The Innate Divine Ability, Black Eye Purgatory, was forcefully dispelled by Mo Duo, causing Yang Kai to suffer from a severe backlash. With his vitality roiling and his head feeling like it had been split in two, Yang Kai could only scream miserably.
Taking this opportunity, Mo Duo finally got rid of Yang Kai’s disturbance and flew upwards. In just a few breaths of time, he was already ten thousand metres above the ground and was just about to reach the crown of the tree.
But at this time, Yang Kai suddenly flickered strangely in front of him, holding the Demonic War Hammer and smashed at him furiously, Demon Qi erupting from all over his body.
Mo Duo hurriedly leapt to the trunk nearby to evade Yang Kai’s blow.
The two looked at each other across the short distance between them. Mo Duo was boiling in anger, while Yang Kai’s expression could not be seen due to the wrapping of Demon Qi, but his eyes were more energetic and clearer than before. Resting the Demonic War Hammer on his shoulder he seemed to grin menacingly and remarked coldly, “Thanks for shaking my consciousness awake, otherwise, I’m afraid I really wouldn’t have been able to escape from that chaotic state.”
Mo Duo’s face changed slightly and replied in a cold voice, “How do you plan to stop me now without the power of the Black Eye?”
He noticed that Yang Kai’s aura had greatly reduced after the Innate Divine Ability of the Black Eye was dispelled, so although he recovered his rational mind, he was now no longer a match for him.
Yang Kai smiled lightly, and pointed his finger to the sky, “I can’t stop you, but… I just need to delay you for a moment.”
Hearing this, Mo Duo’s face darkened as Yang Kai was speaking the truth. Even if he was no longer Mo Duo’s opponent, that didn’t mean he couldn’t give him some trouble and delay his pace. As long as Yang Kai could buy just a bit more time, the Evergreen Divine Tree would have the opportunity to seal the Two Worlds Passage.
The tree crown had now reached right below the top of the passage, almost completely covering it with its broad trunk and canopy. As long as it continued growing, it would soon accomplish its mission.
“You can try!” Mo Duo roared as he kicked off the branch he was standing on and shot upwards like a cannon, sending out a punch as he soared into the sky.
Strangely, Yang Kai appeared in front of this fist, as if he had thrown himself at it.
Yang Kai was shocked as he had not anticipated this move. The punch sent him flying, but nevertheless, his reaction was incredibly fast. Immediately, he teleported the moment he was about to be hit and his figure reappeared in a blink above Mo Duo.
He swung the Demon Qi empowered Demonic War Hammer at Mo Duo’s head with Heaven-destroying and Earth-shattering power.
“Damn you!” Mo Duo bellowed as he raised his hand to block the blow.
With a loud bang, Mo Duo’s gigantic body fell back several tens of metres, but he quickly stabilized himself again. He was so infuriated that his two house-sized eyes almost ignited in rage.
After the Black Eye Purgatory was dispelled, Yang Kai’s strength had dropped significantly, which was obvious from the power of his hammering. Before, when Yang Kai struck with his hammer, it would be enough to send Mo Duo tumbling, but now, such a blow could only force him back a couple dozen metres.
Even so, Yang Kai was still the biggest obstacle in front of him. If Mo Duo did not destroy this obstruction, he wouldn’t be able to move on, but how could he have time to fight with this foreigner now?
He had underestimated Yang Kai. In fact, all the Demon Saints underestimated Yang Kai. If they had known that this foreigner wielded such strange power, they would have sent two Demon Saints to deal with him.
Mo Duo blew a long whistle to ask for helpers.
But he received no response.
The other four Demon Saints were fighting with the four Shaman Saints of the Barbarian Race at the moment. Both sides had an even number, so no one could get away easily. Mo Duo was on his own.
*Kacha…*
A strange noise suddenly sounded, causing Mo Duo’s eyelids to jump and his head to quickly turn up. At that moment, he saw the giant crown of the strange tree fill the last crack of the Two Worlds Passage, and though it seemed to twist and deform under the pressure, it still managed to complete the seal.
It was too late. It was all too late. Mo Duo was devastated.
Yang Kai burst into laughter despite his ravaged and dishevelled state. Listening to this mocking laughter, Mo Duo felt extremely offended and embarrassed, and the suppressed anger in his chest erupted completely like a volcano.
Yang Kai’s laughter abruptly stopped, as if someone had grabbed his throat all of a sudden.
Mo Duo also turned solemn as he obviously felt something as well.
Both of them looked up at the same time, their gazes penetrating through space as they stared straight into the depths of the Two Worlds Passage.
From the depths of the corridor, a black cloud suddenly appeared strangely above the tree crown. The black cloud pressed down slowly, and even though it did not move with great speed, it possessed a powerful oppressive force, as if nothing in the world could stop its advance. In the process of falling, the black cloud gradually twisted and transformed into a huge hand that seemed to cover the sky.
“Sir Demon God!” Mo Duo exclaimed.
“Great Demon God!” Yang Kai bellowed hoarsely.
In the Demon Realm, the strongest Master was Great Demon God, who was an existence more powerful than even Demon Saints. It was he who tore open the World Barrier of the two Great Worlds, opened the passage between the Demon Realm and this one, and brought destruction and disaster to it.
Given that the Demon Saints were already so strong, just how powerful could the Great Demon God who was superior to them be? Yang Kai thought about this question before, but he could not find an answer, just like when he was still an Origin Returning Realm cultivator and could not imagine the terror of a Dao Source Realm Master. Before one reached a certain Realm, they would still be lacking comprehension no matter how rich their imagination was.
The Great Demon God stood at a height too high for Yang Kai to even speculate about.
But at this moment, he could easily feel the terror of the Great Demon God. A simple palm transformed from the black cloud already seemed to be able to destroy a world. It was the power that even the Demon Saints would fear.
As the huge hand pressed down, cracking sounds came up from the crown of the Evergreen Divine Tree. The giant tree could not continue to grow, and instead was being pressed down.
Mo Duo did not look at this scene with joy in his eyes though; instead, he was full of fear. Beads of sweat trickled down his forehead as his nearly three-hundred-metre-tall body shivered.
As a Demon Saint who was sent to this world by Great Demon God, he had failed his mission to stop the foreign race’s plan of sealing the Two Worlds Passage, forcing the Great Demon God to step in personally. Even if the Demon Race achieved a great victory after this battle, he and the other four Demon Saints would definitely not be able to avoid punishment.
The punishment of Great Demon God was not something that anyone could bear, even if one was a Demon Saint.
*Xiu…*
A strange noise sounded, and Mo Duo turned to look, his face changing drastically as he roared, “How dare you!?”
When he was truly shocked and incensed as Shaman Niu actually flew up with a solemn face and charged towards the Two Worlds Passage. Looking at his movements, it seemed that he wanted to use his own strength to block whatever method Great Demon God was using to interfere.
This frightened Mo Duo.
He was not afraid that Shaman Niu had the ability to do so. Since the Great Demon God had made his move, no matter how powerful Shaman Niu was, it would amount to nothing before the Great Demon God. However, he could not allow Shaman Niu to disturb the Great Demon God, not in the slightest.
Mo Duo chased after him and wanted to stop him in advance. Nevertheless, his body was too massive and his movements were not as flexible as Shaman Niu’s, so he could only watch as Shaman Niu rushed into the Two Worlds Passage and disappeared.
Mo Duo grew increasingly anxious as he flew up, his Demon Qi surging madly as he quickly reached the tree crown that was previously unreachable to him in less than ten breaths time.
Without any intention of remaining though, Mo Duo also rushed directly into the Two Worlds Passage to kill Yang Kai.
The inside of the Two Worlds Passage was nothing but emptiness and chaos. There were no identifying markers one could use to gain a sense of direction, and even a Demon Saint would shiver with unease in this endless void. No matter how powerful a Master was, he may be trapped forever if he lost his way here.
Feeling unimaginable pressure pressing down from above his head, Mo Duo looked up and saw Great Demon God’s giant palm pressing towards him, but Shaman Niu was nowhere to be seen.
This palm was Great Demon God’s sudden cross-world attack, yet it still felt unmatchable.
Mo Duo did not dare to release his Divine Sense to search for Yang Kai, because the surrounding Void Turbulence would devour it before it provided any useful information.
As he was looking for Yang Kai though, Yang Kai appeared strangely beside him and charged at him like a meteor. Facing the unexpected attack, Mo Duo could not stand firm and was directly pushed back.
Yang Kai struck Mo Duo’s chest head-on while pushing his Space Principles wildly, using the very Void Turbulence to drive himself and Mo Duo towards the giant palm.
Mo Duo’s face went completely pale as he struggled hard, but in this place where Space Principle dominated all others, he soon found that he could not free himself from Yang Kai’s control and was getting closer and closer to the palm print of Great Demon God.
“What are you doing!?” Mo Duo was equal parts enraged and terrified as a frightening thought surfaced in his mind.
“I need your help!” Yang Kai grinned madly at him, but Mo Duo obviously did not see this expression.
His words turned Mo Duo’s face green as his gigantic body started to tremble. He fought even more vigorously and nearly broke away from Yang Kai’s grasp several times, but all to no avail.
Yang Kai hurriedly waved his hands and drew rivers of Void Turbulence over to bind Mo Duo.
Having been caught, Mo Duo ceased his futile efforts.
“Do you know what you’re doing!?” Mo Duo knew he could not break free by force, so he could only try to persuade Yang Kai to change his mind, “You’ll die too!”
Without saying a word, Yang Kai pushed Mo Duo with all his strength to meet the giant palm.
“Madman, you are a madman!” Mo Duo yelled, “I won’t be used by you! It is my honour to die at the hands of the Great Demon God, there’s no meaning in what you’re trying to accomplish!”
“You have Ancient Demon Qi flowing through you and the Ancient Demon’s Solitary Black Eye. Although you were born a Barbarian, you are also Half-Demon. Furthermore, you have proven your strength! Give up now and Great Demon God will forgive you! Anything you want from the Demon Race will be yours.”
“Why are you still not stopping? It will be too late if you don’t stop now!”
Mo Duo kept screaming, his face becoming more and more panicked, but Yang Kai flat out ignored every word he said.
Finally, the two of them reached right in front of Great Demon God’s giant palm and Mo Duo shut his mouth because he knew it was too late to say anything now. Even if Yang Kai released him, he would still not be able to escape from the Great Demon God’s attack.
The huge palm pressed down from above his head, together with a destructive aura, causing Mo Duo to let out a sigh, close his eyes, and bare his neck for execution.
At that moment, Yang Kai’s roar exploded in his ears, “You’re not making a move? Do you really want to die?”
This roar was like the Devil’s whisper, causing Mo Duo’s eyes to shoot open, and driven by primal instincts to survive, he pushed his Demon Saint strength wildly and swung his fists upward.
He suddenly found that the strength that had been restraining him had disappeared, and the Void Turbulence that had been binding him had also vanished, allowing him to use his full strength.
But Mo Duo regretted it the moment he threw his attack.
He asked himself, [What am I doing? As a Demon Saint, why am I resisting Sir Great Demon God?]
All his actions were made instinctually, done without any thought, driven by a simple desire to live. At the verge of death, one could not afford to think too much.
In any case, this was the full powered blow of a Demon Saint.
At the same time, Yang Kai, who was not far away, turned solemn and raised the Demonic War Hammer in his hand, pouring his own Demon Qi into it before swinging it heavily at the giant palm.
Space Principles engulfed the Demonic War Hammer, causing the Void to crack and distort wherever it passed. Not only that, Yang Kai also pushed his Time Principles into this attack. At this critical juncture of life or death, Yang Kai delivered a violent blow that surpassed his own limit.
This blow was the strongest he had ever unleashed, one that even he found difficult to comprehend.
Of these two great attacks, one was intentional while the other was unintentional. Yang Kai and Mo Duo’s coordination was perfect and delivered an amazing counterattack.
The giant palm halted slightly before a huge hole was pierced through it, causing a seemingly endless Demonic Qi to erupt out in all directions.
However, in the next instant, the giant palm recovered from their interference and slammed down towards where Yang Kai and Mo Duo were, destroying the two insignificant ants before continuing to press downwards.
Mo Duo’s muffled grunt disappeared instantly, and the three-hundred-metre-tall body fell apart, turning into pieces of shredded meat, scattered in the endless Void. Yang Kai too felt as though he was torn apart, his body dissipating completely, and only his Soul falling into an endless abyss.
[Am I dead?] Yang Kai did not know what death was like, but if Demon Saint Mo Duo could not survive this, it was naturally impossible for him to be alive.
[I think I’m really dead.]
In a daze, he suddenly felt as if he had forgotten many important things, only to suddenly remember something vaguely.
All the while he was self-reflecting, he continued to fall. His entire body was somehow loosened and relaxed as he plummeted endlessly. There was nothing that required his attention, nothing that could worry him. Maybe it was not such a bad thing to keep falling like this.
Then, there was a change, and the feeling of falling suddenly disappeared, followed by a change in his vision. When Yang Kai recovered his senses, he was already standing in a Void blanketed with twinkling stars. He turned his head to observe his surroundings; nothing but deathly silence remained. Even Yang Kai found he was without a physical presence or form.
Suddenly, the clamour of war and wild fluctuations of energy reached him from below.
He looked down, and his eyes widened.
He saw a huge, unmatched tree that connected Heaven and Earth standing tall in the middle of a battlefield full of blood and corpses. The magnificent tree crown had penetrated into the crack in the sky and was still growing continuously.
He saw some strong Humans evading the attacks of Demons under the big tree.
He also saw millions of Humans and Demons risking their lives in the vast surrounding wilderness.
In the sky on the other side, eight exceptionally powerful Masters were fighting. The Saints of the two races seemed to be competing on equal footing.
Yang Kai had the chills as he remembered something he had forgotten just now, and then remembered something even more distant from him.
[I am Shaman Niu, and I am the Shaman King of the South Barbarian Clan. I commanded a strong army called the Shaman Niu Clan.]
[I’m also Yang Kai, the Palace Master of High Heaven Palace in the Northern Territory of the Star Boundary.]
He did not know when he had completely forgotten all of this, especially his latter identity.
When he first came to this world, he would still remember it from time to time, remember that he was but a visitor in this world and had entered this Sealed World as a simple training experience. However, along with the outbreak of the war between the two Races, his identity became increasingly vague and had gradually adapted to the identity of Shaman Niu, ultimately completely forgetting his real name, Yang Kai.
He dragged a Demon Saint and launched a suicidal attack against Great Demon God. Was he trying to emulate the sacrifice of the Evergreen Divine Tree?
If he had remembered that he was Yang Kai, he would never have been so reckless and impulsive; after all, this was just a Sealed World, with everything he experienced possibly being one giant illusion.
But if he was looking at the situation as Ancient Barbarian Shaman Niu, doing such a thing would seem normal.
Shaman Niu would definitely make such a choice. Any Ancient Barbarian would make such a choice without hesitation. Even if he died, as long as there was even the slightest chance of success, his death would have value.
There was only one thing he could not understand, what the Hell was this place? Was everything just an illusion, or was he really dead?
“Isn’t it bizarre?” A voice suddenly came from behind.
Yang Kai jumped, not having expected anyone else to be here at all, but he did not turn around immediately, because he knew who the voice belonged to.
Standing in the void, he pointed down and asked, “Is all this real or just illusionary?”
“It’s real, and it’s also illusionary!” A petite figure walked over to him slowly and stopped next to him, her beautiful eyes looking down, watching the scene with Yang Kai.
Yang Kai turned to look at her in curiosity, “Please explain!”
“There is falseness in the truth, and there is truth in the false.” The woman winked at him a little playfully. This was an expression she had never shown before, and Yang Kai was taken aback.
Yang Kai continued to look at her without saying a word.
The woman continued, “This war is real. There really was such a battle between the two races in the Ancient Times. It’s not much different from what you are seeing before your eyes, only on a larger scale.”
Yang Kai frowned, “Then what about Shaman Niu?”
“It’s exactly because there were countless Shaman Nius in that war that this land could be preserved and the Demons were forced to retreat!”
Yang Kai exclaimed, “So what I saw and experienced as Shaman Niu is just a kind of summary?”
“Exactly!”
Yang Kai nodded, “I understand. Everything I experienced was just an illusion, but this illusion is not an empty fantasy, but instead based on the reality of the ancient past.”
This illusion had lasted quite a while, a full two years in fact.
But Yang Kai believed that it was impossible for such a war to have ended in just two years. It could have been twenty years, or maybe even two hundred years, but all of that had been condensed into a ‘short’ two year summary for him.
“Yes, and congratulations on your contributions in this war.” The woman pursed her lips and smiled.
Yang Kai sneered, “I died, there is nothing to congratulate me on.”
“Only in this world. You are still alive.” The woman chuckled slightly.
Yang Kai shook his head and continued, “I want to see the final result of this war.”
The woman nodded gently, stretching out her hand to touch the void. In the next moment, Yang Kai seemed to have turned into a Deity and everything below simply played out before him as he wished.
First, it was the Two Worlds Passage that connected the two Great Worlds. After Great Demon God destroyed Demon Saint Mo Duo and Shaman Niu, his palm continued to press downward.
However, the sacrifice of Mo Duo and Shaman Niu was not without effect. A hole was punctured into the huge palm, and a large amount of Demon Qi gushed out and was absorbed by the surrounding Void, greatly reducing the power of the huge palm. And as the giant palm continued pressing down, its power became weaker and weaker.
In the end, when the giant palm collided with the tree crown, it still shook the world.
The huge tree crown cracked, and countless broken branches and fallen leaves scattered in the wind as its mighty trunk splintered and split, as if it might collapse at any time.
But the Evergreen Divine Tree only swayed for a moment before it stabilized again. Emerald green light bloomed from every leaf and branch of the Evergreen Divine Tree, releasing an amazing aura of vitality.
The crown of the tree that had already touched the top of the Two Worlds Passage soared as if it was going through a growth spurt and immediately blocked all cracks in the sky.
Immediately afterwards, countless emerald green lights flew towards the sky like fireflies, rushing into the sealed boundary and disappearing.
The Two Worlds Passage was soon flooded with the same emerald green light.
The life essence that the Evergreen Divine Tree had accumulated for tens of thousands of years shrunk rapidly, its life aura all being transformed into emerald green light, which was used to seal the Two Worlds Passage.
When the Two Worlds Passage was completely flooded by countless emerald green lights, the tall sacred tree suddenly shook and its branches fell off, leaving only a bare trunk.
The Two Worlds Passage gradually shrank under the influence of the inexplicable force, and finally closed and disappeared.
The entire process took quite a long time, but after the green light faded, the Evergreen Divine Tree seemed to have lost all its vitality. The trunk of the tree that connected Heaven and Earth had turned into dust and scattered into the wind.
The Evergreen Divine Tree, Senior Qing, had sacrificed his life for the World, sealing the Two Worlds Passage.
All the Barbarians cheered in ecstatic surprise at this scene, while the Demons, who were still fighting, looked grief-stricken as if their parents had just died.
Losing the connection to the Demon Realm was a huge blow to the strength and morale of all the Demons, whether it was the miscellaneous warriors or the Demon Kings. It seemed that they could no longer perform at their best.
The Barbarians fought back and killed countless enemies.
And the stalemate of the battle of the Saints was finally broken.
The four Demon Saints gradually lost their footing and fled in embarrassment as the Shaman Saints chased after them. Half a day later, two Demon Saints were beheaded and killed on the spot. The other two Demon Saints knew that the situation was beyond salvation and split up to escape.
The Shaman Saints chased each of them separately.
The Demon Saints either fled or died while the Demons under their command were even more helpless. The war was over, and all that was left was to clean up the battlefield.
Yang Kai retracted his gaze and let out a soft breath.
He had seen the result of this Two Races Great War, and as expected, the Ancient Barbarian Race won after paying a huge price, and the invaders were exterminated. As for the two escaped Demon Saints, even if they were exceptionally powerful, there was no place for them to hide in this world.
Taken as a whole, this training experience was very successful. Yang Kai had gained a lot, especially his understanding of Shamanic Spells from Ancient Times, which was incomparable to anything recorded in the ancient books.
The only flaw was that Shaman Niu died, but in that situation, Yang Kai, as Shaman Niu, could not think of a better way to resolve the Great Demon God’s last attack.
Now, there was only one last question left…
Yang Kai turned to the petite woman beside him and asked seriously, “Who are you? What should I call you, or should I just call you like before… Tiea!”
Tiea smiled, as if she was aware of the dissatisfaction in Yang Kai’s heart, and responded gently, “I am a witness and recorder of history. What you have experienced is only a drop of water in the ocean that I have recorded.”
“Did you create this dreamworld?” Yang Kai raised his eyebrows.
Tiea shook her head, “I’m only responsible for witnessing and recording. What kind of dreamworld one encounters here entirely depends on his own choice.”
Yang Kai frowned, “I don’t remember choosing anything.”
After he entered here, he woke up as Ah Niu in Blue South Village. Since when did he ever have a choice?
Tiea smiled lightly, “Something in you made the best choice for you.”
Yang Kai thought for a while, before positing, “The Ancient Demon Qi?”
Only the Ancient Demon Qi had something to do with the dream world of the Two Races Great War.
As soon as he spoke, he was suddenly shocked as he recalled breaking the gold and silver seal in his Dantian. He had used his Demon Transformation, but now did not feel much discomfort. He wanted to check his state, but he did not even have a body now, only a form similar to a Soul Avatar that allowed him to communicate with Tiea, so he could not check his situation at all.
Tiea seemed to be aware of his thoughts and reassured him, “Don’t worry. What you’re experiencing now is just a moment in time. You can deal with your difficulties after you go out.”
Yang Kai nodded and pondered for a moment before he continued, “You said that you are a witness and recorder of history. I assume that you are the dreamworld itself?”
Tiea’s eyes flashed as she looked at him appreciatively, “You’re quite sharp. Yes, I am the manifestation of the dream world itself.”
Yang Kai pressed on, “Everyone who comes here will experience a different dream world, right? What I have experienced is the invasion of the Demon Race, the Two Races Great War. If other people come, they may experience something else, yes.”
“Correct,” Tiea smiled gently, thinking it was easy to talk with smart people. “This time you experienced the Two Races Great War. Perhaps the next time you enter, you will experience something completely different. Everything has a cause and effect.”
“Does this Sealed World have a name?” Yang Kai asked curiously.
“Thousand Illusion Dreamworld!” Tiea answered, her petite body suddenly transforming into a flash of light.
Yang Kai was slightly shocked but soon calmed down as he saw a massive butterfly gently floating in front of him.
The place where Tiea originally stood was now occupied by a colourful butterfly as big as a house. The bright patterns on Tiea’s butterfly body exuded a sense of extreme beauty as she gently flapped her wings, creating a fluttering of fluorescence, looking exceptionally mesmerizing.
Tiea’s voice echoed from the butterfly, “I am the Thousand Illusions Butterfly, the ruler of this Sealed World!”
“So you are the key to open this Sealed World!” A sudden realization dawned on Yang Kai.
Princess Lan Xun told Yang Kai once before that many of the Sealed Worlds in the fifty layers of the Five Coloured Treasure Pagoda could only be opened with a specific key. For example, the Grand Illusion Realm she once mentioned could only be unlocked with the Golden Armour Heavenly Book. Since Star Soul Palace’s Tan Jun Hao was killed by Yang Kai in Flowing Shadow City and the Golden Armour Heavenly Book fell into the latter’s hands, a number of disciples of Star Soul Palace who were training in the Grand Illusion Realm had become trapped and were unable to leave.
In order to reclaim the Golden Armour Heavenly Book, Star Soul Palace had to agree to Yang Kai’s request to enter the Five Coloured Treasure Pagoda for a one-month training.
The key to the Grand Illusion Realm was the Golden Armour Heavenly Book, and the key to the Thousand Illusions Dreamworld that Yang Kai experienced was Tiea, which was also the Thousand Illusions Butterfly that she had transformed into!
Tiea giggled, “Key? I’m not just the key. As I told you just now, I’m the dream world itself.”
Yang Kai did not know the difference, but instinctively felt that the so-called Thousand Illusion Butterfly seemed to be higher grade than the Grand Illusion Realm mentioned by Lan Xun and nodded, “I’ve roughly understood, but since you are in control of this Sealed World, why did you appear next to me as Tiea? Were you watching me?”
Tiea replied, “I can easily know everything in the Sealed World without actively monitoring anything. As for why… You can think of it as a whim. I’ve been sleeping for a very long time and only awoke after you arrived.”
“Oh?” Yang Kai raised his brow and continued excitedly, “So what’s special about me to you? Can I take you away with me?” After a pause, he rephrased, “Would you like to come with me?”
If he could take Tiea with him, he could control this Sealed World. Moreover, it was a Sealed World that was changeable and suitable for all Realms of cultivators to enter and train. As Palace Master of High Heaven Palace, Yang Kai had to consider many things for the future.
Every great Sect had its own heritage and foundation, such as the Five Coloured Treasure Pagoda of Star Soul Palace, the Divine Ascension Mirror of Azure Sun Temple, the Outer Astral Wind of Orthodoxy Temple, and the Martial Intent Temple of Heavenly Martial Holy Land. Each of these played its own irreplaceable role and contributed unimaginable benefits to the development of its respective Sect.
The strength of a Sect was not just based on the few Masters who oversaw it, but also the future development and the growth of its disciples.
High Heaven Palace was not short of Masters now, with several Monster Kings as High-Rank Guest Elders under Yang Kai’s command, an Emperor Array Master, an Emperor Alchemist, an Emperor Artifact Refiner. There were also the Cross-Territory Space Arrays that connected the North and South Territories, so cultivation resources would not be a problem in the near future. Yang Kai was also still thinking about Tian Yan. If he could help Tian Yan obtain a physical body, allowing him to leave the Divine Ascension Mirror, there would be a Master as strong as a Great Emperor protecting High Heaven Palace. Even if it was not a real Great Emperor Sect, by that point it would not be much worse than one.
What High Heaven Palace lacked now was assets that could assist the growth of the disciples of future generations.
The Thousand Illusions Dreamworld was undoubtedly an excellent choice in this regard.
Therefore, Yang Kai wanted to take it away. The Thousand Illusions Dreamworld was one of the many Sealed Worlds on the fifty layer of the Five Coloured Treasure Pagoda, while Tiea was the Sealed World itself and the key too. As long as he could take Tiea away with him, High Heaven Palace would have its own Sealed World in the future.
As for whether he would be found out or stopped by Star Soul Palace, Yang Kai did not think that he had to be worried about it.
There were so many Sealed Worlds in the fifty layer of the Five Coloured Treasure Pagoda, some of which could not even be opened or found by the people of Star Soul Palace. Therefore, Star Soul Palace definitely would not notice even if he had ‘borrowed’ one from it.
In any case, would it matter if they really noticed? This was something Yang Kai gained from his experience here, so Star Soul Palace could not bully and force him to leave it here. That would soil the reputation of Star Soul Palace.
With this in mind, Yang Kai asked this question while at the same time he started thinking of ways he could persuade Tiea if she refused him, though he was not sure what he was supposed to offer to entice her.
“Sure!” Tiea answered softly.
“Wha… What?” Yang Kai was flabbergasted. He did not expect Tiea would agree so easily. The words of persuasion that he prepared in his mind immediately rotted in his stomach.
“I said sure,” Tiea repeated.
Yang Kai was stunned for a moment, because he could not react to Tiea’s sudden agreement.
On the contrary, Tiea noticed his concerns and continued with a smile, “I sense that history will be transformed around you, so I need to record that. Therefore, it’s inconvenient for me to stay in this place.”
Yang Kai grinned, “I don’t know what the future looks like, but I think my future should be very interesting. You may be able to record a lot of things.”
“I hope so.”
Yang Kai reached out his hand to Tiea, who gently flapped her colourful wings as her beautiful body suddenly turned into a stream of light and landed on his palm.
Yang Kai held her gently and as he looked down, saw a small and dainty butterfly hairpin in his hand, one that looked exactly like the Thousand Illusions Butterfly that Tiea transformed into, only many times smaller.
Tiea disappeared, turning into a key in the shape of a butterfly in Yang Kai’s hand.
Everything around him suddenly distorted and became blindingly bright. Then, Yang Kai felt an irresistible force pulling him in an unknown direction, as if trying to draw him out.
He could not resist this force, so he could only be vigilant about it.
With a rumbling sound, Yang Kai felt that his Soul seemed to be travelling across an endless space-time tunnel and suddenly came to a familiar residence.
He opened his eyes, and the first thing he did was to check if his Soul had returned to his flesh.
But his physical condition was truly looking quite bad.
He was currently wrapped in a rich Demon Qi that gave off an extremely malevolent aura. This wicked aura impacted his Soul and psyche and threatened to demonize him at any moment.
Although he used his Demon Transformation in the Thousand Illusions Dreamworld, his body in real life responded in the same way too. In other words, although the training in that Thousand Illusions Dreamworld was only an elaborate illusion of sorts, there was still an inextricable link between what happened there and his real body. For example, in this situation, Yang Kai’s actual physique had used his Demon Transformation when he did so in the dream world.
There was no time to worry about the details though as Yang Kai hurriedly pushed the power of the Seven Coloured Soul Warming Lotus in his Knowledge Sea to shield his Soul and consciousness before he immersed himself in the Small Sealed World, drawing out the sealing power of the Firmament Tree in the medicine garden and pouring it into his body.
The two gold and silver lights rapidly gushed out and flowed through the meridians of his whole body.
Under the miraculous gold and silver sealing power, the Demon Qi surging in every part of his body seemed to have encountered its nemesis and rushed back into his Dantian, as if it were a panicked rabbit avoiding the pursuit of a falcon.
After spending a little time, Yang Kai finally managed to seal the Demon Qi again and restore his normal condition.
This action used up all the sealing power that the Firmament Tree had accumulated with difficulty. The gold and silver colours could no longer be seen on the Firmament Tree, which was planted in the medicine garden of the Sealed World Bead; instead, it looked a little wilted and Yang Kai figured he must have drawn too much power from it.
With a small sigh, Yang Kai stretched his hand and took out a jade bottle in which there was a drop of viscous liquid.
It was the Supreme Divine Water! Yang Kai had managed to trade with an Emperor Realm Master who went to the Azure Sun Temple to participate in his Grand Canonization Ceremony not too long ago for this treasure, but he did not expect it to come in handy so soon.
The Supreme Divine Water could promote the growth of Spirit Herbs, greatly shortening their maturation period; however, such a treasure was rare and valuable, and only a few people could get their hands on it by luck. The sealing power of the Firmament Tree was exhausted, and Yang Kai had to plan early and use the Supreme Divine Water to replenish its reserves.
Otherwise, if he was forced to use his Demon Transformation again, he would not have any sealing power to relieve himself from the crisis.
After using his Demon Transformations several times, Yang Kai found that the more he unsealed the Ancient Demon Qi, the more sealing power was needed to re-seal it.
According to his estimation, he would only be able to transform another two or three times at most before he would no longer be able to seal the Ancient Demon Qi. After that, he would be reduced to a mindless Demon forever if he were to use his Demon Transformation.
Perhaps… The Dragon Transformation Secret Technique could be used as a way to counter this issue. When he used his Dragon Transformation Secret Technique during his Demon Transformation his mind was much clearer than the previous two transformations. It was apparent that the Dragon Transformation Secret Technique had some ability to restrain the side-effects of his Demon Transformation. At the very least, he was able to maintain his consciousness without losing himself.
Should he finally agree to Zhu Qing’s request and visit Dragon Island with her? There were a large number of Dragon Blood Flowers on Dragon Island that could be harvested and refined into Dragon Blood Pills, which could help him perfect his Dragon Transformation Secret Technique.
However, Zhu Qing went to the Frozen Earth in the far north, and there had been no news from her so far, so Yang Kai didn’t even know if she was dead or alive.
He shook off these thoughts and checked his condition again.
There were no big issues with his physical body, it was only slightly weakened after the Demon Qi crisis. He only needed a few days of cultivation to recuperate.
On the contrary, Yang Kai was rather shocked at the trauma on his Soul.
Although everything he experienced was just an illusion, his Soul had taken part in everything in the Thousand Illusions Dreamworld; and in that lifelike environment, Yang Kai had completely forgotten his original identity and came to think of himself as Shaman Niu.
All of the damage suffered by Shaman Niu had directly and intuitively affected his Soul.
The terrifying battle with Mo Duo had caused him serious injuries, but the horrifying attack by Great Demon God from across Worlds at the last moment was even more unimaginable. Yang Kai highly doubted that he would have survived if his Soul was not being protected by the Seven Coloured Soul Warming Lotus.
This Supreme Treasure was the one that kept his Soul intact and allowed him to return to reality. If anyone else encountered something like that, they would definitely not be able to return alive.
All illusions could confuse truth with falsehood, not to mention a top-grade Sealed World like the Thousand Illusions Dreamworld.
Yang Kai felt an instinctual sense of fear, and at the same time, unspeakable exhaustion swept over him, making him want to pass out and fall asleep immediately.
However, he still remembered that he was in the territory of another, and he had entered the Five Coloured Treasure Pagoda more than two years ago, completely breaking the agreement he had with Star Soul Palace, so he did not know what kind of inquiries he would be facing after going out.
He opened his hand and found that the butterfly-shaped key was still resting on it, its cold touch assuring Yang Kai that everything he had experienced before was not just a dream, but was something that really happened.
Tiea had transformed into a butterfly, which then transformed into a key before him.
He called out softly, but there was no response.
The once vivid butterfly was now like a cold dead object, without even the slightest spirituality. Yang Kai could not even detect the slightest trace of anything out of the ordinary from it. The butterfly key at this moment looked like something that could be seen at a roadside stall. Except for its novelty in design, there was nothing unusual about it.
However, this was actually an entire Sealed World! With it, the future development of High Heaven Palace would be even better.
Yang Kai closed his hand around it before carefully placing it into the Sealed World Bead.
Slowly, Yang Kai got up and looked around, soon realizing that he was in a hall that looked somewhat familiar. There was nothing but a glimmering door not far away. Even after pondering carefully, Yang Kai just could not remember when the last time he had been to this place was or even where this was.
However, the radiating door should be the exit.
He took a deep breath, then took a step forward.
His vision blurred as he passed through the door, and arrived at another place.
The extremely fierce power fluctuations surrounding Yang Kai startled him, and he instinctually thought someone was attacking him, but in the next moment, a familiar voice sounded in his ears, “Senior Brother Yang, you came out?”
Yang Kai squinted slightly, his eyes following the voice and soon landing on a beautiful, elegant, and somewhat pale face.
He could not help being in a daze, as if he was still trapped in the identity of Shaman Niu. Two years was neither long nor short, but in that ancient world, Yang Kai experienced an entire cycle of growth from weak to strong, life and death. It was a splendid life, and it diluted his memory of other things. At this moment, he still could not completely distinguish the boundary between reality and fantasy.
“Princess… Lan Xun?” Yang Kai finally saw the person’s face clearly and blurted the name as soon as it popped into his mind. This name gradually overlapped with the figure in front of him, finally allowing him to confirm the identity of the person.
The smile on Lan Xun’s face slowly receded, obviously sensing Yang Kai’s abnormality and asked worriedly, “Senior Brother Yang, are you injured?”
At the same time, Lan Xun noticed Yang Kai’s estrangement. This estrangement was not intentional, but was revealed unintentionally. It was as though she and Yang Kai were meeting for the first time, like they were strangers unfamiliar with one another.
Lan Xun felt this was incredibly odd as, although she and Yang Kai had not been particularly close to each other, they had at least met several times. She was even the one who came to deal with the issue regarding the Golden Armour Heavenly Book, so logically speaking, Yang Kai’s attitude towards her should not be like this.
A majestic gaze surrounded Yang Kai, examining him, but they did not find anything special, except that he seemed quite frail, like he was severely injured and exhausted.
This was inevitable though, as the Five Coloured Treasure Pagoda was part of the foundation of Star Soul Palace. Although disciples could gain many benefits from exploring it, doing so came with a certain degree of danger. Each time it was opened, several disciples would fall inside.
Yang Kai’s injuries and frailty could not be more normal.
“It’s just a small injury, nothing to worry about,” Yang Kai mustered a laugh as his memories were slowly recovering, gradually removing the influence of Shaman Niu’s existence on him. He then addressed Lan Xun, “Was Junior Sister Lan waiting for me here all this time?”
Smiling at him calling her Junior Sister again, Lan Xun replied, “I only just came out. I didn’t mean to wait for you.”
Yang Kai was startled, “Junior Sister Lan has only just come out?”
He could not help feeling a little lost. What happened to Lan Xun while he was held in the Thousand Illusions Dreamworld for more than two years? What happened to Lan Xun that she had only just come out? Suddenly, Yang Kai seemed to have realized something and swept his surroundings before asking, “Where are Brother Lei and Brother Xiao?”
He recalled that many entered the Five Coloured Treasure Pagoda for training, and originally it was not the opening date of the Five Coloured Treasure Pagoda yet, but the schedule was moved up because of the agreement with Yang Kai. This also benefited many Star Soul Palace disciples, allowing them to enter ahead of time to gain experience.
At this moment, many of them had come out and were gathered in small groups to share their experiences. The joyful expressions on the faces of some were an obvious sign that they had gained much, while the dejected expressions on others probably meant that they were less than pleased with their outcome. They had gone through so much for nothing and had wasted an opportunity. Seeing Yang Kai chatting with Lan Xun though, many Star Soul Palace disciples glared at him, seemingly resisting the urge to run up and beat him up.
Yang Kai, however, did not see Lei Ting and Xiao Chen.
Lan Xun answered, “They are still inside. They should be coming out soon. The pagoda is about to close, so they won’t have a choice either way.”
Slightly startled, Yang Kai asked curiously, “How long has it been since we entered the pagoda?”
Lan Xun looked at him with puzzlement, not knowing why he asked such a question, but still replied, “Including today, exactly one month.”
One month…
Yang Kai could not believe his ears.
He obviously spent more than two years in the Thousand Illusions Dreamworld, but it was actually only five days… in reality.
He remembered when he entered the Sealed World on the fifth layer of the pagoda, there were only five days left before the closing date of the pagoda, whereas a month referred to the time from the opening to the closing of the Five Coloured Treasure Pagoda.
He subconsciously squeezed his hand, but there was already nothing there.
It seemed the Thousand Illusions Dreamworld had the magical effect of distorting time. A whole two years of experience had been compressed into just five days. This was incredible, not something achievable by ordinary means even in an illusion.
Yang Kai already had a high evaluation of the Thousand Illusions Dreamworld, but now it seemed that he was still underestimating this Sealed World. The Time Principles involved with it alone had given invaluable worth to the Thousand Illusions Dreamworld.
Yang Kai’s silence worried Lan Xun and she couldn’t help asking, “Senior Brother Yang, are you alright?”
“I’m fine, just a little tired,” Yang Kai forced a slight smile, but his words were a great oversimplification. He was thoroughly exhausted, and the trauma on his Soul and the exhaustion on his body could not be restored in short order.
He suspected that this exhaustion was caused by living two years worth of experiences in just five days.
To prevent Lan Xun from suspecting anything though, Yang Kai quickly changed the subject, “What are Elder Xiao and the others doing?”
As soon as he walked out of the Five Coloured Treasure Pagoda, Yang Kai discovered that several Third-Order Emperor Realm Elders of Star Soul Palace had all joined forces to channel some kind of Secret Technique, the target of which was the Five Coloured Treasure Pagoda. Based on the expressions of Xiao Yu Yang and the others, it seemed like they had been maintaining this state for quite some time, and despite their great strength, they seemed to be barely hanging on at this moment.
Lan Xun answered, “There seems to be something wrong with the fourth layer of the pagoda. Many Small Worlds were shattered, which caused some impact on the structure of the pagoda itself. Uncle Xiao and the others have been doing everything they can to stabilize the pagoda until everyone exits. Otherwise, once the space collapses, the people inside will be trapped.”
A drop of cold sweat silently trickled down Yang Kai’s back as he asked in as calm a voice as possible, “How could a treasure like the Five Coloured Treasure Pagoda have such a problem?”
Lan Xun looked in the direction of the pagoda, and shook her head, “I don’t know either. I’ve never encountered such a thing before.”
Yang Kai laughed awkwardly, “Then I must have bad luck to encounter such a problem my first time coming here.”
He dared not say too much. Fortunately, his current state was quite weak, so even if his expression was a bit difficult, he would not attract too much attention.
Given that the problem of the fourth layer of the Five Coloured Treasure Pagoda was due to the shattering of Small Worlds, Yang Kai knew that it must have something to do with him. He had collected a tremendous amount of World Principles into his Sealed World Beads on the fourth layer, destroying those shattered worlds, an outcome that he had never expected.
Fortunately, the consequences did not seem to be irreparable or too serious.
As they were talking, two figures flashed in front of the pagoda’s entrance. It was Xiao Chen and Lei Ting, who came out together. They also entered the fifth layer of the Five Coloured Treasure Pagoda, but they had their own opportunities. By the look of their faces, one could guess who had gained and who had suffered a loss.
Xiao Chen looked gleeful and was full of self-confidence, obviously having benefited greatly from the fifth layer.
Lei Ting’s face on the other hand was gloomy and his aura was weak. His injuries looked more serious than Yang Kai’s, so perhaps he had suffered some setbacks.
Nevertheless, both setbacks and benefits were parts of the growth that cultivators must experience. With perseverance, one could turn setbacks into valuable experience, as well as a driving force to progress further on the path of cultivation.
Xiao Chen and Lei Ting were the last to come out, so after the two appeared, Xiao Yu Yang bellowed, “Everyone, leave here now.”
The Star Soul Palace disciples received the order, saluted the four Elders, and dispersed.
Yang Kai and Lan Xun also left together.
Not far away, Yang Kai suddenly felt an extremely strong power fluctuation coming out of the Void. When he turned around, he saw a moonlight-like radiance coming out from somewhere in Star Soul Palace, striking right at the middle of the Five Coloured Treasure Pagoda.
This radiance was not an attack, but rather some kind of miraculous technique. After the light arrived, Xiao Yu Yang and the others turned solemn, quickly weaving all kinds of hand seals while stabilizing the Five Coloured Treasure Pagoda.
Yang Kai’s face turned solemn. He knew that the moonlight-like radiance was the Great Emperor taking action.
In the Thousand Illusions Dreamworld, he also faced and fought with someone who was on par with a Great Emperor, so he was naturally familiar with this level of strength.
Demon Saint Mo Duo was comparable to the existence of a Great Emperor, and Yang Kai had a life or death battle against him. Back then, during the fight between Heaven Devouring Great Emperor and Bustling World Great Emperor in the Shattered Star Sea, Yang Kai was lucky enough to encounter it and play some small role at its conclusion, but saying he actually fought would be an exaggeration. Furthermore, the two Great Emperors could not unleash their full strength at that time.
But the experience in the dreamworld was different. Even if it was all an illusion, it had a basis in reality. In other words, the power released by Mo Duo was the true strength of a Great Emperor.
Yang Kai had used all his means without any reservation, yet he was still no match for him. If Mo Duo had not underestimated Yang Kai so greatly in the early stages of the fight, and allowed him to perform so many Secret Techniques, and if his focus had not been on stopping the Evergreen Divine Tree in the later stage, Yang Kai’s odds of surviving would have absolutely been less than thirty percent, while winning was simply impossible.
Even so, Yang Kai could not hold him back, and in the end, he had to rely on some deception and tricks to drag him into resisting Great Demon God’s cross-world attack.
This was an extremely valuable memory and experience. As long as Yang Kai could absorb the experience of that battle, he believed his strength would improve notably.
At this moment, the Great Emperor’s technique was so mysterious that Yang Kai could not even compare it with Mo Duo’s, because he could feel that the Bright Moon Great Emperor was definitely stronger than Mo Duo.
Lan Xun also stopped her feet and turned around to look at the moonlight-like radiance, pursing her lips with bitterness because she had not seen her father in a long time.
“Junior Sister Lan.” Yang Kai suddenly called out, “It’s time for me to leave.”
He destroyed many small worlds on the fourth layer of the Five Coloured Treasure Pagoda, and Xiao Yu Yang and the other Elders surely suspected him. When Yang Kai came out just now, the few Third-Order Emperor Realm Elders had all been observing him; however, as long as Yang Kai did not admit to anything, they could not blame him, so they could only let him leave.
Nevertheless, the butterfly hairpin in his possession was the key to the Thousand Illusions Dreamworld, a Sealed World that technically belonged to Star Soul Palace. To put it nicely, it was Yang Kai’s opportunity, but to put it bluntly, he was stealing.
Yang Kai naturally did not want to stay longer and draw unwanted attention from Star Soul Palace after stealing from them, not to mention that he still had something else to do.
Lan Xun looked at Yang Kai in surprise and asked, “Is Senior Brother Yang leaving now?”
“En, I have a prior appointment to keep.”
“But Senior Brother Yang, you seem to be hurt. Are you sure you don’t want to rest here for a day or two before you leave?” Lan Xun asked with concern.
Yang Kai smiled and shook his head, “No, I’m fine. My injuries only need some time to heal.”
There was no trauma in his body, and the injury to his Soul could not be recovered with rest alone. Fortunately, he had the Seven Coloured Soul Warming Lotus, so all he needed was time.
“I see…” Lan Xun did not try to convince him further as she saw that he had made up his mind to leave, so she just smiled happily and said, “In that case, Junior Sister won’t keep Senior Brother Yang any further. Senior Brother Yang, be safe.”
Yang Kai replied, “About the Elders…”
Lan Xun smiled, “I will inform them when they are finished.”
“Many thanks,” Yang Kai cupped his fist, then turned around and flew out of Star Soul Palace.
Lan Xun stood in place, only leaving after watching his back disappear out of her vision. Not far away, Xiao Chen, who had been secretly observing them, was slightly relieved.
After leaving Star Soul Palace, Yang Kai checked his directions before flying straight towards the location of Thousand Leaves Sect.
His Soul was still injured, so he did not fly quickly. On his way, he recalled all the scenes of his battle with Mo Duo and studied them intently, trying to think of what different approaches he could have taken. He gained a lot through this trip into the Thousand Illusions Dreamworld, with the fight against Mo Duo being just one of his gains. He had actually gained so much he hadn’t had time to digest everything yet; as such, he needed to spend some time sorting out the memories in his mind.
Suddenly, Yang Kai noticed something and stopped in his tracks to stare ahead.
A man stood mid-air before him, a young and handsome man who seemed no older than twenty. He carried one hand behind his back and put the other hand naturally on his abdomen, behaviour more appropriate for an old man that did not match his appearance at all.
Yang Kai put on a serious expression, because he found that this ‘young man’s’ aura was unreadable. He could not sense anything about this person and even his eyes felt like they couldn’t clearly see his real appearance. Even though his Soul was injured now, any ordinary Emperor Realm Masters would not be able to conceal themselves before him like this since his Soul was far more powerful than his Realm would suggest.
However, just now, Yang Kai had not noticed anything at all. It was as if this man had suddenly appeared in front of him without any prior signs.
There were only two possibilities, either the other party’s cultivation was much higher than his own, or he was using some kind of special artifact.
Yang Kai looked at the other party, who was also looking at him, with an unfathomable smile on his face.
Yang Kai did not feel good about this smile and frowned and asked, “What’s the matter, Friend?”
The man simply opened his mouth and spat out a word that frightened Yang Kai to the core, “Bind!”
Ten thousand Principles seemed to obey this one word.
Yang Kai’s body suddenly stiffened as he inexplicably felt that the surrounding space solidified around him like a thick rope, tying him up tightly. At this moment, he was petrified to a point that even making a small movement with his finger had become extremely difficult for him.
Yang Kai was aghast as he had not felt any trace of his opponent using a Secret Technique or Divine Ability. All of this seemed to simply be a manifestation of his will through his words.
This was unachievable by any Third-Order Emperor Realm Master. In fact, there was only one kind of Master in this world who could do this.
Given that this place was near Star Soul Palace, the identity of this ‘young man’ became obvious.
“You…” Yang Kai was shocked and angry at the same time. He did not expect that such a supreme Master would stop and attack him here. What did this mean? If he wanted to make a move, he had a lot of opportunities when Yang Kai was still in the Star Soul Palace earlier, so why intercept him outside?
Furthermore, as someone with such status, what could he gain from acting stealthily? Yang Kai did not understand, and he did not have time to think about it.
As soon as he spoke, with a flash before his eyes, the ‘young man’ who was a thousand metres away a moment ago appeared right in front of him like a ghost, scaring the wits out of Yang Kai.
He finally experienced the feeling of those enemies who were caught off guard by him using his Space Techniques.
The two were now face to face, but the ‘young man’ did not do anything, simply continuing to quietly observe Yang Kai with a calm and relaxed smile.
Looking into the man’s eyes, Yang Kai felt like he could see two full moons blooming with astonishing light. Under the shadow of this light, everything about Yang Kai seemed to be revealed, all his secrets open and exposed without any way to hide from this man’s eyes.
Yang Kai was infuriated. Although he knew who the opponent was, he still did not allow anyone to pry on his secrets. He was immobilized, and could not think as quickly as he normally would, but Yang Kai still managed to mount a forceful resistance.
He madly surged his Spiritual Energy, and the Seven Coloured Soul Warming Lotus in his Knowledge Sea suddenly started to rotate wildly, like a spinning top, rotating faster and faster.
A seven coloured glow exploded and filled his entire Knowledge Sea.
A shower of moonlight descended upon Yang Kai’s Knowledge Sea from above, and initially, everything that was shone upon by the moonlight was revealed, but at this moment, the seven coloured glow actually swept out and dispersed that moonlight.
The ‘young man’ let out a light sound of surprise as he obviously did not expect Yang Kai to still have the power to fight back against his investigation.
Yang Kai grunted as blood leaked from his seven orifices. His already pale complexion suddenly became even paler, and he shuddered unsteadily as if he might fall down at any time.
The young man was taken aback and quickly retrieved his Divine Sense.
He had no malice towards Yang Kai, but he had to clarify something, and it was inconvenient for him to investigate due to his identity, so he could only intercept him here.
He just wanted to use some small means to investigate Yang Kai but did not expect the latter to fight back so desperately, and to even somewhat succeed in resisting.
This was quite awkward.
After his first move failed, the young man would not be able to make another one, so he flickered and appeared a thousand metres away as if he had never moved.
Standing where he had from the start, Yang Kai glared at this newcomer in anger, pushing the power of the Seven Coloured Soul Warming Lotus to its limit to protect his Soul and Knowledge Sea. He would not let slip any secrets unless the other party was willing to knock him down.
The opponent was definitely capable of this, but Yang Kai would not give in easily.
This scene resembled the scene of a rabbit facing its predator, a falcon that was about to swoop down at it from the sky. No matter how much he bared his teeth, it would not do much, and the falcon would still grab the rabbit with its talons, fly up high, and drop it to its death on the ground.
The young man watched Yang Kai for a short time before suddenly letting out a sigh and, turning his gaze to the sky, muttered as if he was talking to the air, “The weather is nice today.”
After saying so, he stepped forward and suddenly disappeared from Yang Kai’s field of vision without a trace.
Yang Kai maintained his vigilance, sweeping his Divine Sense to cover the surrounding several kilometres for quite some time before he was convinced that the young man was really gone. Only then did he let out a sigh of relief and relax his guard.
An unimaginable feeling of exhaustion swept over Yang Kai like a tide in the next moment, causing him to stagger in the air involuntarily and almost fall on his head.
With difficulty, he steadied himself before reaching up to wipe the blood from his face before frowning.
That person suddenly intercepted him and even used a Divine Ability to probe into his Knowledge Sea, but in the end, it had only been some loud thunder and no rain, which puzzled and surprised Yang Kai.
Did he come here deliberately just to say ‘the weather is nice today?
That was obviously impossible.
After thinking for a while though, the frown on Yang Kai’s face gradually dissipated and was slowly replaced by a laugh. The more he laughed, the more cheerful he became, and in the end, every bit of worry and burden in his heart were completely relieved.
Yang Kai now somewhat understood the matter regarding that person.
He had taken away the Thousand Illusions Dreamworld from the fifth layer of the Five Coloured Treasure Pagoda, and as the true master of Star Soul Palace and the owner of the Five Coloured Treasure Pagoda, the Great Emperor must have noticed something, but he could not fully understand it. That was why he needed to investigate.
However, Yang Kai was not a Star Soul Palace disciple, and he was only allowed to enter the Five Coloured Treasure Pagoda because of the previous agreement, so neither the Great Emperor nor the Elders could request Yang Kai to proactively explain his experiences inside.
If Yang Kai was just an ordinary Emperor Realm Master, there may be many Secret Techniques that could be used by Star Soul Palace that would make him unknowingly reveal the existence of the Thousand Illusions Dreamworld, but as of now, Yang Kai was also an Azure Sun Temple Elder. As the overlord and guardian of the Southern Territory, Star Soul Palace could not throw its weight around haphazardly in this situation.
Therefore, the Great Emperor took action personally, and the location he picked was not inside Star Soul Palace’s borders, but just outside, a way to silently indicate that, officially, this had nothing to do with Star Soul Palace.
He did not report his origins due to the same consideration, and even though Yang Kai clearly identified him, he did not expose him, the two of them maintaining a kind of mutual understanding to reduce the issues here to a minimum.
The matter was now settled. The Great Emperor himself failed to obtain any useful information, or it could be said that the Great Emperor did not force Yang Kai to reveal what he did and knew. After this incident, Star Soul Palace would no longer pursue Yang Kai regarding his experience and gains in the Five Coloured Treasure Pagoda.
In other words, Star Soul Palace and Bright Moon Great Emperor would close one eye about anything Yang Kai took away from the Five Coloured Treasure Pagoda.
It was precisely because Yang Kai realized this that his mood was suddenly lifted.
He was somewhat worried before because he took something of theirs without permission. As such, in the future, he could only use the Thousand Illusions Dreamworld in secret when he took it back to High Heaven Palace, and its existence could not be exposed openly. But with what happened just now, the Thousand Illusions Dreamworld could now be used openly, and even if Star Soul Palace found out later, they would not be able to say anything.
After thinking about it carefully, Yang Kai felt that he should actually be grateful to the Great Emperor for all his consideration. With the Great Emperor’s strength and abilities, it would not be impossible for him to forcefully break through the defences of Yang Kai’s Knowledge Sea, but he stopped after just touching upon it, fully displaying the demeanour of a Senior Master.
Yang Kai thus had a good impression of him.
The phrase ‘the weather is nice today’ was probably also the Great Emperor’s acknowledgement of his helplessness and awkwardness.
Yang Kai kept laughing, but he suddenly could not laugh anymore. He touched under his nose and felt warm blood trickling down incessantly. The consumption of his Spiritual Energy during this period was too great, especially with his Soul already in an injured and exhausted state. If he was not protected by the Seven Coloured Soul Warming Lotus, he would already have degenerated into an idiot.
…..
For a journey that would usually only take a few days, Yang Kai took more than ten, staggering and stumbling all the way.
The former site of Thousand Leaves Sect was still just a blasted ruin. Yang Kai arrived at the familiar mountain valley, surged his Space Principles, and entered Emperor Heaven Valley.
Emperor Heaven Valley was an independent Small World. Currently, apart from Yang Kai, no one else in this world could freely enter and exit this place.
But at this moment, there was a figure near the entrance of the Emperor Heaven Valley.
The man had Emperor Realm cultivation, and he was drawing something on the ground of an open space, frowning sometimes, widening his eyes sometimes, then smiling sometimes. The expressions on his face were ever changing.
He seemed to be immersed in his own world, unable to extricate himself. He did not even notice when Yang Kai approached.
It was not until Yang Kai cleared his throat lightly that this man woke up from his dazed focus. At first, he frowned, as anger appeared on his face, he was obviously mad for being interrupted, but after seeing Yang Kai, all the displeasure disappeared immediately and he greeted him with a smile, “Palace Master!”
“En,” Yang Kai nodded lightly, glancing casually at the things he drew on the ground, and found that the drawings had something to do with the Cross-Territory Space Array. There was only one person in all of High Heaven Palace who would be able to immerse himself in the world of Spirit Arrays to the point of not being able to extricate themselves: Chief Array Master Nanmen Da Jun.
When Yang Kai sent Bian Yu Qing back to the Northern Territory to join High Heaven Palace, he asked her to relay a message to Nanmen Da Jun to come here. It seemed that the Emperor Array Master had been here for a while, and decided to do some studying on his own while waiting for Yang Kai.
“Did you bring it?” Yang Kai asked.
Nanmen Da Jun froze for a moment but recovered quickly. Taking out a jade slip, he handed it to Yang Kai and explained, “Palace Master, I engraved all the information about the Spirit Array inside. You can read it slowly during your journey, but Palace Master, I have to remind you that this Spirit Array is quite wicked. Whoever arranged this Spirit Array must not be a good person. It would be best to be on guard.”
“Noted.” Yang Kai nodded.
Nanmen Da Jun took out something else next. Resting on the palm of his hand was an extraordinary-looking, smooth, shimmering spindle-shaped object, one he handed to Yang Kai.
“What’s this?” Yang Kai asked curiously.
Nanmen Da Jun chuckled, “Didn’t Palace Master ask Hou Yu to refine a flight type artifact? This is it.”
“So fast?” Yang Kai took the flight type artifact in surprise and examined it a bit before revealing a shocked expression, “Is this an Emperor Grade Artifact?”
It had not been long since he brought Hou Yu back to High Heaven Palace, and although he assigned her the task of refining a flight type artifact for him, Yang Kai thought it would take a few years to refine a decent ship. But how long had it been? It hadn’t even been half a year since he made the request, probably three or four months at most.
Nanmen Da Jun smiled, “Even though Xiao Hou doesn’t have the best character, she’s definitely a Grandmaster Artifact Refiner, and we have no shortage of materials in High Heaven Palace now. After giving her so much to work with, how could she not refine something good? Xiao Hou also said that there’s still room for improvement for this artifact, so when Palace Master has the time, you should let her upgrade it for you.”
“She’s not still thinking about escaping, right?” Yang Kai smiled slightly, slowly sinking his mind into the flight type artifact in his hand, revealing a look of satisfaction.
Nanmen Da Jun snickered, clearly taking pleasure in another’s misfortune as he explained, “The three Monster Kings are taking turns guarding her. If she dared to escape, they would have broken her legs. The Monster Kings are not to be trifled with.”
The Monster Kings’ respect was only for Yang Kai, and also Heaven’s Order and the Divine Spirit Sources she could grant them access to, but they had no reservations towards any other; even Emperor Array Masters, Emperor Alchemists, and Emperor Artifact Refiners were nothing in the eyes of the Monster Kings. There were no such titles among the Monster Race. To them, only the strongest deserved respect.
With the three Monster Kings taking turns to guard Hou Yu, she probably could only dream of escaping from High Heaven Palace for the rest of her life.
Yang Kai could not help laughing when he imagined Hou Yu’s aggrieved expression in his mind. However, Hou Yu was worthy of the title of Grandmaster. Yang Kai could already tell that this artifact was extremely good even before having the chance to refine it. Once he did refine it, it would certainly serve him well.
However, for Yang Kai the other functions of this artifact did not matter. What mattered most was its ability to carry him from one point to another at speed. As long as it was fast enough, the other functions weren’t important.
“Did Hou Yu christen it?” Yang Kai asked.
Nanmen Da Jun thought for a while before replying, “Flower Clouds Shuttle. En, she said that if Palace Master doesn’t like the name you can change it. It’s just a name after all.”
“Let’s just call it the Flower Clouds Shuttle.” Yang Kai smiled slightly.
While talking, Yang Kai suddenly reached out and summoned something before handing it to Nanmen Da Jun, “Take this back.”
“What is this?” Nanmen Da Jun took it curiously and found that the thing Yang Kai handed over was a small box, but it was not an ordinary one by any means because it clearly exuded a type of ancient aura. It was evidently something that had been passed down from a long time ago, and should be a good artifact.
“Heavenly Music Treasure Box,” Yang Kai reached out and tapped on the box. Immediately, the Heavenly Music Treasure Box released a tinkling sound, like a mountain spring or an empty spirit valley, and listening to the tune was enough to make one feel refreshed.
The gentle tone continued to play, and the box rose up step by step, gradually turning into the shape of a pagoda. There were nine layers in total, and each layer rotated either to the left or to the right at a differing speed, transmitting different sounds that came together in beautiful harmony.
Not only that, but a light blue mist started being released from the Heavenly Music Treasure Box as its floors spun, spreading out in all directions and filling a large space. The pale blue mist was like a starry sky, free of all impurities. The appearance of the stars made one feel as if they were truly standing in the midst of the starry sky, a beautiful scene to behold.
“A good treasure!” Nanmen Da Jun’s eyes lit up at the sight. Even though he did not think this Heavenly Music Treasure Box was too useful for him, its mysterious melody would surely be of great help to any cultivator below the Emperor Realm during cultivation as it would make it easier for them to clear their mind and enter a meditative state. Surely, cultivating in such a state would allow one to achieve twice the result with half the effort.
“You should be able to understand its use and maximize its potential application,” Yang Kai smiled at him.
Nanmen Da Jun’s eyes glowed brightly as his mind was already thinking of using this Heavenly Music Treasure Box as the core of a Spirit Array. With the supplementation of several other artifacts, he could set up a Heavenly Tone Treasure Palace.
This was not a difficult thing for him to do, and once his arrangements were successful, the entire Heavenly Tone Treasure Palace would be filled with the sound of the Heavenly Music Treasure Box, which would be of great benefit to the disciples who entered retreat inside to cultivate.
Yang Kai was right. Only in the hands of an Emperor Array Master like Nanmen Da Jun would this Heavenly Music Treasure Box be able to display all its effects. With the augmentation of a Spirit Array, the Heavenly Music Treasure Box would definitely become another foundation for High Heaven Palace, and a great boon for the disciples below the Emperor Realm.
“Leave it to me.” Nanmen Da Jun put away the Heavenly Music Treasure Box with care before turning to Yang Kai and asking with some concern, “Are you alright, Palace Master?”
He noticed just now that Yang Kai wasn’t in good shape with his face unnaturally pale.
He knew deeply how strong Yang Kai was. He was strong enough that even the Sect Masters of the top Sects in the Northern Territory, Sect Masters Mi Qi and Li Jiao, were unable to even lift their heads in front of him. Even the three great Monster Kings were loyal to his every word. For a Master like Yang Kai to be pale-faced, the only explanation must be that he had sustained a very serious injury.
Nanmen Da Jun could not think of anyone in this world who would be able to cause such injuries to Yang Kai, and it was naturally impossible that he would imagine Yang Kai’s experiences in the Thousand Illusions Dreamworld.
Yang Kai simply shook his head.
Nanmen Da Jun asked, “Do you need me to come along? Though I know not what Palace Master is going to do, it is obviously related to that Spirit Array. If I go with you, I may be of some help in deciphering it.”
“No need,” Yang Kai waved his hand, “I’m fine. What’s more, it’s not convenient for me to bring you along.”
He had accepted Xia Sheng’s request to explore an Ancient Cave Mansion as Hua Yu Lu’s assistant, and Hua Yu Lu also said that she could only bring one helper, so bringing along someone else may cause some conflict.
Since Yang Kai refused, Nanmen Da Jun didn’t insist on following either. He just reported to Yang Kai about the development of High Heaven Palace during this period of time before returning to the Northern Territory through the Cross-Territory Space Array.
Yang Kai did not hurry to leave, however, and instead sat down cross-legged and took out some Spirit Pills to first patch up his Soul. Only then did he begin refining the Flower Clouds Shuttle.
He realized that he had underestimated the impact his Soul received during his experience in the Thousand Illusions Dreamworld. He thought that with the Seven Coloured Soul Warming Lotus, his Soul should be able to restore itself in half a month no matter how severely damaged it was.
But facts showed that after more than ten days his Soul still showed hardly any signs of improvement.
Yang Kai guessed that this was due to a large overconsumption of his Spiritual Energy rather than just injuries he sustained inside the Thousand Illusions Dreamworld. There was also the time distortion. Living two years in just five days undoubtedly put an immense load on his Soul. It was equivalent to Yang Kai consuming two years worth of his Spiritual Energy in just five days, so it would take more than just half a month to be replenished again.
Emperor Grade artifacts were not easy to refine, especially now since Yang Kai’s Spiritual Energy was lacking.
But he still spent a few days making a simple mark on the Flower Clouds Shuttle, which would be enough for him to get the Flower Clouds Shuttle to fly, but not enough for him to release its full power.
This was already enough as Yang Kai’s greatest use for the Flower Clouds Shuttle was transportation.
He set off once more, and only remembered the location of his destination after some careful thought. After what he encountered in the Thousand Illusions Dreamworld, his memories of the past often became fuzzy.
The Southern Swamp was a dangerous place in the Southern Territory, and even though it was not as deadly as the Northern Territory’s Frozen Earth, many Masters still lost their lives there each year. What attracted cultivators to enter the swamp was the abundance of precious treasures and the various hidden cave mansions in its unexplored corners.
Rumour had it that long ago, the Southern Swamp was a place where cultivation flourished in the Southern Territory. Countless Sects and great forces established themselves there and developed into regional overlords. But a cataclysm turned this prosperous region into a swamp, and the Southern Territory’s cultivators eventually gave up on this treasure land.
During the disaster, countless Sects were destroyed, and many cave mansions became buried. Cultivators often risked their lives to come here in hopes of discovering ruins of ancient Sects and the inheritances of old Masters, thus allowing them to soar to great heights.
The Southern Swamp also produced many special spirit flowers and exotic herbs which could not be found anywhere else in the entire Star Boundary, any one of them worth an enormous price on the market.
In the face of such benefits, even the dangers could not stop cultivators from exploring the Southern Swamp. A few thousand years ago, the swamp used to be a lively place, but as more and more of its treasures were discovered, it had become far quieter. Still, there were always some cultivators who did not fear death who would come every now and again to explore.
Yang Kai had heard of the Southern Swamp in the past, but this was his first time entering it. He was now a Master who did not need to fear anything though, so even though his Soul was not yet fully recovered, he still wasn’t a soft persimmon that just anyone could easily pinch.
It was half a month later when Yang Kai arrived at the Southern Swamp.
Just as the rumours said, he discovered that there were indeed marshes and muddy rivers everywhere, as well as extremely dangerous auras that occasionally lurked beneath them, like predators waiting for their prey to throw themselves into their nets, ready to pounce out at any moment to land the fatal blow. The Southern Swamp was filled with poisonous obstructions, and when viewed from high up in the sky, these obstructions would reflect the sunlight and form a colourful spectacle. But hidden beneath that bright appearance was murderous intent at every step.
The existence of these poisonous obstructions alone had stopped the advance of cultivators below the Dao Source Realm. Only Dao Source Realm and Emperor Realm cultivators could resist the poison and explore the Southern Swamp safely.
Of course, the strength of the poison differed depending on one’s location, and some pockets were powerful enough that even Emperor Realm Masters could not resist it easily. Once these toxins infiltrated the body, even an Emperor Realm Master may lose their life.
Yang Kai took out a communication artifact and sent a message to Hua Yu Lu.
A while later, he received a response.
After focusing his mind and searching his surroundings, Yang Kai turned and flew off.
Four hours later, Yang Kai distantly sensed the presence of several auras, one of which belonged to Hua Yu Lu, so he quickly sped up.
The people on that side had clearly also sensed Yang Kai’s approach and released their Divine Senses to investigate. In the next moment, they all revealed looks of surprise.
The reason was that they sensed the presence of the Flower Clouds Shuttle.
The Flower Clouds Shuttle was a Flight Type Emperor Artifact, and its value was immeasurable. Such an Emperor Artifact was rare to find even among Emperors. If Yang Kai didn’t have Hou Yu refine it for him, then he would not have been able to own such an artifact.
A short while later, the Flower Clouds Shuttle arrived before the crowd, and after a flash of light, Yang Kai’s figure was revealed.
Hua Yu Lu looked over at him with a look of joy, but then became stunned.
The reason for that was because she was greeted by an extremely unfamiliar face that did not belong to Yang Kai at all.
But very soon, she realized that Yang Kai was wearing some sort of disguising artifact to change his appearance.
This Camouflage Artifact was something that Yang Kai obtained back in the Solitary Void Sealed World. It wasn’t very useful as it was basically impossible to hide the signs of camouflage in front of an Emperor, so any Master could tell that he was wearing a Camouflage Artifact, but it was at least able to hide his weakened appearance.
Without this artifact, Yang Kai wouldn’t be able to hide his pale demeanour.
Hua Yu Lu did not dwell on why Yang Kai would do this, but since he wanted to hide his identity, she went along with it as a matter of course.
“Senior Brother Yang!” Hua Yu Lu greeted him.
“Palace Master Hua!” Yang Kai gave her a gentle nod, “I apologize for being late.”
Besides Hua Yu Lu, there were four others gathered here. It was quite apparent that everyone had already arrived. Hua Yu Lu said that she discovered the Ancient Cave Mansion with two others, and even though they managed to break through some of the barriers inside, and each of them already had some gains, they were obstructed by the final barrier and unable to advance.
As such, the three of them agreed to seek out one helper each at or below the Second-Order Emperor Realm and, six months later, reunite here to explore the cave mansion again.
The person that Hua Yu Lu found was Xia Sheng, but unfortunately, Xia Sheng had to remain at Spirit Lake Palace and was unable to leave, so he could only ask for Yang Kai’s help. Since Xia Sheng asked for his help, Yang Kai couldn’t refuse him either. What’s more, he was also quite interested in this Ancient Cave Mansion.
That was because Hua Yu Lu got her hands on the Little Flower Drum. Like the Mountains and Rivers Bell, this drum was also an Ancient Exotic Artifact, though it wasn’t as powerful.
According to Hua Yu Lu, one of the other two experienced a great rise in their cultivation. Originally, that person was the weakest among them, but when they left, he had the strongest aura. Meanwhile, the other person was able to learn a Secret Technique, though Hua Yu Lu had no idea how powerful it was.
Cultivation was not just done behind closed doors, all kinds of experiences and opportunities were necessary parts of growth. Often, these experiences and opportunities would make it easier for one to increase in strength compared to meditative cultivation.
Only, the timing of this trip to explore the Ancient Cave Mansion was a little unfortunate. Yang Kai had just gone through an intense experience in the Thousand Illusions Dreamworld and was in need of rest, but since he had already made an agreement with someone else, he could only grit his teeth and trudge on.
Yang Kai made up his mind that he would focus on safety this time. As long as he could bring Hua Yu Lu back in one piece, then he would not have failed Xia Sheng’s trust.
In the wilderness, four gazes focused on Yang Kai after he made his greeting, all with looks of scrutiny.
Three of the four others gathered here were men, with only one being a woman. Two of them were in the First-Order Emperor Realm while the other two were Second-Order, each of them standing in pairs. Clearly, only Hua Yu Lu was alone before Yang Kai arrived.
Even though the Camouflage Artifact could hide the paleness of Yang Kai’s face, his weak aura could not be concealed in any way. Not to mention the fact that everyone here was an Emperor, so just a quick check would reveal the depth of his cultivation.
[First-Order Emperor Realm!] This allowed the other four to breathe a sigh of relief somehow.
One of the men with a short and stumpy body coldly snorted with a look of displeasure, “Palace Master Hua, is this your friend? He’s a haughty one, isn’t he, making us wait like this?”
He didn’t hide his true thoughts in the slightest. He was obviously annoyed by having to wait here for so long and straightforwardly criticized Yang Kai. It was also true that Yang Kai did not arrive in time as he had been delayed for a few days during his trip, so there wasn’t much he could say. If Yang Kai had been a Second-Order Emperor Realm Master, then this stocky fellow might not have had the guts to criticize him, but a First-Order Emperor was nothing to be feared.
Faced with the man’s criticism, Hua Yu Lu smiled apologetically, “Brother Wu, please calm your anger. Senior Brother Yang was met with some problems some days ago that delayed his trip. This Mistress will apologize in his stead.”
Even though she had no idea what held Yang Kai back a few days, causing him to miss their appointed time, she was certain he wasn’t the type to just break appointments on purpose. Otherwise, Xia Sheng wouldn’t have asked him to help. As the inviter, Hua Yu Lu naturally had to speak for Yang Kai.
The man coldly snorted, “Your Hundred Flowers Palace is filled with women, where does this Senior Brother Yang come from? I’ve never heard of men entering Hundred Flowers Palace before. What’s more, this Brother Yang is hiding his head while only showing his tail. Does he not even have the guts to show his true appearance? Or does Brother Yang have something else he’s hiding?”
He seemed to dislike Yang Kai and immediately confronted him about using the Camouflage Artifact.
It was reasonable to call this an impromptu treasure hunting team, so there was no need for them to look deeply into each other’s backgrounds and origins. They each had their own ulterior motives to begin with. When they could work together, they would work together, but if not, they would just separate. If they happen to chance upon some treasure, they may even get into a fight for it. Everyone knew this, so Hua Yu Lu did not ask who the helpers of the other two were or where they were from, as if it was a tacit agreement.
Therefore, the stubby man clearly had ill intentions to target Yang Kai, and there were even suspicions of him trying to sow discord with his last sentence.
The Star Boundary was so huge that the number of people living in it reached the trillions. Each one of them had a different nature and temperament, so walking around with a Camouflage Artifact wasn’t a strange thing; however, when it came to this man surnamed Wu, it seemed he intended to blow up matters here, intent on getting Yang Kai to take off his artifact and reveal his true appearance without taking no for an answer.
Hua Yu Lu frowned and was clearly displeased with this situation. She was the Palace Master of Hundred Flowers Palace, so the fact that she could put down her status and apologize already showed her sincerity. Still, the incessant pestering of this man naturally annoyed her. However, it was not a favourable situation for them as both she and Yang Kai were First-Order Emperor Realms, while the other two were in pairs of one First-Order and one Second-Order Emperor. Things may become messy if a fight were really to break out here.
She was fortunate enough to have seen Yang Kai’s skills before when he sparred with a Third-Order Emperor Realm Master at Azure Sun Temple’s Grand Canonization Ceremony. Being able to block a Third-Order Emperor Realm’s surprise attack, then land one of his own, proved Yang Kai’s strength could not be judged with common sense. However, Hua Yu Lu was able to sense that Yang Kai’s aura was quite weak at the moment, and she guessed that he must have endured some sort of injury, leading him to hide his appearance.
She did not want to get into a conflict with the others right now.
Just as she was about to say something, Yang Kai spoke, “May I know what to call this friend?”
The man surnamed Wu grunted, “Wu Kuang Yi!”
“So it is Brother Wu!” Yang Kai nodded lightly and smiled, “There is no deeper meaning for my disguise. Only… My appearance is a little odd so if I appear before others with my true appearance, I’m worried I would scare… this lady!”
While speaking, Yang Kai raised his head and looked at the other woman on the scene other than Hua Yu Lu.
The woman was not with Wu Kuang Yi and was instead standing next to the other elderly man. She had a Second-Order Emperor Realm cultivation and was clearly the helper hired by him. The woman’s appearance could not be described as extremely beautiful, but her temperament was very refined, and she had a graceful figure. Her goose yellow dress outlined her delicate figure wonderfully.
Since Yang Kai appeared, this woman and the others have been silently observing him, so now that the topic had turned to her, she was slightly taken aback before she smiled and commented, “My courage isn’t that small.”
There was a strange charm to her smile, and it seemed to be able to drive the emotions of others, but there was no sign of her using any kind of Charm Technique. It was quite apparently an innate talent she possessed, which made it so Yang Kai could not help but take closer notice of her. At the same time, he also raised his wariness slightly.
“And what should I call Little Brother?” The woman asked.
“Yang Jiu!” Yang Kai answered promptly.
He was the ninth oldest son in his Yang Family, so there was a basis for his name. It wasn’t just made up.
Wu Kuang Yi’s frown was knitted even tighter when he saw the woman actually chatting with Yang Kai casually, but just as he was about to say something, the elderly man who was standing with the woman stepped forward and smiled, “It’s fine, it was only a few days. For those at our level of cultivation, a few days is but a blink of an eye. Brother Wu does not need to mind it too much. Just think of it as resting time for cultivation.”
His smile was very warm, just like an amiable neighbourhood grandpa, causing people to have a good impression of him.
When the elderly man spoke, it became difficult for Wu Kuang Yi to push the matter. Moreover, it wasn’t a big deal, so if he continued to dwell on it, it would only make him look small-minded and damage his image. What’s more, Hua Yu Lu had already apologized, so he took this opportunity to step back. Still, he kept a sullen look on his face, as if he were informing others that he was very unhappy with the state of affairs.
After a while, Wu Kuang Yi said, “Since we’re all here, let’s set off. We’ll discuss the details of our cooperation along the way.”
Hua Yu Lu and Yang Kai naturally had no objections to this and both nodded in agreement. To be honest, it was only now that Hua Yu Lu could breathe a sigh of relief. She was not close with Yang Kai, and when he didn’t show up on time, she had of course worried that he intended to break their appointment. So, when she finally saw him, she naturally put down the worries in her heart.
“Please wait a little longer!” The amiable old man raised his voice and said.
Everyone turned their eyes to him at once, none of them understanding his intentions.
The elderly man explained, “One more person is coming!”
“Another person?” Wu Kuang Yi’s face darkened and the anger that was originally suppressed rose up again as he quickly shouted, “What do you mean, Yang Tai? We agreed half a year ago that we could only find one helper each, and they had to be at the Second-Order Emperor Realm or below. You’ve already brought one, so you can’t be telling me that there’s another, right?”
Now, even Hua Yu Lu’s face went dark.
Compared to Yang Kai who was late for a few days, if this elderly man, Yang Tai, really did what Wu Kuang Yi accused him of, then that would truly be an intolerable betrayal of everyone’s trust.
Yang Kai glanced at the woman standing beside Yang Tai and found that she was still smiling as before, clearly aware of this news beforehand and not surprised by it.
Yang Tai quickly said, “Please calm yourself, Brother Wu. This Old Master did not break our agreement. I really have asked only Lady Chen to assist me. The one who is on his way is not my helper.”
He had a helpless expression on his face as if Wu Kuang Yi had wronged him.
Wu Kuang Yi was furious, “Then I must ask Brother Yang to explain this situation. If you can’t give us a satisfying explanation… Even if I accepted it, Palace Master Hua and this Brother Yang Jiu may not necessarily be able to.”
The Ancient Cave Mansion was discovered by him, Yang Tai, and Hua Yu Lu, so it was considered a shared belonging of the three of them. Both Wu Kuang Yi and Hua Yu Lu kept their promises and brought only a single helper, yet Yang Tai actually asked them to wait for another person, which caused Wu Kuang Yi to lose his temper.
Yang Tai smiled bitterly, “Once that man arrives, Brother Wu will understand. When the time comes, Brother Wu and Palace Master Hua can decide whether you will allow him to accompany us or not. If you refuse, this Old Master will not have any objections.”
Wu Kuang Yi sneered, “It sounds like Brother Yang is quite insistent on having this man come with us. Or perhaps I should ask, what sort of great use is he to us? I would like to know what sort of man he is exactly.”
But Yang Tai did not say anything more. He just smiled and kept silent with a profound look on his face.
Since things had come to this, Wu Kuang Yi could not clash with Yang Tai even though he was annoyed, so he could only hold his temper and wait.
For Yang Tai to sound so confident, he was frankly quite curious about what sort of person they were waiting for as well.
Yang Kai and Hua Yu Lu exchanged glances, both of them feeling that this treasure hunt was going to be more complicated than they anticipated. They had just met up and all sorts of conflicts had already broken out. They were six people split into three small groups, so they couldn’t cooperate sincerely with each other. When the time came, it would be considered good if no fights were to break out.
But this was the norm, and Yang Kai was already prepared for this. However, Hua Yu Lu had a worried look on her face.
While they were waiting, Yang Kai took the opportunity to secretly communicate with Hua Yu Lu and asked the names of the others.
He knew about Wu Kuang Yi and Yang Tai already as both of them were First-Order Emperors and had explored the Ancient Cave Mansion together with Hua Yu Lu half a year ago. Of them, Wu Kuang Yi’s cultivation seemed to have risen greatly in the Ancient Cave Mansion. Even though he was still in the First-Order like the rest of them, Wu Kuang Yi used to have the weakest aura out of the trio, but now it seemed his aura could vaguely compare to that of a Second-Order Emperor. It was clear he had already reached the peak of the First-Order and was the strongest of the three.
The helper that Wu Kuang Yi brought with him was a silent man. Since Yang Kai arrived, he had not heard this person speak once. He seemed to have been born with a cold face and looked uninterested in everything, as if he couldn’t want for anything more than to obtain eternal peace immediately. From Wu Kuang Yi’s introduction earlier, he knew that this man was called Fang Zhuo.
The woman standing next to Yang Tai was called Chen Bing Ru. Hua Yu Lu knew nothing about Fang Zhuo and Chen Bing Ru’s origins, and could only make a few guesses based on her experience. However, Hua Yu Lu knew the details of Wu Kuang Yi and Yang Tai very well.
During their secret communication, Hua Yu Lu passed on all of this information to Yang Kai.
In just a short wait that lasted about an hour, the six people present suddenly detected a strong, but unfamiliar aura flying towards them. Wu Kuang Yi and Hua Yu Lu were secretly frowning, but Yang Tai was looking over with joy on his face.
A few moments later, an elderly man with white hair arrived before them, standing in the air and nodding gently to the group.
“Brother Gong!” Yang Tai cupped his fists immediately and greeted him with enthusiasm.
“Sorry to keep you waiting, Brother Yang,” the elderly man surnamed Gong responded with a smile on his face. He was clearly quite close with Yang Tai.
“It’s no matter at all. We just gathered not long ago.” Yang Tai chuckled, but what he said was true. They had been waiting for Yang Kai here for a few days, and only with his arrival were they considered a full party.
Turning to Wu Kuang Yi and the others, Yang Tai said, “This is the man that this Yang was waiting for. Brother Wu, are you familiar with him?”
Wu Kuang Yi was frowning hard as he thought back to what Yang Tai said previously and had a vague guess, “Since Your Excellency’s surname is Gong, could you possibly be related to the Heaven River Valley’s Gong Family in any way?”
When she heard this, Hua Yu Lu’s eyes lit up as well, and she began studying this elderly man surnamed Gong with interest.
If this old man really came from the Gong Family, then he would really be a great help to them.
Yang Tai smiled, “Brother Wu is truly knowledgeable. Indeed, Brother Gong comes from the Heaven River Valley’s Gong Family.”
Wu Kuang Yi answered coldly, “The Heaven River Valley’s Gong Family is well known, and while this Wu may be ignorant and uninformed, he has still heard of them.” He was still a little annoyed with Yang Tai’s previous actions and felt that the latter had broken their agreement, so he couldn’t help looking somewhat sharply at this old man and asking, “How should we address Your Excellency?”
The old man surnamed Gong smiled, “Gong Yue!”
“Gong Yue…” Wu Kuang Yi pondered for a moment before suddenly a look of shock appeared on his face and he cupped his fists politely, “So it is the Gong Family’s former Patriarch. Please excuse this Wu’s rudeness!”
He had obviously heard of Gong Yue’s name and knew of his status. At once, he no longer dared to be arrogant and gave the other party their due respect.
Gong Yue smiled and waved his hand, “I’m just an old man wandering around with nothing better to do now. No need to be so formal.”
Yang Tai said, “A few days ago, I visited the Gong Family in Heavenly River Valley in order to ask about the sealing Spirit Array, which happened to coincide with Brother Gong exiting secluded retreat. After seeing the Spirit Array, Brother Gong showed much interest in it and wanted to come along to have a first-hand look. This old man really couldn’t refuse Brother Gong’s request, that’s why this old man will apologize to you all for this matter today. Please do not be angry, Brother Wu.”
Wu Kuang Yi responded with a cold face, “Not at all. Brother Yang is overthinking things.”
Gong Yue chimed in here, “It was this Gong who came uninvited, so you can all blame me if you want as Brother Yang was helpless to refuse. Of course, this Gong is only interested in the ancient sealing Spirit Array. I would like to take a look at it up close, and it can’t be any better if this Gong may participate in cracking it. If anyone finds fault with this idea, then this Gong can just return home.”
Even though the Heavenly River Valley’s Gong Family wasn’t considered a peak level force, they were still very impressive. Their fame was related to the Dao of Spirit Arrays, and it was their family’s speciality. There were many Array Masters in the family, and they were hired to assist in arranging arrays for many Sects in the Southern Territory.
Hua Yu Lu also wanted to visit the Gong Family in order to ask about the Ancient Cave Mansion’s sealing Spirit Array, but it was just an idea. She did not actually go.
But now, it seemed Yang Tai had the same idea as her. What’s more, this Yang Tai seemed to be rather close with this Gong Yue, to the point where they could speak informally to one another.
The Gong Family was naturally obsessed with Spirit Arrays, especially when it came to strange and ancient lost arrays. To suddenly learn of such a sealing Spirit Array, it was understandable how Gong Yue was interested to the point of coming without an invitation.
After working out the matter, everyone present immediately knew why Yang Tai said those words before. If it were Gong Yue, then he would really be a great help to them during this treasure hunting trip; after all, this man was the former Patriarch of the Gong Family. His attainments in the Dao of Spirit Arrays were so great that few could ever hope to match him. With his help, cracking that ancient Spirit Array wouldn’t be a problem at all.
Wu Kuang Yi pondered for a long time and glanced at Hua Yu Lu from the corner of his eye, transmitting a message to her.
He did not hide his actions as everyone could see clearly what he was doing, and could also guess what he was saying to her.
A few moments later, Wu Kuang Yi opened his mouth to ask, “May I ask Old Patriarch Gong if you came only for the ancient Spirit Array? I’m sure you understand what we are here to do. If we were to find anything in the Ancient Cave Mansion…”
Gong Yue answered immediately, “This Old Master pursues the Dao of Spirit Arrays, it is my one and only pursuit and shall be so for as long as I live!”
That answer alone was enough. There were countless Daos in this world, and as Gong Yue chased after the Dao of Spirit Arrays, no matter how valuable other things may be, it would still pale in comparison to the chance to study the ancient array.
Yang Tai laughed, “Brother Gong only wishes to take a look at the Spirit Array and participate in cracking it; he has no other requests. Of course, if everyone is not comfortable with it, then Brother Gong has said it himself earlier. He won’t trouble everyone and will just return home. The key point is that one of us must be able to crack the Spirit Array in his stead, otherwise, we are sure to return empty-handed.”
He, Wu Kuang Yi, and Hua Yu Lu, had already been preparing for half a year, not only to find a reliable helper, but also to crack the Spirit Array which blocked their path.
Hua Yu Lu had thought of visiting the Heavenly River Valley to ask the Gong Family for advice, but she gave up on the idea when Yang Kai took it upon himself to handle this matter several months ago.
On Wu Kuang Yi’s side, the cold-faced man he invited was clearly also someone who was versed in Spirit Arrays, the reason for it being the fact that Wu Kuang Yi was currently looking at him and seemed to be seeking his opinion.
That man named Fang Zhuo was silent for a long time before gently nodding.
Wu Kuang Yi understood, “Since nobody has any objections, then let us invite Old Patriarch Gong to come with us. We will be counting on Old Patriarch Gong during this trip.”
“Much obliged. This Old Master will surely do his best.” Gong Yue stroked his beard with a smile.
Yang Kai took a step forward at that moment and asked, “Is Your Excellency truly the former Patriarch of the Gong Family? Can you prove your identity?”
At those words, the faces of the crowd stiffened slightly. Wu Kuang Yi seemed to be shaken awake as well in that instant.
The reason why he trusted the man’s claim of being Gong Yue was that he had heard of Gong Yue before, and knew that he was the former Patriarch of the Gong Family. Secondly, it was because Yang Tai’s words from before had planted a preconceived idea into his mind which convinced him that it must be true.
Only when Yang Kai mentioned this did he suddenly come to his senses and raise his guard.
He had never met Gong Yue before, and naturally had no idea what Gong Yue looked like. This man before him may really be Gong Yue, but he also… may not be. If this man truly was the Gong Family’s former patriarch, then they could put their trust in him, but if he was an impostor, then they had to be careful.
Considering all this, Wu Kuang Yi suddenly shot a glance at Yang Tai.
Yang Tai still had a cheerful expression on his face as he turned to Yang Kai, “This Little Brother Yang Jiu surely jests. Could someone possibly impersonate Brother Gong? That’s not a very proper question, is it?”
“If there’s anything I’m unsure about, then I should inquire about it. Am I wrong?” Yang Kai also turned to look at him, lips curving into a smile.
Yang Tai frowned, “This Yang swears on his name that Brother Gong is truly Brother Gong, the former Patriarch of Heavenly River Valley’s Gong Family.”
Yang Kai smiled without responding and Yang Tai also seemed to understand that his own guarantee held no weight at all. He’d never even met Yang Kai before this, so how could he guarantee anything? Moreover, Wu Kuang Yi seemed to be a little suspicious as well, so his face instantly turned bitter, “What should we do now, then? Should we head over to Heavenly River Valley first to ask for proof?”
This was obviously impossible as Heavenly River Valley was very far away from here and would take at least two months to make a round trip. Who had the time to delay things constantly? So he may as well not have proposed it.
But the more Yang Tai insisted, the more Wu Kuang Yi felt something was suspicious. His eyes were constantly shifting between Yang Tai and Gong Yue, seemingly trying to catch some sort of clue, but to his disappointment, he didn’t find anything suspicious about Yang Tai’s behaviour at all, and even though Gong Yue’s legitimacy was questioned, he remained calm and composed.
This made him wonder whether Yang Jiu was just being too suspicious.
Gong Yue spoke at that moment, “Though I have the Gong Family’s token on me, I don’t think it will be of much use even if I take it out. Since this little brother is suspicious of me and asking this Gong to prove himself, may I ask how I should do so? Does little brother have any suitable method?”
Yang Kai smiled, “Since this concerns Spirit Arrays, then let us prove it using a Spirit Array. May I ask if anyone here is learned in the Dao of Spirit Arrays?”
When he said that, everyone vaguely understood the meaning behind his words.
Wu Kuang Yi immediately turned to Fang Zhuo.
Even though Fang Zhuo had been silent the whole time, that didn’t mean his mind wasn’t nimble and he instantly caught onto Yang Kai’s thoughts. Stepping forward, he took out several array flags without saying a word and formed seals with his hands. One by one, the array flags were tossed out and disappeared.
His movements flowed as swiftly and freely as water, making it obvious he was quite proficient in this craft, even having extraordinary attainments in the Dao of Spirit Arrays.
Gong Yue remained smiling, seemingly having understood Fang Zhuo’s plan, so he simply let him continue as he pleased.
And, following Fang Zhuo’s actions, a large area of space suddenly became distorted. Once the last array flag landed into its corresponding position, the area around Gong Yue transformed, and he disappeared without a trace.
Everyone released their Divine Sense to probe, but they were blocked by a strong barrier while not a single thing could be discerned using the naked eye.
“Oh? So Brother Fang Zhuo is also proficient in the Dao of Spirit Arrays?” Yang Tai looked surprised.
