenly, deafening knells and furious roars came from inside the Mountains and Rivers Bell. Obviously, the enraged Shi Huo was bombarding the Mountains and Rivers Bell, trying to escape out of it.
But the World Suppression of the Ancient Exotic Artifact was beyond comparison. Even the Phoenix True Fire had been suppressed under this bell for tens of thousands of years, so despite being a Divine Spirit, Shi Huo was unable to do anything no matter how much he wanted. On the contrary, under his crazy attacks, the Monster Kings in the vicinity had their vitality sent into turmoil by the reverberating shockwaves. All of them had an uncomfortable look on their faces while Hu Li, the weakest of all, and the injured burly Great King even spurted mouthfuls of blood; their faces going completely pale.
Shi Huo, who was suppressed under the Mountains and Rivers Bell, was probably not feeling any better. The bell rings contained terrifying power and he was inside the Mountains and Rivers Bell, so he no doubt suffered the most.
“Shi Huo, stop!” Fan Wu coldly shouted.
Shi Huo probably also noticed that something was wrong and really stopped his crazy bombardment after hearing this, leaving only loud gasps coming from inside the Mountains and Rivers Bell. He was like a trapped beast, his breathing mixed with the sound of unmatched anger and murderous intent.
After having been suppressed by Yang Kai, his lungs were burning with flames of fury. He was like a volcano ready to erupt at any moment.
“Little brat, your courage is quite big!” Fan Wu indifferently added, coldly glaring at Yang Kai, “Let Shi Huo out, or else you will definitely die!”
Yang Kai meaningfully grinned. His figure slightly staggering as he got to his feet and replied with a completely indifferent look on his face, “Sir, if you want to do it, you are more than welcome. This Young Master knows that he can’t escape before you. Since he can’t escape, he won’t even try.”
“Aren’t you afraid of dying?” Fan Wu coldly snorted.
Yang Kai coldly looked at him and indifferently stated, “It’s very easy for Sirs and Madam to kill me, but if you kill me… I’m afraid Shi Huo will be suppressed for many years to come. Maybe someday, someone will be able to subdue the Mountains and Rivers Bell, setting Shi Huo free, but definitely not any time soon.”
Just as he said this, the faces of the Divine Venerables completely sank.
Everyone knew that Yang Kai was right. When the Mountains and Rivers Bell was still in the Ancient Wild Lands tens of thousands of years ago, many had tried many times to subdue it, but none of them had succeeded. Finally, it was taken away by someone called Yuan Ding.
That was simply a disgrace!
Today, if they really killed Yang Kai, perhaps everything would happen just like he said; Shi Huo would remain suppressed under the Mountains and Rivers Bell until someone conquered this Ancient Exotic Artifact someday and released him.
Luan Feng narrowed her beautiful eyes and asked, “Kid, you are young, why do you put the word death so easily on your lips. Let Shi Huo go and we can discuss terms.”
Yang Kai sneered, “When I was leaving before, it was Sirs and Madam who insisted on keeping me here. Now, you want to talk everything out? This Young Master feels quite insecure.”
When Fan Wu and Luan Feng heard this, their expressions turned a bit unsightly. They felt as if they had lifted a rock only to drop it on their feet.
Taking a deep breath, Luan Feng asked, “Then how will you feel secure?”
Yang Kai raised his brow and looked left and right before replying, “Let me take the Stone Spirit Clan away from here first. When I’ve reached a few thousand kilometres from here, I will take back the Mountains and Rivers Bell and let Shi Huo out. In that case, maybe I will feel a little safe.”
As long as he could put a few thousand kilometres between him and the Divine Spirits, Yang Kai was confident he could escape together with the Stone Spirit Clan. At that time, no one would be able to stop him.
Fan Wu rebuked, “Don’t you think you are going overboard with your request? If it’s just you leaving, this King can turn a blind eye, why would you want to drag the Stone Spirit Clan too?”
Yang Kai replied with a smile, “Sir, there are thirty-two Monster Kings and eight Great Kings under you. Adding the Stone Spirit Clan is like adding flowers to a bouquet, and a forcefully picked melon isn’t sweet. Why do Sirs and Madam insist on this? Rather than forcing the Stone Spirit Clan to be loyal to you, isn’t it better to let them be free? I think the Elder will be grateful for this. If Sirs and Madam encounter any trouble in the future, they might even help you out.”
Fan Wu contemptuously smiled and stated, “What trouble would this King even run into?”
Yang Kai earnestly replied, “Life is full of ups and downs, who can guarantee anything?”
“Are you sure you want to do this?” Fan Wu indifferently asked as the smile receded from his lips.
Yang Kai didn’t reply, but a firm look appeared on his face.
Fan Wu, Luan Feng, and Cang Guo looked at each other as their Divine Senses surged; they seemed to be communicating with each other.
Yang Kai remained calm, at least on the surface, but his heart was crazily pounding like a drum inside.
He was now using the Mountains and Rivers Bell to suppress Shi Huo. Although he had found himself a slim chance of survival, who knows whether these three Divine Venerables would care for Shi Huo’s life or not. Perhaps if they wanted Shi Huo to be suppressed here forever, they would even take the initiative to kill him. At that time, all Yang Kai would be able to do is make a last stand.
The hope was slim, but it was better than surrendering without a fight.
Just when Yang Kai was internally panicking, Fan Wu gazed at him again, as if he had reached some consensus with Luan Feng and Cang Guo.
Yang Kai’s nerves immediately became taut as he gazed back.
“This King…” Fan Wu indifferently agreed, “Agrees to your conditions.”
Hearing this, Yang Kai immediately heaved a sigh of relief. He couldn’t help but rejoice after having escaped this disaster. In any case, Fan Wu was a Divine Venerable, so since he had said it, he would definitely not regret it.
“However…” Fan Wu switched the topic, making the relieved Yang Kai nervous again, “This King also has a condition.”
Yang Kai’s face turned ugly as he hesitatingly asked, “What’s the condition?”
“This bell…” Fan Wu pointed at the Mountains and Rivers Bell and stated in a firm voice, “Needs to stay here.”
The Mountains and Rivers Bell was too dangerous. The Divine Venerables were unable to conquer it, and once it fell into the hands of the outsiders, it was also a threat to them. Yang Kai with just a First-Order Emperor Realm cultivation was able to suppress Shi Huo.
If it was a Third-Order Emperor Realm Master, it wouldn’t be impossible for all four of them to be suppressed under the Mountains and Rivers Bell. So, no matter what, the Mountains and Rivers Bell must remain here. If they couldn’t subdue it, they didn’t want others to have it either.
Yang Kai’s eyes widened as he stated, gritting his teeth, “Sir, isn’t this request too domineering?”
Fan Wu coldly snorted and stated, “You lot have committed a capital offence by trespassing the Blood Gate Restricted Area. This King has left you way out where you keep your lives and your freedom. You should be grateful for that and not try to bargain again.”
Luan Feng also added, “At the end of the day, an artifact is an external thing that’s not connected to your body. Kid, don’t you think leaving it in exchange for a dozen lives is worthwhile?”
Cang Guo also slightly smiled and stepped in too, “Not to mention, this bell belongs to the Ancient Lands. Now, it’s simply returning to its original owner.”
“That is the truth!” Fan Wu agreed with a slight nod.
Yang Kai almost crushed his teeth while grinding them in anger. No one knew the power of Mountains and Rivers Bell better than him; after all, he had spent more than a year in the Shattered Star Sea to subdue this Ancient Exotic Artifact. If he were to hand it over just like that, it would be equivalent to wasting that year’s worth of time and also losing an important trump card. It was a very big loss.
But Luan Feng was also right. Ultimately, artifacts were external aides and not part of his body. Compared with his own life and the Stone Spirit Clan’s future, it was really nothing.
The most important thing was… he couldn’t twist his arms and thighs now. If he didn’t agree, Shi Huo would be unable to get out of his trap, but it would be disastrous for him too, and the Stone Spirit Clan’s future would also be fraught with worries.
“Alright,” Yang Kai muttered, his voice filled with reluctance, “I can leave the Mountains and Rivers Bell here, and allow you to manage it. But sooner or later, this Young Master will personally come and retrieve it.”
Cang Guo sneered and disdainfully rebuked, “Shamelessly boasting!”
He didn’t deny that Yang Kai’s aptitude was pretty good and he had a great chance of becoming a Third-Order Emperor Realm Master in the future, but if they could get the Mountains and Rivers Bell in their hands, then in order to face them all, Yang Kai would first have to become a Great Emperor.
Fan Wu also shook his head with a smile, obviously not taking Yang Kai’s words to his heart, “Since you have agreed, remove your Soul Imprint from this bell. Don’t try to play any tricks, this King will personally monitor you and if he finds something wrong, don’t blame this King for being merciless.
“Sir, you must be joking!” Yang Kai immediately shouted, “If I release my Soul Brand now, wouldn’t Shi Huo try to take my life after he comes out?”
Luan Feng couldn’t help but smile as she assured, “You are quite careful, but don’t worry, with us here, Shi Huo won’t treat you like that.”
Yang Kai shook his head and stated, “I won’t believe it unless you make him swear.”
Fang Wu and the others’ faces immediately blackened, secretly feeling like Yang Kai wasn’t playing by the rules. With their identity and status, they would keep their words, but to their surprise, this brat was declining with all sorts of excuses, which was infuriating them.
Immediately, Shi Huo’s furious shout came from inside the Mountains and Rivers Bell, “Bold! Little brat, what right do you have to make this King swear!”
Yang Kai stated with a straight face, “If you don’t have any ill intention, what’s the harm in swearing? Is it that Sir Shi Huo will really try to take my life once you come out? If that’s the case, then Sir, be prepared to be suppressed inside forever. Suppressing you for a lifetime in exchange for this Junior’s life is a small price to pay.”
“You are angering this King!” Shi Huo roared menacingly from inside the Mountains and Rivers Bell, pounding and shaking it as he shouted, “Little Brat, you’d best not let this King out, otherwise, the first thing I will do is kill you!”
As soon as he said this, Fan Wu, Luan Feng, and Cang Guo’s faces turned as black as the bottom of a pot.
Just now, Yang Kai said that he was afraid that Shi Huo would trouble him after coming out, and now, Shi Huo actually said just that. Furthermore, judging by his tone, he wouldn’t rest until he had taken care of Yang Kai. Only someone totally ignorant would say such things in this situation.
“Shi Huo, enough with the nonsense!” Luan Feng couldn’t help but shout, lest Shi Huo say something beyond irredeemable.
Yang Kai pointed at the Mountains and Rivers Bell with a look of horror and added, “Sirs and Madam, did you hear him? How could I dare to lift my Soul Imprint from the Mountains and Rivers Bell!? Although this Junior’s life may not be worth much, I don’t want to die in vain either!”