Fang Zhuo cherished his words like gold and simply replied, “A little.”
Then, standing with his hands behind his back, he narrowed his eyes and observed the area where he arranged his Spirit Array.
This was clearly a Trapping Array, and even though it had no killing ability, it was still able to confine someone in one position and keep them from moving.
If the Gong Yue that was trapped inside the Spirit Array was truly the former Patriarch of the Gong Family, then it shouldn’t be too hard for him to crack this array and escape, but if he were an impostor, he may not necessarily have the appropriate level of skill to deal with it.
This was a straightforward test, and even though they may not be able to completely ascertain Gong Yue’s identity this way, it would at least be able to dispel most of the doubts they had about him.
For a while, everyone was holding their breaths and focusing on the Spirit Array, eager to know the final result.
The result astonished everyone. Fang Zhuo’s face, which had been indifferent the whole time, suddenly changed dramatically.
That was because, less than ten breaths of time after he finished arranging the array, the space became distorted again before returning to its original appearance. Gong Yue’s figure was revealed from within, and he was holding onto some array banners, clearly the ones Fang Zhuo had just tossed into the void.
It only took him ten breaths of time to break Fang Zhuo’s Spirit Array, so his profound attainments in the Dao of Spirit Arrays was clear to see.
The way Gong Yue stood there with a cheerful look on his face gave the others a sense of profoundness as he said, “Small World Inversion Array. This friend’s array technique has no major flaws, but the refining of these array banners is slightly rough. They’re unable to exert their full power. If you can refine them some more, their power can still increase by a fair amount.”
As he said that, he threw the array banners back to Fang Zhuo.
Fang Zhuo grabbed them and lowered his head in thought for a moment before cupping his fists to thank Gong Yue for his advice.
Yang Tai guffawed, “Brother Gong’s attainments in the Dao of Spirit Arrays is truly remarkable and eye-opening! We are lucky to have Brother Gong’s help on this trip.” Then, he turned to Yang Kai, “Little Brother Yang Jiu. Do you have any more questions? Please ask away.”
Yang Kai shook his head, “No, I don’t.”
Yang Tai said, “In that case, everyone should have no problem with Brother Gong coming with us, right?”
After what happened just now, nobody had any further comments. Everyone was happy to have the help of someone like Gong Yue. It was only because they couldn’t help but be wary about the question that Yang Kai raised that they wanted to verify Gong Yue’s identity, but now that Gong Yue had proven his ability, and with the golden signboard of the Heavenly River Valley’s Gong Family that he was holding up, it made everyone feel at ease. Nobody had any more suspicions about him.
Wu Kuang Yi even gave Yang Kai a stern glare, probably thinking that he was making a big mess out of nothing, luring him into making a bad judgement as well.
Yang Kai’s tardiness already left a bad impression on him, and now that impression had grown even worse. If it weren’t because of the agreement they had, then he would have driven Yang Kai away from here.
Since nobody had any objections, the matter was naturally settled, and as the one who invited the powerful helper, Gong Yue, Yang Tai seemed to have jumped up to become the leader of their group, enthusiastically leading everyone on their way.
The Southern Swamp was vast, and their agreed gathering point was far away from the Ancient Cave Mansion, so it would take about three or four days for them to reach it.
The seven Emperor Realm Masters sped away towards the Ancient Cave Mansion with each other’s company and actively released their auras so that no ferocious creature would dare rear its head. Gong Yue and Yang Tai were at the forefront of the group, talking with great passion, seeming to share a great friendship and letting out a hearty laugh on occasion.
The woman named Chen Bing Ru flew between Wu Kuang Yi and Fang Zhuo, while Yang Kai and Hua Yu Lu were in the back, excluded by them whether intentionally or unintentionally. A worrying prospect for Hua Yu Lu.
In their group, other than Yang Tai and Gong Yue in the lead who were chatting up a storm, the others were all silent.
Yang Kai was occupied by other thoughts, however, and while following the group, he was digesting his experiences from the Thousand Illusions Dreamworld. The information he gained in the Thousand Illusions Dreamworld was an invaluable cornerstone for his growth, especially Senior Qing’s inheritance and the things he read in the Shaman Divine Temple.
There were several times when Hua Yu Lu tried talking to Yang Kai, but faced with his aloof demeanour, she didn’t feel right about disturbing him too much; after all, they had only met him a few times in the past and never gotten to know each other that well.
Among the seven people present, she was the only one who was feeling extremely apprehensive about this treasure hunting trip. The others were in pairs, while Yang Kai was acting indifferent towards her. If any conflict were to arise when they found some treasure, she had no idea to what extent Yang Kai would go to in order to help her.
She even vaguely regretted coming here again. If she had known this would happen, she would rather have given up on this opportunity than take such risks.
Time flew by as she became more and more uncertain.
Travelling through the poison mist of the Southern Swamp, the seven Emperor Realm Masters travelled for four days before Yang Tai, who was at the forefront, stopped. Wu Kuang Yi’s expression also lifted with anticipation.
“Are we there?” Gong Yue asked curiously, but when he looked around, he didn’t see anything of note.
Yang Kai also withdrew his thoughts and looked around. Just like Gong Yue, he didn’t see anything out of the ordinary; however, the large cloud of poison mist in front of them caught his attention.
There was poison mist everywhere in the Southern Swamp, and the seven of them have been constantly travelling through clouds of it these past few days, but they all had decent cultivation and strong resistance against such poison mist, so it was not a problem for them.
But the poison mist in front of them was clearly different to the ones before. Yang Kai even felt a trace of danger from it, as if his life would really be at risk if he were to rush in.
But just as he was about to release his Divine Sense to check, Hua Yu Lu quickly came over to his side and whispered, “Be careful, that poison mist is extremely toxic.”
Yang Kai suddenly caught a whiff of a different fragrant scent that tickled the tip of his nose. He responded with a gentle nod, and Hua Yu Lu suddenly realized their position, retreating two steps backwards with a blush on her face.
Yang Tai announced, “We’ve arrived. The Ancient Cave Mansion is hidden within this poison mist, but this poison mist is very strong. Even as Emperor Realm Masters, we will not be able to resist it, so we must not be reckless here.”
In order to prove that his words were true, he suddenly raised his hand and sent out a bolt of Emperor Qi towards the toxic barrier.
After the beam of light passed through, an empty space was split open in the poison mist almost three hundred metres deep, and at the end of the newly formed corridor, a blackened skeleton could be seen lying on the grass of the swamp. From its appearance, the person seemed to have been dead for a long time.
“Speaking of which, we were four people when we found that cave mansion. There was another Second-Order Emperor Realm Brother with us, but as you can see, he is lying there now.” Yang Tai pointed to the skeleton and said with a smile.
When Chen Bing Ru heard this, her pretty face paled while the face of Fang Zhuo who had been silent this whole time twitched a little as well.
Just from the appearance of the skeleton alone, they all thought that this man must have died a long time ago; however, only from hearing Yang Tai’s words did they understand that this man had just fallen half a year ago. Due to the immense corrosiveness of the poison mist, it caused some unexpected changes in the skeleton.
As for the reason for his death, everyone could guess without the need for Yang Tai to explain further.
Even a Second-Order Emperor Realm Master could not resist the toxicity of the poison mist, so the danger could be imagined. The world was so large that nothing should be surprising, and in the face of nature’s power, no matter how strong one’s individual prowess may be, it still seemed small and insignificant.
After Yang Tai finished speaking, the opening in the poison mist restored itself at a visible rate, as if there was some mysterious force keeping the poison mist there, blocking the path of any explorers.
Gong Yue frowned and exclaimed, “What strong toxicity! With this poison mist blocking the way, how were you and your group able to enter the cave mansion last time, Brother Yang?”
Yang Tai smiled, “It was all a coincidence. Even though this poison mist was strong, something seemed to be restraining it here, just like how detoxifying herbs could be found where venomous snakes lay. You will all understand when you see it for yourselves later.”
He gave them a clue but did not explain too much, so Gong Yue just smiled and did not pursue an answer.
“We are just in time actually. We should be able to enter tonight, so let us take this opportunity to rest. We do not know what dangers lurk within that Ancient Cave Mansion that we have to deal with, so we should restore ourselves to our peak condition.”
Naturally, no one had any objections to his words, so they each found a place to sit down and meditate.
Hua Yu Lu naturally stuck close to Yang Kai, taking out two Spirit Pills and swallowing them. Even though she was a First-Order Emperor, and travelling at full speed for a few days wouldn’t cause her any real problems, a large amount of Emperor Qi was still consumed in this poison mist-filled environment, so it was naturally necessary to take this opportunity to replenish herself.
The others did the same.
Yang Kai suddenly looked up and spoke at that moment, “Old Patriarch Gong, since you are knowledgeable and experienced, this Junior has a question to ask.”
Gong Yue was looking at something when Yang Kai suddenly called out to him, so he turned to him and smiled, “I dare not call myself knowledgeable, only that I’ve been alive for a long time. What does little brother want to know? If this Gong knows the answer, this Gong will surely answer.”
Yang Kai asked, “It’s like this, a friend of mine once obtained a Flowing Time Fruit. May I ask what is the best way to consume it in order to achieve the greatest medicinal efficacies?”
“Flowing Time Fruit?” Yang Tai’s eyes lit up at his words as he stared at Yang Kai with a burning gaze, “You mean the Flowing Time Fruit that can prolong one’s life?”
“Exactly so!” Yang Kai nodded.
Yang Tai’s eyes glowed even brighter hearing this. He was a First-Order Emperor Realm Master and had a long lifespan, but he still could not resist the erosion of time. In other words, he was getting old, but he clearly hadn’t lived enough yet. In the recent millennium, he no longer immersed himself in cultivating but instead set his mind to searching for ways to prolong his own life. His efforts in the past thousand years had indeed brought results that allowed him to increase his lifespan considerably, but he had already tried all the general methods and elixirs, so they no longer worked for him.
The reason why he took the risk to come into the Southern Swamp was so that he could find some precious treasure that could prolong his life. That was how he, Hua Yu Lu, and the others were able to chance upon this Ancient Cave Mansion.
When he heard Yang Kai mention the Flowing Time Fruit, he was naturally very excited.
He had heard of the Flowing Time Fruit before and it was of great use to him. It was inevitable that his attention would be piqued.
“The Flowing Time Fruit is a good thing!” Gong Yue smiled, “But little brother, I’m afraid you’re asking the wrong person. This Gong specializes in Spirit Arrays and is not very proficient when it comes to herbs and elixirs. So, for this Flowing Time Fruit, this Gong has no better advice than for your friend to find an Alchemy Grandmaster to help refine it into pills.”
Yang Kai thought deeply, “So that’s the only way, it seems, but in order to refine the Flowing Time Fruit into pills, an Emperor Alchemist is needed for the job. However, to seek an Emperor Alchemist’s help is…”
Everyone knew how difficult it was to request for an Emperor Alchemist’s help with Alchemy. Even if one had prepared the necessary materials and an appropriate reward, it was normal to have to wait for years and years for an opportunity without suitable connections.
Gong Yue smiled, “Hopefully your friend is in no urgent need.”
“He’s still young, so it’s not urgent,” Yang Kai smiled back.
“That’s good,” Gong Yue said nothing more and turned around and continued to observe the poison mist at the front, seemingly not taking this random question to heart.
Yang Tai was very interested in the Flowing Time Fruit, so he left Gong Yue’s side and walked next to Yang Kai, trying to figure out the identity of Yang Kai’s ‘friend’ in a roundabout way.
Naturally, Yang Kai wouldn’t tell him the truth, and as the topic was subtly changed, Yang Tai couldn’t appear too eager either. In the end, he could only leave the matter unresolved and walk away in disappointment.
The scene turned silent at that point as the seven sat down and rested, waiting for night to come.
An imperceptible wisp of Divine Sense suddenly stretched over towards Yang Kai, following that, Yang Kai heard a stealthy message from Hua Yu Lu, “Is there something wrong?”
Even though she was a woman, as the Palace Master of Hundred Flowers Palace, she naturally wasn’t some simple-minded little girl. She was able to catch some clues from Yang Kai’s performance earlier, and that’s why she was asking him this now.
Yang Kai responded, maintaining his composure, “Stick within ten metres of me once we enter the Ancient Cave Mansion.”
Hua Yu Lu was taken aback and asked, “So there really is a problem?”
If there was no problem, then Yang Kai wouldn’t have told her such a thing, but she couldn’t tell what was going on no matter how she tried, so she couldn’t help but feel suspicious.
Yang Kai asked, “You must have heard about the opening of the Four Seasons Realm many years ago, right?”
Hua Yu Lu replied, “Yes. I also heard that you refined the Extraordinary Treasure Pill inside, Brother Yang.”
The Four Seasons Realm was no ordinary Small Sealed World, but rather a legacy left behind by the Flowing Time Great Emperor. Every time it opened, the only ones allowed inside to train were the most outstanding Dao Source Realm cultivators of the Southern Territory, who often obtained huge amounts of benefits from within.
The most recent opening of the Four Seasons Realm was a big deal, one reason being that Yang Kai was able to refine a Heaven-defying Spirit Pill, the Extraordinary Treasure Pill, inside, bringing great fame to his name. However, the second and most important reason was that an Ancient Divine Spirit emerged from the Four Seasons Realm: the Ominous Beast, Qiong Qi!
Nobody could be unconcerned about the emergence of a Divine Spirit, especially when it was an Ominous Beast that was known for its ferocity in ancient times. It was said that Qiong Qi was the mount of Flowing Time Great Emperor back then, and after the fall of the Great Emperor, Qiong Qi had been sleeping in the Flowing Time Temple the whole time and only came out from the Four Seasons Realm during its most recent opening.
In the following years, the Masters of the Southern Territory were all on edge, worried that Qiong Qi would begin a reign of chaos; however, to everyone’s surprise, Qiong Qi disappeared without a trace since the last time they heard about him, and as time passed, everyone’s concern towards Qiong Qi also gradually weakened.
Hua Yu Lu had also sought out information regarding Yang Kai because she had seen how powerful he was, and due to the fact that he was going to accompany her to explore the Ancient Cave Mansion. She also learned some information about the Four Seasons Realm during her research.
Thinking back to it, she was already an Emperor Realm Master at that time while Yang Kai had just barely entered the Dao Source Realm; however, Yang Kai now had equal cultivation to her, and she even needed to rely on him for her own safety.
Faced with such a disparity, Hua Yu Lu’s feelings grew inexplicably complicated.
“I once met one of the Gong Family’s descendants in the Four Seasons Realm, and together, we each obtained one Flowing Time Fruit inside,” Yang Kai explained.
Hua Yu Lu answered in surprise, “What good fortune.”
Yang Kai smiled, “People only know that the Flowing Time Fruit can prolong a person’s life, but they do not know that there are actually two types of Flowing Time Fruits. One of them can truly prolong a person’s life after it is consumed, but the other one is a terrible poison. If eaten by mistake, then it would make time pass by and age the consumer rapidly. The two types of Flowing Time Fruit are all but impossible to distinguish by a layperson from their appearance, but their effects are exact opposites.”
“Really?” Hua Yu Lu was quite surprised. Even though she was an Emperor as well, she was not well versed in Alchemy; however, considering that Yang Kai was able to even refine the Extraordinary Treasure Pill, then surely he must have great attainments in the Alchemic Dao, so he was no stranger to the Flowing Time Fruit.
He said that he and the Gong Family descendant obtained one Flowing Time Fruit each, and with his knowledge in spirit herbs, Yang Kai obviously chose the one that could prolong one’s life. In other words, the one that the Gong Family descendant brought back must be the poisonous one.
Perhaps someone in the Gong Family may even be suffering because of it now…
But this was highly unlikely. Even though the Gong Family may not know the details of the Flowing Time Fruit, they would definitely find someone to refine it into a pill, and an Emperor Alchemist would surely know a thing or two about the Flowing Time Fruit. If that really were the case, then the Gong Family must have obtained some information about the Flowing Time Fruit.
But based on what Gong Yue said earlier…
When she thought of this point, Hua Yu Lu was shocked and immediately understood where the problem lay.
“Of course, this is only my suspicion. This Old Patriarch Gong seems to have been in retreat recently, so there is the possibility that he did not know what was going on in his clan; however, it is always better to be careful.”
Hua Yu Lu nodded with deep understanding and stopped communicating with Yang Kai, lest the others catch onto them.
After breaking off contact with Hua Yu lu, Yang Kai swept his eyes around calmly. If his suspicions were to prove true, then there was definitely a problem with ‘Old Patriarch Gong’!
It was a moonless night, making the stars in the sky seem all the more dazzling, but such a scene could not be enjoyed in the Southern Swamp as the poison mist covered the earth, blocking out any trace of light from above.
At midnight, something seemed to catch everyone’s attention, and they all opened their eyes in unison.
*Shh…*
Yang Tai raised a finger to his mouth, signalling everyone to stay calm. Then, he retracted his aura and used a concealing technique. Without seeing him with their naked eyes, it would be possible that no one could even detect his presence.
Hua Yu Lu and Wu Kuang Yi obviously knew what was going to happen, so they too concealed themselves together with Yang Tai.
The others followed their example and retracted their auras as well.
The water of the swamp before them began to bubble, as if something was going to surface, and as everyone could tell, there was indeed a sign of life rising up from extremely deep within.
Soon after, a figure that was a few metres in length suddenly appeared before them.
The creature looked like a crocodile and also a little like a lizard. The strange-looking thing had eight claws, a long tail, and two big eyes on the top of its head, bulging just like a toad’s. As it crawled up onto land, it would flick its tongue like a venomous snake searching for prey. Not only that, but it was also exuding an unpleasant smell from its body that made one want to gag.
The creature was terribly ugly in appearance, and even though the two women present had superb cultivations, they still could not help but show their disgust. Yang Tai, on the other hand, was looking at this creature with great interest, as if it were some sort of great delicacy.
More and more monsters of the same species began crawling out from the swamp in an endless stream. At first, there were only a dozen of them, then a hundred. Very soon, they were covering the ground for as far as one could see.
None of the Emperor Realm Masters present recognized what they were. They were likely a type of Monster Beast as their bodies were giving out traces of Monster Qi, but they didn’t seem very powerful. At the very most, they would be Fifth or Sixth Order Monster Beasts, with some possibly not even having condensed their own Monster Core.
Any one of them could easily destroy a large number of this type of Monster Beast with a single palm, and none of the Emperors knew how such weak creatures were able to survive in this harsh environment. Though the group did not encounter any danger along the way, they had still perceived many ferocious beasts hidden below the swamp.
It seemed this species’ only advantage was their great numbers.
The goal of these monsters seemed to be the thick poison mist, and as soon as they surfaced, they made their way towards it. The noise they gave off as they crawled on the ground was enough to give a person goosebumps involuntarily.
Very soon, some of the monsters at the front arrived in front of the poison mist barrier, and under the close watch of Yang Kai and the others, they spat out their long tongues. Then, a shocking scene emerged. The poison mist that was able to kill even a Second-Order Emperor Realm Master was actually swallowed into the bellies of these monsters, who all remained unharmed.
They were actually feeding on the poison mist, and the stronger the poison was, the more delicious it seemed to be for them.
A single monster could only devour an insignificant amount of the poison mist, which would then be quickly replenished by the fog around it.
But what if there were thousands, tens of thousands, and even hundreds of thousands of these things…
One by one, they stuck out their tongues to lick the air, and the Emperor Realm Masters present could see with their own eyes that the impenetrable poison mist barrier in front of them was becoming thinner. Even though the poison mist around the area quickly replenished what was lost, it could not keep up with the consumption rate of these monsters.
More and more monsters dove into the poison mist bank, opening up a safe path behind them wherever they passed.
For the ones who were seeing this for the first time, they all had dumbfounded looks on their faces. Only then did they understand what Yang Tai was saying during the day.
There were countless oddities in this world, and there would always be one thing that overcame another. If they had not seen it with their own eyes, then who would believe that a Fifth or Sixth-Order Monster Beast could actually devour the poison mist that even an Emperor Realm Master could not resist?
And, from what Yang Tai said earlier, it seemed these Monster Beasts do not come out every night. They seem to be active only at a specific time. Otherwise, Yang Tai wouldn’t have mentioned that they were just in time.
It was a miracle that they even discovered the Ancient Cave Mansion here as it was only exposed through a series of coincidences.
If it were not so, then the Ancient Cave Mansion would not have been left untouched until now. If it were so easily discovered, it would long have been looted by others.
Even though it was deep into the night and there was no light anymore, everyone present was a powerful Master who could see unhindered even in the dark. The poison mist that was blocking their way forward during the day gradually thinned under the assault of the dense pack of Monster Beasts, and a passage deeper inside soon began to form.
But as Yang Tai did not move, the others did not dare to move carelessly either. They were all waiting silently.
After waiting for around four hours, just as the sky was about to turn light, Yang Tai suddenly shouted, “Go!”
Gong Yue and Chen Bing Ru, who had long been prepared, shot forward immediately. Wu Kuang Yi and Fang Zhuo were in a better position, so they rushed in second, leaving only several tens of metres of distance between them and Yang Tai.
Yang Kai and Hua Yu Lu were left behind again, but with a gentle push from Yang Kai, Hua Yu Lu took the lead. This move warmed Hua Yu Lu’s heart, and her sense of security was greatly increased.
As soon as the seven people began to move, they immediately startled the Monster Beasts that were devouring the poison mist. In contrast with their previous quiet disguise, these creatures all instantly let out a shrill cry. The disturbing noise crashed into everyone’s ears like gold and iron clashing against each other.
Not only that, some of the Monster Beasts even leapt up high from the ground, pouncing towards the group with their tongues out, seemingly intent on dragging them down into the swamp.
The odd Fifth and Sixth-Order Monster Beasts were shown no regard by the Emperor Realm Masters at all who were able to clear out large swarms of them without any difficulty. The bodies of the Monster Beasts burst apart one by one, turning into pools of blood before flowing back down into the swamp. Still, this did not scare off their remaining companions. Instead, it riled them up even further as more and more Monster Beasts pounced up from the ground.
The shrill cries did not stop for even a moment and at one point, the chaotic cries suddenly unified, converging into a single shockwave made up of tens of thousands of their calls.
Yang Tai, who was leading the group, saw this and shouted, “Run, now!”
Hua Yu Lu and Wu Kuang Yi’s expressions had also become grave.
Just as the others were confused, a strange scene appeared.
After the shrill cries merged into one, the auras of the Monster Beasts that came from below the swamp actually began to merge as well. From Fifth or Sixth-Order, auras at the Eighth-Order or even higher began to appear.
Yang Kai let out a casual strike before finding some time to glance down. Immediately, he saw a scene that made him click his tongue in wonder.
He could see the Monster Beasts gradually fusing together, as if they were parts of something larger that were separated and had now found an opportunity to reassemble.
A Monster Beast that was several tens of metres long soon appeared before Yang Kai’s eyes. This Monster Beast had two horns on its head and its body was protected by an armour of scales. It also had eight claws and its appearance resembled a Flood Dragon, but also not. It was extremely strange-looking and right now, it no longer had just a Fifth or Sixth-Order cultivation, but was instead emitting the aura of a Tenth-Order Monster Beast.
Even more monsters that were bigger than this one circled around in pursuit of them.
Yang Kai could feel the aura of a number of Twelfth-Order, Eleventh-Order, and Tenth-Order Monster Beasts all around them.
The Fifth or Sixth-Order Monster Beasts that were so insignificant in the eyes of Emperor Realm Masters actually had the strange ability to fuse with each other and grow into a stronger being. And, the speed of them fusing together and transforming was simply beyond anything anyone could imagine.
Sure enough, for them to be able to survive in this kind of environment, these Monster Beasts could not be underestimated.
A rumble could be heard as these new behemoths trampled over the ground in pursuit of them, their heads raised high as they opened their mouths to bite at the people in the sky. An unpleasant smell was coming out of their humongous mouths as well, and after failing to catch their prey, they would spit multi-coloured balls of light at them.
Yang Kai could see clearly that those balls of light were the condensed poison mist that these creatures had devoured earlier. Even though Yang Kai could face off with these Twelfth-Order Monster Beasts calmly, the immense lethality of the poison mist was something he could not just ignore.
The faces of the other six Masters also changed dramatically, and all of them summoned their artifacts to protect themselves.
Unlike the others, Yang Kai had no defensive artifact that he could use, only his Great Soaring Black Dragon Armour, but even though it was an Emperor Artifact Armour, its main use was for him to cover his body during his Dragon Transformation. Yang Kai never thought about using it to defend against attacks, so he had no choice but to use his Emperor Qi to form a layer of protection around his body.
The group worked together to disperse the poison mist balls whistling over in their direction. A few of them managed to land on the various defensive artifacts, but those were easily deflected or dispersed. Still, the poison mist was toxic enough to send shivers down people’s spines.
Several Emperor Artifacts began to flicker after they resisted a strike from the poison mist balls, clearly revealing that their spirituality was damaged, and the Emperor Qi that Yang Kai was maintaining around his body had also been strongly corroded. So, he had no choice but to push out even more of his energy in order to keep up his protection, making him seem quite battered.
The group fled, not wanting to become entangled with these monsters.
A long time seemed to have passed, but it also seemed to just be a moment. When the seven managed to reach dry land again, the surrounding poison mist had disappeared and the Monster Beasts who had been chasing them suddenly stopped, as if something terrifying that they dared not face was up ahead. Instead, these beasts wandered the perimeter of the poison mist, staring at the group with their big eyes.
“It’s all good now that we’ve reached this place,” Yang Tai said with a laugh, clearly quite relieved. He pointed to the Monster Beasts and remarked, “Those things won’t chase us in here, but I don’t know why that is.”
The Monster Beasts gathered at the edge of the poison mist and watched them for just a short while before they broke apart again, turning back into the Fifth and Sixth-Order monsters that were only two metres long. Then, they wandered off from whence they came and disappeared in just the blink of an eye.
Confirming the danger had passed, everyone then began observing their surroundings.
They were on dry land, which was an unusual sight in the Southern Swamp which was filled with ponds and marshes. This piece of land was just like an island in the middle of a vast wetland.
The area of the island was not big, measuring only several dozen metres across, and it was surrounded by the same type of poison mist that even Emperor Realm Masters had to be wary of. If these Monster Beasts had not opened up a path for them, their group would have no hope of reaching this place.
With a solemn look, Yang Tai quickly said, “This is where the Ancient Cave Mansion lies.”
Even though his expression was serious, there was a hint of unconcealed enthusiasm in his eyes.
Wu Kuang Yi was also showing some excitement on his face as he commented, “Last time, Brother Yang, Palace Master Hua, and I managed to gain some good things from inside, but the Sealing Array blocked our path forward. This time, we have more people, and we also have the help of Old Patriarch Gong, so it should be no problem for us to break through it this time.”
Gong Yue smiled humbly, “This Old Master will do his best.”
“Then this Wu must thank Old Patriarch Gong in advance.” Wu Kuang Yi cupped his fists at him before saying, “I would like to remind everyone not to touch anything once we enter the Ancient Cave Mansion, and don’t run around aimlessly either. We should follow Old Patriarch Gong’s lead here. Many seals and traps still remain inside that cave mansion, and despite their age, they are still quite powerful. If anyone were to touch them by accident, then it may lead to unnecessary consequences.”
When he said these words, he glanced over at Yang Kai, whether intentionally or unintentionally, as if he was speaking especially for him.
However, Yang Kai’s aloof, almost distracted look caused Wu Kuang Yi’s expression to turn sour.
“Alright now, no one here is a child, I’m sure we all know what we have to do, so let us proceed.” Yang Tai beckoned to the crowd with a smile before leading them towards the Ancient Cave Mansion.
The order of the group remained unchanged, with Yang Kai and Hua Yu Lu bringing up the rear.
“Senior Brother Yang, if you really find any treasures, you can try to grab them if you’re able, but if not, then we shouldn’t worry about it. Just think of this as gaining some life experience,” Hua Yu Lu quietly transmitted to him.
“En,” Yang Kai responded subconsciously, still seemingly distracted even at this moment.
Hua Yu Lu could not help but be worried about this. Who knows what sort of dangers awaited him past the last barrier? If there really was any danger, then things may be disastrous for Yang Kai if he were to be in this state. She wanted to give him a warning, but she didn’t know how to go about it, so she could only make up her own mind to be careful.
Yang Kai was indeed distracted because since he set foot on this island, he had been getting a strange feeling, as if there was something trying to contact him somewhere on the island. However, when he tried to trace it, he found nothing. He couldn’t even figure out which direction this outreach was coming from.
This puzzled him greatly, and while he was trying to figure it out, Wu Kuang Yi and Hua Yu Lu had tried to talk to him, which made him come off as distracted to them.
The island was not very large, so it took only a few moments for the group to arrive at a kind of stone forest where a dozen stone pillars of different heights stood. The surface of the stone pillars were mottled with traces of erosion. They seemed to be arranged haphazardly, but upon closer inspection, one could see that there was a great deal of meaning behind the arrangement.
After more careful observation, they could see that the stone pillars were even moving at a slow pace, with some moving faster than others, gradually causing a dizzying effect.
Anyone could see that there was something wrong with this stone forest.
Perhaps in Ancient Times, this used to be a well-concealed entrance, and even Masters at the Emperor Realm may not be able to discover anything if they passed through here, but the barrier was now in a state of disrepair after being worn down through the ages, so its effect was definitely going to be much weaker, causing many of its traces to be revealed.
“Follow me!” Yang Tai stood at the front and after calling out to everyone, he went straight towards the middle of the stone forest without waiting for anyone.
In front of everyone’s eyes, it seemed as if he passed right through an invisible wall and disappeared mysteriously.
“Interesting, how interesting!” Gong Yue stroked his long beard and watched the scene with interest. His eyes were flashed, as if he discovered something, but he still began walking over without explaining any details.
A moment later, Gong Yue also disappeared.
Following that was Fang Zhuo and Wu Kuang Yi.
When it was Hua Yu Lu’s turn, she turned around and called out, “Senior Brother Yang, we should follow them.”
Yang Kai smiled, “I’ll be right behind you.”
Only then did Hua Yu Lu relax somewhat and begin walking forward.
Then, when it came Yang Kai’s turn to cross the invisible boundary, he could feel very clearly as if he were stepping through space. The barrier at the centre of the stone forest seemed to have similar effects to a Space Array.
The first ones to enter were all gathered there, and they appeared to have entered a rock cave. The rock cave was only several tens of metres wide, and the air was quite dry. There was also an unpleasant smell here, but it was not unbearable.
A dim light was coming from the surrounding cave walls from some kind of stone used for lighting.
But after so many years, most of the light stones had lost their effectiveness while those that still functioned were just like candles in the wind, looking like they might go out at any moment.
There was nothing else in the rock cave. It was completely empty. It was not even clear what the use of this rock cave was so many years ago.
“This wasn’t where we were brought the last time we came here,” Yang Tai, who was standing at the lead spot, looked around them and scratched his head with an awkward expression on his face.
Both Wu Kuang Yi and Hua Yu Lu nodded as well. When the three of them passed through the stone forest, it was indeed not this rock cave that they were brought into.
Gong Yue smiled, “That stone forest is a kind of array used to control the entrance to this place, and we do not have the means to operate it properly. Even though we were lucky enough to have gotten through, it will only have brought us to a random place. Since this is still part of the cave mansion though, we can just walk around and explore. I’m sure we’ll be able to find the right path eventually, and perhaps we may even find some good things you missed on your last trip here.”
Yang Tai’s eyes lit up at his words and he nodded, “Brother Gong is right. Then, let us begin!”
As he said so, he walked ahead with the others following behind him.
After walking out of the rock cave, there was a deep dark tunnel ahead of them. Just like the rock cave, there were light stones embedded across the walls for illumination and though the light was dim, it was better than nothing.
A mirror-like artifact suddenly appeared in Yang Tai’s hands, who was taking the lead. It was the size of a human face, and it was not known what purpose it served. They saw him form seals with his hands before channeling some Emperor Qi into the mirror, and in the next moment, the mirror began to glow, and a profound light shot out from within.
The light enveloped the room and everything instantly became clear. This profound light seemed to have the ability to discern between what was real and illusionary, a kind of investigative artifact.
The group of seven walked onwards and would pass by some stone rooms occasionally, but they were all empty without anything valuable or worth their attention inside. There also wasn’t much danger to be found in the interior of the Ancient Cave Mansion, so they were safe all throughout their exploration.
However, Yang Tai did not manage to find the path they crossed last time.
After an hour, Yang Tai suddenly stopped, and seeing this, the rest stopped as well.
“What happened?” Wu Kuang Yi asked.
Yang Tai answered, “There seem to be traces of a barrier here. Let me take a closer look.” Saying so, he aimed his mirror forward and a faint distortion appeared where the light passed. It was a little different from normal, but it wasn’t very clear either.
Yang Tai released more of his Emperor Qi to enhance the power of the mirror artifact, and the light became stronger in response.
Now, everyone could see things more clearly. There were traces of a barrier ahead, one that had originally been imperceptible to the naked eye but had now appeared under the envelopment of the mirror’s profound light. Everyone could see energy paths of differing strengths ahead of them twisting in accordance to some mysterious law, forming a restrictive layer.
This barrier technique was extremely complex and ancient.
Wu Kuang Yi immediately turned his head to look at Gong Yue.
Since there was an ancient barrier blocking the way, they naturally needed the assistance of the Gong Family’s former Patriarch himself to settle the matter. He was the one who had the greatest understanding of such things.
To everyone’s surprise, Gong Yue just smiled and did not express anything else, not even taking the initiative to act.
Wu Kuang Yi was just about to speak up when Yang Tai suddenly said, “This is just a small barrier. There’s no need to bother Brother Gong, we can just break it together.”
As he said so, he thrust out his palm against the barrier.
Everyone was taken by surprise and all circulated their Emperor Qi to protect themselves.
After all, none of them knew what sort of effects this barrier had, and touching it rashly could very well trigger some dangerous consequences, so Yang Tai’s move was undoubtedly risky. However, seeing that Gong Yue did not say anything to stop him, they all felt slightly relieved.
With a bang, a curtain of light emerged, followed by several huge skulls that suddenly rushed out from within. They were not the skulls of humans, but rather the skulls of strange-looking Monster Beasts, about a dozen in total. Each of these skulls seemed to belong to a different species, and no one could recognize what Monster Beasts they belonged to.
But to everyone’s great surprise, there was a fluctuation of extremely ferocious auras coming out of these skulls.
As soon as the skulls appeared, they each opened their big mouths to bite at Yang Tai aggressively, as if they were going to swallow the Heavens and devour the Earth.
Yang Tai was extremely shocked, and only now did he realize that he had underestimated the power of this ancient barrier. The Emperor Qi around his body became agitated as he suddenly let out an extremely choppy sounding incantation as he raised his hand, pointing it in front of himself.
A large golden character suddenly flew out from his fingers, one condensed from his Emperor Qi. It all happened in a flash, so quickly that none of the others were able to see clearly what character it was.
Only Yang Kai showed a shocked expression.
Even though the Divine Ability performed by Yang Tai was over in a flash, he managed to catch some of it.
That character…was clearly an ancient character he had seen in the Thousand Illusions Dreamworld when his Soul was roaming about the Shaman Divine Temple.
When the ancient humans condensed their power into these characters, they were able to unleash Heaven destroying and Earth Shattering might. Naturally, these characters were even more ancient than the existence of Shamans, so the records available in the Shaman Divine Temple were by no means comprehensive.
Yang Kai suddenly remembered Hua Yu Lu mentioning that Yang Tai had learned a Secret Technique in the Ancient Cave Mansion, but she was not sure what it was, or what it did.
Now, it seemed like this may be the Secret Technique that Yang Tai learned back then.
This was indeed an extremely powerful Secret Technique. Even though Yang Tai was only a First-Order Emperor, the might of the attack that was shot out from his finger just now was on par with an ordinary Second-Order Emperor Realm’s attack. It seemed that facing a life or death crisis, Yang Tai had not been able to hold back and had gone all out.
It seemed this cave mansion was from before even the period Yang Kai experienced in the Thousand Illusions Dreamworld. No wonder there were Ancient Exotic Artifacts here.
At the same time, everyone else had also made their moves. In an instant, all sorts of Emperor Realm Secret Techniques and artifacts were unleashed in the narrow cave, causing the surrounding World Energy to shake.
Then, a scene appeared that amazed everyone.
The skulls that had flown out from the barrier may have appeared intimidating, but it was apparently all bark and no bite. As soon as they came into contact with Yang Tai’s Secret Technique, they all disintegrated and scattered just as soon as they burst out from the light curtain, achieving nothing at all.
There was a rumble as everyone’s attacks hit the light curtain in front of them, which only trembled for a moment before breaking apart as if it were a popped bubble.
Rough sighs filled the tunnel as the group felt as if they’d just avoided a great catastrophe.
“As expected, this barrier has really fallen into disrepair over the years.” Yang Tai was the first to speak with an embarrassed expression on his face.
Everyone saw the situation clearly just now. The barrier had deteriorated so much that it was unable to sustain itself after being activated, crumbling away by itself. Otherwise, the skulls that came out of it would have given them a lot of trouble, not to mention that the light curtain from the barrier was broken in just an instant.
“Brother Gong must have seen through it from the very beginning, right?” Yang Tai turned to Gong Yue, “If Brother Gong had warned me, then this Yang would not have embarrassed himself so.”
Even though he was complaining, it was more jest than anything else.
Gong Yue smiled and did not answer, a profound and inscrutable look on his face.
Wu Kuang Yi frowned. He was obviously annoyed at Yang Tai’s self-assertion, leaving everyone in fear for nothing; however, since it was just a false alarm, there wasn’t much he could say.
With this experience, everyone became more alert. Even though the barrier they encountered did not unleash too much power due to its deteriorated state, who could guarantee that all the barriers and arrays here were the same?
Yang Tai, who was taking the lead, did not dare to be too eager to prove himself again, and could only take things one steady step at a time.
They did encounter more barriers that they activated on their way, but as they took turns to test the barriers, they all reacted just like the first one. None of these Spirit Arrays were able to do much due to their extreme age. Most of their effects were short-lived, and some did not respond at all.
Despite that, the group was still in awe of them.
That was because these barriers gave off a very strong feeling. Nobody could imagine how strong they were when they were at their peak state, or how powerful the Grandmaster was who arranged such Spirit Arrays.
Four hours later, Yang Tai suddenly showed a look of joy as he swept his eyes around and said excitedly, “We’ve found the right path!”
Wu Kuang Yi and Hua Yu Lu exchanged glances, both smiling.
They had finally found the path that they passed through last time, and as long as they followed this path, they would not encounter any more danger until they reached the Sealing Array that obstructed their way forward last time.
They were all curious to know what was hidden away behind that Spirit Array.
Even though they had found the correct path, Yang Tai still did not put down his guard, still maintaining the profound light from his mirror artifact, quietly and contentedly leading the way.
Another hour passed before the group arrived at a humongous rock cave that spanned several kilometres in space. They had gotten used to walking through narrow tunnels, so being here felt like they were blessed with the first light of dawn.
Like the one before it, this rock cave was also empty, with only sharp stone pillars scattered around the place. Some were standing, others were hanging upside down. They were erected in all sorts of strange positions.
At the end of the cave though, a large and heavy-looking door caught everyone’s attention.
The huge door was several tens of metres in size and was embedded into a part of the cave wall, the seams tightly sealed. The gazes of everyone burned hot as they looked towards the large door as if there were precious treasures hidden behind it.
Yang Kai had already seen this door before in the image that Hua Yu Lu sent to him, but seeing it as an image and in person were two different things.
When he saw it with his own eyes, Yang Kai could sense an extremely eerie aura coming off of this door, as if something bad was eager to escape and engulf them from behind the door.
The door was red in colour, as if it were dyed in blood, and even after countless aeons, it still looked as good as new.
Many complicated patterns were engraved onto the door that gave off a profound and mysterious aura. It was those patterns and images that came together to form an ancient Spirit Array, sealing the door so that no one could peek into the world inside.
The group of seven stood in front of the door, each of them with a different expression on their face.
Yang Tai’s expression was one of indescribable fervour, and for some reason, his lips were trembling with excitement. On the other hand, though Wu Kuang Yi and Hua Yu Lu were also feeling excited, more of what they felt was eagerness and curiosity. They both wanted to know what sort of good things they could find hidden behind that door.
Fang Zhuo looked as indifferent as ever, while Gong Yue’s eyes narrowed, studying the door seriously.
Chen Bing Ru was the one to finally break the silence when she asked, “Can this barrier not simply be broken?”
Wu Kuang Yi shook his head, “Last time, all three of us joined forces but still couldn’t even shake it. If Lady Chen is interested, you can give it a try yourself.”
Chen Bing Ru answered lightly, “No need.”
Even though she had a Second-Order Emperor Realm level cultivation, and was slightly stronger compared to Hua Yu Lu and the others, she didn’t want to bother wasting her time if the three of them failed to do anything despite joining forces.
“Brother Gong, we’ll have to trouble you with this,” Yang Tai turned around, his expression indescribably serious, as if what he was entrusting to Gong Yue was a matter of life or death.
Gong Yue smiled, “I will do my best. You can all rest for a bit while I study this carefully.”
“Good,” Yang Tai nodded and turned around. “You should all rest as well as there may be a need for us to assist later.”
Yang Kai smiled, “With Old Patriarch Gong here, why should we make a mess of things?”
Yang Tai said, “We wouldn’t know. There may be opportunities where our power is truly needed.”
“That’s true.” Yang Kai smiled and said nothing more before shooting a glance at Hua Yu Lu, motioning for the two of them to move to the side to rest.
Inside the rock cave, Gong Yue busied himself, standing in front of the giant blood-coloured door and constantly making gestures with an occasional change in his expression.
The rest of the group was sitting down and meditating, but Yang Tai seemed a little restless. He would walk back and forth and occasionally turn to the giant blood-coloured door to take a look, but he didn’t dare to interrupt Gong Yue’s work.
Wu Kuang Yi beckoned him to sit down, but Yang Tai declined with a smile.
“Senior Brother Yang, is there anything else that seems out of place?” Hua Yu Lu quietly asked through her Divine Sense.
Yang Kai’s eyes remained closed as he responded, “Let’s wait and see.”
He did not see anything worth getting suspicious about so far, other than the previous suspicion he had about Gong Yue’s identity; however, that was just a suspicion in the end. He was not really sure, so he naturally couldn’t give Hua Yu Lu any definite answers.
Whether this suspicion would become reality or not would depend on how Gong Yue acted next.
While resting, he immersed his consciousness into the jade slip that Nanmen Da Jun gave him, once again studying its contents and memorizing some key points in his mind.
Half a day later, Gong Yue suddenly stepped back, and looking at the giant blood-coloured door, he smiled and called out to everyone, “Everyone, please come.”
When the group heard this, they all got up and headed over, especially Yang Tai. He rushed over to Gong Yue’s side eagerly and asked, “Brother Gong, were you able to figure anything out?”
Gong Yue stroked his beard with a smile, “A little.”
“Good, very good! As long as we have a direction,” Yang Tai’s face flushed with excitement.
“But if we want to break the array, it will require everyone’s help.”
When he heard this, Yang Kai’s heart could not help but thump and he narrowed his eyes, the suspicions in his heart growing stronger.
Wu Kuang Yi followed up, “May I ask what Old Patriarch Gong needs us to do? Most of us are not proficient in the Dao of Spirit Arrays. Only Brother Fang has some insight in the matter.”
Gong Yue smiled, “Proficiency in Spirit Arrays is not required, you just have to coordinate with this Old Master, and also place your trusts in this Old Master unconditionally!”
All of them looked at each other, but none of them knew what level of trust this man expected of them though, so Yang Tai said, “Since we asked for Brother Gong’s help, we will naturally trust you.”
“That’s good, then.” Gong Yue smiled, “I will teach everyone a set of techniques. Once you’re all familiarized with it, we can arrange the Spirit Array together that will be able to break this seal.”
“Then what are we waiting for? I’ll be troubling Brother Gong to teach us,” Yang Tai said eagerly.
Smiling, Gong Yue took out several blank jade slips, engraved some contents into them with his Divine Sense, then handed them out to everyone.
Yang Kai accepted his and swept his Divine Sense over it, looking through the contents thoroughly before sighing in his heart.
Even though he did not know what was branded in the jade slips of the others, it was obviously going to be different from his own. Arranging a joint array like this would involve each person having different tasks. At times like these, a centre point was required to coordinate the powers of everyone into one, and this centre point was undoubtedly going to be Gong Yue.
The centremost position controls the most delicate part of the Spirit Array, and as the core, Gong Yue would be able to control the others in the formation to a certain extent once the Spirit Array was formed. Of course, as the array had the ability to interfere directly with a person’s life, this sort of control was not easily accepted by Emperor Realm Masters.
That was why Gong Yue had said that everyone had to have unconditional trust in him.
Without trust, the joint array would not succeed.
Yang Kai did not look too closely at the jade slips’ contents, the reason being that he had already seen this before.
After all, these instructions were recorded in the jade slip given to him by Nanmen Da Jun.
That day, he asked Bian Yu Qing to bring back information about the ancient Spirit Array to High Heaven Palace and ask Nanmen Da Jun to carefully formulate a plan to crack it. And, as expected of the Emperor Array Master, Nanmen Da Jun was able to come up with three solutions in just a month’s time.
One of them was a method to break the array using another array, like what Gong Yue was trying to do now, but if they really tried to do that, then they would be falling into someone else’s trap. To completely break the ancient seal on the giant blood-coloured door this way, another factor was needed, an extremely wicked one.
Yang Kai was going to help Hua Yu Lu and the others break the Spirit Array using a different method Nanmen Da Jun came up with and then search around to see if there was anything good inside, but he didn’t expect to meet Gong Yue halfway through this plan.
With such an Array Grandmaster in the team, there was no further need for him to step up.
But Gong Yue’s actions made him suspicious. If he was only a little suspicious of Gong Yue’s identity before, then he could now conclude that there was a problem with Gong Yue. It was very likely that there was a problem with Yang Tai as well. As for the last individual, Yang Kai wasn’t sure yet.
When he raised his head to glance at Yang Tai, he saw a focused expression on his face. He seemed to be reading through the contents of the jade slip, but his Divine Sense was actually focused elsewhere, secretly communicating with someone else.
Yang Kai understood at once.
Seemingly having noticed his gaze, Gong Yue suddenly looked at him and smiled, “Little Brother Yang, do you have any questions?”
“I do!” Yang Kai declared in a particularly loud voice that echoed back and forth in the rock cave, interrupting the concentration of the others, causing Wu Kuang Yi and the others to frown with displeasure.
Gong Yue was slightly taken aback, but still asked calmly, “What does Little Brother Yang not understand? Maybe this Old Master can explain.”
“Only one thing…” Yang Kai looked at him with a piercing gaze, narrowing his eyes slowly, “Who are you?”
Gong Yue’s smile stiffened slightly, while the other Emperor Realm Masters also looked over in surprise. They had stunned expressions on their faces, and even the contents of the jade slip didn’t matter to them anymore.
After being dumbfounded for a moment, Hua Yu Lu immediately moved over to Yang Kai’s side, as if to seek a sense of security.
There was a long silence in the rock cave with only Yang Kai’s aggressive gaze that looked as if he wanted to cut open Gong Yue’s head and expose the secrets hidden within it.
“What are you trying to imply?” The first one to question him was not Gong Yue, but rather Wu Kuang Yi. He seemed to be the more straightforward type that would ask any questions he had in his heart without reservation.
“I mean exactly what I said!” Yang Kai responded bluntly.
Wu Kuang Yi frowned and was secretly annoyed with Yang Kai’s attitude, but there were no problems with Yang Kai’s answer, he was just taken by surprise.
“What grudges does little brother have against me? Or is it a grudge against my Gong Family?” Gong Yue asked, the faint smile from before returning to his face.
“I have no grudge with you or the Gong Family at all,” Yang Kai shook his head.
Gong Yue smiled, “If there is no grudge between us, then why does little brother question my identity time and time again?”
Yang Kai had already questioned him once when he arrived, but it was Fang Zhuo verifying Gong Yue’s attainments in the Dao of Spirit Arrays that convinced everyone of his identity as the Gong Family’s former Patriarch.
It was now the second time, and even a stoic man would have some fire in him. As the former Patriarch of the Gong Family, and a Second-Order Emperor Realm Master, not being angry despite being questioned in such a way was enough to show how well he had tempered his patience. If it were someone else who had a hotter temper than his, he would probably have made a move against Yang Kai already.
“This Old Master is this Old Master, Gong Yue, former Patriarch of the Gong Family who stepped down two hundred years ago.” Gong Yue suddenly raised his voice, even straightening his back up somewhat, asserting his identity loud and clear.
“Please desist, Little Brother Yang Jiu. This Old Master guarantees with his life that there is absolutely no problem with Brother Gong’s identity.” Yang Tai stepped out to smooth out the situation, but there seemed to be a touch of worry between his brows, which was extremely obvious, as he urged, “Now is not the time to dwell on this. We should find a way to break the ancient seal first before anything else.”
“If the problem is not solved and we can’t work together, how will we break the array?” Yang Kai turned to him and asked.
“You…” A trace of anger emerged on Yang Tai’s face, clearly directed at him.
“This Brother Yang is right,” Chen Bing Ru who had been silent the whole time suddenly spoke up.
Yang Tai turned his head to look at her in surprise, “Lady Chen, even you…”
Chen Bing Ru was the helper he invited, and the two shared a close personal relationship; however, he never would have expected her to be the one to stand on Yang Kai’s side at this time, which inexplicably hurt him.
Chen Bing Ru smiled, “Quell your anger, Brother Yang. Through the bumpy journey of our cultivation up to this point, who would not be careful in the face of danger? It’s just like walking on thin ice. Without constant care and balance, I’m afraid we would all have returned to nature just like the masses of people before us. So, I would like to hear what this Little Brother Yang has to say, and what he wishes to convey.”
She turned her beautiful and elegant eyes to Yang Kai, who nodded in regard to her.
She didn’t trust Yang Kai, but since there was a problem, they naturally had to listen. It wouldn’t take up much time anyway.
Wu Kuang Yi hesitated for a long time, but he still spoke out at this moment, “What are you suspicious of? Let us hear it!”
Yang Kai said, “I’ve already said it before.”
Gong Yue sighed, “Your suspicions are baseless.”
Yang Tai turned to Hua Yu Lu, heartbroken, “Palace Master Hua, this is the helper you found? If he does not want to help, then why must he come to destroy our unity and stability? Now look, we are having internal problems before we even attempt to break this Spirit just because of one nonsensical statement.”
Hua Yu Lu blushed slightly, hesitated a moment, then declared, “I… trust Senior Brother Yang.”
Yang Tai’s face went dark as he bellowed at Yang Kai, “Little brat, if you’re unwilling to participate in cracking this array, then you can leave now. You are also an Emperor Realm Master, so you should remember the way. Just go! This Old Master won’t force you to stay!”
Yang Kai smiled, “If I go, then how will the Spirit Array be completed?”
Yang Tai grunted, “As long as Brother Gong is here, what would it matter if you were gone? Brother Gong alone could break the array!”
Yang Kai turned to look at Gong Yue, a smile covering his face, “Then you should ask the ‘Former Gong Family Patriarch’ whether five people can complete the Six Points One Centre Array!”
Gong Yue looked shocked at these words, while Fang Zhuo, who had not spoken a word this whole time looked at Yang Kai with a stunned expression on his face.
Yang Tai’s mouth was wide open as he stared dumbfoundedly at Yang Kai.
This behaviour allowed the others present to immediately understand that what Yang Kai said was not without merit.
The Spirit Array that Gong Yue was trying to arrange was precisely the Six Points One Centre Array; only, nobody knew it until Yang Kai said it. The jade slips that Gong Yue passed them only contained the method to arrange their part of the array and not much detail on what everyone else was meant to do. They only had to follow these instructions and work together with the others, making it less complicated.
Everyone believed that the jade slip that Yang Kai received should be the same as well.
Then the question arose, how did he know about the name ‘Six Points One Centre Array’? And, from his words, the Spirit Array required the assistance of a full six people in order to complete. Even one less would not work.
Everyone then turned their heads to Gong Yue, only to see him with a deep frown on his brows, as if he were extremely surprised.
“Brother Yang is also proficient in the Dao of Spirit Arrays?” Fang Zhuo observed Yang Kai with great interest, thinking that this guy really hid well. He himself had some knowledge in Spirit Arrays; otherwise, he wouldn’t have been invited by Wu Kuang Yi. If Gong Yue was not here, then he would’ve been the one with the most profound attainments in the Dao of Spirit Arrays and they may have had to rely on his ability in order to crack the ancient seal.
But even he knew nothing about this so-called Six Points One Centre Array. This Spirit Array was clearly an extremely rare and profound Spirit Array, but he didn’t think that Yang Jiu would be able to see through it at a glance, which he was secretly in admiration of.
But to his surprise, Yang Kai actually shook his head, “I don’t know anything about the Dao of Spirit Arrays. I just happen to know about this Six Points One Centre Array, that’s all.”
There was only one Spirit Array that he was proficient with, and that was the Space Array! And even that was all thanks to Yang Yan’s careful teaching and his own talent in the Dao of Space. If not for these two factors, Yang Kai would really know nothing about arranging or cracking Spirit Arrays.
But Fang Zhuo did not say anything else after that, assuming that Yang Kai was just being modest. It was clearly impossible for someone like Yang Kai, who even knew about such an obscure Spirit Array, to not know anything about this Dao.
“I’m right, aren’t I, ‘Old Patriarch Gong’?” Yang Kai cocked his head to the side and stared at Gong Yue.
Gong Yue’s smile did not return, but he still nodded in acknowledgement, “That’s right. The Spirit Array that this Old Master intends to arrange is indeed the Six Points One Centre Array.”
Even though they’d guessed it from the start, everyone was still shocked when they heard Gong Yue admit it with his own mouth.
“But what does this have to do with this Old Master’s identity?” Gong Yue asked, “This Old Master is still this Old Master. Little Brother, have you made a mistake?”
Chen Bing Ru nodded, “That’s right. Little Brother Yang, what does the Six Points One Centre Array have to do with Old Patriarch Gong’s identity? Even though this Mistress does not know much about Spirit Arrays, this Six Points One Centre Array must be very profound according to what is recorded in these jade slips. Old Patriarch Gong even explained it to us simply and clearly, so that someone like this Mistress can learn it easily. This isn’t something that just anyone can achieve.”
Yang Kai frowned slightly and was silent for a moment, “Fine, let’s say that there’s nothing wrong with Old Patriarch Gong’s identity, that’s not the main problem.”
“What is, then?” Wu Kuang Yi asked. He had been getting a little impatient, but Yang Kai’s seriousness made him realize that there was more to this issue than meets the eye and he also needed answers for his own safety.
“The Six Points One Centre Array itself is the issue…” Yang Kai was speaking to the others, but his eyes remained fixed on Gong Yue the whole time, “Everyone has already seen the contents of the jade slips, so you should have some understanding of the principles and structure of this array. I must inform everyone that this Six Points One Centre Array, once arranged and activated, will allow six people to become six poles, while a seventh individual will serve as the core of the Spirit Array. As for who this core will be, obviously, Old Patriarch Gong must assume that role. However, the longer the Spirit Array is maintained, the stronger the control he will gain over us six, and once it reaches a certain limit, he will be able to freely control us, including whether we live or die. Regardless of how strong we are, we won’t be able to free ourselves from his bindings then.”
As soon as he finished speaking, the faces of everyone changed dramatically and they all turned their eyes towards Gong Yue.
If what Yang Kai said was true, then Gong Yue’s move was indeed questionable. He would actually gain control of everyone here after the Six Points One Centre Array was arranged, which they found to be simply unacceptable.
Under everyone’s sharp gaze, Gong Yue still responded calmly, “That is why this Old Master said earlier that everyone must trust me unconditionally! Only then can we combine all our strengths and crack this Spirit Array.”
Yang Kai grunted, “It’s not the Six Points One Centre Array that’s going to break the array, but rather another method… you want us to become blood sacrifices, right?”
“Blood sacrifices?” Wu Kuang Yi jumped in surprise. Even though he was just hearing Yang Kai speak, cold sweat was already pouring down his back.
Yang Kai smirked, “Brother Wu may not know, but while cracking this seal may seem outwardly complex, there is actually a much simpler method, and that is to offer it enough fresh blood. You didn’t try this method when you came here last time, did you?”
“Offering… fresh blood?” Wu Kuang Yi’s face paled, asking in trepidation, “How much blood?”
“Who knows? Maybe it’ll be enough after he bleeds us dry,” Yang Kai shrugged as if he was talking about something that had nothing to do with him.
Making a blood sacrifice was not the only way to break the array, but it was the simplest way, and not just any cultivator’s blood would do. The stronger the cultivator, the greater the effects. The blood of several Emperor Realm Masters should barely be enough.
Wu Kuang Yi turned his head to Gong Yue and asked in disbelief, “Old Patriarch Gong, is what he says true?”
Fang Zhuo and Chen Bing Ru also turned their questioning gazes to him. As for Hua Yu Lu, she naturally stood by Yang Kai’s side and believed him without a hint of doubt. She was also the only one here who knew about Yang Kai’s real identity, and as an Elder of Azure Sun Temple, she trusted that Yang Kai wouldn’t harm her or those of the Southern Territory. This was not because she understood Yang Kai, but because he now represented Azure Sun Temple.
It was only at this point that everyone understood why Yang Kai had doubts about Gong Yue’s identity.
Because if Gong Yue was truly the former Patriarch of the Gong Family, then there was no reason for him to act in such a deceitful and cruel manner. The Heavenly River Valley’s Gong Family’s golden signboard would be completely smashed if he were to do this.
They were all secretly relieved that this Yang Jiu knew so much about the Six Points One Centre Array. Otherwise, they may really have fallen into someone’s trap today, but on second thought, why did Yang Jiu know that a blood sacrifice was able to break the array? He said that he didn’t know anything about Spirit Arrays just now, but he was able to speak clearly and eloquently about this Six Points One Centre Array. His words were somewhat contradictory.
“So it turns out Little Brother Yang is a man of the same path. Forgive my disrespect.” Gong Yue smirked at Yang Kai. There was a trace of surprise in his eyes, but he was not panicked.
When Yang Kai saw that expression, he immediately had a bad feeling about it, as if he had missed something critical.
“Old Patriarch Gong… What he said… Is it all true?” Wu Kuang Yi’s eyes widened, “You really mean to use us as blood sacrifices to break the array?”
Gong Yue smiled, “Indeed, I do.”
After he said that, a noise suddenly emerged from Gong Yue’s body, as if something had been broken.
At the same time, Yang Kai’s face changed drastically as he finally realized what he had overlooked. Swiftly, he threw away the jade slip in his hands and was just about to warn the others, but he was too late.
With a crack, the jade slips in everyone’s hands burst, each of them turning into a stream of light that wrapped around each person.
Everyone in the room here was an Emperor Realm Master, so their reaction speed couldn’t be said to be slow. Each of them moved to counter the light the instant the jade slips burst, but unfortunately, Gong Yue’s actions were still faster.
He raised his hand and shot out two black lights that formed black curtains, one enveloping Wu Kuang Yi and the others, the other specifically targeting Yang Kai.
Yang Kai quickly stepped back to dodge, but found that the more he tried to retreat, the closer the black light got to him. Caught off guard, his vision went black for a moment before the scenery around him suddenly changed.
By the time he recovered, all Yang Kai could see around him was an endless ocean filled with loud crashing waves and a hot sun beaming down from above.
He had actually arrived above a vast sea, unable to distinguish left or right, north or south, up or down. All he saw was the tall sky and vast sea as he stood alone.
“Array Plate!” Yang Kai’s face suddenly turned dark.
This was an illusion, Yang Kai could be sure of that, and to be able to arrange such a large-scale illusion with such realistic effects, even Gong Yue would not be able to achieve such a thing in an instant. The only explanation was him using an Array Plate!
After an Illusion Array like this was imprinted into the Array Plate, the user needed only to summon it directly when they needed it. It was quick and convenient, with the only drawback being that it couldn’t be compared to arranging a real Illusion Array, making it far less powerful.
But the Illusion Array Plate that Gong Yue used was of a very high grade and could undoubtedly trap Yang Kai for a while, especially now that his Soul had not fully recovered, greatly reducing his strength.
But he believed that given enough time, he should be able to find this Illusion Array’s weak point.
The jade slips that had the information about the Six Points One Centre Array recorded on them were clearly Array Plates as well. Sure enough, Gong Yue was an old fox, having made preparations beforehand so that even if someone like Yang Kai uncovered his plot, he would still have the ability to subdue everyone in a flash.
Yang Kai was the only one who realized it early and threw out the jade slip, but he still could not avoid the fate of being trapped.
Now, Hua Yu Lu and the others must have fallen into Gong Yue’s Spirit Arrays, and as an Array Grandmaster and a Second-Order Emperor, Gong Yue could definitely release strength comparable to a Third-Order Emperor inside these Spirit Arrays.
In other words, even if Hua Yu Lu and the others joined forces, they may not be able to defeat him.
Yang Kai had to rush to their aid.
But obviously, he wouldn’t get that chance.
Suddenly, a figure appeared above the sea. Yang Tai appeared mysteriously and began staring down Yang Kai with a cold look on his face. His amiable image from before was nowhere to be seen as he glared at Yang Kai as if he was guilty of killing his father and stealing his wife, ruthless hatred filling his eyes.
“As I expected, you really are accomplices,” Yang Kai coldly snorted at Yang Tai when he saw him appear. At the same time, he was silently looking for a way to break out of this Illusion Array.
Yang Tai was the one who invited Gong Yue, and since Gong Yue was suspect, Yang Tai was naturally suspicious as well. When Yang Kai saw Yang Tai enter the illusion realm so simply just now, his previous doubts were immediately confirmed.
“Accomplices?” Yang Tai sneered, “Think what you want. I was most wary of Fang Zhuo at first, but I didn’t think you’d be the one to spoil everything. It seems I’ve underestimated you.”
Yang Kai’s face was extremely dark as he thought for a moment before asking, “So that Gong Yue really is the Gong Family’s former Patriarch?”
Even though he doubted Gong Yue’s identity twice, he understood that he was wrong after he was trapped in this Illusion Array. Gong Yue was most likely exactly who he said he was as only someone from the Gong Family would be able to carry around so many Array Plates with them and be able to deploy such profound Illusion Arrays in an instant.
What Yang Kai did not expect was that the Gong Family’s former Patriarch would actually be so vicious as to disregard the family’s reputation just for the sake of one Ancient Cave Mansion.
“Brother Gong is naturally the real Brother Gong. I don’t know why you’re suspecting him.” Yang Tai looked at Yang Kai with a mocking gaze, as if laughing at him for thinking himself clever.
Yang Kai sighed, “Anyway, you and Gong Yue are in the same boat. That I’m not wrong about.”
But Yang Kai made another mistake. He thought that Fang Zhuo was also one of their accomplices because Fang Zhuo had lost too quickly during his Spirit Array match with Gong Yue, which was what verified Gong Yue’s identity for everyone.
Yang Kai thought that he was just acting, so he was suspicious of Fang Zhuo as well, but now he knew that Gong Yue was the real deal, and really did have the ability to crush Fang Zhuo when it came to Spirit Arrays.
“Are you trying to find this array’s weak spot?” Yang Tai himself was a First-Order Emperor, and he also had the wisdom that came with age, so it was naturally impossible for him to not realize Yang Kai’s intentions here. However, he did not seem to show any fear, nor was he in any rush to stop Yang Kai’s movements. Instead, he showed a taunting smile, “Then you better look properly, because Brother Gong’s Spirit Arrays don’t come with many flaws.”
Yang Kai suddenly turned his head and looked straight at him and muttered, “So that’s how it is.”
Yang Tai laughed, “So you figured it out?”
Yang Kai nodded, “It’s all thanks to your words. You are the centre of this Spirit Array, its Array Core so to speak.”
Yang Tai nodded readily, “That’s right. I entered this array with control of the Array Core, so it is quite a simple task to break this array. You just have to kill me.” He smiled smugly like an old fox that had snatched a chicken, “But… Do you have that ability?”
It wasn’t that he looked down on Yang Kai. Even though the two of them were around the same realm in terms of cultivation, he had seen Yang Kai’s moves when they were cutting through the poison mist. His attacks were weak and it was hard for him to keep up, his aura was also fluctuating and unstable, proving the speculation the group had about Yang Kai being injured. What’s more, Yang Tai gained control of this Illusion Array from Gong Yue, becoming its Array Core, so he could exert strength far beyond that of just an ordinary First-Order Emperor here.
That was why he had no fear. Even if Yang Kai realized where the Array Core was, he still couldn’t break this array.
“Why?” Yang Kai furrowed his brows.
“What do you mean why?” Yang Tai wasn’t in a hurry to make a move as he had an absolute advantage at this moment and knew he could strike at any time to effortlessly take Yang Kai’s life.
“Nobody knows what’s hidden behind that giant blood-coloured door. It may be treasure, or it may be a deathtrap. Who can say anything for certain regarding things from ancient times? Why would you even go to the extent of killing others for it?”
Yang Tai laughed and shook his head, “You understand nothing, nothing at all!”
“That’s why I’m asking for clarification.”
Yang Tai frowned as he muttered, seemingly to himself, “There’s something very important in there. Very, very important. I must get my hands on it!”
Yang Kai was surprised, “You know what’s inside? How could you possibly know?”
The giant blood-coloured door had an ancient seal on it, and it was because Yang Tai, Wu Kuang Yi, and Hua Yu Lu were unable to break it that they agreed to go out and find helpers then come back to try again half a year later. Before the seal was broken, no one could possibly know what secrets were hidden inside.
Murdering four or five Emperor Realm Masters was not something someone would consider for uncertain benefits, but Yang Tai had done just that, even going so far as to invite Gong Yue to assist him.
His mutterings, however, clearly showed that he did have some knowledge about what lay beyond the giant blood-coloured door, which was the most surprising part to Yang Kai. To make things worse, Yang Tai didn’t seem to be in the right state of mind at the moment. It was as if he’d gone mad, with not even a trace of an Emperor Realm Master’s poise left in him.
Quietly, Yang Kai circulated his Spiritual Energy and a golden light flashed from his left eye. Speaking in an authoritative voice laced with his Divine Sense, Yang Kai called out, “Tell me, what’s in there?”
“Inside there? It’s…” Yang Tai began to speak, but as soon as he said a few words, his face suddenly changed.
At the same time, Yang Kai let out a stifled grunt, his face suddenly turning pale.
His Soul had been injured to begin with, and he was forcefully circulating his Spiritual Energy now. It would have been fine if Yang Tai hadn’t resisted, but this old fox reacted immediately and counterattacked, injuring Yang Kai again.
“You dare try to manipulate me?!” Yang Tai’s face twisted with fury in an instant and no longer wasted time with Yang Kai. Spreading his arms, the seawater behind him rose up into the sky, converging into a lifelike water dragon that swam through the sky and slammed towards Yang Kai.
Its dragon roar was so powerful that it shook the world, opening its giant maw as if it were going to swallow up Yang Kai.
Yang Kai could feel cold sweat dripping down his forehead. Even though he knew that this was all part of the Illusion Array, he didn’t dare to take this water dragon head-on. He wasn’t in the best condition right now, so any carelessness on his part may cause him irreparable damage.
So, in the face of such a terrifying blow, Yang Kai’s first reaction was to dodge.
His body flickered and moved several dozen metres at once, but before he could regain his footing, the seawater below him swirled up turbulently, forming a giant whirlpool out of which another water dragon surged.
Yang Tai sneered, “Little brat, you should just surrender without a fight. You are not this Old Master’s opponent!”
Even without the help of the Spirit Array, Yang Tai was confident that he could beat Yang Kai. Only, it would take a little more effort. Now that he had entered the Illusion Array as the Array Core and was able to control its power, it was even more impossible for Yang Kai to best him.
Despite controlling two water dragons at once to chase after Yang Kai, Yang Tai’s mouth did not remain idle, “Even though a blood sacrifice is needed, your lives may not have been needed. You could have just helped this Old Master open up the seal if you obediently cooperated, it’s not like this Old Master must take your life. But if this Old Master catches you now… heh heh!”
He did not say what the consequences would be, but his threat couldn’t be more obvious.
How could Yang Kai believe him though? Without a word, he dodged the two water dragons’ attacks, escaping several close calls and gradually closing in on Yang Tai.
“Since you refuse a toast, you must drink a loss!” Yang Tai tried to persuade him but received no response, spoiling his mood, so he raised his hand and another two water dragons rose from the sea to pursue Yang Kai.
Yang Kai’s situation was getting worse and worse now, like a tiny wooden boat caught in the middle of an ocean storm, at risk of breaking apart at any moment. But each time he seemed to be in danger, Yang Kai was able to avoid the attacks of the water dragons at the most critical moment, which caused Yang Tai to bellow in anger, consumed by fury.
Yang Tai had completely lost the bearing of an Emperor Realm Master. Ever since he saw the giant blood-coloured door, Yang Kai noticed that something wasn’t quite right about Yang Tai. He seemed to be more hotheaded than usual and suffered from huge mood swings. It was slightly more hidden and not too obvious before, but it had become extremely conspicuous after he entered into a fight with Yang Kai in the Illusion Array.
Four water dragons became six, then eight, then ten…
When the water dragons above the sea became as many as fifteen, Yang Tai’s robes began billowing on their own with an audible flutter. The Emperor Qi pulsing from his body was constantly threshing like boiling water. His eyes were bloodshot and he was staring hard at Yang Kai as he moved back and forth. Yang Tai was now like a volcano that was about to erupt, harbouring a great deal of heated rage.
There was no way Yang Tai could not be angry at this moment though as he thought he would be able to take down Yang Kai as easily as crushing a bug with his great strength and the assistance of the Spirit Array. But reality was different, and no matter how dangerous the situation seemed to look for Yang Kai, he would always be able to turn peril into safety at the critical moment. The disparity between his expectations and reality was hard for Yang Tai to accept, and his anger continued to climb.
His anger reached its peak once he summoned fifteen water dragons.
He was focused on controlling those dragons and pursued Yang Kai for quite a while, finally trapping him somewhere in the sea with no room to escape.
As dragon roars sounded, the huge writhing water dragons rammed towards Yang Kai.
Yang Tai sneered, “Little brat, you should be glad that you still have some use. This Old Master will not kill you now, but you’ll have a taste of something even more painful than death after this!”
Yang Kai stood above the sea, watching the fifteen water dragons that were crashing down on him. As if he’d resigned to his fate, he no longer dodged like before, but there didn’t seem to be much panic on his face either.
Fierce auras were pouncing over in all directions, sending chills down Yang Kai’s body before the attacks even arrived.
But right at that moment, something happened.
As if they were having cramps, the fifteen water dragons suddenly stopped, squirmed a few times, then collapsed into giant splashes of rain that poured down from the sky.
Yang Tai was stunned and his expression twisted as he hissed, “What have you done?!”
He thought that Yang Kai secretly performed some sort of trick to break his ability to control the Spirit Array without him knowing, but he was confused to find that he was still the Array Core here, with nothing having changed.
Yang Kai grinned, “Even though I am not too proficient in Spirit Arrays, I do know one thing… And that is that sometimes one’s strength falls short, making it impossible to perform, especially for an old man like you.”
The enraged Yang Tai’s face became even more ugly at his words.
But Yang Kai’s words also made him realize that the water dragons did not break as a result of something Yang Kai did, but rather because he exceeded his own limits, causing the illusion to go out of control. He didn’t even notice such a simple thing until Yang Kai reminded him about it.
Yang Tai quickly tried to reassert control over the Illusion Array and was determined to be more careful this time. He had fought with Yang Kai for such a long time that he had more or less figured out his details. Even if this little brat was a bit faster than him, there was nothing else about him worth paying any attention to.
But Yang Kai wasn’t going to give Yang Tai any more chances.
He had been running and dodging all this while just for this chance, so how could Yang Kai not grasp this opportunity well?
He quickly formed a set of profound hand seals as a strange aura began to expand from his body. As this aura spread out, Yang Tai suddenly felt as if trying to think was an extremely difficult thing, like his mind had frozen at that moment. Everything in the world then stopped, as if time had been disturbed.
When he came to his senses, he heard Yang Kai’s murmurs in his ears.
“Time Flows on Infinitely, Like a Mighty Stream, Like an Unending Dream!”
A seal suddenly flew out towards him, and it wasn’t until it came close that Yang Tai woke up from his daze. Before this, he didn’t even feel any traces of Yang Kai’s movements, as if his memory of that moment had been erased.
As he was struck by the seal, Yang Tai was knocked down into the sea below, blood splashing out that dyed the water red.
He paid a heavy price for his carelessness and underestimating his foe.
Time Principles began to erode his old body, and the little lifespan he had left in him rapidly melted away, causing him to panic. He had no idea what to do in this situation.
Just as Yang Tai was feeling at a loss, Yang Kai caught up to him underwater. His movements were strong and nimble, even in this environment, and he was able to arrive in front of Yang Tai in just a breath. Raising his hand, Yang Kai thrust out his palm, causing the surrounding water to surge. Even though this wasn’t some kind of Secret Technique, it wasn’t a strike the current Yang Tai could handle.
Yang Tai let out a strange cry as his body was torn apart.
Yang Kai did not feel the slightest joy after his strike landed though, and instead turned his eyes to the side.
There, a gigantic catfish with thick whiskers was swimming away quickly, fleeing several kilometres in the blink of an eye.
This catfish was actually Yang Tai. At the most critical moment, he used the power of the Illusion Array to create the scene of him being killed in front of Yang Kai while disguising himself as a fish to escape.
Yang Tai himself was definitely incapable of really transforming like this, but he could do as he pleased thanks to the Illusion Array.
Ten kilometres away, the catfish leapt out of the sea and changed back to reveal the figure of an elderly man. Right now, Yang Tai was not as casual and confident as before; instead, he was in a miserable state. There were large blots of red on his chest, and as he bent over and coughed violently a few times, he appeared more like a terminally ill patient that was about to die than a powerful Emperor Realm Master.
The Time Flies Seal was still eroding every part of his body, right down to his bones, causing Yang Tai to panic. No matter how he tried to resist this strange force, he couldn’t stop its rampage, much less disperse it.
Yang Kai also leapt out of the water, and panting lightly, he looked at Yang Tai from across the sky.
He injured Yang Tai, but he wasn’t in good shape himself either. Usually, he would be able to crush someone like Yang Tai easily, but in his current state, it would require more thought on his part, especially since his opponent had both favourable conditions and an advantageous position.
“Damn it. Damn you!” Yang Tai cursed through gritted teeth, his eyes filled with hatred.
Yang Kai waved his hand and sent out several Moon Blades before chasing after them.
He wasn’t clear about the situation outside, but he knew that it could only get worse the longer he delayed things here. Xia Sheng entrusted Hua Yu Lu to him, so he had to bring her back safely.
Yang Kai could ignore the lives of the others, but he couldn’t afford to make any mistakes with Hua Yu Lu.
He had the opportunity to strike first and he didn’t want to be passively beaten anymore, so he took the initiative into his own hands.
When the Moon Blades whistled over to him, Yang Tai stopped his cursing. He could feel the terrifying force contained within the Moon Blades, causing his face to change abruptly as his body began to melt away like water.
The Moon Blades cut through his body, but they weren’t able to harm him much.
Yang Tai had clearly begun exercising the Spirit Array’s might as well. The sea began to rage, and a thousand-metre-high wave rose up, transforming into a water giant that vaguely shared Yang Tai’s features.
The water giant walked on the waves, each and every step rolling up the tide of the sea into a terrifying attack.
Compared to Yang Kai, who continued his charge, it was simply like the difference between an ant and an elephant.
A moment later, Yang Kai arrived before the water giant, summoned his Myriads Sword, and sent out a series of sword lights that sliced huge gashes into his opponent. But no matter how Yang Kai attacked, the gashes would just restore themselves in short order.
The water giant that Yang Tai transformed into howled above the sea. Inside the Illusion Array, he was able to perform the Water Attribute attacks of the highest grade, pushing Yang Kai to the edge immediately.
Yang Kai thought about using his Dragon Transformation or even summoning the Mountains and Rivers Bell to end this once and for all, but his injuries would not allow him to do so. Right now, he could not even release half of his full strength.
Yang Tai gradually took the advantage, and steadily suppressed Yang Kai to the point where the latter couldn’t fight back.
The water giant howled, “I’ll rip your corpse into ten thousand pieces!”
He seemed to have forgotten about his original intention of taking Yang Kai’s blood to perform the blood sacrifice. Right now, all Yang Tai wanted was to end Yang Kai’s life right here.
Wisps of black Qi began seeping out from the body of the transparent water giant at that moment.
Sensing this black Qi, Yang Kai’s body shook as he shouted, “Demon Qi!”
His jaw instantly dropped.
He actually saw Demon Qi coming out of Yang Tai’s body. Even though it was neither pure nor dense, it was undoubtedly Demon Qi. Yang Kai couldn’t recognize it wrongly as he had just left the Thousand Illusions Dreamworld where he had fought for years with the Ancient Demons. His memory of their Qi was still fresh.
[How could Demon Qi come out from Yang Tai’s body?] Yang Kai couldn’t figure it out.
In ancient times, the Demon Race invaded the land several times, but they were always beaten back. The Two Worlds Passage should also have been sealed, so normal people couldn’t come into contact with Demon Qi.
But thinking about it again, Yang Kai had encountered Demon Qi several times before. Only, it was far purer than the Demon Qi Yang Tai was radiating.
Yang Tai must have obtained something as well that allowed him to develop Demon Qi.
All sorts of thoughts passed through his mind in a flash before it all suddenly clicked in Yang Kai’s mind, [Was it that Secret Technique?]
Hua Yu Lu told him that her trio had all gained something when they explored the Ancient Cave Mansion six months ago. She obtained the Little Flower Drum, Wu Kuang Yi made great advancements in his cultivation, and Yang Tai acquired a Secret Technique.
When they were on their way here, Yang Kai was lucky enough to see Yang Tai use that Secret Technique. It was power condensed into an ancient character. Even if he stayed in an ancient world for two years though, he still had no idea about the mysteries behind that character. He had only seen it once in the Shaman Divine Temple, and even the records inside were not clear.
But now, it appeared that the ancient character was not from this land, but was instead a Demon Race character.
The reason that records of it were available in the Shaman Divine Temple was to warn their descendants of the existence of these types of characters.
Yang Tai had unknowingly learned the true meaning of that character, and a trace of Demon Essence was thus formed in his body. As this Demon Essence awakened during this life or death battle with Yang Kai, it began releasing Demon Qi.
All of this was just his speculation, but Yang Kai couldn’t find a better explanation for the current situation. If what he thought was truly the case though, then all of Yang Tai’s strange behaviours would make sense. He was an Emperor Realm Master after all, and should have a corresponding level of intelligence and mental fortitude. Large emotional fluctuations and frenzied reactions towards certain things were definitely not something normal, but if he was being affected by Demon Qi hiding inside his body, then it would be perfectly reasonable to act in this manner.
Thinking about it this way, Yang Kai was shocked again. He speculated that perhaps it was a Demon Spirit that was born from the Demon Race character that gave Yang Tai insight into the secrets behind the giant blood-coloured door.
If that was true, then whatever was hidden behind that giant blood-coloured door was definitely related to the Demon Race.
“Yang Tai, you’ve become demonised and aren’t thinking straight!” Yang Kai bellowed.
Yang Tai ignored him, however, as the water giant he transformed into slammed its palm down, raising a huge wave that seemed like it wanted to shatter the entire world.
“Tell me, is there a Demon sealed behind that door?!” Yang Kai continued to shout, but this time he infused his Spiritual Energy into his voice and sent it directly into Yang Tai’s Soul, making it impossible for him to ignore.
Some Ancient Demons were very difficult to kill, just like the Giant One-Eyed Demon that Yang Kai encountered, which was sealed outside of Maplewood City. If what was sealed behind that giant blood-coloured door also happened to be such a Demon, or a part of such a Demon, then it definitely wouldn’t be a good thing to set it free.
Last time, Yang Kai just happened to seal an Ancient Demon’s Qi into his dantian, but such a miracle may not happen again this time.
This time, Yang Tai heard Yang Kai’s shout and the water giant’s movements stalled for a moment before turning furious, “How did you know that? How could you possibly know that!”
As if some unspeakable secret had been revealed, Yang Tai had become infuriated.
Yang Kai’s heart sank sharply hearing these words.
The water giant raised its palm again, slamming it down towards Yang Kai.
Yang Kai stood his ground this time though, not trying to evade. He took a deep breath and closed his eyes, but by the time they opened again, the aura surrounding his body had abruptly changed, taking on an ancient air.
He was now channeling his Shaman Strength.
After leaving the Thousand Illusions Dreamworld, Yang Kai had always wanted to try and see if he could still use his Shaman Strength; after all, he had cultivated this power for more than two years there, so he couldn’t just let it go to waste.
So, he attempted it several times on the way here.
The results pleasantly surprised him. He could freely switch between Emperor Qi and Shaman Strength now, with the two powers not conflicting with each other. Only, the Shaman Strength was a little weaker than his Emperor Qi, and the Shamanic Spells were a little strenuous to perform. It wasn’t as easy as the Secret Techniques of the modern day.
Another thing Yang Kai noticed was that though he could perform the Shamanic Spells, they weren’t as strong as they were inside the Thousand Illusions Dreamworld. It could only be used at eighty percent of its power.
Yang Kai felt that this must be due to the effects of the different World Principles.
The Ancient Barbarian Race could only cultivate Shamanic Spells because the World Principles of that era aligned with these techniques. Over time, slight changes also began to appear in the World Principles. The living beings of each era had their own specialties.
Yang Kai was forcefully using Shamanic Spells of the ancient times in this era, so it was only natural they wouldn’t be as effective.
This was just how it was, and nobody could change it.
While muttering an archaic incantation, Yang Kai quickly formed seals with his hands and a glowing light burst forth from his hands, spreading out in all directions with a loud bang.
“Demon Suppression!”
The light swept over towards the water giant’s body as Yang Kai’s voice sounded.
It didn’t cause any apparent damage, but the water giant seemed to take a hard hit, its actions halting as it lost all its momentum. At the same time, a grating cry sounded from the mouth of the water giant, naturally, it was Yang Tai.
The black Qi floating on the surface of the water giant’s body melted away like snowflakes under the sun after the light swept across it.
During the war inside the Thousand Illusions Dreamworld that lasted more than two years, the Barbarian Race also developed a number of Shamanic Spells to use against the Demon Race. The Demon Suppression Spell was born at that time. It did little in terms of lethality, but it could disrupt and suppress the power of a Demon.
Yang Kai had several dozen such Shamanic Spells in his possession, all of which were similar to each other.
After using Demon Suppression, Yang Kai began chanting again, quickly engulfing the water giant in front of him with another blinding light and drawing even more miserable screams from Yang Tai.
When Yang Kai cast the seventh Shamanic Spell, the huge water giant burst apart. Yang Tai’s screams also came to a screeching halt and the turbulent sea regained its calm.
Yang Kai’s expression looked solemn as he released his Divine Sense and searched for Yang Tai.
But he found nothing. Yang Tai’s aura had disappeared without a trace in this Illusion Array and a short moment later, Yang Kai was surprised to find the Illusion Array’s Core. Yang Tai had escaped and was no longer here.
The truth was just as Yang Kai observed. At this moment, from a cloud of blue smoke, a figure suddenly appeared inside the rock cave. Yang Tai had emerged in a miserable state, doubled over and coughing violently, blood dripping from numerous wounds all over his body.
“Brother Yang, you… How…” Not far away, Gong Yue who was presiding over the Six Points One Centre Array was shocked to see Yang Tai’s condition, almost causing a fault to appear in the Spirit Array. Currently the Six Points One Centre Array had already been arranged, with Hua Yu Lu, Fang Zhuo, Wu Kuang Yi, and Chen Bing Ru all suspended mid-air with pale faces, set in special positions according to the array’s principles, seemingly having lost the power to resist. There was a small cut on each of their bodies as well that red blood was trickling out of, and under Gong Yue’s manipulations, this blood was all gathering towards the giant blood-coloured door.
The giant blood-colour door also seemed to have transformed into a bottomless pit. No matter how much blood was brought to it, it would devour all of it without leaving a single drop. Following the inflow of blood, the giant blood-coloured door began emitting a strange glow.
Gong Yue was a Second-Order Emperor, and his strength was not bad to begin with, so having caught his opponents off guard and with the help of numerous Array Plates, Hua Yu Lu and the others weren’t his opponents at all. In the time that Yang Kai and Yang Tai were locked in battle, all the others had been restrained and no longer had the power to fight back.
Gong Yue thought that Yang Tai wouldn’t need to use much effort to take down Yang Jiu, but when Yang Tai showed up in such a terrible state, he realized he was wrong.
[That Yang Jiu actually defeated Yang Tai inside the Illusion Array. He had such capability?]
“How is the progress?” Yang Tai ignored Gong Yue’s surprise and was also no longer as friendly as before. There was a look of impatience on his brows and at the moment, he acted just like a king standing high above others, questioning his subordinates.
Gong Yue frowned, “My side is fine, but with two fewer people, the speed of cracking the array is going to be very slow. I still need about an hour.”
When the trapped Hua Yu Lu and the others heard these words, their faces turned ashen.
Breaking the array with a blood sacrifice was not as simple as it seemed. Every time their blood was drawn away, they could feel excruciating pain as if their insides were being torn apart. The only reason they weren’t screaming was because they were under the restraint of this Spirit Array.
Hearing that this was going to last another hour, the four people were all feeling terrified and uneasy. If that were truly the case, then they may as well commit suicide so they wouldn’t have to suffer this way.
“An hour is too long!” Yang Tai shouted, turning back towards a cloud of blue smoke. Yang Jiu was trapped inside this fog bank, but he no longer dared to go in and fight him.
Honestly, Yang Jiu’s performance surprised Yang Tai, but he wasn’t too worried about him at first. Only after he began using those strange Secret Techniques did Yang Tai become terrified. It was as if he’d met his natural enemy, an existence he had even lost the courage to face.
“Use my blood!” Yang Tai took the initiative to step towards Hua Yu Lu and the others, occupying another position in the array in a flash. Then, with his finger as a knife, he cut a wound on his own wrist and blood immediately gushed out in a torrent.
“Brother Yang, you…” Gong Yue looked at Yang Tai in surprise. He had the instinctive idea that this man was not in the right state of mind at this moment.
This wasn’t anything like what they planned. Even though Yang Tai was supposed to be part of the Six Points One Centre Array, the most important sources for the blood sacrifice were supposed to be the other five. As long as they drained those five dry, it should be enough to break the array.
But things didn’t happen quite as they expected. Firstly, Yang Jiu was able to see through part of their scheme, resulting in some accidents. Now, they couldn’t even gather everyone to complete the array with, but Yang Tai actually decided not to be stingy with his own blood and asked to participate as well, as if vowing to break open the Spirit Array even if it cost him his life.
“What are you waiting for? Hurry up!” When he saw Gong Yue’s hesitation, Yang Tai couldn’t help but urge him on, his tone even seeming hostile.
Gong Yue frowned, “Brother Yang, what you said is truly behind this door, right?”
At this point, Gong Yue was even thinking of withdrawing, mainly because of how worrying Yang Tai’s performance was. He couldn’t help but wonder if this was all worth doing in the first place.
Yang Tai coldly snorted, “You also know how deep and profound that character is, so you must know its might. There are more characters like that behind that door. The greatest secrets of the Martial Dao are hidden there, and as long as the seal is broken, you can easily break through to the Third-Order Emperor Realm. When that time comes, who will dare to underestimate your Heavenly River Valley Gong Family? As for your Gong Family’s reputation, who will know what happened here if they’re all dead? This Old Master is on your side, so I will naturally not reveal what happened today.”
Gong Yue’s expression fluctuated several times before he finally made up his mind, “Good!”
The main reason he agreed to work with Yang Tai to deceive the others here was because of the power he had seen behind that ancient character. At his First-Order Emperor Realm cultivation, Yang Tai was able to exert the strength of a Second-Order Emperor, proving how astonishing the origins of that character were.
Even though the Gong Family was not a small force, they didn’t have a Third-Order Emperor Realm Master’s protection, so their status in the Southern Territory was a little awkward. Whenever the Gong Family was mentioned, anyone would think about Spirit Arrays, but nobody had any idea how much the Gong Family coveted great power, especially Gong Yue. He made the revitalization of the Gong Family his lifelong goal, but his Second-Order Emperor Realm cultivation was neither here nor there in terms of the hierarchy, so it was difficult for him to become the great trailblazer for his family.
Yang Tai assured him that he would be able to gain the secrets to advance into the Third-Order Emperor Realm after the Spirit Array was broken.
Interest aroused, Gong Yue joined hands with him.
Just as Yang Tai said, everyone here was going to die after the blood sacrifice, so who was going to know that the Gong Family’s former patriarch did something so despicable? So, the Gong Family’s reputation wouldn’t be affected.
At Yang Tai’s urging, the seals on Gong Yue’s hand changed. Yang Tai immediately let out a grunt as large amounts of blood began pouring out of the wound on his wrist like a fountain.
In order to ensure the Spirit Array could be broken faster, Gong Yue also increased the extraction of blood from the other four. All of a sudden, Hua Yu Lu and the others were all showing unbearable expressions of pain.
As blood flowed into it, the glow of the giant blood-coloured door became brighter and brighter.
Yang Tai lost a lot of blood, but he didn’t feel uncomfortable. Instead, he was exhilarated as he stared at the giant blood-coloured door without even moving his gaze for a moment.
It was at that instant that a noise suddenly sounded from the pale blue smoke, and Yang Kai’s figure appeared out of thin air.
Without Yang Tai hosting the array and with Gong Yue distracted with other matters, the Illusion Array created by the Array Plate was unable to withstand Yang Kai’s attacks. In just that short amount of time after Yang Tai escaped, Yang Kai was able to break free.
With a sweep of his Divine Sense, Yang Kai immediately understood the current situation.
Under Yang Tai’s panicked and fearful gaze, he waved the Myriads Sword in his hand, slashing down a shocking sword light that was aimed right at Gong Yue.
Gong Yue was the master of the Six Points One Centre Array, so the only way to stop it was to attack him.
Gong Yue was not surprised at all by this. Or rather, he had anticipated this situation ever since Yang Tai escaped from the Illusion Array. So, with a flick of his finger, another Array Plate was sent flying at Yang Kai.
As the former Patriarch of the Gong Family, and a Sect Master of a Spirit Array Sect, Gong Yue did not carry much on his body, but he did have quite a number of Array Plates at his disposal. Among these plates were Killing Arrays, Illusion Arrays, Trapping Arrays, etc.
The space was too narrow for Yang Kai to be able to dodge though, so despite having just escaped from one Spirit Array, he was quickly dragged into another.
When he saw this, Yang Tai cheered and laughed while the faces of Hua Yu Lu and the others paled even further.