Fan Wu gazed at Yang Kai and replied, maintaining a stoic face, “Shi Huo has a very stubborn temperament. It’s impossible to make him swear. You can forget about this; however, I can promise you that he won’t trouble you after coming out.”
Yang Kai snorted and stated, “You are you, and he is he, how can you tell what’s on his mind?”
Fan Wu looked at the Mountains and Rivers Bell and shouted, “Shi Huo, tell him.”
The Mountains and Rivers Bell sunk into silence before Shi Huo’s reluctant voice resounded, “Alright, this King isn’t going to argue with a little brat.”
“Good enough?” Fan Wu looked at Yang Kai again.
Yang Kai forced a smile and stated, “It’s just a word, a play with words, nothing more, nothing less. I still don’t feel safe. Why not let me take the Stone Spirit Clan a few thousand kilometres away first…”
“That’s absolutely impossible!” Fan Wu looked impatiently, “If you feel that you can’t accept this King’s condition, then we can only let Shi Huo be suppressed, and you… will stay here forever as well.”
Yang Kai was proficient in the Dao of Space, so if he was really allowed to withdraw a few thousand kilometres, Fan Wu wasn’t sure he could stop him from fleeing, so how could he agree to this condition?
Yang Kai’s face turned ugly as he asked, “Is there no room for discussion?”
Fan Wu slightly raised his hand and stated, “I will give you three breaths to consider. After three breaths, this King will kill you. Think quickly!”
Yang Kai grit his teeth as a look of humiliation appeared on his face. He was rarely forced to this degree, but today, he was really pushed into despair.
Fan Wu continued to raise his hand, his aura growing more and more dangerous.
Seeing that he was about to make a move, Yang Kai heaved a sigh and finally relented, “I agree.”
Fan Wu lightly nodded, not the least bit surprised; after all, no one wanted to play with their life. He then stoically said, “Let Shi Huo out first.”
Yang Kai made a hand seal and stretched his hand out. Immediately, the enormous Mountains and Rivers Bell rose with a thrum, revealing Shi Huo’s figure. Shi Huo’s entire body was covered in blazing black flames, and his eyes were filled with incomparable anger.
Yang Kai was as vigilant as he could be. Once he noticed Shi Huo having any ill intentions, he would immediately suppress him again. Suppressing him before was just a fluke. Now that Shi Hou was prepared, he had little chance of success.
Fortunately, Shi Huo just glared at him and let out a cold snort, not making any moves.
“Remove your Soul Imprint,” Fan Wu urged.
Yang Kai took the Mountains and Rivers Bell back, looked at it for a while, before his Divine Sense surged as he erased his Soul Imprint on the Mountains and Rivers Bell.
The small Mountains and Rivers Bell burst with a flash of light before it became incomparably quaint.
Yang Kai casually threw it towards Fan Wu.
Fan Wu flicked his wrist to receive the Mountains and Rivers Bell, but the instant he tried to take it into his sleeve, a tremendous force emanated from the bell, making him unable to catch it.
With a bang, the Mountains and Rivers Bell fell to the ground, quaking the ground for a moment. It then remained completely still, as if it had taken a root there.
“The Ancient Exotic Artifact has a well-deserved reputation!” Fan Wu’s eyes flickered with shock. Even if the Mountains and Rivers Bell was ownerless, he couldn’t pick it up. In this world, perhaps only the one who was acknowledged as its Master could control it at will.
Suddenly, violent energy fluctuations originated from somewhere.
“Shi Huo, what are you doing!” Luan Feng exclaimed at the same time.
Fan Wu’s face slightly changed as he looked up. To his surprise, Shi Huo was charging at Yang Kai with a ferocious grin on his lips. His fist covered in blazing pitch-black flames smashed down at Yang Kai as he shouted, “Little Brat, surrender your life!”
Yang Kai’s face drastically changed. Although he had been paying attention to Shi Huo, he hadn’t expected a Divine Spirit to go back on his word so shamelessly. After seeing Yang Kai’s Soul Imprint on the Mountains and Rivers Bell removed, he actually didn’t hesitate to attack him.
Caught by surprise, Yang Kai didn’t even have the time to dodge.
The scorching energy radiating from the fist seemed to be able to melt anything within several meters of it and the power behind it seemed capable of cracking the world.
*Hong…*
As the punch came down, Yang Kai grunted before he was smashed straight into the ground, his figure completely disappearing from sight.
“Hou!”
The Stone Spirits angrily roared, their eyes turning red with rage, especially the Embodiment. Watching Yang Kai smashed into the ground, the energy in their enormous bodies immediately surged, but they were restrained by many Monster Kings at the moment so they were unable to break free.
“Shi Huo! Do you know what you are doing!?” Luan Feng shouted, grinding her teeth, her pretty face colder than the ice.
Fan Wu and Cang Guo’s faces were also extremely ugly.
They had just sworn that they would let Yang Kai leave alive, but they hadn’t expected Shi Huo to renege on their promise. He was blinded by anger and ignored their credibility.
Once the word of this spread, how would the Monster Kings under them view them? How would they stand tall in the Ancient Lands in the future? The people with the highest combat power were gathered in the Ancient Lands here, and several dozen pairs of eyes were currently fixed on them.
“It’s over, it’s over…”
The nearby Xie Wu Wei’s face turned pale. He almost went limp and slumped down on the ground.
Even if he was a Monster King comparable to a Third-Order Emperor Realm Master, he couldn’t help falling into despair at the sight of this scene. Although he had been far behind the four Divine Venerables, he had arrived here quite a while ago and had constantly been on edge about Yang Kai’s safety. He was secretly rejoicing for having escaped the catastrophe, seeing Yang Kai reach an agreement with the Divine Venerables, but who would have thought that Shi Huo would go back on his word and sneak attack a First-Order Emperor Realm boy!
Xie Wu Wei was Yang Kai’s Soul Slave, so his life and death was tied to Yang Kai’s. Once Yang Kai died, he would have to part with his life too.
[It’s really over! I’ve been killed by that brat Yang Kai!] Xie Wu Wei looked sad and angry. [If I knew this would happen, I would have rather chosen to die in the Ten Thousands Spirits Tomb. At least I would get to die in the final resting place of all the Ancient Lands residents. I wouldn’t be lonely after death!]
[It couldn’t be any worse! I’m going to die here for no reason and won’t even get a proper burial.]
But very soon, Xie Wu Wei noticed that something wasn’t right.
Because he wasn’t dead. He touched his body in disbelief and could clearly feel his heart beating. Suddenly, his pupils contracted as if he had realized something and he hurriedly looked towards the enormous pit.
[If I’m alive, then Yang Kai is alive too.]
[But how is that possible? How is he still alive after being sneak-attacked by a Divine Venerable?]
“Shi Huo!” Fan Wu shouted, word by word, grinding his teeth, “He had already agreed to remove the Soul Imprint from the Mountains and Rivers Bell. Why did you kill him!? Can’t you be a little tolerant?”
“Tolerant?” Shi Hou coldly snorted. The scorching flames over his body receded as he stated, “This King only knows an eye for an eye, and tooth for tooth. That brat dared to suppress this King with the Mountains and Rivers Bell. His death isn’t worth pitying!”
He turned his head and asked, suddenly turning his gaze at the three Divine Venerables, “Why, are you going to fight with this King for that brat? Give me a break, that brat is dead, and the dead are worthless.”
Although his words were offensive, they were undeniably true. What value did a dead person hold? What was the point of falling out with Shi Huo for a dead human boy?
“You shouldn’t have done this!” Fan Wu stated in a calm and composed manner. He wasn’t sorry about Yang Kai’s death, but was angry about Shi Huo discrediting them. When one’s status and strength had reached to their level, their word became more important than their lives.
“Alright, alright!” Cang Guo immediately intervened to mediate, “Since things have already happened, it’s pointless to blame him. We were wrong in this matter. Let’s bury… this human with honour.”
It seemed that giving Yang Kai a burial was the highest honour they could offer …
Luan Feng lightly nodded before sighing and proposing, “This kid should be a peerless genius. This Queen will take care of this. He will definitely not be treated poorly.”
Fan Wu nodded, fiercely glaring at Shi Huo. Whereas Shi Huo just stood there with an indifferent expression on his face. Rather he smiled and stated, “I got my revenge, it feels good!”
At this moment, the several Divine Venerables seemed to have sensed something as they looked towards a certain direction together.
Immediately, they saw a figure rushing over. Judging by the figure, it belonged to a woman, only, her cultivation wasn’t that strong, only Third-Order Dao Source Realm.
And closely following behind her was another figure with the cultivation of Second-Order Emperor Realm.
Two figures, one ahead and one behind, were quickly approaching, with the woman in the lead looking extremely anxious.
The group of Monster Race Masters in the outer ring tried to stop them, but they were knocked down by the Second-Order Emperor.
In a flash, the two figures had rushed over.
*Shua shua…*
Both of them abruptly came to stand still in the air. The woman in the lead looked at the enormous pit below with a look of disbelief. All of sudden, she started crying as tears rolled down her cheeks and fell down to the ground like pearls.
The woman in the rear was unkempt, messy, and wearing tattered and dirty clothes.
These two had rushed into the place where the Monster Race was gathered, rushed to the front of the four Divine Venerables. Their suicidal act had left many Monster Race members in surprise.
“Ruo Xi…” Embodiment, looking at the figure in the air, sighed with an astringent look on its face.
No doubt, Ruo Xi had suddenly rushed over after seeing Yang Kai sneak-attacked by Shi Huo, throwing all caution to the wind.
And the one, who came with her, was undoubtedly the Ice Heart Valley’s Third Elder.
The Third Disciple stood behind Ruo Xi with a ferocious look hanging on her face, making weird noises. She looked as if she was a beast defending its territory, warning others not to approach.
However, when Fan Wu glanced at her just once, the Third Disciple trembled as she shrank into a ball.
Before everyone’s eyes, Zhang Ruo Xi suddenly rushed to the bottom of the enormous pit, knelt down and desperately started digging through the mud with her hands, tears kept rolling down her cheeks as she kept whimpering, “Sir, Sir…”
She was so aggrieved that she kept choking on her words. She seemed to have lost her mind, not even using her Source Qi. She was just using her hands to dig as mud kept flying around her.
In the blink of an eye, her soft and tender fingers had turned bloody, but it seemed as if she could not feel any pain as she kept desperately digging.
Her sadness and desperation had reached a new extreme. They seemed to have turned tangible and slowly spread into the surroundings, affecting many Monster Race Masters and the restrained Stone Spirit Clan. Her tears had a faint redness in them, as if she wasn’t shedding pure tears but a mixture of blood and tears.