They had no other hope now. Being restrained by the Six Points One Centre Array, they were unable to use their strength at all and even their freedom was under Gong Yue’s control. There was no way for them to break free with their own ability.
They could only put all their hopes on Yang Kai, but just as he showed them a glimmer of hope, they were let down again. Some expectation had just emerged, and it had all shattered immediately. They were done for now, they all thought.
“How long can you keep him trapped?” Yang Tai asked Gong Yue.
Gong Yue frowned, “Thirty breaths…”
Yang Tai seemed to be dissatisfied with this, but he knew too that there was no way around it. If Gong Yue were to host these Array Plates personally, then he should be able to trap Yang Jiu for a longer amount of time, but right now, Gong Yue didn’t have the spare hands to do so. Being able to trap Yang Jiu for thirty breaths of time with a masterless Spirit Array was already the limit.
Ten breaths later though, the Spirit Array suddenly shattered, and Yang Kai’s figure reappeared.
“What?” Gong Yue was shocked.
He had just announced that the Spirit Array could trap Yang Kai for thirty breaths of time, which was already an overestimation of the opponent’s strength, but it turned out that after just ten breaths of time, the array was broken. Just how powerful was this Yang Jiu?
“He’s back!” Yang Tai called out to remind Gong Yue to toss out another Array Plate.
After eating such a loss, Yang Kai was much more careful now. In a flash, he put some distance between Gong Yue and himself, shouting, “Old Patriarch Gong, regardless of whether or not you’re doing this willingly or were deceived, you must know one thing! Yang Tai has been corrupted by Demon Qi and underwent demonification! Your acts now are akin to assisting a tyrant to oppress the innocent. This will not bring any kind of glory to your Gong Family. It’s not too late for you to stop now!”
“You smelly brat, what sort of nonsense are you spouting? When did this Old Master become demonified?” Yang Tai retorted, and as he was worrying that Gong Yue would be affected by these slanderous lies, he also quickly urged, “Brother Gong, don’t listen to him! The most important thing is to take him down as soon as possible!”
Yang Kai’s body suddenly disappeared in a flash before his voice began sounding from all directions, “Ancient Demons are sealed behind that giant blood-coloured door. Yang Tai intends to let them out. You may not know how terrifying the Demon Race is, but you definitely won’t want to know. Gong Yue, are you sure you want to be this sinner’s accomplice?”
“This Ancient Cave Mansion has been around for at least tens of thousands of years, if not hundreds of thousands. How could any Demon be sealed inside? This brat is lying! Not to mention that even if Demons were sealed here, they would have died long ago! Brother Gong, the ultimate secret of the Martial Dao lies behind that door. Don’t believe that little brat. Open the door, then you and I can share in the benefits!”
Yang Kai and Yang Tai’s arguing sounded like two flies constantly buzzing in his ears, annoying Gong Yue to no end.
Raising his hand, he summoned several more Array Plates, laying down several layers of Spirit Arrays to protect himself so no matter where Yang Kai was attacking from, he was bound to get caught by one of them.
“Very good!” Yang Tai laughed, shouting tauntingly into the void, “This Old Master acknowledges that you have some skill, but that’s all! If you want to live, then it’s not too late for you to escape now. Otherwise, I’m afraid it’ll be too late.”
He was really afraid of all the strange Secret Techniques Yang Kai had as they felt as if they were created solely to restrain him. So, he could want nothing more than for Yang Kai to leave here as soon as possible. As for whether Yang Kai would expose the secret of this place or not after escaping, that wasn’t something he had to consider.
He just needed to get this door open.
There were five people left in here, including him, which was enough for the blood sacrifice. It just needed a little longer to break the array.
But Gong Yue’s face sank when he heard this. Even though he and Yang Tai worked together to set this trap, he had done it for the sake of the Gong Family. There was no intention for any survivors to be left. Yang Tai was also one of the targets he intended to kill, so how could he allow Yang Kai to escape alone?
As his thoughts turned, he asked, “Little brother, you say there are Demons sealed behind that door, but what proof do you have? Yang Tai told me that the ultimate secrets of the Martial Dao were inside there.”
Yang Kai coldly snorted as he spoke, “Do you really believe that? If you do, then you’re a fool.”
Gong Yue raised his voice, “I have peered into the mysteries of that word, and it tells me that Yang Tai isn’t lying!”
“What you saw was an Ancient Demon Race character! You’ve been deceived!”
“What?” Gong Yue’s face changed, “A Demon Race character?”
Under shock, a crack began to appear in his layers of Spirit Arrays.
It was at that moment that Yang Kai suddenly appeared. Nobody could see clearly how he re-emerged, but by the time they saw him, he was already standing a metre in front of Gong Yue.
The look of panic on Gong Yue’s face disappeared in an instant, and there was a shrewd glow in his eyes. Everything he said just now was obviously just an act to lure Yang Kai out.
And Yang Kai really showed up. Gong Yue smiled coldly as he instantly prepared to activate all the Array Plates by his side to their maximum to drag Yang Kai into one of them. He wouldn’t take it lightly again this time, and decided that even if he had to split his attention, he would actively deal with Yang Kai before handling other matters.
At that moment, a small, ancient-looking bell appeared in Yang Kai’s hand that began to spin and swell up into a massive object.
An ancient and desolate aura filled the air while Yang Kai shivered, seemingly on the verge of collapse; however, the hand that was holding onto the small bell was steady as a rock.
*Guang dang…*
When the bell tolled, everyone felt their eardrums shaking, dizzying them for a moment. The layers of Spirit Arrays that Gong Yue arranged around himself were all shattered by the ring of this bell before they could activate, collapsing all at once.
Not only that, but being struck by such a close impact from the Mountains and Rivers Bell, it was as if Gong Yue had been struck by lightning, his mind going blank for a moment before his chest caved in and a large bulge formed on his back. In the next instant, he flew out like a rag sack and smashed into a nearby wall before sliding down miserably.
He had a Second-Order Emperor Realm cultivation, so it was reasonable to say that he shouldn’t have suffered so badly from this strike, but thinking he had already won, Gong Yue had left himself completely defenceless, allowing this fierce blow from the Mountains and Rivers bell to hurt him severely.
The toll of the bell raged through Gong Yue’s body and his meridians, making it so he couldn’t even breathe.
The Six Points One Centre Array, having lost its host, collapsed, causing Hua Yu Lu and the others who were suspended mid-air to fall down like dumplings, all of them letting out cries of surprise.
They were all Emperor Realm Masters, but they were completely disoriented on the ground now, just like babies who had not yet learned to walk, they couldn’t get back up after falling down, and they all looked miserable.
Most of the power of the Mountains and Rivers Bell’s attack was borne by Gong Yue, but it still affected them a little. Plus, they were under Gong Yue’s control this whole time and lost too much blood, so they were extremely weak to begin with.
Right now, they probably wouldn’t be able to exert a tenth of their full strength.
The only one among them in a better state was Yang Tai. He entered the array later, and even though he lost a lot of blood, he was still far better off than the rest. He only staggered for a moment after landing on the ground before steadying himself.
But the sudden blow still made his mind buzz. Everything had been going well, so he didn’t expect the situation to take such a sharp turn in the blink of an eye. He was standing in place, stunned for a while, before he finally came back to his senses. Eyes filled with incomparable hatred, he turned towards Yang Kai, ground his teeth, and began incoherently muttering, “Why, why, why…”
Murderous thoughts towards Yang Kai filled his entire being before spilling over and enveloping their target.
Yang Kai also staggered. He used up all of his strength in that attack with the Mountains and Rivers Bell and was now just like a lamp running out of oil, even the Emperor Qi in his body was having difficulty circulating. When he saw Yang Tai’s Divine Sense locking onto him though, seemingly as if he was going to immediately lash out, Yang Kai quickly took a deep breath and squeezed out what little remaining power there was in his dantian and began to chant.
Yang Tai was startled and felt as if a bucket of cold water had doused all the anger in him, he even began to cower before Yang Kai, seemingly utterly terrified.
He had already eaten a loss from Yang Kai previously in the Illusion Array and knew the might of these strange Secret Techniques. They were just like his natural enemy, so he became instinctively afraid as soon as he heard the strange incantations again.
Only after falling back a few steps was Yang Tai able to find a sense of security.
Yang Kai also found the right moment to stop chanting. He was currently an arrow at the end of its flight and could no longer exert his power at will. If Yang Tai wasn’t going to move, then he couldn’t be bothered to strike first.
The current situation gave him a headache. There were seven Emperor Realm Masters here, and each one was weaker than the next. Yang Tai was currently in the best condition, so if he really steeled himself to kill, the only thing Yang Kai could do would be to hide in the Sealed World Bead with Hua Yu Lu. As for the others, whether they lived or died was no longer his business.
But Yang Tai was indeed extremely fearful of Yang Kai, and did not dare try anything with him again.
Suddenly, the crimson glow that once filled the cave began fading, catching Yang Tai’s attention. He turned towards the giant blood-coloured door and wailed, “No, this can’t be!”
Before, under the blood sacrifice that Gong Yue presided over, the glow surrounding the giant blood-coloured door was growing brighter and brighter. The ancient seal was even showing signs of opening; however, after the array was broken by Yang Kai, cutting off the blood sacrifice, the glow gradually turned dim, and the ancient barrier stabilized once more.
Yang Tai began to roar, and nobody knew what he thought of, but he suddenly turned around to glare viciously at one of the people in the room. Then, reaching out, he grabbed at him.
“Yang Tai, you dare?!” Wu Kuang Yi shouted angrily at him, but where would he still have the strength to resist? He was lifted up by Yang Tai as easily as lifting up a chicken.
In front of everyone’s eyes, Yang Tai struck Wu Kuang Yi’s body several times before throwing him towards the giant blood-coloured door.
Wu Kuang YI let out a pained scream, but that too came to a sudden halt.
When he hit the giant blood-coloured door, maybe due to the force of the impact, or maybe it was from the strikes Yang Tai delivered to his body, but Wu Kuang Yi suddenly burst into a mist of blood, leaving no bones behind, splashing a crimson mass onto the giant blood-coloured door.
Gradually, the dimming door regained a trace of light.
When they saw this, everyone was aghast. Wu Kuang Yi’s death caused their lips to go numb, and their teeth to go cold. None of them knew who Yang Tai was going to attack next.
“Not enough, not enough! This is far from enough!” But it was as if Yang Tai had gone insane. After killing Wu Kuang Yi with his own hands, there was only a vexed look on his face. He was constantly muttering under his breath as his eyes swept over the remaining people.
At the same time, a faint black Qi began appearing from his body. Naturally, it was the Demon Qi that Yang Kai was familiar with.
As the others instinctually averted their gazes at this sight, fearing that they would draw unwanted attention to themselves, Yang Kai stared at Yang Tai with cold eyes, sneering, “Give it up, Yang Tai. Your plan won’t work anymore. There’s no way you can break this seal now. You’re already completely transforming into a Demon, and your death isn’t even worth pitying!”
On the other side, Gong Yue, who had been wounded by Yang Kai, finally managed to gather himself and was staring dumbfounded at the Demon Qi surrounding Yang Tai. Lifting his finger, he pointed forward and haltingly stuttered with a trembling voice, “You, you…”
He finally saw the truth. With the trace of Demon Qi on Yang Tai’s body being so obvious, how could Gong Yue not understand now?
It was only at this point that he believed what Yang Kai said earlier.
Yang Tai had really been demonised, and if that was the case, then Yang Tai’s promise wasn’t worth a wooden coin anymore…
At that thought, Gong Yue’s heart felt ashen. He had risked everything in order to join Yang Tai in this villainous plot, but he never expected it to be a scam right from the beginning. He had no idea what Yang Tai’s aims were here, but he knew there were definitely no secrets to the Martial Dao that he was promised behind that door.
“Give up?” Yang Tai did not notice Gong Yue at all as he yelled hysterically, “My mission isn’t even complete yet, how could I possibly give up!?”
Yang Kai keenly grasped a clue and frowned, “Mission? Your mission is to break that seal? Is whatever behind that door giving you orders? Did it communicate with you?”
Yang Tai hurriedly shut his mouth, seemingly realizing that he had said too much. Sweeping his eyes across everyone present, he then sneered, “Wastes, nothing but wastes! Even if all your blood is sacrificed, it will still be far from enough!”
Truthfully, it would have been enough if Yang Kai had not interrupted the blood sacrifice; however, after it was interrupted, all progress was lost.
Yang Tai had gone completely crazy and he quickly spread his arms wide, as if to embrace the whole world, and for the first time, the Demon Qi around his body grew dense, dark, and turbulent. Just the sight alone was enough to send one trembling in fear. “Open your dog eyes wide and take a good look! The new era is coming! You are all ants before the coming tide!”
He shouted nonsensically before letting out a maniacal laugh and turning towards the giant blood-coloured door, running towards it.
Yang Kai’s eyes bulged as everyone else who was watching was dumbfounded by this scene. Nobody would have expected such a dramatic turn of events.
It seemed as if Yang Tai wanted to use his own body as a blood sacrifice to break the ancient seal.
Nobody tried to stop him. For one, it was Yang Tai’s malicious intentions that dragged everyone into this mess to begin with, so his death was indeed not worth pitying. Secondly, Wu Kuang Yi was just killed by Yang Tai and used as a blood sacrifice, however that wound up being mostly ineffective. Even if Yang Tai sacrificed himself now, it was likely no miracles would happen.
So, everyone just stood by and watched coldly.
As everyone watched on, Yang Tai smashed into the giant blood-coloured door.
He used all his strength to crash into the door and did not protect himself in the slightest, so it wasn’t hard to predict what would happen.
They heard a bang, and just like Wu Kuang Yi before him, Yang Tai exploded into a mist of blood.
But his blood and flesh didn’t splatter over the door like a messy paste; instead, it seemed to have its own life, slowly wriggling in mid-air and gradually coming back together.
Everyone who had just begun to feel relieved was instantly set on edge again. They had no idea what this situation entailed, but everyone’s hearts filled with a very bad feeling. Yang Kai’s perception was better than the others and he was able to feel wisps of Demon Essence coming from the mist of blood that Yang Tai had burst into. Naturally, it was a type of aura that made him very uncomfortable, as if he had returned to that ancient world and was facing the Masters of the Demon Realm once more.
In the blink of an eye, the cloud of blood gathered into a shape.
“This…” Gong Yue’s eyes widened.
“Demon Character!” Yang Kai gritted his teeth and shouted, his heart swelling with anxiety.
The shape that the bloody mist gathered into was none other than the Demon Character that Yang Tai revealed when he performed his Secret Technique earlier. Under a mysterious force, the bloody Demon Character was propelled forward and smashed against the door.
No one knew what kind of effect the Demon Character formed of Yang Tai’s physical essence through the blood sacrifice would have on the door, but since Yang Tai had done this, he must have been certain about its efficacy.
A light burst from the door that was so bright that they could hardly open their eyes, and just as everyone was blinded for a moment, they could hear a sudden creak.
Everyone jumped in fright, and by the time they realized what sound it was, all their faces were pale.
The giant blood-coloured door was opened!
Even though the blood sacrifice that had gone on for so long was interrupted by Yang Kai halfway through, Yang Tai’s final desperate struggle became the last straw that broke the camel’s back.
Whatever was hidden behind the door was going to be revealed at this moment.
Yang Kai focused his eyesight to its maximum and finally saw something. The giant blood-coloured door had indeed been opened, but only by a small crack. Many of the sealing patterns on the door still seemed to be effective, creating a force that was opposite from the Demon Character, preventing the door from opening.
At that moment, Yang Kai vaguely saw something fly out from the gap.
When the light dissipated and the door was shut once more, everything felt like it had just been an illusion after the dust settled.
Everyone was in shock and were all looking at each other.
But very quickly, someone noticed something was wrong.
“What… What is that?” Chen Bing Ru’s voice was trembling as she pointed at the object floating in front of the door.
The group turned to the direction she was pointing at, and they all looked shocked.
At some unknown time, a black light the size of a green bean had begun floating in front of the door. It was simply too small and wasn’t emitting any special aura, so nobody noticed it at first. Not to mention that the lighting here wasn’t very good, so Chen Bing Ru had also only noticed it by chance.
The black light didn’t seem to be a living thing at all and just floated there quietly without any strange behaviour.
But when Yang Kai swept his Divine Sense over it, his face changed and he shouted, “It’s a Demon Spirit! Everyone, guard your minds, don’t let it invade your Knowledge Sea or you’ll definitely be demonised!”
When they heard that, the faces of the group changed, but Yang Kai had just saved them from death’s door, so even though they didn’t understand everything, they still moved out of instinct. All of them closed off their Knowledge Seas and guarded their minds vigilantly.
“Brother Yang, this Demon Spirit… Is it the type of Demon Spirit that we’re familiar with?” Fang Zhuo asked.
The Demon Spirit that he mentioned was the mass of distracting thoughts that would appear in a cultivator’s mind on their path of cultivation. These were the thoughts that could affect their cultivation, such as greed, vanity, jealousy, hatred… All of these were Demon Spirits, and at times, they were able to cause dissonance in one’s cultivation.
Yang Kai shook his head and turned back to that small mass of black light. He couldn’t help but recall his experiences in the Thousand Illusions Dreamworld, “There is another Great World out there called the Demon Realm, and the beings that live there are called the Demon Race. Several times, they’ve tried to invade the Star Boundary, but they were forced to withdraw by the ancient warriors who killed off many of the Demon Race’s Masters. But the Demon Race had a very strange and special characteristic, their incredibly tenacious vitality. They were extremely difficult to kill, and even those ancient warriors were unable to destroy all of them completely. For that reason, they could only seal them. I have no idea what is sealed behind that giant blood-coloured door, but this Demon Spirit definitely escaped from behind it. In short, the Demon Spirits I speak of are Remnant Souls of Demon Race Masters.”
The thing they saw speeding out from behind the door was this black light.
When they heard this, everyone was stunned. It was the first time they’d heard about the Demon Realm. They were, at the very least, Emperor Realm Masters with exceptional skill in cultivation and vast amounts of experience, so while they wouldn’t dare say that they knew all the secrets of the world, at the very least, it was very rare for them to have not even heard of something.
But it was the first time they’d heard the words ‘Demon Realm’. They knew about the Demon Race of course, as there were some vague references in ancient books they’d seen, but those weren’t very detailed.
“Brother Yang means to say that there are Demons sealed behind this door?” Fang Zhuo asked with a frown.
“From how it seems, I’m afraid it is so.”
Chen Bing Ru asked, “This Ancient Cave Mansion has existed for tens of thousands or even hundreds of thousands of years. Even if a Demon Race Master was truly sealed behind that door, there’s no way they would still be alive now, is there?”
Yang Kai answered, “That is why only a Demon Spirit appeared. The Demons sealed inside may be dead, but their Remnant Souls still exist.”
“It’s just a Remnant Soul… There’s no need to be so…” Chen Bing Ru squeezed out a smile, vaguely feeling that Yang Kai was making a big problem out of nothing. Regardless of whether a Demon was sealed behind that door or not, so much time had passed that a Remnant Soul likely wouldn’t be able to achieve much even if it showed up.
“What do you know?” Yang Kai shouted in anger at her.
Chen Bing Ru shut her mouth in embarrassment. Her cultivation was higher than Yang Kai’s, so if not for the fact that Yang Kai had just saved her life, she would probably be snapping back at him right now. Even so, she still didn’t take too kindly to being shouted down at by Yang Kai like this.
Yang Kai took a breath to moderate his mood and tone before continuing, “As long as the Demon Spirit is still around, we can not put down our guards, otherwise… Hm?”
As he was speaking, the black light which had not been moving this whole time suddenly flew up and rushed straight at him. It was not known whether it was intentional or by coincidence.
An extremely unsettling aura pulsed from within that small Demon Spirit, and as if flew towards Yang Kai, he could feel a burning sensation come from his right eye.
He immediately understood that it was not a coincidence that the Demon Spirit chose him; rather, its actions were driven by instinct.
His right eye was fused with the Ancient Demon’s Black Eye, which had the aura of an Ancient Demon. Since the Demon Spirit was the Remnant Soul of a Demon Race Master, it was only natural that it would be attracted to it.
Yang Kai coldly snorted and began chanting a Shamanic Spell, raising his hand and pointing it forward.
A burst of light shot out and swept across the black ball that was flying over to him. In an instant, the black light which was the size of a bean was thrown back like a falling leaf in a storm, seemingly being hit hard.
Yang Kai’s current state was like an arrow at the end of its flight, so the power he could exert at this moment was not great by any means; however, this Demon Spirit had been sealed for so long that as a Remnant Soul, it wasn’t very powerful. It immediately shrank in size the moment the Shamanic Spell hit it.
Seemingly sensing that Yang Kai was not easy prey, the black light shot off in another direction.
Its target was now Gong Yue.
Gong Yue was currently somewhat dazed. He had been deceived by Yang Tai and joined hands with him to try and kill several Emperor Realm Masters from the Southern Territory, but now, after Yang Tai used himself as a blood sacrifice, a Demon Spirit had come out from behind the door, proving that Yang Kai’s words were true.
The so-called ultimate secrets of the Martial Dao were not in there at all. Those lies were merely part of Yang Tai’s scheme.
Yang Tai wanted to release all the Demon Spirits sealed behind that door, and that was why he came to Gong Yue, to take advantage of his skills in the Dao of Spirit Arrays.
He was the former Patriarch of the Gong Family, and everything he did was going to reflect back on the Gong Family. After today, the Gong Family’s reputation would have been completely destroyed, putting it in a difficult situation.
When he realized this, Gong Yue’s heart turned to ashes and even after hearing the conversation Yang Kai and the others had about the Demon Spirit, he didn’t react too much to it.
It wasn’t until the Demon Spirit began flying over to him that Gong Yue finally moved. He raised his hand slightly, sending a solid palm print flying towards the approaching Demon Spirit.
Even though he was an Array Grandmaster, he still had Second-Order Emperor, so while his palm strike wasn’t enough to cause both Heaven and Earth to flip, it was still very strong. At the very least, it was several times stronger than the Shamanic Spell that Yang Kai cast earlier.
He thought this would be enough to sweep away the Demon Spirit, and even kill it.
But something unexpected happened.
The palm print passed right through the Demon Spirit, having no effect on it in the slightest.
“Watch out!” Yang Kai shouted. Even though Gong Yue was partly responsible for the current situation, he didn’t want Gong Yue’s mind to be corrupted after what he encountered in the Thousand Illusions Dreamworld. That was why Yang Kai tried to warn him.
Gong Yue also focused himself quickly and brought out everything he had. He had been hurt by the Mountains and Rivers Bell, but under desperate conditions, he still exerted extraordinary strength, placing several layers of solid protection in front of him.
But the black light passed through his layers of protection as if they weren’t even there, piercing straight into his mind.
Everyone was stunned.
Gong Yue’s eyes also widened for a moment before he let out a shout, as if he was suffering great torment.
Yang Kai was a little dumbfounded. He couldn’t understand why such a thing happened no matter how he thought about it. He saw Gong Yue’s protection, and it was reasonable to say that it was sufficient to withstand the Demon Spirit’s erosion.
But in fact, it didn’t even seem half as useful as it should be.
[This doesn’t seem right…]
Just as Yang Kai was feeling puzzled, Gong Yue suddenly let out a roar and a raging aura escaped from the pores of his body. Both his hair and his beard danced wildly while his voice shook the cave and rustled the rocks.
The faces of everyone changed as they all watched Gong Yue nervously.
At this moment, nobody had much power left to resist, so if Gong Yue went berserk, then everyone would be in trouble.
Chen Bing Ru said in a trembling voice, “Brother Yang, he… Did he…”
“His mind is being invaded by the Demon Spirit. He’s going through demonification!” Yang Kai shouted through gritted teeth.
Yang Kai encountered many similar situations in the Thousand Illusions Dreamworld. In the war between the two races, even if a Demon were to be killed, leaving behind only its Demon Spirit, they would still retain their ability to transform the Barbarian Race into Demons, forcing them to change sides. The aura and Remnant Soul of the Demon Race both had strong corrosive power.
“What should we do now?” Fang Zhuo also asked.
Before Yang Kai had time to speak, the roaring Gong Yue suddenly turned quiet. His head jerked up, revealing a pair of terrifyingly dark eyes without any whites.
“Old… Old Patriarch Gong!” Chen Bing Ru shouted in a trembling voice as if hoping to confirm the identity of the person before her.
But Gong Yue ignored her calls, cocked his head to the side, and observed Yang Kai, showing both a look of bewilderment and curiosity as if he had just woken up from a long dream, not understanding where he was or what he was doing.
Yang Kai held his breath and stayed on guard.
But Gong Yue did not strike him; instead, he just made an odd noise from his throat and began stumbling outside.
Chen Bing Ru, Fang Zhuo, and Hua Yu Lu quickly made way. They didn’t have a shred of fighting strength left in them right now and simply did not dare to obstruct his path.
Gong Yue’s mind had clearly been corroded by the Demon Spirit because he was behaving very differently from before. It was as if a new Soul had seized his body but had yet to fully integrate with it. Even the way it walked was not quite normal.
In the silence, Gong Yue’s footsteps sounded incomparably harsh as he gradually moved away.
After his footsteps could no longer be heard, Hua Yu Lu and the others let out a sigh of relief, as if they’d been saved from a disaster. After watching Gong Yue’s transformation with their own eyes, they no longer had any doubts about what Yang Kai told them earlier about Demon Spirits.
“Has Old Patriarch Gong been possessed?” Fang Zhuo turned to Yang Kai and asked.
If that really were the case, then that would be a big problem. After all, Gong Yue was the former Patriarch of the Gong Family, and he even had a Second-Order Emperor Realm cultivation. If someone like that was allowed to roam freely, there was no saying what sorts of danger he could bring to the Southern Territory.
“I have no idea, but it may be even more serious than that!” Yang Kai looked grim. The only thing he could be sure of now was that Gong Yue had gone through demonification, but there was one thing he couldn’t understand. Even if Gong Yue’s mind was disturbed, he shouldn’t have been invaded so easily by the Demon Spirit. How could he have failed to even temporarily resist it?
Yang Kai couldn’t find a reasonable explanation for what he saw just now with his own eyes.
But then a thought suddenly struck Yang Kai and he shouted, “The Demon Character!”
“What?” Hua Yu Lu turned to look at him.
“That Demon Character!” With a grave expression, Yang Kai looked at the group, “How much of it did you all see?”
Hua Yu Lu frowned slightly before replying, “If you are referring to the Secret Technique that Yang Tai performed earlier, I didn’t see it very clearly.”
Yang Kai looked at the three others and quickly said, “Regardless of how much you saw, you’d best find a way to erase it from your memory. Yang Tai’s demonification and Gong Yue’s corrosion may be related to it.”
“What do you mean?” Fang Zhuo asked curiously. He had deliberately observed Yang Tai when he performed that Secret Technique, so he saw a little more than Hua Yu Lu, so with how serious Yang Kai was putting the matter, he didn’t dare to take it lightly.
Chen Bing Ru also cast a curious gaze at him.
Yang Kai explained, “Yang Tai had already gone through demonification when we came here despite having never had the chance to make contact with that Demon Spirit. There’s a good possibility that this is related to the Ancient Demon Character that he learned. In order to convince Gong Yue, he must have also presented the power of that character to him, and Gong Yue may have studied it during that time. So… Some Demon Essence should also have formed inside of him. That is the reason why he was willing to risk everything to work with Yang Tai to entrap us. Yes, that must be it. Otherwise, how could Gong Yue, as the former Patriarch of the Gong Family, make such a foolish and reckless decision? He must have already been subtly influenced by the Demon Essence hidden inside his body and was no longer thinking rationally. The reason why the Demon Spirit invaded his mind so easily was not because Gong Yue’s protection was ineffective, but because the Demon Essence inside of him was attracting the Demon Spirit, forcing him to give up his resistance unwittingly!”
Half of what Yang Kai said was merely speculation, but the more he spoke, the more that he felt that his guess was correct.
The root of everything was that Ancient Demon Character.
Half a year ago, Hua Yu Lu, Yang Tai, and Wu Kuang Yi discovered this Ancient Cave Mansion. All three of them gained different benefits, but the Ancient Demon Character that Yang Tai learned had been a trap all along. It was a piece of bait set up to entice him into opening the seal and releasing the Demon Spirits behind it.
Anyone who learned that Ancient Demon Character would have made the same choice as Yang Tai.
It was through the true meaning of that Demon Character that Yang Tai was able to establish an inexplicable connection with the Demon Spirit behind that door, and that was how he found out what was inside, and why opening the seal had become his sole mission in life!
Hua Yu Lu’s face turned more and more pale as she listened, her tender body shivering somewhat uncontrollably.
She felt lucky that she had only gotten the Small Flower Drum last time. If she had also studied that Ancient Demon Character like Yang Tai, she would likely have met the same fate as him.
Chen Bing Ru asked uneasily, “Is it possible that we’ll also go through demonification like Yang Tai?”
She also saw the Ancient Demon Character after all.
Yang Kai shook his head, “The true meaning of that Demon Character isn’t so easy to grasp. Yang Tai must have studied it for quite some time to become influenced by it. It shouldn’t matter if you only saw a glimpse of it, but I would advise you to forget about it completely. Nobody knows what sort of dangerous effects that Demon Character may have.”
Everyone else nodded; then, after exchanging glances, they sent their Soul Avatars into their Knowledge Seas, found the memories regarding the Demon Character, and destroyed them.
This way, they would forget what that character looked like, and only remember its existence. Destroying such memories themselves would cause some damage to their Soul, but compared to the risk of going through demonification, it was an acceptable injury.
Meanwhile, Yang Kai was contemplating what to do next.
Only after everyone opened their eyes weakly did Yang Kai say, “There should be more than one Demon Spirit behind this door, perhaps many more. Right now, there are two matters we need to see to!”
Hearing Yang Kai say that there may be more Demon Spirits behind that door, everyone jumped in fright, but thinking about it carefully, it really did seem possible.
That was because the seal of the giant blood-coloured door was not fully broken. Yang Tai’s blood sacrifice was only able to open it by a crack, allowing a single Demon Spirit to escape. This seal was laid down by great Masters from ancient times, and since it was able to close itself again, it meant that there were still other hidden dangers inside.
“What two matters?” Fang Zhuo asked. After the mess that just happened, Yang Kai had unconsciously become the leader of the group, and they had no objection to his decisions.
“The first thing we have to do is to find someone to secure the sealing Spirit Array here just in case someone else accidentally stumbles in and tries to break it again.” Yang Kai raised a finger, “This is a matter concerning the entire Southern Territory, and possibly even the entire Star Boundary. For that reason, we must inform the top Sects and get them to collaborate to find a solution for this problem. En, the Gong Family should also make up for their mistakes. They are good candidates for this job as well.”
Gong Yue made a grave mistake, and he was the one who broke the seal. Repairing the seal should be the Heavenly River Valley’s Gong Family’s responsibility. Not to mention that even without what Gong Yue had done, the Gong Family was still the best choice for this job. In the Southern Territory, other than the Array Grandmasters of the top Sects, they were the ones who knew the most about Spirit Arrays.
Fang Zhuo and the others all nodded in agreement at Yang Kai’s words. Even though exploring the Ancient Cave Mansion was their business, the consequences that came out of it were beyond their ability to bear alone.
Even Gong Yue, who was a Second-Order Emperor, couldn’t resist the Demon Spirit’s encroachment. Chaos was bound to break out in the Southern Territory if things were left as they were, and when that time came, they may become the greatest sinners in history.
“That’s why I need someone to go to the Heavenly River Valley’s Gong Family. Tell them what happened here, and make sure they have their guard up against Gong Yue. If Gong Yue returns to Heavenly River Valley… He may not be that foolish, but it’s still better to take precautions.”
“I’ll go.” Hua Yu Lu volunteered.
Even though her cultivation wasn’t very high, she was at the very least the Palace Master of Hundred Flowers Palace, so her words would surely carry some weight. If she was the one who went to inform the Gong Family, then the Gong Family was sure to take it seriously.
“The three of you should go together!” Yang Kai said seriously.
After some thought, the three of them nodded in unison.
They had no idea where Gong Yue was right now, and there was no saying that he was not outside, waiting for them to throw themselves into his net. If the three of them joined hands though, then they would at least have some power to protect themselves.
“Then who will inform the top Sects?” Fang Zhuo asked. Without the help of those hegemons, nothing was going to happen. Even if they managed to get the Gong Family to come, they may try to cover up this matter, so they had to find a way to contact the Masters of those great forces.
Yang Kai paused for a moment before he spoke, “Allow me to introduce myself again!”
As he said that, he reached up to wipe his face, revealing his original appearance. His face was as pale as a sheet of paper with hardly any rosiness.
“My name is Yang Kai!”
“Yang Kai!” Chen Bing Ru furrowed her brow as she asked with some surprise and suspicion, “I heard that Azure Sun Temple recently conferred a new High-Rank Guest Elder title…”
“It was this Yang,” Yang Kai nodded.
Chen Bing Ru and Fang Zhuo were immediately awed and cupped their fists respectfully, “So it is Elder Yang. We have truly been impolite.”
It was only at this moment that they no longer dared to underestimate Yang Kai. For someone who could become an Elder of a top Sect in the Southern Territory, even if he was ‘just’ a High-Rank Guest Elder, he definitely wasn’t someone who would stand around waiting for things to get done. What’s more, there were rumors going around that Yang Kai had exchanged blows with one of Star Soul Palace’s Elders during that Grand Canonization Ceremony.
Star Soul Palace Elders were peak Masters in the Third-Order Emperor Realm, not an opponent one could casually challenge.
It was only at this point that they realized why Yang Kai’s performance had been so astonishing despite his aura feeling so weak. It turns out he was an Elder of the Azure Sun Temple.
“I will inform the top Sects. I have my own methods of contacting the temple, and they will naturally spread the word to the other Sects once the news reaches them.”
Naturally, the three of them had no objections after hearing this.
“What about the second issue?” Hua Yu Lu asked.
“As for the second issue… Let’s wait until everything is settled here before we work on that. Until then, I will stay here to watch over the seal, just in case Gong Yue decides to come back.”
“Brother Yang’s plans are well made,” Fang Zhuo agreed.
Gong Yue had already gone through demonification, so who knows whether he would come back to try to destroy the seal. The seal on the giant blood-coloured door was old to begin with, and had been damaged by Gong Yue earlier. If he kept at it, he may really be able to break it. For that reason, Yang Kai wanted to stay here as a precaution.
Yang Kai had to be the one to do this too, as only he had such ability.
After some simple discussion, everyone quickly began adjusting their breathing to recuperate.
Even though Hua Yu Lu and the others were not injured, the blood sacrifice they were forced into by the Six Points One Centre Array drained a lot of their energy. They had to recover for a short while before leaving for Heavenly River Valley. Everyone here was an Emperor Realm Master though, so they had brought some precious Spirit Pills for emergencies. Now wasn’t the time to be stingy either, so they all took out their pills and swallowed them without hesitation.
Half a day later, Hua Yu Lu and the others were barely able to restore sixty percent of their strength, but they did not dare to delay further. After bidding farewell to Yang Kai, they all went back the way they came, preparing to leave this Ancient Cave Mansion together.
In just a moment, Yang Kai was the only one left inside the rock cave. The cave was so quiet that even the sound of his breathing was audible. The only other sound present was that of water dripping from the stalactites. This trip to the Ancient Cave Mansion was not as risky as it seemed, but thinking back to the dangerous parts still made Yang Kai’s heart palpitate.
Seven people came, but only four were left alive. Wu Kuang Yi had been used as a blood sacrifice by Yang Tai, the latter sacrificed his own life, and Gong Yue’s mind was invaded by a Demon Spirit. Meanwhile, the remaining four people were exhausted and could even be described as battered.
Now, there was finally a chance to recover, so Yang Kai naturally made use of every last breath of it.
With that, a day passed before he opened his eyes again to check on his current state. Only after verifying his condition did he take out his Jade Elder Token.
This was the token that Wen Zi Shan gave him at the Grand Canonization Ceremony and it not only represented his identity as an Azure Sun Temple Elder, but also had many other useful functions.
Pushing his Emperor Qi, the jade token hovered in the air in front of Yang Kai, and after weaving a few hand seals, the jade token responded with a faint hum. One by one, hidden messages were transmitted through the jade token towards Azure Sun Temple.
This wasn’t a perfect method of communication, since nothing too complicated could be transmitted this way. Moreover, it was limited by distance and could only be used within the same territory; however, it was the only method of long-distance communication available in the Star Boundary now. All big Sects used similar methods to stay in contact.
After finishing this, Yang Kai put away the jade token. He believed that the Azure Sun Temple should have gotten the message, and it wouldn’t be long before someone was sent over to investigate.
He then continued to meditate to recover his energy.
More than ten days passed and everything went by smoothly. Yang Kai’s injuries also gradually improved, and the injury he sustained to his Soul was also slowly recovering. With a bit more time, he felt that he should be able to recover to his peak shape.
But he didn’t let his guard down for a moment. He constantly kept a part of his awareness on the giant blood-coloured door, and even the slightest breeze would not escape his senses.
On that day, a wonderful feeling suddenly welled up within Yang Kai while he was meditating, as if he was gaining some insight into the Martial Dao. He was immediately delighted as this feeling had come inexplicably and without any warning, but was a rare opportunity for any cultivator. So, Yang Kai immediately immersed his mind into it, trying to chase after that deeper insight.
That unexplainable feeling grew clearer and clearer, just like a delicious dish placed right in front of him that was almost within reach, but was separated from him by an invisible barrier, only permitting him to smell the fragrance but not taste it.
However, Yang Kai was in no hurry and simply took things step by step, slowly breaking through the obstacle in front of him.
He had the feeling that if he really managed to comprehend this insight, then he would definitely be able to advance to the Second-Order Emperor Realm.
He had broken through to the Emperor Realm in the Shattered Star Sea, and even though that hadn’t been that long ago, and it would normally be impossible for him to break through again so quickly, with the rich experiences he had gone through these past few days as well as his two years inside the Thousand Illusions Dreamworld, he had long gathered enough capital in order to reach the Second-Order Realm. All he needed was an opportunity.
Right now, the opportunity was right in front of his eyes, so he naturally needed to seize it properly.
Time passed slowly and Yang Kai soon became deluded, unaware of how long he had been in this state. It seemed like only a moment had passed, but at the same time like years had gone by. Finally, at a certain moment, when he felt the obstruction clear up, a whole new world appeared before his eyes.
All kinds of wonderful sensations flooded into his mind from places he’d never known about, giving him an illusion of omnipotence. Yang Kai couldn’t help but want to immerse himself deeper into this feeling, to swim in it, and to peek into the mystery of the Martial Dao’s peak.
At that moment, Yang Kai felt as if he had stepped into a strange new world, like he was standing in the Starry Sky with brilliant points of luminescence shining all around him. Each star was an elusive domain, filled with the Martial Dao’s mysteries. They were his stepping stones towards the ultimate Martial Dao, and it was right within his reach. As long as he harvested these stars, he would be able to achieve greatness that shocked history and amazed the present.
Yang Kai slowly reached out towards the stars.
All of a sudden, a fire broke out within the Starry Sky, drawing a frown from Yang Kai.
But as soon as he laid his eyes on this flame, an extremely hot feeling took over him as if he was being cooked right on top of those fires. The burning feeling became more and more intense, so violent that Yang Kai was almost unable to bear it.
It was at that moment that he felt a sense of coolness as if a pot of cold water had doused his head. It woke Yang Kai up and it made him feel extremely comfortable.
These great fluctuations inside his mind alerted him and he immediately collected his senses and broke out of his deep trance.
A thought flashed through his mind at that moment, and he instantly understood what had just happened to him. That wasn’t an epiphany, it was a trap, a trap from the Demon Spirits behind that giant blood-coloured door! Everything he saw before was merely an illusion!
Not daring to hesitate, he quickly let out a fierce roar.
The stars before him shook violently, all of them glowing in unison before gathering towards a certain spot. In an instant, they came together to form a set of large radiant characters! Those characters were very different from the characters used in today’s Star Boundary and were extremely complicated, but also seemed to contain great mysteries.
“Demon Characters!” Yang Kai was shocked. He didn’t think he would be caught despite being so careful. He looked away, but as if they had their own sentience, the characters emitted an even more piercing light that constantly tried to drill into Yang Kai’s mind, attempting to burn their essence and meaning into his Soul.
At this critical moment, Yang Kai’s mind calmed down like never before and a layer of seven coloured light burst out from his body, enveloping him like a seven coloured robe.
The light from the Demon Characters was blocked off by the seven coloured robe.
Yang Kai sneered and slowly withdrew from the illusion, returning his consciousness to his physical body.
It went surprisingly smoothly and he didn’t meet any obstructions. Or perhaps, the Demon Spirit had no ability to hinder him.
When he opened his eyes, Yang Kai saw a new light in the dark cave. Glancing over, Yang Kai discovered that the giant blood-coloured door was now glowing. However, after he returned to his senses, the light gradually dimmed again before disappearing without a trace.
Yang Kai felt a chill run down his back.
His right eye felt like it was burning, but his mind felt as cool as a bucket of ice water. It was this alternating hot and cold sensation that woke him up and freed him from the grasp of those Demon Characters.
Yang Kai had no idea whether those Demon Characters were the ones that Yang Tai had been exposed to because he hadn’t seen them clearly, and the protection of the Seven Coloured Soul Warming Lotus had blocked off their true meaning, not allowing them to invade his mind at all.
Obviously, the reason why Yang Tai was able to learn the true meaning of those Ancient Demon Characters and possess Demon Essence inside his body was due to the fact that he wasn’t as fortunate as Yang Kai. Yang Tai may have encountered something similar when he first came here, but without a Supreme Treasure like the Seven Coloured Soul Warming Lotus to protect him. So, when Yang Tai learned the true meaning of the Demon Characters, he thought that he had caught onto an opportunity to grasp the Martial Dao’s mysteries, having no idea it was all just a clever bait to lure him into a trap that set in motion a chain of events that ended in a series of tragedies.
To be honest, this encounter was an eye-opener for Yang Kai. In the two years he spent fighting the Demon Race in the Thousand Illusions Dreamworld, he had never encountered a Demon Race with such a strange ability to silently infiltrate his mind and slowly corrupt his Soul. This was simply the first time he had encountered such a tactic.
This was not an attack, but rather a kind of subversion. The victim would think they had chanced upon a Heaven-sent opportunity, but the more they tried to grasp it, the more they would be corrupted, eventually reaching a point where they could no longer turn back.
After this episode, Yang Kai confirmed that the seal on the giant blood-coloured door was indeed damaged and had to be repaired and reinforced. Otherwise, if someone were to find this place again, they might break the seal and let out the Demon Spirits behind the door.
Yang Kai was even more cautious in the following days. No matter what he did, he would always divert a part of his attention to watch the giant blood-coloured door’s changes while at the same time preventing the Demon Spirits from setting any traps for him.
But after one failed attempt, the Demon Spirits behind the door seemed to have realized how difficult Yang Kai was to influence, and nothing unusual happened after that.
Yang Kai’s injuries improved day by day until he finally recovered fully.
After one full month, the Masters of the Southern Territory’s top Sects finally arrived.
After he received a response from the Jade Elder Token, Yang Kai quickly left the cave mansion and went to the stone forest on the surface to meet with them.
At this time, the large island was surrounded by poison mist and was blocked on all sides. It wasn’t time for the Monster Beasts who could merge together to feed yet; however, after receiving Yang Kai’s message, the Masters of the top Sects decided to break through by force to meet up with him as soon as possible.
Yang Kai had no idea how they were planning to accomplish this, but as he stood outside the stone forest, he could hear distinct rumblings from beyond the poison mist. Then, a profound light shot out from the colourful fog. As if it were riding on winds of fire, it broke through the toxic barrier and landed on the large island.
One by one, powerful auras spread out, and when the light dispersed, the figures of more than twenty people were revealed.
Yang Kai looked around and found a few old acquaintances.
With Star Soul Palace’s Elder, Xiao Yu Yang, standing at the forefront, Azure Sun Temple’s Gao Xue Ting, Heavenly Martial Holy Land’s Chen Wen Hao, and Orthodoxy Temple’s Feng Ming were gathered here. Out of them, other than Xiao Yu Yang who was in the Third-Order Emperor Realm, the other three were Second-Order Emperors.
Yang Kai was still in Maplewood City the first time he met these people. During that time, Gao Xue Ting and the others who were still First-Order Emperors, were towering existences to him.
Over the years, Gao Xue Ting advanced from the First-Order Emperor Realm to the Second-Order, so it was only natural that Chen Wen Hao and Feng Ming didn’t fall far behind. They also seemed to have caught up to her cultivation in recent years.
In addition, there was a middle-aged man with a stately appearance. He was wearing a jade belt and a brocade robe, giving off an extraordinary aura. He seemed to be someone in a leading position and with high status, and he had a First-Order Emperor Realm cultivation.
Behind that man stood ten to twenty other cultivators who were all dressed in similar robes. Most of their cultivations were Emperor or Dao Source Realm. Yang Kai could vaguely tell where they were from with just a glance, because he saw a familiar face among them.
Gong Wen Shan!
Yang Kai did not know him well and had only crossed paths with him once in the Four Seasons Realm, but he remembered him for his boldness, even daring to provoke Heavenly Martial Holy Land’s Wu Chang, and remaining unscathed even after being chased down by the latter for many days.
Since Gong Wen Shan was here, then it was clear where this largest group came from.
The Heavenly River Valley’s Gong Family! The First-Order Emperor Realm middle-aged man standing at the front should be the current Gong Family Patriarch, Gong Zhen.
He was the best Array Master in the Southern Territory, and his reputation was no less than Nanmen Da Jun’s in the Northern Territory. It may even be higher in some ways, as Gong Zhen was the head of a family while Nanmen Da Jun was just a solitary man.
Xiao Yu Yang was holding a shuttle-shaped artifact that was glowing radiantly. It was of extraordinary quality and it was clearly with this artifact that he broke through the poison mist with this group. Yang Kai had also learned of the might of the poison mist before this, so how powerful would an artifact be if it was able to break through it with ease?
“Elder Xiao, Elder Chen, Elder Feng…” Yang Kai cupped his fists and greeted all of them. He couldn’t help but feel a little nostalgic. To think he had to maintain respect with these Masters back then and address them as his seniors, but now he could stand on equal footing with them.
The last one he greeted was Gao Xue Ting, who gave him a light nod. They were all one family, so there was no need for them to be so polite with each other.
“You really do… cause trouble everywhere you go,” Xiao Yu Yang had a helpless smile on his face when he saw Yang Kai again, as if the sight of him gave him a headache.
After all, Yang Kai hadn’t left Star Soul Palace for that long. Even in Star Soul Palace, trouble broke out in the Five Coloured Treasure Pagoda. Xiao Yu Yang and the other Elders suspected that Yang Kai had something to do with it, but since the Great Emperor didn’t say anything, they couldn’t pursue the matter either. In any case, the damage to the Five Coloured Treasure Pagoda wasn’t too serious, so they just let the issue drop.
“I’m innocent,” Yang Kai insisted with a straight face. “I’m only here under someone else’s request. Encountering this matter is also… by pure chance.”
“I’m not blaming you,” Xiao Yu Yang waved his hand and his face turned serious, “We heard what happened from Hua Yu Lu and the others, and we all know this matter has nothing to do with you. In fact, we should be thanking you for sparing the Southern Territory from a disaster.”
Yang Kai responded earnestly, “I am also a cultivator from the Southern Territory, so it’s my duty to help whenever a situation arises.”
*Chi…*
Gao Xue Ting sneered at the side. She was obviously thinking about Yang Kai’s identity as High Heaven Palace’s Palace Master in the Northern Territory. She had been brooding over that fact and felt that Yang Kai shouldn’t have founded a Sect in the Northern Territory. He should have just stayed as an Elder in the temple.
Yang Kai pretended not to notice this of course and continued talking with Xiao Yu Yang, “Elder Xiao, since you brought everyone here, what are your plans?”
Xiao Yu Yang told him, “Just as you’re thinking, we’re going to repair and strengthen the seal. In addition, we’re classifying this place as a Restricted Area. No one will be allowed to enter or exit this cave mansion.”
Yang Kai stroked his chin, “That’s a good idea, but there are always curious people in this world who aren’t afraid of losing their lives. The more the place is restricted, the more they’ll want to break into it, as if they’re complaining that they’ve been alive too long…”
Xiao Yu Yang smiled, “That’s why we’ll need to borrow the power of Patriarch Gong.” He pointed to the middle-aged man beside him, “Once that seal is reinforced, this entire island is going to be enveloped by a concealment and barrier Spirit Array. Ordinary people wouldn’t be able to find their way in even if they’re curious.”
“That would be for the best.” Yang Kai turned to the middle-aged man and cupped his fists. “Greetings, Patriarch Gong.”
Gong Zhen returned the greeting with a complicated look on his face, “Elder Yang is too polite. This Gong has long heard of Elder Yang’s name. Sure enough, meeting you today, this Gong can tell that Elder Yang is truly a dragon among men.”
Yang Kai smiled in response, “Patriarch Gong flatters me.”
Gong Zhen continued, “My Family’s Ancestor has caused you trouble, so this Gong hereby apologizes to Elder Yang on behalf of the Gong Family.”
Yang Kai shook his head, “No need to apologize. Patriarch Gong needs only reinforce the seal.”
Gong Zhen nodded lightly, “Even though I have already heard what happened from Palace Master Hua, I still wish to hear it from Elder Yang again, if I may request it.”
The reputation of the Gong Family’s former patriarch was at stake here, so he had to ask for confirmation just in case.
“Naturally.” Yang Kai gestured with his hand, “Let’s talk on the way. The seal is still deeper inside.”
The group followed Yang Kai down, and while they walked, Yang Kai told everyone what happened that day in full detail. At his cultivation, recalling even minor details from a month ago was definitely no problem. Yang Kai spoke quickly, but thoroughly and in complete detail, including all the barriers they encountered on the way, and what sort of reactions the group had to them.
Everyone just listened without asking any questions.
But when Yang Kai mentioned the Demon Characters, the minds of the Emperor Realm Masters clearly shook.
Quite apparently, even they felt that such a tactic was unimaginable. To think an obscure ancient character that contained some sort of true meaning would actually be able to form Demon Essence in a person, even manipulating them into believing their mission in life was to break the seal on the giant blood-coloured door. However, what Yang Tai did clearly proved this matter to be true.
Soon, they arrived at the underground rock cave. Yang Kai waved his hand and cast a Shamanic Spell to illuminate the rock cave before pointing to the front, “That is the door sealing the Demon Spirits.”
Everyone exchanged astonished glances before looking forward.
Yang Tai and Wu Kuang Yi died in front of that door, and the blood and flesh left behind hadn’t been cleaned up yet. It wasn’t Yang Kai being lazy, but him acting on purpose. Only, what everyone else saw now was only dried up body parts on the ground with no traces of any blood.
All the blood had already been absorbed by the door.
“Another thing I must warn everyone about is that when I was meditating here, the Demon Spirit inside the door tried to burn the true meaning of the Demon Characters into my mind. Fortunately, I noticed it early enough and managed to protect myself in time. Otherwise, I’m afraid I would have ended up in the same situation as Yang Tai.”
They were all shocked to hear his words.
Gao Xue Ting quickly asked, “Are you sure you’re fine?” There was a worried and nervous look in her beautiful eyes, showing her overwhelming concern.
“I’m certain,” Yang Kai responded earnestly.
Xiao Yu Yang had a serious expression on his face, “In that case, your previous speculations are undoubtedly correct. There was not only a single Demon Spirit behind this door. I’m afraid there’s likely many more.”
Yang Kai shrugged, “Whether there are or not, this place needs to be sealed up completely.”
“That’s what we’re here for.” Xiao Yu Yang turned to Gong Zhen, “We’ll have to trouble Patriarch Gong for this part.”
Gong Zhen cupped his fists, “It is the Gong Family’s duty-bound responsibility.”
As he spoke, he flew leisurely to the giant door and used his Divine Sense to check the seal’s condition.
Xiao Yu Yang and the others maintained a high level of alertness, ready to take on any unexpected danger.
After a moment, Gong Zhen said, “The situation is not too bad. Even though the seal is old, the ancient Masters must have planned for the worst, so a self-repairing Spirit Array was added. As long as we reinforce it carefully, it should not have any problems.”
Hearing him say so, everyone relaxed.
Gong Zhen continued, “I need a few days to come up with a plan. In the meantime, I must entrust everyone to stand guard.”
Xiao Yu Yang said, “Rest assured, Patriarch Gong. I will be staying here.”
Gong Zhen gently nodded before finding a clean spot to sit down cross-legged. Then, he took out many strange objects from his Space Ring, seemingly getting to work.
Xiao Yu Yang then turned to Yang Kai, “Gong Yue’s mind being invaded by the Demon Spirit and him running away after the demonification is a troublesome matter that has to be resolved thoroughly. Otherwise, countless consequences will haunt us. Do you have any good ideas on how to deal with this?”
Yang Kai grinned, “I can track his location.”
Xiao Yu Yang’s eyes lit up, “Sure enough, it was right for us to seek you out first. Seems like you’re well-prepared.”
Yang Kai responded, “I can only hope he hasn’t noticed it yet.”
As early as when Gong Yue went through demonification and left, Yang Kai had already made plans and secretly left a hidden mark on his body. Gong Yue’s consciousness was still blurry during that moment so he couldn’t have noticed, allowing Yang Kai to act with ease.
At that time, Yang Kai told Hua Yu Lu and the others that there were two matters they had to deal with, and the second matter was to hunt down Gong Yue and eliminate him!
But those three did not have that ability, so Yang Kai didn’t tell them. He could only wait for the Masters from the top Sects to arrive.
“I must stay to watch over matters here, so I’ll leave Gong Yue’s matters to you all,” Xiao Yu Yang said to the other Second-Order Emperor Realm Masters.
Chen Wen Hao nodded, “Rest assured, Elder Xiao. We won’t disappoint you.”
They came together firstly to see the seal on the giant blood-coloured door, and secondly to pursue Gong Yue. They originally intended to get some clues from Yang Kai to begin their search, but they didn’t expect him to actually be able to track Gong Yue’s location, which definitely made things easier.
With three Second-Order Emperor Realm Masters combining their strength, it would be impossible for Gong Yue to match them even if they had the same level of cultivation. Not to mention, Yang Kai had also recovered back to his peak condition, and he alone would be enough to deal with Gong Yue.
“We should not delay things. Go now,” Xiao Yu Yang instructed.
It had been more than a month since the incident, and nobody knew where Gong Yue had gone. If they delayed matters too long, then the mark left behind by Yang Kai may possibly lose its effectiveness or even be discovered.
Without saying anything more, they turned and left.
Gong Zhen, who was working up a plan to the side, suddenly said, “If possible, I hope that you can bring back the old Patriarch’s body.”
He did not ask them to spare Gong Yue’s life because he knew that the latter’s mind had already been invaded by a Demon Spirit. Even if they spared him, he would no longer be Gong Yue. The old Patriarch showed a lifetime of wisdom, but his reputation ended up being destroyed in his old age, even involving the Gong Family in it. Gong Zhen couldn’t help but sigh while thinking so.
It was a bright day. Under the cloudless azure dome of a sky, a streak of light was flying forward. Naturally, it was the light from a flight type artifact. Only, the speed was so fast that it was simply impossible for the ordinary populous to notice.
This artifact was Yang Kai’s Flowing Clouds Shuttle, a flight type Emperor Artifact refined by Hou Yu that performed excellently. Even though its interior was small, fitting four people was no problem.
Yang Kai released the control restrictions so the group of four could take turns controlling it and travelling at full speed towards the fading mark Yang Kai set to track Gong Yue.
Gong Yue was much more difficult to deal with than he had anticipated. The four Emperors had left the Ancient Cave Mansion a month ago, but they still hadn’t caught a single glimpse of him. Worse, Yang Kai’s ability to sense the mark was growing weaker and weaker as time went on. If this continued to drag, then they might really lose Gong Yue’s trail.
This made Yang Kai very anxious. At one point, he suddenly opened his eyes.
Gao Xue Ting, who was controlling the Flowing Clouds Shuttle, seemed to have noticed and turned to him, “It cut off again?”
Yang Kai gently nodded, revealing a helpless expression. For the first half of the month, his connection with the mark, while weak, was at least constant. But during the latter half, the connection would somehow be interrupted from time to time, making him lose track of Gong Yue’s direction.
Even though Gong Yue’s consciousness had been in a chaotic state and he did not detect what Yang Kai did at the time, Yang Kai didn’t dare to be too careless. So, the mark he left on him was not too strong. There was no way for him to sense it if it was too far away; however, thanks to his comprehension of Space Principles, he had managed to persist until now.
“Do you think Gong Yue noticed anything? In the end, he’s still a Second-Order Emperor.” Gao Xue Ting asked with a frown.
Yang Kai responded, “Whether he noticed or not, we should all be thankful he didn’t take advantage of the situation to cause trouble.”
Even though Gong Yue had escaped for two months, he hadn’t done anything to harm anyone else yet. He just kept on going in circles, seemingly looking for something, or perhaps hiding from someone.
No one knew whether Gong Yue was acting on instinct, if he had managed to restore his consciousness, or if his mind was completely taken over by the Demon Spirit.
Nobody knew his current condition, and they would only be able to tell when they saw him face-to-face.
Feng Ming coldly snorted, “Since he has already gone through demonification, though this world is big, there’s nowhere for him to hide. We’ll find him eventually.”
Chen Wen Hao suddenly said, “Do you two still remember the incident in Maplewood City?”
Upon hearing this, both Gao Xue Ting and Feng Ming nodded, “Naturally.”
Chen Wen Hao sighed, “After that incident, this Chen went back to the Holy Land specifically to check through many ancient books, and it turns out that these situations were extremely rare in ancient history. However, they seem to be happening more and more frequently in recent years.”
“So?” Feng Ming wondered why he suddenly brought this up.
“It seems the Demons are stirring,” Chen Wen Hao said in a solemn voice. “Similar situations have happened in the past, and despite there only being vague records, every time they did, it was always a bad sign.”
The other three were slightly stunned by his words.
Feng Ming chuckled, “Even if that’s true, it’s not up to us to worry about it. If the sky falls, those above us will be there to hold it up.”
Gao Xue Ting and Chen Wen Hao had no opinion about his carefree attitude.
Feng Ming changed the topic as he stroked his chin, “By the way, this Old Master is quite curious. What will Gong Yue look like after demonification? Will it be similar to those guys the three of us encountered outside of Maplewood City back then?”
“Back then? There were many suspicious things about what happened back then.” Chen Wen Hao frowned.
Gao Xue Ting nodded in agreement. Back then, the three of them entered into a great battle with a Demon Lord, and as a result, they were inexplicably dragged into a pitch-black environment. By the time they restored their sight, their enemy had disappeared without a trace. They were unharmed, but it was as if the Demon let them off intentionally.
None of them could say for certain what really happened during that time, so the three of them returned to their Sects after carefully examining themselves to make sure they had no issues. Even so, after all these years, memories of that event were still fresh in their minds.
Hearing them mention what happened during that time, Yang Kai silently shut his eyes and tried to track down Gong Yue’s traces while controlling the Flowing Clouds Shuttle.
After another day, Yang Kai suddenly opened his eyes and shouted, “I found him!”
“Where?” Gao Xue Ting and the others opened their eyes at the same time and asked.
Yang Kai pointed in a certain direction, “Three thousand kilometres that way.”
Feng Ming’s eyes lit up at his words, “That close? Let’s see where he can run now!”
For ordinary mortals, three thousand kilometres may be too far to walk even over the course of a lifetime. However, for an Emperor Realm Master, three thousand kilometres was just barely out of arm’s reach.
The group had been tracking Gong Yue for a month, and they had never been this close to him, so when they heard this news, they were all excited.
In just a short while, the Flowing Clouds Shuttle arrived at that place.
The Flowing Clouds Shuttle stopped, and four figures were revealed in the air. They did not try to hide their auras, so the Emperor Pressure that was as vast as the sea filled the void, causing even the ground below to shake.
This was a small mountain peak that was only a thousand metres high. A pavilion stood at the top of it, and even though the scenery was not bad here, the World Energy was not very rich.
Yang Kai swept a glance around and understood that the Earth Vein here wasn’t good, making it impossible for Sects and families with any kind of heritage to pay attention to it. Only those who had no background and cultivated alone would choose to stay here.
But looking at the situation on that peak, it seemed there was actually a small Sect here.
There were about fifty to sixty people gathered there, but the strongest among them only gave off the aura of the Origin King Realm. A small Sect such as this was nothing to look at in the Southern Territory.
This place was very remote, so rarely would any Masters come here.
The strongest cultivator in this small Sect’s disciples was a Third-Order Origin King, so for Yang Kai’s group of four to suddenly appear here was extremely shocking to them.
Today, four Emperor Realm Masters suddenly descended upon their Sect, and each of them was from a top Sect of the Southern Territory. As if the Heavens and Earth had flipped, there was a surge of shock in everyone’s hearts.
They did not have the ability to recognize that these four Masters were all in the legendary Emperor Realm, but the almost suffocating pressure made it clear to them that these four people had the ability to kill them at will.
On that mountain peak, the fifty to sixty cultivators in the houses and forest trails were pale-faced and shivering as they looked up in awe.
They were just like a group of ants with an elephant standing before them, and the elephant had raised its foot. They could only pray that this foot would not step down on them as there was nothing they could do to resist.
Yang Kai and his group took in the situation of these cultivators, and they began to spread out as soon as they showed up, each taking a different direction to block off the mountain.
Feng Ming then said aloud, “This King is Orthodoxy Temple’s Elder Feng Ming. Fellow cultivators, this King has joined hands with his fellow Daoists to chase down an evildoer, and we hold no malice towards your Sect. If you cooperate and do not move about at will, we will make sure your lives are unharmed. Disobey us at your own risk!”
With his status, it was kind enough for him to warn this group of cultivators who had not even reached the Dao Source Realm. So, he did not say anything more after finishing that announcement.
Naturally, the cultivators didn’t dare to move an inch after hearing his words. In fact, they had already stopped moving before Feng Ming said anything. In front of the suffocating Emperor Pressure, it felt like their movements were being restricted by an invisible force, making their bodies feel stiff, and even their thoughts had stopped. The only thing left inside of them was panic and horror.
The four Emperor Realm Masters glanced at each other before each summoning their Emperor Artifacts.
Chen Wen Hao cultivated the Sword Dao and his skill in it was nearly at the point of perfection. With his sword in one hand, the aura he gave off was awe-inspiring. Light flashed brilliantly through his Flowing Water Sword, which had been with Chen Wen Hao for over a thousand years. Man and sword merged as one.
Gao Xue Ting summoned her own Emperor Artifact, the Radiant Sun Mirror. The mirror appeared simple and unadorned, hardly worth noticing, but it was actually the Emperor Artifact she spent her life refining.
Feng Ming held his Flying Thunder Spear in hand. His seemingly old body suddenly looked much taller, and his body gave off a brave and heroic aura that seemed even more imposing than those at the height of their youth.
Yang Kai was holding his Myriads Sword, but compared to Chen Wen Hao’s Flowing Water Sword, the broad longsword was simply not up to par.
However, Chen Wen Hao still took a glance at the Myriads Sword. As another Emperor who cultivated the Sword Dao, Chen Wen Hao could intuitively sense the might of the Myriads Sword.
After the four Emperors got into position, Feng Ming shouted towards the tallest building on the peak below, “Gong Yue, show yourself! There’s nowhere for you to run!”
After arriving here, he had already detected a clear energy fluctuation even without Yang Kai’s reminder, which was closely linked with Yang Kai’s aura. It was clearly the mark that Yang Kai previously placed on Gong Yue.
If the mark was here, then Gong Yue should naturally be here as well.
He shouted loudly, but received no answer.
Feng Ming brandished his spear and sneered, “Since you refuse a toast, you must drink a loss. We originally planned to leave your corpse whole, but since you insist on being stubborn, don’t blame this Old Master for not showing mercy!”
At the end of his sentence, a cold glint flashed and Feng Ming’s spear shot out like a soaring dragon.
There wasn’t too much splendour to this move, Feng Ming’s strike was as simple as it could be. The disciples of this small Sect were unable to grasp much of its mysteries, but the other three Emperor Realm Masters could appreciate Feng Ming’s amazing skill.
He gathered all of his power into one point without the slightest leak.
The spear thrust seemed to leap over space and the mountain peak shook violently as if it was about to collapse while the building atop it began to vaporize.
“Hm?” At that moment, Feng Ming frowned as if he had discovered something.
Yang Kai quickly shouted, “Elder Feng, don’t kill that man!”
Feng Ming’s hand shook, and the power he shot out instantly dispersed by as much as eighty percent. The remaining twenty percent of the power was also directed in elsewhere.
With a rumble, the building fully collapsed, revealing the figure of a stiff elderly man who was shaking like a leaf in a storm. The elderly man had a miserable appearance, his face as pale as a sheet of paper and he stood alone in the ruin, covered in dust.
The cultivation of this old man was not very high, only Third-Order Origin King, so his aptitude clearly wasn’t that good. He had already reached the end of his potential, and he couldn’t progress again in his lifetime.
At this moment, with the building on the mountain peak collapsed, no other person could possibly appear but him.
The four Emperors could all sense that the aura from the mark was actually from this man’s body.
Feng Ming frowned and instantly realized what happened, cursing, “Just like a golden cicada shedding its skin, he escaped!”
Yang Kai also sighed, “We were careless. It seems like Gong Yue is now in good shape.”
The mark he left on Gong Yue’s body had been transferred to this elderly man, luring the four of them in the wrong direction. It was impossible for the mark to have transferred on its own though, so the only explanation was Gong Yue had done it intentionally.
And, for him to have done it without Yang Kai noticing, it was clear that Gong Yue was no longer in a muddled state. He had either restored his consciousness, or it was taken over by the Demon Spirit after it fused perfectly with his body, neither of which was what Yang Kai’s group hoped to see.
One by one, they put away their artifacts.
The elderly man standing in the ruins was scared out of his wits, and he cried out miserably to them, “This humble old man greets these Seniors. Please… Seniors, please…spare my life!”
He had no idea what Yang Kai and the others had come here to do, but he knew that they were not people he could resist, especially the one who made that strike earlier, the one who called himself the Orthodoxy Temple’s Elder Feng Ming.
This old man knew of Orthodoxy Temple as it was one of the top Sects of the Southern Territory. A small Sect like his didn’t even have the right to look upon them, but now one of Orthodoxy Temple’s Elders had come here personally and even attacked him. If Feng Ming had not dispersed his lethal move at the last moment, this old man would have vanished without even a trace of his bones remaining.
The old man could not understand what he had done to provoke Orthodoxy Temple, and to attract the attention of such a powerful Master. Fear and panic obstructed his ability to think and he could only open his mouth to beg for mercy.
“Do not panic, old man.” Yang Kai smiled at the elderly man while using his Divine Sense to apply a kind of calming wave to settle his emotions, “We are not here to make things difficult for you, merely to track down a criminal. We did not expect such a misunderstanding to arise.”
“A criminal…” The old man was much more stable after receiving this pacification and was also no longer in a panic like he was earlier.
“Yes.” Yang Kai looked solemn. Tapping the tips of his fingers in front of him and circulating his Emperor Qi at the same time, an image appeared in front of him, naturally of Gong Yue’s face, “This is the man we’re looking for. Have you seen this person recently?”
Since the mark was transferred to this elderly man, that meant that Gong Yue had at least been here before. Now, without the mark, tracking down Gong Yue was going to be a problem, and this old man may be their only clue. Naturally, Yang Kai wouldn’t let it go so easily.
“Him?” The elderly man looked shocked after seeing Gong Yue’s face.
Yang Kai exclaimed, “You’ve seen him?”
The old man muttered, “I thought that was just a dream! A few days ago, when this old man was cultivating, I may have seen that man, but when I tried to take a closer look, he was gone. I thought…I thought that it was just…an illusion.”
Feng Ming quickly said, “Let me see your memory!”
As soon as he said that, his arm reached out for the elderly man, resulting in the man’s yelp. Involuntarily, he was pulled before Feng Ming.
This old man was terrified. Feng Ming’s attitude hadn’t been particularly friendly when he made that strike at him earlier, so thinking that he was going to meet with some untoward end, he struggled out of panic, but there was nothing an Origin King Realm cultivator like him could do in front of an Emperor Realm Master. He was subdued in an instant and was unable to move even a finger.
Feng Ming pointed a finger at his forehead, quite apparently prying into his memories from yesterday.
Right at that moment, Yang Kai suddenly shouted in alarm, “Elder Feng, watch out!”
Feng Ming was distracted for just a moment when the elderly man he dragged in front of him suddenly swelled up. The power in this old man’s body became chaotic and violent. Clearly, the elderly man had no idea what was happening either, as he was panicking with a look of confusion on his face.
With a loud bang, the elderly man burst apart.
And, from inside his exploded body, a small ball of black light quickly rushed at Feng Ming.
Even though Feng Ming was a Second-Order Emperor, he was still caught off guard by the sudden unexpected change in front of him. He was trying to check the memory of the elderly man, but he didn’t expect the man to suddenly self-destruct right before his eyes, and for this strange thing to fly out of his body as well.
The black light was not big, but Feng Ming’s vision seemed to be filled by it. He could no longer see anything else, and at the same time, there was a faint murmur in his ears that shook his mind, causing him to open the defences of his Knowledge Sea.
“Demon Suppression!”
Yang Kai shouted, and the light of a Shamanic Spell shot off in Feng Ming’s direction, just barely making it between Feng Ming and the black light. As soon as the black light touched the Shamanic Spell, it bounced off and shot towards Gao Xue Ting instead.
The Radiant Sun Mirror appeared behind Gao Xue Ting, emitting a dazzling light just like the blazing sun.
With a serious expression, Gao Xue Ting formed seals with her hands.
A beam of light shot out from her Radiant Sun Mirror, covering the black light.
The beam of light seemed to have a very strong binding force, and the black light crashed left and right within its boundary, but was unable to break free for a while. And, under the power of the Radiant Sun Mirror, there even seemed to be traces of it melting as thin wisps of black Qi could be seen diffusing from it.
“Three Thousand Sword Daos Entwine Like Thread!” Chen Wen Hao pointed his Flowing Water Sword at the black light, and thin silk threads shot out, entering the light and turning into a layer of restraint to wrap around the struggling black light.
With the combined strength of Chen Wen Hao and Gao Xue Ting, they finally subdued the black light.
“This…is the Demon Spirit?” Feng Ming wiped the cold sweat off his forehead, his heart still jumping from the event.
If Yang Kai hadn’t reacted quickly and helped him block that strike with his strange Secret Technique, then his mind would have been invaded by the Demon Spirit. He had no idea whether he had the ability to resist the Demon Spirit or not, but with Gong Yue as an example, he may not be able to break free if the Demon Spirit was really that strong.
The four of them had come out to hunt Gong Yue, but they had actually been fooled by such a small trick and almost suffered a heavy loss, causing Feng Ming to show a terrible expression.
“This isn’t a complete Demon Spirit!” Yang Kai frowned as he carefully observed the imprisoned black light and judged, “It was split from Gong Yue. He knows we’re hunting him, so he planted this trap on purpose!”
“The Demon Spirit can split itself?” Feng Ming was shocked.
Chen Wen Hao and Gao Xue Ting also had grave expressions. If that was true, then the problem was much more serious than they anticipated. They thought that all they had to do was find Gong Yue and kill him, but if the Demon Spirit could divide itself, then it wouldn’t help even if they eliminated Gong Yue.
Because none of them knew how many parts the Demon Spirit could split into, and where else it was hiding.
Only Yang Kai had been in a direct confrontation with the Demon Spirit, so everyone turned their gazes to him to see what his opinion was.
“From the information we have, it seems the Demon Spirit can indeed divide itself.”
Hearing this, the hearts of the other three sank.
“However…” Yang Kai went on, “This ability is likely not unlimited. This is half of the Demon Spirit I saw before, so it’s possible it can only divide into two parts, and there must be a cost to do so.”
“Even so, this is a tricky situation.” Chen Wen Hao frowned.
“Let’s eliminate this Demon Spirit first.” After eating a loss, Feng Ming was more concerned with this thing than anyone else.
Agreeing, Gao Xue Ting planned to increase the might of her Radiant Sun Mirror. No matter how strange this Demon Spirit was, there had to be a way to eliminate it, and this situation proved it. Gao Xue Ting also felt that she would be able to melt the restrained Demon Spirit completely if she put in thirty percent more power.
“Wait,” Yang Kai raised his hand to stop her. “We’ve already lost Gong Yue’s trail. If we want to track him down again, we can only start from this half Demon Spirit. If we destroy it, I’m afraid we may lose him forever.”
Feng Ming nodded, “You’re right. Gong Yue tried to use this little trick to catch us off guard, and maybe even try to demonise one of us, but he must not have expected to leave a clue behind instead. It seems a wise man can truly be ruined by his own wisdom.”
Chen Wen Hao said, “Even so, how are we going to track Gong Yue using this Demon Spirit? Who dares to handle it?”
The Demon Spirit had so many strange tricks that none of these Emperor Realm Masters dared to handle it directly. But if they didn’t, they wouldn’t be able to track Gong Yue’s location.
Yang Kai said, “If you can all trust me, then leave it to me.”
Gao Xue Ting was shocked, “You? What will you do with it?”
Yang Kai smiled, “Don’t worry, Senior Sister Gao. Since I was able to resist the invasion of the Demon Characters in that cave mansion, I can naturally resist the temptation of this meagre half of a Demon Spirit.”
“Can you…truly?”
Gao Xue Ting looked worried. It wasn’t that she didn’t believe in Yang Kai’s strength, but nobody would dare to make any guarantees in this situation. If Yang Kai were to be invaded by the Demon Spirit, then they would be falling right into Gong Yue’s plan.
“Are you confident?” Chen Wen Hao also looked seriously at Yang Kai.
Even though Feng Ming did not say anything, he clearly thought the same.
Yang Kai said, “I’m at least seventy percent sure. What’s more… Don’t I have three Masters standing guard by me?”
Chen Wen Hao nodded, “If there’s a seventy percent chance, then this method is feasible!”
Gao Xue Ting glared at him, “If you think it’s feasible, then why don’t you try it?”
Chen Wen Hao cleared his throat, “I don’t have confidence, so I can’t try it.”
If they wanted to trace Gong Yue through this half of the Demon Spirit, then they would need to have deeper contact with it, and even peer into its inner workings. In doing so, one would be actively opening themselves up to the Demon Spirit, which wasn’t something to joke about.
“We should destroy it!” Gao Xue Ting was about to act as soon as she said that. She wasn’t willing to watch Yang Kai take this risk. Even if Yang Kai said he was seventy percent sure he could do it, what if they fell into the remaining thirty percent instead?
Instead of having Yang Kai take such a risk, they might as well destroy this Demon Spirit as soon as possible. They may have lost track of Gong Yue, but that didn’t mean they wouldn’t be able to trace him. If anything, they could use their Sects to mobilize all the cultivators of the Southern Territory to seek him out, then Gong Yue wouldn’t be able to hide no matter how hard he tried.
Gao Xue Ting was going to destroy that half of the Demon Spirit as soon as she finished speaking, but Yang Kai arrived in front of the Demon Spirit in a flash, reached into the Radiant Sun Mirror’s light and grabbed the Demon Spirit.
“Junior Brother, you…” Gao Xue Ting’s beautiful face paled.
Yang Kai grinned at her, “Rest assured, nothing bad will happen. I’ll have to trouble everyone to stand guard for me!”
The others were all nervous around the Demon Spirit, but Yang Kai was completely undaunted. His years in the Thousand Illusions Dreamworld made him realize that a trivial Demon Spirit couldn’t do anything to him, because he also had the extremely pure Ancient Demon Qi sealed inside of him. What’s more, he also had an Ancient Demon’s Black Eye. As they say, barefooted people were not afraid of those who wear shoes.
But he couldn’t explain that clearly to everyone, so he could only act first.
Since things had already come to this, Gao Xue Ting had no way of stopping him any longer, so she simply reminded him, “You must be careful. If anything goes wrong, let go immediately!”
“I’ll remember,” Yang Kai nodded his head.
He then sat cross-legged in the air with his eyes closed, using his Divine Sense to communicate with that half of the Demon Spirit so he could search for Gong Yue’s whereabouts.
Chen Wen Hao, Gao Xue Ting, and Feng Ming formed a triangle surrounding him. Gao Xue Ting’s beautiful eyes were fixed on Yang Kai’s body and not moving for even an instant. If she found anything off, she would instantly envelop him with the light of the Radiant Sun Mirror.
Chen Wen Hao and Feng Ming exchanged glances, both of them seeing a trace of admiration in each other’s eyes. This couldn’t be helped; after all, they didn’t have the guts to do the same as Yang Kai when faced with such a strange Demon Spirit, yet this youth took the risk despite being the least powerful one of the group. This was something worthy of respect.
It was also at this moment that they both truly felt that new geniuses emerged into the world in each age. They had cultivated to the Second-Order Emperor Realm, so their aptitudes were naturally among the highest in the Star Boundary. They were also leading figures when they were young, the rising stars of their generation, filled with vigour and determination, just like Yang Kai right now.
Times changed, but what remained the same was the rise of talented people throughout the ages.
There was silence all around, with the several dozen cultivators from that small Sect below still not even daring to move. They were scattered all over the mountain peak, and had watched their Sect Master explode and die inexplicably. Trepidation and fear had already seeped deep into their bones, and they looked upon the four Masters in the sky as if they were looking at Gods without even so much as a thought of taking revenge for their Sect Master.
They had no idea that their Sect Master’s death was unrelated to Yang Kai and his group. They thought that their Sect Master had been killed by the man named Feng Ming and further reinforced their beliefs that these Masters from big Sects were abominable people lacking in humanity.
..…
There was only darkness ahead, as if Yang Kai was walking in the land of nihility. There was no light around, nor any sound. There wasn’t a single thing he could feel. He was using his mind to communicate with that half of the Demon Spirit, hoping to trace back to its source to look for the other half. As long as he could find the other half of the Demon Spirit, he would be able to find Gong Yue.
But progress was slow. It was Yang Kai’s first time attempting such a thing and he was inexperienced, so he had to grope his way through the whole ordeal.
He explored that endless darkness for a long time before changing his strategy, splitting some of his attention to sense the outside world.
Finally, he got some results. In the darkness, Yang Kai could feel that this half of the Demon Spirit had a vague but non-severable connection with something, and he began tracing that weak link.
The darkness slowly changed. Something seemed to appear in his field of vision, but it was too blurry, so he couldn’t see it properly.
Yang Kai pushed his Spiritual Energy and Divine Sense harder and harder, even absorbing the half Demon Spirit into his own Knowledge Sea. Then, he scoured it with his Spiritual Energy, breaking through all its innate defences.
Slowly, his vision began to clear up.
It seemed to be a mountain, a lonely mountain peak with a beautiful view, pleasant landscape, and rich World Energy.
Yang Kai suddenly felt that this mountain peak looked familiar, as if he had seen it somewhere before; however, since the image wasn’t too sharp, he didn’t dare to confirm where it was so soon.
This was apparently Gong Yue’s surroundings that Yang Kai was able to observe through the inextricable connection between the two halves of the Demon Spirit. As long as he could confirm the location of this mountain peak, he would be able to determine Gong Yue’s location.
Once again, he increased the intensity of his Spiritual Energy.
This time, Yang Kai saw even more. There was a figure on the mountain peak, and that person looked somewhat similar to Gong Yue. He was standing quietly in a certain spot of the mountain peak, not moving at all, as if he were dead.
Yang Kai’s current situation was very peculiar. It was as if he was inside a dense ball of liquid, blurring his vision to the point that no matter how he tried he couldn’t see clearly, making him feel anxious.
All of a sudden, Yang Kai felt like he heard something. The sound was like a faded echo, muffled and intermittent, making it hard for Yang Kai to grasp onto it.
The sound came again, and this time, Yang Kai could hear it more clearly. It sounded like a dog barking, going ‘wang wang wang’. His vision moved, and Yang Kai saw a small dog-like creature standing not far away from the blurred figure, barking vigorously.
After barking for a while, that little thing actually pounced onto the figure and bit at it.
The figure remained unmoving as if he could not feel anything.
It was at that moment that the man seemed to sense something. He suddenly raised his head and looked in Yang Kai’s direction. His sharp gaze seemed able to break through the many layers of obstacles and meet Yang Kai’s eyes across the endless void.
The blurred view changed at that moment, becoming much clearer all of a sudden.
Yang Kai’s body shook, his eyes snapped open and his jaw dropped.
“Are you alright?” Gao Xue Ting’s hands were covered in sweat. She hadn’t been this nervous since before she broke through to the Emperor Realm. But at this moment, she was speaking with a trembling voice, fearing that Yang Kai’s mind had been corrupted by the Demon Spirit.
Yang Kai shook his head, looking a little dazed.
“Did you find him?” Chen Wen Hao asked.
“Spirit Sword Peak!” Yang Kai stared at Gao Xue Ting and muttered a response.
Gao Xue Ting was stunned at his words, “What?”
“Spirit Sword Peak. Gong Yue is in Azure Sun Temple, on my Spirit Sword Peak!” Yang Kai felt just how ridiculous his words were saying them. He had the constant feeling that what he saw just now wasn’t real, that it was just an illusion, but there was nothing he could find that could prove it.
“Gong Yue is in Azure Sun Temple?” Feng Ming’s eyes also went wide, obviously a little sceptical.
“That’s what I saw,” Yang Kai stood up and cast a spell to force out the Demon Spirit half from his Knowledge Sea before he crushed it with his hand. Since he had already tracked Gong Yue’s whereabouts, this half of the Demon Spirit was no longer of any use to them.
“How did he get to Azure Sun Temple?” Feng Ming asked.
“I don’t know!” Yang Kai shook his head. Not only was Gong Yue at Azure Sun Temple, but he was also at his Spirit Sword Peak!
Spirit Sword Peak was the Spirit Peak that Yang Kai received after becoming an Elder of the temple; it was in a relatively remote location, but whether it be the scenery or the World Energy, it was fantastic, and it was also protected by a powerful Spirit Array.
That was the reason why Yang Kai felt that the peak looked familiar. Even though he had not been staying on Spirit Sword Peak for long, it was his territory after all, so how could it possibly not look familiar to him?
Gong Yue was the former Patriarch of the Gong Family, so he had profound knowledge of Spirit Arrays. The Spirit Array on Spirit Sword Peak could block ordinary Masters, but not necessarily Gong Yue.
If that were all, then Yang Kai would have just thought that what he saw was just an illusion, a trick by Gong Yue to lead them in the wrong direction.
However, that barking confirmed to him that Gong Yue really had gone to Azure Sun Temple and really was on his Spirit Sword Peak.
Because there was indeed a black creature that looked similar to a puppy on Spirit Sword Peak. Even though the creature was a little strange, it had an inexplicable strength. However, Yang Kai had only seen it twice and didn’t pay it too much attention.
“Why would Gong Yue go to the Azure Sun Temple? Is he seeking death?” Chen Wen Hao frowned. With Gong Yue’s strength, he wouldn’t be able to make it out alive if he bumped into the four of them. It was reasonable to say that he should find a place to hide, but of all places, he chose to run towards danger, heading all the way to Azure Sun Temple.
The temple was full of powerful Masters, so how could Gong Yue survive going there?
“I can’t contact them. Junior Brother, can you try?” Gao Xue Ting suddenly spoke after having been silent the whole while. After finding out that Gong Yue had gone to Azure Sun Temple, she immediately took out her own Jade Elder Token and tried to contact her fellow Elders inside the temple.
To her surprise, her Jade Elder Token wouldn’t connect.
Yang Kai quickly took out his Jade Elder Token and immersed his Divine Sense into it.
After a short while, he looked at Gao Xue Ting and shook his head, “There’s no response!”
This place was a little far from Azure Sun Temple, but of course, it wasn’t far enough to be uncontactable. If any Elders in the temple received their message, then they would have given them a response right away; however, neither of them received a response in their attempts.
“Something happened to the temple!” Gao Xue Ting’s face changed.
“Let’s go!” Feng Ming shouted, also realizing the seriousness of the situation.
Yang Kai immediately summoned his Flowing Clouds Shuttle, and the four of them entered it in a line. Then, the Flowing Clouds Shuttle made off like a bolt of lightning, disappearing in the blink of any eye.
After the four people left, the disciples of the small Sect who had been on edge the whole time gradually came back to their senses and fell to the ground, cold sweat covering their backs.
They waited for a few moments to make sure that the senior experts really left far away and were not going to return before the remaining several dozen disciples began fighting each other for the position of Sect Master. Swords clashed as they engaged in a fierce battle for some time.
Inside the Flowing Clouds Shuttle, both Yang Kai and Gao Xue Ting had uneasy looks on their faces.
Chen Wen Hao reassured them, “Even though I have no idea what Gong Yue is trying to do at the temple, he is undoubtedly throwing himself into the net. With Temple Master Wen standing guard at the temple, Gong Yue won’t be able to stir up any waves, so do not fret. Perhaps Gong Yue will already be dead by the time we arrive.”
The worry on Gao Xue Ting’s face did not diminish, but she still responded, “I hope so.”
Looking at the situation, Yang Kai vaguely realized that something wasn’t right and quietly sent a message to Gao Xue Ting, “What’s happening at the temple? Is it something I don’t know?”
Gao Xue Ting glanced at him and answered, “The Temple Master is occupied with something at the moment. If Gong Yue is really causing trouble inside the Sect, then Temple Master won’t be able to do anything.”
“Still, Senior Brother Qiu and the others are there!” Yang Kai said.
Gao Xue Ting wasn’t so sure, “Senior Brother Qiu and the others may be strong, but what I’m worried about is that they might fall for the Demon Spirit’s tricks since they don’t know about them. We can’t get in contact with them now, and we have no idea what the situation is at the temple. You said you saw Gong Yue on Spirit Sword Peak, but why would he be there?”
“I’m curious about that too,” Yang Kai shook his head. Azure Sun Temple had many spirit peaks, but Gong Yue had to choose Spirit Sword Peak among all of them. Yang Kai even suspected that he was purposefully getting revenge on him because he had hindered the resurgence of the Demon Spirits inside the Ancient Cave Mansion.
But that didn’t seem right either. If it was purely for revenge, then Gong Yue couldn’t take such a huge risk.
“Senior Sister, what did you mean when you said that Temple Master was occupied with something?”
Gao Xue Ting was silent for a moment, as if she was deliberating, and only answered after a short pause, “Since you’re already a temple Elder, there’s no reason not to tell you. Do you still remember when you tried to use the Divine Ascension Mirror last time, but I stopped you?”
“Of course I remember. What does that have to do with this though?” Yang Kai didn’t understand.
“It’s Temple Master.” Gao Xue Ting explained, “I told you at the time that someone was using the Divine Ascension Mirror, and that he was not to be disturbed. Do you know who it is?”
This was also something that perplexed Yang Kai when it happened. The Divine Ascension Mirror was considered Azure Sun Temple Sect’s Supreme Artifact, and the core of its heritage and foundation. It was precisely because of the existence of the Divine Ascension Mirror that the Masters in the temple had stronger Soul cultivation than ordinary; however, it wasn’t so easy for one to enter the Divine Ascension Mirror to cultivate. Generally, disciples needed to attain great achievements to obtain a chance to go as a rare reward. Even as an elder, one had to pay 3,000 Elder Contribution Points to enter, and no one was exempt.
Elder Contribution Points were hard to come by, and 3,000 wasn’t a small amount either. Moreover, as a newly conferred Elder, Yang Kai naturally had no such points.
Now though, it seemed Gao Xue Ting did not stop him because his Elder Contribution Points weren’t sufficient, but because someone was using the Divine Ascension Mirror.
Yang Kai was curious who it was back then, but since he wasn’t in a rush, he didn’t pursue the matter.
However, he didn’t expect Gao Xue Ting to bring up this matter at this time.
“Who?” Yang Kai asked with a frown. He had the vague feeling that this person was probably someone very important.
“That person is closely related to Temple Master. It can even be said that he raised Temple Master and trained him personally.” Gao Xue Ting glanced sideways at Yang Kai, not mentioning the person directly by name.
But Yang Kai’s body shook and the image of a person immediately came to mind as he exclaimed in realization, “So it’s him!”
Gao Xue Ting looked curiously at him, “You’re much calmer about this than I expected.”
Yang Kai vaguely realized what was going on and asked, “Did that Sir enter the Divine Ascension World to try to separate their Souls?”
Gao Xue Ting’s tender body trembled as he turned to Yang Kai in astonishment, “How do you know about that?”
Even she did not know too much about this secret. It was only because Wen Zi Shan had inadvertently leaked a few words about it in front of her that she was able to guess it. However, she didn’t expect Yang Kai to make this connection in a single go. No one could have such a terrifying deduction ability, unless Yang Kai knew something about it beforehand.
Yang Kai smiled bitterly, “The reason that Sir became like that actually has a little to do with me.”
“With you?” Gao Xue Ting was even more confused and stared at Yang Kai as if she were a tireless student seeking to learn about a domain she had never stepped foot in before.
Yang Kai briefly described what happened in the Shattered Star Sea to her, then he added, “It was by coincidence that I encountered what I did, and luck that I made it out alive, but as a result of many those many twists and turns, that Sir now seems to have a firm connection ‘that’ Sir’s Soul, forcing them to share one body. I didn’t expect him to come back to the temple… no, that’s right, the Divine Ascension Mirror is a world of Souls, and Senior Tian Yan is also there. They may really be able to find a way to separate their Souls in there.”
“So that’s how it is!” Gao Xue Ting was stunned. All the things she couldn’t understand before became clear after receiving Yang Kai’s explanation, but she never thought that this matter would be related to him, and that he had the honour of being involved in a battle between two Great Emperors. Even though both Great Emperors were not at their peak during that fight, it still wasn’t an opportunity that just anyone could encounter.
The most shocking part was that Yang Kai also played a role in it. If not for his efforts, then that Sir’s Soul may have been extinguished and perished along with the enemy. Even though the current situation didn’t look good, at least their lives were retained. As long as they were alive, they were bound to be able to find a way to separate.
It was because of that person’s sensitive identity that Yang Kai was not able to use the Divine Ascension Mirror during that time.
Gao Xue Ting went on, “It seems they haven’t made much progress though, so Temple Master himself went in to help. Right now, Temple Master’s Soul is in the Divine Ascension Mirror and he knows nothing about what’s going on outside. If Gong Yue really silently infiltrated the temple, the others may not have been able to notice at all.”
“So that’s how it is!” Yang Kai nodded, understanding Gao Xue Ting’s worries.
After ending his Divine Sense conversation with Gao Xue Ting, Yang Kai opened his eyes and declared, “I’m going to use my teleportation technique to speed up, please do not resist if you feel any discomfort.”
Chen Wen Hao and Feng Ming gently nodded at his words and looked curiously towards Yang Kai.