“Don’t leave Ruo Xi, Sir, don’t leave…”
Her blood and tears had blurred her vision. Zhang Ruo Xi couldn’t see at all, but her hands never stopped moving, trying to rescue Yang Kai from the ground.
“This little girl…” Fan Wu narrowed his eyes and frowned, staring at the back of kneeling Zhang Ruo Xi. Feeling quite complicated.
“I guess she has a very deep relationship with that kid, but her strength is pretty low,” Luan Feng also heaved a sigh. What could a Third-Order Dao Source Realm do here? The weakest Monster King here had the cultivation of Mid Twelfth-Order, and Peak Eleventh-Order Monster Commanders were just about everywhere.
“Hmph!” Shi Huo, glancing at Zhang Ruo Xi, suddenly coldly snorted as he stretched his hand out to grab her.
He had gone back on his word and killed Yang Kai by sneak attack, but now, a Human woman had suddenly appeared where Yang Kai was buried and was doing as she wished. Wasn’t this tantamount to insulting him?
Ruo Xi was completely unprepared and was directly pinched by that enormous palm.
Shi Huo, who was twenty meters tall, was pinching Zhang Ruo Xi as if he was pinching a doll.
As she was pulled further and further from Yang Kai, Zhang Ruo Xi suddenly came to her senses. She looked up, staring at Shi Huo with her pretty red eyes, who was sizing her up. She struggled hard, kicking and punching the arm as she shouted, “Let me go, I beg you, let me go. I want to save Sir, Sir is still alive, I want to save him!”
But her strength couldn’t be compared with Shi Huo’s. No matter how much she struggled, she couldn’t even shake him.
Shi Huo rebuked with a sneer, “You so-called Sir has died without a burial, your efforts are meaningless.”
Ruo Xi shook his head, shedding tears like rain, “I don’t believe it, I don’t believe it! Sir is still alive, Sir surely has not died!”
Shi Huo angrily shouted, “Little girl, you keep this up and this King will pinch you to death!”
Ruo Xi grit her teeth and suddenly raised her hand. Immediately, a square seal appeared out of thin air.
Ten Thousand Beasts Seal!
Suddenly, wisps of jet-black energy shot out of the seal as dense Yin Qi permeated into the surroundings. Ghastly cries and wails soon followed as those jet-black wisps transformed into Monster Beasts of different shapes and sizes.
“Beast Souls!” Shi Huo raised his brow, looking at the seemingly illusory Monster Beasts in surprise.
With his insight, he could naturally tell that these things were Beast Souls.
Fan Wu, Luan Feng, and Cang Guo’s brows slowly rose as well. They were Divine Venerables of the Ancient Lands, so everyone from the Monster Race was their subordinate. As such, so many Beast Souls popping out from Zhang Ruo Xi’s Ten Thousand Beasts Seals made them a little angry; after all, every Monster Race Master served them, and even if they died, their Beast Souls should not be blasphemed by being sealed inside a Human artifact.
This was an artifact that the Ancient Lands Monster Race could definitely not tolerate.
In the brief moment the Four Divine Venerables were distracted though, tens of thousands of Beast Souls had poured out of the Ten Thousands Beasts Souls. Furthermore, their number was still increasing and the energy fluctuations from each and every Beast Soul were quite astonishing, so even comparable to Monster Kings present here.
“Where did so many Beast Souls come from!?” Shi Huo’s face finally changed.
If the Ten Thousand Beasts Seal only had a few hundred Beast Souls, it was nothing to fret over. It could be interpreted as a result of her sealing Beast Souls after killing Monster Beasts for many years. But among these tens of thousands of Beast Souls, there were many Twelfth-Order Monster Beast Souls…
This was a bit shocking. Furthermore, by the looks of it, there were still many Beast Souls sealed inside the Ten Thousand Beasts Seal.
“Little girl, you didn’t venture into the Ten Thousand Spirits Tomb, did you?” Shi Huo had a whimsical thought.
While speaking, he slapped the Ten Thousand Beasts Seal as the power of a Divine Spirit burst forth. Struck so, the Ten Thousands Beasts Seal crazily flashed as its spirituality was greatly damaged.
At the same time, the tens of thousands of Beast Souls that had flown out of the seal also returned, unable to unleash any of their might.
The gap in their strength was too wide. Even if Ruo Xi had resorted to the Ten Thousand Beasts Seal, she didn’t pose any threat to Shi Huo.
Shi Huo flicked his arm, throwing Zhang Ruo Xi away as he stated, “This little girl’s artifact is strange, I’m going to check it.”
Luan Feng lightly nodded before stretching her hand out, drawing Zhang Ruo Xi over to her and restraining her so she couldn’t move.
Meanwhile, Shi Huo fiddled with the Ten Thousands Beasts Soul, pouring his Divine Sense into it to investigate. Suddenly, his face changed as he cried in shock, “Millions of Beast Souls!”
“What!?” Fan Wu and the others’ looked shocked as well.
Much to their surprise, millions of Beast Souls were inside the Ten Thousand Beasts Soul, but where did these millions of Beast Souls come from? Everyone was instantly aware of the problem here. In the entire Star Boundary, apart from the Ancient Wild Lands, there was no other place that could provide millions of Beast Souls, and even in the Ancient Wild Lands, there was only one place where there were millions of Beast Souls.
Ten Thousand Spirits Tomb!
Did this little girl really enter the Ten Thousand Spirits Tomb? Was Shi Huo’s random guess actually correct?
“Little girl, what’s your name?” Luan Feng, looking at the struggling Zhang Ruo Xi, asked in surprise.
Zhang Ruo Xi didn’t answer her, rather she was still trying to escape back to the pit. But before Luan Feng, how could she leave? Even moving her limbs was an extravagant hope.
*Huala…*
Suddenly, a strange noise drew everyone’s attention. The next moment, they saw a bloody hand emerge from the pit. That hand looked as if it had stretched straight out from Hell and it was radiating a dark and cold aura.
Shi Huo’s eyes instantly bulged.
Fan Wu, Luan Feng, and Cang Guo also looked in that direction in surprise.
Many Monster Kings and the group of Stone Spirits were also dumbfounded.
“I knew you were alive, I knew it,” Xie Wu Wei murmured. At this moment, his emotions were rising up and down like a roller coaster, alternating between nervousness and excitement.
But very soon, Xie Wu Wei slapped his thigh in annoyance. He couldn’t help but curse in his heart, “Stupid, since you were alive while everyone thought you were dead, why didn’t you stay hidden? Why do you have to reveal yourself? Such foolishness is killing me! Why is this King’s life so bitter!?”
“He’s still alive!?” Shi Huo stood gawking at the hand that emerged from the mud, dumbfounded. He couldn’t wait to pluck his eyes out and stretch them forward to get a clearer picture.
“What is this kid?” Luan Feng was also dumbfounded. She was shocked by Yang Kai’s tenacious vitality.
A First-Order Emperor Realm Human was sneak-attacked and punched straight into the ground by Shi Huo, yet he was still alive and kicking.
In front of everyone’s eyes, the emerged hand suddenly retracted before a deafening explosion occurred. The mud covering the pit blew up as a figure staggered out from the pit. The figure broke into a violent fit of coughing as blood dripped from all over it.
The figure was none other than Yang Kai.
The weeping beauty, Zhang Ruo Xi, stared ahead in a daze with her reddened eyes. She went limp and collapsed on the ground, tightly covering her mouth as she uncontrollably choked, her soft and tender shoulders violently shaking.
She didn’t dare to cry, fearing that her cries would affect Yang Kai.
“Shi Huo!” Yang Kai clenched his fist so tightly that his knuckles went white. He grit his teeth, staring at the barbed stone giant, his eyes burning with flames of fury.
If he hadn’t used his Nihility Secret Technique and exiled himself into the Void at the critical moment, not even a shred of his skin might have been left after taking that punch.
Even using Nihility hadn’t completely negated the effects of Shi Huo’s attack. That fearsome blow had even affected the local space, and before the remainder of this wild energy could be dispersed, Yang Kai’s Nihility Secret Technique was disrupted, resulting in the remaining energy from Shi Huo’s attack injuring him.
A dignified Divine Spirit going back on his word was still barely acceptable, but actually using a sneak attack on a foe many times weaker than himself had greatly angered Yang Kai.
“Little brat, you’re pretty tenacious! You are the first one to survive after taking a blow from this King!” Shi Huo stood there, not looking the least bit guilty or ashamed of sneak-attacking Yang Kai. Instead, he just played with the Ten Thousand Beasts Seal as he contemptuously stared at Yang Kai.
Seeing the Ten Thousand Beasts Seal, Yang Kai couldn’t help but be startled. He looked around and very soon found Zhang Ruo Xi.
He had no idea what Ruo Xi was doing here, but he was hit by vertigo when he faintly heard Ruo Xi’s cries.
At this moment, Ruo Xi was on her knees, her delicate hands covering her mouth, her tender body constantly trembling, shedding a stream of joyful and anxious tears.
She must have been deeply shocked by what just happened.
Yang Kai took a deep breath as the hostility and the anger in his eyes gradually dissipated. His clenched fists also loosened up as he then turned his gaze in Fan Wu’s direction before speaking, “Shi Huo has gone back on his words and sneak-attacked me, but I’m not arguing with him over this. According to our agreement, I have removed my Soul Imprint from the Mountains and Rivers Bell. Now, I need to take my friends away. Divine Venerables, you don’t have any objections, right?”
Fan Wu’s eyes flashed as he agreed with a nod, “No objections!”
Although his tone was plain, some appreciation could be found in his eyes. Just now, he too had noticed the thick murderous intent in Yang Kai’s eyes. Anyone who was sneak-attacked and almost lost his life would probably be blinded by rage.
Not everyone could suppress such wild anger and adapt to circumstances so quickly.
The fact that Yang Kai could stifle his emotions and choose the optimal solution in this situation showed his incredible mental fortitude.
This was the wisest and only choice available to him here. If Yang Kai let his anger rule him at this moment, it would be tantamount to trying to break a stone with an egg. Only he would suffer in the end.
Upon getting Fan Wu’s reply, Yang Kai nodded slightly. Just when he was about to beckon to Zhang Ruo Xi though, Shi Huo said coldly, “You can leave with the others, but this little girl must stay.” He pointed at Zhang Ruo Xi and spoke in an unquestionable tone.
Yang Kai’s expression changed as he glowered at him and snarled, “Why should we listen to you?”
Shi Huo tossed the Ten Thousand Beasts Seal in his hand up and uttered in an aloof manner, “It’s because of this. She was brazen enough to seal millions of Beast Souls from our Ancient Lands inside, so she must explain herself to the Monster Race and be held accountable for this crime.”
Upon hearing what he said, most Monster Kings at the scene agreed with him. Nobody wanted their Soul to be refined into an artifact by a Human and to be used as a mindless weapon. Apparently, Zhang Ruo Xi’s Ten Thousand Beasts Seal had caused public outrage.
Fan Wu, Luan Feng, and Cang Guo frowned. Although they knew that Shi Huo was basically finding fault with Yang Kai, what he had just said was also sensible. As members of the Monster Race themselves, they were not in any position to refute him.
It seemed that this issue couldn’t be resolved easily on this day. Apparently, Shi Huo was set on killing Yang Kai. They knew that Shi Huo was someone who would seek revenge for the slightest grievance, but they didn’t expect that he would be so petty. The reason he was harping on this issue was simply that Yang Kai had suppressed him using Mountains and Rivers Bell previously.
He couldn’t kill Yang Kai in the previous sneak attack, and no matter how thick-skinned he was, he couldn’t possibly lose all face by launching another sneak attack. However, the Ten Thousand Beasts Seal’s appearance had given him one more chance to achieve his goal.
“How do you want to punish her?” Yang Kai’s gaze turned cold. It was an extremely difficult decision for him to give in to Shi Huo. He would have to ignore the fact that Shi Huo had oppressed him as someone much stronger and older by shamelessly launching a sneak-attack on him. If it wasn’t obvious he could not triumph in this situation, given Yang Kai’s temperament, he would have battled it out with Shi Huo even if it meant losing his life.
However, Zhang Ruo Xi, the Stone Spirit Clan members, and the Third Disciple were all here. If he really confronted Shi Huo, all of them would die, which was why he could swallow down his grievances. However, he didn’t expect that Shi Huo would still not be willing to let them off.
Just then, Shi Huo snorted, “Whoever dares to commit such blasphemy against the Monster Race in our Ancient Lands must die!”
“She must die!”
“Don’t let her off!”
“Kill her!”
All the Monster Kings started roaring as they appeared utterly incensed. It was as though Zhang Ruo Xi had done something that deserved the harshest condemnation.
The blood on Yang Kai’s face hadn’t dried up yet as he swept a cold glance over all the Monster Kings and eventually stared fixedly at Fan Wu.
In a dispassionate manner, Fan Wu added, “This little girl isn’t part of the promise. Since she has violated our taboo, she has to stay in the Ancient Lands.”
Although he despised Shi Huo for his contemptible behaviour, he was a Divine Venerable of the Ancient Lands in the end, so he wasn’t willing to disappoint the other Monster Kings.
“Haha…” Yang Kai suddenly laughed hysterically as he sneered at all the Monster Kings and spoke in a cold voice, “Truly wonderful! Several dozen peak Twelfth-Order Masters and Four Great Divine Spirits are all ganging up to kill a young girl barely twenty years of age! Many thanks for showing me the true colours of the Monster Race living in the Ancient Lands!”
Upon hearing his mockery, some members of the Monster Race flared up and snarled, “What did you say?”
The expressions of Fan Wu and the others were dark; however, just like what Yang Kai had said, if the news that so many Masters were using their authority and strength to punish a young girl was to spread out, it would be a great embarrassment to them.
“Sir, please ignore me! Please just leave me here!” Zhang Ruo Xi suddenly shouted, her gaze filled with anxiety, “Leave this place immediately!”
Upon realizing the problem, she felt extremely regretful and thought that she had dragged Yang Kai into this mess. If she didn’t summon the Ten Thousand Beasts Seal, such an incident wouldn’t have happened.
Yang Kai turned to look at her and shook his head slowly.
Zhang Ruo Xi started bawling and spoke in a choking voice, “Sir, it has been Ruo Xi’s greatest honour to have been raised by you! Ruo Xi could not have been happier being able to serve you for so many years. The only regret Ruo Xi has is that she has always held you back instead of helping you. Ruo Xi cannot accompany you by your side anymore, so you must take good care of yourself!”
Yang Kai’s expression changed drastically as he exclaimed, “Ruo Xi, what are you trying to do!?”
Without replying to him, Zhang Ruo Xi swept a glance over Shi Huo and the other Monster Kings before eventually staring fixedly at Fan Wu, her gaze, which was drenched in tears, suddenly turning cold as she spoke in a grim and resolute voice, “Since I’ve violated the Ancient Lands’s taboo, I’ll atone for my crime with my life. I hope that will settle the wrath in all of your hearts; however, if you still make things difficult for Sir after my death, I’ll transform into the most horrible ghost and retaliate against all of you! I swear I shall haunt you all for the rest of your lives and take every chance to curse you to death!”
The expressions of all the Monster Kings changed when they heard this and even Fan Wu and the other Divine Venerables were shocked. It was apparent to them that Zhang Ruo Xi was trying to ensure Yang Kai’s safety by sacrificing herself, which went to show how steadfast her determination was.
She was willing to make such a pledge before her death, and if her wish wasn’t granted, she would really turn into a horrible ghost and harass all of them. At that instant, all the Monster Kings felt a sense of coldness down their backs.
Zhang Ruo Xi turned her head and looked dazedly at Yang Kai, her tears slipping down her face as the light of longing and reluctance shone within them. In a choking voice, she uttered, “Sir, if there is an afterlife, Ruo Xi would still be willing to serve you!”
As soon as she finished her words, she raised her hand and circulated her Source Qi on her palm before palming towards the top of her skull. If she managed to hit herself with her palm, she would definitely lose her life.
“Damn it!” Yang Kai widened his eyes in shock as he made a move and disappeared from the spot.
“Where do you think you’re going?” Shi Huo sneered and stepped forward before he struck the Void with his dark flaming fist.
With a loud boom, Yang Kai’s figure appeared again, his bones cracking as his vitality churned chaotically. After spitting a mouthful of blood, he roared uncontrollably as he was gripped by a sense of excruciating pain. Before he even landed on the ground, he disappeared in mid-air again.
Shi Huo snorted, “Your Space Divine Ability is indeed elusive, but I can still see some leftover traces with my eyes!”
Upon finishing his words, he threw a kick in the air, upon which Yang Kai appeared again as he fell to the ground, rolling in the dirt.
“Shi Huo!” Yang Kai bellowed as he stopped himself from tumbling and leaped to his feet. With bloodshot eyes, he glowered at Shi Huo as his fury permeated the air. He just wanted to save Zhang Ruo Xi, but such a simple wish couldn’t be granted as Shi Huo blocked his teleportation twice.
After Yang Kai finished speaking, Shi Huo suddenly appeared above Yang Kai’s head and knocked him down with a punch. Following that, he pressed his foot against Yang Kai as though he was stepping on an ant.
*Pu…*
Upon being stepped on, Yang Kai sprayed out a mouthful of golden blood. With difficulty, he turned his head to look at Zhang Ruo Xi in despair. After he was stopped by Shi Huo several times, he had already missed the best chance to save her and was extremely worried that she had already lost her life.
The excruciating pain he felt in his body was unbearable, but it was nothing compared to the pain he felt in his heart. It was as though countless knives were jabbed into his chest at the same time, causing him to suffocate.
Zhang Ruo Xi was a soft-spoken, shy, and obedient young girl who was extremely loyal to him. She left the Zhang Family in Maplewood City with him and ventured into this beautiful yet dangerous world, but before she could truly experience its magnificence, she lost her life here in this place.
At that moment, Yang Kai hated himself for being weak. At the same time, he regretted the fact that he allowed the young girl to tag along and let her experience all the dangers of this world. She should have stayed in the Zhang Family and looked for a husband. After that, she would raise her own children and spend the rest of her life with her family in peace.
Warm liquid slid down from the corner of his eyes as his vision blurred. Yang Kai could still see that Zhang Ruo Xi was facing him on her knees, and her hand was now right above the top of her head; however, her wrist had been grabbed by another hand.
“Hahaha!” Yang Kai was startled for a moment before he started laughing hysterically. It was as though he was over the moon, his joyful laugh in stark contrast with the perilous situation he was in.
Shi Huo’s expression darkened as he exerted more force with his leg, upon which Yang Kai stopped laughing and sprayed out more golden blood. Still, through clenched teeth he shouted, “Senior Luan Feng, I owe you a favour!”
The person who had stopped Zhang Ruo Xi from killing herself was Luan Feng, who was standing right behind her. Given Luan Feng’s power, Zhang Ruo Xi would never be able to kill herself without Luan Feng’s permission.
With a conflicted expression, Luan Feng scolded, “Mind your own business.”
Yang Kai was about to be killed soon, but he still told Luan Feng that he owed her a favour, which was basically useless. Even if he managed to survive, such a favour was probably worthless.
Luan Feng was simply moved by Zhang Ruo Xi’s determination and didn’t have the heart to watch such a tragedy happen. After all, she was a woman too, despite being a Divine Spirit, she still had a sentimental side.
“Let me go!” Zhang Ruo Xi obstinately raised her head and glowered at Luan Feng, who was so powerful that even cultivators in the Third-Order Emperor Realm had to back down when confronted by her. However, at that moment, Zhang Ruo Xi appeared utterly incensed, her lips bleeding as she tried to struggle out of her grip as she snarled, “You evil woman! Let go!”
Luan Feng dispassionately uttered, “Even if you kill yourself, your Sir won’t be able to leave alive, so what point is there in sacrificing yourself?”
She had figured out that Shi Huo had never intended to let Yang Kai off, as he was someone who would seek revenge for the slightest grievance.
Zhang Ruo Xi was startled for a moment before she seemed to comprehend her situation and pleaded in a choking voice, “Senior, please have mercy and save Sir. I will do anything for you in exchange, just please save him…”
Of all the people at the scene, only the remaining three Divine Venerables had the capability to stop Shi Huo. Zhang Ruo Xi had figured this out, which was why she decided to plead with Luan Feng now.
Luan Feng looked down at her and uttered impassively, “Didn’t you just say I’m an evil woman?”
Upon hearing that, Zhang Ruo Xi immediately raised her other hand and slapped herself forcefully as she replied, “I should have minded my language. Senior, please have mercy and forgive me ignorance. Please save Sir…”
The sound of Zhang Ruo Xi slapping herself was loud as she didn’t go easy on herself. After a few slaps, her cheek had swollen, and the corner of her mouth was drenched in blood; however, she exerted more force every time she slapped herself, as though she couldn’t feel pain. While the faces of the Monster Kings watching twitched while the Stone Spirit Clan growled but were powerless to help her.
Zhang Ruo Xi could even sacrifice her life for Yang Kai, so it was nothing for her to slap herself.
“What are you doing?” Luan Feng frowned and reached out her free hand to bind Zhang Ruo Xi on the spot. Her cultivation far exceeded Third-Order Emperor Realm Human, so it was easy for her to restrict Zhang Ruo Xi’s movements.