Even though they had long heard that Yang Kai was proficient in the Dao of Space, just like that Sir from Spirit Beast Island, they had never seen it with their own eyes. This sort of mysterious power wasn’t something that could be witnessed casually, especially from a Master like Yang Kai.
So, they all looked on with great interest and waited in silence.
Space Principles surged from Yang Kai and enveloped the entire Flowing Clouds Shuttle. If the others had not been warned about it beforehand, then Chen Wen Hao and Feng Ming definitely would have resisted after sensing this change; however, they were informed and knew what Yang Kai was trying to do, so they relaxed and did not interfere with the flow of his Principle Strength.
The Flowing Clouds Shuttle seemed to shake slightly, and in the next moment, a sense of vertigo washed over Chen Wen Hao and Feng Ming, as well as a kind of desolate fear, like they had suddenly fallen into a bottomless abyss where they could neither hear, see, nor touch anything.
But that feeling was very short-lived, disappearing in just the blink of an eye.
At the same time, the Flowing Clouds Shuttle re-emerged a thousand kilometres away.
Chen Wen Hao and Feng Ming exchanged glances, both of them clearly seeing the astonishment in the other’s eyes.
They had heard rumours that cultivators proficient in the Dao of Space were unmatched when it came to escaping, and now it seemed that the rumours were true. They were both Second-Order Emperors, but it was still impossible for them to move a thousand kilometres in an instant. Perhaps with the help of some special artifacts they could achieve a similar feat, but it definitely wouldn’t be as smooth as what Yang Kai just did.
With such a Divine Ability, as long as he wasn’t trapped inside a sealed space, who in the world could stop Yang Kai from coming and going as he pleased?
No wonder Flower Shadow Great Emperor failed to take down that man from Spirit Beast Island despite far exceeding his strength during her pursuit. Masters of the Dao of Space were as slippery as a loach. If the first strike misses, then it would be impossible to catch their tracks after that.
The Flowing Clouds Shuttle constantly shook, vanishing and then reappearing a thousand kilometres into the distance after each tremble.
The three other Masters in the shuttle were increasingly in awe of Yang Kai’s Space Technique.
At the beginning, Yang Kai’s aura was strong and steady, his face calm and collected, but he gradually began to struggle as time went on. The amount of energy drained from him to instantaneously move three Emperor Realm Masters and an Emperor Artifact at the same time was immense.
But they were in an urgent situation right now, so Yang Kai couldn’t care too much about this excessive consumption. His only thought was to rush back to the temple as soon as possible.
Half a day later, he stuffed a handful of Spirit Pills into his mouth before signalling Gao Xue Ting to take over control of the Flowing Clouds Shuttle. Then, he sat down cross-legged to adjust his breathing.
Chen Wen Hao and Feng Ming could see clearly that all of the Spirit Pills Yang Kai stuffed into his mouth were Emperor Pills. Each one of them was worth a fortune, but he chewed them just like candy before swallowing them all down.
Even if the two of them had always been in high positions, seeing this still made their faces twitch as they cursed this black sheep in their hearts.
Their gazes next turned to the Flowing Clouds Shuttle they were riding, which was clearly a flight type Emperor Artifact of immeasurable value. Even they did not possess such a treasure.
They couldn’t figure it out no matter how they racked their brains. How did this boy manage to amass such a huge fortune despite being so young? Compared to him, they were simply no different from poor country bumpkins. Where was their dignity as Second-Order Emperors?
The three people took turns to control the Flower Clouds Shuttle, so the consumption was not too big and they were able to maintain their peak state so that they could deal with any possible dangers.
Once Yang Kai was done recovering and able to use his Space Principles again, their speed once again rapidly increased.
With that, the four of them arrived at Azure Sun Mountain Range after three days.
Sweeping through the mountain range with their Divine Senses, they didn’t find anything unusual. It looked just like usual, with many disciples of the temple doing their jobs around the staggered peaks. There were simply no signs of an attack having been made.
This allowed Yang Kai and Gao Xue Ting, who were anxious the whole time, to finally breathe a sigh of relief.
The Flowing Clouds Shuttle stopped in front of the Sect Defending Array, and the four exited. But instantly, Gao Xue Ting noticed something wrong.
A strange barrier had appeared right outside the Sect Defending Array. The barrier wasn’t very strong, and was very well-hidden, so if not for Gao Xue Ting’s understanding of the Sect’s protective barrier, she may not have been able to tell it was there at all.
And, from the traces of the barrier, she could see that it was clearly set up just a few days ago.
Yang Kai pondered for a moment before taking out his Jade Elder Token and pouring his Divine Sense into it. After some probing, he quickly said, “It was Gong Yue’s doing. It was this barrier that blocked our connection with the temple.”
“That abominable bastard!” Gao Xue Ting gritted her teeth, the Radiant Sun Mirror appearing above her head and releasing a blazing ray of light towards the barrier.
With a bang, the ground began to shake, and the thin and weak barrier was immediately broken.
“Which bastard dares… uh, Elder Gao, Elder Yang?”
A disciple flew out from inside in an aggressive state; however, he immediately shrivelled up as soon as he saw Gao Xue Ting and quickly bowed.
“Has there been anything unusual about the temple these past few days?” Gao Xue Ting asked the disciple.
The disciple didn’t dare to look at her and he had no idea why he was asked this question, but still answered promptly, “Everything is as usual.”
Gao Xue Ting didn’t ask anything more. She knew this disciple knew nothing, so she quickly urged, “To Spirit Sword Peak!”
As she turned around and rushed out, she sent a message into her Jade Elder Token to alert the others.
Spirit Sword Peak was located in a remote location on the outskirts of Azure Sun Temple. Yang Kai chose this location on purpose due to it being more remote, but he didn’t expect it to become a loophole for Gong Yue to exploit.
Halfway there, streams of light flew over from all around Azure Sun Temple, gathering in a group.
Other than those who were outside the Sect or in secluded retreat, all Emperor Realm Elders were there. Vice Temple Master Qiu Ran was also present, and after greeting Chen Wen Hao and Feng Ming, he turned to Gao Xue Ting and asked, “What happened?”
From the atmosphere, he could vaguely guess that something big had taken place. Otherwise, it was impossible for Gao Xue Ting to rush into the temple with the Elders of two other Sects. As far as he knew, they should be in the Southern Swamp right now.
The last time Yang Kai sent them a message, he told them about what happened in the Southern Swamp, so Qiu Ran more or less knew the situation.
“Gong Yue is on Spirit Sword Peak!” Gao Xue Ting answered.
“What?” Qiu Ran was shocked, “Gong Yue? Which Gong Yue?” He simply couldn’t believe her words. He was even wondering whether Gao Xue Ting had made a mistake.
“It’s the Gong Yue that Junior Brother Yang mentioned before. The former patriarch of the Heavenly River Valley’s Gong Family!”
“How could Gong Yue be on Spirit Sword Peak?” Qiu Ran turned to look at You Kun, the one who was responsible for maintaining the Sect’s Spirit Array and safety. If Gong Yue invaded the temple and entered Spirit Sword Peak, then it would have been his fault.
You Kun was covered in cold sweat, “I’m not sure. I didn’t receive any suspicious reports.”
Yang Kai cut in, “Gong Yue is highly proficient in the Dao of Spirit Arrays. If he really wanted to sneak into any Sect, he would definitely be able to find a way. The temple has been safe this whole time, so the Sect Defending Array clearly wasn’t broken. Gong Yue must have exploited some weakness in it, so it’s normal for him to be able to sneak in. Right now, we need to understand why he came to the temple, and why he’s on my Spirit Sword Peak!”
“Yes. Gong Yue’s actions are extremely suspicious, and we have no idea what his situation is right now, so all of you must be careful later.” Chen Wen Hao nodded in agreement.
Qiu Ran nodded lightly as well. Stroking his long beard, he began to ponder.
You Kun looked at Yang Kai in gratitude while he cursed Gong Yue in his heart.
“There is one thing I must tell everyone. The Demon Spirit has many mysterious tricks that are hard to handle, so all of you must guard your minds carefully. Never give the Demon Spirit a chance to take advantage of you,” Gao Xue Ting reminded everyone seriously. The several Elders from Azure Sun Temple all nodded their heads and used their Soul Secret Techniques to strengthen the defences of their Knowledge Seas.
After a half cup of tea’s time, the group finally arrived at Spirit Sword Peak.
Nothing seemed different in Spirit Sword Peak since Yang Kai’s last departure. Other than the fact that the protective array was open, there was only one other anomaly, a figure sitting cross-legged in the open space on top of the mountain, remaining motionless as if he were dead.
There was also a jet-black little beast lying down by his side, looking comfortable. Its short tail would wag around randomly, and when the group of people came over, it raised its eyes to look at them but did not make any moves.
*Shua shua shua…*
The nearly ten Emperor Realm Masters scattered, surrounding Spirit Sword Peak in an airtight formation.
Gong Yue slowly opened his eyes, and his gaze swept around, finally fixing on Yang Kai. His dark eyes were a sight that sent shivers down the backs of all those who were seeing them for the first time. They were just like a bottomless pit that could devour everything.
“You’ve arrived!” Gong Yue spoke softly, sounding quite exhausted, as if he didn’t even have the energy to speak louder.
“Should this Old Master call you Gong Yue, or by another name?” Feng Ming sneered. Just by looking at Gong Yue’s state, he could not figure out whether this man had lost himself or not, and whether or not he had been overtaken by that Demon Spirit.
He didn’t even know if that Demon Spirit had the ability to take over another person.
Even though the current Gong Yue was good study material, there was no way for them to examine him safely now.
“This Old Master is Gong Yue. Gong Yue of the Gong Family,” Gong Yue answered his question.
Feng Ming threw his head back in laughter, “You still have the face to mention the Gong Family? The Gong Family’s reputation will be forever disgraced after this incident, and you will be remembered as the greatest sinner in the Gong Family for ages to come.”
Gong Yue shook his head, “Is the pursuit of power a sin? If so, then all of you here are sinners.”
Feng Ming coldly snorted, “There are innumerable Grand Daos in the world, with paths thin and thick to follow. Yet you chose to traverse the moor. What power do you seek to pursue there?”
Gong Yue responded indifferently, “As long as it fits, everything will fall into place. The Grand Dao is a path, but who are you to say what is a moor and what is not? All Daos lead to the same end.”
“Nonsense!” Feng Ming’s beard curled in anger.
Gong Yue announced proudly, “If there is no path in the moor, then allow this Old Master to tread a road through it!”
“I’m afraid you don’t have that ability.”
Gong Yue smirked, “Naturally, it is impossible for this Gong to do it alone. However, there will be more who follow me.”
Chen Wen Hao sighed, “Brother Gong, you’ve really been taken over by that Demon!”
What he had with Gong Yue could be described in some way as friendship, so before coming here, he thought about whether or not he could find the opportunity to help Gong Yue. However, after seeing him with his own eyes Chen Wen Hao knew it was impossible. Gong Yue’s body was not taken over, in other words, the Demon Spirit didn’t have the ability to seize someone’s body.
However, Gong Yue had gone through demonification. His mind had been warped under the influence of the Demon Spirit, changing him into an unrecognizable shadow of his former self. Such a man was extremely dangerous as no one knew what he was capable of.
Inside, Chen Wen Hao gave up on wanting to help him.
“Demonification?” Gong Yue smiled, “I’ve just found a suitable Dao for myself.”
“That’s not your own Dao!” Yang Kai quickly said.
Gong Yue looked at him, “And what about you? Are all of you walking your own Daos? The paths you are all walking on are paths opened up by others before you. And who can prove that the Dao you’re following is the right one? In my opinion, you’re only picking up the scraps of others.”
Yang Kai said solemnly, “We may be following the Daos of our predecessors, but we all strive hard to better ourselves and advance that path. But you, Old Patriarch Gong, your path has deviated from the Grand Dao. You’ll never reach the end. You’ll just become a slave to the Demon Spirit.”
It was not known which of his words stimulated Gong Yue, but his expression suddenly turned dark, and a cold glint flashed past his eyes, “Nonsense! This Old Master has never felt stronger, who can enslave this Old Master!?”
Yang Kai thought about it for a moment but decided not to dwell on the issue. Instead, he asked, “May I ask Old Patriarch Gong why you took great risks to come to Azure Sun Temple’s Spirit Sword Peak? What about this place attracted you?”
Gong Yue smiled but did not speak, appearing quite mysterious.
Yang Kai continued, “It seems like there’s something about this place that drew you here. Is something related to the Demon Race here? Could there be another Ancient Demon’s relic here?”
“Oh?” Gong Yue looked at Yang Kai with some surprise, “You actually know about the Ancient Demons?”
Yang Kai sneered, “I probably know much more than you do.”
“No wonder!” Gong Yue looked at Yang Kai with interest, as if he’d discovered something, “No wonder you felt different to me. It turns out you are the same as this Old Master.”
Yang Kai said, “You’re wrong. We pursue different paths.”
“Words can deceive, but your body can’t. I can sense it. It’s inside you.” Gong Yue’s expression suddenly became spirited, and he couldn’t help but laugh, “Interesting! Why remain so stubborn?”
Yang Kai shook his head, not arguing with him anymore. Gong Yue had already been corrupted by the Demon Spirit, so his thoughts and ideas were now different from normal people. There was no sense in arguing with him.
However, Chen Wen Hao and the others were now looking at Yang Kai suspiciously. They had no idea what Gong Yue meant by his words, and whatever it was he mentioned inside of Yang Kai’s body made them extremely concerned.
Gong Yue laughed, “One day you will discover that the Dao this Old Master chose is the correct one. This Old Master wishes that day will come soon enough.”
“Whether that day comes or not, I’m afraid you won’t have the opportunity to see it.” Feng Ming scoffed. Reaching his hand out towards the air and gripping down, his Flying Thunder Spear appeared, brimming with a cold light. Brandishing his spear, he thrust the tip towards Gong Yue while shouting, “This Old Master will tell you now which Dao is the true one!”
His strike was just like a Flood Dragon going out to sea, majestic and indomitable.
His spear that brought together all the power in Feng Ming’s body dazzled the First-Order Emperor Realm Elders of the Azure Sun Temple. It felt like everything in the world could turn to dust under the tip of his spear.
Faced with Feng Ming’s stunning blow, Gong Yue did not try to dodge, but instead smiled, “Even though this Old Master knows that his time is running out, there’s no way he will possibly surrender without a fight. If you want to take this Old Master’s life, then all of you will have to bring out some real skill.”
While speaking, Gong Yue grabbed the little puppy by his side and threw it towards Feng Ming.
The little puppy was clearly a little confused at the sudden situation and it barked a few times, probably overwhelmed by fright. Both its round eyes were filled with panic as its limbs wiggled mid-air.
Feng Ming frowned, having no idea what Gong Yue intended to do. He could not perceive any threat from this dog-like little beast at all. For an existence as weak and insignificant as this Monster Beast, Feng Ming could easily make it die a violent death just by snorting at it.
For that reason, Feng Ming did not withdraw. The only target in his eyes was Gong Yue. As for the little puppy that had been thrown out, it would probably be smashed into a blood mist from the pressure of his spear alone.
Gong Yue’s hands suddenly weaved a series of complicated seals as he aimed in the little puppy’s direction.
Suddenly, as if the wild nature buried deep inside its bones had been awakened, the panic disappeared instantly from the little puppy’s eyes, replaced by a look of indescribable ferocity. Its eyes were filled with a destructive light, as if it wanted to destroy the entire world.
It stopped barking meaninglessly and instead opened its mouth wide at Feng Ming.
The puppy was not very big to begin with, at most a third of a metre long, so at the very most it could barely fit a fist into its open mouth.
But that mouth suddenly stretched apart, becoming as big as a house, completely overshadowing the little puppy’s body, as if it was the only thing left of it.
It was a very strange sight.
Everyone had their attention on Gong Yue the whole time, and even though they saw the little puppy when they arrived, they didn’t pay too much attention to it.
It wasn’t until now that they all realized that this little puppy was not as harmless as it appeared.
Everyone was somewhat stunned.
The group of Emperors which had been on guard the whole time all unleashed their Divine Abilities at that moment, sending a blast of attacks towards the giant mouth together.
The scene of nearly ten Emperor Realm Masters joining forces, including several Second-Order Emperors, was spectacular. The light from all the Secret Techniques and Divine Abilities was dazzling, and the might of their Emperor Artifacts were unbridled, throwing the surrounding World Energy into chaos.
Feng Ming also reacted in time and a light burst forth from his Flying Thunder Spear, exploding directly in front of him.
All of their attacks poured into that huge mouth, but it was just like a stone sinking into the sea, causing no reaction at all.
Mouth closing, the little puppy swallowed Feng Ming into its belly.
*Si…*
There were sounds of people gasping, and everyone could feel their scalp tingling as they looked at the little beast with shocked faces. Their eyes had gone so wide that they were nearly coming out of their heads.
Yang Kai was also stunned.
He had seen that little puppy twice before. The first time was when all the Elders of Azure Sun Temple had gotten drunk, and the second was while he was arranging his hidden Space Array. Other than the fact that the Demon Qi inside his dantian moved a little the second time he saw it, there was nothing else special about this puppy.
But now, he realized he was clearly mistaken.
This little puppy had likely inherited the bloodline of some exotic ancient beast. Otherwise, it couldn’t have such a strange ability. It managed to swallow a Second-Order Emperor Realm Master in one gulp, and even if Feng Ming had underestimated his opponent and been caught off guard, this was still a shocking development.
After swallowing Feng Ming, that gigantic mouth disappeared, and the little puppy went back to its original size; however, it still retained a violent and aggressive stance.
With what happened to Feng Ming as a precedent, how could the others dare to step forward so easily? Every Emperor present fell back while using their long-range Divine Abilities to attack.
The giant mouth appeared again, swallowing the attacks of the many Emperor Realm Masters. The giant mouth was just like a bottomless pit swallowing up everything cleanly no matter how many things were thrown into it.
Gong Yue remained hiding behind the black puppy, constantly forming seals with his hands, seemingly commanding the beast to fight with his enemies. Despite facing off against so many Masters, Gong Yue didn’t fall into a disadvantage in the slightest.
There were several times when Yang Kai thought of teleporting to Gong Yue’s position and catching him that way, but Gong Yue seemed to have anticipated his plans in advance and stopped him.
The Divine Sense of all the Emperor Realm Masters surged, but even after some quick exchanges, nobody was able to figure out what sort of bloodline this little black puppy had inherited. Its ability to devour everything was unheard of, and nobody dared to take any risks on an untrodden path lest they end up in the same situation as Feng Ming.
There indeed existed many powerful beasts in ancient times, among them many Divine Spirits who were the strongest of all. Each of these Divine Spirits had the ability to move mountains and overturn the seas, but no one here had heard of an ability as strange as the one this black puppy presented.
During the midst of the battle, a thought flashed across Yang Kai’s mind as he muttered, “A Demon Beast?”
Gong Yue, who had been sitting behind the black puppy and using it as a shield, smirked, “You really are different from the rest. You know quite a lot. Indeed, this little beast carries a faint bloodline of the Abyssal Returner. It’s neither pure nor rich, but it is still an astonishing coincidence. If you wish to kill this Old Master, then you must pass it first.”
“Abyssal Returner?”
The Emperor Realm Masters were all somewhat taken aback as none of them had ever heard of such a beast before. Even Elder Chen Qian, who was most familiar with the history books, came up empty.
But undeniably, this black puppy with its trace of Abyssal Returner bloodline was Heaven-defyingly strong. Under Gong Yue’s command, it was able to literally take a bite out of the Void each time it snapped its jaws. The entire world was just like a delicious cake in front of it, and each bite left a mark that was unable to heal even after a long time.
After several attempts to fight the puppy, Spirit Sword Peak was filled with Void Tears. Everywhere you looked, it was as if numerous inkblots were accidentally spilled over a beautiful landscape painting. Each one of those holes exuded a chaotic aura of nothingness which, while seemingly empty, held a great deal of lethality, so everyone had to mind their surroundings so as not to fall into danger.
Only Yang Kai moved freely like a fish swimming in water. Through the field of Void Tears, he leapt about while looking for opportunities to get by the Abyssal Returner and attack Gong Yue directly. There were several times where he nearly succeeded, but the Abyssal Returner would always snap right back at him, forcing him to temporarily retreat.
“We can’t delay this any longer. I’m worried Brother Feng won’t hold out.” Chen Wen Hao shouted and declared with a solemn expression, “The moon waxes only to wane, and the water surges only to overflow! Everyone, please lend me your power!”
At the end of his sentence, a dazzling light suddenly emitted from his Flowing Water Sword. As his Emperor Pressure spread out, it was as if his whole person had become an all-conquering sword, radiating a stinging Sword Intent.
The World Energy within a radius of a few dozen kilometres all began to gather towards the Flowing Water Sword.
Everyone’s eyes lit up at his words, and prepared their own skills.
Gong Yue’s brow wrinkled slightly, but his hands kept moving.
With nearly ten Emperor Realm Masters exerting their full strength, it was as if the entire Azure Sun Temple was thrown into turmoil. With Spirit Sword Peak as its centre, it felt like a huge vortex had appeared in the area, drawing in all the World Energy within a thousand kilometres radius. All sorts of fierce and surging Divine Abilities were brewing and taking shape.
“Endless Sword Dao!” Chen Wen Hao was the first to strike. As his Flowing Water Sword cut towards the front, it brought with it a storm of World Energy that was visible to the naked eye. Within that huge wave, countless sword lights were constantly devouring and spitting out everything in its path, seemingly able to destroy all in its way.
“Life or Death Seal, One Seal to Discern Life or Death!”
“Nine Sun’s Radiant Shine!”
“Yin Yang Inversion, Shatter the Universe!”
“Time Flows on Infinitely, Like a Mighty Stream, Like an Unending Dream!”
…
Many Divine Abilities shot out together, causing the sky to shatter and the world to invert, speeding forward in a rumble. With so many Emperor Realm Masters working together, even a Third-Order Emperor Realm Master would have their corpse ripped into ten thousand pieces if they tried to obstruct them.
Gong Yue’s expression turned solemn as the seals on his hands changed even faster.
There was a roar that shook the world. The Abyssal Returner’s body remained unchanged, but its mouth suddenly opened larger than all the previous times. It now seemed big enough to swallow half a mountain, and the darkness it displayed seemed as if it was connected to another world.
When their powerful attacks landed in its mouth, a ripple that was visible to the naked eye splashed out, but those soon disappeared.
In just three breaths, the Abyssal Returner swallowed up all of their attacks and closed its mouth at once. Its third-of-a-metre long body was now swaying in mid-air as if it were drunk, and its body was giving off an unstable glow.
The hearts of the nearly ten Emperor Realm Masters sank dramatically as all their faces turned ugly. Even Chen Wen Hao’s confidence was very shaken.
He asked everyone to join hands in hopes that he could use this method to swell the Abyssal Returner to bursting, but just as he said, the moon waxes only to wane, and the water surges only to overflow. Even though the Abyssal Returner’s ability to seemingly devour all creation was profound and mysterious, there had to be a limit. As long as it reached that limit, they would be able to defeat it.
But this time, even under their joint efforts, they failed to do anything to it, which was far from his expectations.
“Again! It can’t hold out any longer!” Yang Kai’s shout suddenly rang out in everyone’s ears.
As if they had all found their courage, the Masters once again raised their spirits and sent out their Divine Abilities.
A few moments later, there was a rumble. The Abyssal Returner opened its mouth wide again, but things were a little different this time. The Abyssal Returner seemed to be showing an extremely pained expression, a discovery that excited everyone. They felt that they were not far away from victory.
And as expected, when the Abyssal Returner opened its mouth this time, it was unable to swallow all the attacks. After absorbing half of them, it suddenly shut its mouth, and the rest of the attacks brushed past its body, the furious force of it cutting it into a bloody mess and leaving not a single part unharmed.
Its physical body did not seem to be that strong. It was only its special Innate Divine Ability that was tricky to deal with.
It staggered with its mouth tightly closed. Its stomach was constantly squirming as if something was brewing inside of it.
“It would be impolite if I did not reciprocate, so you should take this Old Master’s moves too!” Gong Yue said with a profound smile on his face. Then, he extended his right hand in front of his chest. Interlocking his thumb and ring finger, his other three fingers pointing up. As he spoke, he moved his wrist forward.
Everyone was greatly alarmed as an aura of death had inexplicably enveloped them. This type of feeling sent chills through many of them, making their hands and feet go cold.
The Abyssal Returner suddenly opened its mouth, and a dazzling light spewed out from its maw with a familiar aura.
“This…” Chen Wen Hao exclaimed with a stunned expression of horror.
What the Abyssal Returner spat out turned out to be the Divine Abilities that they cast before. Only this time, the target was not the enemy, but them.
Nobody expected the Abyssal Returner to have such a strange ability. Not only could it swallow a person’s attacks, but it could also spit them back out intact.
The group was instantly thrown into misfortune.
For the sake of ending the battle quickly, the Emperors had used their most powerful Divine Abilities, unleashing them without reservation. All of a sudden, though, their attacks had become a sharp weapon in the enemy’s hands, and the sudden change in the situation put everyone at a loss.
The swarm of attacks came so suddenly that nobody could react. All of them could only hastily gather their Emperor Qi to protect themselves.
At the critical moment, Yang Kai flew forward and instantly arrived above the group, Space Principles fluctuating as he slammed down a palm.
Without any warning, he and the other Emperor Realm Masters suddenly disappeared without a trace.
The powerful Divine Abilities hit nothing but air, collapsing space as they flew forward before crashing into the big and small mountain peaks in the distance. The entire Azure Sun Temple was shaken by the impact and everyone began to panic. Countless disciples were looking in worry towards the collapsed peaks, not knowing what had happened.
They had never encountered anything like this since the founding of the temple.
Thousands of metres away, some figures suddenly appeared from the Void. It was Yang Kai and the others, each of them with a look of lingering fear on their faces. Yang Kai was also pale-faced and trembling violently.
The amount of energy consumed when he tried to forcibly use his Space Principles on the others without their cooperation was immense, especially with this many Masters. This single move emptied his reserves entirely.
Currently, it took all his energy to even stand.
“Instantaneous movement!” Gong Yue’s gaze turned dark. He turned his head towards the distance and his face was twitching slightly, hatred filling his eyes.
He was obviously blaming Yang Kai for ruining his good deed. If Yang Kai had not interfered just now, then that sudden attack would have been enough to kill or injure at least half of the Emperor Realm Masters present.
But due to Yang Kai’s presence, that group was able to escape this crisis unscathed.
Gao Xue Ting reached out to hold Yang Kai’s arm and support him to prevent him from falling, and Yang Kai nodded in thanks. He quickly caught his breath in order to calm the roiling blood in his chest.
Suddenly, there was a whimper. The Abyssal Returner that looked just like a puppy actually uttered a sad cry, seemingly enduring incredible pain.
At the moment, its appearance looked miserable. They had no idea what method Gong Yue used before in order to stimulate the power of its bloodline and allow it to take on so many Emperor Realm Masters by itself for such a long amount of time; however, it was no longer any threat after reaching its limit. After being swept up by so many Divine Abilities, its body lay bloodied and covered in terrible injuries that were hard to look at.
Gong Yue glanced at it and clearly sensed something. Smiling, he said, “Well, it’s just about time anyway.”
None of them knew what he meant by that, but at the end of his sentence, the Abyssal Returner suddenly heaved a few times before its mouth burst open, transforming into that monstrously big mouth from before in an instant.
A cold aura emerged from that huge mouth, and a man and spear seemed to have been released from the abyss and spiralled out from within.
The moment he saw light again, Feng Ming was clearly dumbfounded. He had been swallowed and surrounded by boundless darkness with no light or sound. Fortunately, he did not suffer any harm. It seemed like he was just sucked into a strange world.
He would occasionally find a glimmer of light appearing in that world, and he tried his best to follow it until he finally broke free.
Sweeping a glance over the scene, Feng Ming made a determination to kick the Abyssal Returner who was still retching beside him and sent it flying out of sight. Then, like a dragon, his spear was thrust towards Gong Yue who was sitting at the side.
Gong Yue did not dodge this life or death crisis. He didn’t even have the slightest intention to resist. His aura had been very weak this whole time and he had been depending on that Abyssal Returner’s strange ability in order to hold off so many Emperor Realm Masters, but now that the Abyssal Returner was no longer useful, he wouldn’t be able to defeat the enraged Feng Ming even if he tried to resist.
He faced the call of death with a calm expression, as if he had already seen through the meaning of life.
With a piercing noise, the tip of the spear thrust through Gong Yue’s chest, leaving a hole where his squirming five viscera and six organs could be seen.
However, Gong Yue just laughed, “Killing me alone is useless. Time will prove that I made the right choice, and that you’ve all chosen wrong!”
“Foolish nonsense!” Feng Ming coldly snorted. Emperor Qi surging, the roar of a beast was released from his Flying Thunder Spear, followed by Gong Yue’s body bursting apart into a mist of blood, leaving no bones behind.
A small black light flew out at that moment, but Feng Ming reacted quickly and thrust his spear over, popping it directly. Only then did he breathe a sigh of relief and turned to the group, “Are you all alright?”
Chen Wen Hao’s complexion did not look good, but he shook his head, “We’re unharmed, all thanks to Elder Yang. What about you, Brother Feng? How are you feeling?”
Feng Ming shook his head, “I am also unharmed, but I must check my condition carefully. That thing was truly too strange.”
“What did Gong Yue mean just now?” Gao Xue Ting’s eyebrows were furrowed. She kept on thinking about Gong Yue’s words, but she couldn’t figure out what they meant. Still, they filled her with anxiety, as if something bad was going to happen in the future.
Nobody knew the meaning of Gong Yue’s last words.
Just as the group was lost in thought, a rumbling sound suddenly came from the distance. Both the ground and the mountain peaks began to shake and stir, as if something had been cracked apart. Then, one after another, black lights suddenly rose up from somewhere on Spirit Sword Peak, turning into streams of light that flew out in all directions.
“Demon Spirits… How could there be so many Demon Spirits?” Looking up, Gao Xue Ting’s beautiful face lost all colour in an instant.
The black lights were clearly the same as the ones that corrupted Gong Yue’s mind. They were the remnant Demon Spirits, but their numbers were in the hundreds, possibly reaching a thousand in total. Like fireworks exploding in the sky, they shot off towards the horizon.
“How can this be!” Chen Wen Hao was also dumbfounded at the sight.
Qiu Ran and the others were seeing Demon Spirits for the first time, but even though they had no idea how powerful they were, they could still sense that these things were tough to deal with, and each one of them had serious looks on their faces.
“Spirit Sword Peak… is an ancient Demon Sealing Ground!” Yang Kai coughed, appearing extremely weak, “The reason Gong Yue came here was so that he could break the seal and release the other Demon Spirits!”
Gao Xue Ting was shocked at his words and turned over to look at him, “Junior Brother, you mean to say that this place is the same as the Southern Swamp?”
Yang Kai answered, “There’s no other explanation besides that.”
Everyone’s attention was drawn to the Ancient Cave Mansion in the Southern Swamp, but no one expected that Demons would be sealed under Azure Sun Temple’s Spirit Sword Peak as well. Since Gong Yue’s mind had been invaded by a Demon Spirit, he obviously knew this. That’s why he went around the sun to reach the moon, coming straight here in order to break the seal with the help of his Spirit Array attainments to release even more Demon Spirits.
The reason he did not resist in the face of death was first because he could not resist, and secondly because there was no need to. Because even if he died, his mission had already been completed. Just as he said before, many more would now follow in his footsteps.
“Damn it!” Gao Xue Ting gritted her teeth.
“Open the Sect Defending Array! These things must be stopped as soon as possible. If they’re allowed to escape…” Yang Kai spoke urgently, but he had only spoken halfway before a sudden change occurred. Another rumble rang out, followed by a loud laugh that reached everyone’s ears.
Yang Kai’s words came to an abrupt halt as he looked towards the direction of that voice with utmost shock.
He could already tell who that voice belonged to.
Initially, the laughter was somewhat restrained, as if the person was stunned, but as time passed, it became more and more unrestrained and savage.
A stream of light came from the distance, and the laughter was rapidly approaching.
In the blink of an eye, a scraggly old man with an all-white beard appeared not far in front of them and an indescribable pressure suddenly descended from the sky, as if a mountain was pressed down on each person’s heart. Even breathing was becoming difficult for many of the Emperor Realm Masters present. Yang Kai had been in a bad state to begin with, so this sudden pressure caused fresh blood to spill from the corners of his mouth.
The old man stood mid-air and stopped his laughter before his gaze swept over the crowd lightly, his eyes soon fixing on Yang Kai as he grinned, “Oh? Little brat, you’re here too! Truly, there is nowhere that we do not meet in life.”
Yang Kai frowned. He had the constant feeling that something wasn’t quite right. The old man in front of him was not different from the one in his memories, but his temperament was very different. In his memory, the elderly man was wise and carefree, but the man in front of him now was covered in a malevolent aura.
Gao Xue Ting’s expression turned solemn and she quickly said, “Greetings, Great Emperor!”
Qiu Ran also quickly saluted him.
Everyone else was shocked, including the other Elders of the temple. They knew nothing about this man, but Qiu Ran and Gao Xue Ting actually called him a Great Emperor. There were only a few Great Emperors in this world, so which venerated figure was this man?
Feng Ming and Chen Wen Hao looked at each other and could both see the shock in each other’s eyes.
Gao Xue Ting explained, “This is Senior Hong Chen!”
“What?” The two men were shocked, but they didn’t dare to delay, both of them cupping their fists respectfully, “Greetings Senior Hong Chen!”
Among the Ten Great Emperors, other than the few who founded their own Sects, the rest were hidden dragons who show their tails but never their face, of which Bustling World Great Emperor was the most mysterious. That was because he cultivated the Bustling World Dao, and to do so, he would assume a thousand disguises and travel through the bustling world in them, experiencing all kinds of lives. Among the beggars on the streets, the woodcutters in the mountains, the pimps in the brothels, and the dignitaries in the court, his figure may perhaps be seen. Only, nobody could recognize him. They may brush shoulders with him or even share a drink and a song with him, but nobody really recognized his identity.
Feng Ming and Chen Wen Hao had never met the Bustling World Great Emperor before, but they were convinced of Gao Xue Ting’s words.
Because rumor had it that Azure Sun Temple was very close with the Bustling World Great Emperor, especially the Temple Master, Wen Zi Shan, who was known to be like a son to him. Otherwise, how could Azure Sun Temple become one of the Southern Territory’s top Sects in just a short few years? It had to be known that other than the Azure Sun Temple, the other top Sects all had inheritances passed down for many generations, with Heavenly Martial Holy Land being able to trace its lineage back tens of thousands of years.
Duan Hong Chen received their greeting with a mere smile, but it was as if he did not hear them. His eyes fixed on Yang Kai with interest the whole time.
Gao Xue Ting followed up, “Sir, the Demon Spirits have resurfaced and the temple is in crisis. Please lend us your aid!”
Yang Kai gently patted Gao Xue Ting’s arm and shook his head, “Stop, he’s not Senior Hong Chen.”
“Huh?” Gao Xue Ting was stunned. Then, as if remembering something, her tender body trembled and she looked at ‘Duan Hong Chen’ with great fear.
Both Feng Ming and Chen Wen Hao were bewildered. They were completely confused when they heard Yang Kai’s words. Gao Xue Ting said that the man in front of them was the Bustling World Great Emperor, but Yang Kai disagreed. Yet, the old man did not try to refute anything, leaving the two outsiders a little puzzled.
“Wu Kuang, how did you get out? What did you do with Senior Hong Chen?” Yang Kai asked in a grim voice, his gaze icy cold.
‘Duan Hong Chen’ smiled and pointed his finger to his head and said, “Since this King has come out, what do you think happened to that old fart, Hong Chen? He has already been devoured by this King! Hahahaha!”
“Impossible!” Yang Kai shouted.
Wu Kuang’s laughter stopped abruptly, and his voice turned cold, “You little brat, how long have you lived? What do you know of this King’s Divine Ability? What a joke that Hong Chen thought he could imprison this King in a mere mirror. Instead, he made this King whole! Truly, his foolishness is laughable! Under this King’s Heaven Devouring Battle Law, how could he resist? How could anyone resist?”
“Heaven Devouring Battle Law?” Both Feng Ming and Chen Wen Hao looked shocked, and they both took a few steps back. They had naturally heard of this infamous Secret Art before. This was the most powerful and most evil Secret Art in the history of the Star Boundary. It was the cause of the Battle of Great Emperors and gave rise to the Shattered Star Sea. Even now, tens of thousands of years later, the name of this Secret Art was still familiar to all Masters.
Chen Wen Hao frowned and asked hesitantly, “Your Excellency couldn’t be…”
He dared not continue his sentence as fear of that mighty name had not diminished even tens of thousands of years after his supposed death.
Wu Kuang proudly announced, “That’s right! This King is the Heaven Devourer!”
*Gu dong…*
The sounds of many Emperor Realm Masters gulping could be heard as each one of them took up a defensive stance. Sorrow suddenly welled up in their hearts, but they simply did not know what else to do.
Gong Yue had just broken the seal containing the Demons Spirits hidden below Spirit Sword Peak, releasing them into the world, and now a man came out and proclaimed himself the feared Heaven Devouring Great Emperor. On this one day, more happened in the Azure Sun Temple than in the past eight hundred years combined.
“Where’s Wen Zi Shan? What have you done with him?” Gao Xue Ting asked in a trembling voice.
Wen Zi Shan should have been helping the Bustling World Great Emperor separate their Souls, but Wu Kuang had come out possessing Duan Hong Chen’s body. Since there was no news about Wen Zi Shan at all, Gao Xue Ting couldn’t help but worry.
“Hmph, who is this Wen Zi Shan you speak of? This King crushed a lot of bugs to death earlier. Who knows if he was one of them.”
Gao Xue Ting’s pretty face paled, and she almost fell limp on the ground.
Wu Kuang scanned the Emperor Realm Masters present with a burning gaze, fingers lifting up while he counted, “One, two, three…”
Yang Kai’s face was cold, “Wu Kuang, what are you doing?”
Wu Kuang laughed, “Not bad! There are nine Emperor Realm insects in total! This King is still weak after just reviving, so you’re just the nutrition I need. Even though none of you are very strong, you’re plump enough.”
The moment those words were spoken, everyone’s face changed dramatically.
All of them had heard of the infamous Heaven Devouring Battle Law and knew what this evil Secret Art was all about. It was a Secret Art that could devour anything, and legends told that the number of Star Fields destroyed by this Heaven Devouring Great Emperor was countless. Back then, all the Cultivation Stars in the lower plane’s Star Boundary that he had visited became desolate Dead Stars, drained of all of their vitality and all life being scoured from their surface.
So, when they heard Wu Kuang say this, they all knew what he intended to do.
They could no longer worry about the escaping Demon Spirits. Each one of the Emperor Realm Masters began circulating their Emperor Qi in preparation to face off against this terrifying foe.
Wu Kuang frowned at that moment, but then suddenly grinned again, “Hahaha, why so nervous? It was just a little joke! This King has just been freed so he is in a good mood, a killing spree would spoil this joyous occasion, so I’ll let you all off this time.”
No one responded. None of them knew what this madman really meant, but they did not dare to speak easily for fear of angering him.
Wu Kuang snickered, seemingly finding no meaning in continuing this conversation either. He then turned his head towards a certain direction and grasped towards the void. His movements were calm and relaxed, but when he opened his palm again a black light was in his grip.
No one knew where he caught this black light from.
“What an interesting little thing.” A Demon Spirit that the Emperor Realm Masters couldn’t even hide in time from was now held in Wu Kuang’s hand as he studied it with interest. The black light actually stayed obediently in place without any intention of corrupting him, just as if it were a dead object, “It’s all thanks to your help that this King was set free. En, so I’ll lend you a hand.”
As soon as he said that, he raised his hand towards a point.
The air trembled as if something had been broken.
Naturally, it was the sound of the Sect Defending Array being shattered. Qiu Ran had just quietly ordered the activation of the Sect Defending Array, and it was actually broken open just like that.
The entire Azure Sun Temple was just like a balloon with a hole in it. All the Demon Spirits trapped inside were able to find an escape route and swiftly fled through it, disappearing from sight.
Yang Kai and the rest could only watch helplessly.
Wu Kuang swept his eyes over them again, smiling, “See you next time. This King will not show mercy again, so be careful. The outside world is very dangerous!”
Cackling, his body transformed into a stream of light before rushing out of the gap in the array.
It wasn’t until he disappeared from everyone’s view that the Emperor Realm Masters could finally breathe. Just for a moment, they were clearly able to perceive Wu Kuang’s murderous intent. Even though they had no idea why Wu Kuang changed his mind at the last moment, they still felt extremely lucky to have retained their lives.
“Quick, to the Restricted Area!” Gao Xue Ting shouted, forcefully composing herself as she flew in that direction.
Qiu Ran and the others were also concerned about Wen Zi Shan’s safety, so they quickly followed her as well.
Yang Kai turned to Chen Wen Hao and Feng Ming, “There’s a demon sealing ground below Spirit Sword Peak. I must trouble the two of you to investigate the area carefully.”
Chen Wen Hao nodded, “Just leave this to Brother Feng and I. You… should also be careful on your side.”
Yang Kai nodded before he quickly followed after Gao Xue Ting and the rest.
There were several Restricted Areas in Azure Sun Temple, but the most important one was the belly of the mountain where the Divine Ascension Mirror sat. The Divine Ascension Mirror was Azure Sun Temple’s greatest secret and even ordinary disciples have no idea it existed.
The last time Yang Kai was able to enter it for training was as a reward from Wen Zi Shan for the Star Seals he brought back from the Four Seasons Realm, so he remembered the location of that place very well.
Chasing the other Elders over, Yang Kai caught up with them in front of the mountain wall.
Gao Xue Ting opened the barrier here and rushed inside.
The group followed the tunnel down from the side of the mountain and quickly arrived at its base.
When they saw the scene there, their hearts all sank. The scene that met their eyes was that of a middle-aged woman leaning against the cave wall, mouth dripping with blood and her face as pale as a sheet of paper. Clearly, she had been badly injured.
The Divine Ascension Mirror was placed on a stone platform a short distance away, but it was a little different from when Yang Kai first saw it. It was not as smooth as before, and there was even a trace of black Qi lingering above its surface.
“Grandma…” Gao Xue Ting rushed forward and crouched down next to the middle-aged woman, asking nervously, “Are you alright?”
The middle-aged woman tried to smile, but the smile on her face looked even worse than if she was crying, “I’m not dead yet. Quickly, go and see how the Temple Master… Cough cough…”
Her wounds were apparently even worse than they appeared and were clearly inflicted by someone extremely powerful. She spat out a mouthful of blood after only saying a few words to Gao Xue Ting and her aura became extremely feeble.
But Gao Xue Ting had even more important things to worry about at the moment. She was concerned about Wen Zi Shan’s safety. As soon as she heard the middle-aged woman’s words, she immediately began searching for Wen Zi Shan’s body.
Qiu Ran went forward and took out a few Spirit Pills for the middle-aged woman to take.
Looking at the middle-aged woman’s face, she felt vaguely familiar to Yang Kai and he asked hesitantly, “Grandma You?”
The woman raised her eyes to look at him, “Oh, that little brat from back then has now become an Elder! You lot really grow up fast.”
“You really are Grandma You.” Yang Kai was shocked, “Grandma has also changed a lot.”
He had no idea what Grandma You’s real name was, only that she watched over the Divine Ascension Mirror. He remembered the last time he came here with Xia Sheng, Grandma You had the appearance of a mad old granny with a hoarse and unpleasant voice. When he was training in the Divine Ascension Mirror, she had even sent people to hunt him down.
Grandma You was the master of a great force called the Divine Ascension Country inside the Divine Ascension Mirror World where her subordinates were as plentiful as the clouds. During that time, Yang Kai narrowly escaped death several times.
After exiting the Divine Ascension World, he heard that Grandma You was imprisoned by Wen Zi Shan, after which he did not hear any news about her at all. Now, it seems that Wen Zi Shan had completely turned her to his side and left the important task of guarding the Divine Ascension Mirror in her hands.
This time, Grandma You was clearly injured by Wu Kuang during his escape.
Suddenly, they heard Gao Xue Ting’s call in the distance.
They were all surprised and quickly headed that way, only to see Wen Zi Shan’s body completely intact inside the isolated stone room, but he was sweating a puddle for some reason, as if he had been attacked.
“Grandma, the Temple Master is alive, but he seems to be trapped in the Divine Ascension Mirror. Is there anything you can do?”
Yang Kai helped Grandma You over. One of them was injured and the other’s strength was greatly depleted, so both their complexions were terrible.
Grandma You took a look at Wen Zi Shan’s condition before looking at the changed Divine Ascension Mirror, sighing, “He’s not trapped, he’s just not coming out. I’m afraid some kind of accident must have happened inside the Divine Ascension World. What happened out there?”
There was no time to explain everything, so Yang Kai simply used his Divine Sense to transmit everything he knew into Grandma You’s mind directly.
She was silent for a moment, reviewing the information in this Divine Sense package, but soon a look of astonishment filled her face, “Sealed Demons? Demon Spirits escaping? Seems like that thing that rushed into the Divine Ascension Mirror before was a Demon Spirit…”
Gao Xue Ting was shocked, “A Demon Spirit came in here?”
Grandma You nodded, “Yes. It rushed into the Divine Ascension Mirror. Then, that Sir… He suddenly woke up, injured me, and left this place.”
Yang Kai quickly said, “That man was not Senior Hong Chen, he was the Heaven Devouring Great Emperor!”
Grandma You’s eyes narrowed at his words, “So that’s how it is. I was just thinking that that Senior wouldn’t have struck me for no reason.”
“Demon Spirits can actually invade the Divine Ascension Mirror?” Qiu Ran’s face was extremely grim as he stared fixedly at the Divine Ascension Mirror. In that short moment, the black light on the mirror grew denser, and the darkness was clearly emitting the aura of a Demon Spirit.
Yang Kai said, “The world inside the Divine Ascension Mirror is a world of Souls, and the aim for the Demon Spirit’s corruption is precisely the Soul. The Divine Ascension Mirror World is becoming nourishment for its growth.”
“En, what you say is reasonable. We must find a way to stop it. We don’t even know how Temple Master is doing inside.”
“I’ll go in and take a look,” Yang Kai volunteered.
“I’ll go with you!” Gao Xue Ting quickly declared. Even though Wen Zi Shan’s physical body was unharmed, Gao Xue Ting couldn’t rest easy until she saw his Soul.
Yang Kai nodded and said to the others, “I will have to trouble Senior Brothers and Senior Sisters to stand guard here!”
Chen Qian replied, “Junior Brother Yang, your complexion looks terrible. Why don’t I go with Senior Sister Gao instead?”
Yang Kai shook his head, “I can withstand the corruption of the Demon Spirit. I’ll be fine.”
Since he insisted, Chen Qian couldn’t say anything else but urge him to be careful.
Time was tight, so Yang Kai and Gao Xue Ting each found a stone room and went inside, sitting down cross-legged. Once the stone rooms were closed, Grandma You pushed herself to open the channel to the Divine Ascension Mirror World.
Two streams of profound light then came out of the Divine Ascension Mirror, pouring into the sealed stone rooms. Yang Kai and Gao Xue Ting’s bodies shook at the same time, and the strange feeling of their Souls separating from their bodies washed over them.
It was not the first time they had entered the Divine Ascension Mirror World, so they did not resist and allowed the force to pull their Souls away.
Yang Kai seemed to have traveled through an endless tunnel of time and space, and by the time he recovered, he was in a whole other world.
Right in front of him, an elderly man was smiling at him, and there was also a man beside him who was sitting cross-legged. The man had a dignified appearance with a stately demeanour, dressed in purple robes. Who else could it be but Wen Zi Shan?
“Senior Tian Yan!” Yang Kai quickly bowed his head to the old man. After not seeing him for so many years, Tian Yan still looked the same as usual without any changes.
Speaking of which, Tian Yan was a Great Emperor level Master and did not have a physical body. He was only living in the Divine Ascension World in the form of a Soul, so it was naturally impossible for him to change too much.
“You’re here,” Tian Yan stroked his beard, seemingly having anticipated Yang Kai’s arrival.
Yang Kai asked, “How did I emerge here so coincidentally? Was it due to Senior’s help?”
They were currently at a mountain peak that towered high into the clouds, and he had no idea where in the Divine Ascension Mirror World this was. It was clearly no coincidence that he emerged here, so someone must have intervened to make this happen.
Tian Yan shook his head, “Not me. It was he who brought you here.” While speaking, Tian Yan motioned to the side.
Only when he looked over did Yang Kai discover a young boy not far away. That boy was chubby and cute and appeared to be around seven or eight years old. He was currently chasing after a fluttering butterfly, playing happily.
“He is…” Yang Kai was stunned as he had no idea what the origins of this boy were to have such amazing ability.
Gao Xue Ting also appeared here, but her attention was completely on Wen Zi Shan. After carefully checking and confirming that Wen Zi Shan was in no danger, only having suffered a small injury, she finally set her mind at ease. She then turned to Tian Yan and bowed politely, “Senior.”
Tian Yan smiled, “I remember you, little girl. You were only sixteen the first time you came in, right?”
Gao Xue Ting blushed and answered in a quiet voice, “Senior has a good memory.”
It was so long ago that even she herself didn’t remember that occasion clearly, so she didn’t expect Tian Yan to recall it so easily.
“Senior, what happened here?” Gao Xue Ting wasn’t in the mood to waste too much time on idle chatter though. She just wanted to figure out what happened as soon as possible, and why Wu Kuang would make off with the Bustling World Great Emperor’s body.
Tian Yan explained, “Old Friend Hong Chen encountered some trouble, so he came to this Old Master for help. This Old Master had been studying with him for many days and we were barely able to find a way to separate their two Souls. If we had succeeded, then we would’ve been able to imprison Brother Wu’s soul here in the Divine Ascension World, and old friend Hong Chen would have regained his freedom. Even though things did not go so well at first, we were still making progress; however, something suddenly rushed into the Divine Ascension World and affected its stability. Brother Wu took advantage of that moment to attack and injure both Old Friend Hong Chen and Little Friend Wen here before escaping.”
Yang Kai was stunned at his words, “Does that mean that Senior Hong Chen is alive?”
Tian Yan smiled at him and replied, “Even though Brother Wu’s technique is incredibly powerful, it’s not that easy to kill Old Friend Hong Chen. Did he tell you that Old Friend Hong Chen was already dead?”
Yang Kai answered, “That is what he said, but… no wonder he was willing to let us go despite how strong his murderous intent was. Turns out it was not out of goodwill, but rather Senior Hong Chen’s interference.” It was only then that Yang Kai realized why Wu Kuang did not kill them earlier.
Tian Yan said, “If he escaped, then he escaped. With Old Friend Hong Chen holding him back, it will be impossible for Brother Wu to act as he pleases. I’m afraid this will not be a very pleasant situation for Old Friend Hong Chen though, having his body occupied and his own Soul suppressed… Forget it, let’s not talk about things we cannot control anymore. Our goal now should first be to solve the Divine Ascension World’s crisis.”
Yang Kai’s expression turned serious as he looked up and saw that the sky looked dark and heavy, as if a great storm was brewing. Even sparks of thunder could be seen inside the dark clouds. It was a frightening sight, to say the least.
Only, he had no idea why, but even though the clouds were constantly moving, they never moved past a certain range, as if some powerful seal was binding them there.
The dark clouds were filled with dense Demon Essence, so it was clearly the work of the Demon Spirit.
Tian Yan explained, “That thing that rushed in from the outside world has a very strong corrupting power. The beings of the Divine Ascension World are unable to withstand it at all. You’ve seen it yourself, such a large area has already been affected, and if more time passes, I’m afraid this entire world will eventually be consumed.”
Yang Kai nodded with a grim expression. Even if Tian Yan did not tell him that, he would’ve been able to feel it himself, so he asked, “What should we do? Does Senior have any ideas?”
“I do have an idea, but I’ll need to borrow your power!” Tian Yan turned to look at him.
“Me?” Yang Kai was surprised. He never would have thought that the important task of saving this world would fall on his head.
Tian Yan smiled, “I was worried I wouldn’t be able to find you for some time, but I didn’t expect you to come here by yourself so quickly. Truthfully, it’s difficult to deal with that thing, but for you, it should be a simple matter, after all, you just have to use your Soul Devouring Insects.”
Yang Kai’s expression lifted, “So that’s how it is.”
The Heaven Devouring Battle Law devoured everything, and the Soul Devouring Insects were similar. As the Divine Ascension World was being corrupted by a Demon Spirit, a large amount of Demon Essence and Demon Qi was being created. It was a great disaster for the inhabitants of the Divine Ascension World, but for the Soul Devouring Insects, that Demon Essence formed from the Spiritual Energy of this world was nothing more than a delicious snack.
Tian Yan knew that Yang Kai kept Soul Devouring Insects with him as Yang Kai had previously taken away a group of them with him the last time he came into this world. Tian Yan had guarded those Soul Devouring Insects for countless years before handing them to Yang Kai and allowing him to take them away, freeing the Divine Ascension World from its greatest scourge.
“The Soul Devouring Insects are not with me at the moment, I must go out and bring them in,” Yang Kai told him.
Tian Yan nodded, “Go and return quickly. Little Friend Wen and this little girl should also go with you. As for the rest, your assistance will not be necessary.”
Gao Xue Ting gently nodded. Her goal of coming here was to confirm Wen Zi Shan’s condition, so now that she knew he was fine, there was naturally no reason for her to remain.
Tian Yan gently waved his hand and a gentle power enveloped the three of them. The next moment, their vision changed and Yang Kai found himself back in his physical body.
He quickly summoned his Insect Enslavement Bracelet, communicated with it using his mind and pulled out the Soul Devouring Insects from it into his Knowledge Sea, settling them on the seven coloured treasure island. Only Souls could enter the Divine Ascension World, so though the Insect Enslavement Bracelet was an Emperor Artifact, it wasn’t a Soul Type Artifact, so it couldn’t be brought inside. As such, Yang Kai wouldn’t be able to release the Soul Devouring Insects inside. However, things were different if he placed these Exotic Ancient Insects on the seven coloured treasure island inside his Knowledge Sea.
After rearing them for such a long time, the Soul Devouring Insects had become extremely fierce, especially after going through all the battles in the Thousand Illusions Dreamworld. During the later stages, the Soul Devouring Insects made many achievements. To them, they were no strangers to devouring Demon Essence and Demon Qi, so the crisis in the Divine Ascension World shouldn’t be hard for them to resolve.
After calling out to Grandma You and asking her to send his Soul into the Divine Ascension World again, Yang Kai soon reappeared on that mountain peak.
Seeing him enter, Tian Yan nodded lightly and turned his head to the boy who was chasing butterflies at the side, “Boy, stop playing and give him a hand, quickly.”
Yang Kai had been curious about the boy since before and had no idea who he was. Now, he was even more surprised when he heard Tian Yan actually ask this boy for help.
“Senior, he is…”
Tian Yan smiled, “He is the Mirror Soul of the Divine Ascension Mirror. The reason that thing is confined to a certain range and is unable to expand is due to his ability.”
“Mirror Soul!” Yang Kai’s eyes lit up when he heard that, and he looked at the boy with eyes wide in surprise.
The boy was clearly a little uncomfortable with his gaze and walked over nervously while trying to put on a fierce act, “I’m warning you, don’t have any funny ideas about me, because I won’t establish any connection with the likes of you!”
Yang Kai laughed, “I’m not trying to establish any connections with you either, so don’t worry.”
“Who… Who’s worrying?” The boy was clearly very wary of Yang Kai. Dawdling over to his side, he looked up and asked, “Where are they then?”
“What?” Yang Kai was confused.
“The Soul Devouring Insects!” The boy sighed, “How can you still be so stupid when you’re so old already?”
“Oh, right!” Yang Kai quickly opened his Knowledge Sea and released all the Soul Devouring Insects from the seven coloured treasure island. All of a sudden, a buzzing sound rang out as a large cloud of insects converged in front of him.
The boy shivered and waved his hand in disgust.
The cloud of insects suddenly disappeared, but Yang Kai could keenly feel that they had been transported several thousand kilometres away, into where the demonic cloud was gathering.
After carefully sensing the situation, Yang Kai very quickly sensed that the Soul Devouring Insects were now devouring the demonic clouds covering the sky. And, since the demonic cloud was being restricted by the Mirror Soul, confined to a certain range and unable to expand, it would eventually be devoured clean by the Soul Devouring Insects. Then, the Divine Ascension World’s peace would be restored.
Turning his eyes around, Yang Kai looked at the boy and asked, “What should I call Little Brother?”
The boy rolled his eyes, “Zhang San Li Si Wang Er Ma, whatever you want.”
Yang Kai cleared his throat, “Do you want to go out from here and take a look around?”
Tian Yan suddenly laughed, “Little Friend Yang, no need to waste your energy. He is unable to leave this place.” He clearly understood what Yang Kai was planning to do.
Having his thoughts seen through, Yang Kai blushed a little, but he turned serious again, “By the way, Senior. I have news about the Flesh Incarnation Pill.”
Tian Yan raised his brow, “Oh?”
“It is almost finished refining, so if Senior is willing, your body can be created at any time.”
Tian Yan said, “Little Friend Yang is truly a man of integrity. This Old Master offers his sincere thanks.”
Yang Kai laughed, “No need to be polite, Senior. It was also by chance that I encountered the Flesh Incarnation Fruit. I wasn’t searching for it specifically.”
The boy frowned and interjected, “You’re leaving?”
He looked up at Tian Yan, seeming a little annoyed.
Tian Yan was silent for a moment, “I still wish to go out and have a look.”
The boy scoffed, “Go, then. Go! Better if you died out there.” While speaking, he glared hatefully at Yang Kai with a face full of anger.
Yang Kai’s brow twitched as he instantly understood that he probably wouldn’t ever have a chance to take this Mirror Soul for himself now.
Even though the Soul Devouring Insects weren’t slow when it came to devouring the demonic clouds, they still wouldn’t be able to finish the job so quickly. Yang Kai and Tian Yan thus chatted for a while before he sat down cross-legged to recover his energy.
Even though Yang Kai was not injured during today’s battle, the amount drained from him when he instantaneously moved so many Emperor Realm Masters at the critical moment was quite a lot, especially from his Soul.
There was no better place to restore Spiritual Energy than the Divine Ascension Mirror World.
While he was meditating, Yang Kai could clearly feel the energy of the world being attracted to him, pouring into his Soul and making up for the deficit. In just a short amount of time, his condition was greatly improved.
The Mirror Soul seemed to be a little sullen after finding out that Tian Yan would be leaving and didn’t even feel like chasing butterflies anymore. Now, he just stood to the side, bored, kicking stones. At that time, Tian Yan was focused on watching the developments of the demonic cloud’s side, so for a time, the three of them stayed in silent harmony.
It was three days later when Yang Kai opened his eyes again. He was no longer sluggish like before, and both his eyes were bright.
After looking up into the distance and sensing the state of the Soul Devouring Insects, Yang Kai knew that it would take at least half a day more for the crisis in the Divine Ascension World to be solved. Turning his eyes back around, he turned his attention to the Mirror Soul, approaching him and trying to find things to talk about.
But the Mirror Soul acted as if he didn’t hear him. No matter what Yang Kai said, he would just be ignored, leaving Yang Kai’s nose in the dirt.
Helpless, he had no choice but to give up and come to Tian Yan’s side again to ask for his advice on cultivation.
Tian Yan may not have a physical body and only cultivated his Soul, but mastery in one Dao opens up mastery to all others. Not to mention, the way Tian Yan viewed each problem from his height was different from other Masters. For many questions that stumped Yang Kai and that he could not make sense of, Tian Yan could easily give him fresh ideas with just a few words.
Yang Kai was able to gain a lot in a short time.
After half a day passed, Yang Kai looked up into the distance as if he’d been woken by something. Summoning his Soul Devouring Insects back, he said, “Senior, I must go first. The temple was suddenly affected by great changes so there should still be matters to take care of outside. I will come back again in a few days to talk to you about other matters.”
“En, there’s no hurry.” Tian Yan nodded lightly.
Yang Kai glanced at the Mirror Soul next to him. Just by the Mirror Soul raising its hand, Yang Kai could suddenly feel a gigantic repulsion force squeezing against him, and before he could prepare himself, he had been ejected from the world.
When his view changed, Yang Kai was back in the Restricted Area.
When he opened his eyes and opened the door of the stone room, Chen Qian who was outside rushed over.
“Junior Brother Yang, you’re awake. How is the situation inside?” Chen Qian asked worriedly.
Yang Kai told her, “Everything’s been taken care of. How about outside?”
Chen Qian said, “Let’s talk while we walk.”
Naturally, Yang Kai had no objection, and the two of them conversed as they moved outside.
Three days ago, Azure Sun Temple’s Elders came to the Restricted Area where the Divine Ascension Mirror was kept while Chen Wen Hao and Feng Ming stayed on Spirit Sword Peak in order to investigate the situation. After their search, they were able to find the demon sealing grounds as expected a thousand metres below Spirit Sword Peak. Clear traces of Demon Spirit aura still remained there.
If Gong Yue did not cause trouble this time, then it was likely nobody would have even thought that such a place existed in the Azure Sun Temple. Back then, when Wen Zi Shan founded the Sect here, he had also carefully investigated the area within a ten thousand kilometre radius, but he still had no knowledge whatsoever about the existence of this place.
Now, the seals of the demon sealing grounds were all broken, which was obviously Gong Yue’s doing. Otherwise, there was no way the Demon Spirits would have escaped.
All of the temple’s Elders were on Spirit Sword Peak, firstly to check if they had missed anything of importance, and secondly to seal off this place completely. After all, this was a place where Demons were sealed. Even if there were no more Demon Spirits around, being cautious was necessary.
Besides that, news of the Demon Spirits recovering and escaping from Azure Sun Temple had also spread. Countless Masters from the many Sects in the Southern Territory were all urgently tracking down the whereabouts of the escaped Demon Spirits so that they could eliminate them before any more harm was done.
But everyone knew how difficult this task was going to be.
Demon Spirits were formless and were merely a special collection of energy. They may not even have their own thoughts and only be able to attach themselves to the bodies of living beings, corrupting their thoughts and forcing them through demonification.
So, this sort of tracking was extremely difficult to do. Regardless, the matter could not be left unattended. During Yang Kai’s absence for the past three days, many messages had been passed back and forth between the great forces of the Southern Territory. The resurgence of the Demon Spirits had now become widespread knowledge among the public.
Not long after, the two of them arrived at Spirit Sword Peak.
There was a wide-open stone cave that was too dark to see the bottom off here now, and a grim and eerie aura was wafting from it, as if it was the entrance to the underworld.
The faces of each one of the Emperor Realm Masters standing outside the cave were serious as they observed, Wen Zi Shan’s particularly so.
Hundreds to a thousand Demon Spirits escaped here under Azure Sun Temple’s watch, so as the Temple Master, Wen Zi Shan naturally could not escape blame, especially now that the Bustling World Great Emperor was also in such a bad situation. The carefree smile that used to always cover his face was no longer there.
Gao Xue Ting and the others were standing beside him while Chen Wen Hao and Feng Ming had not left either. They needed to know the exact situation about the demon sealing grounds below so that they could send word back to their Sects.
When they saw Yang Kai arrive, they all silently saluted each other.
“What’s the situation?” Yang Kai stood by You Kun’s side and asked quietly.
You Kun shook his head, “The Demon Spirits must all have escaped. Right now, we’re trying to find ways to break the remaining seals so that we can see the demon sealing grounds in full. Maybe we’ll be able to find some clues from that. Only…”
“Only what?”
You Kun laughed dryly, “The Array Masters in the temple will need some time.”
Yang Kai understood what You Kun meant. Even though the Spirit Arrays sealing the demon sealing grounds were from ancient times, and even though Gong Yue had already broken some of them, there were bound to still be many remaining. On the other hand, the skills of the Array Masters in the temple weren’t quite up to the task, so their progress of breaking the seals was a little slow. If this were any usual time, it wouldn’t have mattered, but time was now of the essence. The longer they delayed, the more difficult it would be to track down those Demon Spirits.
At that thought, Yang Kai turned to Wen Zi Shan, “Temple Master, I know an Emperor Array Master. Do you need me to invite him over to help?”
Wen Zi Shan’s eyes lit up at that, “Is he reliable?”
“He’s from my High Heaven Palace.”
“Then invite him quickly!” Wen Zi Shan said in a hurry, but quickly revealed a bitter smile, “But your High Heaven Palace is far away in the Northern Territory…”
Yang Kai smiled, “I’ll bring him right over.”
Yang Kai then disappeared in a flash as soon as he finished speaking. None of the others knew what he was going to do. Even though it was surprising for them to hear that he actually had an Emperor Array Master in High Heaven Palace, distant water could not quench the present thirst. By the time Yang Kai could bring him over from the Northern Territory, it would be too late.
Yang Kai was extremely glad that he had arranged a Cross-Territory Space Array behind Spirit Sword Peak back then.
The main reason he set up this array was in order to connect High Heaven Palace with the Azure Sun Temple so that he could easily come and go. This was also not the only such array he had arranged. For certain reasons, however, he did not reveal this fact to anyone and used the power of the Spirit Arrays of Spirit Sword Peak to conceal it, so Wen Zi Shan and the others were completely oblivious.
Yang Kai went straight towards the back of the mountain in order to head back to High Heaven Palace so he could bring Nanmen Da Jun over.
The Spirit Arrays that still remained in the demon sealing grounds were all ancient seals, and since Nanmen Da Jun had always been fond of studying such things, he likely wouldn’t refuse.
Just as Yang Kai was about to reach the place where the Space Array was located, his feet suddenly paused and he looked to the side with a frown.
He could sense a very weak but familiar aura nearby.
When he saw it, Yang Kai’s face changed, and he began circulating his Emperor Qi, as if he were getting ready to face off against a terrible enemy.
There, in the middle of the trees, lay a small beast covered in blood and injuries. From the colour of the fur still remaining on its body, it should have been black. It was about a third of a metre in length and its aura was slightly weak. Its stomach also swelled up a lot at that moment, and only went back to normal after a while.
The Abyssal Returner!
It was still alive and had actually managed to return back to the mountain.
Yang Kai had been staying in the Divine Ascension World these past few days, so he had no idea what happened to the Abyssal Returner. He only knew that Feng Ming had kicked it away during the fight, and then it disappeared.
Yang Kai thought it was dead the whole time.
Based on what Gong Yue said, a trace of the Abyssal Returner’s bloodline existed in the body of this black puppy, and he had used an unknown Secret Technique to draw out that bloodline power, using it to fight with numerous Emperor Realm Masters alone with the might of its Innate Divine Ability.
Yang Kai guessed that if its bloodline was pure enough, or even just a bit stronger than it was currently, everyone present would have suffered during that fight.
A Divine Ability that could devour everything and rebound it was simply unheard of.
The Abyssal Returner apparently did not die, but they heard nothing of it after it was freed from Gong Yue’s control. Chen Wen Hao and the others were also busy investigating the demon sealing grounds and did not pay attention to where it landed. So, during this time, it seemed to drag itself back here, barely managing to maintain its feeble existence.
But it should not be far from death.
Yang Kai only had the opportunity to meet this black puppy twice, so he didn’t have any strong feelings towards it either way. Only, he was a little interested in its strange Innate Divine Ability.
After making sure that it was really an arrow at the end of its flight and of no threat to him, Yang Kai slowly approached it.
The Abyssal Returner seemed to have sensed something and opened its eyes by a slit to see the figure standing in front of it. It issued two whimpers, appearing extremely weak.
Yang Kai raised his palm, and Emperor Qi began to surge on its surface.
The Abyssal Returner slowly closed its eyes, seemingly resigning itself to its fate as hot air blew out from its nostrils.
Yang Kai thrust his palm down, but stopped just a hand’s length above it before grabbing it instead and picking it up and sighing, “Whether you live or die is all up to your own luck now.”
Saying that, he tossed the Abyssal Returner into his Sealed World Bead.
Regardless of how strong the Innate Divine Ability of this Demon Realm exotic beast was, it would be kept in check by Yang Kai as long as it was inside the Sealed World Bead, so he wasn’t worried about it going berserk and causing trouble for him after it recovered.
Whether it survived or not was a separate matter.
What’s more, Yang Kai constantly had the feeling that its true nature wasn’t like what they’d seen. During the two times he’d seen the Abyssal Returner previously, it did not show any malice towards him. Rather, it seemed to have some affection for him, especially during the second time, as the Abyssal Returner had clearly come to see him.
It can even be said that the reason why the Abyssal Returner hid behind the mountain after it was injured was so it could wait for his arrival.
The reason why the Abyssal Returner became so vicious before was because of the Secret Technique that Gong Yue performed. Yang Kai remembered that the Abyssal Returner even tried to bite Gong Yue when he was tracking him through the half of the Demon Spirit to Spirit Sword Peak.
The secret demon sealing grounds under Spirit Sword Peak and the bloodline of the Abyssal Returner should be related.
Yang Kai carried the Ancient Demon Black Eye, and he had the aura of an Ancient Demon sealed in his body. The Abyssal Returner might have been able to sense it, and that was why it wanted to try and approach him.
All kinds of thoughts flashed across Yang Kai’s mind, and soon he arrived in front of the Space Array. Space Principles surged and Yang Kai was back in the Northern Territory’s High Heaven Palace.
A few moments later, there was a flash of light above the array, and two figures were revealed.
“So this is the Azure Sun Temple, Palace Master?” Nanmen Da Jun observed his surroundings curiously before clicking his tongue, “It’s nothing special. Not as grand as our High Heaven Palace. En, even the World Energy seems to be inferior.”
“Focus more on the working and less on the talking. Haven’t you heard about this principle?” Yang Kai took the lead and flew ahead.
Nanmen Da Jun laughed, “Yes, yes, yes. By the way, Xiao Hou asked me to ask you how the flight type artifact is doing, and whether or not any places need to be adjusted.”
“No need, it’s working fine.”
“Also, Palace Master. That girl, something Yao from Ice Heart Valley, she came a few times but she always left when she saw that you weren’t in. Is she our Palace Master’s wife?”
“Do you like having a tongue?”
“Fine fine fine, I won’t ask.” Nanmen Da Jun covered his mouth, but after holding it in for only a moment, he started up again, “That girl’s not bad…”
“We’ve arrived!” Yang Kai flew down as he said that.
The group of people on the ground had obviously noticed him as well, and when they looked over, they were all curious as to why Yang Kai had brought a stranger over.
Nanmen Da Jun, however, was like a cat that had caught the smell of fish. He looked towards the entrance of the demon sealing grounds with an inspired look on his face, eyes glowing as he paced back and forth at the entrance, looking more and more excited.
After a while, he turned around and said, “Palace Master, I will head down now. Just wait for my good news.”
Ignoring everyone, he jumped straight down and soon disappeared.
The group of people looked curiously at Yang Kai.
Yang Kai said, “This man is the Northern Territory’s Emperor Array Master, Nanmen Da Jun. He happened to be nearby, so I invited him to come and help us.”
Wen Zi Shan looked at him with a grin, seemingly having noticed something, but he did not expose him.
As time passed, they constantly received new messages from below. As expected of an Emperor Array Master, Nanmen Da Jun was able to crack apart many of the Spirit Arrays remaining in the demon sealing grounds. He used his own abilities to gain dominance, garnering the respect of the temple’s Array Masters.
Breaking the seals took a whole two days, and during that period, representatives of the big Sects in the Southern Territory were constantly arriving at Azure Sun Temple to ask for information. The temple allowed these people to pass, and several Elders took turns receiving them, informing them about the demon sealing grounds, as well as the Demon Spirits escaping.
Many paled in worry as they listened.
Now that the Demon Spirits were out and about, tracking them was going to be a big problem. It was the first time since ancient times that the Southern Territory was encountering such a crisis, so they were completely inexperienced. They could only count on whatever clues may be left inside the demon sealing cave. Otherwise, it would be like searching for a needle in a city worth of haystacks.
But there were no clues to be found in the cave.
Nanmen Da Jun and the temple’s Array Masters cracked all the seals inside the cave, but they couldn’t find any information about the Demon Spirits. On the other hand, they did get some useful information from the Spirit Arrays.
If a time came when they needed to seal the Demon Spirits again, that information may become of use to them.
Everyone was filled with worry for a while.
Soon, envoys from Star Soul Palace arrived. Great Elder Lei Hong led the group personally, bringing with him a decree from the Great Emperor, ordering all the Sects, families, and great forces of the Southern Territory to check their disciples in case any of them have been corrupted by the Demon Spirits.
It was at Spirit Sword Peak that Lei Hong declared the Great Emperor’s order, to which everyone agreed, naturally.
It must be said that the Great Emperor’s Demon Banishment Order had given the whole Southern Territory courage. Many Masters were not as nervous as before; after all, no matter what happened, the Southern Territory still had Star Soul Palace and the Bright Moon Great Emperor behind it. No matter how mysterious or vicious the Demon Spirits could be, they wouldn’t be able to make any waves with the Great Emperor keeping watch.
After the Demon Banishment Order was issued, many Emperor Realm Masters were ready to leave the Azure Sun Temple in order to return to their own Sects to begin work on this matter.
But right at that moment, a red light suddenly sped in from the outside. It gave off an aggressive aura, as if it placed no one else around it in its eyes, and crossed hundreds of kilometres in the blink of an eye, rushing full speed towards Spirit Sword Peak.
After just learning of the escaped Demon Spirits, the emotions of many Masters were still sensitive, so faced with such a brazen visitor who came crashing right into Azure Sun Temple without notice, many thought the worst.
Alarmed, many people instinctively launched attacks to intercept this invader.
A few days ago, the scene of many Elders joining hands with Chen Wen Hao and Feng Ming in the fight against Gong Yue had been explosive enough, but compared to this scene now, it simply paled in comparison.
There were over a hundred Emperor Realm Masters gathered here, so even if only a third of them acted, the scene was still going to be spectacular.
What’s more, the ones acting now were far more than just a third.
Emperor Pressure spread out, and the lights of Secret Technique after Secret Technique bloomed, whilst the power of Emperor Artifacts began to surge before they all gathered towards the red light.
The red light rushing over was clearly a little confused by all this, never having expected to encounter such a situation. It paused in mid-air, but the space it was in was already enveloped in an endless number of attacks.
A dragon roar suddenly rang out through the air, the high-pitched noise shaking everyone’s eardrums. The faces of everyone changed dramatically because this was the call of an extremely pure-blooded Dragon, and not the calls of those flood dragon-like Monster Beasts.
The moment the dragon roar sounded, Yang Kai’s bloodline was suddenly stirred. Seemingly instinctually sensing something, he had not joined those who attacked earlier. Instead, he looked over wide-eyed at this moment.
The red light dispersed, and a huge creature was suddenly revealed in the air. Its more than two-hundred-metre-long body was as lofty as a mountain and it had a pair of Dragon Horns on its head along with four claws extending from its belly. It was covered in red Dragon Scales that were just like burning flames, and with every movement of its Dragon Tail, the wind and clouds would change with it.
“Ssii…”
Everyone drew a sharp breath of cold air, staring dumbfounded at the huge creature in the sky as if they were being looked down upon by a supreme being. In an instant, many people felt their limbs grow weak.
Dragon Clan! The visitor actually turned out to be a Pureblood Dragon! This was something that not everyone expected.
Dragon Pressure spread forth like a tangible wall, striking upon the Emperor Pressure condensed by the hundred Emperor Realm Masters below, actually shattering it to pieces.
With a crackle, the joint attack of dozens of Emperor Realm Masters landed on the Dragon’s body, causing it to throw back its head and roar as sparks splashed from its armour of scales. The Dragon’s body was incredibly sturdy, but even though all these attacks could not endanger the Dragon’s life, it was enough to cause it much pain and anger.
The Dragon raised its head high and spat out a mouthful of Dragon Breath.
As if a volcano had erupted, searing flames spat directly from the Dragon’s mouth towards Spirit Sword Peak. Before the attack had even arrived, everyone could feel their skin searing painfully. The Dragon’s flames seemed to be able to burn anything under the sky, and even the Emperor Realm Masters could feel the deadly threat from it.
“Not good!” At the same time as when Yang Kai’s face changed, he stepped out and summoned his Jade Elder Token into his hand, rapidly injecting his Emperor Qi.
Spirit Sword Peak’s Spirit Arrays suddenly activated, creating a visible layer of protection between them.
This was the defence he set up by mobilizing all the power available to Spirit Sword Peak from its Earth Vein. But this had been done in a rush, its full power could not be released.
As soon as the dragon flame hit the barrier, the scorching heat immediately deformed it. The sound of quenching flames was incessant as ripples began to form on the transparent shield, like it was melting away.
Everyone was shocked and wanted to scatter away as none of them had the confidence to face the terrifying power of this dragon flame.
Lei Hong stepped forward at this time and threw out his fist.
The barrier suddenly cracked, and a bolt of lightning the width of a water bucket crashed into the flames, crashing left and right in the flames and reducing some of the pressure on Yang Kai. This blow was the essence of Lei Hong’s cultivation, clearly showing the might of a veteran Third-Order Emperor Realm Master.
The Big Dragon twisted its head and the flames grew even more intense, seemingly strong enough to melt the lightning.
“Enough!” Wen Zi Shan suddenly shouted, and with one hand behind his back gripping a jade disc, he waved his other hand gently and shot out a beam of light, directly cutting off the dragon flames.
The Big Dragon raised its head and hovered high in the air, looking condescendingly down at the crowd. Its huge dragon eyes were covered in the flames of hatred while its mouth was opening and closing as if it would spit out another mouthful of its Dragon Breath at any moment.
Yang Kai withdrew Spirit Sword Peak’s protection and wiped the cold sweat from his forehead.
“State your identity and your intention for coming here, Dragon!” Wen Zi Shan’s face became serious as he looked at the Red Dragon in the sky, thinking to himself that Azure Sun Temple really was eventful as of late. The Demon Spirits escaped, the Bustling World became trapped, Heaven Devourer escaped, and now a Dragon came to visit. He had no idea how this year could be so unlucky as to invite one wave of misfortune after another, but he was getting too tired to deal with this.
But even Wen Zi Shan did not dare to be careless when facing a Pureblood Dragon, because there was only one place in the world where the Dragon Clan could be found. Behind this Red Dragon in front of him was a force that even Great Emperors could not ignore.
“Who hit me? Who hit me just now!?” The Red Dragon did not answer Wen Zi Shan’s question and instead began to roar as if it was greatly humiliated. It could not be any angrier, and the deafening roar was enough to shake the entire Azure Sun Temple.
The Emperor Realm Masters who accidentally attacked the Red Dragon earlier were all pale-faced at this moment. All of them shrank back into the crowd, lest they be recognized by the Red Dragon.
“You, you, and you!” The Red Dragon looked around, eyes stopping on a few Emperor Realm Masters, “As well as you! Stop hiding, I saw you just now! All of you attacked me earlier!”
“I… I didn’t. This Sir, you must have seen wrongly…” The person who spoke shrank even more, cold sweat covering his body.
Offending the Dragon Clan was no joke. The Dragon Clan was proud and always proclaimed themselves the leaders of the myriad spirits. If they had known that the visitor was a Dragon Clan member, none of the Emperors present would have rushed in like that. But this Red Dragon charged over at such a sensitive time without so much as an introduction, so who would be able to curb their instinct to react?
Attacking a member of the Dragon Clan was equivalent to humiliating them, which was definitely a big problem. Fortunately, whether the visitor was friend or foe was unknown to them earlier, so they held back a little when they attacked and did not go all out. Otherwise, if they wounded this Dragon Clan member, then everyone present would have to suffer.
“You have the guts to act but not the guts to admit it?” The Red Dragon roared, “You lowly ants. All of you will die!”
At these words, the faces of many Emperor Realm Masters changed dramatically. A Dragon wasn’t easy to deal with, and an enraged Dragon was even harder to reason with. It was true that over a hundred Emperor Realm Masters did not need to fear a single Dragon if they joined hands, but so what if they beat him? He had Dragon Island behind him. If Dragon Island really was provoked, then the entire Star Boundary would be thrown into chaos, the result of which would be hundreds to thousands of times more serious than the resurrection of the Demon Spirits.
The Red Dragon was obviously truly incensed. As soon as he was done shouting, he was just about to strike. Wen Zi Shan’s expression turned solemn, and he decided that even if he had to offend Dragon Island, he could not allow so many Emperor Realm Masters to die here in Azure Sun Temple. He secretly connected with the temple’s Sect Defending Array, ready to make a move at the slightest danger.
“Wait!” Lei Hong shouted and stood out.
“Old thing, you also attacked me earlier!” The Red Dragon hovered in the sky, its huge body providing a strong visual impact and mental pressure on everyone. Now, it suddenly bent its body down, and its dragon head was less than ten metres away from Lei Hong, its dragon eyes even bigger than small huts staring at him with hostility.
Everyone was sweating for Lei Hong.
Lei Hong, however, just cupped his fists and spoke, “May I ask if this venerable one is from… the legendary Dragon Island from the Eastern Sea?”
“So what if I am?” The Red Dragon puffed out hot air from its nostrils. Lei Hong’s body was glowing, and his hair was a little burnt from the scorching earlier.
“So it’s true…” Lei Hong suddenly had a look of realization and smiled, “There are rumours that Dragon Island is located somewhere on the Eastern Sea, and that Great Dragons could be found on the island. None have ever seen them, but even so, the fame of Dragon Island was still as great as that of the Great Emperors’ Sects. It is truly fortunate that this one had the opportunity to witness this today.”
It was rare to see the Great Elder of Star Soul Palace shower flattery on another so openly. All the Emperor Realm Masters were dumbfounded when they heard this.
But these words had a miraculous effect.
Everyone could clearly feel that the Red Dragon’s anger subsided a lot, and his huge dragon head moved away from Lei Hong slightly. Nodding aloofly, he said in a powerful voice, “Heh, seems like you still have some knowledge, Old Thing, to know the prestige of our Dragon Island. But of course, who in this world knows not of my Dragon Island’s name? How can a trivial Great Emperor Sect compare?”
Lei Hong laughed dryly. Even though he didn’t feel too pleased about this Dragon’s words, he couldn’t show it on his face.
After all, he was the Great Elder of a Great Emperor’s Sect, so the word ‘trivial’ uttered by the Red Dragon naturally caused him discomfort. However, he knew deeply the nature of the Dragon Clan, so he did not dwell on the matter lest he add fuel to the fire.
On the other hand, it was as if the Red Dragon had his itch scratched and he began boasting about himself, “My Dragon Clan is just not willing to compete with you lowly ants for fame and fortune. Otherwise, if my Dragon Island’s elites step out, then it doesn’t matter what Great Emperor this or Great Emperor that, all of them have to step aside! Do you believe that I can drown you all with a mouthful of spittle?”
The more he spoke, the more outrageous his words became, drawing frowns from all the Emperor Realm Masters. Lei Hong saw this and quickly interrupted him, “The Dragon Clan has not shown itself for so long, so it is the first time we have set our eyes upon its members. That is why we were unable to recognize this venerable one during his approach. We thought that an enemy had come, and that was why we acted hastily. Everything was just a misunderstanding.”
“Yes, yes! We were all too impulsive just now. Please do not mind it, Sir!”
“If Sir had shown Sir’s true form earlier, then we would not have attacked you.”
“It is truly a blessing to be able to see the true form of a Great Dragon today.”
“…”
The group of people clamoured on. Everyone could see that though the Red Dragon was grumpy and hard to get along with, it seemed to have soft ears and his anger could easily be quenched just by a few good words. This was also a common problem of those that were overly proud. Since they were so proud, they naturally did not wish to bother too much with people who are overly humble.
For a while, the crowd was not stingy with singing their praises.
Listening to them eased the mind and body of the Great Dragon. His anger which was just like a volcano that was about to erupt earlier had now dissipated, and he let out a soft grunt, “Forget it. I can’t be bothered to deal with you lot either. We can just forget about what happened just now. But next time, you better open your eyes and take a good look before you act.”
All of them breathed out sighs of relief while Wen Zi Shan also dispersed the energy he gathered and shot Lei Hong a grateful look.
Many things happened at the temple and he himself had been injured in the Divine Ascension Mirror World. His mind was occupied with all sorts of troubles now, so if Lei Hong had not dealt with the situation in a timely and proper manner, Wen Zhi Shan would probably be embroiled in even more problems now. If the Emperor Realm Masters were to get into a conflict with the Red Dragon, then it didn’t matter who won or lost in the end as Azure Sun Temple was bound to suffer.
Lei Hong smiled in response, indicating that he didn’t have to worry about it.
Wen Zi Shan cupped his fists to the sky next, “Since Venerable One is from Dragon Island, may I ask which Sir of Dragon Island this venerable one is?”
“This Dragon is Zhu Lie!” The Red Dragon shook his head and flicked his tail proudly, voice travelling a hundred kilometres.
“So it is Sir Zhu Lie. En, this Wen wonders what Sir is doing here at my Azure Sun Temple?”
“I’m looking for someone!” Zhu Lie’s body writhed and he moved his dragon head over the crowd, scanning the group with his dragon eyes, “Who here is Yang Kai?”
Yang Kai was still watching a good show when he suddenly heard the guy called Zhu lie call out his name, so he couldn’t help but be stunned.
Over a hundred pairs of eyes turned to him in unison, with all the Emperor Realm Masters standing nearby Yang Kai quickly backing away, as if standing near him would give them bad luck.
Wen Zi Shan was also stunned.
For a Great Dragon to come out here to Azure Sun Temple, he thought it was the resurgence of the Demon Spirits that attracted him. Even though the Dragon Clan boasted about being the leader of the myriad spirits and thought too highly of themselves, they were indeed a powerful race with countless millennia of inheritance. If anyone in this world were to know best about the Demon Race and the Demon Spirits, then it had to be the Dragon Clan.
But who knew that this guy was actually here for Yang Kai and not the Demon Spirits.
He looked at Yang Kai curiously and discovered that Yang Kai also had a bewildered expression on his face.
“You’re Yang Kai?” Without needing anyone to identify him, just the gaze and attitude of the Emperor Realm Masters around him was enough for Zhu Lie to recognize the target of his trip. He then ordered without room for negotiation, “Come with me.”
“Where to?” Yang Kai frowned.
“To Dragon Island!” Zhu Lie answered impatiently.
Everyone sucked in a breath. Even if they were all Emperors, they still couldn’t remain calm when they heard this sentence. It was definitely an honour for one to be able to step foot on Dragon Island in one’s lifetime. But looking at Zhu Lie’s attitude, they were all worried that it could only be disastrous if Yang Kai really went.
None of them knew how Yang Kai had offended Dragon Island and the Dragon Clan.
But Yang Kai seemed to have understood something, frowning as he asked, “Did Zhu Qing ask you to come?”
“She is not qualified to give me orders!” Zhu Lie coldly snorted, a flash of disdain emerging in his eyes.
“Then who was it that gave you the order?” Yang Kai asked.
Zhu Lie snapped his tail impatiently, shaking the clouds within a hundred kilometres as he gave a booming response, “You do not need to know that. You just have to follow me back to Dragon Island.”
Yang Kai smiled and said, “I do wish to visit Dragon Island, but not right now. There are still some things I must deal with here. So, this Brother Zhu Lie, may I please trouble you to go back and tell the one above you that I will pay them a visit when I’m free? No need to send anyone out to invite me.”
Yang Kai had suddenly become wary about Dragon Island and the Dragon Clan.
Previously, Zhu Qing had also invited him to Dragon Island many times. In the beginning, Yang Kai thought it was just because of the Dragon Island Token he possessed, as well as the few dragon artifacts that he refined, but now, it seems like things weren’t that simple.
Zhu Qing had not returned since leaving for the Northern Territory’s Frozen Earth, and he heard no news of her either. Then, Dragon Island’s side even sent out another Dragon Clan member to take him to Dragon Island.
Yang Kai figured that it might have something to do with the Golden Divine Dragon’s Source he carried. It seemed he had underestimated its attraction to the Dragon Clan. So, before he was able to figure things out, there was no way he was going to step foot on Dragon Island. Otherwise, he may not even know what he would be facing. What’s more, the Demon Spirits had only just escaped from their seal, and as a participant in this matter, he could not leave here.
Zhu Lie’s dragon eyes rounded and he looked at Yang Kai in astonishment for a while before quickly asking, “Human, did you just reject me?”
His anger that had subsided showed signs of surging up again, and both Lei Hong and Wen Zi Shan’s faces changed slightly.
Before Yang Kai could answer, Zhu Lie had already flown into a rage, “How dare you! This Dragon came here personally and you dare refuse me? You court death!”
He tumbled in mid-air, and an indescribably killing intent suddenly filled a hundred-kilometre radius.
Yang Kai’s face turned serious as he responded, “I believe I made myself very clear. You can either return to Dragon Island and convey my words, or I will beat you back there.”
When the many Emperor Realm Masters heard this, they all turned pale in shock as they stared at Yang Kai. They felt that the audacity of this guy was simply ridiculous. To think a trivial First-Order Emperor Realm cultivator would dare speak to a Dragon in such a way.
Wen Zi Shan, Gao Xue Ting, and the others also reacted as if they were meeting Yang Kai for the first time, all of them dumbfounded.
No one had ever dared to talk to a Dragon like that as anyone who did was dead by now.
Lei Hong was also constantly trying to signal to Yang Kai with his eyes, telling him to ease up a little; after all, it wasn’t easy for him to calm Zhu Lie’s anger earlier. Yang Kai’s words were definitely going to stir him up again.
Even he, as the Great Elder of Star Soul Palace, was able to make allowances here. Yang Kai was merely a High-Rank Guest Elder of Azure Sun Temple, so whether it be cultivation or position, he was far inferior to him, so what would it matter if he softened his words a little?
But it was already too late.
Zhu Lie’s anger was rekindled and became several times more vigorous than before. A Heaven-shattering laugh broke out from his mouth as he shouted, “Puny ant, how dare you provoke a member of the Dragon Clan! You really do not know the immensity of Heaven and…”
But he did not finish his sentence because Yang Kai’s figure had already teleported in front of him.
His tiny figure looked insignificant compared to the Dragon’s two hundred-metre-long body.
A loud dragon roar sounded, and as a golden light erupted, a huge dragon head appeared behind Yang Kai in a flash before it disappeared into his body.
Yang Kai threw out a fist and smashed it down hard towards the Great Dragon’s nose.
There was a bang, and Zhu Lie’s head shook. The violent force of his punch made him dizzy, and he felt as if his nose had been broken.
“Hm?” Yang Kai was a little stunned because this blow did not have the effect that he expected.
After interacting with Zhu Qing for a period of time, he learned that the power of bloodline suppression was immensely strong for the Dragon Clan. The side with the stronger bloodline had an absolute ability to suppress the one with the weaker bloodline, and this had nothing to do with personal strength.