Having been completely suppressed, Zhang Ruo Xi couldn’t even move a muscle, let alone utter a word. Her hand was still up in the air, and her tears had stopped streaming down her face.
“Hey you, can you be considered a man at all? A young girl has to beg and slap herself for your sake! You’re indeed just an ant, how laughable!” Shi Huo snorted as he stepped harder on Yang Kai, as though he was enjoying a marvellous show.
*Kacha…*
The sound of bones breaking could be heard again as Yang Kai grit his teeth and suppressed the excruciating pain. Upon choking down the blood in his mouth, he glared at the stone giant before his eyes and bellowed, “Shi Huo, if you want my life, you take it, but you must let Ruo Xi and the other Stone Spirit Clan members leave first. After that, you can do whatever you want to me!”
“Does an ant have the right to negotiate with me?” Shi Huo snorted and landed a kick on Yang Kai’s ribs, sending him flying.
*Pa…*
With his figure battered all over, Yang Kai fell to the ground with a thud.
Having been bound to the spot, Zhang Ruo Xi tried her hardest to look in Yang Kai’s direction with a gaze that was filled with despair and sorrow. With her tears all drained, her eyes were slowly turning bloodshot. The redness in her eyes seemed to contain a special power that was silently permeating this place.
However, at this moment, everyone’s attention was on Yang Kai and Shi Huo, so no one noticed the odd transformation in Zhang Ruo Xi. Even Zhang Ruo Xi herself had failed to notice it as her heart was slowly filled with resentment and the blood in her veins started boiling.
“What?” Shi Huo frowned and extended his hand, upon which Yang Kai, who was rolling on the ground, was sucked towards him. With his head tilted, Shi Huo took a look at Yang Kai and uttered in amazement, “There’s something strange about your body…”
A mere First-Order Emperor Human should have lost his life by now after being tortured by Shi Huo in such a way; however, Yang Kai was still alive and kicking. Although his aura had diminished a little, his vitality was still ample.
“Shi Huo, don’t force me!” Yang Kai growled like an enraged beast.
Shi Huo arched his brow and laughed, “So, what if I want to force you? Do you think you can kill me?”
As Shi Huo spoke, he brandished his huge fist and punched Yang Kai’s body repeatedly.
*Peng, Peng, Peng…*
Each of Shi Huo’s punches carried the weight of a mountain, and the sound of Yang Kai’s bones cracking could be heard clearly as it swung violently in mid-air. Nevertheless, having been restricted by Shi Huo, Yang Kai couldn’t even struggle out of his grip, so he had no choice but to receive this beating passively.
The corners of Yang Kai’s eyes had split open and blood started streaming down his head. His handsome face had completely swollen, so it was hard to recognize that he was even human. His hair was in a mess, and his entire body was soaked in blood because of Shi Huo’s assault. At that moment, he was battered and in an utterly sorry state, which he had never experienced before since he embarked on his cultivation journey.
*Hong…*
Shi Huo landed another fist on Yang Kai, causing the bones in his legs to break. Yang Kai fell on his knees, but his back remained as straight as a spear.
The other Monster Kings looked at Yang Kai with conflicted expressions. Although there were many present, it was so quiet that one could hear a pin drop. Even though they were from different races, and that Yang Kai had caused them a lot of trouble, these Monster Kings were still moved by Yang Kai’s resoluteness in the face of such torture. They thought that he was indeed a real man.
In comparison, Shi Huo appeared petty and arrogant due to his shameless behaviour. He could have killed Yang Kai without much effort, so what was the point of him torturing this young man in such a way?
Nevertheless, Shi Huo was one of the Four Great Divine Venerables. Although the Monster Kings were not pleased with him, they didn’t have the guts to express dissent here. Hence, they could only glance at Yang Kai with respect and sympathy. Even though Xie Wu Wei wanted to plead for leniency on Yang Kai’s behalf, he knew that he would be dragged into this as well if he dared to step forward.
“Shi Huo, enough!” Fan Wu yelled with a dark expression.
“There is no glory or honour in torturing an opponent who is so much weaker than you are,” Fan Wu snorted as he couldn’t tolerate Shi Huo’s behaviour anymore, “If you want to kill him, just end it quickly, stop doing such pointless things.”
Hearing this, Shi Huo scoffed. Although he appeared reluctant, he still grasped Yang Kai’s hair and lifted his head.
At this moment, Yang Kai’s entire face was swollen and drenched in blood, so it was hard to identify his eyes and nose. There were two slits on the places where his eyes were supposed to be, out of which a faint light could be seen.
Glancing over at Zhang Ruo Xi, Yang Kai somehow managed to put on a grin. At that instant, Zhang Ruo Xi felt her entire body trembling as her blood transformed into tears and streamed down from her eyes. The tears on her cheeks looked like two traces of blood, which was utterly hideous.
She had served Yang Kai for many years, so she knew full well what powers and trump cards he possessed. In fact, he wasn’t powerless to resist. He had the sealed power of an Ancient Demon, the power of the Sealed World Bead, as well as his Golden Divine Dragon Source.
She believed that if he utilized all these powers, even if he couldn’t defeat Shi Huo, he could still flee from this place; however, while he was being tortured by Shi Huo, he didn’t even try to use those powers at all. Even when his life was hanging by a thread, he still didn’t bring out his trump cards.
In fact, she knew that it was all because of her. Once Yang Kai fled from this place, the other members of the Monster Race would not let her off. [So, I’ve dragged Sir into a mess once again. Over the years, I’ve always been a burden to him. Why can’t I help him in any meaningful way?]
The resentment she felt was enough to make the sea boil, and the fury that was rising within her seemed capable of destroying the Heavens and shattering the Earth. A sense of ferocity flushed out of her tender body as she transformed from an obedient girl into someone completely different in that instant.
“Hm?” Sensing this odd transformation in Zhang Ruo Xi’s aura, Luan Feng scowled and took a glance at her. Upon seeing her bloodied tears, she couldn’t help but heave a sigh. If possible, she wanted to save Yang Kai; however, by doing so, she was bound to offend Shi Huo. After some deliberation, she knew which option was the wiser.
“Release Ruo Xi and the other Stone Spirits. I won’t resist!” Despite the fact that Yang Kai’s hair was grabbed by Shi Huo, he raised his head as his swollen eyes beamed with a cold glare. He was making the last attempt. As long as Zhang Ruo Xi and the other Stone Spirit people could leave first, he would have nothing to worry about, thus enabling him to fight with Shi Huo with his full strength.
Exasperated, Shi Huo sneered, “Do you still think you can fight back? Don’t worry, after I kill you, I’ll also send that girl to Hell to keep you company!”
Upon finishing his words, Shi Huo sent his fist to Yang Kai’s face. He didn’t hold back his power with this strike, as he had intended to end Yang Kai’s life. Having tortured Yang Kai for so long, he had managed to see the despair and resentment behind Yang Kai’s gaze, so his fury had subsided significantly. Paired with Fan Wu’s warning, he realized that it was time to send Yang Kai off, so he wasted no more time.
Yang Kai’s heart sank when he was faced with the attack. Just when he was about to use his Dragon Transformation Secret Technique, he heard someone shrieking on the other side.
“No!” The voice was filled with unbearable despair and panic, paired with a sense of unparalleled fury and murderous intent.
“What?” Luan Feng was shocked as she looked down at Zhang Ruo Xi. The young girl was supposed to be under her complete control, not able to speak or even move a finger; however, just now, she somehow managed to shout.
[How is that possible?]
*Kacha…*
An invisible seal suddenly broke apart at that instant. The restriction Luan Feng had placed on Zhang Ruo Xi was destroyed, causing the former’s entire body to tremble.
At the same time, Zhang Ruo Xi, who was kneeling on the ground, could feel an indescribable force awakening from her bloodline as her hair flew up into the air despite the fact that it was a windless day. Like the waking of a Dragon that had slumbered for aeons, she opened her eyes slowly and an aura gushed out of her body that sent shockwaves across all Four Great Divine Venerables, causing them to stare at her in astonishment.
“What’s going on with her?” Fan Wu exclaimed.
Shi Huo’s hand stopped in mid-air as he stared fixedly at Zhang Ruo Xi with his flaming eyes. For some reason, an instinctive fear seemed to be rising within him. It was as though he had come across a natural predator, just like how a mouse would react when it saw a cat.
In the end, he failed in his attempt to strike Yang Kai with his fist.
Yang Kai was also dumbfounded as he tried very hard to widen his swollen eyes to take a glance at Zhang Ruo Xi. He wondered just what was going on with her.
“AAHH!” Zhang Ruo Xi looked up at the sky and shouted. It was as though she couldn’t control the turbulent force in her body anymore as her clothes flailed madly.
The expression on Luan Feng’s alluring face changed as she hurriedly flew away from the young girl, gripped by a sense of anxiety as she stared fixedly at her.
*Weng…*
The entire world seemed to tremble as a humming sound echoed through the air. Suddenly, two drops of blood streamed out of Zhang Ruo Xi’s eyes, but they didn’t drop to the ground. Instead, they flew in a particular direction as though they had been guided by some mysterious force.
Everyone was attracted to the two drops of blood as they looked dazedly at them. Right before their eyes, the two drops of blood flew at lightning speed towards a certain spot.
When looking in the direction the two drops flew, Fan Wu narrowed his eyes and exclaimed, “The Blood Gate!”
Unexpectedly, the two drops of blood were flying towards the Blood Gate. No one knew when it began, but the Blood Gate, which had remained still for aeons, was now boiling as bubbles of different sizes were formed on its surface.
“Does this girl have something to do with the Blood Gate?” Cang Guo asked in shock.
Fan Wu shook his head slowly. Despite his experience and knowledge, he couldn’t figure out what was going on.
*Xiu…*
The two drops of blood accelerated and shot into the Blood Gate, thus disappearing from everyone’s sight.
*Hong…*
All of a sudden, a beam of scarlet light shot out of the Blood Gate and penetrated Zhang Ruo Xi’s body, causing her to shudder uncontrollably. At the same time, she stopped growling as her long hair fell back down. Still on her knees, she hung her head low and remained unmoving, as though she was a dead person.
Shocked, Yang Kai hurriedly scanned her body with Divine Sense, only to find that her vitality was raging. However, at this moment, Yang Kai almost couldn’t recognize her, as her aura was completely different now, as though she had transformed into an entirely different person.
“What’s going on? This is…”
“Oh, no! The Blood Gate’s restrictive power has been reactivated!”
“Sirs, we’d best leave now! There might be unforeseen dangers!”
All the Monster Kings started exclaiming. In the past, they could never have gotten so close to the Blood Gate, always staying more than ten kilometres away from it. Only recently had the Blood Gate’s mysterious suppressive field disappeared, allowing them to approach it.
However, the mysterious power seemed to have returned, causing all the Monster Kings to feel suppressed in an instant, and as time passed, the suppressive power was growing increasingly stronger.
Obviously the Divine Venerables had noticed this as well. Their cultivations were much more powerful than the peak Twelfth-Order Monster Kings present, but in just a short period of time, they felt their strength suppressed to just that of a Third-Order Emperor Realm Master.
In other words, at this moment, any Third-Order Emperor Realm Human Master would be just as powerful as they were.
Over the years, they had come near the Blood Gate several times to study it, so they knew how horrible this suppressive power could be, so they were well aware that this was just the beginning. When the suppressive force reached peak intensity, it could suppress their strength to a point where it was lower than the Emperor Realm.
“All of you, leave first!” Fan Wu waved his hand and ordered.
Although the Monster Kings were fairly powerful, they were still no match for the Four Great Divine Venerables. If they stayed there any longer, their lives would be at risk. Upon receiving the order, the Monster Kings and the Great Kings hurriedly fled this place as though they had been pardoned for their sins. Before they left, they also made sure to bring the subdued Stone Spirit Clan members with them.
In just a short moment, only the Four Great Divine Venerables, Yang Kai, Zhang Ruo Xi, and the Third Disciple were left. The cultivations of the Four Great Divine Venerables were exceptional, so although they had been suppressed by the Blood Gate’s power, they weren’t in danger at the moment. On the other hand, Yang Kai, Zhang Ruo Xi, and the Third Disciple were not from the Ancient Lands, nor were they members of the Monster Race, which was why they were unaffected by the restrictive power.
At this moment, everyone’s attention was on Zhang Ruo Xi. The young girl still remained on her knees with her head hung low, though her violent aura had subsided. However, a force that was awakening in her petite figure caused the Four Great Divine Venerables to be frightened.
“Bloodline Power!” Yang Kai’s gaze brightened as he had figured out what was going on. Zhang Ruo Xi’s Bloodline Power had always been a mystery, one Yang Kai had wanted to help her unravel eventually, but had not been able to find any clues about.
Previously, when he came across the Bustling World Great Emperor, Duan Hong Chen, the latter seemed to have figured out something, but the old man insisted on acting mysterious and didn’t share any information with Yang Kai. This caused the latter to be on tenterhooks. Although Yang Kai was frustrated at the time, there was nothing he could do about it.
However, Yang Kai had never expected that Zhang Ruo Xi’s Bloodline Power would awaken one day because of him when she experienced extreme anger and despair, causing her to crave for absolute power.
“What are you muttering about?” Shi Huo lowered his head and glared at Yang Kai. He could faintly hear Yang Kai speaking, but he didn’t hear it clearly because all his focus was on Zhang Ruo Xi.
“None of your damn business,” Yang Kai shot him a disdainful glance and sneered.
“Little Brat, you must be sick of living!” Shi Huo bellowed.
“Don’t make things even more complicated now!” Fan Wu suddenly yelled with a furious expression. The extraordinary transformation Zhang Ruo Xi was going through caused him to feel uneasy as he knew that it was caused by what happened to Yang Kai. If Yang Kai were to die now, they couldn’t predict what kind of transformation this young girl would undergo.
Whatever secrets were held in her body, Fan Wu couldn’t take it lightly since the Blood Gate was involved.
Shi Huo shook his head with displeasure, but he didn’t dare to find fault with Yang Kai again.
Yang Kai also didn’t want to keep provoking Shi Huo. To him, if Shi Huo still wouldn’t let him off, he would just have to fight him. The reason he continued to bear with it just now was that he wanted Zhang Ruo Xi and the Stone Spirit Clan to evacuate first.
Turning his head, Yang Kai focused on the current situation and called out gently, “Ruo Xi… Ruo Xi…”
Despite Yang Kai calling out to her more than a dozen times, she remained unmoving, which caused him to frown.
“I have a bad feeling about this,” Cang Guo gulped as he appeared extremely wary. With his strength, he wouldn’t show any fear even if a Great Emperor had personally arrived. Even if he couldn’t defeat a Great Emperor, he was confident he could still flee; however, gazing at the seemingly delicate young girl who was on her knees in front of him now, he found himself to be instinctually terrified.
Luan Feng and Fan Wu traded glances as they could see the shock and anxiety in their eyes. In an impatient manner, Shi Huo uttered, “I have to kill her. I don’t like this feeling…”
As he spoke, he stepped towards Zhang Ruo Xi. However, after he took only two steps forward, Zhang Ruo Xi, who had remained silent this entire time, suddenly said in a low voice, “I understand now.”
“Hm?” The Four Great Divine Venerables stared at her in confusion.
Zhang Ruo Xi slowly raised her head with an icy cold expression on her pretty face, her bloodshot eyes sending a chill down the Four Great Divine Venerables’ spines.
“Ruo Xi…” Yang Kai was dumbstruck. He had spent many years with Zhang Ruo Xi, but he had never seen her looking like this before. Was she still the Zhang Ruo Xi he knew, even in this state?
The young girl let out a gentle breath as she got to her feet in an elegant manner and flicked the dust on her clothes away. Then, she turned around to stare at Shi Huo coldly and parted her red lips to confirm, “You lump of stone, did you just say you want to kill me?”
Shi Huo stiffened upon meeting her dispassionate gaze as his entire body was gripped by a sense of coldness. However, ten kilometres away, those Monster Kings were still looking in their direction, so he grit his teeth and snapped back, “So what if I did?”
Zhang Ruo Xi nodded and stopped talking before shifting her attention to Yang Kai. As their gazes met, Yang Kai frowned because he was worried about her; however, before he could ask any questions, Zhang Ruo Xi looked away, as though she didn’t even recognize him.
Yang Kai’s heart sank when he saw this as he didn’t understand what transformation she had gone through. At that instant, he found her to be unfamiliar, but at the same time, he felt utterly sorry for her.
Zhang Ruo Xi raised her hand suddenly, summoning something into her palm. It was a translucent and beautiful jade sphere that was radiating some faint traces of Space Principles.
“The Space Spirit Jade!” Yang Kai frowned as he didn’t understand why Zhang Ruo Xi would suddenly take out the Space Spirit Jade at this point. It was a Zhang Family heirloom that Yang Kai had kept for a long time. He only passed it back to Zhang Ruo Xi just before entering the Ancient Lands because he felt she was powerful enough to explore the mysteries hidden within the Space Spirit Jade now. By doing so, perhaps she could unravel the secret behind her bloodline.
However, she hadn’t been able to discover anything, so he didn’t expect that she would take it out at this moment. While Yang Kai was gazing at her curiously, Zhang Ruo Xi suddenly flicked her wrist, upon which, the Space Spirit Jade transformed into a beam of light and shot towards the Blood Gate. In an instant, the beam of light integrated with the Blood Gate and added a layer of white to its red surface.
The next moment, images that depicted a paradise kept flashing in the air above the Space Spirit Jade. The flashing of these images was accompanied by a deafening creaking.
It was like a door that had been shut for a very long time was slowly being opened, and a wave of horrifying aura began wafting out from behind it.
“The Blood Gate’s key! It’s the Blood Gate’s key!” After Fan Wu observed the sight for some time with a frown, his expression changed drastically as he exclaimed in shock and stared at Zhang Ruo Xi with widened eyes as he yelled, “Why do you have the Blood Gate’s key?”
Luan Feng couldn’t help but cover her mouth as she looked dazedly at the Blood Gate and muttered, “The Blood Gate is opening…”
*Hong Long Long…*
Finally, the sound of the door opening was heard. Behind the Blood Gate, a translucent and beautiful sight could faintly be seen. It was as though a palace had been erected there, but the sight was so surreal that it left all bewildered.
“The Blood Gate’s key?” Yang Kai was amazed as a myriad of expressions came over him. He had studied the Space Spirit Jade for quite some time, but he had never expected that it was actually a key that could unlock the Blood Gate.
Taking this new information into consideration though, the beautiful images that kept flashing in the air above the Space Spirit Jade they saw just now were likely the landscape beyond the Blood Gate, and that palace was the legendary Divine Spirit Palace.
“Why do you think I have the Blood Gate’s key?” Zhang Ruo Xi uttered in a dispassionate and flat tone. However, Fan Wu couldn’t help but take a few steps back and turn pale, as though he had just heard the devil’s voice.
Zhang Ruo Xi raised her hand towards the Blood Gate, as though she was summoning something from it.
*Xiu…*
A beam of light shot out of the Blood Gate, one which Zhang Ruo Xi grabbed as it arrived at her hand.
*Zheng…*
The sound of a sword humming was heard. It was then that everyone came to the realization that it was a beautifully crafted sword that had shot out of the Blood Gate. The blade was polished and reflective, with a hilt that was carved with Dragons and Phoenixes. At the end of the hilt was a red tassel that waved about as if it was alive.
With the sword in her hand, Zhang Ruo Xi’s aura suddenly surged, her aura now as imposing as a peak Third-Order Emperor.
*Huala…*
All of a sudden, a lifelike illusory phantom emerged behind Zhang Ruo Xi.
Yang Kai widened his eyes as he stared dazedly at this illusory phantom. Although he had seen this image many times before, he was still astounded every time he laid eyes upon it.
It was an illusory phantom of a gigantic woman whose long hair cascaded down her. With her head raised slightly, she appeared impassive. This woman looked somewhat similar to Zhang Ruo Xi. With a huge sheathed sword in her hands, she was standing quietly behind Zhang Ruo Xi, as though she was her elongated shadow.
“Heaven’s Order Sword!” Unable to hold it in anymore, Fan Wu exclaimed as the colour drained from his face.
“You’re a descendent of Heaven’s Order?” Luan Feng’s alluring face turned ashen as she felt a bitter taste in her mouth.
On the other hand, Cang Guo was trembling uncontrollably and almost couldn’t support his own weight. Shi Huo’s mind turned blank as he almost collapsed to the ground.
As Divine Spirits, they had inherited their ancestors’ Source Strength as well as their memories, so they knew better than anyone how terrifying Heaven’s Order was.
In the era when Heaven’s Order existed, it was the most trying time for all Divine Spirits. Ninety percent of them were killed by her, and countless Divine Spirit Sources had been sealed inside the Divine Spirit Palace that was behind the Blood Gate, never to see the light of day again. This was why all Divine Spirits feared Heaven’s Order, always worried about their own safety.
In fact, against Divine Spirits, Heaven’s Order was more powerful than even Great Emperors. Though, this was limited to Divine Spirits, which made her their natural enemy.
Both Phoenixes and Dragons were no exception, as she had killed many Dragons in her lifetime.
Although the Four Great Divine Venerables in the Ancient Lands were Divine Spirits as well, they were still much weaker than True Dragons. Even the Dragons were no match for Heaven’s Order, let alone these Divine Venerables. That was why, when they realized that Zhang Ruo Xi was Heaven’s Order’s descendant, they turned completely pale in fright, as though the end of the world had arrived.