The Dragon Clan’s bloodline had clear divisions, and it was said that the Dragon Clan’s Great Elder Zhu Yan was a Tenth-Order Azure Dragon. No matter how strong a Dragon Clan member was, it would be impossible for them to match him if their bloodline was below Tenth-Order
And, take Zhu Qing for example. Her own strength was comparable or even greater to that of a Third-Order Emperor Realm Master. If Yang Kai really fought her one on one, then even with everything he had, he may not be able to guarantee a victory. However, if he used his bloodline power to suppress her, Zhu Qing wouldn’t be his opponent at all. It would simply be impossible for her to properly unleash her strength when facing him.
From what Yang Kai could see, this Zhu Lie’s strength was not bad, but there was no way his bloodline purity would be higher than Zhu Qing’s.
He was able to suppress Zhu Qing with the Golden Divine Dragon’s Source, so he should naturally have no problems dealing with Zhu Lie.
But Yang Kai realized with this punch that he was wrong. The expected bloodline suppression did not appear. Instead, the impact of his fists on the solid Dragon Scales turned his hand into a bloody mess.
Zhu Lie was completely enraged by his punch and roared, “Since this Dragon dared to seek you out, obviously this Dragon has a way to constrain you! You think you can suppress me!?”
When he opened his mouth to roar, he spat out a jet of flames, instantly setting Yang Kai alight, seemingly melting him down in an instant.
The crowd down below was shocked.
Zhu Lie was also taken aback by the sight and was dumbfounded.
He was ordered to bring Yang Kai back to Dragon Island, but he never thought of killing him. Faced with Yang Kai’s resistance and provocation, he was unable to hold back his anger and wanted to teach him a lesson to make him behave, but who knew that he would end up burning him to death with a mouthful of Dragon Breath?
So what should be done now?
If the Great Elder were to learn about this, then he would certainly be punished.
While Zhu Lie was still caught in his bewilderment, he suddenly felt as if a large mountain had suddenly crashed down on his head, smashing it painfully. He couldn’t help but let out a wild roar, and the burning figure in front of him also finally cleared up at this moment.
It was only an afterimage, one left behind from moving at immense speed.
Zhu Lie was both happy and angry. Happy that he did not accidentally kill his target, and angry that this puny insect dared to trick him. He was completely enraged, and as his body swayed in the air, he avoided the attack from above and faced Yang Kai, grabbing at him with his claws.
His huge dragon claws seemed able to compress space itself, and the power of his Dragon Qi which gathered was astonishing. After compressing his power to the limit, Zhu Li suddenly released it all in a violent blast.
That fierce power from this blast rose up and shot out towards Yang Kai.
Yang Kai waved his arm in a large arc, forming a huge Moon Blade, slicing through the space to meet this blast head-on.
The two attacks collided with a loud bang, and an overwhelming wind storm swept out, cutting countless gashes into the surrounding space.
Zhu Lie’s huge body did not move, but Yang Kai was only able to stabilize himself after being pushed back more than a thousand metres.
Yang Kai had fallen into a complete disadvantage in their exchange of blows, and he didn’t seem to be a match for Zhu Lie at all.
“What kind of rare treasure did you bring?” Yang Kai scanned Zhu Lie’s body. He clearly caught a shimmer of light when he struck his body earlier, and it was that shimmer of light that was able to offset the bloodline suppression of his Golden Divine Dragon Source, allowing Zhu Lie to unleash his full strength.
Zhu Lie coldly snorted, “Just be obedient and surrender without a fight. Nothing will happen to you if you just follow me back to Dragon Island; however, if you still dare to resist, then you will be solely responsible for the consequences.”
“Will you forcefully press down a bull’s head even if it refuses to drink?” Yang Kai laughed, but that laugh suddenly turned cold, “I’d like to see how far this treasure can protect you!”
At the end of his sentence, he gritted his teeth and let out a roar. A brave and heroic aura began to swell his body all of a sudden, and traces of a Pureblood Dragon Aura began to fill the air along with a radiant golden light that overflowed from the pores of his body. Both Yang Kai’s hands transformed into the shape of dragon claws while two strange bulges protruded from his head. The exposed parts of his skin were also covered in Dragon Scales.
In the blink of an eye, Yang Kai had transformed into a monster that stood about twenty metres tall with clear traces of the Dragon Clan in his appearance. However, it was completely shoddy, like a drawing of a tiger that ended up like more of a dog.
“This is…” Lei Hong’s eyes widened abruptly at the sky, shocked at what he saw.
Wen Zi Shan and the others were also tongue-tied at the sight while Gao Xue Ting’s beautiful eyes were covered in mixed emotions. Over a hundred Emperor Realm Masters stood silent, each one of them shocked beyond words.
No one had ever seen a Secret Technique that could produce such great changes in a person before.
But Zhu Lie reacted just like a cat whose tail had been stepped on, gritting his teeth as he hissed, “Dragon Transformation Secret Art! That girl actually taught you the Dragon Transformation Secret Art! Unforgivable, this is simply unforgivable!”
As if Yang Kai had violated some great taboo, Zhu Lie’s voice became extremely angry.
“Now there’s no way you can avoid going to Dragon Island even if you want to refuse. The Dragon Transformation Secret Art is not to be passed on to anyone! From now on, prepare to stay in Dragon Island for the rest of your life!” As Zhu Lie bellowed at him, he had already flicked his tail and pounced over at him, his two-hundred-metre-long body reaching the sky in a flash before pouncing right in front of Yang Kai, opening his mouth to spew out his Dragon Breath.
With a frown, Yang Kai countered with a move of his own, resisting Zhu Lie’s onslaught.
He did not expect Zhu Lie to react so violently to his Dragon Transformation Secret Technique. From what he said, this Dragon Transformation Secret Art seemed to be some kind of core secret of Dragon Island.
But Zhu Qing didn’t mention this at all when she passed it to him.
During that time, Zhu Qing was in a hurry to go to the Frozen Earth in order to find the remains of one of her fallen clansmen. Before leaving, she passed this Pureblood Dragon Transformation Secret Technique to Yang Kai as if it was just on a whim.
It was only now that Yang Kai realized how much of a risk Zhu Qing had taken in doing so. If the secret to cultivating the Dragon Transformation Secret Art were to be exposed, then Dragon Island would never let this matter go. Yang Kai would not have an easy life, and neither would Zhu Qing.
It didn’t matter which great force it was, their core inheritance was never easily passed on, much less a Secret Technique of Dragon Island.
Yang Kai couldn’t understand why Zhu Qing would do such a thing, but he couldn’t fret over that right now. Even though it was hard for Zhu Lie to move around in his two hundred metre dragon form, each one of his attacks was so powerful that Yang Kai had no choice but to deal with him carefully.
Fortunately, Yang Kai could feel that he was able to suppress Zhu Lie’s Dragon Clan bloodline somewhat after using the Dragon Transformation Secret Art. So, even though it was still quite strenuous, Yang Kai could still just about fight on equal footing with Zhu Lie.
The Golden Divine Dragon’s Source was a great treasure for Yang Kai, but even after such a long time, he still could not figure out how he was going to turn this treasure into his own power.
The Dragon Transformation Secret Art could solve that problem. The more he cultivated this Secret Art, the more he could bring out the strength of the Golden Divine Dragon’s Source. Once he cultivated it to the grand accomplishment stage, he might even be able to transform into a True Great Dragon and travel the world proudly.
Unfortunately, the time Yang Kai spent cultivating was still short, so he could only transform into a twenty-metre-tall Half-Dragon Form. Even so, he could still suppress Zhu Lie who was carrying the rare treasure on him a little.
Two figures clashed mid-air, each releasing their profound moves and fighting incessantly for a time.
A mouthful of Dragon Breath spewed down from above occasionally, forcing Wen Zi Shan to open the Sect Defending Array to block the fallout. Otherwise, the entire Azure Sun Temple was sure to suffer.
Gradually, the battlefield shifted. Yang Kai and Zhu Lie brought their battle higher and higher, and they had already flown into the layer of clouds in the sky. Even the Emperor Realm Masters below could hardly see their movements now. Only the occasional dragon roar from within the clouds told them how intense their battle was.
Everyone was sweating. None of them had any idea how this matter was going to end.
Facing off against a Dragon Clan Member, Yang Kai would not be able to get any benefits whether he won or lost this fight. And, Azure Sun Temple was probably going to follow along with his bad luck as well.
When they thought of this point, many of the Emperor Realm Masters didn’t even dare to stay for the show anymore. All of them quickly found excuses to say goodbye to Wen Zi Shan lest they involve themselves in the crossfire. Naturally, Wen Zi Shan wasn’t in the mood to keep them here, so after a few casual pleasantries, he saw them off.
Hundreds of people soon left, leaving only Lei Hong and his entourage from Star Soul behind.
“Brother Xiao said this boy is a constant source of trouble. I didn’t believe him at first, but now…” Lei Hong shook his head and smiled bitterly. Focusing his eyesight as much as possible into the sky, he still could only catch vague traces of the battle happening up above.
Wen Zi Shan’s face was also grim, “Yang Kai is not at fault for what happened today. It is the Dragon Clan that is too arrogant. If it were me, then I would not have gone with him either.”
Lei Hong said, “But now, the question is how we’re going to end this incident.”
Wen Zi Shan replied, “The temple has suffered through many changes recently, and I am powerless to handle it all. I’m afraid I will have to trouble the Great Emperor to put in a word for me about today’s incident.”
Lei Hong pondered for a moment before nodding, “I will report this to the Great Emperor. Even though the Dragon Clan is not to be trifled with, the Southern Territory won’t just accept wanton bullying either.”
“Many thanks, Brother Lei!”
Lei Hong waved his hand, “Temple Master Wen is too courteous. I think it’s better if you and I join hands to… hm?”
Before he could finish speaking, Lei Hong seemed to have discovered a new change and looked up with wide eyes.
Wen Zi Shan had obviously noticed this too and a stunned expression filled his face.
Above the clouds, it was as if Yang Kai had received the Heavens’ blessings, allowing his originally twenty-metre-tall body to suddenly grow to forty metres. This was a massive size compared to a normal human, but compared to the Great Dragon, it was still a little lacking.
As the size of his body expanded, the two protrusions on his forehead also grew a little bigger and an indescribable aura instantly spread out from his body.
“You…” Zhu Lie who was locked in a struggle with Yang Kai was also shocked. If he was in his human form, then his face would probably be filled with fear at this moment. While speaking, he quickly backed away, as if he had seen something terrifying.
Yang Kai also froze for a moment. He had been hell-bent on suppressing his opponent’s Dragon Clan bloodline during the fight just now, and somehow, he ended up breaking through the shackles of his Dragon Transformation Secret Art, allowing it to go a step further and unleash more of the Golden Divine Dragon’s Source Strength in his body, causing this sudden and massive change.
By the time he recovered, Zhu Lie had already backed thousands of metres away while Yang Kai laughed maniacally, “Where do you think you’re going!”
Space Principles fluctuated around him and he caught up with Zhu Lie in an instant, grabbing his Dragon Tail with both claws and yanking it hard.
Zhu Lie, who was heading straight for the sky, was held back by that force, and his huge Dragon Body plunged downward involuntarily as a deafening roar came from his mouth. He suddenly turned his head around and opened his mouth wide, biting towards Yang Kai.
Yang Kai sneered. Body weaving back and forth, not only did he avoid Zhu Lie’s attack, he even tied his tail into a bow knot.
Having made a breakthrough in his Dragon Transformation Secret Art, the Golden Divine Dragon’s Source was stimulated to a far greater extent. Yang Kai suddenly felt as if this Zhu Lie was completely not his opponent at all, and he was convinced that this feeling was correct.
It’s not that he had become stronger, but rather that the bloodline of the Half-Dragon Form he transformed into had become purer. It was enough to allow him to suppress Zhu Lie’s bloodline.
“Hou!” Zhu Lie roared furiously, voice filled with grief and anger as if he had been greatly humiliated. A member of the Dragon Clan, ruler of the myriad spirits, actually had his tail tied into a bow. It was simply intolerable. He shook his tail in an attempt to shake off Yang Kai’s hold, but under the bloodline suppression, he was able to use at most seventy percent of his strength, so how could he succeed?
Yang Kai was grabbing onto Zhu Lie’s Dragon Tail and refused to let go. With a shout, the muscles on his arms swelled, and he spun him hard.
*Huchi…*
*Huchi…*
The two-hundred-metre-long Great Dragon was like a toy in Yang Kai’s hands, being spun around and around just like a windmill.
The eyes of the group of Emperor Realm Masters from Star Soul Palace and Azure Sun Temple widened at this sight. Even the soles of their feet were feeling a little cramped from this display.
In the beginning, the speed of the rotation was not too fast; however, the speed gradually became more and more violent. Zhu Lie’s two hundred-metre-tall body now looked like a blurry flat disk, like he was able to form countless clones of himself. With Yang Kai as the centre, Zhu Lie’s figure seemed to be re-created over a dozen times.
But that wasn’t even close, merely a series of after-images left behind by the speed of rotation.
Zhu Lie was dizzy from all the spinning and was unable to gather any of the Dragon Essence from his body. Feeling the stares of the group of ants below, he would rather pass out immediately than suffer this indescribable shame.
With a *xiu* sound, Yang Kai let go and Zhu Lie slammed into the ground just like a meteor.
The earth shook and dust rose up as a huge crater appeared, the two hundred-metre-long dragon shook its head in the crater, trying to get up but was stumbling around like a drunk.
Yang Kai came down from the sky and rode atop Zhu Lie’s head, grabbing one of his Dragon Horns with one hand while clenching his fist and slamming it with the other.
*Hong hong hong…*
Just like a large hammer crashing down on their hearts, each one of Yang Kai’s blows caused the hearts of Wen Zi Shan and the others to clench.
Zhu Lie tried to fight back, but under the double pressure of the bloodline suppression and his dizziness, his resistance seemed extremely childish and ridiculous.
“Come, come, come, tell me now what the immensity of Heaven and Earth is!” Yang Kai said while punching him.
But Zhu Lie wasn’t in the mood for jokes anymore. He could do nothing but hiss and growl. Hearing Yang Kai’s ridicule and sarcasm filled him with even more grief. He almost spat out the blood that was rolling around inside his chest.
After raining down hundreds of punches one after another, Zhu Lie’s head was smashed open. A few pieces of his Dragon Scales almost cracked, and he seemed to be exhausted. Crawling on the ground, Zhu Lie was panting heavily with his big tongue hanging out to the side, but his giant Dragon Eyes were still filled with flames of fury.
If there was no bloodline suppression, then he would definitely jump up and swallow Yang Kai into his belly right now.
“So, do you still want me to go to Dragon Island?” Yang Kai was still riding on his head, tossing a slap across his face while speaking. Even his own hand was in pain from all the blows.
“Whether you’re willing or not, you have to go. The Dragon Clan won’t…”
Before he could finish, Yang Kai had already gotten up and stomped on his head with tremendous force. Zhu Lie’s Dragon Head hit the ground with a bang and he almost bit his tongue. He quickly shut his mouth after that.
“I’ll ask you one more time. Do you still want me to go to Dragon Island?” Yang Kai looked at him from above.
After having suffered an initial loss, how would Zhu Lie dare to answer him?
“You think I can’t handle you?” Yang Kai sneered and began scanning his body. He noticed something during their battle before, he wasn’t too sure what it was he saw. Now was the best time for him to take a look.
In just a few moments, Yang Kai’s eyes lit up, a burning gaze stopping upon a Dragon Scale around Zhu Lie’s neck.
At first glance, that Dragon Scale didn’t seem much different from the rest. However, if one looked closely, then differences of this Dragon Scale could be felt. Its colour seemed to be darker, and its aura was also a little different.
Using his Dragon Claws, Yang Kai grabbed the washbasin-sized Dragon Scale directly.
“What are you doing?” Zhu Lie turned his head over and roared in shock, but when he saw what Yang Kai was up to, he began to struggle even harder. It was not known where this strength came from, but he even tried to fly up to the sky.
Yang Kai ignored him and just grabbed hold of the Dragon Scale with both hands. With a shout, he drew all the strength in his body to rip it violently from Zhu Lie’s body.
With a *chi la*, Dragon Blood splashed everywhere and Zhu Lie’s pained cry filled the sky.
His Great Dragon Body also shrunk in an instant, turning into a red-haired young man in the blink of an eye. In human form, Zhu Lie appeared to be in his early twenties. With sharp brows and bright eyes, he was exquisite in both demeanour and appearance, with healthy jade white skin. With an appearance like his, he was bound to attract the attention of countless women no matter where he went.
However, after taking a beating from Yang Kai, Zhu Lie looked more miserable at this moment. His red hair was messy as if it had not been groomed for more than a decade, his body was covered in bruises and his clothes were messy. There was even a small wound gushing with fresh blood on his neck.
After losing that Dragon Scale, Zhu Lie no longer had the strength to resist the Golden Divine Dragon Source Strength in Yang Kai’s body, to the point where he could not even maintain his dragon form.
He leapt out from the ground and pounced like a madman at the scale in Yang Kai’s hand, shouting, “Give it back! That’s mine!”
But right now, in front of Yang Kai’s forty-metre Half-Dragon Form, Zhu Lie was as laughable as a child.
Yang Kai slapped him down like a mosquito, hitting Zhu Lie directly into the ground. Then, Yang Kai stepped on his head with one foot so that he could not move before observing the Dragon Scale in his hand, asking, “So this is what you were relying on to face me?”
Zhu Lie gritted his teeth and refused to answer.
“Without this, how are you going to be bringing me back to Dragon Island?” Yang Kai grinned viciously and looked down at Zhu Lie, coldly snorting, “Seems like that girl Zhu Qing revealed a lot about me.”
Yang Kai was truly annoyed. Zhu Lie was clearly not unprepared during this visit. If he had not been able to make a breakthrough in this Dragon Transformation Secret Art at the crucial moment, then there was no saying who would have won or lost that battle just now.
Information about him must have been revealed by that damned girl, Zhu Qing, which made Yang Kai feel a little uncomfortable.
But on further thought, Zhu Qing was a member of the Dragon Clan. He rejected her request to travel to Dragon Island several times, so it was only natural that she would reveal some of his information.
“Tell me, how does this offset the bloodline suppression?” Yang Kai asked in a solemn voice.
Before this, he thought that the Dragon Scale didn’t belong to Zhu Lie, and that it was the Dragon Scale of a higher-ranking Great Dragon from Dragon Island. However, upon closer inspection, he realized he was wrong. This was indeed Zhu Lie’s Dragon Scale, but as for why the colour was deeper and the aura different, it likely had to do with the enhancement of some Secret Technique.
Yang Kai was a little wary about such a Secret Technique.
Two Dragon Clan members approached him one after another, so there was no saying he might not have to deal with even more of them in the future. He couldn’t rely on making a breakthrough with his Dragon Transformation Secret Art and Golden Divine Dragon Source Strength each time. So, if he could figure out what Secret Technique this was, then he could also make preparations beforehand.
“Just kill me!” Zhu Lie stiffened his neck, seemingly ready to face death unflinchingly as he sneered, “Do you have the guts to slay a member of the Dragon Clan?”
Yang Kai’s expression turned cold, “I can’t stand people provoking me. Once people provoke me, I tend to get impulsive, and there’s no saying what I’m capable of doing when I’m impulsive. So, young man, don’t try and act smart. Whether you live or die is up to my whims right now.”
Zhu Lie gritted his teeth and said nothing more.
Suddenly, Yang Kai crouched down and took a closer look at Zhu Lie’s profile, frowning, “What’s your relationship with Zhu Qing?”
“I have nothing to say about it!” Zhu Lie coldly snorted.
“So be it, then!” Yang Kai spat disdainfully. He just felt that this guy and Zhu Qing shared some similarities in their appearance, and they were both Red Dragons, so they should be related in some way. That was why Yang Kai had asked; however, since the other party didn’t want to answer, he also couldn’t be bothered to get to the bottom of it.
Wen Zi Shan and Lei Hong flew over side by side and stopped ten metres away from Yang Kai, their expression appearing complicated.
Nobody thought that things would escalate to this extent.
At the very beginning, when both Yang Kai and Zhu Lie were engaged in a heated battle, they thought that Yang Kai would be the one to lose. They thought they would wait for the Dragon to vent his anger before coming out to deal with the aftermath, but who knew that Yang Kai would be so fierce as to be able to beat a Dragon into the ground, and even trample him underfoot?
This made things difficult!
“Great Elder Lei, you came just in time!” Yang Kai’s eyes lit up as if he had found his saviour when he saw Lei Hong.
Lei Hong’s body suddenly froze, and a bad feeling came over him in an instant. He suddenly regretted not having left earlier and actually foolishly followed Wen Zi Shan over. Wasn’t he just finding trouble for himself?
Yang Kai paid Great Elder Lei’s obvious apprehension no mind and carried on, “I caught a Dragon, but this guy is being too arrogant and domineering, so I think it best I hand him to you to bring him back to Star Soul Palace for the Great Emperor to deal with. Whether he kills him or skins him, it’s all up to the Great Emperor. I have no objections either way!”
The corner of Lei Hong’s mouth twitched and he was unwilling to move any closer. Acting as if he did not hear what Yang Kai said, he turned to Wen Zi Shan and cupped his fists, “Temple Master Wen, since the matter has come to an end, this Lei will say his farewells here. We still have to trouble Temple Master Wen on the matter of the Demon Banishment Order. My Star Soul Palace will also do its best to aid in this hunt. If there is any news, please inform me as soon as possible.”
Wen Zi Shan opened his mouth, but before he could say anything, Lei Hong’s body had already flashed away with a crackle. Enveloping the other Star Soul Palace members, he transformed into a streak of light and flew towards the distance.
“The one surnamed Lei, you come back!” Zhu Lie suddenly shouted, voice spreading far and wide, “My Dragon Island will never forgive you Southern Territory cultivators for treating a member of the Dragon Clan this way!”
Lei Hong of course did not stop but instead fled even faster, disappearing in the blink of an eye.
He originally wanted to ask Yang Kai about the situation of his Dragon Transformation Secret Technique, but how could he still be in the mood to do so? He just wanted to get as far away from here as possible.
Staring in the direction that Lei Hong ran off in, Yang Kai laughed. But suddenly, he stopped and turned around to see Gao Xue Ting, Wen Zi Shan, and the others looking speechlessly at him.
“What should we do now?” Gao Xue Ting asked.
“I don’t know!” Yang Kai had an innocent expression on his face. Only, paired with his Half-Dragon Form appearance at this moment, it looked particularly ferocious.
“Why not just let him go?” Chen Qian suggested in a quiet voice. She was very afraid of the Dragon Island’s might and also couldn’t bear seeing Zhu Lie being beaten up so miserably.
Zhu Lie gritted his teeth “That’s right. If you’re smart, then you should let me go right now, or this definitely won’t end well for you!”
Yang Kai stomped his foot down again and snorted, “Know your place before you speak, little brat!”
“I’m a member of the Dragon Clan, how dare you treat me like this!” Zhu Lie looked humiliated.
“So what if you’re from the Dragon Clan? Aren’t you still crawling under my feet?”
Zhu Lie flushed crimson as he buried his face into the ground as if he couldn’t wait to find a hole to crawl into and no longer show his face to the world.
“Can’t let him go, can’t kill him either…” Wen Zi Shan laughed bitterly, “You little brat, you really brought me a big problem here.”
The Dragon Clan’s pride was legendary, so if he were really released after being humiliated this way by Yang Kai, then how could Zhu Lie be willing to let the matter rest? He would probably send word to Dragon Island immediately, then a large number of Great Dragons would come in a few days in pursuit of him. And of course, killing him was also impossible. If Zhu Lie was really killed, then they would really start a feud with Dragon Island. Not even a Great Emperor Sect could withstand the wrath of Dragon Island, let alone Azure Sun Temple.
Yang Kai waved his hand, “Forget it. You don’t have to worry about this anymore. I will take responsibility for my own actions.”
Gao Xue Ting asked, “What are you planning to do?”
Yang Kai shrugged, “I can’t kill him or let him go, so I can only imprison him. What else can I do?”
Zhu Lie was shocked at his words. He looked up at him and bellowed, “You dare?!”
Yang Kai sneered, “Open your dog eyes wide and see for yourself whether I dare or not.”
As he spoke, he tossed out his hand, and an antique-looking bell appeared in front of him. As it spun in the sky, the bell grew rapidly in size.
Zhu Lie had obviously perceived the danger of this bell. It might look inconspicuous and simple, but it gave him a strong feeling of suppression. If he were really trapped by this thing, then there would be no way for him to escape.
He tried to struggle, but was met with another round of beating from Yang Kai, one that left him grimacing in pain.
The Mountains and Rivers Bell descended, trapping Zhu Lie inside it. Yang Kai jumped out in a flash and the sound of Zhu Lie cursing and his storm of attacks could immediately be heard from within the bell. With just one hand seal from Yang Kai though, the noise died down.
After all, the Mountains and Rivers Bell was an Exotic Ancient Artifact that could suppress all creation. Even the Phoenix True Fire was suppressed beneath it for several tens of thousands of years and could not break free. Even though Zhu Lie was a Dragon, there was nothing he could do if he was really trapped by the bell.
“This isn’t a long-term solution!” Wen Zi Shan sighed.
Yang Kai said, “Temple Master, you should focus on the Demon Spirits and the Great Emperor’s order instead. Just leave him to me. I assure you he’ll become obedient within a month.”
“It’s best if you have the confidence, but everything must be done in moderation.” After saying that, Wen Zi Shan led the others away.
If not for all sorts of ripples that emerged before, then he would definitely find a way to deal with Zhu Lie first, but right now, for the temple, and the Southern Territory as a whole, the most important thing they had to do was track down those Demon Spirits and the Bustling World Great Emperor. Wu Kuang had now taken over Duan Hong Chen’s body, and nobody knew what he was going to do with it.
Tens of thousands of years ago, the Heaven Devouring Great Emperor plagued the world and caused the deaths of countless lives. Compared to him, the anger of Dragon Island was secondary.
In just a few days, the entire Southern Territory began to move. Billions of cultivators in the Southern Territory were mobilized under the Great Emperor’s Demon Banishment Order.
Yang Kai did not participate in this campaign, however, and had been resting on Spirit Sword Peak during the past few days.
Even though a demon sealing ground had appeared below Spirit Sword Peak, the Demon Spirits sealed inside had all fled, and the ruins left behind were neither dangerous nor special. So, Spirit Sword Peak remained Yang Kai’s personal spirit peak. The Mountains and Rivers Bell had already been moved to Spirit Sword Peak by Yang Kai, but Zhu Lie’s cursing never stopped for a moment, disturbing his peace.
Every day, Yang Kai would go over and teach him a lesson.
After losing his special Dragon Scale, Zhu Lie was no longer a match for Yang Kai. In front of Yang Kai who had unleashed his Dragon Transformation Secret Art, Zhu Lie couldn’t even assume his Dragon form.
Dragons were incredibly resilient, though, so no matter how badly Yang Kai beat him, Zhu Lie would become as good as new the next day.
Zhu Lie was also hard-headed. He probably knew that there was no way Yang Kai would really kill him, so no matter how miserably he was beaten, his tongue never went soft for an instant. More often than not, he would just glare at Yang Kai with an unyielding look in his eyes as if he were saying, ‘what are you going to do about me?’
After half a month like this, good news finally came.
Many of the Demon Spirits that had escaped from Spirit Sword Peak’s demon sealing ground had been found. In the cleanup operation, most of the Demon Spirits were exterminated, but the Southern Territory also incurred great losses. However, as people learned more about the Demon Spirits, they also found many ways to restrain them, making it far less likely they would be easily corrupted anymore.
But whether it be Yang Kai, Wen Zi Shan, or the other Emperor Realm Masters of the Southern Territory, they knew that the Demon Spirits that were exterminated were not all of them. The troublesome ones were those that remained in hiding.
No one knew whose body those Demon Spirits were hiding in, and no one knew when they would reveal themselves again.
Throughout this whole ordeal, they heard no news from the Bustling World Great Emperor or Wu Kuang.
Since the day Wu Kuang took over Duan Hong Chen’s body and left Azure Sun Temple, it was as if he had evaporated from the world. No one saw him again.
Just like the Demon Spirits in hiding, he had become a thorn in the side of the Southern Territory, and there was a constant risk of that wound festering.
From what Gao Xue Ting told Yang Kai, despite the Bright Moon Great Emperor taking action personally, they still failed to find any useful clues about Wu Kuang’s whereabouts. As such, he had left Star Soul Palace in order to handle this situation and went to look for the Heavens Revelations Great Emperor, hoping to seek help from him.
Yang Kai went into the Divine Ascension Mirror again and spent 3,000 Elder Contribution Points to bring out Tian Yan’s Soul from inside.
It was time for him to fulfil his agreement with Tian Yan.
The Flesh Incarnation Pill had been refined a long time ago, so when Yang Kai sent Nanmen Da Jun back to High Heaven Place, he also took a moment to visit Ji Ying and brought back all the Emperor Pills he had refined to Azure Sun Temple. It was with these Emperor Pills that Yang Kai was able to accumulate Elder Contribution Points so quickly to use the Divine Ascension Mirror. Otherwise, he would not have been able to enter the Divine Ascension World again.
It was nighttime. The moon hung bright in the sky alongside a few stars.
Above Spirit Sword Peak, a strong barrier Spirit Array was arranged, and Yang Kai even turned on the Protection Array to prevent any mishaps.
Tonight was the night when Tian Yan was going to mould his flesh body.
Wen Zi Shan, who had received the news, also came over to stand guard personally. He occupied an Array Node of the array set up by Nanmen Da Jun, which had the ability to stabilize Souls, with a solemn expression. Tian Yan was a Soul with no physical body after all. It was his first time leaving the Divine Ascension World and being brought to the Star Boundary by Yang Kai. If there was nothing to anchor his Soul in place, then it could be extinguished very quickly.
The World Principles of the Divine Ascension World and the World Principles of the Star Boundary were very different after all.
With a solemn expression, Yang Kai calmed his mind and concentrated, only opening his eyes after a long time, “Senior. The time has come.”
It was three-quarters past midnight, the time of day where Yin Qi was the densest.
As he spoke, he extended his hand and pointed in front of him.
A small light bloomed before spreading out, forming Tian Yan’s shape.
It was with the help of the Seven Coloured Soul Warming Lotus that Yang Kai was able to bring Tian Yan’s Soul out of the Divine Ascension World. If not for the existence of a Supreme Treasure like the Seven Coloured Soul Warming Lotus, then Tian Yan wouldn’t even be able to leave that mirror world.
His body looked illusory and translucent, just like a ghost that could scatter in the wind, a mere Soul Avatar.
As soon as he appeared, Tian Yan frowned. Something seemed to be making him uncomfortable as there was a vague look of pain on his face.
There was a rumble in the sky at that moment, then a bang as an extremely strong will and force flooded in from all directions, ignoring the power of the many Spirit Arrays and Spirit Sword Peak’s Protection Array to press down on Tian Yan.
A being with strength comparable to that of a Great Emperor inexplicably appearing in the world was not something tolerated by the Heavenly Way, so it was no surprise it tried to reject him.
Tian Yan clearly expected this though and forming seals with his hands, a profound power spread out, forming a layer of protection around his body that was visible to the naked eye, resisting the rejection force of the World.
Thunder suddenly boomed atop Spirit Sword Peak and lightning danced wildly in the sky, a scene similar to impending doom.
But the disturbance did not last long. It was not known what amazing means Tian Yan used, but the thunder gradually faded away, and the lightning also disappeared quickly. The omnipresent repulsion force also dissipated.
“There’s not much time. It’s not easy to fool the Heavenly Way.” Tian Yan suddenly opened his eyes and looked at Yang Kai, “Give me the Spirit Pill and stand guard for me.”
Yang Kai had been waiting for this, so with a flick of his wrist, a milky white Spirit Pill flew straight towards Tian Yan.
Even though Tian Yan did not open his mouth, the pill still entered his body.
The milky white glow that spread out was not obvious at first, but as time passed, it became more and more dazzling. Soon, all of Spirit Sword Peak was enveloped by the glow.
Yang Kai opened his eyes wide and pushed his eyesight to the max to observe this scene carefully.
He saw the Flesh Incarnation Pill melting away inside of Tian Yan’s body, turning into countless tiny white lights that were moving towards each part of his Soul Avatar.
A faint vitality suddenly emerged. Just like a candle flame in the middle of a storm, on the edge of being blown out.
Tian Yan then sat down crossed-legged and shut his eyes, becoming perfectly still.
The milky white lights continued roaming around inside his Soul Avatar, numerous like the stars in the sky, and every few moments, his body would solidify a little, and the aura of vitality coming from it gradually became stronger.
At a certain moment, Tian Yan’s gradually solidifying body suddenly emitted a strong attractive force that shook the World Energy around Spirit Sword Peak, causing it to surge towards him, and was swallowed up in the blink of an eye.
An even stronger attractive force emerged soon after, causing the wind and clouds above Spirit Sword Peak to howl as the Word Energy from afar rapidly rushed in to fill the area; however, this was still not enough to satisfy Tian Yan’s needs.
His body that was formed by the Spirit Pill was just like a bottomless spit, and no matter how much World Energy came, he would devour all of it.
Discovering this, Wen Zi Shan immediately made a move. He used his mind to communicate with Azure Sun Temple’s Sect Defending Array and had it gather World Energy from around Azure Sun Temple towards Spirit Sword Peak. Yang Kai also summoned his own Jade Elder Token to control the World Energy coming into Spirit Sword peak, pouring it into Tian Yan’s body.
The two of them worked closely in tandem.
Following the influx of World Energy, the vitality in Tian Yan’s body grew stronger and stronger.
If there was any hint of instability in his vitality earlier, then it was now slowly being removed, and Tian Yan’s body was transforming into a real flesh body.
The omnipresent Heavenly Way seemed to have discovered something at this moment and a Heavenly Manifestation suddenly gathered above Spirit Sword Peak. Even though it was faint and hadn’t taken shape yet, Yang Kai and Wen Zi Shan were still startled.
World Force! Yang Kai could clearly sense a faint shred of World Force manifesting.
The World Principles of each world were different, and the only thing they had in common was World Force. In simple terms, this was the power of the World itself made manifest. Emperor Realm Masters comprehended World Principles to manifest their own Principle Strength while Great Emperors gained insight into World Force. This was the fundamental difference between the two of them.
Tian Yan’s existence was not allowed by the Star Boundary. The Divine Ability he used earlier was able to conceal him and help him avoid the Heavenly Way’s judgement initially, but as time passed, his deceptive methods gradually fell short, allowing the Heavenly Way to sense his existence.
Indeed, not much time was left. If Tian Yan could not mold his body before the might of the Heavenly Way revealed itself, then he would definitely be rejected from this world and be exiled to oblivion. When that time came, Yang Kai may not be able to save him even with the Seven Coloured Soul Warming Lotus.
Yang Kai and Wen Zi Shan both looked grim. More and more quickly they pumped the World Energy around Azure Sun Temple into Tian Yan’s body. This was all they could do, the rest was up to Tian Yan’s own efforts.
Time gradually passed and the flow of World Energy in Azure Sun Temple did not pause for even a breath. The sound of wind and thunder constantly echoed above Spirit Sword Peak as Tian Yan’s body became more and more solid, and his vitality stronger and stronger.
Meanwhile, the Heavenly Way’s might that was gathering atop Spirit Sword Peak also grew stronger, just like a sharp blade hanging above everyone’s heads, ready to cut them down at any moment, putting everyone present on edge.
At one moment, Tian Yan suddenly opened his eyes and he formed several profound hand seals that seemed neither fast nor slow. The body which he had just shaped was like a vast ocean fed by a hundred rivers. It swallowed up the World Energy within several dozen kilometres in one gulp, and the milky white lights swimming around his body suddenly disappeared.
The sky was still moonlit, and it was not known when Spirit Sword Peak restored its peace, with the Heavenly Way’s judgement which had been gathering the whole time somehow disappearing without a trace.
Yang Kai’s eyes darted around, looking at Tian Yan at one moment, then at Wen Zi Shan the next before looking up at the sky, confused.
“Congratulations, Senior!” Wen Zi Shan suddenly spoke, smiling as he cupped his fists in Tian Yan’s direction.
Tian Yan also smiled, “This would not be possible without the assistance of two friends. This Old Master gives his sincerest thanks.”
Wen Zi Shan was cheerful, “This Wen only provided some small aid. It was thanks to Yang Kai’s Flesh Incarnation Pill that Senior was able to mould a flesh body.”
Yang Kai asked, “Does this mean Senior succeeded?”
He was able to hear a thing or two from their conversation. If it had not succeeded, then Tian Yan wouldn’t be so relaxed.
Tian Yan smiled, “It’s a success.”
“That’s wonderful!” Yang Kai was delighted. Only then did he release his Divine Sense to scan Tian Yan’s body, but when he did, he was dumbfounded.
Because at this moment, Tian Yan actually gave off an extreme feeling of weakness. Not the type of weakness like a lamp running out of oil, but rather a very natural type of weakness. Or rather, it should be described as… infantile.
Yang Kai did not feel any fluctuation of power from his body, like Tian Yan was just an ordinary mortal who had never cultivated before.
“Senior, you…” Yang Kai looked at him in astonishment.
Tian Yan smiled, “The Heavenly Way is not easy to deceive. Even if I can conceal it for a moment, there’s no way to conceal it for a lifetime. I can only comply with the Heavenly Way’s Will. At this moment, this Old Master should be equivalent to a newborn baby.”
Yang Kai’s jaw dropped. This situation seemed to be different from what he expected…
He originally thought that Tian Yan would still be a Great Emperor level Master after moulding his body, but who could have anticipated that the final result would be like this? However, upon thinking about it, it did make sense. How could such a good thing be realistic? Tian Yan was indeed a Great Emperor in the Divine Ascension World, but that was only with regards to his Soul. Since his body was moulded by the Flesh Incarnation Pill, it would be impossible for him to reach the level of Great Emperor no matter how much World Energy he devoured.
Considering all this, Yang Kai relaxed as he realized his thinking was too naive.
Wen Zi Shan commented from the side, “With Senior’s foundation, even if he has to cultivate from the very beginning, it probably will not take much time for him to return to his peak.”
“I hope so.” Tian Yan smiled, “But before that, this Old Master will need to spend some time in the temple.”
Wen Zi Shan laughed, “This Wen only hopes Senior does not mind the simplicity of his temple. Please, stay as long as you wish. Does Senior need me to arrange for another spiritual peak?”
“No need. Here is fine. Yang Boy does not seem like one to settle in one place, and this peak is clean and remote. It is a suitable place for me to rest and recuperate. Moreover… This is the place where this Old Master was conceived after all. Cultivating here will be just like a baby in a mother’s womb. It may require some adapting if I were to move to some other place now.”
“In that case, I will follow Senior’s wishes. I will send some disciples to bring over some cultivation supplies tomorrow. If there is anything else Senior needs, please let me know.”
“Then, please send some ancient books over. Any type is fine, the more the better.”
“Very well. This Wen will excuse himself for now.” Wen Zi Shan cupped his fists and looked at Yang Kai for a moment before leaving.
Tian Yan turned his head to look at Yang Kai and smiled, “You seem a little disappointed.”
Yang Kai laughed embarrassed, “I’m not really disappointed, it’s just a little different from my expectations. Ah, you should walk a little slower. Let me help you.” As he spoke, he moved over to help Tian Yan who was about to stand up.
Tian Yan was clearly not used to his flesh body and he stumbled as soon as he stood up. Fortunately, Yang Kai was just in range to help or he would have fallen.
Just as he said, he was like a newborn baby at this moment. He had to learn everything from scratch.
There was a palace on Spirit Sword Peak, and though it wasn’t very big, it was more than enough to house two people.
While chatting, Yang Kai and Tian Yan made their way towards the palace.
After just a few steps, Tian Yan suddenly paused. Yang Kai had no idea what he was doing, but when he looked over, Tian Yan looked blank and dull-eyed as if he had lost consciousness.
Yang Kai was shocked and was worried that something had happened and was about to investigate when Tian Yan’s eyes moved again, his consciousness returning to his body in a flash.
“The fusion of body and soul is not quite stable. My Soul left my body just now,” Tian Yan explained, shaking his head in frustration while walking more and more cautiously.
“It won’t stay this way, will it?” Yang Kai asked worriedly.
“Naturally not. It will be fine in a few days, but I’m afraid it will be difficult during this period.”
They paused three times along their way, and each time it was because Tian Yan’s Soul would accidentally disconnect with his body. Yang Kai had a hard time settling Tian Yan down into his room, and more and more he could feel that Tian Yan’s words were right.
[He really is just like a newborn baby!]
The next day, Wen Zi Shan sent someone to deliver a large number of jade slips that contained a variety of contents to Tian Yan’s room. Meanwhile, Tian Yan had not left since retreating into the room yesterday. Yang Kai did not disturb him either and just flew to the platform at the top of Spirit Sword Peak.
Forming seals with one hand, the Mountains and Rivers Bell flew up.
A dragon roar came out, and at the same time, Zhu Lie, who was trapped inside transformed into a two hundred-metre-long Great Dragon, opening his big red mouth and snapping towards Yang Kai.
“Dragon Transformation!” Yang Kai looked at him in contempt and used his Golden Divine Dragon Source to execute the Dragon Transformation Secret Art.
His body suddenly rose up, and a crackling sound came from all his bones. Short horns grew out from his forehead, and his skin was covered in armoured scales.
The Great Dragon who had just pounced in front of him let out an involuntary grunt, and his two hundred-metre-long body crumbled like a burst bubble. Pitifully, Zhu Lie transformed back into his human form and just happened to have flown right in front of Yang Kai where he was met with an iron fist, almost making it look as if he had taken the initiative to receive this punch.
Zhu Lie was knocked away with a loud bang and he crashed into the side of a mountain not far away, plunging several tens of metres into it.
He was dizzy for a while, but when his vision cleared up, Yang Kai was already standing in front of him. There was a strong suppressive force coming out from his forty-metre tall Half-Dragon Form that made him feel uncomfortable.
“Seems like your memory still hasn’t improved.” Yang Kai sneered and extended a dragon claw, picking Zhu Lie out of the rubble as if he were grabbing a baby chicken. Zhu Lie struggled with all his might, but to no avail.
This scene happened countless times in the past month or so. Each time that Yang Kai lifted the Mountains and Rivers Bell, Zhu Lie would try to sneak in a fierce attack, but without that special Dragon Scale, he simply could not resist Yang Kai after he used his Dragon Transformation Secret Art. Even though his real strength was a few levels higher than Yang Kai, he was still defeated without any ability to resist.
Practically every time, Zhu Lie would end up getting beaten soundly.
There was an incessant sound of banging as Zhu Lie was punched around like a sack by Yang Kai. Dragon Blood splattered everywhere, and he was in a terrible state.
But no matter how hard he was beaten, Zhu Lie never thought of backing down or begging for mercy. Instead, the harder Yang Kai beat him, the colder his eyes would become, as if he was vowing to pay him back for the pain a hundred times over if Yang Kai didn’t beat him to death here.
The Dragon Clan’s arrogance was evident. Even if Yang Kai had already transformed into his forty-metre-tall Half-Dragon Form, he was still no different from an ant in Zhu Lie’s eyes.
There was another loud bang and Zhu Lie was beaten down from the sky, crashing heavily to the ground. Before he could get up, Yang Kai had already stomped on his face.
“Do you submit?” Yang Kai looked down at him, “If you tell me you submit, then I’ll let you go right now!”
“Never!” Zhu Lie ground his teeth, “You think yourself skilled when you have to rely on bloodline suppression? If you have the guts, then fight me in human form!”
Yang Kai laughed, “What sort of dog fart reasoning is that? Don’t you Dragons always judge each other with your bloodlines?”
“You’re no member of the Dragon Clan!” Zhu Lie scoffed.
“That’s not true either. In human form, you’re as strong as a Third-Order Emperor, whereas I’m only a First-Order Emperor. If we fight in human form, then wouldn’t I be suffering a big loss?” Yang Kai shook his head.
“Faced with trash like you, would a Third-Order Emperor cultivation even be needed? This Dragon can suppress his cultivation to the First-Order to fight you!” Zhu Lie shot him a disdainful expression.
“Oh?” Yang Kai raised his brow, “Seems like you’re quite confident. You say that now, but what happens if you can’t beat me?”
“Can’t beat you? Impossible!” Zhu Lie tried to shake his head, but he was firmly suppressed by Yang Kai’s large foot. He couldn’t even do something as simple as shaking his head and could only sneer contemptuously, “Under the premise that both parties are at the same level, no one can be a match for a member of a Dragon Clan.”
“You’ll never know.” Yang Kai sneered, “What about this? We can fight in human form, just like you say. There will be no bloodline suppression. However, you must suppress your cultivation to the First-Order. If you lose, then we will write off everything that happened previously.”
“And if you lose?”
“You can do with me whatever you wish.”
“Truly?” Zhu Lie’s eyes brightened.
“Truly!”
“Good. If you lose, then you have to come back to Dragon Island with me. And, I want you to kowtow to me three times, loudly. This is considered a great humiliation to you humans, isn’t it?”
Yang Kai laughed loudly, “Don’t even mention three, you can even order me to do thirty or three hundred if it so pleases you.” While speaking, Yang Kai took a few steps back and freed Zhu Lie.
Zhu Lie jumped up, face filled with anger, as if he could pounce over and exact his revenge at any moment, but he held back his impulse desperately and said with a cold expression, “If you’re a man, then don’t let others despise you. I hope you’ll keep your word.”
Yang Kai hummed a soft response, “That will have to wait until you beat me.”
At the end of his sentence, he took the initiative to release his Dragon Transformation Secret Art. His forty-metre-tall body quickly shrank in size, returning to its original state.
At that instant, Zhu Lie rushed over, starting with a breath of dragon flames. Even though he was not in his Great Dragon form and was unable to use most of the Dragon Clan’s Secret Techniques, there would be no problem for him to spit out a few mouthfuls of dragon flames.
He also kept the promise he made with Yang Kai and suppressed his cultivation to the First-Order Emperor Realm, so the power of his dragon flame was much lower compared to when he was in his true form.
Even so, this dragon flame wasn’t something that just anyone could resist as it still contained a very strong burning power.
After the dragon flame, he threw a fist towards Yang Kai with an exhilarated look on his face, as if he could already see himself trampling over the latter’s battered body. He had no regard for a trivial First-Order Emperor Realm human. The reason why he was trampled by Yang Kai until every part of his skin was brutalized was because of the bloodline suppression.
Once Yang Kai used his Dragon Transformation Secret Art, Zhu Lie wouldn’t be able to bring out even a tenth of his power, so how could he be his opponent?
But now, the situation was different. Both of them were in human form, so there was no bloodline suppression. He decided to beat Yang Kai up first to vent his anger before dragging him back to Dragon Island and handing him to the Great Elder.
The fist that followed punched through the dragon flames, producing some amazing and unexpected changes.
Zhu Lie’s fist seemed to be burning, but it didn’t detract the power of the dragon flames in the slightest. Instead, the two complimented each other, increasing the might of the attack dramatically.
*Ci la…*
A sword light flashed over, and a broadsword cut right down onto Zhu Lie’s fist, emitting an ear-piercing noise like the sound of clashing metal. The dragon flame that was wrapped around his fist was actually cut apart and became so weak that it seemed like it might go out at any moment.
“What?” Zhu Lie was shocked, and his face changed slightly.
He had been suffering the ravages of Yang Kai these past few days, so he had some understanding of this Human’s strength and knew that he was much stronger than the average First-Order Emperor Realm cultivator.
Zhu Lie did not expect to be able to do much to his opponent with this opening blow and was just trying to test his depths. However, he didn’t expect his opponent to be able to counter him so easily.
When he looked up, Zhu Lie’s face changed again.
That was because he discovered that Yang Kai didn’t show the slightest hint of strain at all. On the other hand, there was a faint smile at his lips, as if he were mocking him.
Zhu Lie was furious and shouted, “Putting on airs, are you?!”
Another fist blasted forward like lightning. From the momentum, it seemed like it was going to smash Yang Kai’s face to pieces.
Yang Kai turned his Myriads Sword lightly, slamming it forward, striking Zhu Lie’s second punch accurately.
Zhu Lie actually felt pain as the powerful force suddenly hit him, and this sudden change was actually a little hard for him to believe.
He was a member of the Dragon Clan and his body was incredibly sturdy. Every single part of his body was comparable to an Emperor Artifact, and yet the blow casually thrown out by this Human actually hurt him. How strong did he need to be in order to achieve that?
Was he the Dragon here or not?
In that moment of hesitation, Yang Kai had already slashed his Myriads Sword down with a cold expression.
A cold aura emerged atop his head, causing Zhu Li’s face to change drastically as he hurriedly retreated.
With a large crackle, the Myriads Sword sliced down on Zhu Lie’s body with sparks flying everywhere. By the time Zhu Lie moved a thousand metres back and looked down, he discovered that there was a long, eye-catching white mark from his belly down between his legs.
“You should be glad that you’re a Dragon, otherwise you’d have been dead already!” Yang Kai’s voice suddenly appeared in front of him like a phantom. Zhu Lie looked up only to see that his enemy had appeared just fifty metres away from him at some point, the broadsword gone from his hand, a dark, ten-metre-long attack in the shape of a crescent shooting out towards him.
Zhu Lie wanted to move, but he discovered that the space around him had suddenly become viscous. It actually gave him the illusion that he had fallen into a mire, and no matter how he tried, he was unable to dodge.
Letting out a roar, his aura soared and Dragon Scales appeared on his skin. He was going to take the blow directly with his body.
The pitch-black Moon Blade soared across the sky, causing Zhu Lie’s heart to palpitate.
He had no idea whether he could resist such an attack with just his physical body. That attack contained clear fluctuations of Space Principles, which were completely condensed from the Void. Anywhere it passed, even space itself was devoured.
If an attack like that were to cut through his body, then it may even be able to devour a part of him. For the first time in his life, Zhu Lie felt overwhelmed. He did not feel this way even when he was suppressed by Yang Kai’s Dragon Transformation Secret Art.
Just as Zhu Lie’s eyes were about to bulge from fear, the Moon Blade suddenly shattered a few centimetres from him.
His heart was palpitating as if he had just escaped from death and cold sweat dripped down his forehead. Zhu Lie raised his head to look at Yang Kai with a ghastly complexion, only to see that annoying man smiling at him and snickering, “You lost!”
Zhu Lie’s face was as black as the bottom of a pot, but he did not say a word.
Indeed, he lost, and not from that Moon Blade-like attack, but at his own hands.
During the critical moment, he raised his strength to the Third-Order Emperor Realm and even unleashed some of his Dragon Clan characteristics, which went against the previous agreement he had with Yang Kai.
Without even coming close to figuring out the true extent of Yang Kai’s power, without the latter unleashing his Dragon Transformation Secret Art, he ended up losing in such a muddled manner.
An unspeakable feeling of shame and frustration overcame Zhu Lie, causing his entire person to look incomparably down. His lips opened a few times, but he couldn’t make a single sound.
It had always been the Dragon Clan who looked down on others, but it was at this moment that Zhu Lie realized that other figures had already appeared above the Dragon Clan while they weren’t noticing.
“You’re not going to go back on your word, are you?” Yang Kai peered at Zhu Lie, “We agreed before this that our grudge will be settled if you lost. Unless the Dragon Clan can’t afford to lose?”
These words stimulated Zhu Lie greatly, and his arrogance forced him to snap back, “Who can’t afford to lose! If I lose, then I lose! Just as you said, our grudges are now settled!”
Yang Kai beamed, “Very good, very good! En, in that case, you can go back where you came from. By the way, please pass Dragon Island a message from me. Tell them I’ll visit them when I have the time, so no need to send someone over to me every now and again.”
Zhu Lie said with a grim expression, “I’ll pass on your word to Dragon Island, but I don’t know what decision they will make.”
Yang Kai nodded, “No matter. You should tell Zhu Qing too. You should be able to contact each other, right? Tell her not to look for me again. It’s… dangerous.”
Every time he was around Zhu Qing, Yang Kai wouldn’t be able to control the stirring in his bloodline. The impulses hiding deep inside his heart felt like they could burst out at any moment, which gave him a bad and dangerous feeling. Yang Kai knew that this was draconic nature, and the deeper he cultivated his Dragon Transformation Secret Art, the stronger his draconic nature would become. One day, he would not be able to suppress those impulses.
So, it would be better for Zhu Qing to stay as far away from him as possible, if possible for the rest of their lives.
“Zhu Qing is probably already dead, so I won’t be able to convey your words.” Zhu Lie shook his head slowly.
The smile on Yang Kai’s face slowly disappeared, “What do you mean by probably dead?”
Zhu Lie coldly snorted, “Probably means I’m not sure! Are you stupid?”
Yang Kai opened his mouth, but he was speechless, his mood instantly becoming terrible.
Zhu Lie glanced at him and chuckled, “You seem concerned about her. Are you curious to know her situation?”
Yang Kai snickered, “It’s not like I’m that close with her, so why would I be concerned? Whether she lives or dies has nothing to do with me. Naturally, that’s the business of your Dragon Island, so enough with the nonsense.”
Zhu Lie shrugged, “The last time she contacted Dragon Island was two months ago, and it’s precisely because we were sure that she was in a dangerous place and would most likely lose her life there that I came out from Dragon Island to look for you.”
“What are you looking for me for?” Yang Kai asked, dissatisfied.
Zhu Lie answered, “Her mission hasn’t been completed, so naturally, someone has to complete it for her!” Shaking his head, he sighed, “Only, it seems like I, too, will not be able to bring you back to Dragon Island. But remember, Dragon Island won’t give up. You won’t be so lucky next time.”
Yang Kai coldly snorted, “Go back and tell your Dragon Clan that if anyone dares to disturb this Young Master again, send one and I will kill one, send two and I will kill two. I just don’t know how many Dragon Clan members you have on Dragon Island for me to kill.”
Zhu Lie’s face turned dark and he gritted his teeth, hissing, “Shameless boasting!”
“Off you go!”
With a flick of his sleeve, Yang Kai turned around and went back into Spirit Sword Peak. Zhu Lie stood in place and stared for a long time before his body moved, flying away in a stream of light.
No one intercepted him on the way. Right now, the temple was busy with the Demon Banishment Order and the search for Wu Kuang, so most of the Sect’s Masters were outside and it was naturally impossible for those who were left to try to stop a Dragon.
Zhu Lie moved very quickly and left Azure Sun Temple in just a short while, but just as soon as he left the Azure Sun Mountain Range, he paused, his eyes staring coldly at a figure in front of him. It was Yang Kai.
Zhu Lie had no idea when he had run past him, or how long he had been standing there with his hands behind his back, but he was annoyed and shouted angrily, “What do you want now? You’re not thinking of going back on your word, are you? This Dragon is not even thinking about starting trouble with you, but if you dare to go against your word…”
“Don’t be so nervous!” Yang Kai interrupted him with a cold smile on his face, “I just want to ask how your Dragon Island is prepared to deal with Zhu Qing’s matter.”
“Zhu Qing is already dead, what else can we do?” Zhu Lie frowned.
Yang Kai said, “Didn’t you say probably, and that you weren’t sure just now? So why are you so sure now that she’s dead?”
Zhu Lie told him, “Even if she’s not dead, she won’t be alive for long. The place that she went to is the Frozen Earth. You should know how dangerous that place is.”
“ I know. If it wasn’t dangerous, then it would have been impossible for one of your Dragon Clan to have been lost there to begin with. I just wanted to ask, is your Dragon Island not planning to save her?”
Zhu Lie sneered, “She’s an Eighth-Order Red Dragon, if even she lost her life there, then there aren’t many Dragons on the island who can guarantee their own safety. Dragon Island will not risk the lives of other clansmen just to save a fellow clansman who they’re not even sure is dead or alive!”
Yang Kai shouted, “Even if she’s dead, you should go and collect her corpse! She’s one of your clansmen after all!”
Zhu Lie scoffed at him, “She did not know the immensity of Heaven and Earth and decided to trespass into the Frozen Earth, so why should others join her in taking this risk? If she’s dead, then she’s dead. No one will go and save her either.”
“Is this what you think, or is this what Dragon Island thinks?” Yang Kai’s expression was dark.
“It’s what I think and it’s what Dragon Island thinks!” Zhu Lie turned his head away, not meeting Yang Kai’s eyes.
Yang Kai was silent for a moment before muttering, “I really feel like punching you.”
Zhu Lie sneered, “Haven’t you beaten me enough these days? This Dragon will surely return the shame that you gave a hundred times in the future!”
“Talk to me after you can beat me.” Yang Kai looked in contempt at him and turned around, flying back to Azure Sun Temple.
He returned to Spirit Sword Peak in just a few breaths, coming straight to the back of the mountain. Even though they had just experienced the escape of the Demon Spirits at Spirit Sword Peak, the back of the mountain did not suffer much damage, so the Cross-Territory Space Array he placed there was perfectly undamaged.
It wasn’t until he stood in front of the Space Array that Yang Kai suddenly came back to his senses. His mind was so filled with other thoughts earlier that he didn’t even notice his own movements, and by the time he realized, he was already here.
“Follow your heart, huh…” Yang Kai muttered softly and said helplessly to himself, “How troublesome.”
Despite that, the hesitation on his face disappeared without a trace, replaced with a look of determination.
A noise whistling through the air was approaching from the distance. Yang Kai turned his head around and saw a fiery red light flying in. Seemingly able to sense Yang Kai’s location, it came straight to the back of the mountain, landing not far away from him.
“What?” Yang Kai looked at Zhu Lie who decided to turn back without much enthusiasm, looking as if he wanted to fight with him.
Zhu Lie asked, “Are you planning on going to the Frozen Earth to look for Zhu Qing?”
“None of your damn business!” Yang Kai scoffed.
Zhu Lie’s face distorted a little. Turning away, he said, “If you’re going to go, count me in.”
“Oh?” Yang Kai raised his brow, looking at him with interest, “Give me a reason, and don’t tell me it’s because you found your conscience or some other nonsense. I’m not going to believe such a childish reason.”
Zhu Lie scratched his nose and said, “Zhu Qing is my Elder Sister!”
Yang Kai was slightly surprised, but he soon relaxed.
He had a vague feeling prior to this that Zhu Lie and Zhu Qing shared some sort of blood relationship because of certain similarities in their appearance and characteristics. Only, since he asked once and didn’t get an answer, he didn’t bother to get to the bottom of things.
But only now did Yang Kai find out that his guess was correct. These two Red Dragons were, in fact, siblings.
“Is that reason enough?” Zhu Lie looked at Yang Kai with a serious expression.
“En, it’s enough.” Yang Kai nodded before stepping onto the Space Array and calling out, “Get on.”
Zhu Lie frowned. Even though he had no idea what Yang Kai was going to do, he didn’t sense any hostility from him, so with utter confidence in his own strength, Zhu Lie mounted the array.
“Don’t resist!” As Yang Kai shouted, Space Principles began to fluctuate. The Void seemed to collapse in on itself in that instant, and if Yang Kai had not warned him, Zhu Lie would likely have tried to struggle, and would perhaps have been exiled to the Void as a result.
With a flash of light, the two figures disappeared.
At the same time, the Northern Territory’s High Heaven Palace.
At the Space Array, both Yang Kai and Zhu Lie appeared at the same time. Seeing their arrival, the two disciples who were keeping watch at the side quickly saluted, “Greetings Palace Master!”
Yang Kai nodded before taking out his communication artifact and pouring a message into it. Then, he stood in place, waiting.
Zhu Lie had already recovered from the side effects of the cross-territory teleportation and was now looking around, frowning as he asked, “Where is this?”
Yang Kai answered without even turning back, “The Northern Territory, High Heaven Palace!”
Zhu Lie was stunned for a moment before he began observing the Space Array, pondering, “Zhu Qing said you had a Cross-Territory Space Array here. So it’s true.”
Yang Kai fumed, “Why does that damn woman report everything to Dragon Island? Do I have no secrets at all over there?”
Zhu Lie frowned, “Watch your words, Human. That’s my Elder Sister you’re talking about!”
Yang Kai sneered, “Elder Sister? I didn’t see you taking the initiative to save your Elder Sister. If I had a brother like you, I would have strangled him a long time ago, what would I need him for!”
“What do you know?!” It was not known which one of Yang Kai’s words struck a sensitive nerve in Zhu Lie, sending him into a rage as he gnashed his teeth, “You think I don’t want to save her? You think I’m willing to just watch her die out there!?”
“Then why didn’t you go? Wherever the heart leads, the body should follow. Cultivators like us should tread upon the path we determine for ourselves, bravely, without hesitation or regret. The only thing we should fear is being over cautious and indecisive. If Zhu Qing is really your Elder Sister, then you shouldn’t have sought me out at Azure Sun Temple. You should have looked for her in the Frozen Earth. Even if you died, you should die together with her. Now, with time delayed, you may have cut off her only chance to survive.”
Zhu Lie’s mouth opened and closed, looking extremely angry, and even his eyes seemed to burn.
But for some reason, those fires suddenly died down. Face hazing over, he sighed, “Wherever the heart leads, the body should follow. Is that the reason you want to save her?”
Yang Kai curled his lip, “What else? I don’t know her well enough to risk my life for her, and I’d rather she have gone and died sooner rather than later… But since the thought of saving her appeared in my heart, I’m afraid this thought will haunt me and become a heart demon if I don’t take action.”
Zhu Lie said, “No matter what, I thank you in Zhu Qing’s place.”
“No need to thank me, just don’t bother me in the future.” Yang Kai coldly snorted.
A beautiful figure flew over from afar at that time and landed in front of the pair. It was High Heaven Palace’s Head Manager, Hua Qing Si. Cupping her fist, she spoke, “Palace Master, you’ve returned!” While speaking, she glanced curiously at Zhu Lie who was standing next to Yang Kai, but asked no questions about him.
Naturally, Zhu Lie did not bother to say anything. Members of the Dragon Clan had always been arrogant, and if he had not suffered so much at Yang Kai’s hands, he wouldn’t even look at the latter either.
“We’ll be leaving immediately.” Yang Kai looked to be in a hurry.
“Where are you going?” Hua Qing Si asked.
“I have to make a visit to Fire Dragon Palace. Are we connected to Fire Dragon Palace’s Space Array?”
Hua Qing Si responded, “I proposed it before, but Li Jiao wasn’t too willing, so I didn’t force the issue.”
“Of course he wouldn’t be…” Yang Kai smirked. Even though Fire Dragon Palace and Full Sky Sect were established top Sects in the Northern Territory, both of them ate a big loss at Yang Kai’s hands and now owed a huge debt to High Heaven Palace that they would not be able to pay back even after a few dozen years, so how could they be willing to connect their Space Arrays with their debtors? Wouldn’t this just make it more convenient for debt collectors to come and demand payment?
“No matter, I’ll just fly there directly. Point me in their direction.”
Hua Qing Si quickly pointed in a certain direction and said, “Fire Dragon Palace is that way. With Palace Master’s speed, it should only take about three days. Does Palace Master need me to accompany you? I’ve been to Fire Dragon Palace once.”
“No need.” Yang Kai waved his hand. But then, he changed to Divine Sense transmission, “How is the situation with the Thousand Illusions Dreamworld?”
Hua Qing Si adopted a serious countenance and replied, “Everything has been arranged and Chi Yue and the others have gone in once already, gaining much from the experience. However, the scope and scale of the Thousand Illusions Dreamworld are too big. I’m afraid it will take some time to map out the rules. I’m preparing to choose some disciples from Thousand Leaves Sect for the next batch to enter.”
More than half a month ago when Nanmen Da Jun returned to High Heaven Palace from Azure Sun Temple, Yang Kai passed him the Thousand Illusions Butterfly for him to bring back. The reason Yang Kai attached so much importance to the Thousand Illusions Butterfly was that he himself was able to benefit greatly from his adventures inside it.
The Thousand Illusions Dreamworld was sure to become one of High Heaven Palace’s foundations. Compared to it, the Heavenly Tone Temple, which was set up with the Heavenly Music Treasure Box as the core, seemed much less useful.
But the Thousand Illusions Dreamworld was not a static thing. Each cultivator that entered it may encounter a different illusion, and not only were those illusions real enough to pass off as genuine, they were also born out of reality, so truth and falsehood were almost indistinguishable. However, the benefits they are able to gain in the illusion were enough to allow a person’s strength to receive a significant boost.
In particular, the Thousand Illusions Dreamworld had the amazing ability to distort time, which was simply invaluable. Chi Yue and the others were Yang Kai’s elders and relatives, so Hua Qing Si chose them to be the first group to enter the Thousand Illusions Dreamworld. As proven by facts, each one of them was able to gain something from inside.
The Thousand Illusions Dreamworld was a huge treasure, and it was impossible for them to extract everything about it at once, so they could only take it step by step and uncover its mysteries gradually.
After a few words with Hua Qing Si, Yang Kai set off with Zhu Lie.
Moving quickly in the Flowing Clouds Shuttle, one man and one Dragon sat inside and shuttled through the air.
Zhu Lie was puzzled by Yang Kai’s actions.
“If Zhu Qing is trapped in the Frozen Earth, why are we going to Fire Dragon Palace?”
While controlling the Flowing Clouds Shuttle, Yang Kai glanced at him, “Have you been to the Frozen Earth before?”
Zhu Lie shook his head, “I’ve rarely left Dragon Island ever since I was born; members of the Dragon Clan aren’t allowed outside very often. I’ve heard of the Frozen Earth before, but I’ve never been there before.”
“Me neither.” Yang Kai laughed and asked, “Then, do you know where we should go to find your Elder Sister?”
Zhu Lie shook his head again, “I don’t. I tried to contact her these past few days, but I never got a response. I’m afraid she may really be…”
Yang Kai interjected, “If they’re alive, see the person, if they’re dead, see the corpse. Reserve your conclusions for after you see her.”
“That’s how the saying goes, but…”
“There are no buts!” Yang Kai swept him a stern look, “Neither you nor I have been to the Frozen Earth, not to mention the fact that we don’t even know where to begin searching for her, but there is someone who should be able to help.”
Zhu Lie thought for a moment, “And that person is in Fire Dragon Palace?”
“I guess you still have some brains!” Yang Kai grinned, “A chef should sharpen his knife before he begins to make a meal. Even though it will delay us for a bit to seek him out, it will at least be better than diving into the Frozen Earth and searching blindly.” After a pause, Yang Kai said, “But that person’s status is not ordinary. So I may need your help when the time comes.”
Zhu Lie snickered, “Can’t you beat him?”
Yang Kai shook his head slowly, “It’s not a matter about who is stronger or weaker, but a matter of cooperation. I want that man to accompany me to the Frozen Earth, but he definitely won’t be willing. If I use force, then I’m afraid it will create conflict and he would try to resist or revolt, which would not help in finding your Elder Sister at all. But if you can make an appearance, then things will be much easier to settle.”
“Oh?” Zhu Lie was now curious. He had no idea what sort of person would be as Yang Kai described, but he didn’t ask too much. He would find out when they met regardless.
Fire Dragon Palace, which had been established for tens of thousands of years in this part of the Northern Territory, was one of the four top Sects alongside Ice Heart Valley, Seeking Passion Sect, and Full Sky Sect. The reason it could be a top Sect was that it always had a Third-Order Emperor Realm Master assuming command.
And Fire Dragon Palace’s Palace Master Li Jiao was even a Half-Monster Master with a trace of Dragon Clan bloodline in him. In its most prosperous years, Fire Dragon Palace used to dominate the other three Sects, so their influence was second to none.
But ever since High Heaven Palace emerged in the Northern Territory, Fire Dragon Palace’s days had not been easy.
No one knew how their Palace Master offended High Heaven Palace, but since last year, eighty percent of the Sect’s annual revenue had to be handed over to that abominable place, leaving them with only a meagre twenty percent.
Fire Dragon Palace was a large Sect with many industries under its command, but its disciples numbered more than ten thousand, and a trivial twenty percent would only equate to ten million High-Rank Source Crystals. How could that amount be enough for their consumption? In the Sect, from Li Jiao at the top to the common disciples at the bottom, they suddenly fell to the ground at once from enjoying all sorts of benefits. All of them had to tighten their belts to live on these days.
Because of this, many of Fire Dragon Palace’s Elders were very dissatisfied with High Heaven Palace and would try to fan the flames by Li Jiao’s ear from time to time, hoping for him to bring them over to High Heaven Palace in order to avenge their past shame.
But how could Li Jiao have such guts? The Elders and disciples under him had no idea what sort of heritage High Heaven Palace possessed, but he couldn’t be clearer. The last time he followed Ji Ying over to watch a good show, he ended up losing almost all of the Sect’s business. Now, even hearing mention of High Heaven Palace was enough to get his heart pounding, so how could he dare to knock on their door?
Fortunately, Fire Dragon Palace wasn’t the only Sect to suffer this misfortune. Full Sky Sect was also in a similar situation. The two top Sects could now be considered brothers in misfortune, and there was nothing they could do but huddle together for warmth.
On this day, inside Fire Dragon Palace’s main hall, many Elders were gathered. As usual, the hall was filled with noise as many Emperor Realm Masters, completely throwing away the calm temperament and mild demeanour Masters of their station should have, made the room as noisy and foul as a vegetable market.
This situation was not common in the past, but since last year it had been happening often. Many Elders were fighting for nothing more than a single word: Benefits!
Fire Dragon Palace’s annual revenue was about fifty million High-Rank Source Crystals, and if there were no special circumstances, such a large amount would have been more than enough to cover the Sect’s expenses. Even after meeting the needs of each Elder and department, there was still a surplus saved to expand the Sect’s reserves in case of future needs.
But since last year, fifty million had been reduced to ten million, and a problem was then exposed. Each Elder wanted to secure more benefits for the spirit peak or hall they controlled. Alchemy required Source Crystals, Artifact Refining required Source Crystals, and even cultivating required Source Crystals. Who was willing to eat a loss?
But there were only ten million Source Crystals in total now to go around, and they had to last for the whole year. With each hand that reached out and snatched a crystal, one crystal would be missing from the pot.
If the storehouse still had a surplus, then it would be fine. At most, they just had to open the treasury and take out the Source Crystals from there to ease the crisis, but the problem was, Fire Dragon Palace’s storehouse was practically empty. Almost all the reserves the Sect had been accumulating for so many centuries had already been given to High Heaven Palace to pay off their debts, and the situation would not be improving within the next fifty years.
In view of all this, the Elders gathered in the hall refused to back down half a step. Each of them argued until their faces were red and their veins bulged, all so they could argue for the greatest amount of benefits for their side.
Li Jiao sat at the head of the room, listening to the noise below with a grim expression, not saying a word or showing any intention to intervene.
He could only blame himself for following Ji Ying to High Heaven Palace back then. If he had simply stood by and watched, that would have been that, but he actually had to make that accursed bet with Yang Kai. Not only did he make a bet, he even gambled so much of the Sect’s resources.
[I must have been possessed!] Li Jiao sighed and slowly closed his eyes.
But all of a sudden, the noise below stopped. An elderly man with an all-white beard cupped his fists and declared, “Palace Master, Spirit Pills cannot be removed from the cultivation of our disciples. The operation of my Pill Room is a top priority for the entire Sect, so I would like to please ask the Sect Master to allocate three million High-Rank Source Crystals for the Pill Room’s Alchemy use each year.”
“Three million? Elder Xu, aren’t you trying to take the lion’s share!? The palace only has ten million source crystals available to spend each year, and you’re actually asking for three million? What do you expect us to do? Drink the northwestern winds?”
“He’s right! Three million is too much. I think half a million sounds better. One can cultivate even without pills, the speed will only be slower. We just have to make it through these next fifty years.”
“Fifty years? The younger generation will have been ruined in those fifty years! Without enough pills to support them, how can their potential possibly be tapped? Our Fire Dragon Palace’s younger generation will definitely reveal an enormous fault line. Once our Sect’s foundation is weakened, who will take responsibility?”
“Brother Xu, don’t make it sound so serious. It’s only fifty years. Who out of us here has not already cultivated for more than a thousand years? When you were young, did you always have plenty of pills to take? Weren’t you able to cultivate to the Emperor Realm all the same?”
“That is why this Old Master is only in the First-Order. If this Old Master had enough pills available to me when he was younger, then this Old Master definitely wouldn’t be merely at this level.”
After a short moment of silence, a new argument broke out.
Li Jiao finally could not take it any longer. He slammed his fist down in anger, crushing the arm of his chair into dust.
The bustling hall suddenly fell silent and all eyes were turned towards Li Jiao.
With their Palace Master angry, none of them dared to act recklessly anymore.
“Enough!” Li Jiao swept his eyes across the bottom and finally gritted his teeth, “Every single day I sit here, listening to you bicker, but you never come up to me with a solution! You are all Elders of my Fire Dragon Palace, Emperor Realm Masters! This constant bickering is highly improper! If the lower disciples were to see this, would we have any dignity left!?”
All of them felt embarrassed being admonished by the Palace Master and lowered their heads.
The Pill Room’s Elder Xu pondered for a moment before saying, “Palace Master, the matter of Source Crystals must be resolved as soon as possible. Otherwise…”
“You think I don’t know that?” Li Jiao glared at him impatiently, “This King was negligent that day and fell into the trap of that petty thief, involving everyone in my Fire Dragon Palace.”
Elder Xu said, “Palace Master does not have to blame himself too much. Sect Master Mi was also unable to see through the truth on that day. We can only blame that little brat from High Heaven Palace for being too cunning. As long as our Fire Dragon Palace’s Palace Master survives, then we will surely be able to rise up again.”
The group of Elders nodded their heads in approval.
Li Jiao said, “As things have come to this, this King has a proposal. I hope that all Elders can cooperate with it to their best ability. If it can be done, then our Fire Dragon Palace will definitely be able to make it past these difficult times.”
Elder Xu asked, “May I ask what wonderful plan Palace Master has come up with?”
Li Jiao glanced around and lightly coughed before announcing, “Everyone present is an Emperor and has been an Elder of my Fire Dragon Palace for more than just a year or two. Surely you must have some personal savings on hand. What this Kind means to say is… he hopes you can first take out your savings for the Sect’s public use, as a loan to the palace. After fifty years, you will be paid back with interest. This King will definitely not let any of you suffer a loss. I wonder what everyone thinks about this idea?”
No one responded, and wherever Li Jiao’s eyes swept past, the Elders would lower their heads.
Li Jiao coldly snorted, “Do none of you have any savings? It’s not possible that every honourable Elder of my Fire Dragon Palace is actually a poor beggar, is it?”
“It’s not that we don’t have savings. Only, compared to what the Sect is lacking… it will only be a drop in the bucket, Palace Master,” Elder Xu looked at Li Jiao timidly with a troubled look on his face.
“That’s right, Palace Master. Even if we, the older generation, were to take out all of our money, it still won’t hold us up for long.”
“However long it holds us is still time spent supported,” Li Jiao tried his best to persuade them, “We just have to get through this moment of difficulty. Once the Sect is well-off again, your contributions will surely not be forgotten.”
Since Li Jiao had already put it this way, then the Elders were also too embarrassed to argue further; after all, what Li Jiao said was true. Everyone had already been in the Emperor Realm for so long that they should more or less have some savings on them. If these assets were taken out, then it could really help to ease the Sect’s crisis.
Everyone looked at each other, and it was Elder Xu who broke the silence first, “Sect Master has a point. In that case, this Old Master will set an example. This Old Master contributes 5 million…”
When they heard this, everyone’s eyes lit up and Li Jiao was also looking at him with a hot gaze.
Elder Xu smiled embarrassedly, “Mid-Rank Source Crystals! This is almost everything that this Old Master has.”
Li Jiao’s face turned pitch-black in an instant.
5 million Mid-Rank Source Crystals, when converted, only equalled 50,000 High-Rank Source Crystals. What could they do with this amount? Moreover, as an Emperor Realm Elder and an Emperor Alchemist who had been refining pills for hundreds of years, it was simply impossible for him to have so little money.
“That doesn’t seem right, Elder Xu,” a dark-faced man jumped out and yelled, “That pot of Myriad Flower Wine you served to your guests alone was already worth 30,000 High-Rank Source Crystals. That was a Peak-Rank wine that came out from Medicine Pill Valley. If you had only that bit of money, then how could you possibly afford that?”
Having his lie exposed to his face, Elder Xu blushed red and tried to defend himself, “That… This Old Master didn’t buy that, it was a friend who brought it and invited this Old Master to try it. How could I be the one who bought it? The amount this Old Master earns each year is also just a small amount. It’s just barely enough to cover this Old Master’s cultivation requirements, so how could I have so many Source Crystals to buy that Myriad Flower Wine? Don’t try to slander others!”
The dark-faced man coldly snorted, “Elder Xu doesn’t have Source Crystals? Who would believe that? Elder Xu, you control the Pill Room of Fire Dragon Palace. You take countless Source Crystals from the Palace Master each year. Not mentioning the past, you took 6 million High-Rank Source Crystals last year alone, and more than 7 million the year before that! Going further back, there were even years you took 8 million! The Sect’s total revenue is only 50 million, while the Pill Room directly consumes ten to twenty percent of it!”
Elder Xu waved his sleeve and argued, “This Old Master has already said that the Pill Room is the most important part of Fire Dragon Palace. How can our abundance of disciples cultivate without Spirit Pills? It’s normal for the consumption to be large.”
The dark-faced man sneered, “If only those Source Crystals were really all spent on buying herbs… Can Elder Xu guarantee that all the Source Crystals you take from the Palace Master are truly put into the operation of the Pill Room?”
Elder Xu instantly felt a little angry out of shame and shouted at him, “What… What are you trying to imply!?”
The dark-faced man snorted, “You know exactly what I‘m implying. If Elder Xu had been embezzling funds to fill his own pocket when the Sect was rich, then so be it, but now, when the Sect is in crisis, shouldn’t Elder Xu show a little more sincerity?”
“Embezzling funds to fill my pockets!?” Elder Xu jumped up like a cat whose tail had been stepped on, his Emperor Qi surging as if he intended to fight it out with the dark-faced man to prove his innocence right then and there. Turning to Li Jiao, he pleaded indignantly, “Palace Master, this man slanders this Elder! I ask Palace Master to please seek justice for this Elder!”
Li Jiao stood there with a numb expression, as if he did not hear what Elder Xu said.
Elder Xu turned back and sneered at the dark-faced man, “My Pill Room’s financial income and expenditure are available for inspection, so this Old Master will not argue with you here. Whether there is any embezzling going on, Palace Master can make his own decision. As for your Artifact Room, who knows whether your bottom is clean or not!”
“You old thing, you dare try to turn this around on me?!” The dark-faced man was furious.
“How dare you call me an old thing, you bastard!”
“So what if I call you that? Old thing old thing old thing!”
“…”
The two of them immediately began another quarrel. Some of the remaining Elders would try and back one of them up, but others tried to quell the fight. The hall was instantly sent into chaos. If Li Jiao were not still here at this moment, a brawl would most likely have broken out.
Li Jiao gazed coldly at the crowd, wishing only to sweep all these annoying bastards out of the room to end all the trouble to return peace to his ears. But he was still the Palace Master after all. At the thought that the survival of his ten thousand disciples rested on the decisions that needed to be made here, no matter how angry he felt in his heart, he had no choice but to force it down and find a way to solve the immediate crisis first.
At that moment, a creak emerged, the door was pushed open, and in walked a disciple.
The noise came to an abrupt halt as everyone turned their attention to the disciple.
The disciple clearly did not expect such exciting things to be happening inside the hall either. As far as his eyes could see, the prominent and aloof Elders were all red-faced with bulging veins while the Palace Master stood at the head with a mirthless smile on his face. The disciple was immediately so frightened that he did not even dare to take a breath.
“What is it?” Li Jiao asked impatiently.
“Reporting to Palace Master, someone is seeking an audience!” The disciple responded, trembling.
“I’m not seeing anyone!” Li Jiao was in a bad mood, so he refused without even thinking about it.
As if he had received a pardon, the disciple quickly excused himself.
But Li Jiao suddenly asked, “Who is asking for an audience?”
The disciple thought for a moment and answered, “He called himself Yang Kai!”
“What!?!” Li Jiao was shocked to hear that answer. The group of Elders below were also stunned.
Elder Xu asked, “Yang Kai? Isn’t that High Heaven Palace’s Palace Master?”
“If it really is him, then this will be interesting!” The dark-faced man who was arguing with Elder Xu just now had a dangerous gleam in his eyes. He raised his head and said, “Palace Master, why don’t you let this Yang Kai come in? Isn’t he the creditor of our Fire Dragon Palace? Perhaps now we can have a proper ‘discussion’ about our debt with him.”
“Yes, that’s right! What a coincidence for him to visit at this time. Just let him in. Palace Master, what do you… think?”
They all turned to their Palace Master, only to see Li Jiao’s face as black as the bottom of a pot. He clearly didn’t think what they were suggesting was a good idea.
Li Jiao sighed, “High Heaven Palace is not to be provoked. And that Yang Kai… is also not to be provoked.”
But the group of Elders were unconvinced because they’d heard that High Heaven Palace’s Palace Master was only a First-Order Emperor. Last time, their Palace Master and Full Sky Sect’s Sect Master suffered a great loss in their territory, but since this Yang Kai daringly sent himself to their doorstep, then they really had no idea what their Palace Master was afraid of. As long as they got him into this hall and shut the doors, then they could settle that huge debt in mere moments.
“Tell that man that this Palace Master has gone out to wander the world and is not in the palace.”
The disciple answered his command and was just about to turn around when a sneer emerged from outside the door, “What an interesting man you are, Brother Li. This Palace Master has come to visit, but you won’t even see me?”
At the end of that sentence, two more figures appeared in the hall.
Before the two men appeared, none of the many Emperor Realm Masters inside even noticed them, as if they simply appeared out of thin air. Both the newcomers looked young. One of the men had a frivolous appearance with sharp brows and bright eyes, a slight smile on his lips. The other man had hair as red as fire and a cold, condescending gaze. Despite standing on the ground, he gave off the feeling that he was in the clouds, as if he belonged to a different world from everyone present.
The Elders were all shocked and each paled in unison.
Li Jiao was also so shaken that he almost turned around and fled. It took a lot of effort before he was able to hold down that impulse in his heart to flee and turn his eyes to Yang Kai with a speechless face.
Yang Kai looked up with a smile, “Brother Li is going out to wander the world?”
Li Jiao laughed dryly, “That was what I was planning, yes, but it’s nothing important, just a whim. However, since Palace Master Yang is here, this Li naturally cannot leave.”
Yang Kai stroked his chin, “If Palace Master Li still has the mind to go out on a trip, then it seems like life has been going pretty well.”
Li Jiao’s face suddenly looked bitter, “Don’t be ridiculous, Palace Master Yang. Right now, this Li’s life is… worse than death.”
When the Elders heard this, all of them lowered their heads apologetically.
Yang Kai laughed, “Brother Li is really interesting. Fire Dragon Palace is so big, and Brother Li is so strong and holds so much power, how could his life be worse than death?”
Li Jiao thought to himself, [Isn’t this all your fault?] But he kept a smile on his face as he changed the subject, “I wonder what Palace Master Yang is here for today?”
Yang Kai did not answer and merely looked at him with a smile.
Li Jiao wiped the cold sweat from his forehead and said, “This… This… Palace Master Yang isn’t thinking of collecting money, right? There’s no need for Palace Master Yang to come personally for such a trivial matter, is there? Matters like these can just be left to subordinates. What’s more, my Fire Dragon Palace has not forgotten this year’s payment. However, I will need some time to prepare… Once everything is prepared, it will be sent to High Heaven Palace immediately without delay. And besides… The deadline is not up yet!”
“How could I not know when the deadline is? I think today is the deadline.”
The cold sweat on Li Jiao’s forehead was now flowing freely as he stammered, “P-P-Palace Master Yang r-r-really came to collect money?”
He simply couldn’t believe it. Even though it was true that Fire Dragon Palace owed High Heaven Palace a large amount of Source Crystals, it was a bit too much for Yang Kai to come himself without informing anyone.
“The one surnamed Yang, don’t be arrogant!” The dark-faced man stepped out of the crowd and pointed at Yang Kai with his finger, “Even though I don’t know what means you used to cheat our Palace Master and put Fire Dragon Palace in such a tight spot, you should remember that you are at least a Palace Master. We are considered peers in the Northern Territory that are sure to come across each other in the future. As long as you can put things down in writing here and nullify the debts between our Sects, then we can let you go this time. Otherwise… Heh heh!”
Many of the Emperor Realm Masters were looking towards Yang Kai with ill intentions.
After seeing Yang Kai in person and confirming that he was indeed just a First-Order Emperor, they all naturally had nothing to fear. Regardless of how strong High Heaven Palace’s heritage was, as long as they could confine Yang Kai here, that was equivalent to gaining control over High Heaven Palace, and their so-called debt would also turn into nothing more than a joke.
Li Jiao on the other hand was now standing in a puddle of sweat and almost fainted when he heard this.
Yang Kai looked at the black-faced man, then back at Li Jiao, asking, “Is this one of your Elders?”
“No!” Li Jiao flatly denied it.
A group of Emperor Realm Elders turned to look at him, dumbfounded. That dark-faced man clearly did not expect his own Palace Master to answer that way either and for a moment, his jaw dropped and he appeared stunned.
Li Jiao did not stop there, however, and continued in a forceful tone, “I don’t know when this trash got in here and dared to masquerade as one of my Fire Dragon Palace’s Elders! No need to bother about the offences of lowly people, Palace Master Yang. There’s no need to pay men like him any heed.”
Yang Kai said coldly, “Since he’s trash, then he should be cleaned up.”
Li Jiao quickly agreed, “Palace Master Yang is right!”
As soon as he finished his sentence, he raised his hand and palmed towards the dark-faced man, instantly stirring up the air inside the hall.
Clearly, the dark-faced man hadn’t been able to react when that huge palm print came down on him, but even if he had, there was no way for him to be Li Jiao’s opponent with his First-Order Emperor Realm cultivation.
There was a scream, and the dark-faced man fell to the ground. Countless bones were broken and fresh blood was spilling out of his mouth and nose. The impact had caused him to pass out directly.
The entire hall was so silent that even a pin drop could be heard. All the Fire Dragon Palace’s Elders were dumbfounded, never expecting that their own Palace Master would actually raise a hand against his own Elders. In an instant, chills seeped through their hearts and bodies.
Li Jiao was not a man who was subject to shifting moods, and every Emperor Realm Elder present had been following him for at least a hundred years, making great contributions to Fire Dragon Palace, but simply to not displease an outsider, Li Jiao would actually go as far as to all but waste one of his own men. Their hearts couldn’t help but sink at his actions.
Suffering that blow, even if the dark-faced man did not die, the injuries were still severe. At the very least, it would take a month or two of recuperation to recover from them.
In front of everyone’s eyes, Li Jiao waved his hand again, tossing the dark-faced man straight out of the hall before looking around with a stern gaze, “If you have no eyes in your own home, you will lose face, but if you have no eyes outside, you will lose your lives. I hope all of you remember this.”
When the thinly veiled warning in his words entered their ears, the Elders couldn’t help but feel stunned, each one with a different expression.
Li Jiao turned back around and smiled dryly at Yang Kai, “I wonder if Palace Master Yang is satisfied with this?”
Yang Kai smiled, “Brother Li is handling his own Sect’s business, it doesn’t matter whether I’m satisfied or not.”
Only then was Li Jiao relieved and exhaled a light breath, “May I ask what Palace Master Yang has come for?”
Yang Kai responded in a cheerful tone, “To collect money, of course. Didn’t Brother Li guess it just now? Why ask if you already know the answer?”
Li Jiao paled in shock and tried to wipe the cold sweat from his forehead as he said, “Palace Master Yang, please don’t joke with me…”
“Do I look like I’m joking?” Yang Kai looked indifferently at him.
Even now Li Jiao could not understand what Yang Kai was here for. It was reasonable to say that the annual debt payment of 40 million Source Crystals was simply not worth Yang Kai making the effort to come here personally, but from his expression, it didn’t seem like he was joking either. This made Li Jiao’s heart pound.
With such a huge debt hanging overhead, he constantly felt as if he was on his back foot and didn’t even have much confidence to object. If High Heaven Palace did not have such a shocking heritage, Fire Dragon Palace might be able to resist to a certain extent, but after gaining a first-hand understanding of the depths of High Heaven Palace’s background, Li Jiao couldn’t even think of resisting.
This man was able to associate himself with Grandmaster Ji Ying and had three Monster Kings protecting his Sect, while even a True Dragon was among their ranks… How could Fire Dragon Place compare to such a lineup? If Li Jiao really did annoy these people, then Seeking Passion Sect’s yesterday would be Fire Dragon Palace’s tomorrow.
For a moment, Li Jiao forced out the ugliest smile imaginable, having no idea what else to do.
Yang Kai suddenly said, “Is Brother Li having difficulties turning over the payment?”
Li Jiao answered embarrassedly, “I will have to ask Palace Master Yang to give me more time!”
“How long?”
“Half a year… No no no, three months. Three months will do,” Li Jiao answered him hurriedly.
“Three months? Isn’t Palace Master Li rushing too much?” Yang Kai smiled, “What if this Palace Master gave you three years?”
“What?” Li Jiao was stunned. He couldn’t understand what Yang Kai was implying.
Yang Kai went on, “This Palace Master will give you three years. For three years, your Fire Dragon Palace will not need to make any payments to my High Heaven Palace. After three years, our agreement will continue as usual. With these three years as a buffer, life for your Fire Dragon Palace should be much better!”
Li Jiao didn’t feel pleasantly surprised by this sudden grace and instead was shocked and asked hesitantly, “What is Palace Master Yang… asking for in return?”
Nothing was free in this world, and there was no way this High Heaven Palace’s Palace Master would be so kind either. Li Jiao had been alive for so many years, so he was clearly aware of such worldly matters.
Yang Kai chuckled, “I need Brother Li to accompany me to a place.”
Li Jiao suddenly became alert and his expression changed, “What kind of place?”
Yang Kai next sent his voice directly to Li Jiao’s ear.
There was a dramatic change in Li Jiao’s expression as if he had heard some shockingly terrible news and he instantly shook his head like a rattle, “Palace Master Yang, it’s not that this Li is not willing to help, but…”
“Then pay me back the money now!” Yang Kai held out his palm before Li Jiao could finish speaking.
Lips twitching, Li Jiao fumed, “Palace Master Yang, this Li treats you with sincerity, so please don’t bully others too much! I, Li Jiao, am not scared of you!”
Yang Kai smiled, “No need to be so unreasonable, Brother Li. All you have to do is accompany me there. It’s not like I’m asking for your life.”
Li Jiao shook his head, “Any other place is fine, only that place is…” He seemed to recall something from the past and was unable to help himself from shivering, “Palace Master Yang should ask for something else instead. If this Li can fulfil it, this Li will surely meet your demands.”
“You really won’t?” Yang Kai’s face sank slightly.
Li Jiao gave his silence in response.
Yang Kai sighed, “Forget it. A forcefully picked melon is not sweet. Since Brother Li is unwilling, then this Palace Master will not force it. It’s just that this Palace Master intended to help Brother Li solve a crisis, but since Brother Li is unwilling to cooperate, then I wish you the best of luck.”
Li Jiao’s heart jumped and he asked in astonishment, “Crisis? What crisis?”
Yang Kai shrugged.
Zhu Lie, who had been standing silently at the side, finally spoke at this moment, “He knows where Zhu Qing is?”
“No one knows better than him,” Yang Kai nodded.
The reason why Zhu Qing went to the Frozen Earth in the first place was because of Li Jiao. Many years ago, Li Jiao was able to obtain a Dragon Blood Flower from the Frozen Earth and brought it back to his Fire Dragon Palace to cultivate it with his own blood. According to him, the reason why a Dragon Blood Flower could appear in a desolate place like the Frozen Earth was because a Great Dragon lost its life there, and it was by drawing on the vital essence of that fallen Great Dragon that a Dragon Blood Flower was able to survive.
Zhu Qing had asked Li Jiao about the location, hoping to head into the Frozen Earth to retrieve the Dragon Source left behind by that Great Dragon.
So, if anyone else in this world knew where Zhu Qing was in the Frozen Earth, it had to be Li Jiao. Making him lead the way would be the fastest way to find her.
“Good!” Zhu Lie nodded at his words and walked towards Li Jiao.
Li Jiao’s chest tightened suddenly as an inexplicable sense of danger welled up in him. He had noticed this red-haired young man before and also sensed his might. That was the reason he repeatedly tolerated Yang Kai’s attempts to trouble him. Now, as he had disagreed, Li Jiao was naturally even more wary of him.
Li Jiao asked in a deep voice, “May I ask who Your Excellency is?”
Zhu Lie sneered, “A lizard like you is not qualified to know my name.”
“Li… Lizard!” Li Jiao was furious. Naturally, he was afraid of Yang Kai because there were countless Masters behind him that he could not afford to provoke, especially that female Dragon. She was an existence that he couldn’t even lay eyes on. Though this red-haired young man was certainly powerful, it was not to the extent that he would fear him.
Li Jiao was still a Third-Order Emperor Realm Master, so there weren’t many people who could beat him in this world.
“Filthy bloodlines like yours disgust me the most. You should have been exterminated a long time ago!” Zhu Lie’s eyes were overflowing with contempt.
This statement angered Li Jiao completely as the impurity of his bloodline had always been a thorn in his heart, so anyone who mentioned it was sure to draw his ire.
So, with a roar, Li Jiao was ready to teach this red-haired young man a lesson. No matter how powerful this man was, as long as he was not a Great Emperor level existence, then they couldn’t be his opponent here in Fire Dragon Palace.
Li Jiao occupied favourable conditions and an advantageous position, allowing him to exert force far beyond his own strength.
But Li Jiao’s raging roar abruptly caught in his throat the next moment while the surging Emperor Qi inside his body froze. Standing on the high platform, his eyes trembled as he gazed down below, shaking like a leaf and nearly falling on his butt as he stammered, “D-D-Dragon Clan!”
Below, behind Zhu Lie who was approaching him step by step, the manifestation of a vibrant red Great Dragon suddenly emerged. The pair of huge dragon eyes floating above his head was staring at Li Jiao without any emotion, causing him to feel as if all energy had been sucked from his body. The blood in his veins felt like it had stopped flowing and even his Emperor Qi couldn’t circulate.
Now, even if the man approaching was in the Dao Source Realm, he would still be able to slaughter him casually right then and there.
A loud dragon roar finally sounded, and the deafening call sent shivers down everyone’s spine.
Fire Dragon Palace’s many Elders were all ashen-faced and panicked at the sight, all of them staring at the figure of the Great Dragon behind Zhu Lie’s back with lost eyes, each of them feeling a deep sense of inferiority and insignificance before it.
Only now did they realize how wise their Palace Master truly was.
When Li Jiao knocked out that dark-faced man and threw him out, they thought that their Palace Master was cold and unfeeling, but now they deeply understood that it wasn’t that Li Jiao was timid and cowardly, but that he had far greater foresight than they.
Without even mentioning how strong that High Heaven Palace’s Palace Master who was watching the show from the side was, a member of the Dragon Clan like this one alone would be enough to sweep away everyone present. If any conflict truly broke out at this moment, then only Fire Dragon Palace would suffer.
That was a True Dragon! A living breathing member of the Dragon Clan! The Dragon Clan that had always existed only in legends and ancient books actually appeared so suddenly in front of their eyes. The situation almost didn’t feel real to the people here.
Only after witnessing it with their own eyes did they realize how subdued the descriptions in those ancient books were. The might of the Dragon Clan could not be described in words alone.
When a Dragon became angry, who could oppose them? Not to mention, clashing with a Dragon meant opposing Dragon Island. Fire Dragon Palace did not have the courage, nor the ability.
In a flash, Zhu Lie had already walked up the platform, reached out, and grabbed Li Jiao by the neck, lifting him up.
Even though he had Third-Order Emperor Realm cultivation, Li Jiao was just like a baby in front of Zhu Lie, having no power to resist in the slightest. Even if he tried to struggle, he could not break free from his restraint and soon his face was turning blue as his breathing became difficult.
“He… Help me!” Li Jiao couldn’t break free from Zhu Lie’s hold and his neck felt like it was going to be crushed, while the cold murderous intent in Zhu Lie’s eyes filled him with overwhelming fear. He could only turn his head towards Yang Kai creakily and beg for help.
Since they came together, Yang Kai’s words must carry some weight.
But Yang Kai just shrugged, “I apologize, Brother Li, but there’s nothing I can do about this situation.”
Li Jiao was gasping and could no longer spit out any words. The group of Fire Dragon Palace Elders were also anxious, all of them watching their Palace Master suffer this humiliation, but none of them daring to go up and help. Not that they could help with their strength even if they tried. It was an extremely awkward situation.
“I forgot to tell you. This Dragon is Zhu Qing’s younger brother, he also came from Dragon Island. You still remember Zhu Qing, don’t you? She was the female dragon that headed to that place. Speaking of which, Brother Li must also take some responsibility for this matter.” Yang Kai made a long sigh, “Zhu Qing has not returned since she set off for that place, so it seems like she has encountered some kind of danger. After that, her younger brother came out from Dragon Island hoping to save his Elder Sister. Tsk tsk, such a touching sibling love, but since learning that Brother Li was the source of the matter, his impression of you hasn’t been very good…”
Li Jiao’s eyes were almost rolling to the back of his head and only the white of them could be seen.
“Ah, that’s right,” Yang Kai continued piling wood to the fire, “This Brother also seems to not be very fond of those who are not of pure blood. He sees one, he’ll kill one, sees two, he’ll kill both. When I mentioned Brother Li’s situation to him previously, I’m not sure if he heard me or not, but in any case, this is a matter between Dragon Island and your Fire Dragon Palace. It’s really not appropriate for me, an outsider, to interfere.”
Only at this moment did Li Jiao understand what Yang Kai meant by crisis.
This was indeed a big crisis for him. He couldn’t understand how the Dragon Clan that was hard for normal Masters to see even once in their lives would appear in front of him time after time. And it was always related to this damned High Heaven Palace Palace Master!
More and more, Li Jiao was beginning to see Dragon Island’s shadow lurking behind High Heaven Palace, and in the current situation, even if this Dragon really did kill him, he was in no position to argue, much less expect those subordinates of his to avenge him.
He wanted to speak, but no matter how he tried, he couldn’t spit out a single word. Left with no other choice, he could only raise his hand and put up three fingers, shaking it constantly.
“Brother Li, what are you trying to say? I can’t understand the gesture you’re making.” Yang Kai had a bewildered look on his face.
Li Jiao continued shaking.
But Yang Kai turned a deaf ear to it.
Three fingers turned into two, and then finally into one.
Only then did Yang Kai say, “I think I understand now. Since Brother Li is so sincere, I think we can negotiate.” He turned to Zhu Lie and said, “Let him go for now. If you really kill him, then don’t even hope that you can find your Elder Sister anymore.”
Zhu Lie coldly snorted and threw Li Jiao out like a loose sack.
With a bang, Li Jiao fell heavily to the side and rolled a few times before he came to a stop. Quickly crawling up, he coughed violently for a while.
It took him a lot of effort before he was able to steady himself, but he didn’t even have the courage to glare at Zhu Lie. His eyes were dodging left and right, nerves overwhelmed by fear. If any other Third-Order Emperor Realm Master was placed in front of him, then he wouldn’t behave this way, but in front of a Pureblood Dragon, he just couldn’t find it in his bones to resist or even feel resentful. He just felt inferior in every way, and that he deserved this mistreatment.
“Brother Li, matters can’t be delayed. We should depart now,” Yang Kai said to Li Jiao.
Li Jiao nodded helplessly.
Yang Kai responded with a smile, “Don’t look so aggrieved. It’s not like we really want your life, we just want you to lead the way. What’s more, it’s not like you’re not gaining anything from this. This Palace Master can give you a grace period of one year to repay your debt.”
Li Jiao could not stop his face from twitching, feeling so much regret that his stomach was doing flips. If he had known that Yang Kai would bring a True Dragon with him, then he would have agreed to anything he said from the start. How could he have tried to bargain with him? Now, it was done. The original three-year deadline extension had been cut to just one year, and it was by his own request.
Li Jiao turned around and instructed the many Emperor Realm Masters present, “Please take care of the palace. This Li will be out for a while.”
The Elders nodded repeatedly and looked at Li Jiao with pity in their eyes. They knew Li Jiao’s situation as well, and knew that he was not a fearful man, he simply had no choice in front of his natural enemy.
Frightened to delay any longer, Li Jiao urged Yang Kai to hurry on their way.
After the Flowing Clouds Shuttle was summoned, the three men entered it and shot off towards the north.
Each territory had its own Forbidden Zones and Restricted Areas.
The Southern Territory had the Southern Swamp, the Eastern Territory had the Ancient Wild Lands, the Western Territory had the Western Dessert, while the Northern Territory had the Frozen Earth. These were only the most famous spots, however, as there were countless other dangerous places of varying sizes.
But in terms of the degree of danger and fatality rate, if the Northern Territory’s Frozen Earth were placed second, then no other place could be named first.
The Frozen Earth’s reputation as the most dangerous place in the entire Star Boundary was recognized by all. Even Great Emperors did not dare to venture casually into this Forbidden Zone. Other places such as Southern Swamp and Ancient Wild Lands contained many different treasures. Though these places were extremely dangerous, they held many hidden opportunities; however, there was nothing beyond cold death in the Frozen Earth.
No one knew what the Frozen Earth looked like inside because everyone who entered its depths, died.
The first reason Li Jiao was able to come out of the Frozen Earth alive was because of luck, and the second was because he did not delve too deep. The place that he went back then was but the outer periphery.
That was several hundreds of years ago, when Li Jiao had just advanced to the Third-Order Emperor Realm. He was in vigorous spirits and reckless, feeling that there was nowhere in this vast world he could not go.
On a whim, he took a trip to the Frozen Earth.
After narrowly escaping death on that trip, Li Jiao swore that he would never go to the Frozen Earth again. It was also during that time that Li Jiao brought the Dragon Blood Flower back to Fire Dragon Palace.
He never thought that he would have to go there again several hundred years later.
Despite it being such a long time ago, Li Jiao still remembered his experience vividly. On the way, he revealed a lot of information about the Frozen Earth to Yang Kai and Zhu Lie, and even though it was not much, it was still useful.
According to Li Jiao, the Frozen Earth’s greatest feature was its frigid temperature. The cold there was not ordinary by any measure and could extinguish all vitality. It was a kind of cold that could not be described, nor could it be resisted.
That damned place seemed to have a natural restraint on all life, and any existence with vitality would not be able to survive there for long.
Very soon, they were able to confirm that information.
The further north they went on the Flowing Clouds Shuttle, the colder the temperature got outside. There was a blanket of white as far as the eye could see, making it impossible to distinguish between the four directions.
Snowflakes the size of goose feathers were constantly floating around the sky, and the entire world seemed to be frozen. Besides white, there was simply no other colour to be seen.
Despite hiding in the Flowing Clouds Shuttle, the three of them could still feel some chill. Even though it was weak, this was still extremely rare.
The Flowing Clouds Shuttle may be a flight type artifact, but it was still an Emperor Artifact after all, one refined by Hou Yu’s hands personally, having many defensive features equipped. If even an Emperor Artifact like this could not withstand the severe cold, it was not hard to imagine how harsh the environment was outside.
Li Jiao’s face grew more and more terrible, and if not for Zhu Lie standing nearby as a deterrent, he would probably have fled and ran back.
Ten days after their departure from Fire Dragon Palace, the three men barely reached the edge of the Frozen Earth.
Li Jiao had a vivid memory of the location where he found the Dragon Blood Flower, so he was constantly leading the way forward.
And so, after another two days passed, Li Jiao suddenly said with excitement, “Over there! See that three-peaked mountain? That’s where I found the Dragon Blood Flower back then.”
Yang Kai glanced at Zhu Lie, whose brows knitted slightly and he slowly shook his head.
He and Zhu Qing were brother and sister, and they were both Red Dragons, so there was more or less some connection between them. If Zhu Qing were still there, he would have been able to sense it.
But at this moment, he could not feel any of Zhu Qing’s aura at all.
Regardless, Yang Kai steered the Flowing Clouds Shuttle towards the three-peaked mountain. At the depressions between the peaks, the Flowing Clouds Shuttle landed, and the three came out in turn.
As soon as they left the Flowing Clouds Shuttle’s protection, a cold that penetrated deep into the depths of both their bones and their Souls came over them from all directions, causing them to be unable to help themselves from shuddering and circulating their strength to resist it.
This was only the edge of the Frozen Earth, and it was already so cold that an ordinary First-Order Emperor Realm Master probably couldn’t last more than a day or so. It was hard to imagine how things were like in the deeper areas of the Frozen Earth.
Zhu Lie’s Dragon Aura seemed to have some subduing effect on this type of cold though, so when Li Jiao saw this, he couldn’t help but lean closer. But when he was met with Zhu Lie’s cold stare, he chuckled embarrassedly and backed two steps away.
Yang Kai swept out his Divine Sense and scanned through a hundred-kilometre radius, only to retract it after a short while and shiver slightly.
In that short amount of time, it felt like his Divine Sense was going to freeze completely. If he did not retract it then, he would have suffered damage to his Soul.
“This is where you pointed Zhu Qing to that day?” Y ang Kai turned to ask Li Jiao.
Li Jiao hurriedly responded, “Yes, I’m sure of it. I remember this place. Unless there exists another location in the Frozen Earth that is exactly the same as this one…”
The three-peaked mountain was a good landmark, so even though it happened several hundreds of years ago, Ji Liao’s memory wouldn’t be wrong.
While speaking, he beckoned them, “I remember it was in this direction that I found the Dragon Blood Flower back then.”
Yang Kai and Zhu Lie followed behind him, and soon, Li Jiao stopped at a certain spot. Looking up at the direction of the three-peaked mountain, he silently calculated and verified it for a long time before nodding, “This is the place, it has to be.”
Zhu Lie also said, “I can feel a weak Dragon Aura here.”
As he spoke, he raised his hand and a flame erupted on his palm, turning into a vivid Fire Dragon that crashed straight onto the snow on the ground.
The hot fire melted the snow and very soon, a deep depression of several hundreds of meters quickly appeared, revealing the dirt hidden underneath the ice.
The dirt was frozen solid, and was even stiffer than steel; however, there was a very obvious trace of what appeared to be a huge claw mark on top of it.
Li Jiao said excitedly, “See? I was right! This is where that Great Dragon died.”
The huge claw marks were clearly left behind by the claws of a Dragon. Even after hundreds of years, it was perfectly preserved under the cover of the snow.
The trio moved together and soon removed all the snow covering the area. At once, the huge marks left behind by the Great Dragon appeared in front of them.
As Li Jiao said before, there were only traces left here, but not the Great Dragon’s corpse. The reason for that was because the Great Dragon’s physical essence and even bones had become nutrients for the Dragon Blood Flower.
There were no traces left by Zhu Qing here, so none of them knew whether she had been here before.
Yang Kai sensed the area silently for a long time and shook his head, “The Source isn’t here.”
Even though he wasn’t a member of the Dragon Clan, the Golden Divine Dragon Source had truly begun to merge with his body ever since he began cultivating the Dragon Transformation Secret Art that Zhu Qing passed to him. Both his bloodline and physical body were gradually transforming towards being that of a Dragon. So, if there was a Dragon Source here, he would surely be able to sense it.
Zhu Lie glanced at him and said, “I’m going to perform a Dragon Clan Secret Technique. Stand guard for me.”
Yang Kai nodded and stepped aside. Li Jiao’s face also changed, and he looked over at Zhu Lie with both curiosity and eagerness.
The Dragon Clan’s Secret Techniques were a type of profound Secret Techniques that could only be performed by those with the Dragon Clan bloodline. Yang Kai could suppress Zhu Lie and Zhu Qing in Bloodline Power, but not through systematic study. Still, he couldn’t perform the Dragon Clan’s Secret Techniques because they involved the use of Dragon Essence and the Dragon Language.
Li Jiao had a hint of the Dragon Clan’s bloodline, so he was naturally curious and eager to learn about this.
Closing his eyes, Zhu Lie focused his mind.
A few moments later, he opened his eyes. Like a knife, he drew his fingers over his palm, breaking the skin with his sharp nails. Immediately, the air was filled with the rich smell of blood.
Zhu Lie clenched the hand with the wound and raised it high. Dragon Essence surged within his body as a quiet incantation spilled from his mouth. The spell was both profound and complicated. To the ears of others, it sounded very difficult and awkward to pronounce, as if Zhu Lie were speaking with his mouth full.
Li Jiao who had pricked up his ears had a bewildered face, and he scratched his ears anxiously. It was such a rare chance for him to encounter a Pureblood Dragon performing a Dragon Clan Secret Technique in front of him, so he had the heart to learn. Unfortunately, he couldn’t even figure out what he was saying, so how could he learn anything?
Yang Kai couldn’t understand it either, but he felt that this Dragon Clan Secret Technique that Zhu Lie was performing had some similarities to the Shamanic Spells performed by the Shamans of ancient times. Both of them required incantation and circulation of strength.
Under the gazes of the two, drop after drop of fresh blood dripped down from Zhu Lie’s palm. His Dragon Blood was different from normal blood and, just like a ball of hot flame, it gave off a scorching aura.
When it landed on the ground it began to sizzle before melting into the ground and disappearing.
The wind rose and the snow flew. Zhu Lie’s incantations grew higher and higher in pitch until they gradually began to resemble a dragon roar or rolling thunder. It shook one’s eardrums until they hurt and the way his red hair danced wildly and his robes fluttered, the world seemed to be filled completely by this dragon roar.
All of a sudden, Zhu Lie’s voice stopped. As he climbed to the very peak of his momentum, he seemed to deflate like a ball, instantly losing much of his spirit. Some sweat had also gathered on his face.
Even though it was not known what sort of Dragon Clan Secret Technique he performed, it undoubtedly consumed a lot of his energy.
Both Yang Kai and Li Jiao were looking at him with anxious eyes, but Zhu Lie just lowered his gaze and stared at the ground.
After his fresh blood had been poured onto the ground, the surrounding area had been dyed red, and as the burning energy collided with the cold air around them, it began emitting a steaming heat.
Then, Zhu Lie’s eyes flashed, while at the same time, Yang Kai and Li Jiao were also able to sense a change.
The earth that was dyed with Zhu Lie’s fresh blood was writhing, as if something was going to break out from the ground.
Under the watchful gazes of the trio, a little bit of the crimson red sprouted from the ground and quickly rose up, spreading out branches and leaves. In just a moment’s time, a one-third-of-a-meter-tall plant appeared on the ground that looked red as if it were made of fresh blood. No matter how they looked at it, this thing looked just like a blood coral.
Zhu Lie sucked the blood coral into his hand. A dense red glow gathered at its crown, and it began to drift towards one direction as if it had a mind of its own, like a red string that was tied to the top of the plant.
Strangely enough, the direction in which the red band drifted was completely different from the direction of the wind.
Zhu Lie pointed in the direction the red band was moving and said, “Zhu Qing is there. She’s still alive.”
Even though they had no idea how he could possibly figure that out, it was undoubtedly related to the Dragon Clan Secret Technique he just performed.
Without a word, Yang Kai summoned his Flowing Clouds Shuttle and shouted, “Get in!”
Li Jiao, however, stood in place and did not move. He looked at Yang Kai and said in a fawning tone, “Palace Master Yang, this Li has already brought you to this place. For the rest of the journey… Hey, gentlemen use words not fists! This Li is at least…”
Before he could finish his sentence, he was grabbed by Zhu Lie and tossed into the Flowing Clouds Shuttle directly, and his expression instantly twisted into one of bitter resentment.
He had no idea why this Dragon was still unwilling to let him go. He had already completed his task of bringing Yang Kai and Zhu Lie to their destination, so what happened next should have nothing to do with him. He should be able to leave this damned place and return to Fire Dragon Palace, but things just didn’t work out how he hoped they would.
As a Third-Order Emperor, it had been many years since he had tasted this feeling of powerlessness. Li Jiao made a vow in his heart that if he made it out of this trip alive, he would never have any dealings with a True Dragon ever again. They were simply unreasonable bullies.
The Flowing Clouds Shuttle broke through the air, but its speed became slower and slower the further they went.
After performing the Secret Technique, Zhu Lie became very weak, so Yang Kai was the one holding the blood coral and using the direction of the drifting red light to lead them to Zhu Qing.
After entering only two thousand kilometres into the Frozen Earth, the Flowing Clouds Shuttle, which was in flight, suddenly shook violently and plunged headlong into the ground.
Yang Kai was stunned. He thought it was some sort of attack, but he soon realized what had happened. While kicking Li Jiao out, he woke up Zhu Lie who was sitting cross-legged and meditating to restore his energy.
Then, he put away the Flowing Clouds Shuttle and stood in the air.
The cold wind that blew over enveloped them with a chill that could seemingly freeze their Souls.
In such a treacherous environment, even Masters who had cultivated Ice Principles may not be able to last long.
Li Jiao flew over, shivering and asking in a sullen face, “What happened?”
When they were taking shelter in the Flowing Clouds Shuttle, they at least had a layer of protection around them. Now that his body was making direct contact with Frozen Earth’s environment, he could clearly feel his vitality slowly flowing away. Even though staying here was no problem for a short time, staying here for any longer may just reduce his lifespan.
“It’s nothing. We just have to walk the rest of the way ourselves,” Yang Kai glanced at Zhu Lie as he spoke.
A flying Emperor Artifact like the Flowing Clouds Shuttle was actually frozen in this place and unable to function properly. If one did not experience it for themselves, then one probably would not be able to believe it.
Zhu Lie was unperturbed, but Li Jiao’s face became snow-white in an instant. He hesitated for a while before speaking up, “Two Sirs, this Li has a presumptuous request!”
Zhu Lie looked at him, his expression even colder than the coldness of Frozen Earth, causing the words in Li Jiao’s mouth to change at once, “This Li will cover the rear.”
“Very good,” Yang Kai smiled. Holding the dragon blood coral in one hand, he led the way in front.
Zhu Lie reached out and grabbed Li Jiao, throwing him forward so he could follow closely behind Yang Kai while he took up the rear himself.
Flying in the Frozen Earth definitely wasn’t a pleasant experience, but soon, Yang Kai noticed an interesting phenomenon. That is, the higher he flew, the more energy it consumed, and the more terrifying that vitality-extinguishing cold became.
After noticing this, he immediately flew down. When he stuck close to the ground, the resistance he felt was much weaker.
Only, their trip was much slower this way, though it was also much safer in relation.
After a full day’s work, the three of them had only moved several kilometres forward, which was simply unbelievable for a group of Emperor Realm Masters.
During that one day, all three of them were shivering, and both their hair and faces were covered in frost. No matter how the three of them circulated their Qi, they could not resist the invasion of coldness into their bodies.
There were many times when Li Jiao wanted to leave, but as soon as he met Zhu Lie’s gaze, the courage that he tried so hard to build up would fall apart again. Unable to say a word, he could only try his best to keep up with Yang Kai’s pace.
He could not understand how Yang Kai could withstand this cold for long, being only a First-Order Emperor. It was reasonable to say that he, as a First-Order Emperor Realm cultivator, should have frozen to death long ago, and yet, it seemed that among the three of them, he was in the best condition. Even Zhu Lie, a member of the Dragon Clan, could not compare with him.
Another day later, Yang Kai, who was leading the group, suddenly stopped and perked up his ears to listen.
He vaguely sensed something.
Li Jiao, who was behind him almost bumped into him, and when he saw Yang Kai’s grave expression, he couldn’t help but feel nervous, “What’s wrong, Palace Master Yang?”
Yang Kai’s eyes crossed over Li Jiao and looked straight at Zhu Lie, “Something’s coming!”
Zhu Lie nodded lightly. He noticed it too. There was in fact something coming at them and the air and the chill around them were showing less-than-normal signs of fluctuation.
“What is it, what is it?” Li Jiao asked with a pale face. The Frozen Earth was devoid of life, so what could possibly be approaching them? However, with how serious Yang Kai and Zhu Lie looked, he couldn’t help but worry.
“It must be that!” Yang Kai raised his head and squinted into the distance.
Li Jiao followed his gaze and gulped.
Something dark had suddenly appeared on that side of the sky, like a curtain that covered the horizon and was rapidly moving towards them.
“Frozen Tide!” Li Jiao seemed to have recalled something and called out in alarm while quickly backing away at the same time.
In a life or death crisis, he finally suppressed his fear of Zhu Lie and ran back the way they came without even looking back. He just wanted to get as far away from the so-called Frozen Tide as soon as possible.
Yang Kai and Zhu Lie were right behind him though, as the fear of death offset any other disadvantages. This time, Li Jiao took the lead and ran faster than anyone else.
“What’s the Frozen Tide?” Yang Kai asked as he fled.
“A Heavenly Manifestation!” Li Jiao answered with a hideous expression. He could only grieve that his parents birthed him with only two legs and caused him to run so slow, “It’s a Heavenly Manifestation specific to the Frozen Earth!”
Li Jiao escaped from a brush with death in the Frozen Earth back then, so he naturally paid more attention to it afterwards. Only, there was simply too little information about the Frozen Earth. Even though he had the heart to collect information, there wasn’t much for him to discover.
He knew that there was a type of Heavenly Manifestation called the Frozen Tide in the Frozen Earth, and knew that no one could survive it; however, how the Frozen Tide was formed, how one should avoid it, or what it looked like, he wasn’t sure.
It wasn’t until he saw it with his own eyes at this moment that he was immediately sure that this had to be the Frozen Tide.
The trio had their speed greatly hampered in this environment, so even though they exerted all their strength, they could not escape the Frozen Tide’s approach. Watching it get closer and closer, both Yang Kai and Zhu Lie’s expressions did not look too good.
In front of a life or death crisis, no one could remain calm.
Yang Kai tried to use his Space Principles, but found it incredibly difficult. The coldness in the Frozen Earth seemed able to freeze even space itself, forcing him to set aside any idea of escaping with instantaneous movement.
As the Frozen Tide grew closer and closer to the three, the bone-chilling cold seemed to hit their back like a huge hammer, causing them to not be able to stop from shivering all over.
Li Jiao’s face suddenly turned fierce as he roared, “If this Li dies here because of you, then I won’t forgive you even if I become a ghost!”
The days of grievance and anger gathering in him finally burst out at this moment. They were going to die anyway, so why should he still have so many scruples? “Yang Kai, aren’t you supposed to be powerful? You even have Monster Kings and Divine Spirits serving you! Find a way to do something about this situation!”
Seeing Yang Kai remain silent, Li Jiao went on angrily, “You’re nothing more than a fox borrowing a tiger’s prestige! Do you think this Li is really afraid of you? If not for Grandmaster Ji Ying’s sake, this Li would have led his men over to flatten your High Heaven Palace long ago! This Li will give you a life worse than death! A trivial First-Order Emperor Realm cultivator dares to act arrogant in front of this Li? Ridiculous!”
Seemingly not satisfied with his scolding, he turned to Zhu Lie next and continued, “Dragon? So what if you’re from the Dragon Clan!? Do you think you can look down on all others just because you were born lucky? This King’s bloodline may not be pure, but so what!? This King was birthed and raised by his parents! This King cultivated to the Third-Order Emperor Realm with his own efforts! If you didn’t have your Dragon Clan bloodline, then you probably wouldn’t even be able to reach this King’s height! All day long, you go around putting on airs; I don’t even know who you’re showing off to! If you have the skill, then don’t use bloodline suppression and face this King head on! This Li will definitely show you this King’s power. Damn, damn… How did this Li get caught up in your mess? Two stars of calamity… I’d known that following you to the Frozen Earth wouldn’t end in anything good… I should have left early on. This is all your fault! This Li had already brought you where you needed to go, so why drag this Li along afterwards? You really think this Li is so easy to bully? Just you wait! If we get out of this alive, this Li will definitely lead his Sect to attack High Heaven Palace and Dragon Island. There will be blood…”
He was ranting on and on as if he had lost his mind, becoming somewhat hysterical, but no matter how he vented his anger, neither Yang Kai nor Zhu Lie paid him any attention.
The two men exchanged glances suddenly, and Zhu Lie said, “If you have any trump cards, better bring them out now! Any later and it’ll really be too late.”
Yang Kai curled his lip, “You Dragon Clansmen have so many Secret Techniques, why are you looking at me? I’m just a First-Order Emperor, what sort of trump card would I have?”
Zhu Lie gave him a deep look and sighed, “Fine. Since you don’t feel like showing your cards, I won’t force you. I’ll do it.”
Li Jiao’s cursing stopped abruptly as if a large invisible hand was pinching his lips closed. Looking at Yang Kai, then at Zhu Lie, he asked carefully with a smiling face, “Sir, do you have a way to get out of this crisis?”
Zhu Lie answered coldly, “I can give it a try.”
Li Jiao urged him with immediacy, “Then what are you waiting for? Quickly!”
While flying, Yang Kai smirked at him.
Li Jiao couldn’t help his frozen white face from flushing with embarrassment, “Sir must take me as well. Just now… I don’t know what possessed me. It was surely a bout of madness. Those definitely aren’t my true thoughts, so please don’t take it personally, Sir!”
He just wanted to slap himself for letting his tongue slip. He didn’t expect to get himself into such big trouble, and he didn’t even know whether this Dragon was willing to help him out now.
But his worries were superfluous. When the dragon roar came out, the figure of a vibrant red Great Dragon appeared above Zhu Lie’s head. The Great Dragon circled around and wrapped around the three of them at once.
They seemed to be isolated from the bitter cold, giving them a sense of security.
Letting out a cry, signs of Dragon Transformation appeared on the surface of Zhu Lie’s body. Then, he turned straight around and actually began rushing in the direction of the Frozen Tide.
Li Jiao was so frightened that his Soul almost left his body and he screamed out loud. Still, he didn’t dare to move away from the Red Dragon’s protection and could only watch himself getting closer and closer to the Frozen Tide.
Yang Kai was also slightly surprised by this, but he quickly understood Zhu Lie’s plan.
It was simply impossible for them to escape from the Frozen Tide’s advance with their current speed, so rather than let it catch up to them and struggle through it, they might as well turn back and face it. With the three of them, they may be able to break through it with their strength.
This was not the best idea, but it was worth a try. Perhaps they might actually get out of this crisis this way.
The cold wind howled, and the Frozen Tide grew closer and closer to the trio. Li Jiao’s face was already shocked to a ghastly colour, and if not for his firm mental temperament, he would probably have fainted then and there.
A dozen breaths later, the three of them finally collided with the Frozen Tide head-on and were enveloped by the pitch-black mass.
Zhu Lie’s face changed dramatically as he discovered that something was wrong at that moment.
Unlike what he expected, this Frozen Tide did not seem to be some natural disaster caused by the convergence of World Energy. Rather, the feeling it gave him was of an indescribable existence, causing him to be unable to use any of the methods he had prepared, swallowing him up directly and whisking him away.
Yang Kai was also taken aback as he muttered, “Space Principles?”
He would never have thought that the Heavenly Manifestation, the Frozen Tide, that existed on the Frozen Earth, actually contained extremely rich Space Principles. The instant they were enveloped by the Frozen Tide, the space around them fluctuated chaotically, and it actually gave them a feeling that they were being teleported. Moreover, this feeling was even more violent than cross-territory teleportation. It felt like they were being completely torn into a fine powder as they were thrown through the Void.
Almost instinctively, Yang Kai pushed his own Space Principles.
In the next moment, Yang Kai became dazed and he could no longer sense Zhu Lie and Li Jiao’s presence, having no idea where the two of them had gone. Yang Kai just felt himself falling endlessly, and that dizzy feeling was growing stronger and stronger. Only by circulating his Space Principles was he able to feel a little better.
It was not known how much time passed when that dizziness finally disappeared all of a sudden. Yang Kai fell heavily onto solid ground, then he bounced up and rolled a few times before he came to a stop.
All the bones in his body felt like they had been broken and he was hit by a feeling of nausea that he had never experienced before, causing him to gag a few times.
The surrounding area was quiet and still snow-capped as usual, but Li Jiao and Zhu Lie were nowhere to be seen.
Slowly getting up, Yang Kai’s expression gradually became grave.
Even though the surrounding scenery did not look much different from earlier, the coldness that penetrated deep into his Soul was no longer present. He could keenly sense the differences in this place. It felt like a completely new world, a world that did not exist in the same plane as the Frozen Earth.
Yang Kai tried to examine the World Principles around him next, and after a few moments, his suspicions were confirmed.
This was indeed another world. Though the World Principles here were complete, they were also somewhat confused, very different from the Star Boundary’s World Principles. In other words, he was not currently in the Star Boundary.
Yang Kai thought back to what happened earlier and was able to muster a faint guess, but he wasn’t too sure.
The only thing he could be sure of was the fact that the place that he arrived at was greatly related to the Frozen Tide. Perhaps the Frozen Tide was the entrance to this world, and its Heaven-destroying and Earth-shattering might was merely a mirage.
Suddenly, a red light appeared in the corner of his eye. Turning his head over, Yang Kai saw the dragon blood coral he was holding in his hand glowing a hundred times brighter than before.
The dense light coming from the crown of the coral had coalesced into a thick red band that was drifting in a certain direction, guiding Yang Kai.
“Zhu Qing!” Yang Kai raised his brows and shouted, immediately understanding why these changes happened to the dragon blood coral.
This was something Zhu Lie had created using his Dragon Blood in conjunction with a Dragon Clan Secret Technique, and its main purpose was to find Zhu Qing’s whereabouts. When they were searching for her in the Frozen Earth, it did in fact guide their way.
But its light was nowhere near as strong as now.
Zhu Qing was here! And she was probably not far from him.
When the Frozen Tide washed over him, it clearly swept across a wide area, and he was brought to this world by that Frozen Tide. If Zhu Qing was also swallowed up by the Frozen Tide, she would also appear in this world, which was why these changes happened to the dragon blood coral.
At this thought, Yang Kai hurriedly pulled himself together, picked up the dragon blood coral, and rushed in the direction it led.
In the vast snowy mountains, Yang Kai walked alone.
Sure enough, an hour later, Yang Kai discovered that familiar figure less than three hundred kilometres away from where he emerged.
Blood red long hair like flames, a small and delicate body, lying on her side on the snow, her life or death uncertain.
Yang Kai hurriedly ran over to pick up this figure, and brushing her hair from her face, sure enough, it was Zhu Qing. Letting out a soft sigh of relief, even though he had no idea where they were at right now, Yang Kai was finally relieved to have some good news.
Zhu Qing was found, and as for Zhu Lie and Li Jiao, Yang Kai guessed that they probably weren’t in any danger either. That Frozen Tide was indeed quite frightening in appearance, but it didn’t seem to bring much harm.
The reason they were split up was completely because he instinctively used his Space Principles the moment they were enveloped by the Frozen Tide.
However, Zhu Qing’s condition didn’t seem right. She was a Dragon after all, and one on par or even stronger than a Third-Order Emperor. There was no reason for her to be unconscious on the ground. Perhaps it had something to do with being swallowed up by the Frozen Tide just now; after all, even Yang Kai, who was proficient in the Dao of Space, felt nauseous for a long time after being swallowed up.
But that was clearly not the main reason.
Her body felt as cold as a block of ice, and even her vitality felt extremely weak.
Picking up Zhu Qing, Yang Kai propped her up against himself before extending two fingers to her wrist and pouring his Emperor Qi into her body to check her condition.
A moment later, Yang Kai’s brows knitted into a frown. The aura inside of Zhu Qing’s body was in disorder, but it was not likely the cause of her injury. Instead, it seemed more like dissonance in her cultivation. It puzzled him and made him wonder what it was that Zhu Qing encountered in the Frozen Earth to end up facing such an odd crisis. She was a member of the Dragon Clan, after all.
In addition, Zhu Qing’s physical condition was also very bad. She must have stayed in the Frozen Earth for too long, causing her vitality to be drained by the cold. Most of her body was astonishingly weak, and if she was not provided proper treatment soon, she could very well die.
Yang Kai did not dare to delay. Releasing his Divine Sense, he quickly found a nearby cave, lifted Zhu Qing up, and sped over.
The cave was probably left by some beast as a pungent smell remained inside, but it had clearly been abandoned for quite some time. From the looks of it, no living creature had visited this place in years.
In order to avoid any unnecessary disturbances during the treatment process, Yang Kai directly summoned the Sealed World Bead and brought Zhu Qing into it.
In an environment that was beautiful and refreshing like a spring day, Yang Kai laid Zhu Qing flat on the ground before taking out a large handful of Spirit Pills from his Space Ring and prying her mouth open, stuffing them in without a second thought.
Zhu Qing’s current situation was a little tricky to deal with. Under the effects of the Frozen Earth’s cold, her physique had been severely corroded, and the Dragon Essence in her body had somehow been thrown into dissonance. So, if she were to be saved, the chill first had to be forced out of her from the inside. Only then would she be able to bring order to the rioting Dragon Essence inside her body.
Most of the pills Yang Kai had on hand were good-quality Spirit Pills, worth millions of High-Rank Source Crystals, but he still stuffed them into her mouth without reservation.
The effects were naturally remarkable. Under Yang Kai’s assistance, the Spirit Pills’ medicinal efficacies soon came into play. As they travelled through Zhu Qing’s limbs and bones, a biting chill gradually seeped out from her pores, the same cold as the one permeating through the Frozen Earth. As it flowed out from her body, the surrounding vegetation soon withered and died.
Gradually, her cold body regained a trace of warmth and her snow-white face also began to show some signs of vitality.
Yang Kai kept on calling out her name and even broke into her Knowledge Sea with his Divine Sense in an attempt to wake her up.
But despite his efforts, Zhu Qing showed not a shred of reaction. It seemed as if she were unable to detect any sensations from the outside world and both her eyes were tightly shut, as if she had already passed on.
Yang Kai could only constantly circulate his Emperor Qi to ease her out of her current danger.
Yang Kai lost track of how long had passed, but the situation never improved. After the medicinal efficacies of the Emperor Pills wore out, the coldness inside Zhu Qing’s body reared its head again. The cold seemed to have a life of its own and was able to divide and multiply within her body. As long as a trace of it remained, it would flare up again.
Yang Kai withdrew his hand and sighed, staring at her exquisite face, and only after a long bout of hesitation did he make up his mind and grabbed something from the void.
A verdant glow suddenly appeared on his palm, a glow of bright jade green. Even though it was only a glow, it contained an unimaginable surge of vitality.
The essence of the Immortal Tree!
This time, Yang Kai did not pick a leaf of the Immortal Tree directly since there were not many left. If he picked any more, the Immortal tree would become bare. Extracting the essence of the tree this way was sure to cause damage to the Immortal Tree, but Yang Kai did not care because a life was at stake.
“It’s up to your luck now. If this doesn’t bring you back, then your fate must have run its course.” After muttering to himself, Yang Kai pried apart Zhu Qing’s delicate lips and stuffed the green light into her mouth.
The green light turned into a drop of pure green water and rolled down Zhu Qing’s throat, into her belly.
A dazzling light burst out in the next instant as the surface of Zhu Qing’s body was instantly steeped in green, as if glowing moss was growing over it. At the same time, her faint vitality also burst out like a pot of oil splattered over a blazing fire.
*Chi chi chi chi…*
The cold spilled from Zhu Qing’s pores like a flood, melting with the green light on her body, emitting dense sparks of noise.
Yang Kai watched quietly while constantly checking her condition with his Divine Sense.
As time passed, there was less and less cold pouring out of Zhu Qing’s body, and the green light on the surface of her body also gradually weakened. It seemed as if both the cold and the essence of the Immortal Tree were running out of energy.
Meanwhile, Zhu Qing’s flesh also gradually regained its vitality, and her exposed skin was slowly getting rosy.
Yang Kai breathed out a sigh of relief, feeling that his efforts had not been in vain.
When the last trace of coldness was expelled from Zhu Qing’s body, the green light that was enveloping her form also slowly faded away. The essence of the Immortal Tree was not exhausted, but it would now become capital for Zhu Qing when she grew stronger.
She lay on the ground, seemingly able to sleep until the end of time.
Crossing his arms, Yang Kai stood beside her and looked down at her, eyes sweeping from head to toe without restraint. He recalled the time when he held her before and could not help but feel a little excited.
“As expected of a Dragon, such a figure… Tsk tsk.” Yang Kai commented as if he were admiring a work of art. Suddenly, a trace of evil began to surge in his heart. After suffering such a big loss, shouldn’t he collect some interest too?
Anyways, it wasn’t like he’d never done anything frivolous to this girl before. They were strangers in their first meeting, friends the next, and they already knew each other so well by their third meeting. If not for her, he wouldn’t have risked danger to come to the Frozen Earth, much less be swallowed up by the Frozen Tide, now not even sure where he was.
There was even a chance he may not be able to leave here for the rest of his life and would end up with her here to live like birds flying and nestling together, then raising a family of little dragons.
An excited voice was screaming in his mind, telling him to collect interest. He had to collect some interest for all this!
As such a thought sprung up though, Yang Kai realized in shock that his suppressed desires were cropping up again. He hurriedly tried to suppress the urges, but suddenly, he felt an enchantingly soft feeling on his hands.
Looking down, Yang Kai’s mouth couldn’t help but gape in shock.
His two hands had somehow ended up pressed onto the two great peaks on Zhu Qing’s chest. It was exactly that lofty softness and amazing elasticity that made it impossible for him to kneed and massage these mountains a few times.
His nostrils flared up, and Yang Kai could feel the blood boiling in his body. The quiet voice in his mind now began screaming loudly. Eyes locked below Zhu Qing’s slender and fair neck, he gulped. Just like a traveller walking in the desert for months and finally coming across an oasis of fresh water, he wished for nothing more than to dive in.
It was at that moment that the woman in front of him suddenly opened her eyes and stared at Yang Kai with a blank face.
Four eyes suddenly met, and Yang Kai felt as if he had been drenched with a pot of cold water from head to toe. He instantly came back to his senses and with his mouth twitching wildly, he smiled in embarrassment and stuttered, “If I told you that this was a misunderstanding, would you believe me?”
Zhu Qing did not have the slightest response as her clear eyes continued to stare blankly at him.
Yang Kai stood up and pondered for a moment with a frown on his brow before, like a dead pig that did not fear boiling water, he puffed up his chest and declared proudly, “Yes, I touched them, so what? It’s not like they’ll fall off if I touch them. Speaking of which, I saved your life! If I hadn’t gone through the trouble of coming to the Frozen Earth to find you and save you from that predicament, you would have lost your life, so just take what happened as me collecting some payment for services rendered and let’s call us even. What do you think?”
Zhu Qing still did not respond.
Yang Kai was annoyed, “Could you at least give me a reaction?!”
As if in response to Yang Kai’s noisy chatter, Zhu Qing finally gave him a response, but it wasn’t quite as Yang Kai expected. She opened her mouth, and a long groan of pain was emitted from her throat, as if she were going to die. Then, her body curled up abruptly while at the same time, an extremely cold aura radiated from her body.
Yang Kai was shocked, “Still no good?”
Seeing this scene, he was worried that even the essence of the Immortal Tree was unable to dispel the coldness that had encroached into Zhu Qing’s body, but he soon realized that something wasn’t right. This was not the Frozen Earth’s cold. Even though it was cold enough, it was different from the cold from the Frozen Earth. They were not from the same source.
Just as Yang Kai was at a loss, a dragon roar erupted, followed by the illusory phantom of a Great Dragon emerging from Zhu Qing’s body.
“Huh?” Yang Kai looked at the Giant Dragon’s manifestation in a daze and wondered if his eyes were playing tricks on him.
Zhu Qing was a Red Dragon from the Dragon Clan, so her Dragon Source should be the same as Zhu Lie’s. If she were to show her true form, then it would definitely be a vibrant red Great Dragon, but now, the one appearing before Yang Kai’s eyes actually turned out to be a crystalline snow-white Dragon’s phantom.
No matter how he looked at it, the Great Dragon looked just like a vivid ice sculpture, a masterpiece without the slightest flaw; however, it was completely different from a Red Dragon. This was an Ice Dragon, and the chill emanating from Zhu Qing’s body was precisely matching this Ice Dragon’s aura.
Yang Kai wondered if he was mistaken. He wondered if Zhu Qing had any twin sisters or something. There could be similarities in appearance, but as Dragons, their Source Strength couldn’t be mistaken.
At that moment, another high-pitched dragon roar erupted.
When Yang Kai looked over, he saw the expected Red Dragon’s phantom emerging, and this second Great Dragon actually came out from Zhu Qing’s body as well.
Yang Kai’s expression changed as all kinds of thoughts flashed through his mind and he instantly understood many things.
“Two Sources?”
There were actually two Sources inside of Zhu Qing’s body, and they were both of different attributes! The Red Dragon that emerged after was clearly Zhu Qing’s own Source, while the Ice Dragon that appeared before that was just an invader. The reason why Zhu Qing’s Dragon Essence was in a state of dissonance was because of the two Source Strengths clashing with each other inside her body.
Even though Yang Kai checked her condition earlier, he overlooked this point, not because he didn’t check carefully enough, but because this Source was hidden too deeply, and with the severe damage to her body, he ended up neglecting it.
No wonder Zhu Qing was still not awake despite her body recovering. It turned out the problem was not with her physical body, but rather with the battle between the two Sources.
The next question, however, was where did this Ice Dragon Source come from?
A normal Dragon Clan member couldn’t have two Sources, and especially two diametrically opposed Source Strengths. Ice and Fire simply could not coexist in one body. If these two Sources had naturally formed inside Zhu Qing long ago, she likely wouldn’t have made it till today.
In a flash, a bold guess emerged in Yang Kai’s mind.
The Ice Dragon Source could have been the one left behind by the Great Dragon who died in the Frozen Earth.
The reason why Zhu Qing came to the Frozen Earth was not so she could seek out the remains of her fallen clansman. Li Jiao had said clearly back then that the Great Dragon’s bones had long withered away without anything left behind. The reason why Zhu Qing insisted on coming here was so she could bring back the Source left behind by her fallen clansman.
It seemed now that she had found it, but ended up becoming impaired by the Ice Dragon Source.
Sources had no sentience of their own, it was essentially just a mass of power with the lowest level of instinct. As two powers attempted to coexist in Zhu Qing’s body, they greatly repelled and confronted each other naturally. With Zhu Qing’s body as the battlefield, the two Sources fought each other endlessly.
Yang Kai could not see this internal battle unless the two powers directly revealed themselves as they did in front of him now.
While he was still taken aback by the situation, the two Great Dragons roared again in unison and disappeared back into Zhu Qing’s body.
Zhu Qing wailed in pain. At the moment, she had fallen completely unconscious, and even the way she opened her eyes earlier was not a conscious effort, but rather an instinctive reaction.
A thin layer of ice could be seen forming over Zhu Qing’s body as a trace of cold seeped out from her body, seemingly intent on freezing her completely.
But very soon, a burning aura rose up, lashing out at the coldness, shattering the ice. This caused Zhu Qing’s entire body to burn as if it were on fire. Her skin had become red and hot. Even the ground she was laying on was scorched.
Zhu Qing’s moans seemed to grow more and more painful as the two forces appeared alternatively in a cycle that seemed to go on and on.
Yang Kai was at a loss as he had no idea what to do at this point.
If it were just an injury, then it wouldn’t matter how severe it was, he would have a way to solve it, but Zhu Qing had been saved by the Immortal Tree’s essence, so there weren’t any real physical traumas left. The problem now was the two competing Sources.
Her body, which had been turned into a battlefield, was bound to be damaged severely.
Source versus Source… Yang Kai’s eyes lit up as he quickly stepped forward and picked Zhu Qing up again, propping her against his body. Then, he silently circulated the Golden Divine Dragon Source Strength in his body.
The phantom of a dazzling Golden Dragon appeared behind him before disappearing into his body in a flash.
The temperature of Zhu Qing’s body changed quickly. One moment it was as hot as fire, but then it became icy cold the next as if it had just been fished up from a world of ice and snow.
When the aura of the Golden Divine Dragon Source revealed itself though, the alternating speed between hot and cold slowed down instantly.
[It works!] Yang Kai was ecstatic. He was just trying to see whether his Golden Divine Dragon Source would be able to suppress the conflict somehow, and now it seemed it was effective.
Right now, the most important thing was to wake Zhu Qing up. Only when she was awake would she be able to fully activate her Source Strength and suppress the Ice Dragon’s Source, either driving it away or exterminating it.
So, gritting his teeth, Yang Kai circulated his Spiritual Energy and was just about to act when Zhu Qing suddenly turned around and clung to him in a tight embrace. Seemingly having savoured the sweetness of relief, the aura coming from Yang Kai’s body caused Zhu Qing to make a subconscious reaction.
Zhu Qing’s body may be small and delicate, but she was a member of the Dragon Clan after all, so her raw strength was no lesser than Yang Kai’s. When they first met, Yang Kai had already experienced how immense her power was.
While she clutched onto him, Yang Kai almost felt as if his body was going to be snapped in half and even his face was starting to become blue.
However, the soft feeling around his chest made his heart flutter.
Things didn’t end there though as Zhu Qing actually began to rub her body up against his like a puppy, constantly sniffing his fragrance as strange noises began to leak from her lips. It seemed as if she had found a delicious meal and was eager to dig into the feast.
As if struck by lightning, Yang Kai’s body stiffened in an instant. He was only brought back to his senses by a burst of pain coming from his chest. Angrily, he pried Zhu Qing’s head away, holding her at a distance with his palms as he hissed, “What are you, a dog? What did you bite me for!”
Zhu Qing’s eyes looked unfocused, and they were covered in a strange glow. Her breathing had also somehow become hurried and Yang Kai could clearly feel that the breath coming out from her nostrils was burning hot. The exquisite delicateness of her features was exuding a charm that made it so one could not help but approach it like a moth to a flame.
It felt as if ten thousand ants were crawling around Yang Kai’s heart, so itchy he found it hard to restrain himself.
Zhu Qing opened her mouth once more, sinking her white teeth onto the hollow of Yang Kai’s thumb. It was a forceful bite that left a mark on his skin and drew Golden Blood from the wound.
His blood was just like the greatest delicacy in the world to her, and Zhu Qing devoured it in large gulps, her dainty and warm tongue actually lapping at Yang Kai’s palm, sending shivers through his body.
Yang Kai had originally thought of retracting his hand, but he suddenly thought it would be a pity if she were to stop.
But very quickly, Yang Kai discovered something strange. After swallowing his blood, Zhu Qing’s condition seemed to have improved a lot. The frequency of the alternating hot and cold flashes slowed more and more. Moreover, the icy aura only lasted for a fleeting moment before it was suppressed by the fiery heat.
His blood seemed to be of great help to her current state!
After a moment of contemplation, Yang Kai vaguely understood something.
Though he was born Human, his body had begun truly merging with the Golden Divine Dragon Source ever since he began cultivating the Dragon Transformation Secret Art. In other words, the blood flowing through his body was not merely that of an ordinary Human, but also that of a Dragon. What’s more, it was the bloodline of an extremely high ranking Dragon.
The Masters among the Dragon Clan’s bloodline had a strong suppressive ability towards those weaker than them.
If the aura of the Golden Divine Dragon Source could help ease Zhu Qing out of danger, then his own half-Dragon blood would naturally have an even greater effect. It was no wonder why Zhu Qing bit him, it must have been because she had realized this fact that she did such a thing.
Of course, Yang Kai could have broken free from her, but he just stood there and allowed Zhu Qing to drink his blood.
Zhu Qing was still in a muddled state and her consciousness was not restored. Her hazy eyes were filled with seductive charm and while gulping down Yang Kai’s blood, her deft tongue was constantly drawing circles around his palm.
Yang Kai’s body was about to explode with wicked thoughts. He had to try desperately to suppress them and maintain his calm. He turned away from Zhu Qing’s eyes, and he stopped paying attention to the numb feeling coming from his palm for fear of an accident breaking out.
It was not known how long had passed when he suddenly felt Zhu Qing let go of his hand.
Opening his eyes, the first thing he saw was Zhu Qing, who was looking red-faced at him. He quickly asked in pleasant surprise, “Are you better now?”
He could see that Zhu Qing must have regained consciousness now because the signals he got from her eyes were different from before.
In response, he received a Dragon Clan’s Secret Technique. Zhu Qing opened her mouth and an arrow of blood was shot out. The blood belonged to Zhu Qing herself as it was crimson in colour, like a burning flame. Mid-air, her dragon blood transformed into a strangely-looking talisman seal that stuck on Yang Kai’s forehead.
Bewildered, Yang Kai fell straight down.
This Dragon Clan Secret Technique seemed to have an extremely strong binding power, so much so that Yang Kai was unable to move even a finger. Surprised, he tried to circulate his Golden Divine Dragon Source Strength by instinct.
The Dragon Clan Secret Technique that Zhu Qing performed may be strong, but Yang Kai believed that he should be able to break free from it using the suppression of his Golden Divine Dragon Source. He had only been taken by surprise earlier as he never expected her to make a move against him.
But before he could make a move, he froze up once again, because a fragrance suddenly wafted over. Zhu Qing was kneeling between his legs, both hands on his chest, staring at him from above. Her fiery red hair was draped over her smooth back like the finest silk, and the way it covered her perfect bottom only served to add to her fascinating charm.
Her breathing was rapid, as if she were about to die from hyperventilation, and her towering peaks were constantly rising and falling, swaying with her body in soul-stirring arches.
The fragrance that made Yang Kai feel restless was growing stronger and stronger, as if it was being emitted from each and every one of Zhu Qing’s pores, trying to fill the world around them.
Her long lashes were trembling. She was clearly nervous, but her big eyes were just like a stirred pond. He could see the desperate struggle and unrest within.
“What… are you doing?” As soon as the question left his mouth, Yang Kai realized how stupid it was.
He recognized those eyes. Naturally, they were the eyes of a starved beast. Long ago, Shan Qing Luo would often show him a similar look.
It felt like his blood had been set alight in an instant. The meridians inside his body had begun to boil and it was as if the evil thoughts he had been suppressing desperately finally found a place to vent, burning away his reason.
With force, the delicate hands on his chest ripped away his clothes.
Yang Kai drew a sharp breath, opened his mouth, but no words came out.
Their clothes were quickly sent into disarray as the fabric covering their bodies was soon turned to shreds that danced in the air. A strange noise was constantly being emitted from Zhu Qing’s throat while she straddled Yang Kai with her hot tender body, squirming restlessly.
She knew what she wanted, but she had never experienced this feeling before, so it took her a long time before she was able to get the hang of it.
Her fair body arched down, teeth biting lightly against her red lips, her brow furrowed into a frown.
Yang Kai closed his eyes and spread his arms apart, grasping at the grass around him, whispering, “It’s my first time, be gentle…”
Zhu Qing’s suddenly pounced, snow-white skin flushing an abnormal red. She threw her head back as if she were suffocating, hair cascading down like a waterfall. She made no response for a while, and only after a long time did she let out a roar that tore the heart and rent the lungs.
Yang Kai also hissed, feeling as if he had fallen into a pit of lava. An unimaginable heat was wrapping him up from all directions, seemingly trying to melt him.
He had never experienced such a feeling in his life, and it gave him an indescribable sense of thrill.
Inside the Sealed World Bead, with the Heavens as their quilt and the Earth their bed, they lay with dishevelled hair and interlocked fingers, asking not for a lifetime of glory or wealth, nor the company of each other in the next life. When desires are laid bare, who could be blamed?
Amidst a gentle spring breeze, the sweet charm and soft whispers, the bits and pieces of what happened last night felt just like a dream.
Long eyelashes quivering, Zhu Qing slowly opened her eyes to see another pair in front of her that was filled with amusement.
The man who appeared in her dream was lying on the grass, pillowing his head with his arms and looking up at her with a smile. His eyes were filled with a mysterious light while she actually turned out to be lying on top of his body; as for how long she had been sleeping there, that was impossible to say.
Without a single article of clothing, they could feel the warmth of each other’s skin through their naked bodies.
Zhu Qing couldn’t help but scream and scrambled to get up.
But as soon as she moved, she fell back down again. She clutched her underbelly involuntarily, feeling so much pain that sweat covered her forehead.
“Don’t move!” Yang Kai reached his arms behind her waist, hands moving unreservedly over her bare back and waist.
Zhu Qing let out a stifled grunt whilst a fiery red crawled up her cheeks like two sunset clouds. The intimate touch and caress between two of the opposite sex caused her to feel limp and unable to exert any strength.
“What did you do to me?” She asked through clenched teeth, tears welling in her eyes.
“Hey…” Yang Kai’s hands stopped. Whether intentional or not, they just happened to stop on her perky round bottom, and he asked with a sulk, “That’s not the right question to be asking, is it? Don’t you remember what you yourself did?”
“I…” Zhu Qing’s mouth gaped and her expression changed. As the scene inside her dream gradually became clear, the rosiness of her cheek slowly receded and her tender body couldn’t help but tremble.
She remembered. All the memories from before were slowly coming back to her.
She came to the Frozen Earth and found the fallen Great Dragon’s Source, but an accident occurred when she was collecting it. For some reason, the Ice Dragon Source refused to cooperate with her and fled deeper into the Frozen Earth. Her pursuit came with many hardships and she finally caught up to it, but just as she was about to subdue it, the Ice Dragon Source rushed into her body instead and began clashing with her own Source.
She had no choice but to find a quiet place to resolve this crisis. If there had been no interference, then she would have been fine.
However, a sudden disaster disrupted her plans. She felt a terrible force approaching, and before she could escape, she was plunged into darkness.
Then, everything went on just as it did in her dream.
“Your blood!” Zhu Qing figured it all out.
“What?” Yang Kai asked.
Zhu Qing gritted her teeth with tears rolling down her cheeks, “Why is there so much wickedness and obscenity in your blood? What do you think about all day?” If she hadn’t drank his blood and become affected by his evil thoughts, then how could she possibly have done such shameless things as what she did in her dream?
“So now it’s my fault?” Yang Kai was speechless, “I didn’t ask you to drink it. You were the one who bit me and wouldn’t let go. I was…”
“I’ll kill you!” Zhu Qing was about to attack him as soon as she said that, but with just a slight movement, the pain from her lower abdomen would flare up again. She was simply unable to bring up any of her power.
Seems like they went a little overboard yesterday…
Yang Kai snickered, “You’ve had your meal and now you don’t want to pay the bill? And you’re even trying to kill me? It’s the first time I’ve ever seen a woman like you!”
As he said that, he flipped Zhu Qing over and with some light force, held himself up with two hands on each side of her.
Zhu Qing looked nervously at him and asked in a trembling voice, “W-W-What… What are you doing?” His aggressive posture made her uneasy and kept her from putting on the airs of a Dragon Clan member.
Yang Kai rested a hand on her belly, stroking it gently as he poured his Emperor Qi into her body through his palm, easing her discomfort.
“It’s a first for both of us so it’s inevitable that we don’t know restraint. Things will get better once we slowly familiarize ourselves with this in the future. En, I don’t know what you think about this situation, but what’s done is done, so there’s no use complaining about it. Look at me, even though I’m a Human, I’m not bad, right? I’ve been looking at myself for several dozen years, and the more I look at myself, the more handsome I become. But you… Even though your temper isn’t very good, it’s not so bad either. So, can’t we be a little more accommodating to each other? Everything must have a beginning and an end after all.”
His serious look made Zhu Qing feel a little lost in thought for a moment.
Ever since she met Yang Kai, it was the first time Zhu Qing had ever seen such an expression on his face. The hand caressing her lower reaches also seemed to have some amazing power that could break through all her rigid defences and cause endless ripples in her heart, making it impossible for her to think calmly.
“You… want to take responsibility?” Zhu Qing also had no idea why but she couldn’t muster up any anger and instead asked him in a soft voice.
“No no no, you’re the one who should be responsible for me!” Yang Kai argued in earnest.
This answer was both hilarious and aggravating to Zhu Qing, so she did her best to put on a cold face, “Why should I take responsibility for you? Who do you think you are?”
Yang Kai did not answer, but instead asked, “Are you feeling better now?”
“Much better.” Zhu Qing nodded, but abruptly realizing that the topic had been steered away, she couldn’t help but glare at him.
Yang Kai began again, “Do you want to… try it again?”
The topic was changing a little quickly, and all the momentum Zhu Qing had gathered up earlier suddenly dissipated. The warmth in her underbelly was spreading like a wildfire, quickly spreading out and causing her entire body to heat up.
Her long eyelashes quivered, and before Zhu Qing could give any answers, Yang Kai had already let out a shout, got on his horse, raised his spear, and charged into the city. Soon, the defenders of the siege had tossed away their helmets and armour and were pleading for mercy.
……
Half a day later, Zhu Qing lay on the ground with her face looking as if she’d lost her soul. She was just like a living corpse with her hair in disarray, and she heaved, “Please, let me put on my clothes.”
“I’ll help you!” Yang Kai grinned widely.
“No! That’s what you said earlier. I’ll never trust you again!”
“It’s true this time, I promise.”
“Don’t lie to me again.”
“No more lies, absolutely.”
…..
A day later, Zhu Qing lay curled up in Yang Kai’s arms, as quiet as a sleeping kitten, breathing softly. Suddenly, she said, “The future is still far. Let’s end this session here.”
“En,” Yang Kai responded.
“Let go of me. I’m getting dressed.”
“En.”
“What do I have to do before you’ll let me go?”
“One more time!”
“The last time?”
“The last time!”
…..
Another day and many ‘last times’ later, the pair finally cleaned their bodies and dressed themselves.
Zhu Qing still felt a bit of discomfort inside her as she sat quietly on the ground, combing her long hair while facing the clear pool of water in front of her. The mirroring figure in the water seemed a little melancholic, but her delicate brows could not help but rise a little.
Yang Kai stretched his body and a crackle sounded through all his joints. He could feel an indescribable sense of relief going through his being now. Looking down at the person in front of him, he reached his arms out to her and gently encircled her body from behind.
Zhu Qing’s body trembled faintly, but when she realized that Yang Kai showed no signs of taking advantage of her and only buried his face in her hair, breathing in deeply, she relaxed.
“How many?” Zhu Qing suddenly asked.
Yang Kai nuzzled his chin against her shoulder and looked at the figure reflected in the pool of water, asking blankly, “What do you mean how many?”
Zhu Qing sighed, “How many were there before me?”
“You’re the first. Didn’t I tell you before?” Yang Kai answered her in a serious manner.
Zhu Qing scoffed, “With all the tricks you have, you can’t tell me you learned all of that by playing with yourself, right? What’s more… After what happened these past few days, do you think I’d trust you so easily?”
Yang Kai said with a sad face, “We’re already so close, why can’t you trust me? That makes me sad.”
Zhu Qing pinched the hand that was slowly moving towards her chest and turned her head around with a cold smile on her lips, “You have one chance to be honest with me. Think it over before you answer.”
Yang Kai blinked his eyes, looking at the delicate face so close to him, and immediately moved in for a kiss.
“Hey… you bastard!” Zhu Qing tried to struggle, but the force of her hand grew smaller rapidly.
The clothes they had just neatly put on were thrown into disarray again.
……
“I’ve really had enough of you,” Zhu Qing, who had dressed herself once more, complained. Seeing that Yang Kai still wanted to come over, she quickly pointed at him, “You’re not allowed to get close to me for ten days. Otherwise, I’m cutting you off and we’ll never meet again until our deaths.”
“Alright, alright,” Yang Kai raised his hands up and surrendered, “No need to be so nervous. I won’t get close to you.”
Zhu Qing furrowed her brows, sulking by herself for a while before her face cleared up again.
In fact, she was angrier with herself than with him. To think she could hardly even think of resisting this man whom she was having skin-to-skin contact with for the first time. A member of the Dragon Clan shouldn’t be taken advantage of like this!
“I won’t ask about the past, but the future… No one can say what’s going to happen. You have to do what you have to do, but I have only one request. If I don’t consent, do not use force on me.” Zhu Qing eyed Yang Kai with a serious face.
Yang Kai nodded, “I’ll do whatever you say.”
The bit of grievance in Zhu Qing’s heart instantly disappeared.
“How are you feeling now? That Ice Dragon Source won’t cause any more danger, right?” Yang Kai asked with concern.
Even though Zhu Qing’s condition had been stable for the past few days, the Ice Dragon Source was still inside her body after all, and they had no choice but to keep their guards up.
“It’s fine now. I’ve already suppressed the Ice Dragon Source. It will be put in the Dragon Tomb once I return to Dragon Island.” A blush suddenly appeared on Zhu Qing’s cheeks, which puzzled Yang Kai.
After a pause, she asked, “Did you come especially to find me?”
Yang Kai answered, “What else would I run over to the Frozen Earth for? This damned place is really worthy of being called the most dangerous Forbidden Zone in the Star Boundary. If I hadn’t been as lucky, who knows how long it would have taken for me to find you.”
He spoke casually, but a sweet feeling suddenly welled up in Zhu Qing, filling her chest with warmth.
“Oh, by the way, your younger brother is here, too.”
Zhu Qing frowned, “My younger brother? Zhu Lie?”
“Yeah, that little brat. If he hadn’t used a Dragon Clan Secret Technique, then I would never have been able to find you.”
“He didn’t ask you to go to Dragon Island with him?”
Yang Kai snorted, “He tried to, but he became much more obedient after I’d taught him a good lesson. The little brat is fierce, but his strength isn’t much. I, your husband, beat him crawling in just a few hits.”
“What… What husband!” Zhu Qing’s face reddened instantly and she couldn’t help but glare at him with an appearance filled with fascinating charm.
Yang Kai once again found himself gazing wolfishly at her.
Having a bad premonition, Zhu Qing quickly changed the subject, “So where is he now?”
Yang Kai shook his head, “I don’t know. We were all caught by the Frozen Tide when it came and brought us into a Sealed World. I also got separated from him then, but he should not be in any danger, so no need to worry about him.”
“A Sealed World!” Zhu Qing was shocked. She recalled the hazy feeling she had before and realized now that the feeling of being caught up in an overpowering crisis was her being sucked into a Sealed World. Looking around, she asked, “Is this the Sealed World? It actually looks quite pleasant.”
The Sealed World Bead was beautiful and refreshing like a spring day with abundant World Energy, so it was a nice place, especially after Yang Kai’s trip to the Five Coloured Treasure Pagoda which fundamentally changed this Sealed World. This was a completely Self-Contained World, one with a perfect set of World Principles, a true paradise.
“Haha.”
Yang Kai shook his head while chuckling, “This isn’t that Sealed World, this is a different one. One that belongs to me… Hm?”
Suddenly, he turned his head towards a certain direction as if he’d discovered something unusual.
Zhu Qing asked, “What’s wrong?”
Yang Kai pondered for a moment before saying, “I have something interesting to show you.”
He suddenly grabbed towards a direction. Zhu Qing was watching wide-eyed in curiosity when a pitch-black object that resembled a puppy suddenly appeared in front of her eyes.
When the little puppy appeared, it barked a few times, seemingly out of fright, but its tail was wagging and filled with energy. Its weak appearance from before had completely disappeared.
“Where’d this little demon come from? It’s so ugly.” Zhu Qing gazed at the black puppy, then she glanced at Yang Kai, teasing, “Just like you.”
Yang Kai shook his head, “It’s no ordinary little demon.”
“What’s so special about it?” Zhu Qing frowned.
“You’re a member of the Dragon Clan, so if you examine it carefully…” Yang Kai said while lifting up the black puppy to his face.
After hearing Yang Kai’s voice, the black puppy seemed to have settled down. It stared at him with its black eyes, panting with a fawning expression, its saliva flowing down its big tongue, looking incredibly mangy.
Zhu Qing finally noticed something unusual and said hesitantly, “It seems to have some sort of powerful bloodline. It’s just not very pure though.”
The Dragon Clan’s core was its bloodline, so their knowledge on the subject was naturally quite profound. After having its Abyssal Returner bloodline awoken by Gong Yue’s Secret Technique, some traces were left behind in the black puppy, which was what Zhu Qing discovered its bloodline from.
“It’s a descendant of a Demon Beast, the Abyssal Returner. Heard of it?” Yang Kai asked.
Zhu Qing shook her head, confused.
“It was my first time hearing about it too, but I’ve seen how powerful it is first hand,” while speaking, Yang Kai shook the black puppy, “Little brat, show us your skills.”
“Wang wang!”
“Don’t play dumb. Do that same move you did before. The one where your mouth opens up all of a sudden. If you dare refuse, I’ll cook you into a stew and eat you!”
“Wang wang!”
Zhu Qing palmed her forehead, “Its sentience hasn’t opened yet. With such low sentience, it wouldn’t understand if you talk to it that way.”
Yang Kai smiled deviously, “Whether it understands or not, it knows in its heart, but… Forget it, if you don’t get it, then you don’t get it. You’re quite the lucky one aren’t you, you actually survived.”
Saying so, Yang Kai let go. At once, the black puppy fell to the ground. Turning its head to look at Yang Kai, then at Zhu Qing, it plodded to Yang Kai’s feet and laid down.
Zhu Qing covered her mouth and laughed, “It seems to like you.”
“It’s just acting cute!” Yang Kai kicked the little puppy, but it remained unmoved.
Yang Kai ignored it and looked up at Zhu Qing, “Let’s get out of here first. We have to find out what this place is. Who knows whether we’ll be able to return to the Star Boundary or not.”
“It’s not that serious, right? Aren’t you proficient in the Dao of Space?” Zhu Qing felt that Yang Kai was exaggerating the situation, but she didn’t feel any sense of crisis at all. She felt that as long as she was with this man, she would be fine regardless of where she was.
Yang Kai grinned and with a thought, he brought Zhu Qing out of the Small Sealed World with him.
When they returned back to the cave, Yang Kai looked at Zhu Qing with amusement, “Want me to carry you on my back? Who knows what sort of place this is? We have to find out whether there are people here or not and try to get some information.”
Zhu Qing blushed, “I’m not that weak.”
As she spoke, she took the lead and walked out of the cave. Even though she walked at a light pace, she seemed to be frowning after each step.
Yang Kai grinned mischievously before suddenly frowning and muttering “You’re so annoying.”
Zhu Qing’s tender body quivered as her beautiful face lost colour, “You’re finding me annoying so soon?”
Yang Kai quickly explained, “No no, I’m not talking about you, I’m talking about this guy.”
At the end of his sentence, a bark emerged. The black puppy had been thrown out of the Sealed World Bead and began barking angrily at Yang Kai as soon as it reached the ground, seemingly asking why Yang Kai didn’t take it with him.
“Alright, alright, stop barking. If you keep barking, I’m tossing you back inside!” Yang Kai threatened it with an impatient expression.
The black puppy’s barking stopped abruptly and then it ran out in a flash, passing Zhu Qing, being the first to rush out of the cave. From then on, as high as the skies were tall and as far as the seas were wide, the puppy was free to roam around.
Zhu Qing couldn’t help but breathe a sigh of relief. Yang Kai came over and embraced her, drawing a slight struggle that did not persist long.
As soon as they came out of the cave, they were greeted with a world covered in white. At first glance, it didn’t look much different from the Frozen Earth, but both Yang Kai and Zhu Qing knew it was not.
That was because the cold that even the two of them could not resist did not exist here.
“Wang wang!” The black puppy’s barking suddenly rang out, seemingly in a panic as if something terrible had happened.
Yang Kai scanned the area with his Divine Sense, and he soon showed a look of pleasant surprise. No doubt Zhu Qing sensed it too, and since she wasn’t used to being so intimate with Yang Kai in front of people, she quietly put some distance between them.
A black shadow flashed by as the black puppy returned.
Two figures followed behind it, one man and one woman, both emitting strong auras from their bodies.
When they saw Yang Kai and Zhu Qing, the man and woman were clearly shocked. That was because they clearly did not detect the aura of any living people despite carefully checking this area before. They had no idea when these two people had appeared.
If they were enemies… Both of them let out a cold sweat inwardly.
The black puppy swiftly hid behind Yang Kai.
Yang Kai went up to them and cupped his fists, “Greetings, two friends.”
The cultivations of the man and woman weren’t bad, but they were only Dao Source Realm, so Yang Kai did not pay them too much mind. Only, since it was a rare encounter with living people in this area, he naturally wanted to quickly get some information from them.
The man and woman looked at each other before the man cupped his fists in return, frowning, “Is this little beast owned by the two of you?”
As a Dao Source Realm cultivator, his face did not change despite facing an Emperor Realm Master like Yang Kai. Instead, there was a questioning look on his face which made Yang Kai raise his brow in surprise. Such a thing was not common in the Star Boundary unless the other person had some strong background. From the way these two were dressed, they didn’t seem like the important type. They just looked like ordinary cultivators.
As a newcomer though, Yang Kai decided to do as the locals did and smiled and nodded, “That’s right. Ah Wang’s sentience hasn’t opened yet so he’s a bit naughty. If he offended you, then I must beg for your pardon.”
The man shook his head before he swept his Divine Sense past Yang Kai to examine the black puppy for a while before saying, “I must have seen wrong. It did not offend me or my wife. It was just a misunderstanding. May I ask who you are?”
“Yang Kai!” In this foreign land, there was no need for him to hide his name.
Right at that moment, the woman who had been standing beside the man quietly sent him a Divine Sense message. The man looked stunned for a moment before looking at Yang Kai in amazement, “Are the two of you from outside?”
If not for his wife, then he would likely have missed this point. That was because the two people in front of him were dressed slightly differently from themselves.
Yang Kai smiled bitterly, “Indeed, we are from the outside.”
The man nodded, “It has been a long time since someone new has come in. It seems like your luck is not so good.”
“I was just about to ask. What exactly is this place?” Yang Kai asked solemnly.
The man explained, “This place is called Revolving World.”
“Revolving World?” Yang Kai frowned, but just as he was about to ask more questions, the man hurriedly said, “If you want to live, then come with me. There’s not much time left.”
“Not much time?” Yang Kai was stunned.
The man did not have any intention to explain though and after his statement, he turned around and flew off in another direction. His expression looked quite anxious.
It was the first time Yang Kai had met a Dao Source Realm cultivator with such a curt temper. Not only was he able to speak so confidently in front of an Emperor Realm Master, he even kept an aloof attitude with him, but at the very least, he was a clue, so Yang Kai couldn’t just break off with him. After exchanging glances with Zhu Qing, the pair immediately followed.
Since both of them were strong, they naturally weren’t afraid of meagre Dao Source Realm cultivators plotting against them.
In a flash, they began following the couple while the black puppy nimbly bit onto Yang Kai’s clothes and followed him around without letting go, trying its best not to be thrown off. Despite the strong winds, it still didn’t loosen its jaw.
Seeing how pitiful it looked, Zhu Qing fished it over.
Quick as lightning, the group of four soon came to a certain mountain. At first glance, it didn’t seem like much, but upon closer inspection, there were traces of some Secret Technique left on the wall in front of them.
The man in the lead took out a mirror and shot out a profound light onto the wall.
At once, a cave large enough for two people to pass through appeared.
Only after the group of four entered the cave passage did the man and woman exhale gently, seemingly relieved.
Yang Kai asked curiously, “Why are we in such a hurry?”
The man led the way while explaining, “Because soon, the World Principles will change. That is when the Demons will come out and it becomes very dangerous outside. No one will be able to survive in that environment.”
“The World Principles will change?” Yang Kai was shocked, wondering if he had misheard him.
World Principles were what made a world a world, the fundamental laws and building blocks of everything that existed, it was simply impossible for them to ‘change’ in such a short amount of time, unless the end of the world was coming. And yet, the way this man spoke sounded absolutely certain, very much unlike a lie. Nevertheless, it was simply too hard to believe.
“Hurry up, what are you still dawdling over there for?”
A shout suddenly came from the depths of the cave. Yang Kai raised his brow as he didn’t think there would actually be people inside this cave.
After hearing the man’s urging, the couple hurriedly went deeper into the cave. Shooting a glance at Zhu Qing, Yang Kai quickly followed them.
A small light was lit, and within a not so spacious stone room, a middle-aged man stood with a gloomy look on his face, seemingly waiting for something.
“Liao Guan Shi.” The man who led Yang Kai here went up to him and cupped his fists to salute the man in a respectful manner.
Meanwhile, that Liao Guan Shi didn’t even look at him and was just staring curiously at Yang Kai and Zhu Qing who had followed the couple in before asking in surprise, “Why are there two extra people? Where did they come from? They don’t look very familiar.”
The man responded, “They seem to have strayed in from the outside world and happened to run into us, so we brought them here as well.”
“From the outside?” Liao Guan Shi clicked his tongue in awe. He continued observing the two unfamiliar faces. When he looked at Yang Kai, he showed no special reaction, but when his eyes steered to Zhu Qing, they couldn’t help but light up, revealing a look of interest.
Zhu Qing was a natural beauty, and after receiving the nourishment of the dew during the past few days, she was currently at her most tender and beautiful state, so she appeared especially charming.
Zhu Qing wore her usual cold expression on her face, but even though she did not like being stared at in such a way, she did not get angry. Yang Kai’s body moved in front of her at that moment, blocking the man’s view.
Liao Guan Shi coldly snorted, looking unhappy, “These outsiders not knowing the rules is acceptable.” He raised his head to the man, “But it can’t be that the two of you don’t either, can it?”
The man quickly answered, “I will be troubling Liao Guan Shi.”
Only then did Liao Guan Shi’s face clear up a little before beckoning the couple over.
After both of them stepped forward, Liao Guan Shi suddenly began chanting under his breath and circulating the energy in his body. Then, fingers erected like a sword, he tapped several points on the man’s body in mid-air.
Yang Kai was stunned at this, because he actually saw some traces of a Shamanic Spell in this Liao Guan Shi’s techniques. Curiosity piqued, he couldn’t help but observe carefully.
In just a short while, a complicated seal suddenly appeared in the air. Liao Guan Shi struck his palm out, and the seal was thrust into the man’s body. The seal seemed to have other purposes and was not an attack. After his figure swayed slightly, the man was fine.
When it was the woman’s turn, there was a rare smile on Liao Guan Shi’s cold face. Instead, it was the woman who had a nervous look on her face. She glanced at her husband, as if pleading for help.
The man slowly shook his head and lowered his gaze.
Liao Guan Shi did the same thing to her, but this time, his hands were a little less well-mannered. When he was pointing out the spots with his fingers, he would touch the woman’s body from time to time, and when his fingers brushed past the woman’s full peaks, it caused her tender body to shudder.
The man ignored all this and stood to the side, watching them without turning his gaze away.
Liao Guan Shi was now in a joyful mood and the movements of his hand grew more and more unruly, causing the woman’s face to look more and more terrible, yet she had no choice but to endure it.
In just a short while, another seal was drawn and Liao Guan Shi thrust it into the woman’s body a little reluctantly before leisurely withdrawing his hand. Only then did the woman’s stiff body relax and she glanced at her husband with a look of chagrin.
Turning his head to Yang Kai, Liao Guan Shi’s face immediately cooled down, “Since you come from the outside, let me tell you about the rules here.”
Yang Kai looked at him with a smile, “Please enlighten me.”
Liao Guan Shi explained, “In a moment, the World Principles will change. Other than the Human Imperial City, there will be no safe place in the entire Revolving World. So, if you want to live, then you have to go to Human Imperial City. Got that?”
“Understood. We must head to Human Imperial City!” Yang Kai looked enlightened.
Liao Guan Shi continued, “And, if you wish to enter Human Imperial City, then you must receive the Human Sovereign Seal from this Guan Shi. Only those with the Human Sovereign Seal can be transported to Human Imperial City through the array. So, there is only one rule in this place… The Heavens and the Earth are great, but this Guan Shi is the greatest!”
Liao Guan Shi swung his sleeves and stood with his hands crossed behind his back, shouting, “This Guan Shi asks you, do you want to live or die?”
Yang Kai smiled, “Naturally, if I can live then I want to live.”
Liao Guan Shi nodded, “Seems you’re a student who can be taught. Come, let me apply the Human Sovereign Seal to you.”
Yang Kai stepped forward, but Liao Guan Shi waved him away with a repugnant look, “Women first. You stand aside.”
Yang Kai frowned and did not insist. As he stood aside, he said, “I must ask Liao Guan Shi to please be careful. My wife’s temper is not very good.”
Liao Guan Shi coldly snorted, “She better be smart if she wants to live!”
After saying that, he began chanting another spell. Fingers forming a blade, he tapped several points in front of Zhu Qing’s body, seemingly drawing something in mid-air. At first, his hands were still behaving, but in just a moment, the movements of his hand grew wider, and when he swung his fingers next, they brushed right over Zhu Qing’s chest, and his expression that instant also swelled with excitement. He was clearly anticipating something.
Zhu Qing suddenly looked up and glared coldly at him.
Liao Guan Shi was taken aback, but the movements of his fingers did not stop. It seemed he fully intended to take advantage of this situation.
“Wang!”
“Ah!”
A bark and a man’s scream broke out at the same time. The black puppy that had been in Zhu Qing’s arms the whole time suddenly opened its mouth and bit Liao Guan Shi’s hand. Even though its mouth was clearly not very big, it was able to swallow Liao Guan Shi’s entire hand, its sharp teeth sinking deep into his wrist, drawing a spray of fresh blood.
Liao Guan Shi howled in pain, but the black puppy refused to let go. It shook its head left and right, seemingly trying to bite the man’s hand off while a threatening growl was emitted from its mouth.
“Let go! Let go of me! This little beast is courting death!!” Liao Guan Shi cursed angrily, but he could not break free. Out of desperation, he slapped a palm fiercely towards the black puppy, and as energy fluctuated, rumbling thunder and flashing lightning emerged in the cave.
Flicking his wrist gently, Yang Kai released a burst of Emperor Qi.
Liao Guan Shi let out another miserable howl and his extended arm dropped limply.
“You… How dare you attack me!” Liao Guan Shi turned his head to glare in hatred at Yang Kai, grinding his teeth and hissing. It had been a long time since he encountered such a thing. He had always been the one to order people around and act as he pleased. He never expected to actually kick an iron plate this time.
This all happened in the blink of an eye. The couple who brought Yang Kai and Zhu Qing were also shocked. When he saw Liao Guan Shi eating a loss, the man quickly said, “Stop! Do not hurt him!”
The woman finally spoke up as well, “Don’t fight with him. You’ll only regret it.” This was the first time she spoke, her voice panicked beyond expression.
Liao Guan Shi quickly said to them, “Hurry up and kill those two! Otherwise, this Guan Shi will condemn both of you!”
The couple was both dumbfounded when they heard that, and their faces paled as if a great disaster had befallen them. For a moment, they were at a loss of what to do.
“You sure are arrogant!” Yang Kai went up to Liao Guan Shi and stared at him curiously, “Tell me, what gives you the right to act so haughty? As a trivial First-Order Dao Source Realm cultivator actually dares act unruly in front of this Young Master?”
Liao Guan Shi’s forehead was covered in a cold sweat as he tried to struggle several times, but was still unable to break free from the black puppy’s restraint. Seeing how he was really stuck, he instead sneered and scoffed, “What right? By the right of me being a Steward, by the right of controlling the Human Sovereign Seal!”
Yang Kai turned his head over to the couple, “Just because of that Human Sovereign Seal? That’s why you choke down your voices even when you’re being bullied? This guy probably isn’t even as strong as you two, right?”
The man lowered his head, “Without the Human Sovereign Seal, we won’t be able to enter Human Imperial City. If we can’t enter Human Imperial City, we’ll only die!”
Yang Kai scoffed, “What joy is there in life, and what is there worth fearing in death? You’re a man, aren’t you? If you won’t resist even when your wife is being molested in front of you, then you’re better off just dying.” He turned to Zhu Qing and winked at her, “Qing’er, rest assured. I, your husband, will not let you lose a hair even if I die.”
Zhu Qing scowled, “Don’t try to be slick with me. I didn’t even see you make a move just now.”
Yang Kai was amused, “He’s nothing but trash. You could take care of him with just a breath. You didn’t need my help at all.”
Zhu Qing grunted but didn’t say anything more.
The man was extremely humiliated by Yang Kai’s words, but the woman went over to him and tugged on his hand before turning to Yang Kai, “You’re new here so don’t talk nonsense when you don’t know what you’re talking about. You better let go of Liao Guan Shi as soon as possible, otherwise, you’ll never be able to establish any foothold in Human Imperial City.”
Liao Guan Shi became energized and shouted, “Newcomers always have to suffer some losses to learn the rules! Release me now, otherwise, this Guan Shi will give you a death without burial!”
Yang Kai laughed, “And you’re going to make concessions if we let you go?”
Liu Guan Shi said, “Don’t even think about it. This Guan Shi is the Human Sovereign’s subordinate. If you dare to hurt this Guan Shi, then Human Imperial City won’t accept you! Your woman, on the other hand… If you surrender her to this Guan Shi, then perhaps we can work out a way for you to survive.”
“You seem… a bit messed up in the head.” Yang Kai looked at him with a speechless face. Even at death’s door, he was still trying to threaten him. He really had no idea what this guy was thinking inside.
Zhu Qing called out, “Ah Wang, bite him!”
The black puppy heeded her order and suddenly split its mouth into a giant maw, swallowing Liao Guan Shi into his stomach with one gulp before sticking its big tongue out to lick its lips, as if it still hadn’t had enough.
As this was her first time seeing the black puppy’s Divine Ability, Zhu Qing was stunned. She had only wanted the black puppy to bite the man harder, but she never thought he would swallow him directly instead.
What kind of Divine Ability was this?
When the couple saw this, their faces changed and they said in horror as they shouted, “Demon Beast! It’s really a Demon Beast!”
The reason why they chased after the black puppy previously was that they had detected some Demon Beast aura from it, but after a quick inspection, they confirmed that it was just their imagination. But now, it seemed like they weren’t mistaken. The black puppy’s Demon Qi had merely been hidden too deeply and only when it suddenly struck out using its strange innate ability was there a clear surge of Demon Qi, which they recognized at once.
Yang Kai gave them a curious glance, “You know about Demon Beasts?”
The man immediately shielded his wife behind him and looked warily at Yang Kai, “Are you a member of the Demon Race?”
“Hm?” Now Yang Kai was truly surprised this time. This man was able to say the words ‘Demon Beast’ and they actually knew about the Demon Race as well, which seemed very unusual.
The man became even warier of him and gritted his teeth, “Did you come from Demon Fury City?”
Yang Kai shook his head, “I have no idea what this Demon Fury City is, nor am I a member of any Demon Race. This is most likely a misunderstanding…”
But he suddenly frowned as he spoke, and the reason for that was because he suddenly felt the world shake. The Word Principles filling their surroundings seemed to have begun distorting and changing. He looked over to Zhu Qing, who also showed a look of astonishment.
The World Principles had really begun to change, and it had to be a big change for such obvious signs to appear.
“Kill us.” The man’s face went ashen. He no longer had any hope to live. Liao Guan Shi was devoured by a Demon Beast, and two powerful Demon Race-like Masters suddenly appeared in front of them. They had no way out of this and he could only hold onto his wife tight with the hope that he could enjoy a moment of warmth before death’s approach.
“It’s easy to die if that’s what you want. There’s no need for me to do anything.” Yang Kai walked up to the front of an array. The only thing inside of this cave was this array that was erected here, so it was particularly conspicuous. Pointing to it, he asked, “Can we teleport to Human Imperial City with this?”
The man looked over with a bleak gaze, nodding, “Yes.”
Yang Kai released his Divine Sense and investigated it briefly before mumbling, “It’s a Space Array, but something about it seems different.”
The man said, “It’s no use. If you want to activate the array, you have to have the Human Sovereign Seal.”
“Don’t you have the Human Sovereign Seal? Why don’t you go?” Yang Kai turned to look at them.
The man explained, “It has to be the Human Sovereign Seal that Liao Guan Shi has, which is naturally a primary seal. Only the primary seal can activate the array for teleportation. What we have is only a secondary seal, there’s no way it can activate the array.”
“So that’s how it is!” Yang Kai nodded to express his understanding.
Having seen no action from Yang Kai, and instead finding him studying the array seriously instead, the man asked hesitantly, “Are you really not from the Demon Race?”
Yang Kai asked him while studying the array, “There are Demons in this world?”
The man spoke, “Yes. Our Human Race and the Demon Race are on opposing sides, but we have coexisted in this world for countless years. It’s true you don’t look like a Demon, but why do you have a… Demon Beast?”
Yang Kai did not answer his question. The origins of the black puppy were a little strange, and also a little troublesome to explain, so he changed the subject, “Despite coexisting with Demons, it’s amazing you’re still alive.”
The man explained, “Human Imperial City shelters us. Without Human Imperial City, there’s no way we would still be alive.”
Yang Kai said thoughtfully, “Is it related to the transformation of the World Principles?”
“That’s right. In a short while, the World Principles will change, and when that time comes, our Human Race won’t be able to walk outside safely while the Demon Race can traverse it freely like fish in water. During these times, not a single person dares to leave Human Imperial City, otherwise, if ten were to go, only one would make it back alive.”
“Then, previously, the World Principles were suitable for the survival of the Human Race, forcing the Demon Race onto the defensive?”
“That’s how it is.”
“What a mysterious world.” Yang Kai had an astonished expression on his face.
The man smiled bitterly, “We have been here since birth. No one knows why this world is like this. Perhaps, only Lord Human Sovereign has some insight into the matter.”
“Lord Human Sovereign huh…” Yang Kai heard the man mention this title several times and he couldn’t help but pry, “Is he the ruler of Human Imperial City?”
The man answered solemnly, “Naturally, he’s the leader of the Human Race! He watches over Human Imperial City and protects all Humans!” His words were filled with respect, seemingly holding this Human Sovereign in high esteem.
Yang Kai smiled and continued studying the Spirit Array.
Signs of the World Principles’ transformation were becoming clearer and clearer and a large amount of Demon Qi had begun manifesting in the surrounding air, as well as other strange phenomena. The couple had already circulated their energy to form a protective layer around themselves, but it looked like they wouldn’t be able to hold out for long. Once the protection was broken, they would immediately be corrupted by the Demon Qi and undergo demonification.