“Fan Wu… don’t go spouting nonsense…” Cang Guo gulped as he looked dazedly at Zhang Ruo Xi, who had transformed into a completely different person. In a trembling voice, he uttered, “Are you sure she is a descendant of Heaven’s Order?”
Fan Wu forced a smile and replied in a bitter voice, “You’ve also inherited your ancestors’ memories, so don’t you recognize that sword?”
Cang Guo was rendered speechless, as Heaven’s Order Sword was exactly what Heaven’s Order used as her primary weapon. From the memories they had inherited, they knew that the sword had been sealed behind the Blood Gate. The reason they cordoned off this area and never allowed anyone to come close to this place wasn’t that they were worried about Monster Race members obtaining Source Strength and being reborn as Divine Spirits.
No, their worry was that the Heaven’s Order Sword would re-emerge in this world. Now, their biggest worry had become reality.
It wasn’t that someone had barged into the Blood Gate and brought the Heaven’s Order Sword out, but it was summoned by a Human girl in her early twenties. Only Heaven’s Order and her descendants were capable of wielding the Heaven’s Order Sword. With that sword in her hand, Zhang Ruo Xi’s identity could not be clearer.
“It’s all over…” Cang Guo muttered. Their biggest worry had come true. Heaven’s Order Sword had reappeared, and the bloodline of Heaven’s Order’s descendant had awakened. From now on, there wouldn’t be a single peaceful day for any Divine Spirits anymore. The people who would face her wrath first were undoubtedly the Four Great Divine Venerables at the scene.
“Heaven’s Order’s descendant…” Yang Kai was dumbstruck, as he had never expected that Zhang Ruo Xi was the descendant of the legendary Heaven’s Order, who was the natural enemy of all the Divine Spirits.
The revelation was so shocking that he still couldn’t come to his senses after some time. Soon though, he thought of something. After they entered the Flowing Time Temple in the Four Season Land, Zhang Ruo Xi suddenly disappeared for some time. When she appeared again, she was clad in the Pink Clouds Phoenix Robe, a priceless defensive Emperor Artifact.
Zhang Ruo Xi told him that it was a guy called Qiong Qi who gifted it to her. Qiong Qi was one of the most ferocious among the Ancient Divine Spirits, so Yang Kai had never understood why such a powerful creature would give Zhang Ruo Xi such a precious artifact. Now, he realized that Qiong Qi must have sensed her Bloodline Power, which was why the beast hadn’t dared to make things difficult for her. He must have also realized that her bloodline would awaken if she was pushed into a crisis, and when that happened, Qiong Qi would find himself in a perilous situation.
On the other hand, Duan Hong Chen must have figured it out as well, but he wouldn’t dare to reveal such an important secret. All the signs suggested that Zhang Ruo Xi was undoubtedly a descendant of Heaven’s Order.
“I see…” Yang Kai put on a bitter smile. Things had developed to a point that had exceeded his imagination, as he had never expected that he would be so flabbergasted after Zhang Ruo Xi’s Bloodline Power awakened.
“You!” Zhang Ruo Xi shot Shi Huo a glare and spoke in a cold voice, “Tell me, how do you want to die?”
Shi Huo shuddered as his face warped in fear. The flickering flames in his eyes suggested that he was extremely anxious. Just some time ago, he had no regard for Zhang Ruo Xi whatsoever, as he could easily kill a Human girl in the Third-Order Dao Source Realm with a snort; however, the girl before his eyes now was able to make him feel uneasy and fill his heart with despair.
He had revealed his intention of killing Zhang Ruo Xi just now, and he had tortured Yang Kai for a very long time, so he was certain that she must completely resent him now. The Monster Race members and the other Divine Venerables might be able to survive this calamity, but he was certain he had no future.
Upon realizing this, Shi Huo threw all caution to the wind and decided to double down, pushing his dark flames madly as he shouted, “So what if you’re a descendant of Heaven’s Order!? I am the descendant of an Ancient Divine Spirit, how are you able to kill me before you even grow up?”
After he barked at Zhang Ruo Xi, he turned to look at Fan Wu and the others as he uttered, “My fellow Divine Venerables, Heaven’s Order is the common enemy of all the Divine Spirits, and her power is capable of suppressing all of us. If all of you still want to rest easy at night, why don’t you join me and nip her descendant in the bud before she becomes stronger?”
Yang Kai’s expression darkened when he heard that as he sized up the other three Divine Venerables anxiously.
Just like what Shi Huo had said, the Bloodline Power within Zhang Ruo Xi had just awakened, so it wasn’t certain how powerful she was. However, the powers of these Divine Venerables were unquestionable. Once they joined forces, Zhang Ruo Xi might not be able to counter them.
Cang Guo appeared tempted, apparently swayed by what Shi Huo had said. On the other hand, Fan Wu and Luan Feng didn’t give any reaction, so it wasn’t certain what was on their minds. Their reactions were not missed by Cang Guo as well, and after giving it a thought with a frown, he shook his head slightly and suppressed the impulse in his heart.
Shi Huo’s heart sank when he saw that and snarled, “Are you really willing to give her time to grow? Don’t you understand that when she becomes stronger, all Divine Spirits in the world will live a life that is worse than Hell?”
Naturally, Fan Wu and the others understood that as well. When Heaven’s Order walked the world in the past, all Divine Spirits hid in fear from her, worried she would find them and take their Sources before killing them.
It wasn’t until Heaven’s Order suddenly went missing hundreds of thousands of years ago that these Divine Spirits slowly emerged again. Shi Huo’s words were indeed sensible, but Fan Wu and the others didn’t have the guts to confront Zhang Ruo Xi.
Faced with someone with Heaven’s Order’s bloodline, they were instinctively wary and terrified. Even if they wanted to deal with Zhang Ruo Xi, they didn’t have the courage to do so.
Fan Wu directly closed his eyes and stayed clear from this. Apparently, he wasn’t willing to offend Zhang Ruo Xi.
On the other hand, his intention was to let Shi Huo test the waters first. If Zhang Ruo Xi, as Heaven’s Order’s descendant, turned out to be less powerful than she appeared to be, it wouldn’t be too late for them to make a move. However, if she had inherited all of Heaven’s Order’s abilities, then Shi Huo would be the best guinea pig.
“Fine then!” Shi Huo snorted and swept a mocking glance over Fan Wu and the others before he uttered loudly, “Since that’s the case, I’ll end her life on my own. You don’t have to thank me afterwards!”
Upon finishing his words, he growled as his already gigantic figure seemed to expand once more, growing twice as large as before. His entire body was engulfed in dark flames, and his eyes were burning with rage. The ground seemed to have melted because of the heat, and the atmosphere around that place turned scorching hot.
*Deng, Deng, Deng…*
Shi Huo charged forward and reached Zhang Ruo Xi in just three steps. He raised his right arm as he was aiming to strike her with his humongous fist.
“From today onward, there won’t be any more descendants of Heaven’s Order!” Shi Huo grinned as his aura turned violent. He had never been kind-hearted; otherwise, he wouldn’t have slaughtered all of those from the Black Tortoise Sect twenty thousand years ago. It all happened because when one of their disciples was travelling around the world, he came across Shi Huo and offended him because he didn’t know who the latter was. Nevertheless, in retaliation, Shi Huo went to the Black Tortoise Sect and killed all ten thousand members of that Sect.
Judging from how he tortured Yang Kai on this day, it was apparent that he was a ruthless individual that was worse than the infamous ominous beast, Qiong Qi. As his gargantuan fist flew towards Zhang Ruo Xi, the wind pressure that came with his attack caused her hair and clothes to fly out behind her.
Fan Wu widened his eyes in that instant and stared fixedly at them, wanting to determine whether this Heaven’s Order descendant was as powerful as she appeared to be. Luan Feng and Cang Guo held their breaths as well.
The Third Disciple exclaimed and covered her eyes, as though she didn’t dare toover time watch what would happen next. At the same time, Yang Kai shouted, “Ruo Xi, watch out!”
Under everyone’s gazes though, Zhang Ruo Xi just stood there without showing any intention of making a move. She didn’t try to evade the attack, nor did she attempt to defend herself. Faced with the strike that was powerful enough to shatter worlds, she appeared unfazed as her expression was completely calm. Standing in front of the gigantic Shi Huo, she looked as small as an ant, which was a stark contrast to the attacker.
Shi Huo was elated that she remained unmoving, exerting more force with his fist as he sneered, “Weak!”
He could already envision the sight of Zhang Ruo Xi being crushed to death by him. If he could kill her, all the Divine Spirits in this world would owe him a favour, a huge favour. By then, everyone in the Ancient Lands, including Fan Wu and the other Divine Venerables, wouldn’t dare to disobey him.
“Kneel down!” Just as the huge fist was about to hit her, Zhang Ruo Xi suddenly tucked her hair behind her ear and parted her lips to utter these two words lightly.
“What?” Fan Wu was startled. Luan Feng and Cang Guo were also rooted to the spot as they glanced at each other, thinking to themselves, [Did we hear that right? Did this little girl just demand that Shi Huo kneel down? Even if she’s really Heaven’s Order’s descendant, and her bloodline has awakened, she’s still just a little girl. Was she originally this haughty? Her enemy is Divine Spirit, Shi Huo.]
*Weng…*
Just then, the Blood Gate started humming as a mysterious force flooded out from it. Fan Wu, Luan Feng, and Cang Guo grunted as their expressions changed drastically. Under this strange force’s suppression, the Divine Spirit Sources in their bodies shook violently and their minds filled with soul-wrenching fear. They almost fell to their knees right then and there, as though they couldn’t even support their own weight.
Fortunately, they managed to stabilize their figures and not embarrass themselves at the last moment; however, the actual target of the mysterious force, Shi Huo, wasn’t so lucky. His colossal fist stopped just a palm length from Zhang Ruo Xi, his flames almost burning her hair. Nevertheless, no matter how hard he tried, he couldn’t advance his fist even the slightest bit further.
His expression changed from stunned to shocked, and his legs turned to jelly as he fell on his knees in front of Zhang Ruo Xi.
“Ahh…” Fan Wu and the others gasped in utter astonishment.
They could feel that this force that had suppressed Shi Huo didn’t come from Zhang Ruo Xi, but rather from the Blood Gate. Still, it was obvious that this force was being controlled by this young girl before their eyes.
She was able to force a Divine Spirit, Shi Huo, to kneel down on the ground with ease. In other words, it wouldn’t take her much effort to suppress the other three Divine Venerables.
At that instant, Fan Wu and the other Divine Venerables were drenched in cold sweat. Cang Gou was especially glad that he didn’t agree to Shi Huo’s request and join forces with him, for if he had, he would also have been humiliated and forced to his knees right now.
“He really knelt down…” The Monster Kings ten kilometres away widened their eyes as their jaws dropped. On the other hand, the Stone Spirits, who had been subdued by them, appeared excited and gleeful.
The Embodiment suddenly grinned and demanded, “Release us immediately if you don’t want to die; otherwise, all of you will suffer a horrible death!”
The Monster Kings and the Eight Great Kings were shocked upon hearing this threat, and after trading glances, they hurriedly backed away from the Stone Spirits as they didn’t dare to go hard on them anymore.
Even someone as powerful as Shi Huo was forced to kneel down in front of Zhang Ruo Xi, which was why these Monster Kings didn’t dare to be haughty anymore. They were extremely worried because they didn’t know what punishments awaited them.
After that, the Stone Spirit Clan and Embodiment cracked their limbs and got to their feet before they turned attentively to the sight that was ten kilometres away from them.
On the other side, Shi Huo, who was still on his knees, couldn’t believe what had just happened. The dark flames in his eyes flickered as he was on the brink of a breakdown.
He was a Divine Spirit as well as one of the Four Great Divine Venerables of the Ancient Lands, but now, he was forced to kneel down with a single command from a young girl. This kind of humiliation was intolerable for him.
He roared hysterically as he tried to get to his feet; however, a glowing red layer suddenly engulfed his entire body and suppressed all his strength, causing him to be unable to move a muscle.
*Zheng…*
Zhang Ruo Xi pointed her Heaven’s Order Sword at Shi Huo’s chest. Following her movement, the clouds in the sky seemed to have turned turbulent as the huge female illusory phantom behind her made a move.
The illusory phantom suddenly unsheathed her huge sword and pointed it in Shi Huo’s direction, her alluring face completely dispassionate.
“World Force!” Fan Wu paled as he looked up at the sky and felt a bitter taste in his mouth. If he still doubted how much of Heaven’s Order’s power Zhang Ruo Xi had inherited and to what extent he could resist just now, such ideas were completely snuffed out by this sight. The only thing he needed to consider now was how to survive under Zhang Ruo Xi’s wrath.
World Force fluctuated after the sword was unsheathed, which went to show that Heaven’s Order’s bloodline in Zhang Ruo Xi had completely awakened. Given enough time, she would become the new Heaven’s Order, the worst nightmare for all the Divine Spirits.
“W-What are you doing?” Shi Huo’s expression changed drastically as he exclaimed. Realizing just how massive the difference between their powers was, he couldn’t stay calm anymore. His flaming eyes appeared uneasy and fearful as he yelled, “I’m Divine Spirit Shi Huo, don’t you even think about killing me!”
“Divine Spirit Shi Huo, you are indeed a powerful being, but you are also cruel and revel in slaughter and death. As Heaven’s Order’s descendant, I’ll now take your Divine Spirit Source and seize your Divine Spirit Power. I hope all the Divine Spirits in this World will learn from this lesson,” Zhang Ruo Xi uttered impassively with an emotionless expression.
“What?” Shi Huo widened his eyes and spoke in a hoarse voice, “You want to seize my Divine Spirit Source?”
Without replying to him, Zhang Ruo Xi slowly pushed out her Heaven’s Order Sword. At the same time, the huge illusory phantom mirrored her actions and stabbed her gigantic sword into Shi Huo’s body.
Shi Huo’s figure was extremely sturdy, so even other Divine Spirits like Fan Wu and Luan Feng couldn’t harm him easily if they made a move against him. His body was even tougher than those of the Stone Spirit Clan.
Despite that, his figure now looked as frail as a piece of tofu when faced with the Heaven’s Order Sword. Zhang Ruo Xi didn’t seem to have exerted any real force with her thrust, but her sword easily pierced right into Shi Huo’s chest.
“No!” Shi Huo wailed as he stared at his own chest with widened eyes. Flustered, he yelled, “No! You can’t take away my Source! I’m Divine Spirit Shi Huo, I refuse to accept this!”
*Chi, Chi, Chi…*
The sound of Heaven’s Order Sword piercing Shi Huo echoed clearly, causing Fan Wu and the others to turn pale. By just listening to the sound, it was as though they could feel the same excruciating pain of that sword piercing their bodies.
Luan Feng trembled uncontrollably as her back was soaked in cold sweat.
“No, no! Madam, I know I was wrong. Please give me a chance to correct my ways! I’ll never do evil things again!” Seeing that he couldn’t stop his Source Strength from leaking out of his body, Shi Huo hurriedly begged for mercy.
He was a Divine Spirit with extreme pride in himself. If it weren’t because he was left with no choice, he wouldn’t have yielded. The sight made Fan Wu and the others feel distressed.
However, Zhang Ruo Xi was unfazed as she continued pushing her Heaven’s Order Sword into Shi Huo’s body until only the hilt was shown.
“It’s no use regretting now. You crossed a line you never should have,” a ferocious glint flashed across Zhang Ruo Xi’s gaze as she clenched the hilt.
*Hong…*
A booming sound was heard as Shi Huo’s chest and back exploded, forming a long hole through his body. Shi Huo shook violently as he lost all that was left of his imposing manner.
When Zhang Ruo Xi pulled back her Heaven’s Order Sword, something that looked like a heart was also drawn out. The heart was still beating vigorously, making thudding sounds, seemingly containing immense power.
“It’s Shi Huo’s Source.” Fan Wu turned completely pale as he staggered. A single glance was all it took to recognize that the thing in Zhang Ruo Xi’s hand was Shi Huo’s Source. Without it, Shi Huo would regress from a Divine Spirit to just an ordinary Monster Beast.
Luan Feng and Cang Gou were so shocked that they could hardly breathe as their chests felt incredibly heavy.
Through the memories they had inherited from their ancestors, they had already learned that Heaven’s Order was capable of seizing a Divine Spirit’s Source; however, those were just memories in the end, incomparable to witnessing such a feat with their own eyes.
Besides Heaven’s Order and her descendants, no one else in this world could easily take away a Divine Spirit’s Source.
Shi Huo’s life was basically over. Even if he managed to survive without his Source, he would become a cripple. At that moment, he could be seen kneeling on the ground in a dazed state, the hole in his chest looked hideous as the dark flames around his body had been completely extinguished. His aura appeared weak, as his cultivation had now probably dropped below the Twelfth-Order.
Then, Zhang Ruo Xi wielded her sword, which flashed in the sunlight, whereupon Shi Huo’s tremendous figure collapsed to the ground and broke into countless pieces of rock. With his vitality all gone, he no longer existed in this world.
After that, Zhang Ruo Xi shot a glance at Fan Wu, Luan Feng, and Cang Gou, causing their hearts to leap to their throats. With horrified expressions, they couldn’t help stepping backwards. Now, they were most afraid that Zhang Ruo Xi would make a move against them.
Judging from what happened to Shi Huo, if Zhang Ruo Xi wanted to kill them, they wouldn’t even stand a chance of escaping. The restrictive power coming from the Blood Gate was horrifying, and they were powerless to resist it. Perhaps the suppressive power only targeted Divine Spirits though as Yang Kai and the Third Disciple didn’t seem affected at all.
Fortunately, Zhang Ruo Xi only shot them a cold glance before she put the sword back into the sheath. All of a sudden, Heaven’s Order Sword and the huge illusory phantom behind her disappeared at the same time.
Fan Wu and the others heaved a sigh of relief. Although they didn’t know what Zhang Ruo Xi’s intention was, her actions suggested that they were safe for now.
Following that, Zhang Ruo Xi turned to look at Yang Kai. At this moment, Yang Kai appeared utterly battered. This was probably the biggest loss he had suffered in his life. His clothes were caked with dried blood, and his face was so swollen that he could barely open his eyes. Golden blood was still streaming down from his head, and the bones in both of his legs had been shattered. Unable to get to his feet, he could only sit on the ground, completely paralyzed.
When their gazes met, Yang Kai flashed a bitter smile at her. He wasn’t certain whether Zhang Ruo Xi’s transformation was a good or bad thing. In comparison, he preferred the soft-spoken and obedient Zhang Ruo Xi of the past. The Heaven’s Order’s descendant before his eyes now appeared unfeeling; moreover, her gaze and temperament were utterly foreign to Yang Kai.
After a moment of silence, Zhang Ruo Xi raised her hand again, upon which a beam of light shot out of the Blood Gate. Fan Wu and the others turned pale again and stared in that direction.
The last time Zhang Ruo Xi raised her hand, the Heaven’s Order Sword flew out of the Blood Gate. What would it be this time?
To their surprise, what Zhang Ruo Xi obtained wasn’t any weapon, but rather a delicious-looking scarlet spirit fruit that a rich aroma wafted from, involuntarily inducing hunger in all who smelt its scent.
Then, Zhang Ruo Xi flickered towards Yang Kai before she crouched down and passed the spirit fruit to him.
Without taking it, Yang Kai looked dazedly at her for a moment before asking, “Are you Ruo Xi?”
Zhang Ruo Xi nodded slightly as she replied gently, “Sir, it’s me. Eat this first. It can help you recover faster.”
“You…” Yang Kai appeared shocked.
“Sir, I’m still Ruo Xi, and this fact will never change,” as she spoke, the coldness and indifference in her eyes melted and was replaced by the kind of warm light Yang Kai was familiar with.
“Hahaha!” Yang Kai started laughing as he could finally set his mind at ease. Only then did he take the spirit fruit from Zhang Ruo Xi and examine it, a moment later exclaiming in shock, “A ten-thousand-year-old Phoenix Blood Fruit!”
He didn’t expect that the spirit fruit Zhang Ruo Xi had summoned out of the Blood Gate was a ten-thousand-year-old Phoenix Blood Fruit. This was one of the rarest spirit fruits in the world because the blood of a Divine Spirit Phoenix was required to cultivate the tree it grew from. The Phoenix Clan was at the top of the hierarchy among all Divine Spirits, so hardly anyone in the world could challenge them, let alone kill them and take their blood.
It took all the Blood Essence of a Divine Spirit Phoenix to cultivate a Phoenix Blood Fruit Tree, after which it would then take ten thousand years for the tree to flower, then another ten thousand years for fruits to ripen from those flowers. In terms of the level of rarity, it was even more precious than the Extraordinary Treasure Lotus Yang Kai had come across in the Four Season Land.
Unexpectedly, now, a Phoenix Blood Fruit was right before his eyes, and it was Zhang Ruo Xi who nonchalantly summoned it out of the Blood Gate. Apparently, there must be a Phoenix Blood Fruit Tree behind the Blood Gate that was cultivated by Heaven’s Order after she killed a Phoenix Clan member and harvested their blood.