Zhu Qing was a member of the Dragon Clan, so she didn’t feel much of a threat even in this environment; however, she still circulated her Dragon Qi lightly in order to dissolve the corruption of the encroaching Demon Qi.
The black puppy was the only one whose eyes lit up at these changes and was now constantly sniffing around, appearing quite excited.
It had the bloodline of the Abyssal Returner, which meant it was a descendant of an Ancient Demon Beast to begin with, so it was naturally joyful at the surge of Demon Qi.
“Alright, all of you come over.” Yang Kai called them over.
Zhu Qing, carrying the black puppy, walked over and stood beside him.
The couple were hesitant as the man asked, “What are you trying to do?”
“Teleport to Human Imperial City.”
The man was shocked, “You don’t even have the Human Sovereign Seal, how do you plan to enter Human Imperial City?”
Yang Kai snickered, “Who told you that you can’t go to Human Imperial City without that Human Sovereign Seal thing? If you keep hesitating, it’ll be too late. Do you want to live or die?”
The man was still hesitant, but the woman gave him a tug.
Finally, they made up their minds and nodded, “Alright. I’ll trust you this once.”
Yang Kai grinned, “I hope you can keep Liao Guan Shi’s matter a secret.”
The man smiled bitterly, “We gain no benefit from exposing you, only harm. Besides… Human Imperial City has its own way to figure out the truth. In fact, I think it’s better if you don’t go to Human Imperial City. If you really do enter, even if you’re strong, it’ll still be useless.”
“We can’t say that for sure!” As he said that, Yang Kai’s face turned solemn, and his Space Principles began to ripple out.
The four of them were standing on top of a Space Array that was connected to Human Imperial City, and under normal circumstances, they had to receive the Human Sovereign Seal from a Steward like Liao Guan Shi, then have him activate the Space Array to teleport them.
But these tedious steps were merely a disguise. It was just a means for Human Imperial City to control the Human Race, and such trickery was easily dismantled in front of Yang Kai, who was well versed in the Dao of Space.
Yang Kai used his Space Principles to connect to the other side of the Space Array directly, eliminating the need for the Human Sovereign Seal altogether.
As a light flashed, the couple were both wide-eyed. They could hardly believe that the Space Array was really working, and for a moment, they were both overjoyed. It felt as if they had been pulled back from death’s door.
Due to extreme changes of the World Principles around them, the World Energy had become flooded with Demon Qi, which was hardly suitable for a Human to survive under. Even if they were strong enough to temporarily resist the encroaching Demon Qi, they would eventually run out of strength if they remained under such circumstances for too long. When that happened, they would be completely corrupted by the Demon Qi, lose their sanity, and turn into Demons.
A moment later, the light inside the cave vanished and the four people on the Spirit Array disappeared.
…..
Noise suddenly poured in from all directions, which made them feel a little uncomfortable.
Yang Kai looked around and discovered that the four of them had arrived in a prosperous city with a giant Space Array beneath their feet. There was a constant stream of new figures appearing on top of the Spirit Array of varying levels of cultivation, each with different expressions on their faces. Some overlooked the world with joy while others had gloomy expressions, still others were badly injured and hissing in pain.
Quite evidently, these people were just like Yang Kai and his group. They had just returned from the outside to escape from the changes in the World Principles.
Yang Kai even saw the presence of many Emperor Realm Masters around them.
So, the four of them were not too conspicuous as they stood on top of this huge array.
The entire city seemed particularly prosperous with crowds of people brushing past each other in an endless stream. There were stores set up everywhere, selling all kinds of the world’s specialties, the calls of vendors reaching the ears of those passing by. It was almost like being thrown into a marketplace of the mortal world.
It was a first for Zhu Qing to arrive at such a lively place, so she couldn’t help but look around with a bit of surprise.
Well-dressed guards were walking through the streets, marching neatly in their uniforms. One could tell at a glance that these were the protectors of order in Human Imperial City.
But the cultivation of these guards wasn’t very high. The one leading the team was a First-Order Emperor while the rest were all Dao Source Realm cultivators. However, no matter how strong the cultivators on the streets were, they all avoided them as if they were snakes and scorpions, seemingly quite afraid of them.
Yang Kai even clearly saw a Second-Order Emperor Realm Master move out of their way.
Seniority in this world seemed to not be distinguished by cultivation realm. The couple they met before were clearly weaker than them in terms of cultivation, yet they did not have the respect a weaker cultivator would generally hold for a Master. This was even more obvious with that Liao Guan Shi. His cultivation could hardly match any of theirs, yet he was still able to boss the couple around while they were powerless to fight back.
There were people flying in the sky, but not many, and their cultivation levels were also diverse.
“This is goodbye. Take care, you two.” The man seemed to be in a hurry to separate from Yang Kai and Zhu Qing so as not to be dragged into their troubles, and that was why he immediately bid farewell after composing himself.
Sensing his thoughts, Yang Kai gave him a casual response.
The woman suddenly said, “A piece of advice for the two of you. Those with the leaf emblem embroidered on their chests are not to be offended. The more leaves there are, the nobler their identity. This is not your original world and we do not follow the law of the jungle here. In addition, Liao Guan Shi’s death likely cannot be concealed for long. It’s best if you two leave Human Imperial City once the World Principles change again.”
“Many thanks.” Yang Kai smiled.
When the woman was just about to say something else, the man had already dragged her into the crowd, and they soon disappeared.
“What an interesting world.” Yang Kai looked around with great curiosity.
The entire Human Imperial City seemed to be enveloped by a giant, magnificent barrier. This was even more obvious as the changes in the World Principles in the outside world could not be felt inside of Human Imperial City in the slightest. The Principles here seemed much closer to those of the Star Boundary. Looking up, the sky seemed to be in chaos, with countless vortices that could swallow one’s sight covering the sky. After staring for a while, it actually made one dizzy.
“Is Zhu Lie here?” Yang Kai turned to Zhu Qing and asked.
Zhu Qing answered, “I need to find a place to perform the Secret Technique to be sure, but I hope he is.”
Yang Kai smiled, “Don’t worry. He’s pretty strong, so even if he’s out there, he won’t be in any trouble so soon.”
“En.” Zhu Qing gently nodded, subconsciously stroking the black puppy in her arms. Ah Wang felt so comforted that he narrowed his eyes happily. It was not even known whether Liao Guan Shi, who had been swallowed into its stomach, was still alive or not.
“Make way, make way!”
Just as Yang Kai was silently observing his surroundings, an extremely rude shout came from behind him. Turning around to look, he suddenly saw a large number of people emerging from the gigantic Space Array. There were a dozen of them, and each of them had extraordinary levels of cultivation.
The most conspicuous man among the group looked to be in his early twenties. He was handsome and had an arrogant attitude, his sharp eyes containing a sense of majesty that matched well with his extravagant jade-white robes.
The rest of the group scattered around and surrounded him like stars around the moon.
As soon as the group appeared, they immediately began heading in one direction while one cultivator in front led the way, rudely shoving those in his path.
Those that were pushed dared not resist in the slightest, and instead ran aside while shivering in fear.
“It’s His Highness, the Third Imperial Prince, the Third Imperial Prince has returned!”
“Hurry up, kneel down and don’t say anything. Don’t look at him either, it will be over if he sets his eyes on you.”
…..
*Hua la la…*
The crowd fell to their knees in unison. Regardless of gender, age, or strength, with the Space Array as the centre, all cultivators in a thousand-meter radius, no matter what they were doing, all prostrated on the ground to show respect.
Yang Kai was dumbfounded.
He was curiously observing this so-called Third Imperial Prince when he heard whispers secretly discussing him, wondering to himself what these Imperial Princes were. That was because such titles were only heard of in mortal kingdoms.
Everyone around them was now kneeling though, leaving just Yang Kai and Zhu Qing standing in place. Zhu Qing was even holding a black puppy in her arms, which made her look particularly out of place.
Yang Kai sighed as he knew that things were about to get complicated. He didn’t really want to get into any trouble before he could get a thorough understanding of the situation in this Revolving World and Human Imperial City, but life doesn’t always go as planned. Even without provoking any trouble, trouble would still come to him by itself.
He glanced helplessly at Zhu Qing, who kept a smile at the corner of her eyes.
“Hm?”
Yang Kai and Zhu Qing’s unusual behaviour instantly caught the attention of the Third Prince’s group. The cultivator leading the way swiftly arrived before Yang Kai. This man was tall like an iron pagoda and gave off an oppressive aura as he looked down on Yang Kai from above, shouting, “Boy, why didn’t you kneel down in front of His Highness the Third Imperial Prince?”
As the man spoke, an extremely strong pressure pervaded from his body and crashed down on Yang Kai.
He was a First-Order Emperor Realm Master, and seemed to be no stranger to battles as the Emperor Pressure which pulsed from his body had an extremely strong, bloody aura. Ordinary people would surely be frightened upon contact with it, eliminating most thoughts of resistance.
But Yang Kai was unmoved. He still stood in place as if it was merely a light breeze that caused his hair to flutter. He then gazed up at the burly man, “This countryside yokel has never seen the world before and knows little about etiquette, so he hopes this Sir does not blame us. We will leave at once.” As he said that, he was just about to leave with Zhu Qing.
Whether it be the Third Imperial Prince or the other Imperial Princes, it was naturally impossible for them to make him kneel. As for Zhu Qing, that was even more impossible. She was a member of the mighty Dragon Clan, so even in death, it would be impossible to make her kneel. So, it was better for them to leave now lest they cause any more trouble.
Unfortunately, things didn’t go as he’d hoped. When the burly man saw Yang Kai leaving, he glared at him and shouted “Impudence!”
Like a frenzied bull, the man slammed down his large fan-like palm at Yang Kai, hitting him directly on the shoulder.
There was a loud bang, but Yang Kai’s body remained as stable as a mountain, the violent power travelling through his body and down to his feet, causing the stone slabs on the ground to split into pieces.
Yang Kai rolled his eyes over to glance at the burly man before answering lazily, “What is the meaning of this, Sir?”
The burly man revealed a look of surprise and sneered, “No wonder you’re so arrogant, it seems you have some skill, but it’s a pity that you met me!” As he spoke, the force in his hand became even more violent as the veins on his thick neck bulged. It seemed as if he was trying to use all the strength in his body to crush Yang Kai to the ground.
Yang Kai looked at the rest of the guards only to see them eyeing him with cold faces. It was as if he had broken some taboo and had to be punished for it.
The Third Imperial Prince, on the other hand, had an indifferent look on his face, not showing him much regard. Only when his eyes moved to Zhu Qing was there a flash of amazement in them, but that was all and he didn’t pay her any more attention after that.
Instead, the Third Imperial Prince’s gaze went past the crowd and half of Human Imperial City to stare at a certain point with a fiery look shining in his eyes.
The prince stood there, most likely waiting for his subordinates to teach Yang Kai a lesson to show the inhabitants of Human Imperial City what the price of offending him would be, and to learn to respect him.
The burly man was still putting pressure on Yang Kai. At first, he had a look on his face as if victory was already in his grasp because he could sense that Yang Kai was only a First-Order Emperor as well. Under the circumstance that his opponent shared the same cultivation as him, he wasn’t afraid of any opponent, let alone this little brat in front of him.
But as time went on and his Emperor Qi surged more and more, his face gradually became ugly. That was because no matter how he exerted his strength, he still could not shake the little brat in front of him in the slightest. This boy seemed completely rooted to the ground and didn’t even show any signs of swaying.
A few moments later, the burly man was already red-faced and his neck was bulging. His iron pagoda-like body actually began to shake, clearly running out of energy, but it was as if he were riding a tiger and had no choice but to stand strong.
Unfortunately, he had greatly underestimated his opponent.
Yang Kai’s face grew slightly dark as his gaze crossed over the burly man to look at the Third Imperial Prince, saying, “It’s a virtue to know when to stop.”
The Third Imperial Prince ignored him, eyes still gazing at a certain place in Human Imperial City. It seemed as if his entire mind was immersed into it and could no longer feel anything else.
Yang Kai let out a soft grunt and raised his palm, thrusting it against the burly man.
He had already given the Third Imperial Prince a warning, but since the other man wouldn’t take it seriously, he didn’t need to care about his face. As for what consequences would be incurred if he were to give him a face-slapping here, Yang Kai intended to act first and deal with whatever came later.
Everything happened suddenly, and the burly man clearly did not expect Yang Kai to fight back, so by the time that palm reached him, it was too late to defend. Not to mention that he was fully concentrated on how he was going to suppress Yang Kai, so how could he still gather any strength to defend himself?
Yang Kai’s light palm did not seem threatening, but it caused the burly man’s face to change dramatically when it struck. Just like a paper kite, he was sent flying high into the sky before landing heavily on the ground.
The crowd was shocked, and those kneeling who had peeked up to look at the situation immediately let out a cry of surprise when they saw this scene. Quite apparently, they did not expect to see anything like this either.
To think someone would actually dare to clash with the Third Imperial Prince’s guards in Human Imperial City, and to have done it in front of His Highness. This man was probably out of his mind to do such a foolish thing and the pitiful beauty next to him was going to suffer for this, too. There was no telling what kind of horrible fate awaited her.
Even though the guards of the Third Imperial Prince were shocked by Yang Kai’s counterattack, they reacted quickly. Without a single word, they jumped over, instantly surrounding Yang Kai and Zhu Qing without leaving any gaps.
These guards included a Second-Order Emperor Realm Master and two First-Order Emperors. The rest were all in the Third-Order Dao Source Realm, and all of them seemed to possess strong foundations, making it seem as if they were on the verge of a breakthrough.
Even though Yang Kai had not been here for long, the number and quality of the Emperor Realm Masters in Human Imperial City still amazed him. He had no idea how the cultivators here cultivated, but Emperors actually seemed to be a very common sight here.
This was a luxurious lineup for a group of guards, especially when the Third Imperial Prince himself was also a First-Order Emperor.
The many Masters surrounded him but did not attack, merely waiting for the Third Imperial Prince’s order. As long as the Third Imperial Prince gave the order, they would immediately pounce onto Yang Kai and Zhu Qing, ripping their corpses into ten thousand pieces. Regardless of how strong they were, no one would have a good end if they dared provoke any of Human Imperial City’s Imperial Princes.
Yang Kai remained calm despite being surrounded by these guards though. There was even a cold smile on his lips while Zhu Qing had already leaned over to put the black puppy down, standing quietly beside Yang Kai.
“Did you just arrive from the outside?” The Third Imperial Prince suddenly withdrew his gaze and turned to Yang Kai, asking.
“Is it that obvious?” Yang Kai frowned. He was surprised that this man would ask him this question.
The Third Imperial Prince said indifferently, “If you had spent any amount of time here, you would understand that it is not wise to clash with the Imperial Princes in Human Imperial City.”
Yang Kai grinned, “So that’s how it is. Third Imperial Prince really has good eyes. Indeed, my wife and I have in fact just come from the outside.”
The Third Imperial Prince gently nodded, “Outside has outside rules, but we have our own rules here. I’ll let this matter go this time out of consideration for your ignorance. Hopefully, you’ll be able to follow the customs next time.” After saying that, he gave Yang Kai a deep look before walking straight past him.
When the guards gathered around Yang Kai and Zhu Qing heard their leader speak, they withdrew their intention to continue making things difficult for them and immediately turned around to follow. Even the burly man who had been sent flying by Yang Kai before didn’t look at them as he passed by, just as if he never fought with Yang Kai to begin with.
“That’s right…” The Third Imperial Prince who had already walked a dozen paces away suddenly stopped and said without turning back, “I think you should know that I’m not sparing you just because you have shown enough strength, but because you are a first-time offender. I’m just giving you a chance to reform.”
Yang Kai frowned and squirmed his lips at Zhu Qing.
Even though he didn’t say anything or transmit his voice to her, Zhu Qing still understood what Yang Kai was trying to express, this boy was too full of himself.
Zhu Qing covered her mouth and smiled.
Then, with a *pa…* the Third Imperial Prince snapped his fingers in a seemingly casual manner.
That caused Yang Kai’s face to change abruptly, and he suddenly let out a stifled grunt.
Zhu Qing’s beautiful face lost its colour and she stared nervously at Yang Kai, “You’re bleeding!”
While saying that, she quickly took a silk handkerchief from her Space Ring and placed it under Yang Kai’s nostrils.
Yang Kai accepted the silk handkerchief and held it over his nose, looking at the Third Imperial Prince who was walking away with an incredulous look on his face.
“Why are you bleeding?” Zhu Qing’s eyes were furrowed. She couldn’t figure out what had happened since she had been watching that conflict from beginning to end, but she didn’t find any signs of injury on Yang Kai’s body, yet here he was, bleeding, which was clearly not normal.
“Let’s find a less public place to talk.” Yang Kai had a grave look on his face as he dragged Zhu Qing away.
The inhabitants all throughout Human Imperial City slowly got up and avoided the two of them like they were snakes or scorpions.
Inside a teahouse, Yang Kai and Zhu Qing sat opposite each other with good-quality fragrant tea steeping on the table. The black puppy was lying on a corner of the tea table, sleeping.
“What happened just now?” Zhu Qing asked in a quiet voice. She still had no understanding of how Yang Kai had come to be injured. Even though it wasn’t a serious injury, it still drew blood. To say it was the Third Imperial Prince who made a move didn’t seem too likely either. She couldn’t be any clearer as to how strong Yang Kai was, so how could a trivial First-Order Emperor injure him? And with just a snap of his fingers at that.
If the Third Imperial Prince really had that ability, then he may not be far off from becoming a Great Emperor.
“There’s something strange about this Human Imperial City.” Yang Kai moved the silk handkerchief from his nose. The bleeding had stopped, but the silk handkerchief had been turned into a mess, so he casually put it away.
Zhu Qing was amazed, “It really was the Third Imperial Prince who injured you?”
“Yes.” Yang Kai nodded.
“How could that be?” Zhu Qing’s expression changed slightly, “He couldn’t be hiding his power, could he?” She was shaken inside. What sort of Master could hide their strength so well that even she could not see through it? If there really was such a person, then would that power not be too terrifying?
“No, no, no.” Yang Kai shook his head, “That guy wasn’t hiding his strength. He really is in the First-Order Emperor Realm.”
“Then how…” Zhu Qing’s lips parted slightly.
“How should I say this…” Yang Kai frowned and recalled what he experienced earlier and only after a long pause did he continue, “There’s a powerful force that pervades Human Imperial City, and that Third Imperial Prince seems to be able to control that force at will. The one who hurt me was not the Third Imperial Prince per say, but rather that omnipresent power.”
It was hard to describe, but its meaning was very simple. Naturally, Zhu Qing wouldn’t understand, so she asked in a daze, “So what sort of power is it?”
“I can’t say for sure.” Yang Kai shook his head, “Remember when that woman told us not to mess with those people with leaf emblems on their chests?”
Zhu Qing tapped the table lightly in realization, “There seemed to be a leaf emblem on the Third Imperial Prince’s clothes.”
Yang Kai grinned, “And it was a nine-leaf emblem!” Then, he pointed to the sky, “You may not have noticed, but the guys flying in the sky all had leaf emblems on their chests, just not with the same number.”
Hearing him say so, Zhu Qing quickly released her Divine Sense to check and discovered that it seemed to be true. Regardless of strength, none of those people flying in the sky were ordinary people. All of them had the leaf emblem embroidered in front of their chests.
“These people probably hold a special status in Human Imperial City.” Yang Kai rapped his fingers on the table, “There’s the Human Sovereign and the Imperial Princes here, so I’m guessing… Those guys with the leaf emblems on their chests must be related to this Imperial Family, which gives them some privileges.”
Zhu Qing frowned, “What kind of Imperial Family is this? Aren’t there too many relatives?”
Yang Kai laughed, “That’s why most of those guys only have one or two leaves on their emblem. It’s rare to see a number above five. Take the Third Imperial Prince for example. With nine whole leaves, he seems to be a real powerful figure.”
Zhu Qing said, “I remember now. That Liao Guan Shi from the cave earlier seemed to have an emblem like that too.”
“That’s right.” Yang Kai nodded, “That’s why he could control the Space Array over there, and why he had the Primary Human Sovereign Seal. That couple before had to swallow his insults despite both of them being stronger than him. Tsk… Privilege is a good thing to have, huh?”
“What are you thinking about?” Zhu Qing looked coldly at him.
Yang Kai spoke with a serious face, “What I mean is that only the Imperial Family can mobilize that mysterious power within the city, allowing them to easily defeat stronger opponents. Of course, not everyone who serves the Imperial Family should have that ability, I’m guessing. There may be some restrictions, for example, only those with five leaves and above would have that sort of qualification. The more leaves, the stronger the power that can be mobilized.”
“En. What you say seems to make sense.” Zhu Qing did not think deeply about it. She just thought that there were no problems with what Yang Kai said.
Yang Kai scoffed, “In the end, it’s still the law of the jungle here. Only, some of the people can draw on a special type of power for help, and that power seems to pervade every part of Human Imperial City.”
“Will we be able to resist it?” Zhu Qing asked.
Yang Kai shook his head, “I’m not sure. Just now, the Third Imperial Prince didn’t use its full power, and I didn’t try to defend either. If we really confront each other, I’m not sure whether I’ll be able to resist it. Right now, the most important thing is to figure out what sort of power it is. Only then will we be able to prescribe the right medicine.”
“So, should we ask around about it?” Zhu Qing suggested.
Yang Kai smiled and shook his head, “No need.”
“Why?”
“Because… Someone has sent themselves to our door, silly.” Yang Kai smiled at her.
Zhu Qing snapped at him, “You’re the silly one!” But Yang Kai’s words reminded her that her intelligence seemed to have been lacking since coming into Human Imperial City. If she thought carefully about things, it seemed to be because a sense of reliance had emerged in her heart. So, both her judgement and observation ability had plummeted, which gave her a bad feeling, and yet, she wasn’t repulsed by that feeling.
“This Sir, since you’re here, then come and sit with us. There’s no need to sit there alone with no one to talk to, right?” Yang Kai suddenly turned his head to look at a table not far away from them.
Only one guest was sitting at that table, and he looked to be in his fifties. He sported a goatee and had a well-mannered appearance. At first glance, he looked like a scholar of some kind, and with his cultivation withdrawn and his aura concealed, it was difficult to judge how strong he was.
And this guy had entered the teahouse right after Yang Kai.
Upon hearing Yang Kai’s words, the goateed man simply stood up and walked over, looking at neither Yang Kai nor Zhu Qing, instead finding some interest in the black puppy which was napping on top of the table.
Tea fragrance overflowing, Yang Kai picked up the teapot and filled a cup for the man, “What is this Sir’s name?”
The goateed man sat and picked up the cup of tea, gulping it down without fear of the heat, “What a fine dog.”
Yang Kai smiled, “It’s just a mutt, what’s fine about it? Sir is over-complimenting it.”
The black puppy did not have any particularly conspicuous features, and under the premise that it did not reveal its Abyssal Returner bloodline, outsiders simply would not be able to catch anything strange about it.
The goateed man shook his head, “I’m not talking about it.”
Yang Kai raised a brow, “If not it, then you’re talking about me?”
The goateed man stroked his beard, “Seems the child can be taught.”
Zhu Qing’s face turned sour and she immediately felt the need to teach this old thing a lesson. This oblivious old bastard actually insulted her man right in front of her, so how could Zhu Qing tolerate that?
Yang Kai just shot a glance at her though, telling her to calm down before chuckling at the man, “Sir is funny. I’m a man, how can I be compared to a dog?”
The goateed man said “Sometimes, a man can be worse than a dog when they’re unwilling to show proper respect. A dog, on the other hand, can have its own benefits.”
Yang Kai sneered, “Then may I ask whose dog this Sir is? The Third Imperial Prince’s?”
The goateed man’s face was slightly cold, but he did not get angry and nodded, “There is nothing wrong with you calling me so.”
Yang Kai said, “I often hear people say that a dog that bites doesn’t bark, but a dog that barks redundantly is a waste. It seems to me that this Sir is also a fine dog.”
Zhu Qing scoffed, “Don’t compare him to Ah Wang. Ah Wang is much better than him.”
She seized every opportunity to vent her anger and quickly reached out to pick up the black puppy, gently brushing its fur with her hand.
The goateed man responded, “It’s not up to me to decide whether a dog is good or not. That’s up to His Highness the Third Imperial Prince. If he thinks you are, then you are, but if he doesn’t, then you’re still a dead dog no matter how strong you are.”
Yang Kai narrowed his eyes, “So, is this Sir’s intention here to beat the dog for his meat, or is this Sir here for something else?”
The goateed man pushed his teacup in front of Yang Kai, indicating for him to fill it up, “Dog meat does not taste good, and the Third Imperial Prince does not have that interest either.”
Yang Kai answered, “Oh, that means you’re here to catch a hunting dog, then?”
“Whether it’s a hunting dog or a pet, that all depends on your performance.”
The goateed man picked up his teacup once more and placed it by his lips for a sip, “A Master from the outside is rare, and Third Imperial Prince thinks you’re not bad, so he’s willing to give you this opportunity. Whether you can seize the opportunity or not depends on your own performance.”
Yang Kai laughed and shook his head, “I really have to apologize, but Sir’s ambitions are too high. It’s Sir’s freedom to become a man’s pet dog, but I have different thoughts. There’s no need for me or my wife to put on a performance. For us… raising a dog is enough, we have no interest in being one ourselves.”
The goateed man put his cup down, his expression unchanged, seemingly expecting this response, and nodded, “I have heard about some matters from the outside, and also know the situation there. You may have been a powerful man who could command wind and rain in the outside world, but this is Human Imperial City, so it follows Human Imperial City’s rules. Outsiders like you have to eat a loss before you can understand the law.”
After he was done speaking, he stood up and casually tossed over a wooden token, “This is the Third Imperial Prince’s token. If you can escape this, then find yourself qualified to be the Third Imperial Prince’s hunting dog. Otherwise, that just proves that’s as far as your abilities go.”
After saying that, the man walked away.
At the same time, the sound of clothes fluttering emerged from all sides as a dozen figures rushed in from all directions. At once, the teahouse had become tightly packed with people, and the guests in the teahouse were also greatly alarmed at the sight, hurriedly fleeing away. When the owner of the teahouse saw this sudden situation, he had a face that seemed desperate to cry but was unable to shed any tears, yet he didn’t dare to have an outburst.
That was because he recognized the identity of the people who just appeared.
Yang Kai massaged his aching head, “Giving us a honey date before sending us a wooden club? What’s the meaning of this?”
Zhu Qing observed the people around her coldly, “They don’t seem to be from the same side.”
Yang Kai understood, “If there’s a Third Imperial Prince, then there has to be a First and Second Imperial Prince, no? I don’t know which group they’re from, but whatever the case, they don’t seem to be a monolithic entity.”
They did not try to hide their conversation in the slightest, so the cultivators gathered around the teahouse all heard it clearly, but they were all indifferent. No one came forward to explain the situation to Yang Kai; instead, they seemed to be waiting for something or someone.
And they were indeed waiting for someone as the sound of something breaking through the air could be heard in just a moment, followed by the appearance of a huge palanquin from one end of the street. The people carrying the palanquin were all Dao Source Realm cultivators. With wind blowing under their feet, they did not need to move their bodies and the palanquin would speed along steadily.
The palanquin was extremely luxurious, and its translucent pink curtains gave off a hazy sense of extravagance.
There was a man and two women reclining on the palanquin with wine and fresh fruit placed on the divan. The man held a woman in each arm while sipping on wine and eating a spirit fruit with a look of comfort on his face. The two women were wearing very little, so much of their snow-white skin was exposed. They were squirming around in his arms, the sound of their coquettish flirtations incessantly leaking out as they waged a veiled contention for his affection.
As if no one else were around him, the man fondled the tender bodies of the two women wantonly with his large hands, drawing a charming gasp from time to time.
All the people along the way knelt down before him, not daring to look up, much less to discover the infinite beauty of spring happening inside the palanquin. Only the sweet and charming voices of the women remained to be heard, fanning the flames of desire in the men in the crowd.
In the blink of an eye, the palanquin arrived in front of the teahouse. Before the palanquin was even lowered, the Dao Source Realm palanquin bearers straightened their bodies and stood in place.
It was silent all around. Only the decadent sounds within the curtains grew more and more obvious.
Yang Kai stared with great interest.
Blushing slightly, Zhu Qing snorted, and when she saw the lustful expression on Yang Kai’s face, she couldn’t help but kick him under the table and glare at him, “What are you looking at? If you keep looking, your eyes are going to fall out.”
Yang Kai grimaced in pain as he grinned, “Qing’er, you look so adorable when you’re jealous.”
“Nonsense,” Zhu Qing blushed even redder, “W-W-Who’s jealous?”
The two were flirting without any regard for anyone else, drawing cold looks from the cultivators around them. A burly bald headed man walked into the teahouse next, seemingly a lackey, but he had an impressive Second-Order Emperor Realm cultivation, with a full and robust aura.
He glared coldly at Yang Kai and Zhu Qing before bellowing, “The First Imperial Prince has come, are you still not going to kneel?”
“So it really is an Imperial Prince.” Yang Kai exchanged glances with Zhu Qing. It was just a casual guess he made earlier, but he didn’t expect it to actually be an Imperial Prince who arrived.
He and Zhu Qing had only been in Human Imperial City for a short time but had already had a small conflict with the Third Imperial Prince’s subordinates, so Yang Kai didn’t expect this First Imperial Prince to show up just a while later.
The Third Imperial Prince gave him a warning, then sent someone to him immediately after, undoubtedly in hopes to take him in as his subordinate.
But Yang Kai had no idea what this First Imperial Prince was planning to do by coming here; however, from how the First Imperial Prince embraced a woman in each arm, he had a vague guess, which instantly made him feel displeased. Even his tone became unkind as he snorted, “I apologize, but this Young Master does not have the habit of kneeling to others. If you have something to say, then say it. Otherwise, get lost.”
The burly bald headed man was infuriated by his answer and roared, “Impudence!”
After saying that, he raised his hand and was just about to make a move when a soft voice came from the palanquin, “Stop right now. Using violence over such a small matter… What are you going to do if you hurt this beauty?”
Upon hearing that, the burly bald-headed man withdrew his hand immediately, but he still shot a mean glare at Yang Kai.
The voice from the palanquin continued, “Beauty, let’s get to know each other. I am Human Imperial City’s First Imperial Prince, Fu Shu. Are you interested in following this Prince out to have some fun?”
Before Zhu Qing could even answer, the two women in Fu Shu’s arms became dissatisfied and one of them climbed on top of Fu Shu, feeding him a mouthful of wine from her mouth before coyly whispering, “First Imperial Prince is so bad, you’re actually still looking for others despite having us sisters to serve you.”
The other woman also chimed in, “That’s right, First Imperial Prince. What’s so good about that cold-faced woman? How could she be as understanding and attentive as us sisters? Don’t bother with her, First Imperial Prince. Who knows where this village girl came from, let’s go back to the imperial palace. Elder Sister and I recently came up with a good idea that will surely satisfy you.”
The First Imperial Prince swallowed the fine wine into his belly, which made his body feel light and airy, before squeezing the soft and tender bodies of the two women by his side with his big hands, drawing sweet moans from them as he laughed, “You two are good, but she’s not so bad either. This Prince can just take her in to become your sister.”
“No! We already have enough sisters. First Imperial Prince, don’t take in any more!”
“That’s right! We can’t even count all those sisters we have, and First Imperial Prince, you promised this humble servant a few days ago that you wouldn’t play around again. Why are you going back on your promise after just a few days? I won’t forgive that!”
The First Imperial Prince laughed dryly, “Yes, yes, yes, this Prince did say that before, but this beauty wasn’t around then. I’ll take in one more, one last one. I absolutely won’t take in any more in the future.”
“First Imperial Prince is lying, I don’t believe you!”
“No, First Imperial Prince! There’s nothing special about this woman. Oh… She has red hair. If First Imperial Prince likes it, we sisters can also dye our hair red and show it to you every day until you have your fill.”
“How could that be the same?” Fu Shu shook his head incessantly, “You may not know this, but even though that beauty doesn’t look like anything special, I heard she’s from the outside world. This Prince has seen countless women, but it’s the first time this Prince has encountered one from the outside world, so I naturally can’t let her go so easily.”
“She’s from the outside?”
“What’s so unusual about that? Women are all the same. First Imperial Prince…”
“Enough. Both of you shut up.” Fu Shu’s tone suddenly cooled, instantly silencing the two women who were trying to act coy. They understood their own status and their position in the First Imperial Prince’s eyes. They were mere playthings, so it was fine for them to whine a little in order to receive more pampering, but if they insisted on stopping the First Imperial Prince from having his fun, then they would surely lose all favour with him.
The First Imperial Prince had numerous beautiful women in his residence, so it was by no means necessary for him to keep the two of them to serve him.
So, as soon as they noticed the difference in the First Imperial Prince’s tone, the two women did not dare to disobey, with one of them immediately changing her tune, “Since First Imperial Prince likes her so much, then just take her in. It’ll just be one more sister for us. Anything is fine as long as First Imperial Prince is happy.”
“Elder Sister is right. This woman’s looks don’t seem bad. She can barely be qualified to serve First Imperial Prince.”
A smile instantly spread across Fu Shu’s face and he kissed the cheeks of the women on his left and right before laughing happily, “You two are the most reasonable of my women, en this Prince did not favour you for nothing.”
Two tender bodies squirmed around in the First Imperial Prince’s arms with the older woman speaking up, “But this beauty’s heart seems to belong to someone else. What is First Imperial Prince going to do?”
Fu Shu smiled, “Naturally it’s because she doesn’t know this Prince’s might. Once she’s had a taste of this Prince’s skills, how will she be able to think about another man? Just wait and see, this Prince is going to make her bend!” While saying that, he broke away from the two tender bodies and straightened his loose clothes before standing up in the palanquin. Lifting the curtain, he stepped down and raised his eyes to look at Zhu Qing once he entered the teahouse.
As soon as he did, his heart was brimming with delight.
He was not able to see too clearly behind the curtain just earlier, so it was only now that he could see that this red-haired woman was simply beautiful beyond words. Even though her face looked a little icy, it only provoked a man’s desire to conquer her further.
As he said, he had never had a taste of a beauty from the outside world before, not because he was lacking in power, but because it has been many years since outsiders last came into Human Imperial City.
He was the First Imperial Prince and in Human Imperial City, he stood below only one man, while above countless others. Any beauty he wanted, he only needed to give the order and someone would immediately arrange it for him. Not a single one of those women dared to resist. On the contrary, they all tried their best to please him.
Having grown so used to fine delicacies, a change of taste every once in a while was also a blessing.
So, the colder Zhu Qing’s expression was, the more it pleased him. Deep inside, he was eager to take this red-haired beauty back to the imperial palace immediately and love her tenderly.
His hot, unrestrained gaze was like a leech biting down on Zhu Qing’s face, examining her from top to bottom.
Yang Kai moved and stood in front of Zhu Qing.
The First Imperial Prince’s face changed at once. As if he’d stepped on a pile of smelly shit, he said with a look of disgust, “What is your name?”
Before Yang Kai could answer, Fu Shu waved his hand, “Never mind, no matter what your name is, step aside if you want to live. For your merit of offering up this beauty, this Prince can bestow you one leaf.”
At these words, the gazes of the cultivators all around turned hot.
The status of one leaf may be the lowest level of a noble, but it was still a noble status that could enjoy privileges in Human Imperial City that ordinary people can only dream of. This would instantly set him apart from the ordinary citizens of the city. Of the servants nearby, many had followed the First Imperial Prince for numerous years, but none of them had ever received similar rewards. They did not expect this outsider to gain such privileges just because he had a beauty with him, which made many of the First Imperial Prince’s subordinates feel red-eyed with envy, lamenting at the little brat’s good fortune.
The burly bald-headed man stepped forward and yelled furiously at Yang Kai, “Little brat, still not giving thanks and standing back? Do you want to die?”
Yang Kai sighed and gazed seriously at the First Imperial Prince, “This… First Imperial Prince, this one also has deep feelings for his wife and is unwilling to separate. I have no desire to offer up a beauty. First Imperial Prince has Heaven shrouding power and countless beauties by his side. This one can see that the two in the palanquin are already very good, so why set your gaze on a married woman? If word gets out, then this would be detrimental to His Highness’s reputation. Why don’t we just say our goodbyes here, and to meet again if fate plans it?”
Fu Shu’s face turned cold, “Are you insulting my intelligence or your own?”
The corner of Yang Kai’s mouth twitched as he also found his proposal overly naive.
Fu Shu followed up, “This Prince does not want to take advantage of his position to bully people either. What about this? If you think those two in the palanquin are good, then this Prince will give them to you. I want the one standing behind you.”
When they heard those words, the faces of the two women in the palanquin became extremely stiff, as if they had been struck by lightning, but they didn’t dare to say anything. For a while, they had miserable looks on their faces, weeping in the shadows.
Yang Kai said in amazement, “This… Wouldn’t this be a loss for First Imperial Prince?”
Fu Shu snorted, “This Prince is generous, what harm is there to let you take this bit of an advantage?”
Yang Kai shook his head, “But I’m not interested in taking advantage of others. Staying with my wife is enough for me.”
Fu Shu waved his hand and said impatiently, “Then consider it a reward, no need to thank me!”
Yang Kai opened his mouth, but he had no idea what to say.
Zhu Qing said from behind him, “Seems like they won’t let me go. What are you going to do?”
Yang Kai grinned, revealing a bright smile, “What else can I do? Since they’ve come, I’ll just fight them!”
“A Third-Order Dao Source Realm cultivator dares to show off in front of this Young Master?” Yang Kai sneered as he raised his hand, palming towards Fu Shu without mercy.
He could see that this Human Imperial City was without a doubt safe and undisturbed by the changes in the World Principles outside, but inside it was filled with muddy waters. If he and Zhu Qing wanted to gain a foothold in this place as outsiders, then they needed to show overwhelming power to let others know that they were not to be bullied.
The law of the jungle was the undeniable reality no matter where they were. If it were any different, it only proved that they were not strong enough.
Fu Shu’s strength was not high, only Third-Order Dao Source Realm; however, Yang Kai had sharp eyes and could easily tell that his pompous prince must have achieved his strength through taking numerous elixirs and precious treasures. It was simply impossible for him to display the proper strength of his level, not to mention the fact that this First Imperial Prince seemed to have fallen into an addiction of wine and lust. His body may have long been emptied out by his habits.
Yang Kai could easily destroy several dozen or even hundreds of wastes like him.
Fu Shu did not have the slightest self-awareness and just stood ten meters away from Yang Kai, so how could he have the time to react to this attack?
Emperor Qi surged and World Energy stirred as a palm print visible to the naked eye slapped down towards Fu Shu.
The burly bald-headed man’s face changed dramatically as he shouted, “Stop!”
“Stop your mother!” Yang Kai cursed and did not stop, instead becoming even more violent.
As expected, Fu Shu could not react in time. All this time, he was looking around curiously, hoping to take a look at the body of the beauty behind Yang Kai, so it wasn’t until the palm print approached him that he shrieked and began to shiver, completely at a loss as to what to do.
When the palm print was about to turn Fu Shu into dust, a green glow suddenly emerged from his body, forming a layer of protection around him.
*Hong…*
As the protection shook, Fu Shu’s hair became dishevelled and his clothes were whipped into a mess, but he was unharmed.
“What the hell is that!” Yang Kai’s jaw dropped. He didn’t see any traces of Fu Shu using a skill or technique at that moment, and yet that strange barrier appeared all of a sudden.
Looking him up and down, Fu Shu didn’t seem to be wearing any artifacts either. Rather, he was covered in a lot of useless accessories that were only there for decoration.
After Yang Kai’s unsuccessful opening move, the burly bald-headed man had already rushed over from the side and a flash of light appeared in his hand as a large hammer suddenly appeared. The hammer was half the size of a tea table, and the dazzling light it gave off gave one a grievous sense of danger.
The burly bald-headed man roared, “How dare you disrespect the First Imperial Prince. Suffer death, little brat!”
All the muscles in his body were tensed as he raised the hammer with all his strength, smashing it down on Yang Kai. A thunderous noise filled everyone’s ears in an instant, filling them with awe.
“Help, help!” Yang Kai shouted.
Zhu Qing glared at him before her red hair flashed and her petite body arrived next to Yang Kai. Then, she raised her small, fair, and tender fist to meet the large hammer.
The burly bald-headed man’s face changed and he shouted, “Move!”
He had no idea why this red-haired woman would seek death herself, but he knew that though she seemed to have a decent cultivation, she was, after all, a weak and frail woman. If his attack really connected with her, then she would at least be severely injured, if not dead.
This was a woman that the First Imperial Prince had his eyes on, so how could he dare to harm her?
And he just had to put his all into this attack. Now, even if he wanted to withdraw his move, it was too late. Seeing Zhu Qing block in front of him, the man had no choice but to force his body to twist slightly to the side, shifting the hammer a little in hopes that the woman could escape demise.
Zhu Qing’s fist collided with the huge hammer. The tender fist and the huge hammer formed a very strong visual impact, with no one doubting that Zhu Qing’s end would be miserable beyond comparison.
However, the results of this clash left everyone astonished.
A loud bang rang out. A strong gust of wind tousled Zhu Qing’s red hair slightly as she held her ground while the burly bald-headed man who was holding the large hammer went wide-eyed, as if struck by lightning. After a moment’s pause, he was sent hurtling backwards as if he were struck by lightning.
*Hong long long…*
A row of holes crashed open through the walls of the teahouse and the buildings behind it. At the end of the newly created tunnel, in a cloud of dust, the burly bald-headed man could be seen lying in a pile of rubble, not moving.
The eyes of the crowd almost popped out at this sight, especially the guards who came together with the First Imperial Prince. All of them stared dumbfounded at Zhu Qing. They never would have thought that this delicate little body could release such Heaven-destroying, Earth-shattering power.
This was even more unbelievable to them than seeing a Demon waltzing into Human Imperial City for some casual shopping would have been.
Zhu Qing waved her hand off with a look of disdain.
Outside the teahouse, the two coquettish women inside the palanquin let out screams of terror.
How many years had Human Imperial City maintained its peace? No one ever dared to cause trouble in the city, let alone clash with the Imperial Princes. Suddenly coming across such a scene scared the two women almost to death and their faces went pale as their tender bodies shivered.
Their screams woke up the disoriented Fu Shu.
He was stunned for a while before coming back to his senses. Gritting his teeth, he shouted at Yang Kai, “You hit me?” His tone became harsher and he began to sound hysterical, “You actually dare to hit me? This Prince…”
“Enough nonsense! That’s right, I hit you!” Yang Kai reached for the void, grabbing his Myriads Sword and slashing it straight down at Fu Shu. The sword light was bitterly cold, and the Sword Intent was awe-inspiring.
Fu Shu was so scared that he screamed and tried to run away.
But the Myriads Sword chased after him without giving him even half a chance to escape. One after another, sword lights slashed down on Fu Shu’s body, but none of them did any harm as each time a slash was about to connect, a green glow would emerge from the surface of Fu Shu’s body to block the attacks.
This glow grew stronger or weaker according to the force Yang Kai used, as if it had its own intelligence. It was intent on protecting the First Imperial Prince, Fu Shu, no matter what, and even someone as strong as Yang Kai could not break through the protection of that green light.
Yang Kai clicked his tongue curiously. Sure enough, there were no ends to the world’s mysteries. If he had not chanced upon this Revolving World and entered Human Imperial City, he would never have known that such a strange thing existed in the world.
“Help, help!” The First Imperial Prince shouted as he ran, not at all maintaining even a shred of his majesty as an Imperial Prince. At this moment, he was nothing more than a dog trying to run for his life, even forgetting that he had cultivated before.
His guards finally reacted and rushed towards Yang Kai to protect their master.
Even though the cultivation of these guards was not low, how could they be Yang Kai’s opponents? One by one, the Myriads Sword picked them off and cut them down, chopping all of them up like vegetables. Yang Kai did not kill them, however, and even though the smell of blood permeated throughout the teahouse with wails breaking out everywhere, there were no deaths so far.
But Yang Kai’s savagery scared the First Imperial Prince out of his wits. He didn’t even have the strength to run away anymore and retreated into a corner, his path blocked off. He watched in horror as Yang Kai took step after step towards him. Body shaking, he screamed, “Don’t come over here, don’t come over here! I’m the First Imperial Prince, I order you to stop!”
Yang Kai grinned viciously, and with the fresh blood dripping from his Myriads Sword, he appeared like a devil that had walked straight out of hell.
The First Imperial Prince could wish for nothing more than to faint right there and have death end all his troubles, but the fear festering in his heart just had to keep him far more alert and conscious than usual.
In just a few steps, Yang Kai was standing right in front of the First Imperial Prince. Tilting his head and glancing at him, he slowly stabbed over with his Myriads Sword.
The First Imperial Prince sucked in a deep breath and held it, staring at the tip of the Myriads Sword, terrified beyond words.
When the Myriads Sword was just a finger’s width away from Fu Shu, the green glow reappeared, blocking the Myriads Sword with great tenacity, halting its advancement, meeting strength with strength.
“What is this?” Yang Kai nudged the green layer of protection with the Myriads Sword while looking down at Fu Shu from above.
Fu Shu’s teeth were chattering and he clearly could no longer answer Yang Kai’s questions.
At that moment, someone at the side spoke, “As long as the Sacred Tree’s blessings remain, the Imperial Family will never suffer harm.”
Yang Kai turned his head to look, only to see that the goateed man who had left earlier had reappeared in the teahouse at some unknown time, sitting in the same spot as if he had never moved, looking indifferently at him.
Yang Kai raised a brow, “The Sacred Tree’s blessings? What Sacred Tree?”
The goateed man answered, “It has nothing to do with you, nor I.”
“So you’re not going to tell me? I hate people like you the most. What do you want?” Yang Kai looked impatiently at him.
The goateed man shrugged, “You have offended the First Imperial Prince and injured so many of his guards. There is no place for you in Human Imperial City now.”
“I’m so scared!” Yang Kai scoffed, “Next, are you going to tell me that if I want to live, I should hurry up and kneel to the Third Imperial Prince and lick his boot? That only he can guarantee my safety?”
The goateed man smiled, “A smart man needs only a small reminder.”
Yang Kai snorted, “Seems like everything that happened here was within your expectations. You were also the one who asked the First Imperial Prince to come, aren’t you?”
The goateed man shook his head, “Do not slander me. Everyone knows the First Imperial Prince’s fondness for seeking beauties. Someone had already gone to inform him as soon as you and this young miss appeared in Human Imperial City. This Old Master merely anticipated the scene and came to watch a good show.” After a pause, he looked at Yang Kai and asked, “Well? Do you still refuse?”
Yang Kai still did not reply, but Fu Shu who was cowering in the corner seemed to look with a burning gaze at the goateed man as if he had met his saviour and shouted, “I remember now, you’re the one by Third Brother’s side. That… That guy! That’s right, that guy! Quickly kill this impudent man for me! This Prince will reward you handsomely!”
The goateed man looked disdainfully at the First Imperial Prince, “This Old Master is the Third Imperial Prince’s subordinate, how could this Old Master help you? First Imperial Prince must be confused.”
Fu Shu’s face paled, “Then what do you want before you’ll act?! How about I give you the two women outside?”
The goateed man looked between his legs and sighed, “This Old Master is getting on in age. It’s not easy keeping one’s Yang Essence potent after so many years. En, this Old Master is thankful for First Imperial Prince’s kindness, but unfortunately, this Old Master is powerless to enjoy it.”
“You… How could you do this!” Fu Shu was disappointed.
The goateed man turned back to Yang Kai, “So, your answer remains the same?”
Yang Kai rested the broad Myriads Sword on his shoulder, scoffing.
The goateed man understood and turned back to Fu Shu, “Though this Old Master will not act, this Old Master can offer First Imperial Prince some advice on how to handle this situation.”
“Tell me, tell me!” Fu Shu said anxiously.
There weren’t any Masters left among his subordinates, or any subordinates at all for that matter as they were all sprawled down on the ground, so Fu Shu could only pin his hopes on the goateed man.
The goateed man continued, “With the blessings of the Sacred Tree, First Imperial Prince will definitely not be injured, so since you won’t get injured, why fear him? You are an Imperial Prince, after all. You can command the power of the Sacred Tree, so even if you can’t beat him, couldn’t you have just grabbed her and ran? As long as you return to the imperial palace, what can he do to you?”
Fu Shu’s eyes lit up when he heard this and inwardly cursed himself for losing his mind from fear. Just as the old goateed man said, he had the protection of the Sacred Tree, so normal people couldn’t hurt him. Since he couldn’t be hurt, what was there for him to be afraid of?
He could only be bitter at himself for being so scared that he did not think about such a thing, and bitter at Yang Kai even more for humiliating him. Eyes turning to Zhu Qing, who was standing at the side, his courage was reinvigorated and he slowly stood up from the corner.
Even though his body was shaking a little, it was much better than how he was begging for mercy and trying to flee just now.
Their conflict earlier also attracted many of Human Imperial City’s residents to watch, so the teahouse was now surrounded by onlookers in all directions. When several groups of patrolling guards around the area broke through the crowd after hearing news about the situation and seeing the mess here, they were astonished.
Once they saw Fu Shu, they all saluted and asked about the situation.
“You came just in time!” The presence of the Imperial Guard gave Fu Shu even more confidence. He pointed at Yang Kai and declared, “This vicious man hurt my guards and humiliated this Prince! Quickly subdue that man for this Prince!”
When the guards heard this, they all answered his command.
A cold smile appeared on Fu Shu’s face and an incantation suddenly spilled from his lips, which sounded obscure and difficult to understand. The onlookers were confused, but Yang Kai was the most shocked of them all.
He was much too familiar with this incantation. When the words sounded, his mind involuntarily recalled a magnificent scene of war. During that time, with tens of thousands of warriors under his command, he had launched a long and bloody campaign against the Demon Race, and each time battle was joined, Shamans would chant such spells.
The chanting of the spell made one’s blood boil and filled one’s chest with killing intent, making it so that they would want for nothing more than to destroy everything before their eyes.
Fu Shu’s incantation was very short and seemed to vary a little from the one Yang Kai knew, but it was essentially the same.
A light suddenly bloomed and enveloped the guards.
In the next instant, the vitality of the guards all surged and their bodies bulged violently, as if they were inflated with hot air. Their exposed skin began to glow red, and even their eyes had turned crimson.
Cowardice and fear disappeared from their bodies, replaced by ferocity and killing intent.
“Bloodlust Spell!” Yang Kai’s eyes almost popped out of his head. He never expected to see someone else perform the Bloodlust Spell today after a lapse of more than ten thousand years.
Despite the fact that this Bloodlust Spell was slightly different from the one he knew, Yang Kai definitely wouldn’t mistake it for something else.
There were some traces of Shamanic Spells when Liao Guan Shi performed his technique back in the cave, but it wasn’t too obvious, so Yang Kai didn’t pay it too much attention. But now, it seemed that Shamanic Spells still existed in this Revolving World. Yang Kai had no idea how they managed to pass it down for so long.
Zhu Qing clearly did not expect to see this either and she looked curiously at the cultivators who suddenly changed, feeling puzzled.
When Fu Shu’s chanting began again, Yang Kai immediately figured out what sort of Shamanic Spell it was. This Shamanic Spell was the biggest headache for the Demon Race back in ancient times, and it was also a Shamanic Spell that could not be broken easily.
It was only with the protection of this Shamanic Spell that the Ancient Barbarian Race was able to compete with the Demon Race.
Yang Kai knew deeply how terrifying this Shamanic Spell was, so how could he let Fu Shu cast it?
Taking a step forward, the Myriads Sword disappeared in the blink of an eye, and with a wide sweep of his arm, Yang Kai sent a huge Moon Blade flying towards Fu Shu.
This attack was so sudden and unpredictable that it shocked the goateed man. Naturally, it scared Fu Shu as well; however, the ignorant were fearless, and remembering what the goateed man told him just now, Fu Shu showed no intention to dodge or resist despite his fear, continuing his chanting, becoming louder and louder.
The enormous Moon Blade struck Fu Shu’s body as expected, but it was blocked by the green light that appeared on the surface of his body just as before. Only this time, the green light was particularly dense, so bright that it was almost solid. This green light was a protective barrier, and always responded proportionally to the threat it was facing, which in a sense highlighted just how deadly Yang Kai’s Moon Blade was.
This Divine Ability that could sever space itself was unable to do anything to Fu Shu. The green light was actually able to block the Moon Blade’s attack once more, but a small crack appeared where it met with the black blade, one so small it was almost imperceptible.
Seeing this, Yang Kai suddenly realized that this protection was neither invincible nor unbreakable. The reason why his previous attacks were ineffective was simply that they were not strong enough.
With that momentary delay, Fu Shu had already completed his Shamanic Spell.
Another light burst out, enveloping the guards.
Suddenly, there seemed to be something linking these people together, making them share life and death. All their vitalities came together in one place and rose to the sky.
Zhu Qing frowned slightly.
“Life Chains!” Yang Kai gritted his teeth. He never imagined that he would one day face off against the two Shamanic Spells of the Two Race Great War, Bloodlust Spell and Life Chains. The great Shamans of the Ancient Barbarian Race that Yang Kai fought alongside in the Thousand Illusions Dreamworld relied on the help of these two Shamanic Spells to become invincible, and it was because of that reason that Yang Kai knew the power of these spells better than anyone else alive today.
The goateed man looked surprised, “You actually know about the Sacred Techniques?”
“What Sacred Technique?” Yang Kai took a few steps back to stand next to Zhu Qing, staring coldly ahead.
The group of guards who were blessed with the Bloodlust Spell and Life Chains numbered about thirty people, all of whom had cultivations just under the Emperor Realm. The strongest was a Third-Order Dao Source cultivator, while the weakest was merely a Second-Order Origin King. If this group of people fought against Yang Kai alone, or even just as an ordinary group, Yang Kai could have easily exterminated them with a wave of his hand.
But right now, this group had the ability to fight against an Emperor in a life or death battle.
The fame of Shamanic Spells in the war did not come from nowhere.
The goateed man continued, “They are Secret Techniques that only the Imperial Family with more than six leaves are able to perform. If you don’t know about the Sacred Techniques, then how do you know the names of these skills?”
Yang Kai did not answer him and instead whispered to Zhu Qing, “We’re in a bit of trouble now.”
Zhu Qing commented, “I’ll deal with these people. I’ll leave that Imperial Prince to you.”
Yang Kai shook his head, “They’re not pushovers. Let me deal with them instead.”
Zhu Qing remained unperturbed, “Don’t underestimate me, will you? Besides, I don’t want to even get close to that nasty guy.”
“Since you’ve already said so, I don’t have much of a choice.” Yang Kai shrugged.
Zhu Qing snorted, “If you can’t handle him, then don’t even think about touching me again in the future.”
As soon as she said that, her body lunged forward in a flash.
Yang Kai wiped the cold sweat off his forehead, “Does she have to be so ruthless all the time?”
The goateed man poured cold water over him at the side, “It’s useless. Since the Sacred Techniques have already been cast, you have no chance to win. That is unless you can break the Sacred Techniques, but you would have to obtain the Sacred Tree’s blessing to do that.”
Fu Shu fumed, “Whose side are you on, old man?”
The goateed man said indifferently, “This Old Master is just here to watch a good show, he stands on neither side. First Imperial Prince should focus on his enemy. Be careful not to throw the face of the imperial family.”
Fu Shu was stirred up by his words, “Then open your dog eyes wide and watch!”
While they were talking, Zhu Qing had already engaged the thirty or so guards in battle. As the violent energy overflowed, the small teahouse collapsed at once, causing the teahouse’s owner to run out to the streets, crying and cursing incessantly.
Very soon, Zhu Qing discovered the difficulty in dealing with this group of people. Their actions couldn’t be called swift, nor were they very well coordinated. They didn’t have polished formations to take advantage of and would often interfere with one another, appearing quite clumsy.
But still, each one of these thirty or so people was actually able to withstand her attacks.
Each of the blows from Zhu Qing’s fists was actually caught by these stray cats and dogs, which was simply unbelievable. She was a member of the Dragon Clan and had ferocious power. Even a Third-Order Emperor Realm Master would not dare to say that they could withstand a hit from her unharmed, and yet these fodder were able to do just that.
After a few strikes though, Zhu Qing quickly discovered the secret behind how they were able to withstand her attacks.
She had no idea what happened with these people, but regardless of who came up to stop her, the damage from her attack would actually split up between their whole group, allowing the thirty or so to bear the effects together.
A single chopstick could easily be broken, but the resistance more than doubled when two chopsticks were used. Not to mention the fact that some other Sacred Technique or whatever was cast on more than thirty people, causing their vitality to surge, turning them fearless against pain or danger. All of them were red-eyed, and their ability to withstand punishment was multiplied.
Zhu Qing’s face turned cold and her attacks became fiercer and fiercer. Just now, she had been holding back quite a bit to test the waters.
As their fight rumbled on, the battlefield was constantly shifting and soon, half the street was affected.
Over where the teahouse used to stand, Yang Kai gazed at Fu Shu and commented, “You heard what the madam said. For the sake of this Young Master’s future happiness, I must ask First Imperial Prince to please… fall!”
As soon as he said that, he appeared before Fu Shu, so close that they were almost stuck together.
The goateed man’s eyes shrunk as his pupils became as small as a pinhole.
He did not see clearly what happened in that instant.
Fu Shu let out a yelp and almost fell backwards, but he was very quickly able to calm his heart and gritted his teeth while shouting, “You think this Prince is afraid of you!?”
Yang Kai raised a hand and threw a fierce punch at his face.
Fu Shu did not react to it at all, however, and the fist smashed in front of him, but fortunately, the green light appeared to block the blow and did not allow any harm to come to him. Otherwise, he would have died on the spot.
His face paled, but he grit his teeth and began chanting.
He wanted to apply a Bloodlust Spell to himself too, that way, he would no longer have any fear.
Yang Kai suddenly gazed at his chest, “First imperial Prince has eight leaves, huh? Tsk tsk, even the Third Imperial Prince has nine leaves, so why do you, as the Elder Brother, have one less than him? Is the Human Sovereign favouring him, or are you just unlovable?”
Fu Shu’s chanting came to an abrupt end as he shouted angrily, “Don’t talk nonsense! How could Imperial Father be partial towards Third Brother? I’m the First imperial Prince!”
“Oh really? However, the Third Imperial Prince does indeed have one more leaf than you. If my assumptions are correct, the greater the number of leaves you possess, the greater the respect you will obtain. From the looks of it, you really are inferior to the Third Imperial Prince.”
“It’s… it’s all due to the inferior cultivation of this Prince. That’s right, that is the only reason! This Prince was slightly negligent with his cultivation, therefore he only has eight leaves. If someday this Prince has the same cultivation as Third Brother, even obtaining nine leaves would be a trivial matter.”
“Tsk tsk tsk…” A look of contempt covered Yang Kai’s face, “I don’t think that is possible; tiny clues can reveal the general trend of things. If I were the Human Sovereign, I also wouldn’t appreciate your behaviour and character, First Imperial Prince. If the matter of succession were to be on my mind in the future, I would definitely consider the Third Imperial Prince. The Third Imperial Prince is a dragon amongst men, possesses outstanding cultivation, and treats people with respect and dignity, how could you ever match up to him?”
“You… you shut your mouth!” Fu Shu’s anger was fully stoked by Yang Kai’s words and he lunged over in fury, relying entirely on the protection of the Sacred Tree to maintain his fearless image.
As Yang Kai was speaking though, his hands never stopped, continually releasing fierce attacks towards various parts of Fu Shu’s body. Nevertheless, he was ultimately unable to break through the protective green light. On the other hand, the attacks the First imperial Prince was launching at him amounted to no more than tickles that he could completely disregard.
For a moment, the two of them brawled like rogues on the street, though neither side was able to gain the upper hand, with all of their attacks amounting to nothing.
The goateed man let off a sigh. Simply unable to continue watching on, he opened his mouth and shouted, “First Imperial Prince, there’s no need to worry about his rubbish comments. Your Highness should focus entirely on displaying your Sacred Techniques. Since your cultivation cannot match up to his, only the Sacred Techniques can wipe your humiliation away.”
Yang Kai turned his head around and snorted coldly, “If you continue yapping, old thing, I’ll smash your teeth out first!”
The goateed man said in a heartfelt manner, “Youngsters should learn how to respect their elders.”
“That will depend on the person. Those who like to act pretentiously like you, I will beat up several dozen every day!”
As Yang Kai shouted, Fu Shu continued to curse. Nevertheless, having received the goateed man’s reminder, he did not continue tussling with Yang Kai and immediately cast the Bloodlust Spell on himself. The fear and timidness in his eyes quickly disappeared, immediately being replaced by a look filled with fury and excitement. Letting off a loud, derisive chuckle, he spoke with a fierce tone, “Boy, for daring to offend this Prince, you must die! After that, I will properly enjoy that beautiful lady.”
The Bloodlust Spell affected the rationality of the target, lowering their inhibitions while enhancing their ferocity. Nevertheless, it was still able to provide many benefits in some special circumstances.
Fu Shu’s fear and timidness had been suppressed by the Bloodlust Spell. Focusing his scarlet red eyes firmly on Yang Kai, he appeared to have become an entirely different person as he let out a loud roar, “Bind!”
An invisible strength suddenly came gushing out from the void, binding Yang Kai’s raised fist like a thousand tightly wrapped threads.
Yang Kai was suddenly unable to move his fist regardless of how he tried.
He felt as though his fist was being tied down by an invisible power. The more he tried to attack, the greater the restraining force he felt. Yang Kai’s expression turned solemn. Despite his Third-Order Dao Source Realm cultivation, the First Imperial Prince, Fu Shu, was actually able to rely on his so-called Sacred Techniques to even restrain his movements. This made Yang Kai increasingly vigilant against the Shamanic Spells that were the root cause of this situation.
Ordinary Shamanic Spells could not possibly have such an effect. Yang Kai had always been the one fighting across realms. This was the first time he had been placed in such a disadvantage by a person with a lower cultivation realm than him.
Floating backwards in retreat, Yang Kai was no longer being restrained as he easily increased the distance between him and Fu Shu.
With the success he obtained, Fu Shu’s confidence was greatly increased, leading to him laugh crazily, “You’re running? Let me see where you run to! Come, sword!”
Extending his hand, a burst of jade green light erupted forth from the void. The fluorescent light appeared to be identical to the energy that was protecting Fu Shu. Rapidly converging together in the air, it transformed into an astonishing longsword.
With a pointing motion, Fu Shu aimed at the long sword and sent it chopping down towards Yang Kai.
Yang Kai’s eyes narrowed as he felt the power behind the incoming attack. Unleashing his Space Principles, he greeted the incoming attack with a number of Moon Blades.
After a series of explosions, the jade-green long sword smashed through everything as though they were rotten wood, completely destroying all the incoming Moon Blades; however, after breaking through the last Moon Blade, it suddenly collapsed and dissipated.
A shiver shook through Fu Shu’s body before two streams of blood flowed out from his nostrils. Nevertheless, appearing to have not felt anything, he raised his hands up and roared loudly, “Again!”
Light condensed once again, before converging to form a gigantic jade green long sword.
Yang Kai shot a pensive look towards a certain location at that moment.
After experiencing it a few times, he had finally managed to catch onto some faint traces. Every time Fu Shu displayed his Sacred Techniques, they seemed to produce some kind of resonance from that direction. This resonance was very weak, so weak that Yang Kai would not have sensed it if not for his powerful Divine Sense.
It was impossible for someone at Fu Shu’s realm to compete against him in a head-on confrontation; therefore, there was only one reason that this could be happening, and that was the fact that something was lending him the power to do so.
He was borrowing the power of the so-called Sacred Tree!
And the direction from which the resonance was occurring should be where the Sacred Tree was located.
Yang Kai really wanted to see exactly what the hell this Sacred Tree was, to actually be able to display such power to let trash like Fu Shu display some ability.
A torrent of Divine Sense expanded out, causing waves of humming sounds to ring in the sky, leading the goateed man’s expression to change once again.
After an instant, everything within Human Imperial City appeared before Yang Kai’s eyes, just like the most outstanding artist painting picture after picture in his mind with exquisite detail. As his Divine Sense continued to expand outwards, his field of view continued to increase.
All of a sudden, a barrier blocked his Divine Sense from expanding. Caught off guard, Yang Kai was dazed for a moment when his Divine Sense smashed right into the barrier.
Coincidentally, right at the same exact moment, the jade-green longsword had already chopped down, cleaving down on Yang Kai’s shoulder, drawing blood as a result.
Fu Shu laughed madly, “This is what you get for challenging this Prince!”
Forming a seal with his hands, he controlled the jade-green longsword to press downwards, seemingly wanting to chop Yang Kai in half.
Yang Kai responded with a cold snort. Summoning the Myriads Sword into his hand once more, he proceeded to swing it up, causing a chilling cold Sword Qi to burst forth and break the jade-green longsword apart.
Fu Shu was stunned for an instant, surprised at the outcome.
Yang Kai said, “Is that all of you’ve got, First Imperial Prince? Ridiculous! Do you not have any other moves? Let me see exactly what you’re capable of!”
Fu Shu roared back in fury, “Don’t get cocky, you little brat!”
All of a sudden Fu Shu started to chant; however, this time around, Yang Kai did not recognize the words, nor could he associate them with any Shamanic Spell he knew. While he chanted, Fu Shu proceeded to take a stance akin to what one would take when notching an arrow on a bow.
A jade-green arrow mysteriously appeared before him, which he held lightly as he drew it on an invisible bow.
“Chasing Star Pursuing Moon! Die!”
Following Fu Shu’s furious roar, the jade-green arrow disappeared as it spun through the air, smashing through space, leaving a gash across the sky that was visible to the naked eye before appearing right before Yang Kai’s face.
Yang Kai tilted his head to the side, as the arrow slid past his temples, slicing off a few strands of black hair that drifted away with the wind.
“You dare dodge!” Fu Shu erupted like a volcano as he continued to pull back on his invisible bow, repeatedly launching arrow after arrow at Yang Kai. Blood continued to flow out from his nostrils like water bursting out from a dam, dripping down and staining his robes and the ground below. Nevertheless, Fu Shu did not seem to notice this at all, as if he had entered into a frenzied state.
However, after firing off five arrows in a row, blood was now dripping from all of his seven orifices.
It seemed that unleashing the Sacred Techniques had put an extremely large burden on his body.
No power in this world could be obtained without a corresponding price. Without a doubt, this also applied to Fu Shu. Being the First Imperial Prince, he had obtained the protection of the Sacred Tree at birth, granting him the capability to unleash this powerful Sacred Techniques. Nevertheless, with his Third-Order Dao Source cultivation, he would still have to pay a steep price to unleash enough power that could contend with Yang Kai.
His unrestrained attacks allowed Yang Kai to observe the flow of power for the Sacred Technique’s origin with greater detail and accuracy.
All of a sudden, a frown appeared abruptly on Yang Kai’s face, as though he had thought of something. Taking a deep breath, he proceeded to close his eyes.
Fu Shu was immediately overjoyed when he saw this and proceeded to shout naively, “So you now know the might of this Prince? It’s too late for you to kneel and beg for your life! This Prince has decided that you will experience the worst torture in this realm!”
As he said those words, he raised his hands yet again, sending a green arrow shooting off into the sky.
Right at this instant, Yang Kai’s eyes suddenly snapped open and raised his hand lightly to grab at the jade green arrow. In the next instant, the powerful arrow was locked into place before him, unable to move even an inch forward.
“How is that possible?”
Yang Kai and Fu Shu both uttered the same question, though the former had a blank look on his face, while the latter had one filled with shock.
“Your aura…” The goateed man’s eyes suddenly turned as round as saucers as he stared fixedly at Yang Kai, as though he was looking at something he had never seen before that left him full of confusion.
Right at the instant, Yang Kai closed his eyes, his aura suddenly experienced a drastic change.
It did not become any stronger; however, his aura now made people feel as though it came from ancient antiquity, like he had stepped through time into this moment, his entire body radiating a desolateness that could not be identified nor described.
The jade arrow dissipated within Yang Kai’s hand as an ancient chant began to stream from his lips.
At this instant, he was not an Emperor Realm Master, but a Shaman King, an Ancient Shaman King that hailed from the South Barbarian Clan of the ancient world!
His words sounded more cryptic and indecipherable than the First Imperial Prince’s, and despite not ringing out loudly, they seemed exceedingly hard to pronounce.
The goateed man’s entire body shook violently as his entire being turned as stiff as a dumb chicken.
A tiny flame snake suddenly appeared right before Yang Kai, slithering about as if it was a living creature, before he quickly made his judgement.
This was not a Sacred Technique, as there was no jade-green glow present on the flame snake that was unique to the Sacred Techniques, though the process of its construction seemed to be exactly the same as the Sacred Techniques.
“So that’s what your so-called Sacred Techniques are, huh…” The corners of Yang Kai’s mouth curled up, as he was mysteriously able to sense a connection with something that was present within Human Imperial City. This connection was precisely something that he had established after transforming into a Shaman King, and after casting the Shamanic Spell, this connection had instantly become much stronger.
The tiny flame snake twisted around deftly in a lifelike manner, bringing unimaginable shock to everyone present.
Fu Shu was already stupefied as he stared blankly at the flame snake, utterly forgetting that he was still in the middle of a fight.
The goateed man roared, “First Imperial Prince, that isn’t a Sacred Technique! Don’t be deceived by his methods!”
“That really isn’t a Sacred Technique?” Fu Shu turned around to ask.
The goateed man was so furious that his beard was trembling as he repeated with strong reaffirmation, “This Old Master is willing to stake his life that it absolutely isn’t a Sacred Technique! It’s just… somewhat similar to the Sacred Techniques, that’s all! There’s no need to fear it!”
Fu Shu’s mind shook upon hearing those words, leading him to roar out furiously, “Just as I expected! As if an inferior being like you could unleash the Sacred Techniques! It turns out that you are just trying to scam me! Despicable bastard, you must die!”
Fu Shu attempted to notch his invisible bow to fire off another arrow; however, with a flick of his finger, the flame snake Yang Kai had conjured straightened up, before shooting over towards Fu Shu like a bolt of lightning.
Fu Shu pretended not to hear anything as he completely ignored the incoming flame snake attack, as he knew that the Sacred Tree would provide impenetrable protection. Any attack from Yang Kai would be utterly ineffective, just like what happened earlier.
The flame snake didn’t seem to possess much power behind it, appearing just like an extremely common Flame Snake Spell. In ancient antiquity, even a Shaman Warrior would be able to execute a Shamanic Spell of this level.
With a bang, the flame snake smashed into Fu Shu’s body, but an unexpected outcome occurred then. The protective green light had once again blossomed around Fu Shu’s body, but after the impact from the flame snake, despite the latter instantly disappearing without a sound, flames covered Fu Shu’s entire body, burning him until he was crying out in pain.
The goateed man’s eyes contracted, as he could faintly sense that something wasn’t quite right about this.
According to reason, being the First Imperial Prince, Fu Shu was granted the protection of the Sacred Tree within Human Imperial City. Therefore, only existences with eight leaves or more would have the capability of harming him. However, this mysterious foreigner had actually managed to accomplish such a feat! This was utterly out of his capability to comprehend, and he simply couldn’t understand how this could even happen.
Furthermore, why did that Secret Technique appear no different from the Sacred Tree’s Sacred Techniques? Other than the absence of the Sacred Tree’s signature fluctuations, it simply appeared identical to the Sacred Techniques.
“Seems I’ve also obtained the protection of the Sacred Tree.” Yang Kai grinned as he looked at the First Imperial Prince.
“Nonsense!” Extinguishing the flames on his body, Fu Shu cursed out madly, “You? Impossible!”
“Take a close look, First Imperial Prince, and see if I’m talking nonsense or not.” As he sneered, Yang Kai suddenly raised his hand, before a flame snake appeared before him once again. This was followed up by another one, a third, then a fourth …
“You, you, you…” Fu Shu was getting shock after shock, “Why don’t you need to chant an incantation!”
“Why would I need to chant?” Yang Kai continued to execute Shamanic Spells; but they were all the simple Flame Snake Spell.
“Singing incantations is necessary to unleash any Scared Technique!” Fu Shu felt his common sense being shattered apart, something he found hard to accept.
Yang Kai chuckled, “How can trash like you compare with this Young Master? This Young Master can conjure Sacred Techniques with a snap of his fingers.”
As he was talking, a dense array of flame snakes had already appeared before him, as though they had just been forced out from their holes. As time continued to pass, the newly formed flame snakes started to transform.
Slivers of green glow started to surface on their fiery red bodies, and although this was not very conspicuous, the green glow was undoubtedly present. The green glow grew increasingly intense, and before the final few flame snakes materialized, they were completely covered with a jade-green glow.
Yang Kai finally pulled his hands back, grinning as he looked at Fu Shu, “Take a look. Didn’t I say that I’ve also obtained the Sacred Tree’s protection?”
“Ssii…” The goateed man sucked in a mouthful of cold air, while beads of cold sweat dripped down from his forehead. The way this matter developed exceeded all of his expectations! A foreigner was actually able to obtain the Sacred Tree’s protection, and execute Sacred Techniques boosted with the Sacred Tree’s power. Now, it was utterly impossible to rely on the Third Imperial Prince to deal with him. In fact, the appearance of this man would be sufficient to cause a giant storm that Human Imperial City had not experienced in over ten thousand years. If this young man wasn’t dealt with appropriately, he could change the entire situation of Human Imperial City.
At this moment, the goateed man no longer had any thoughts of dragging Yang Kai down, only wanting to find an opportune moment to flee.
On the other hand, Fu Shu was also in such shock that he had turned speechless. The massive turmoil of emotions he was experiencing caused a series of events to occur within him, with the first being the dispelling of the Bloodlust Spell, before being closely followed by the backlash of his continuous usage of Sacred Techniques. The latter left Fu Shu crying out as he collapsed onto the ground, his hand covering his nose, though he was unable to stem the flow of blood. In an instant, his vitality plummeted, to the point where he was only a step away from death. Crying out in misery, he sought help from his surroundings. Yet, who could step forward to save him at such a moment?
Seeing his enemy, who was fighting on equal footing against him just a moment ago, had actually collapsed onto the ground, Yang Kai’s face twitched fiercely. Nevertheless, he felt too lazy to add insult to injury. In the first place, he wasn’t all that concerned about Fu Shu, as the latter was only able to contend with him by temporarily relying on the strength of the Sacred Tree. Currently, with Yang Kai having access to the same power, there was already nothing to fear from Fu Shu.
Turning around, Yang Kai grinned as he looked towards the goateed man.
With beads of cold sweat rolling down his forehead, the goateed man spoke out in a sour tone, “Could it be… that you’re actually royalty that has been lost in the past?”
Yang Kai replied with an indifferent expression, “You have quite the imagination.”
“Then why are you able… to summon the power of the Sacred Tree?” The goateed man was unable to wrap his head around it.
“Who told you that only the Imperial Family is able to gain the Sacred Tree’s protection?” Yang Kai sneered.
The goateed man gawked in sudden realisation. That deeply entrenched thought was completely due to the environment and knowledge he had been exposed to since his youth. It really seemed that no one had considered why only the Imperial Family was able to obtain the Sacred Tree’s protection, and thereby gain access to its strength.
All of a sudden, the goateed man’s mouth turned parched, as he felt as though an enormous secret had just been exposed before him.
He proceeded to ask in a quivering voice, “What kind of people can obtain the Sacred Tree’s protection?”
Yang Kai replied coldly, “Getting rebellious, old dog? Why are you asking about this? Do you really have such thoughts?”
The goateed man burst into anger, “Stop spewing nonsense!” As he replied, he glanced at his surroundings, appearing afraid that his question had been overheard by other people.
Yang Kai snorted coldly, “Scram off and tell your master to not bother me in the future. This Young Master has no intention of purposefully offending anyone, and more so becoming enemies with anyone. It’s just that my wife and I accidentally strayed into this place, so we will leave when we find the exit. If anyone dares to find trouble with us… heh heh.”
Coming to a clear realization, the goateed man nodded his head and replied, “This Old Master will definitely convey Your Excellency’s message. As for what the Third Imperial Prince decides to do, that isn’t up for this Old Master to decide.”
“I also know that you don’t have the qualifications to make a decision, now scram.” Yang Kai waved his hand as though he was shooing away a fly.
The goateed man immediately left. How could he dare to remain here?
At this point in time, Fu Shu was still shrieking in pain, his voice filled with incomparable misery. Not far away in the air, Zhu Qing was currently engaged in an intense fight against over thirty cultivators. Despite being blessed by Fu Shu’s Bloodlust Spell and Life Chains, having their strength boosted and their vitalities tied together, how could these rabble match up with a member of the Dragon Clan?
The Bloodlust Spell could only stimulate the power of one’s Blood Qi to strengthen their physical bodies and raise their bravery and ferocity. This would result in an increase in pure strength, though it would not raise it by much. As for the Life Chains, it merely linked their lives together, increasing their ability to absorb damage and injuries.
Their offensive capabilities still remained within the upper bounds of their cultivation realms.
As such, it wasn’t difficult for Zhu Qing to deal with them, with the odds still being overwhelmingly stacked in her favour. Nevertheless, due to the effect of Life Chains, it still took her quite some effort to deal with them.
Yang Kai raised his hand at that moment and sent the flame snakes floating before him over, taking only an instant to smash into the crowd of people.
Immediately, the Life Chains which tied their life force together, burst apart like a pin-pricked balloon as countless flame snakes drilled their way through their protections.
The Life Chain Spell was dispelled before shattering apart. In the next instant, the group of thirty were swept away by Zhu Qing’s violent aura, resulting in them suffering serious injuries, all of them spewing blood as they fell out of the sky like dumplings.
Under normal conditions, Life Chains couldn’t be dispelled with such ease; however, Fu Shu was using the power from the Sacred Tree when he had cast that spell, and with Yang Kai’s interference, it had resulted in the Life Chains breaking from within.
With her opponents suddenly collapsing in a single move, Zhu Qing was also too lazy to clean them up. Bullying the weak was considered an embarrassment for the Dragon Clan. With a flicker, she arrived by Yang Kai’s side. Shooting a look at Fu Shu, who was now squirming in a pool of his own blood, she asked in an irked tone, “Why is he still alive?”
Yang Kai replied in shock, “You still want to kill ruthlessly? Indeed, there’s nothing more poisonous than a woman’s heart.”
Zhu Qing snorted coldly in response, “Why are you letting trash like him live?”
“You have a point.” Yang Kai suddenly turned his head and looked towards a certain location within the crowd of people, “Having witnessed such a good show for so long, shouldn’t you come out already, Sir? You should have heard it. If you aren’t going to come out, my wife will execute this First Imperial Prince. When that happens, don’t come crying over spilt milk!”
Right after Yang Kai’s words rang out, a figure suddenly dashed forward, appearing right before the First Imperial Prince. This person was rather tall and had a lanky build, as though he was malnourished. Standing there, he appeared akin to a bamboo pole, creating an exceedingly conspicuous sight.
Upon seeing this man, shock flashed across the face of Fu Shu, who was drowning in pain, before pointing at him, “You, you, you… you are…”
The tall man did not give a reply. Instead, he bent down and shoved a Spirit Pill into Fu Shu’s mouth, before knocking him unconscious with a slap. Extending his hand, he lifted Fu Shu up, before turning around to stare coldly at Yang Kai.
“Oh? A Third-Order Emperor!” Yang Kai’s brow immediately rose.
Despite knowing the outstanding heritage of this Human Imperial City, bumping into a Third-Order Emperor so quickly still brought some shock to Yang Kai. This tall man’s aura was exceedingly profound, and wasn’t inferior even when compared to Azure Sun Temple’s Temple Master Wen Zi Shan, or the Star Soul Palace’s Xiao Yu Yang.
In other words, he was a Master on the same level as Temple Master Wen and Elder Xiao, and not just some embroidered pillow. If he were to take action here, Yang Kai might not be able to deal with him.
Of course, within Human Imperial City, it shouldn’t be a problem for Yang Kai to suppress him with the aid of the Sacred Tree’s protection. At this moment, he had the Sacred Tree’s blessing. The reason he had unleashed so many Flame Snakes earlier was for the sake of establishing a connection with the Sacred Tree.
The Sacred Tree didn’t only protect and bless the Imperial Family, but rather it protected and blessed all Shamans. This was the deduction Yang Kai had made after observing the First Imperial Prince display Shamanic Spells. Therefore, he had used his Shamanic Strength for the sake of proving his theory.
This proved that his guess was right. When he had unleashed the first Flame Snake Spell, there was indeed a sliver of resonance with the Sacred Tree, resulting in a faint connection being formed. After successively casting the Spell, this connection grew substantially stronger.
This resulted in Yang Kai gaining the blessings of the Sacred Tree, allowing him to display what the goateed man recognized as Sacred Techniques.
The so-called Sacred Techniques were just Shamanic Spells that had received a blessing of power.
The citizens of Human Imperial City had assumed that the Sacred Tree was protecting the Imperial Family, resulting in the Imperial Family becoming existences that could not be provoked or disrespected, while granting them many different privileges that no one could go against. However, the truth was simply that the only Shamans in Human Imperial City were from the Imperial Family, a status which allowed them to form a resonance and connection with the Sacred Tree to enable them to tap into the strength of the Sacred Tree.
Other than the Imperial Family, there was basically no one else that could cultivate Shamanic Strength. In other words, they were obstructed from cultivating Shamanic Spells.
This should be the method used to control Human Imperial City.
There was only one thing that Yang Kai could not understand. Exactly what was the Sacred Tree? Why did it protect Shamans, and offer them its strength?
Various thoughts swam through his mind, though Yang Kai could not find the answer for the time being, as the only way he could do so was to personally take a look at the Sacred Tree. However, how would that be an easy task to accomplish? Since the Sacred Tree’s importance was tantamount in this place, it would definitely be well guarded by Human Imperial City. Therefore, it would be more difficult than ascending to the Heavens for Yang Kai, an outsider, to be able to see the Sacred Tree in person.
Focusing his attention towards the tall and skinny man, Yang Kai smiled faintly and said, “Let me guess, since the First and Third Imperial Princes have appeared, could your excellency be a person of the Second Imperial Prince? No, that doesn’t seem right; although I also do not know if there is any Second Imperial Prince at all.”
The tall and skinny man’s expression remained emotionless as he replied in an indifferent tone, “How can you be so sure?”
His voice sounded like what a person with a skinny build would sound like, while his tone seemed to be exceedingly raspy, as though he had not drunk any water for several dozen years.
Yang Kai snorted in reply, “Since ancient times, Imperial Families have not cared about family relationships, and it is inevitable for intense struggles and underhand schemes to occur between princes. If you really were a person of the Second Prince, you would be ecstatic for the First Imperial Prince to kick the bucket as soon as possible, so why would you bother to save him? The Spirit Pill you just fed to him was quite expensive after all.”
“So that’s how it is. Looks like you have quite a sharp mind.” The tall and skinny man nodded lightly, “You’re right, I’m not a person of the Second Imperial Prince.”
“Then whose person are you?” Yang Kai’s eyes narrowed as he asked.
The tall and skinny man replied, “I’m here on orders from the Human Sovereign to invite you two to the palace!”
“Human Sovereign!” Yang Kai raised his brow, before turning his head towards Zhu Qing, “Madame, should we go or not?”
Zhu Qing replied, “I’ll let you decide.”
Yang Kai nodded lightly, before flashing a faint smile, “Let me ask a question first. Having beaten the First Imperial Prince up, would the Human Sovereign punish me?”
The tall and skinny man replied, “This lowly one isn’t fit to judge the intentions of the Human Sovereign. I’m just acting on orders! Please cooperate!”
After saying those words, he turned his body sideways in an inviting stance.
Yang Kai said to Zhu Qing, “Looks like we have to take a trip there. I just so happen to have some questions to ask him as well.”
“Let’s go then.” Zhu Qing nodded her head.
“Lead the way!” Yang Kai indicated to the tall and skinny man with his chin.
Without saying a word back, the tall and skinny man’s body flickered before he flew off in a certain direction, with Yang Kai following in suit.
The little black puppy ran out from an unknown location at that point, and with a few barks, rushed into Zhu Qing’s bosom.
During the earlier fight, this fellow had fled without a trace, but with the fight over now, he had immediately shown himself.
Within this exceedingly large Human Imperial City, this tall and skinny man clearly possessed a high status, as Yang Kai had caught notice of the five-leaf insignia embroidered on his clothes.
Although a five-leaf insignia was relatively low in terms of status compared to the First and Third Imperial Princes, it was still a symbol of nobility. In accordance with the words of the goateed man, only people with six leaves have the qualifications to borrow the power of the Sacred Tree, and unleash the Sacred Techniques that could suppress all in its path.
There was only a single leaf difference between five and six, but it was a great chasm in terms of status.
Yang Kai estimated that anyone within this Human Imperial City that was part of the Imperial Family’s direct bloodline should have six leaves at the very least. For people like this tall and skinny man, who possessed powerful cultivation yet was not part of the Imperial Family’s bloodline, five leaves would be the very peak, with it being impossible for them to rise any higher.
This man was a Third-Order Emperor, and would be an overlord or a Sect Master of a top Sect if he was in the outside world. However, within this Human Imperial City, he was a subordinate that served someone else.
Within Human Imperial City, one’s status depended on one’s presence or absence of leaves, while the number determined how esteemed one was, or whether one would be the master or subordinate. This was a method of control which Yang Kai would not agree to blindly, nor did he wish to make any judgement about it.
Yang Kai figured the Human Sovereign was a man who appointed people through favouritism, and someone that was very narrow-minded, which caused his initial impression of the latter to be rather poor.
The reason the Human Sovereign had summoned him was most probably due to him being able to borrow the power of the Sacred Tree. His appearance and his actions had shaken the very core of control the Human Sovereign had in his reign.
Yang Kai’s appearance was just like a rock that had been thrown into a tranquil lake, causing ripples to spread out, and thereby attracting the attention of the overlord of the depths.
Yang Kai believed that if he were to reject the Human Sovereign’s summons, a kill or capture order for him would immediately be spread across the entire Human Imperial City. Therefore, he could not reject this summon at all, and since that was the case, Yang Kai had no other choice but to go with the flow.
However, this would definitely not be a peaceful trip, so he needed to be extra vigilant.
Only nobility were allowed to fly within Human Imperial City. Regardless of how powerful one’s cultivation was, one would need to obediently walk on the ground if one did not possess any leaves.
The tall and skinny man possessed five leaves. Furthermore, he seemed to be a Master that directly served the Human Sovereign, naturally giving him the qualifications to fly. As he did so, the people that were in his path all retreated to give way to him.
The status of the nobles were inferior to that of the tall and skinny man.
Yang Kai quickly noticed that it was hard to bump into anyone with six leaves. At the very least, he did not bump into a single one on this flight. The majority of the nobles he had bumped into possessed three leaves or less, with only a small handful possessing more than three leaves.
With such a pool, the tall and skinny man with his five leaves appeared to tower over the rest. The only difference between him and the First and Third Imperial Princes was his inability to borrow the power of the Sacred Tree.
That was because he was not born into the Imperial Family, leaving him unable to cultivate Shamanic Strength, resulting in him not receiving the blessing of the Sacred Tree.
The Imperial Palace was situated in the centre most region of Human Imperial City. The palace consisted of numerous buildings and spanned over an exceedingly vast area of space. It was also precisely the direction that Yang Kai had sensed the resonance coming from, where the power provided to him by the Sacred Tree came from.
Yang Kai squinted his eyes towards the direction he estimated the Sacred Tree was located, only to see a stretch of haze hanging over there, as though something was being encompassed by a powerful Spirit Array, leaving him unable to survey the situation within. The Spirit Arrays were most likely the ones that were obstructing his Divine Sense before as well.
Not long after, the tall and skinny man descended from the air, before landing in front of a palace. This palace was exceedingly opulent and furthermore, it seemed to have been built a long time ago. Standing outside of the palace, an ancient and desolate aura came surging out to greet them, as though it was telling them the ebb and flow of time.
Yang Kai’s expression turned solemn.
The tall and skinny man passed the First Imperial Prince, whom he had been carrying over his shoulder like a sack the whole time, to the guards standing outside of the palace, before turning around, “Please enter. The Human Sovereign is waiting inside.”
Yang Kai smiled, “This isn’t a trap, is it? There aren’t a few hundred blades and axes waiting to cleave us apart when we enter, right?”
The tall and skinny man replied in an emotionless tone, “Is this a joke from the outside world? It is not funny at all.”
Yang Kai shrugged, “You obviously do not have any sense of humour.”
The tall and skinny man replied, “The Human Sovereign is the most supreme existence in this world, and does not need any traps if his esteemed self wanted to deal with you.”
“We’re all Emperors here, so what’s the use of posturing?” Yang Kai spat in disdain, before striding towards the palace.
The tall and skinny man pointed towards the little black dog in Zhu Qing’s bosom, “Leave the bastard behind.”
Zhu Qing shook her head and replied, “Ah Wang will not be left behind.”
“The Human Imperial Palace is not a palace where one can just enter like that, much less a mutt. Please do not add more difficulty to my job.” The tall and skinny man obstructed their paths.
Yang Kai replied with a sneer, “You are the one that said the Human Sovereign had summoned me and my wife, and yet now, you are obstructing us. Can’t you make up your mind?”
The tall and skinny man opened his mouth, appearing to be in the process of giving a reply, before his ears suddenly perked up. Clearly, someone was transmitting a message to him.
After an instant, with a shift of his body, he moved to give way to Yang Kai and Zhu Qing.
“This is the proper attitude to treat guests with,” Yang Kai smiled faintly, before walking forwards with Zhu Qing by his side.
From the outside, the interior of the Human Imperial Palace appeared to be filled with a dusky haze, making it seemingly impossible to make out anything within. However, upon entering, one would immediately notice how bright it was in here, with a dozen gigantic pillars erected in all directions, appearing as though they connected the Earth to the Heavens. Rays of light radiated out from the luminous pearl decorations that dotted the halls, encompassing the entire palace with a warm glow.
Pairs of eyes immediately swept over from all directions.
Yang Kai raised his brow in response, as he did not expect there to be so many people present within this Human Imperial Palace. Sweeping his gaze around, he quickly spotted a familiar figure among the crowd, and with a faint smile, he sent his greetings, “How are you, Third Imperial Prince? We meet again so soon! I have to thank you for your care earlier.”
The Third Imperial Prince snorted coldly in response, his eyes brimming with disdain.
All of the people present within this palace possessed six leaves and above. In other words, all of them were blood-related to the Imperial Family, and Shamans of outstanding power. There was a great range in their ages though, with both males and females present.
There were not many nine leaves present, with only two people having them. Other than the Third Imperial Prince, there was a beautiful woman who appeared to be around thirty years of age. The two of them stood right at the highest place within the palace, right next to the throne, with the others standing in rows by their sides.
What piqued Yang Kai’s curiosity was that the beautiful woman was actually a Second-Order Emperor.
Of the twenty or so Shamans present, there was a great range in their cultivation, but not a single Third-Order Emperor.
Right at the head of the room was a gigantic imperial throne, one that was wide enough to allow a person to lie in comfortably without feeling cramped. Seated on the imperial throne was a somewhat obese elderly man. He did not seem to be tall or muscular, instead appearing somewhat tubby when seated on the imperial throne, making for somewhat of a funny sight.
However, the aura that radiated from him gave Yang Kai a shock.
Before coming over here, he was secretly guessing the cultivation of the Human Sovereign.
The unique situation within this city had led him to the realisation that the greatest source of power was the ability to connect with the Sacred Tree and borrow its strength, with one’s cultivation coming second to this.
Therefore, he had faintly concluded that the Human Sovereign’s cultivation should not be too high, and thus would obviously not be at the Great Emperor Realm.
It was precisely because of this that Yang Kai had come here so confidently to meet this Human Sovereign.
If the latter really was a Great Emperor, he would not even have the chance to retaliate.
However, upon seeing the Human Sovereign, Yang Kai realized that he had been too naive. This Human Sovereign wasn’t a Great Emperor at all. In fact, he wasn’t even a Third-Order Emperor.
The aura that he radiated was just of a Second-Order Emperor! What’s more, it was an exceedingly feeble aura at that!
The leader of Human Imperial City, the person above all others, was only a Second-Order Emperor!
No one would believe such a thing if they weren’t here to personally witness it. Zhu Qing had obviously not expected this either, falling into a daze. Being an existence on par or even stronger than a Third-Order Emperor, she was able to gauge the Human Sovereign’s cultivation realm with a single glance, his Second-Order Emperor Realm strength appearing somewhat of a joke in her eyes. Furthermore, the Human Sovereign was already old, and although his age was unknown, his vitality was already starting to decline. In other words, his Second-Order Emperor cultivation realm was his peak, and there was no room left for improvement. Furthermore, his cultivation realm would gradually decline as time continued to pass.
The weakness of his aura was the greatest evidence!
“Outrageous! Why are you not kneeling down in the presence of the Human Sovereign!”
A high-pitched shout rang out, as the beautiful woman standing at the topmost right-hand side of the hall unexpectedly took the lead and started causing difficulty for Yang Kai. Within the entire palace, she was the only person besides the Third Imperial Prince to possess nine leaves. However, her cultivation realm was higher than the Third Imperial Prince’s by a Minor Realm, reaching the Second-Order Emperor Realm.
It could be said that she was the strongest person within the entire Imperial Family. Although the Human Sovereign possessed the same cultivation as her, his strength was already starting to decline. Unlike him, she was at the peak of her life, with a very large window for improvement. With the right opportunities, she could reach the Third-Order.
Raising his eyes to look over, Yang Kai snorted coldly in response, “Requiring one to kneel whenever we see someone. Your Human Imperial City’s rules are really weird. Why don’t I see you kneeling down before me?”
The beautiful woman took a step forward, her face turning icy cold as she unleashed a powerful aura to press down on Yang Kai, “This Queen is the Second Princess of Human Imperial City. Are you even able to accept my kneeling?”
Undeterred at all, Yang Kai did not move as he replied haughtily, “Bullshit, someone like you, Imperial Princess, is nothing to me. In my eyes, only those with the strongest fists have the right to stand forward and talk. Your First Imperial Prince was beaten to a pulp by me, so there’s nothing to say about some Second Princess.”
The Second Princess’s sharp eyes narrowed slightly as a dangerous glint flashed within, “Are you saying that you feel that your fists are very strong?”
Yang Kai proceeded to size her up earnestly, before sneering, “At least they’re bigger than your chest.”
The group of Imperial Princes and Princesses could not help but let out a laugh, feeling that this outsider’s mouth really was poisonous. With her high self-esteem and cultivation realm, the Second Princess generally wouldn’t show respect to any other member of the royalty. In fact, she didn’t even treat the Imperial Princes that stood near the top with any regard. It was a pity that she was born a woman, which put her at a disadvantage in a fight for succession. If she was born a male, she would have been designated the successor to the Human Sovereign a long time ago.
However, apart from being a woman, she didn’t possess any physical traits to be proud of. Her curves were essentially non-existent, both on top and on the bottom, and while her egg-shaped face was somewhat pretty, there really was nothing outstanding about her appearance.
Yang Kai’s reply instantly struck the Second Princess’s sore spot, causing her face to turn ashen as she growled, “Kneel down for me!”
As those words rang out, she raised her hand fiercely, sending a jade green beam of light shooting towards Yang Kai like an arrow. Upon reaching the air above him, a palm-like shape appeared from it as it pressed down fiercely, appearing as though it wanted to force Yang Kai down into a kneel.
“It’s you who is going to kneel,” Yang Kai snorted coldly while extending his hand to pull Zhu Qing towards him. He then formed a seal with his other hand, causing a similar jade-green glow to blossom. This beam of light wasn’t as big as the Second Princess’, but it was undoubtedly brighter and more tangible looking.
The faces of the Imperial Family in the palace immediately turned pale.
As the beam of light flew up, it actually fused with the jade green palm, and in front of everyone’s eyes, the palm unexpectedly proceeded to turn and head in another direction. In the blink of an eye, it pressed down onto the Second Princess, appearing as though the Sacred Technique she had unleashed had backfired and was now acting against her.
The Third Imperial Prince’s eyes narrowed, while a sense of danger he had never felt before started to wrap around his heart. He secretly sized up the situation, only to see that the Human Sovereign’s face had remained utterly expressionless. The Human Sovereign was still half-squinting as he sat there, appearing as though he was asleep.
As the mountain-like pressure descended from the sky, the Second Princess’ expression instantly turned incomparably ugly. Waves of cracking sounds began to ring out from her body before she slowly began to hunch down.
She went all out to resist, continuously channelling her strength, trying to inspire a stronger resonance with the Sacred Tree; however, there seemed to be an invisible power that was interfering with her, causing her to be unable to maintain a connection, leaving her with only her own strength to deal with the powerful downward pressure.
Finally, she felt the pressure of being pressed down by the Sacred Technique. This man’s cultivation was obviously inferior to hers, but he was relying on the Sacred Technique to toy with her in the palm of his hands. As feelings of embarrassment she had never experienced before flooded her mind and heart, her face turned flushed. Nevertheless, she had no other option but to growl, “What are you all gawking at? Why aren’t you all helping!”
Only after her words rang out did the shocked Imperial Family members snap back to their senses. Right as they were about to take action, Zhu Qing suddenly spoke out in an emotionless tone, “I’d like to see who dares to move.”
As her words rang out, a gigantic Red Dragon phantom suddenly surged out from her body. This Red Dragon was over 300 meters long, it’s massive form seemingly occupying half of the entire throne room. An immensely dense Dragon Pressure burst out towards all directions at that moment, causing everyone to start to feel suffocating chills. The two massive dragon eyes present on the head of the dragon seemed capable of seeing through all creation and radiated with an awe-inspiring might that could not be disregarded.
Everyone was stunned and froze in place, staring dumbly at the gigantic draconic figure, before sounds of loud gulping could be heard.
The Red Dragon raised its head and unleashed an ear-splitting roar that whipped up fierce winds, sending several of the relatively weaker Imperial Family members flying.
Unleashing the full might of her Dragon Source allowed Zhu Qing’s strength to surpass that of an ordinary Third-Order Emperor, and despite the protection of the Sacred Tree, these Imperial Family members did not end up unscathed from it.
The Second Princess, who was holding on bitterly, ended up in an even more miserable state than before. With Yang Kai breaking her connection with the Sacred Tree, the impact from the Dragon Pressure caused her body to slump down even more, to the point of her knee touching the ground.
Her face instantly turned incomparably pale, while overwhelming feelings of embarrassment and humiliation filled her heart, letting her experience a feeling that was worse than death.
The Human Imperial City had stood for tens of thousands of years, ruled solely by the Imperial Family, which had resulted in the royalty developing arrogant and aloof characters since youth. It had always been the commoners kneeling down before them, so this was the first time in history that an Imperial Family member had even knelt down before a normal person.
Yang Kai did not continue to increase the pressure though and instead turned his head towards the Human Sovereign and spoke, “Sir, what are you going to do about this? If you continue watching on, your daughter might really kneel down before me. Although I can accept her kneeling, bullying women isn’t something to be proud of. There’s a saying that goes, a good man doesn’t fight with women.”
The Human Sovereign slowly stood up, before a voice that didn’t seem too loud rang out within the Human Imperial Palace, “This Sovereign has been lacking in his teaching towards his daughter. Please restrain yourself, my guest.”
The faces of the Imperial Princes and Princesses changed slightly upon hearing those words.
Never had they ever heard the Human Sovereign speak to someone with such courtesy. He would even be exceedingly strict when talking to them in normal circumstances, when had he ever used such a gentle tone? A sliver of a peculiar glint flashed across the eyes of the Third Imperial Prince, as he seemed to have caught onto something. When he looked back at Yang Kai, the gaze he was holding was already completely different from the gaze he had sent out earlier.
Yang Kai grinned at the Human Sovereign, though he did not pull back, nor did he give a reply, leaving the situation hanging like that.
The gigantic Red Dragon that filled half of the palace hall raised its head slightly, causing the intensity of the Dragon Pressure to rise.
A sliver of frustration flashed across the eyes of the Human Sovereign, though he did not follow up with any action. Instead, he turned his head towards the Second Princess, “Fu Yu, you were insolent with your words, and caused a conflict with this Sovereign’s guests. Hurry up and apologize.”
“Imperial Father!” The Second Princess, with the name of Fu Yu, gasped in shock after hearing his words, an incredulous look appearing on her face as she looked at the Human Sovereign. Only after locking gazes with the Human Sovereign and noticing the fury contained within his imposing gaze did her eyes tremble as she hastily lowered her head, and spoke out between her clenched teeth, “Fu Yu had eyes but failed to see and caused a conflict… Sir, please do not take offence!”
Her words sounded exceedingly stiff, especially the word ‘Sir’, which she spoke extremely quietly and awkwardly. Clearly, this had never happened before, much less addressing someone with this term.
Yang Kai chuckled loudly, “Since the Human Sovereign has spoken, I naturally have to give face to him. Qing’er, relax.”
As his voice rang out, he took the lead and dispelled his Shamanic Spell, causing the jade-green palm that was pressing down on Fu Yu to dissipate away and vanish in the blink of an eye. This was followed by the Red Dragon phantom flickering and disappearing in a shower of light. As the Dragon Pressure dissipated, the various Imperial Family members took a slight breath of relief.
Fu Yu slowly stood up, her head still lowered, with no one being able to see her face and eyes. Nevertheless, her continuously shivering body revealed the extreme turmoil present in her heart.
“Bring in the chairs!” The Human Sovereign raised his hand.
Two exceedingly luxurious chairs were immediately carried into the hall, before they were placed not far away from the imperial throne.
Yang Kai smiled faintly, “There’s no need to sit. I think that the Human Sovereign should have many things to ask me, and I just so happen to also have some things to ask you, Sir.”
The Human Sovereign did not insist further, and raised his head, “That’s right. I indeed have some matters to ask you about.”
Yang Kai adopted the stance of a listener.
The Human Sovereign asked, “Where are you two from?”
“The Star Boundary. I don’t know if you have heard about it, Sir.”
The Human Sovereign nodded his head, “I’ve naturally heard about it. The Human Imperial City has existed for tens of thousands of years, and there is a continuous influx of outsiders. This Sovereign does not know when this started to happen, but all of them would claim they came from the Star Boundary. Furthermore, from the looks of it, you two seem to have also come from there.”
Yang Kai smiled faintly, “The Revolving World that you all have named this place, is connected to the Star Boundary via a Void Channel. Therefore, those who were able to enter are naturally from the Star Boundary.”
The Human Sovereign followed up with another question, “Then how did you two enter Human Imperial City? According to what this Sovereign knows, there should’ve been no one that could’ve opened the Space Array for you two, as that person had already been killed.”
Yang Kai raised his eyebrows and replied, “Your ability to gather information is quite impressive. It hasn’t even been half a day since then, right?”
“One of this Sovereign’s subordinates died, so there naturally has to be a detailed investigation.”
Yang Kai suddenly shook his head and said, “I feel that this is very unfair for me, as it has only been Sir asking the questions, and me answering. This isn’t a good deal for me. How about we take turns to ask questions, with one person asking, and the other one answering before exchanging roles. It can’t be just one side asking and one side answering, right?”
The various Imperial Family members were stunned, as this was the first time they had ever seen someone bartering with the Human Sovereign. Furthermore, Yang Kai had replied in a righteous and almost offensive manner, yet there was unexpectedly no trace of anger coming from the Human Sovereign, with the latter only remaining silent for an instant before nodding and replying, “Let’s do as you proposed.”
The strange glint in the Third Imperial Prince’s eyes grew more intense hearing this.
“Then, it is now my turn, right?” As Yang Kai said that, his expression suddenly sank, “Where is the couple that arrived with us in Human Imperial City? Are they alive or dead?”
The Human Sovereign laughed, “You’re asking two questions.”
Yang Kai shrugged, “The earlier one doesn’t count.”
“They’re still alive. How did you manage to enter Human Imperial City through the Space Array without possessing the Human Sovereign Seal?”
Raising his hand, Yang Kai gave the space before him a pat, causing it to cave in and collapse, as though a piece from a complete puzzle had been shifted out of place. Although it quickly returned back to normal, this could be classified as a shockingly brilliant move.
A look of understanding appeared on the Human Sovereign’s face, “So that’s how it is!”
Yang Kai continued, “May I know how Human Sovereign will deal with that couple?”
“Death!”
Yang Kai’s expression turned blank, “How is that reasonable? Liao Guan Shi was killed by me, and that couple had just happened to be in the same place; neither did they take any action to help me, so why kill them? Aren’t you having too much disregard for people’s lives, Sir?”
The Human Sovereign grinned at him.
Yang Kai coughed lightly, “Your turn to ask.”
The Human Sovereign suddenly turned his gaze towards the little black dog in Zhu Qing’s bosom and asked, “Is that beast a Demon Beast?”
“Yes!” Yang Kai nodded his head in agreement, “Although its bloodline isn’t pure, it is indeed a Demon Beast!”
The faces of the Imperial Family members changed drastically upon hearing his words as they looked with incomparable shock at the little dog, before turning back to look at Yang Kai and Zhu Qing with extreme vigilance.
Yang Kai asked, “So can you answer my earlier question now?”
The Human Sovereign replied, “Not reporting the matter is the reason for them to be killed.”
Yang Kai sneered coldly, “How imposing of you, Sir.”
“Looks like you care a lot about those two. In accordance with what I know, you don’t even know their names, right? You don’t have any relationship with them either.”
“I don’t know what their names are; however, I did not kill them, yet they will die for me, how can a person feel at ease about such a thing?”
“You’re unexpectedly kind-hearted.” The Human Sovereign nodded slightly, before his gaze flicked like a bolt of lighting towards Yang Kai, “Are you of the Demon Race?”
Yang Kai sneered coldly in response, “If I was a Demon, I would have already obliterated your Human Imperial Palace rather than sit here and chatting with you.”
“This Sovereign also feels the same. Nevertheless, a confirmation is required to be on the safe side.”
“You may rest assured that we husband and wife ended up in this place by accident, and have no interest in your Human Imperial City whatsoever.” Yang Kai sneered, “What needs to be done for you to let those two people go?”
The Human Sovereign replied in an indifferent tone, “If you two leave Human Imperial City and never set foot here again, this Sovereign will release them.”
Yang Kai frowned, “As long as I can find the way home, this Young Master will immediately leave, why would I want to stay in your Human Imperial City? If you want us to leave, we will have to ask Sir to guide the way.”
The Human Sovereign shook his head, “The Revolving World is easy to enter, but hard to leave. This world has existed for tens of thousands of years, yet no one has ever left.”
“Being able to enter naturally means that one can also leave, we just have to find a suitable method to do so. If Sir really wants us to leave as soon as possible, it would be best for you to not conceal anything.”
The Human Sovereign shook his head, “I really do not know.”
Yang Kai’s forehead wrinkled up, as he felt that this Human Sovereign didn’t seem to be lying, so there was basically no point in continuing to pursue this line of questioning. As such, he could only let out a depressed sigh, “Sir, I can understand why you wish for us to leave; however, if there’s no way out of here, what should we do?”
“Although the Revolving World isn’t large, it also isn’t small. With your strength, you two should have the ability to contend against the Demon Race should you encounter them. Other than Human Imperial City, you two can head to the other cities.”
Yang Kia pursed his lips, “Aren’t you being too irresponsible, Sir? If that’s the case, we’ll stay put in Human Imperial City for a period of time.”
The Human Sovereign narrowed his eyes, “If that is the case, this Sovereign has no other choice but to try his best to fight you. I hope you two also have the mental preparation to enter the Yellow Springs together.”
As he said those words, an exceedingly dazzling jade-green glow suddenly erupted from his body. His entire person seemed to have turned younger by a few hundred years, while an overbearing pressure surged out from him.
A frown appeared on Yang Kai’s face in response, as he could instinctually sense that this old fellow wasn’t someone that was easy to deal with. At that instant, the former seemed to have established an unbreakable connection with the Sacred Tree, granting him access to unlimited power which caused him to give off a feeling of invincibility.
Not only that, but this phenomenon also happened to the surrounding Imperial Princes and Princesses, as all of them stared covetously at Yang Kai and Zhu Qing.
Provoked by their surging auras, the Dragon Essence within Zhu Qing’s body started to churn as her face turned chilly.
Patting her shoulder, Yang Kai signalled for her to calm down, before speaking out with a faint smile, “There’s no need to be that nervous, Sir. Truthfully speaking, we can leave Human Imperial City. You just need to accept two of my requests and we will depart.”
The Human Sovereign nodded, “Speak.”
Yang Kai raised a finger, “Release those two unrelated people. They did not go against your will.”
The Human Sovereign replied, “Their lives are not of importance compared to your decision.”
Yang Kai smiled faintly, “I’ll take that as a yes. My second condition is… I want to see the Sacred Tree!”
“Impudence!” The Third Imperial Prince and Second Princess growled in unison, as though they had been humiliated by Yang Kai’s words.
Yang Kai glared coldly at them, “Is this a hard request to fulfil? How impudent is it?”
The Second Imperial Princess replied, “The Sacred Tree is the foundation of our Human Imperial City! Since the beginning, only members of the Imperial Family have been allowed to approach it! Who are you to make such an outrageous request!” She turned towards the Human Sovereign, “Imperial Father, your daughter beseeches you to grant me the authority to kill these people who are clearly harbouring ulterior motives!”
Having just suffered a big loss at Yang Kai’s hands and losing all face, the Second Princess had been trying to find any means possible to retaliate. At this moment, with the opportunity presenting itself, she naturally didn’t hold back in engaging in a confrontation against Yang Kai. Although this couple seemed to be extremely strong, the Imperial Family was the strongest within Human Imperial City. As long as the Human Sovereign took action, this couple would not be able to cause any mayhem, no matter how strong they were.
As if he hadn’t heard anything Fu Yu had said, the Human Sovereign looked deeply at Yang Kai, “What is your reason for this request?”
Yang Kai shrugged, “It’s purely out of curiosity. I just want to know exactly what the Sacred Tree is and why it is able to provide such incredible blessings.”
The Human Sovereign replied, “What if this Sovereign doesn’t agree?”
Yang Kai chuckled lightly, before his laugh halted as he replied in a chilling voice, “Then we’ll have to see if your Imperial Family or we husband and wife are more formidable! In any case, I will get to see the Sacred Tree.”
“Shameless boasting!” Fu Yu erupted with fury, “Imperial Father, your daughter is willing to take the lead and make sure this little brat knows the might of our Imperial Family!”
Yang Kai shot a sidelong gaze at her, “Disgraceful. How about this Young Master teaches you another lesson on how to show proper respect?”
Fu Yu was seething with anger, and was barely able to hold herself back from attacking Yang Kai to reclaim her dignity. Even though she wasn’t a match for him, it was still better than letting him speak so impudently. Nevertheless, without an order from the Human Sovereign, she didn’t dare to recklessly take action.
“Are you adamant on seeing it?” The Human Sovereign suddenly opened his mouth and looked solemnly at Yang Kai.
Yang Kai smiled faintly, “I hope Sir can fulfil this little wish of mine.”
The Human Sovereign closed his eyes and seemed to enter deep thought, appearing to struggle in making a decision. After a long while, his eyes suddenly snapped open and he spoke, “Answer one more of this Sovereign’s questions.”
Yang Kai nodded his head, “Go ahead!”
The Human Sovereign’s eyes narrowed slightly, “How are you able to use the Sacred Techniques and borrow the strength of the Sacred Tree?”
Yang Kai replied with a smile, “Sir should have already guessed it, so why the need for this question?”
“Although I already have my suspicions, I still do not dare to believe them. In accordance with what I understand, the Ancient Shamanic Spells have long disappeared from Star Boundary, so how are you able to display them?”
“I managed to learn one or two moves by chance, and was just showing my meagre skills before an expert like you, Sir.”
The Human Sovereign shook his head slowly, clearly not satisfied with Yang Kai’s reply to his question. Other than this explanation though, he was unable to come up with a better answer to this question of his.
Just as Yang Kai had guessed earlier, the Sacred Tree did not solely protect the Imperial Family, but all Shamans. Within Human Imperial City, only the Imperial Family members were allowed to borrow the power of the Sacred Tree to cultivate Shamanic Strength and become Shamans. This had allowed the Imperial Family members to appear special within Human Imperial City.
Over the past tens of thousands of years here, there were cases of people from the Star Boundary entering Human Imperial City, and Human Imperial City had very detailed records of these outsiders. When consolidated, these records from those outsiders’ world could basically explain the developmental history of the Star Boundary.
The changes in the World Principles had caused Shaman Strength to gradually be replaced by Yuan Qi. Indeed, the Ancient Shamanic Spells had long gone extinct. Yet, there was a living example in the form of Yang Kai present right before him, leaving the Human Sovereign no choice but to treat the latter with importance.
“This Sovereign can agree with your request, but I hope that you too can keep to your promise,” The Human Sovereign finally relented.
He wasn’t willing to start a fight with Yang Kai, who could similarly display Sacred Techniques, and borrow the strength of the Sacred Tree. If they really were to fight, it would absolutely end up in a situation of mutual destruction. Furthermore, the woman by Yang Kai’s side wasn’t an ordinary character either, she seemed to hail from the legendary Divine Spirit Dragon Clan!
Although the Sacred Techniques could suppress ordinary Third-Order Emperors, they were still lacking in power when compared to a true member of the Dragon Clan.
The Second Princess seemed to wish to say something, but her words caught in her throat before she could voice them.
She knew the Human Sovereign had already made his decision, so anything she said now would be futile.
Yang Kai smiled faintly, “Please rest assured, Sir, I’m a man of my word. Naturally, I hope that Sir will not trouble that couple anymore and let them go as soon as possible.”
The Human Sovereign nodded lightly, “Follow me.”
As he replied, he had already flown towards the outside.
Yang Kai and Zhu Qing followed suit behind him, with the other Imperial Princes and Princesses in hot pursuit. The Second Princess glared at Yang Kai’s back, her eyes brimming with incomparable hatred, as though she could not wait to rip his corpse into ten thousand pieces, yet was unable to proceed as she wished.
The Third Imperial Prince moved to her side and whispered, “Imperial Father knows what he is doing, so why the hurry?”
Fu Yu was shocked by his words, causing her to look back at him with a peculiar gaze, “Third Brother, are you saying…”
The Third Imperial Price moved past her before transmitting back, “I didn’t say anything.”
An extraordinary splendour flashed across the Second Princess’s eyes while excitement surged in her heart as she started to fill up with anticipation.
The Sacred Tree was located in the deepest part of the Imperial Palace, with Masters standing guard in all directions. There were clearly a few dozen people specially protecting this place, all of whom were Emperor Realm Masters, and there were also some powerful auras that were concealed in the darkness.
The Human Sovereign took the lead, causing those guards to move forward to greet him, but upon seeing Yang Kai and Zhu Qing, confused looks appeared on their faces, as they did not recognise these two people.
These guards were stationed here all year round, and also weren’t allowed to go within a thousand metres of the Sacred Tree. Therefore, other than members of the Imperial Family, they had never seen anyone else come here at all.
However, there were two other people today. Furthermore, they were brought here personally by the Human Sovereign. This shocking oddity obviously caught everyone’s attention.
The dense fog ahead of them seemed able to obstruct any surveillance from Divine Sense, and also limited vision, leaving one unclear of the situation within.
The Human Sovereign came to a halt and pointed in front of him, “The Sacred Tree lies ahead. If you want to see it, you have to enter there, guest.”
Looking at the swirling haze, Yang Kai smiled faintly, before turning his head towards Zhu Qing, “Wait for me a while. I’ll be right back.”
“Be careful!” Zhu Qing shouted back in a serious tone; after all, this was someone else’s territory. Although Yang Kai was no slouch, compared to a head-on fight, it was harder to defend against an ambush. Therefore, there wasn’t any harm to be more careful and vigilant.
“I will!” Yang Kai smiled faintly and strode in. Right after taking two steps forward, his figure suddenly disappeared within the fog, leaving no trace of him visible anymore.
A slight frown appeared on Zhu Qing’s face, and despite knowing that this was the effect of the Spirit Array, she could not help but to feel a sliver of anxiety.
“Are you, esteemed one, from the Divine Spirit Dragon Clan?” The Human Sovereign suddenly asked.
Zhu Qing’s beautiful eyes remained locked in the haze in front of her, appearing as though she hadn’t heard him speak at all.
Not minding her reaction, the Human Sovereign continued to smile faintly, “There aren’t any Divine Spirits present in this Revolving World; however, there are many records of them in the ancient books. It is rumoured that the Dragon Clan are the leaders of the myriad spirits, and are exceedingly aloof and arrogant. Why would you, esteemed one, mix with an ordinary person and throw your Dragon Clan’s face away for no reason? Furthermore, this Sovereign can tell that your relationship with that man… seems to be somewhat different from normal.”
“If this was the outside world, a person like you wouldn’t even have the qualifications to speak to me,” Zhu Qing turned her head abruptly around and looked right at the Human Sovereign.
A gloomy glint flashed across the Human Sovereign’s eyes, while looks of fury appeared on the faces of the Imperial Princes and Princesses. There had never been anyone who dared to speak like that to the Human Sovereign! She had basically treated him with no regard at all!
“Therefore, you better be careful with the words you use. Since you know I’m from the Dragon Clan, then you should be aware of the Dragon Clan’s temper.” After saying those words, Zhu Qing turned back and stared into the depths of the fog.
The Human Sovereign remained silent for a good while, before chuckling, “The arrogance of the Dragon Clan truly lives up to its name.”
All of a sudden, he waved his hands lightly, and a ray of dark-green light shot out from the fog in front of them, transforming into ropes that immediately bound Zhu Qing up.
“Although the Dragon Clan are strong, they are still somewhat lacking in this Sovereign’s eyes.”
Zhu Qing’s expression turned exceedingly cold. Lowering her head to look at the restraints that were binding her, she looked up and replied, “I hope you know what you’re doing.”
The Human Sovereign sneered in response, “This Sovereign obviously knows what he is doing. Human Imperial City has stood for tens of thousands of years, and our Imperial Family has been protecting the Human Race’s way of life all this time, allowing the Human Race to have a foothold in this world. This Sovereign will not allow any accidents to happen. That friend of yours… is the greatest accident possible. Since he is an accident, he must be eliminated.”
“Therefore you had lured us here to give yourself an advantage before taking action?”
The Human Sovereign sighed, “This method is indeed somewhat despicable. However, this Sovereign has no choice but to do so for the sake of the Human Race. I hope that you, esteemed one, can understand. Our Imperial Family can only unleash our full strength here; however, there’s no need for you to worry. You will have that person to accompany you on the road to the Yellow Springs, so you won’t be too lonely.”
Zhu Qing did not give any reply. Instead, with a shocking dragon roar, her body twisted about, before suddenly transforming into a three-hundred-metre-long Red Dragon, with Dragon Pressure surging out from her, shaking her surroundings.
Apparently, the jade green restraints that bound her were exceedingly flexible though and could change in length at will, so they did not break apart. Despite assuming her true form, Zhu Qing still found herself restrained, the jade green glow from the bindings appearing exceedingly conspicuous against her bright red body.
The faces of the Imperial Princes and Princesses turned pale as they proceeded to send their Sacred Techniques towards the Great Dragon, causing sparks to fly out as they smashed into her hard scales.
Both sets of guards, those in the light and those hiding in the dark, also proceeded to take action. A total of sixteen Emperor Realm Masters, with the lead two being Third-Order, unleashed their overwhelming might as soon as they took action.
With so many against her, despite Zhu Qing’s incredible strength, she was instantly swamped by attacks, causing her to let off an earth-shattering roar.
Of the Imperial Princes and Princesses present here, the Second Princess’ actions were especially ruthless, as she appeared to be trying to pay back the humiliation she had suffered at the hands of Yang Kai earlier.
Giving no regard to its life, the little black dog rushed forwards, taking the opportunity when Fu Yu wasn’t prepared to bite down on her leg. Ignoring the pain, it shook its head in an attempt to tear a chunk of her leg.
“Get off!” Brimming with anger, Fu Yu sent out a vicious palm strike, her powerful Second-Order Emperor cultivation coupled with the blessing of the Sacred Tree culminating into an exceedingly terrifying attack.
Nevertheless, with exceeding deftness, the little black dog actually managed to shift its body to evade the incoming attack, before biting down on Fu Yu’s skirt, revealing a large patch of snow-white skin.
Now, with her nose crooked with anger, Fu Yu could not be bothered to care about Zhu Qing, with her entire mind focussing on killing the little black dog.
The Human Sovereign continued standing there with a cold expression on his face, having not taken any action after his first move. From what he could see, although this Dragon was powerful, with the combined strength of all of the Imperial Family members and guards present, it was more than sufficient to kill her.
Now, what he needed to do was to deal with the fellow that was able to unleash the Sacred Techniques. Turning his head around, the gaze of the Human Sovereign turned bone-chillingly cold.
He had never once considered to actually allow Yang Kai to observe the Sacred Tree. He had lured the latter here just for the sake of dealing with him with greater ease, as the nearer he was to the Sacred Tree, the greater the strength he could borrow from it.
Within the haze, Yang Kai was not able to get his bearings.
Nevertheless, Yang Kai was able to follow along the faint sensation he was getting within here.
He could feel where the Sacred Tree was located, and this feeling was intimate and not one bit foreign to him, as though he had experienced it before.
The closer he got, the more obvious this feeling became.
Finally, after stepping across layer after layer of restrictions, Yang Kai arrived before a large tree that towered the Heavens. At this place, the dense fog had abruptly dissipated away, revealing everything before him.
This was an exceedingly large ancient tree. Raising his head to look at it, Yang Kai noticed that its branches extended across the entire sky, its gigantic crown appearing just like an incomparably wide shield that was able to provide powerful protection, as well as a shelter against any wind or storm.
Yang Kai’s eyes suddenly narrowed violently as he gawked at the towering ancient tree. Thoughts began to fly in his head, while the sounds of combat rang in his ears as he appeared in what seemed like an out of body experience.
Pursing his lips gently, he extended his hand and made contact with the body of the tree.
Yang Kai could not stifle his laughter, “How can it be you? Senior Qing…”
A flash of realization made him feel as though he had returned to that ancient world, back to the scenery of green he had seen upon arriving at Frost and Snow City for the very first time. The shock surging through his heart was the same as what he had felt then, so vividly present in his mind.
In that world, Frost and Snow City was the capital of the Frost and Snow Clan, while the Evergreen Divine Tree stood tall within it, protecting the entire city for all calamities and disasters.
In the final battle between the Ancient Barbarian and Demon Races, Senior Qing had even supported the last hope of mankind with his life.
This familiar aura, as well as the innumerable tree caves present on its trunk and branches, were exactly the same as the Evergreen Divine Tree of that ancient world, with not a thing out of place.
This was definitely the Evergreen Divine Tree! Yang Kai believed that he would not mistake it for something else.
There might be other trees in this world that could grow to such vastness and gargantuan size; however, this familiar aura could not be fake, as after all, he had stayed in one of its tree caves for a very long period of time.
Yang Kai had never expected that the so-called Sacred Tree of this Human Imperial City would actually be Senior Qing!
Shouldn’t Senior Qing have already died though? For the sake of sealing the Two Worlds Passage, Senior Qing had sacrificed his life, consuming all his vitality to achieve this final victory. Senior Qing’s sacrifice had ended the Demon Race’s invasion of the Star Boundary, thus saving this world.
During that battle, millions of warriors engaged in a life or death showdown, giving themselves up for the survival of their race. Countless Masters fell, leaving behind mountains of corpses. That battle was sufficient to enter the history books and leave its mark for eternity.
As Tiea had said, everything that happened within the Thousand Illusions Dreamworld, while illusionary, was grounded in reality.
Therefore, the two years Yang Kai had spent within the Thousand Illusions Dream World was based entirely on real historical events from ancient antiquity. In other words, such an earth-shattering battle had indeed taken place. It was just that no Yang Kai had actually been present for it. Yet, there were countless warriors similar to Yang Kai that finally allowed the Barbarian Race to ultimately triumph.
Without a doubt, Senior Qing had existed, and was the greatest contributor behind the Barbarian Race’s victory, the shield and sword which shifted the winds of the battle. This was a fact that could not be changed.
The history from hundreds of thousands of years ago had intersected with the present in such a shocking place, which left Yang Kai dumbstruck.
Nevertheless, he quickly discovered that something wasn’t quite right, as there was only a somewhat disordered Will present within this Sacred Tree. It appeared as though it was just a newborn baby, incapable of independent thought.
When he had made contact with the Sacred Tree, this Will had clearly sensed Yang Kai’s existence and proceeded to admit him without any reservations at all.
Instantly, Yang Kai developed an indescribable resonance with the Sacred Tree, making him feel as though he was connected with it.
An expression of slight shock appeared on Yang Kai’s face, as he was able to sense the enormous energy, which was as boundless as an ocean, within the Sacred Tree. The gargantuan amount of energy was sufficient to rival any Great Emperor, and might even exceed that of one.
It was precisely through the usage of this power that the Imperial Family of Human Imperial City was able to display their Sacred Techniques and unleash moves far surpassing their cultivation realms.
At this moment, if Yang Kai wanted, he would be able to pull all of this gargantuan power out, with the Sacred Tree not putting up any resistance at all. On the contrary, it had become intimately connected with Yang Kai’s existence.
“Hm?” A frown suddenly appeared on Yang Kai’s face, as he had unexpectedly sensed another element that seemed aloof, or even hostile towards him within the body of the Sacred Tree. This element gave him the feeling akin to a pustule on one’s skin, making people feel exceedingly uncomfortable.
“Get out!” With a loud shout, Yang Kai extended his hand into the Sacred Tree and made a fierce pull.
With another exertion of force, a human figure was forcefully pulled out from within the Sacred Tree.
Unexpectedly, this person was the Human Sovereign, whom he had just separated from not long ago. Utter shock had covered this old man’s face, as he could not imagine that he would end up in such a state, leaving him dumbstruck. Only after seeing Yang Kai’s chilling gaze did he snap back to his senses. Raising his hands to form a seal, an incantation rang out from his mouth before he pointed towards Yang Kai.
A piercing green glow transformed into a spear-like construct and rumbled right towards Yang Kai’s chest.
Standing in his original location, Yang Kai stared coldly at the Human Sovereign as a jade green glow abruptly surfaced on the outside of his body, transforming into a powerful barrier.
As the green spear smashed against the barrier, both of them dissipated away.
“How’s that possible!?” The Human Sovereign gasped in shock. He naturally knew that Yang Kai could display the Sacred Techniques and borrow the strength of the Sacred Tree; after all, the latter was also a Shaman, and being a Shaman, was naturally able to commune with the Sacred Tree.
However, without even a baptism, why would the Sacred Tree automatically protect him? The reason why the Imperial Princes and Princesses could obtain the Sacred Tree’s protection and remain safe even in times of danger was due to them undergoing an exceedingly complicated baptism ritual.
At this instant, the feeling the Sacred Tree gave off was exceedingly strange. On one hand, it did not reject the commands from the Human Sovereign, while on the other it was obstructing his killing move, appearing just like a naughty child that was following its whims, doing whatever it wished.
“It seems you want to kill me,” Yang Kai sneered, obviously having expected this to happen.
The Human Sovereign did not reply, though his expression grew a few shades more solemn. Chanting an incantation, the Human Sovereign raised his hand and sent a bolt of lightning at Yang Kai. This bolt of lightning was filled with astonishing might, moving about like an angry flood dragon as it appeared right before Yang Kai in the blink of an eye. Blossoming with dazzling brilliance, it completely engulfed Yang Kai.
The Human Sovereign’s face changed once again.
As the light dimmed down, he saw Yang Kai standing right where he originally was without the slightest injury. In fact, there wasn’t even any trace of damage to his clothing.
“Why!?” The Human Sovereign roared out in anger, but rather than Yang Kai, he had turned to face the Sacred Tree, appearing just like a stern father scolding a naughty child and letting his anger blow his head off.
Twice! The Sacred Tree had spoiled his plans twice, something that was hard for him to endure.
Yang Kai spoke out with a cold and indifferent voice, “Do you want to know why?”
The Human Sovereign growled back, “What the hell did you do!”
Yang Kai snorted, “Aren’t you clear whether I’ve done anything or not? There’s no need to deceive yourself!”
The Human Sovereign roared in reply, “I am the Human Sovereign! How dare you go against me!” No one knew whether he was talking to Yang Kai or the Sacred Tree.
After that loud roar, he proceeded to chant an incantation again.
As he was doing so, the Sacred Tree suddenly shook, before undergoing what seemed like a strange transformation. In the next instant, massive amounts of green energy started to gush out from within the Sacred Tree, flowing right into the body of the Human Sovereign. This caused his aura to surge in power, while his average stature suddenly turned imposing.
“Killing the chicken to get to the eggs! Your impudence is beyond forgiveness!” Yang Kai’s anger exploded before he similarly proceeded to chant an incantation. However, compared to the Human Sovereign, his incantation sounded more ancient and profound, containing a mystery that was nigh impossible to understand.
Although he did not know what Shamanic Spell the Human Sovereign was trying to unleash, he was able to sense from the Sacred Tree some things that could not be seen through the naked eye. At this moment, the Human Sovereign was damaging the core of the Sacred Tree, which was tantamount to draining its life force.
From the looks of it, he was willing to make whatever sacrifice was necessary just for the sake of dealing with Yang Kai.
If the foundation of the Sacred Tree was damaged, Human Imperial City might collapse as a result.
The green energy flowing towards the Human Sovereign appeared to meet some kind of obstruction at that moment and its rate of flow began to slow.
The anger the Human Sovereign felt soared to the Heavens upon seeing this, causing him to voice his incantation out more loudly in an attempt to contend with Yang Kai for the Sacred Tree’s power.
Yang Kai glared coldly at him, but the tone of his voice remained staunch and steady.
Just like that, the two stood face to face, with neither blade nor sword silhouettes, no scenes of carnage. Instead, they were fighting a battle using an exceedingly special method of combat, with the winner taking everything, and the loser being trampled underfoot.
The critical point that everything was hinged on was their resonance with the Sacred Tree. The deeper the resonance, the greater the strength they could draw from it.
Both Yang Kai and the Human Sovereign understood this point; therefore, they did not take any physical action and focused wholeheartedly on communicating with the Sacred Tree. The Sacred Tree didn’t have a clear, independent consciousness, existing only as a remnant clump of Will that strictly adhered to the protection of Shamans. Regardless of who the Shaman was, it would provide its power to whoever requested its strength.
The green glow radiating from the Human Sovereign flickered between bright and weak, with him obtaining an advantage when it was bright, and losing out when it was weak.
All of a sudden, he felt that Yang Kai was an extremely difficult opponent to deal with, one that far surpassed his earlier estimations.
This outsider’s resonance with the Sacred Tree was unexpectedly not one bit weaker than his own, despite him having spent thousands of years by the Sacred Tree’s side. If not for this fact, he would have finished dealing with Yang Kai a long time ago, and not been drawn into this tug of war.
The Sacred Tree seemed to have an exceedingly intimate connection with this outsider, shunning the Human Sovereign in every way in favour of him, allowing this competition to drag on.
The Human Sovereign suddenly realized that he had made a mistake by allowing Yang Kai to come here and be in such close proximity to the Sacred Tree. If he had just made a move to end things back in the Human Imperial Palace, he might not have had to deal with this much trouble.
[I am the Human Sovereign, ruler of the Human Race!] The Human Sovereign roared angrily in his heart, hoping that his will would be transmitted to the Sacred Tree, yet he did not know that it would have the opposite result to what he had hoped for, as he could clearly sense that the Sacred Tree was actually rejecting him, appearing just like a rebellious child after it was scolded by its father.
This caused his expression to contort.
Although Yang Kai was hard to deal with, the Human Sovereign still had his methods to deal with him; however, if he were to lose the support of the Sacred Tree, he would become just an old, dying Second-Order Emperor, with many others in Human Imperial City far stronger than him.
Not daring to dwell in those messy thoughts, the Human Sovereign knew that he had no choice but to deal with Yang Kai here and now.
While chanting more and more fiercely, he suddenly communicated using his Divine Sense, “Rather than fighting with this Sovereign here, shouldn’t you be more worried about your woman? If this Sovereign is not mistaken, she should be on the brink of death now!”
So what if she was from the Dragon Clan? So what if she stood at the apex of all living beings? There was no shortage of Masters in Human Imperial City, so even a Dragon would not be able to gain any advantage here.
Remaining unmoved, Yang Kai replied strongly, “My woman doesn’t need my concern. You, on the other hand, should take a look at yourself! Tsk tsk. You, Sir, aren’t young anymore. From the looks of it, you won’t live much longer no matter what you do, so why not step down now? From what I can see, several of the Imperial Princes are quite good, especially that Third Imperial Prince. His cultivation is outstanding, and he has a firm and resolute mentality, a suitable successor as the next Human Sovereign. The only negative is that he’s a bit sinister, though no one’s perfect. The Second Princess is also not a bad choice. I don’t know if there’s any case of an Empress ruling Human Imperial City in the past, but if there is a precedent, you can pass your crown on to the Second Princess. I can see that Princess has big ambitions…”
“Shut up!” The Human Sovereign roared in anger.
Yang Kai chuckled lightly, “So those two don’t meet your standards? Looks like you are intending to pass it on to the First Imperial Prince? The First Imperial Prince is addicted to wine and women, and truthfully isn’t a good choice for a successor. Human Imperial City won’t have a good end if he’s in charge. When that happens, brothers will quarrel and internal strife will run rampant, to the point that you will not be able to rest even in your grave. No, no, the First Imperial Prince clearly is a piece of trash that cannot be propped up at all, yet he just happens to have a high eight leaf status. From the looks of it, you are really biased towards the First Imperial Prince. Could it be that the First Imperial Prince’s mother is the one you love the most, causing you to love anything that is connected to her?”
The Human Sovereign’s expression flinched, and despite it being minute, how could it be hidden from Yang Kai’s eyes?
Yang Kai continued to fan the flames, “Looks like I’ve struck a nerve. Furthermore, from the looks of it, that one true love of yours has already passed away, right? I couldn’t tell from our first meeting, but it seems you’re a man of great sentimentality. I guess that when you were young, you had spent the prime of your life with that beauty, though the dead cannot be brought back to life, so please restrain your grief, Sir. Memories are also a kind of beauty. Reminiscing of the past from time to time and crying your heart out is also quite a good experience to have.”
The Human Sovereign’s face twitched violently, as though he had been prodded in a sore spot. Unable to control himself anymore, he started to madly draw upon the power of the Sacred Tree.
Yang Kai snorted coldly, “You lose!”
As his words rang out, the Human Sovereign let out a muffled grunt and retreated a few steps while the faint green glow surrounding his body suddenly dissipated into nothingness.
His resonance with the Sacred Tree had actually been severed, just like that! Even though he wanted to reconnect with the Sacred Tree, there was utterly no response from it! The Sacred Tree was actually not responding to him anymore! He knew that the tumultuous emotions present in his heart were too overwhelming, causing him to react impatiently, which led him to lose everything in this one on one struggle.
“So what if I don’t have the protection from the Sacred Tree!? This Sovereign’s cultivation is still higher than yours!” Not willing to accept his defeat, the Human Sovereign’s aged body abruptly straightened up, while his Second-Order Emperor Realm cultivation erupted in full force. Raising his hand, he palmed towards Yang Kai, creating frenzied winds as the print smashed down with incomparable might.
With a sneer, Yang Kai sent out a single fist covered in Emperor Qi, unleashing a torrent of explosive power.
As the fist and palm collided, the Human Sovereign spurted blood from his mouth as he suffered a severe blow and was thrown back like a kite with torn strings before landing heavily on the ground, not moving even after a long while.
The sound of footsteps sounded lightly as Yang Kai slowly walked over before lowering his head to look down at him.
The Human Sovereign coughed up the blood pooling in his throat and staggered to stand up, growling manically, “I am the Human Sovereign, the king of the Human Race! How can you treat me like this?”
“Do you know why you lost?” Yang Kai replied in an emotionless tone.
The Human Sovereign was stunned by the former’s words. He really wanted to know the answer, but his self-esteem prevented him from doing so. Only after a long struggle did he reply stiffly, “Why?”
“Those who follow the Dao help others, those who lose their way help none! You all treat the Sacred Tree as an energy source that can be accessed and used as you pleased, a tool to lord over the masses with, that is your greatest folly.”
The Human Sovereign shouted, “The Sacred Tree is exactly that kind of existence!”
Yang Kai snorted coldly, “How stubborn! It’s pardonable if you committed a wrongdoing when you knew nothing; however, your death isn’t worth pitying after you commit a wrong you know is one. The blessing of the Sacred Tree isn’t just for your Imperial Family, and isn’t just for Shamans, but for the entire Human Race, yet you all treat it as your personal property! What utter foolishness!”
The Human Sovereign replied, “Nonsense!”
Yang Kai sneered coldly, “I’m talking nonsense? The Spirit Array barrier surrounding the entire Human Imperial City draws its power from the Sacred Tree. It shelters all of Human Imperial City from any outside danger, so how am I talking nonsense? I see that you’ve become blind from old age.”
After resonating with the Sacred Tree, Yang Kai could clearly feel its energy covering the entirety of Human Imperial City. It was precisely due to it that Human Imperial City was able to stand within this Revolving World, unchanged throughout eternity.
The Human Sovereign turned depressed, “What’s the point of saying all of this? This Sovereign has already lost. Kill or extort me as you please.”
Yang Kai cast a sidelong gaze at him, “When did I say I wanted to kill or exhort you?”
The Human Sovereign gawked in surprise, “Are you willing to let me go?”
“That will depend on your performance.”
The Human Sovereign hesitated for a moment, before replying, “I don’t know… what orders you have, Esteemed One?”
In this situation, the Human Sovereign was powerless to resist if this man before him wanted to steal his throne away. Ever since the beginning, Human Imperial City had been ruled like that. The one who controlled the Sacred Tree would become the Human Sovereign, and at this moment, the one who controlled it was this outsider.
Many different thoughts flashed through the Human Sovereign’s mind as he made the mental preparations to haggle with Yang Kai. At the same time, he was also secretly planning to surrender if the latter made any outrageous requests. So long as Yang Kai didn’t request for his throne, everything else was negotiable. And as long as he could keep Yang Kai controlled, he could slowly think of ways to deal with Yang Kai.
“Tell me about the history of this Human Imperial City and the Revolving World.”
“Huh? What?” The Human Sovereign gawked, wondering if he just misheard the question.
At this moment, the Human Sovereign was basically fish on the chopping block, and this outsider was holding the chef’s knife. Yet, the Human Sovereign absolutely didn’t expect Yang Kai to make such a request. The Human Sovereign was mentally prepared to pay a pound of flesh, yet Yang Kai only wanted to pluck one strand of hair from him… no, this couldn’t even count as a strand of hair.
“You really are old. Have you gone blind and deaf?” Yang Kai stared coldly at him, somewhat dissatisfied with the Human Sovereign’s response.
Only then did the Human Sovereign realise that Yang Kai really was making such a simple request. As he secretly attempted to guess the reason behind Yang Kai’s question, he simultaneously rearranged his thought processes and replied, “Since you, Esteemed One, wish to know, then this Sovereign…”
“Hm?”
“Then this Old Master will briefly summarize,” a somewhat awkward look appeared on the Human Sovereign’s face. It had always been other people watching his expressions to handle matters. Never had he expected a day to come where he would have to handle matters in accordance with someone else’s expression.
“This Old Master’s knowledge is also limited, so if there are areas that aren’t too detailed, please do not be offended, Esteemed One.”
Yang Kai waved his hand, “Just get on with it.”
The Human Sovereign let off a dry cough before continuing, “In reality, this Revolving World can be considered a part of the Star Boundary. Naturally, back when the two places were still connected, the Star Boundary wasn’t yet known as the Star Boundary. I’m also not too sure what that ancient people called it, but it seems our ancestors called themselves the Barbarian Race, while their Masters cultivated Shamanic Strength. Clansmen gathered together into tribes to form the structure of society. Although there were internal conflicts, the human race flourished.”
As he continued to speak, he quietly observed the expression on Yang Kai’s face, noticing that the latter’s expression had grown somewhat strange, as though he was reminiscing about something. Not knowing which part of his explanation had caused Yang Kai’s expression to change so, he did not dare to stop, “All of a sudden, the Heavens fell and the Earth was rent, before a gigantic hole appeared in the sky. Powerful Masters proceeded to stream out of the hole and attacked the Barbarian Race. These Masters that came from an unknown place called themselves the Demon Race. They had many powerful Masters, with murder and carnage being the defining traits of their characters. Many tribes suffered immense numbers of injuries and deaths. Faced with such a strange and dangerous foe, our ancestors were naturally unwilling to wait helplessly for death, and therefore mustered the strength of the entire Barbarian Race to resist.”
“The war between the races was incomparably intense, seemingly lasting for many decades. Both races, be it the Barbarian or the Demon Race suffered massive casualties, and the battlefield where the final act of the war happened has become what is now known as the Revolving World.”
Yang Kai asked in surprise, “The Revolving World was a battlefield of the past? Then, in accordance with what you’ve said, why did the Revolving World separate from the Star Boundary?”
The Human Sovereign replied, “Esteemed one, you don’t know, but the reason why our ancestors were able to win that war seems to be related to the Sacred Tree. From the records written down in ancient books, the Sacred Tree had given up its life and sealed the passageway the Demon Race was using to invade our world. However, it was a pity, as in the end, for some unknown reason, a conflict arose between the World Principles of the Star Boundary and the Demon Realm, causing the entire battlefield to be exiled into the Void. This led to the birth of the Revolving World. The few survivors from the Barbarian and Demon Race who were on that battlefield at the time managed to survive and proceeded to settle in this place. In the beginning, there were mutually destructive fights erupting constantly; however, the World Principles here had become exceedingly warped, causing our Human Race to suffer quite a bit. Furthermore, the Revolving World’s World Principles were not constant. For some time, it was quite similar to that of the Star Boundary, allowing our Human Race to move about freely without suffering any negative consequences. However, at other times, the World Principles seemed to match with the Demon Realm, causing the World Energy to become infused with Demon Qi. This caused our Human Race to have difficulties moving about. In the end, we had to rely on the Sacred Tree and gradually proceeded to erect Human Imperial City. This gave the Human Race a place to establish themselves and so it has continued on for tens of thousands of years.”
Yang Kai nodded slightly as he sent a complicated gaze towards the towering ancient tree.
Senior Qing was still alive. Although he was no longer the intelligent old tree from ancient times, there was still a sliver of Will remaining. Nevertheless, Senior Qing was to this day using his body and strength to protect the surviving Humans. If not for Senior Qing, there would have been no more Humans present in the Revolving World.
That was because the World Principles here were more suited for the survival of the Demon Race, allowing Demon Qi to propagate, leaving humans utterly incapable of surviving on their own.
When this was flipped, it did not restrict the Demon Race much. Having lived in much worse conditions than this, the Demons were naturally not affected by this relatively good environment by their standards.
The information provided by the Human Sovereign was in line with Yang Kai’s experience in the Thousand Illusions Dreamworld, proving that the latter was not lying and that Tiea was also not lying. It was just that there were some differences between the real and illusionary world. At the very least, Yang Kai did not experience the birth of the Revolving World in the illusionary realm he had experienced, and Senior Qing had completely perished in that fight.
He did not know whether it was due to an error in Tiea’s records or something else.
“In other words, this Revolving World is in fact located in the Void?” Yang Kai asked with a frown.
The Human Sovereign nodded, “That’s right. Our ancestors had made many guesses to the actual position of the Revolving World; however, it has been basically recognized that this world is located within a fissure. This Void Crack is positioned in between the Star Boundary and the Demon Realm, which is why the World Principles of this world flip back and forth, being dominated by the Star Boundary at times, and then the Demon Realm at other times.”
Yang Kai nodded gently, with many of his suspicions answered.
Earlier, when he was devoured by the Frozen Tide in the Frozen Earth, Yang Kai sensed the strong Space Principle fluctuations. Obviously, that Frozen Tide was in fact a kind of Void Tear that one would be able to enter the Revolving World from.
However, unlike teleportations via Space Arrays, this was Cross-World transmission.
“Has no one ever tried to leave the Revolving World and return to the Star Boundary?” Asked Yang Kai.
The Human Sovereign gave an embarrassed laugh, “Our ancestors had thought of that; however, who would have known that the World Barriers would be so firm? Before talking about finding a way back, one would first need to find a way to break through this barrier.” Right after saying those words, the face of the Human Sovereign suddenly changed as he looked suspiciously at Yang Kai and asked, “Esteemed One, you seemed to be proficient in the Dao of Space, right?”
Earlier, he had asked Yang Kai how he was able to enter Human Imperial City without the Human Sovereign Seal.
At that time, Yang Kai had displayed his Space Principles, and despite his age, the Human Sovereign’s vision was quite sharp, so he was able to instantly understand the underlying source of this strength. If it was this person… he might very well be able to break through the World Barriers.
Considering all of this, the emotions present in the Human Sovereign’s heart suddenly started to turn jittery.
Yang Kai shot a thoughtful look at him, “It seems like you’re not looking to leave this place.”
A sliver of embarrassment appeared on the face of the Human Sovereign as he quickly replied, “Leaving this world and returning to our ancestral home is the final wish of our ancestors. This Old Master naturally wishes to leave this place.”
Yang Kai sneered in response, “What nonsense are you talking about? In Human Imperial City, the Human Sovereign stands above all, with his every word being law. No one, regardless of how strong or weak, dares to go against him. If I were you, I also wouldn’t wish to leave this place. Who would leave such a carefree and happy life?”
The Human Sovereign gave a couple of dry coughs as Yang Kai had obviously hit upon the truth. Although he wasn’t too strong, he understood the situation he was in. If he were to really leave the Revolving World and return to the Star Boundary, he would be knocked off his throne right back down to the masses.
Yang Kai changed the subject and asked, “Is there really no way to leave this world?” Before waiting for the Human Sovereign to reply, Yang Kai continued, “You better speak the truth. Although I’m not too willing to kill an old man, I will not hesitate to do so if I’m forced to.”
The face of the Human Sovereign changed slightly as he replied hastily, “Yin Wind Mountain!”
“Where is this Yin Wind Mountain? Can I leave this Revolving World from that Yin Wind Mountain?”
The Human Sovereign replied, “There’s a very small possibility of that being true, and I don’t dare to guarantee its existence. Naturally, this is only for a Master like you, as it is a Forbidden Zone for anyone that doesn’t cultivate the Dao of Space. During these years, many of our ancestors gave their all to leave this place, trying many different methods, but all ending in futility. In the end, they finally managed to confirm that there was a passageway they could leave from that was located at the peak of Yin Wind Mountain. Naturally, that was only a possibility, as that place was exceedingly dangerous. The frigid winds which blow there are filled with a combination of Cold and Demon Qi. Even a Third-Order Emperor cannot penetrate too deeply into it.”
“Cold Qi?” Yang Kai’s eyebrows rose up, catching the critical words, “What kind of Cold Qi?”
The Human Sovereign replied, “Cold Qi that will sap every single bit of vitality.”
Yang Kai’s eyes lit up upon hearing this. Wasn’t that just like the Cold Qi present within the Frozen Earth? It looked like this fellow wasn’t lying, and that meant that it might really be possible to leave this Revolving World from this Yin Wind Mountain.
The Cold Qi from the Frozen Earth couldn’t appear in this Revolving World without a reason; after all, they were in two separate worlds. However, in actual fact, there was Cold Qi present at the top of Yin Wind Mountain. That meant that the Cold Qi from the Frozen Earth was entering the Revolving World from some passageway. If Yang Kai was able to reverse the direction of that passageway, he would definitely be able to open the way back to the Star Boundary.
However, there was still Demon Qi present within the Yin Winds. That meant that the passageway was not only connected to the Star Boundary, but also the Demon Realm, which naturally allowed the Demon Qi from there to flow into here.
Therefore, the location above Yin Wind Mountain should be the spatial nexus between the Revolving World, Star Boundary and the Demon Realm.
Just the Cold Qi was already exceedingly terrifying to deal with. Coupled with Demon Qi, it was indeed capable of stopping a Third-Order Emperor in their tracks.
That’s why there was no one from the Human Race in here that was capable of leaving the Revolving World.
Observing Yang Kai’s expressions and noticing the drastic changes that were occurring, how could the Human Sovereign not know what the former had guessed? Despite feeling ecstatic, there was not a single change to the Human Sovereign’s expression as he proceeded to speak in an earnest manner, “Are you going to take the risk, Esteemed One? Forgive me for saying this, but Yin Wind Mountain isn’t a good place. Even if you managed to find the exit, you might not be able to return to the Star Boundary and instead accidentally enter the Demon Realm! That would really be a certain way to die.”
Yang Kai patted the latter’s shoulders, to the point where the Human Sovereign started to get squashed down, before grinning, “Aren’t you eager for me to die as soon as possible? Just say what’s on your mind out loud, it’s disgusting to watch you cover up your real thoughts while giving ironic replies.”
An embarrassed look appeared on the Human Sovereign’s face. Nevertheless, despite cursing out within his heart, he wasn’t that thick-skinned to reply to Yang Kai’s words.
Contrary to him, Yang Kai had already made up his mind. Rubbing his hand, he said, “Let’s go to Yin Wind Mountain!”
The Human Sovereign was instantly petrified, “I… I’m also going?”
“You wish to go there?” Yang Kai cast a sidelong gaze at him.
The Human Sovereign shook his head vehemently.
“If you don’t wish to go, why ask?” Yang Kai sneered, before changing the topic, “Do you know why I’m not killing you?”
The Human Sovereign wiped the cold sweat from his forehead and replied in a shivering voice, “Please tell me.”
Yang Kai turned to look at Senior Qing and replied, “I’m letting you keep your life, so you better take good care of Human Imperial City, and not lose the face of your ancestors. These people managed to keep their lives all due to Senior Qing’s blessings.”
“Yes,” The Human Sovereign had become a yes-man, completely unlike his earlier aloof and haughty attitude. With the support of the Sacred Tree being stripped away from him, and his personal strength being of no use, he had no other choice but to wag his tail and act obediently.
Nevertheless, feelings of doubt were present in his heart. Who was Senior Qing? Could Yang Kai be referring to the Sacred Tree? Why did he not know anything about this?
“Let’s go,” His interest waning, Yang Kai called out to the Human Sovereign. Extending his hand to touch Senior Qing’s large and tall trunk one last time, Yang Kai then proceeded to turn around and head out.
The Human Sovereign followed closely behind.
Walking out of the fog and back into the Imperial Palace, sounds of intense fighting immediately rang out in their ears, with miserable shrieks and angry roars punctuating it from time to time.
“Quite an intense fight,” Yang Kai swept his gaze out, spotting people strewn disorderly across the ground. Ninety percent of the over twenty Imperial Princes and Princesses were lying on the ground, with basically all of them having broken arms and legs. A few of them appeared to have suffered serious injuries, with large pools of blood surrounding them, their lives teetering on the brink of death.
As for the guards who protected the Sacred Tree, half of them had basically been beaten into the ground while at this moment, a three-hundred-meter-long Red Dragon lorded over the sky, searing hot Dragon Breath spewing out from its mouth as it unleashed one devastating Dragon Clan Secret Technique after another, causing the humans on the ground to cover their heads and scuttle about like ants.
The Human Sovereign was utterly shocked by what he was seeing, as unconcealable terror surfaced within his eyes.
Although he knew that it was not easy to deal with the Dragon Clan, he didn’t expect this young woman to be this terrifying.
He had basically gathered all of the Masters at his disposal here, yet they were still unable to take down a single Dragon. Instead, his people suffered serious injuries and were almost all completely incapacitated. Despite its gigantic body making for a very clear target, every single attack coming from the Red Dragon was exceedingly powerful and terrifying, which left those Masters that were still able to move teetering between life and death.
In the blink of an eye, two more Emperor Realm guards were engulfed in the Dragon Breath attack, their entire bodies covered in flames as they fell from the sky, crying out miserably.
“Stop, everyone stop!” The Human Sovereign hastily shouted out.
The Imperial Princes and Princesses, as well as the guards that were still able to move, proceeded to retreat, increasing the distance between them and Zhu Qing. Looking up, all of them gawked in shock upon seeing Yang Kai and the Human Sovereign.
That was because Yang Kai was actually standing in front of the Human Sovereign. The almighty and aloof Human Sovereign unexpectedly stood three steps behind, as though he was a subordinate, with an unprecedented look of urgency present on his face.
“Imperial Father!” The Second Princess shouted. With her Second-Order Emperor Realm cultivation, she was the strongest among the Imperial Family. Furthermore, she had been tangled up in a fight against the little black dog and did not take direct action against Zhu Qing. This resulted in her not suffering any serious injuries, only looking miserable with her clothes tattered, revealing her skin to the world. She looked in shock at the Human Sovereign, wanting to ask the latter exactly what was going on. Yet, no matter what, she was unable to speak those words out.
“Shameful!” The Human Sovereign roared in fury without any warning at all, instantly stunning everyone, “These two are this Sovereign’s esteemed guests, yet you all treated them so improperly, even going so far as to clash against them! Such impudence! All of you are totally disregarding this Sovereign!”
The entire place turned silent, while the Second Princess felt dizzy as a result.
Did… did they mishear? The orders from the Human Sovereign were the sole reason why they had all taken action; to use our combined might to take down this Dragon Clan member. However, in the blink of an eye, their Imperial Father had actually spun an entirely different narrative.
Was this the Human Sovereign that they knew?
Contrary to the others, the Third Imperial Prince reacted quickly as he hastily knelt down, “Please calm yourself, Imperial Father! We were all just excited to have an opportunity to exchange some pointers with our guest and did not have any intentions to be negligent.”
“Exchange pointers?” The Human Sovereign reacted gloomily to his response, before sneakily sizing up Yang Kai. After discovering an emotionless expression on Yang Kai’s face, he raised his hand and smashed it down on the Third Imperial Prince.
The heavy palm smashed into the Third Imperial Prince, sending him flying and spurting out blood in the air.
The Human Sovereign roared angrily, “Is this the way you all exchange pointers? All of you actually exchanged pointers at once, having an absolute advantage in numbers! All of you have really caused our Imperial Family to lose face!”
Ignoring the serious injuries he had suffered, the Third Imperial Prince knelt down and spoke once again, trembling in fear as he did so, “Please quell your anger, Imperial Father! We see the error in our ways.”
“We see the error in our ways!”
The Imperial Princes, Princesses, and guards hastily knelt down, even the two Third Order Emperors weren’t exceptions. Such a scene couldn’t occur in the outside world. All Third-Order Emperors in the Star Boundary stood high above others, and which one of them was not an overlord that could flip mountains and boil seas? Why would they ever kneel before a person that had weaker cultivation than them?
Yet, this was a common occurrence in Human Imperial City.
“Does a single ‘we see the error in our ways’ excuse you all for neglecting our guests and starting a fight with them? Don’t be so naïve!” The Human Sovereign’s expression turned cold, before taking up what seemed like a strict and impartial attitude, “Looks like all of you have been living in peace for too long, leaving you all not knowing that there are Heavens beyond Heavens, and people beyond people.”
The Second Princess opened her mouth as though she wanted to say something, but she was stopped by the Human Sovereign with a single glare. One could guess how many grievances she was feeling right now in her heart.
Within Human Imperial City, the Imperial Family was the Heavens, so where were there any Heavens beyond the Heavens? People beyond people?
“These unfilial things have eyes but failed to see, and actually dared to take action towards the wife of this esteemed one. May I know what the esteemed one feels about this? This Old Master will definitely abide by whatever esteemed one decides.” The Human Sovereign turned his head around and looked earnestly towards Yang Kai.
Everyone turned as dumb as a wooden chicken upon hearing his words, even the Third Imperial Prince, who had some guesses towards the current situation. Never in their wildest dreams did they expect the Human Sovereign to treat the outsider with such courtesy, to the point where it seemed like an act of servitude.
Exactly what had happened inside the fog barrier? Why did the Human Sovereign’s attitude change so drastically? He had even addressed himself as ‘Old Master’…
Despite not having guessed what had happened within, the Third Imperial Prince could faintly make out that something astonishing had definitely occurred. If not, it would be impossible for the Human Sovereign to bend over and curry favour like this.
Yang Kai grinned in response, before raising his head to look towards the exquisite figure in the air and speaking in a raised voice, “Are you injured, Qing’er?”
Returning to her human form, Zhu Qing shook her head slowly after hearing his words.
If not for her being a member of the Dragon Clan, it would have been impossible for anyone to escape successfully in the face of so many powerful opponents. However, after assuming her dragon form, her bodily defences reached astonishing levels, resulting in her not being at much of a disadvantage despite being utterly outnumbered. Although she had suffered quite a few attacks, she did not seem to be injured.
Smiling, Yang Kai turned and looked at the Human Sovereign and replied, “There’s no problem then. Let’s just treat this as an exchange of pointers and end things here.”
The Human Sovereign was overwhelmed with emotions and bowed, “This Old Master is very grateful for your esteemed one’s righteousness.”
He was truly afraid that Yang Kai would not let this matter go, and secretly felt lucky that this Dragon was immensely powerful. If not, this matter would not end as peacefully as it did.
“Why aren’t you all scramming out of here? You bunch of shameful things!” The Human Sovereign turned his head towards the others in the hall and roared in anger.
Snapping back to their senses as though they had just come out of a dream, the Imperial Princes, Princesses, and guards proceeded to retreat, though not forgetting to pick up their injured companions on the way out.
The little black dog appeared out of nowhere, just like a spectre, and while the Second Princess was still confused over the whole matter, clamped down on her dress.
Gasping in shock, the Second Princess raised her hand to smack it away.
“Huh?” The Human Sovereign snorted coldly.
The Second Princess’s moving hand was instantly halted in mid air. Becoming increasingly bold, the little black dog proceeded to rip out a large piece of her blouse, revealing the pink underwear within. Having done so, it ran towards a side in excitement, its tail raised high, appearing exceedingly satisfied, as though it had managed to exact some kind of deep revenge it had borne.
The Second Princess’s face turned pale as she frantically tried to cover her barely bulging bosom. Her face proceeded to turn red as she stamped her feet in hatred before she left in a flash.
“I apologize to you for this poor joke, esteemed one.” The Human Sovereign felt incomparably embarrassed. In the past, he felt that his Imperial Princes and Princesses were still reliable; however, all of them had revealed their pathetic characters today.
Yang Kai replied indifferently, “My wife and I will be staying in the Imperial Palace temporarily.”
Not willing for it to happen yet unable to stop it, the Human Sovereign had no other choice but to reply, “You can stay as long as you want, esteemed one.”
“Rest assured. I will not be staying here for long. After making our preparations, we will set out.”
The Human Sovereign did not dare to continue speaking, as one would be bound to slip up if they spoke too much in a short period of time.
“Additionally, I need all of the information you have about this Revolving World and Yin Wind Mountain. Send over everything as soon as possible.”
“Yes!”
“Furthermore, I have something that requires your assistance. There is another Dragon Clan member and human that had accompanied my wife and me into the Revolving World. I hope that Human Sovereign can help take note of this, and inform me as soon as there is news about this matter.”
“Rest assured, esteemed one. When the World Principles shift, this Old Master will immediately send people to search for them.”
“Good.”
…..
An hour later, within an exceedingly luxurious palace, Yang Kai was gently embracing Zhu Qing while seated on a spacious sofa. Zhu Qing was seated on his leg, with the little black dog dozing off by their side.
“From what you’re saying, this Revolving World really is unique, and if we want to leave, we have to pass through Yin Wind Mountain?” Asked Zhu Qing in a soft voice.
Yang Kai held her hands and started to play around gently with her fingers. Zhu Qing’s hands were extremely beautiful, something that he did not pay attention to in the past. Only after becoming intimate with her did he realize that her hands were snow white and completely unblemished, soft and supple, with her fingers long and slender.
It was hard to imagine that such tiny hands were capable of unleashing such terrifying might.
Zhu Qing was completely unnerved by being played around by him, resulting in her wanting to pull her hands back. Nevertheless, she was unable to muster any strength, leaving her with no other option but to glare at him, causing a slightly menacing air to appear.
Pretending to not notice her reaction, Yang Kai continued to play with her hands and replied in a leisurely manner, “From the information we have in hand, Yin Wind Mountain is the only way out of this place, so we have no other choice but to head there.”
Zhu Qing said worriedly, “But the Yin Winds are not easy to fend off. Earlier, we did not travel too far into the Frozen Earth, so we don’t know what the Yin Winds in the depths of the Frozen Earth are like. If the Yin Winds come from the deepest parts of the Frozen Earth…”
In the best-case scenario, it would be hard for a Third-Order Emperor to move about, with them frozen into ice cubes on mere contact being the worst case.
“Regardless of that, we have to take a look. However, we have to find Zhu Lie first.”
“Truthfully speaking… this is quite a good place. With the protection of that so-called Sacred Tree, there’s no need to be worried at all when in Human Imperial City. There’s no need to worry about any harassment. If we could stay here…”
“You wish to stay here?” Yang Kai gawked in slight surprise.
Right as Zhu Qing was about to reply, she seemed to suddenly notice something, her face turning red as she hastily stood up from Yang Kai’s lap.
Nevertheless, Yang Kai pulled her back down.
“Someone’s coming,” Zhu Qing felt somewhat anxious, as she was still very easily embarrassed due to her being a beginner towards such intimacy.
Seeing her insistence, Yang Kai did not force her anymore and allowed her to stand up.
After an instant, a cold and indifferent voice rang out from outside the palace, “Are you two esteemed ones there? Fu Yu has come to seek an audience.”
The little black dog, who was lying on the ground, lifted its head up fiercely and bared its fangs in anger. During the earlier fight, it had come to see Fu Yu as its nemesis, resulting in it being hostile towards this woman’s voice.
“Come in.”
The palace doors were pushed open and a few women and girls walked in in single file. All of them possessed outstanding appearances, with Fu Yu in their lead.
Each of them carried a huge pile of what seemed like ancient books in their hands.
“Sir, the things you have requested are all here,” Fu Yu said with her head lowered. It seemed that she had a look of unwillingness present on her face, as though she was very reluctant to carry out these menial tasks.
Truthfully speaking, how would she be here if not for the Human Sovereign’s orders? Why would she do something a servant would normally do? She did not know what the Human Sovereign was thinking or why he would curry favour with this outsider to such a degree.
The displeasure in her heart was projected right on her face.
“Put them down over there,” sweeping his gaze across the group of people, Yang Kai discovered that the majority of these girls were familiar to his eyes, meaning that all of them were actually princesses. From the looks of it, Fu Yu was the oldest, with the youngest looking no more than fourteen or fifteen years of age. He did not see this little girl earlier in the palace, though her having six leaves was something that could not be faked. The youngest princess was obviously very curious; despite standing at the rear of the group, she continued to focus her big eyes on Yang Kai.
Being influenced by Fu Yu, her first impression of Yang Kai was that he was an exceedingly wicked and evil person; however, that didn’t seem to be the case from her initial impression of him. He possessed neither three heads nor six arms, leaving her wondering why her Eldest Sister held such hatred against him.
Yang Kai swept his gaze over and winked.
This scared the little princess, who hastily lowered her head and dropped the items in her hands.
“Do you have any other requests? If not, we will take our leave.” Fu Yu glared coldly at Yang Kai, her voice sounding hard and emotionless, a look of unwillingness still present on her face.
Yang Kai cast a sidelong glance at her, seemingly deliberating trying to cause difficulties for her as he waved his hand and replied, “Wait outside then. I’ll call you if I need anything, and don’t disturb us if there isn’t anything.”
“Wait… wait outside?” Fu Yu’s eyes snapped wide open as though she had misheard.
She was the Second Princess of the Human Imperial City, with only one person above her, while everyone else stood below! Sending the ancient books to him was already a form of humiliation for her, yet he actually dared to ask her to wait outside at his beck and call? Did he really think that she was a servant that he could order around? She was utterly incapable of enduring it.
Anger started to appear on her face. However, right at the last moment, she remembered the Human Sovereign’s earlier instructions and it was as if a bucket of cold water had been dumped on her, causing her overflowing anger to evaporate in a flash, leaving her no choice but to reply through clenched teeth, “Yes!”
Regardless of anything, she did not dare to go against the Human Sovereign’s orders.
The few other princesses slowly backed out of the palace, their hearts filled with various kinds of thoughts as they stood guard outside of the door. Other than the little princess, the rest had expressions of hatred on their faces, as they felt that they should not be taking care of such matters.
Within the palace, Yang Kai and Zhu Qing stared at the pile of ancient books on the table, before picking up a book each to start reading.
These ancient books basically recorded the history of the Revolving World. Half of them recorded historical events, while the other half recorded points of geography. The Human Race had lived here for tens of thousands of years and had a fair understanding of this place. This world wasn’t very large, so other than the ten thousand kilometres of restricted area where Demon Fury City stood, the Human Race had already surveyed every single piece of land.
These books were all the private collection of the Imperial Family, so it was basically impossible for any random person to have read them.
For the next few days, Yang Kai and Zhu Qing locked themselves within the palace, reading through those ancient books in detail as they gathered various kinds of information about this world.
At the end of these few days, Yang Kai rubbed his temples, placing the last of the ancient books down as his brow twitched unconsciously, seemingly deep in thought.
By his side, Zhu Qing had similarly completed her reading. Looking up in thought, she mused, “So it turns out that this world is really located in the Void Crack between the two Great Worlds.”
Yang Kai smiled and replied, “If that wasn’t the case, there wouldn’t be the phenomenon of the changing World Principles.”
“It really must have been difficult for them to live and establish lives in such a place. The Sacred Tree is truly a blessing to them.”
“Sacred Tree…” Yang Kai nodded lightly, “It has indeed aided them greatly. Not only did it shelter the entire Human Imperial City, but it also left behind the inheritance of Shamanic Spells.”
Yang Kai originally assumed that it was the old ancestors of the Imperial Family that had passed down the Shamanic Spells to them, allowing the flame of Shamanic Spells to not be extinguished. However, from the looks of it, that was not entirely the case.
After tens of thousands of years, with the constant change of World Principles, that Shaman Strength that once filled the Star Boundary had gradually been replaced by the modern Martial Dao. The occasional contacts with the World Principles of the Star Boundary meant that the Revolving World naturally wasn’t suitable for the cultivation of Shamanic Spells.
However, the existence of Senior Qing allowed for the continued inheritance of Shamanic Spells here.
Those Imperial Family members had no other choice but to cultivate in the vicinity of Senior Qing, comprehending the latter’s strength. Only by forming a resonance with Senior Qing would they truly be able to cultivate Shaman Strength. Even if they had the cultivation methods, the World Principles of the Revolving World wouldn’t allow them to cultivate their Shamanic Strength if not for the aid Senior Qing provided.
Senior Qing was the hero of an entire era, the torchbearer for the power of the entire ancient world. Without him, Shamans would have long gone extinct in this Revolving World.
It was a pity that his consciousness had disappeared during the final battle between Humans and Demons, leaving only a faint remnant Will behind. This remnant Will continued to uphold the wishes he had while he was still living, to protect the Human Race and pass down the Shamanic Ways.
No one knew whether there was any hope for Senior Qing to regain full consciousness. Nevertheless, Yang Kai knew that the possibility of that happening was exceedingly bleak. That was because, after tens of thousands of years, Senior Qing would have already awakened if it were actually possible, and not wait all that while to do so.
Furthermore, Yang Kai guessed that Senior Qing would not be able to remember his past experiences even if he could truly awaken, and would instead be reborn with a clean slate.
He should be granted a new life.
There were records of Yin Wind Mountain within the ancient books as well, though they were rather sparse. Most of the records were of its approximate location, without any information about the situation present on it. That was because not a single human had ever stepped foot onto it for the past few tens of thousands of years.
On the contrary, members of the Demon Race would frequently visit it, relying on the pure Demon Qi gushing out from Yin Wind Mountain to cultivate.
Therefore, if they really wanted to go to Yin Wind Mountain, they would definitely end up in a conflict against the Demon Race.
Yang Kai did not mind this though as he had managed to subdue a dozen Demon Kings within the illusionary realm that would heed his every order. He had the knowledge of the various unique traits of the Demon Race at his fingertips, so they would be the ones in trouble if they were to run into him.
Other than that, there was still no news about Zhu Lie from the Human Sovereign.
The World Principles of the Revolving World had already changed, allowing all of Human Imperial City’s Masters to be mobilized, searching in all directions for news pertaining to Zhu Lie. Nevertheless, there was no new discovery yet.
Yang Kai and Zhu Qing were not too worried about Zhu Lie, as he was also an Eighth-Order Red Dragon after all. He wouldn’t be a Dragon Clan member if he could be easily dealt with.
Therefore, the two of them continued to stay leisurely within the Imperial Palace.
Today, Yang Kai suddenly woke up from his seated rest, his eyes glowing faintly as he seemed to be in an excited but also somewhat confused mood.
“What happened?” Not needing to cultivate in a traditional fashion, Zhu Qing was currently flipping through a book, but sensing Yang Kai’s movements, she raised her head to ask him.
“I think I’ve become stronger, Qing’er,” Yang Kai replied with elation.
“It’s a good thing to become strong, so what’s with that look?”
“That’s because I don’t know why I became stronger.”
“Which aspect of yours became stronger?”
“My bloodline!” Yang Kai looked at Zhu Qing in curiosity, “I didn’t seem to do anything during this period of time, so why do I feel that my bloodline has become quite a bit stronger?”
The increase in the strength of his bloodline was apparent as Yang Kai was able to sense the Golden Divine Dragon Source’s strength fusing with him on an even deeper level than before. During this period of time, he did not cultivate the Dragon Transformation Secret Art, nor did he engage in any life or death battles to stimulate his potential, so there was no plausible reason for him to become stronger at all.
The increase of one’s strength would also require one’s efforts for it to happen.
“Let me test it!” For the sake of removing any feelings of misconception, Yang Kai proceeded to roar as he displayed the Dragon Transformation Secret Art.
After a high pitched dragon roar, a large Golden Dragon phantom appeared in a flash.
Creaking sounds rang out as loud cracks rang out from Yang Kai’s body as he proceeded to grow in size. His combed hair scattered apart, and at the instant when Dragon Pressure erupted from within him, Yang Kai felt his head turn itchy, as though something was wanting to break through his scalp.
His arms grew longer, his hands transformed into claws, his clothing was ripped apart, revealing tough and resilient Dragon Scales that covered the entirety of his figure.
He was somewhat used to these transformations, and also knew the changes that were happening to him, so he continued to focus on experiencing the entire transformation process.
By the time the transformation had stopped, Yang Kai had already become a gigantic creature. With a gentle breath, two white jets of smoke instantly spewed out from his nostrils.
Seated on the chair, Zhu Qing closed her book, raised her head, and looked towards him.
Taking big strides, Yang Kai made a round within the hall, before exclaiming in surprise, “Oh, I seem to have grown a bit larger.”
Earlier, the fight against Zhu Lie in Azure Sun Temple had allowed Yang Kai to achieve a breakthrough in his Dragon Transformation Secret Art, going from twenty metres in length to forty metres.
However, his current body had actually increased in size again, and from the looks of it, it had already reached around forty-five metres. This increase was definitely not a misconception, but something that had really happened.
Ever since he had started to cultivate the Dragon Transformation Secret Art, Yang Kai had been able to faintly grasp onto some critical points that allowed him to deepen his mastery, resulting in a stronger fusion with the Golden Divine Dragon Source within him. This had increased the purity of his Dragon Bloodline, which corresponded to the growth in his size. The stronger and deeper his cultivation, the taller and bigger his half-dragon form would be.
Yang Kai suspected that when he finally fully refined the Golden Divine Dragon Source, he would be able to transform into a True Golden Dragon and traverse the myriad worlds.
“How tall were you in the past?” Asked Zhu Qing.
“Around here,” Yang Kai extended his hand to indicate his previous height. Fortunately, the construction of this palace was extremely extravagant, or he really wouldn’t be able to stand up straight.
“That means that you’ve really become stronger,” Zhu Qing smiled.
“But how is that possible?” Yang Kai scratched his head, which ended up in him using his dragon claws to scratch at the scales on his face, creating a string of sparks that shot everywhere.
It was a good thing to become stronger, but it wasn’t good if he didn’t know where the strength originated from. He needed to find the reason so that he could put effort in that direction in the future.
He started to reflect on the matters that had happened during this period of time, only to discover that there was really nothing noteworthy. Furthermore, it had been less than two months since his earlier breakthrough in the Dragon Transformation Secret Art. Yang Kai was able to remember every single thing that had happened since then, but was unable to recall anything special that had taken place.
Zhu Qing lowered her head as a reddish blush flashed across her face. She continued to read her book, though her heart wasn’t focused on its contents anymore.
“Do you know something?” Yang Kai turned his head to look over after discovering her strange actions.
Zhu Qing shook her head like a rattle drum as her face turned even redder.
“Hurry up and say it,” Yang Kai walked towards her and knelt down. Despite that, he was still a few times taller than Zhu Qing. Lowering his head to look at her small figure made him feel exceedingly weird.
This might be a similar view that Zhu Qing would have if she transformed into her Great Dragon form.
“I really don’t know…” Zhu Qing whispered back in reply.
“Does this concern the secrets of the Dragon Clan?”
Zhu Qing shook her head.
“Then say it.” Extending his hand, Yang Kai carefully coaxed Zhu Qing into his palm, as though he was lifting the most exquisite porcelain, before saying in a threatening tone, “If you know the reason but do not report it, be careful about being disciplined by our Family Law.”
“What Family Law…” Zhu Qing’s eyes snapped wide open as a black look appeared on her face. Nevertheless, she quickly caught on to what Yang Kai meant, causing her entire body to turn flushed. Raising her head, she glared at him, only to discover that his eyes were wide open, while his breathing had turned rough. Sighing in her heart, she knew that this was a blessing and not a curse, though it couldn’t be avoided if it was a curse.
Using the book to cover her face, she whispered back, “The myriad of living creatures reject the Yin and embrace the Yang, when Yin and Yang merge, the Source will flow together, filling… one with energy.”
Yang Kai gawked before a strange look appeared on his face as he said in an ambiguous tone, “Are you saying…”
Zhu Qing’s face was now covered entirely by the book, leaving him unable to see the expression on her face. Nevertheless, he knew that her pretty face was definitely burning up at this very moment as she hastily replied, “I’m just casually speaking. Don’t treat it as a fact.”
“The Dragon Clan has also paid attention to dual cultivation?” Yang Kai’s smile grew wider, which appeared exceedingly malevolent in his dragon form, as though he could devour Zhu Qing in a single mouthful.
If this was really the case, the future days would really be too blissful.
“How is that possible, but…”
“But what?” Yang Kai extended a claw out and gently pushed Zhu Qing’s book down, while extending his head forwards, taking what seemed like a menacing stance.
With nowhere to hide, Zhu Qing finally replied in embarrassment, “But even for human women, their… virgin Yin Qi is extremely beneficial towards the cultivation of men, with the effect being increasingly obvious at higher realms of cultivation, much more that of a Dragon.”
Yang Kai replied, “Are you saying that I’ve grown stronger because… that was your first time?”
Zhu Qing nodded gently. She was feeling utterly embarrassed being forced by Yang Kai to say such words out loud, and could not help herself from wanting to dig a hole to hide in.
“So there will be no effect in the future?”
“No,” Zhu Qing shook her head decisively.
“I don’t believe it!” As he said that, Yang Kai grabbed Zhu Qing and scuttled in a direction. As he took big strides forwards, he dispelled the Dragon Transformation Secret Art, causing his gigantic body to rapidly shrink in size.
“What are you doing?” Zhu Qing exclaimed in shock.
“A test is needed to know if it works or not,” having returned to his original appearance, Yang Kai proceeded to lift Zhu Qing by her waist.
Pressed against his chest and feeling the fiery temperature of his body, Zhu Qing was instantly flustered as she hastily replied, “There really are no further results. I’m not lying to you!”
Yang Kai replied with a wide grin, “I already said to give it a try, so don’t struggle and resist, alright? It’s useless.”
As he said those words, he tossed Zhu Qing heavily onto the bed. She shrieked in response, while Yang Kai had already launched himself at her like a ravenous dog. Although she had experienced this before, Zhu Qing hadn’t adapted to it fully, resulting in the intense thumping of her chest as her heart appeared to be wanting to jump out at any given moment.
The male on top of her was extremely invasive, lunging right at her with reckless abandon, causing her weak defences to crumble and shatter apart with a bang.
As her clothes started to unravel, Zhu Qing tilted her head and closed her eyes tightly. Her hands gripped the sheets of the bed, as though she was about to enter the execution grounds, her entire being brimming with nervousness.
All of a sudden, Yang Kai seemed to have realized something as he turned his head to the side and pointed, before speaking a single word at a time, “Get… Out!”
The black puppy had been roused from its sleep, resulting in it quietly trying to doze off during these last few moments. It did not bark nor cause any trouble, and was extremely clever and obedient; however, right at this moment, it had raised its head and opened its eyes wide to stare towards the direction of the large bed. It did not move an inch, with its breathing sounds coming to a halt as it earnestly took in everything in sight.
The dog’s eyes gleamed with curiosity and a vacant look.
Upon hearing Yang Kai’s words, it whined as it stood up in reluctance, its tail hanging between its legs as it slowly walked towards the door.
Reaching the door, it still shot a longing glance back, its eyes filled with entreaty, as though it was begging Yang Kai to allow it to stay here.
Instead, Yang Kai replied with a snort, leaving it no choice but to push open the door dejectedly with its head. Slinking away through the crack between the doors, it still knew to close the doors properly after leaving.
At this moment, there were a few women of varying ages that stood outside of the palace, and every one of them appeared to have a layer of frost covering their faces.
These few princesses had basically had enough of this. A few days ago, Yang Kai had asked them to wait outside of the palace, leaving them no choice but to obey.
Never did they expect this to drag on for days, with not a single order coming their way this whole time. Yang Kai had also not dismissed them, leaving them no choice but to wait here like wooden poles anchored to the ground.
When did they, who were pampered throughout their entire lives, ever experience such humiliation? All of them were unleashing torrents of curses towards Yang Kai in their hearts, praying that he would die miserably and as soon as possible.
The only exception was the innocent and pure little princess, who did not have a single inkling about the entire matter that had happened. She only knew that her Imperial Father had ordered them to come over, listen to the orders from the man inside, and make sure to fulfil his every demand.
Being young and innocent, she had yet to be corrupted by the complicated issues present within the Imperial Family. Therefore, she was the only one that did not feel any grievances towards Yang Kai, with only feelings of boredom and tiredness surfacing within her after standing for the past few days. At this moment, she was dozing off while resting her head on one of her Elder Sister’s shoulders, her head rocking slightly, coming close to falling down onto the ground on a few occasions.
When the black puppy walked out, it was noticed by all of the princesses, instantly drawing their attention to look over towards it.
A look of hatred immediately appeared on the face of the Second Princess, Fu Yu, as she still vividly remembered the matter of this little bastard causing her to lose all face through a wardrobe malfunction a few days ago. Therefore, she was naturally incomparably hellbent on getting revenge, with her heart being filled with thoughts on how she would exact vengeance, like whether she should take the chance to capture this little bastard, chop him into little bits, and make a hotpot of him.
Seemingly sensing something, the black puppy turned its head towards Fu Yu, bared its fangs and let off a threatening growl at her, all while moving into a pouncing stance.
[Little bastard, if you dare act rampantly, I’ll make sure to kill you and eat your meat!] Fu Yu cursed out in her heart, while an ambiguous feeling of happiness surged through her entire body as images of her accomplishing that feat played through her mind.
Right at this moment, a cry of surprise suddenly rang out from within the palace.
The shout shocked all of the princesses, with all of them exchanging blank looks with each other, not knowing exactly what had happened within the palace.
The drowsy little princess was also shocked awake. Opening her eyes wide, she snapped to her senses faster than anyone else and asked in a fluster, “What happened?”
Nonetheless, no one bothered about her as the other princesses had perked their ears to listen for any follow-up sounds.
Yet another shout rang out, but this time, the group of ladies heard it clearly. However, this shout… seemed a little strange, as it did not sound like what one would let off when met with an incident. Instead, it sounded suppressed, somewhat raw, and almost like…
The faces of the few princesses turned red. Having clearly realized what this cry represented, how would they have the heart left to continue eavesdropping? On the contrary, they wished they could block their hearing out to prevent that sound from fouling their ears.
The stifled sounds grew increasingly clearer as they continued on, increasing and softening in varying intervals, sounding as though someone was dying.
Jumping in fright, the little princess’s face turned pale, “What’s happening? The voice sounds strange. Is someone in trouble? Should we go inside to take a look?”
Her questions left her Elder Sisters hanging between laughter and tears.
The Sixth Princess, who was standing by the little princess’s side, hastily replied, “You better not go in.”
“Why? Why can’t we go in?” The little princess wanted to get to the bottom of this mystery.
The Sixth Princess stamped her feet, “Little kids shouldn’t ask so much.”
“Ah… en,” the little princess nodded her head obediently. Although she could not wrap her head around the current situation, since her Sixth Sister had told her so, she definitely had her reasons to oppose. All of a sudden, she looked curiously at her other sisters and asked in a worried tone, “Second, Sixth, and Eleventh Sister, why are your faces so red? Are you all sick?”
The Eleventh Princess glared back at her and replied with an irritated tone, “What sick? When did we get sick?”
“But…” The little princess extended her little hand out and touched the Sixth Princess’ face, which resulted in her pulling her hand back in fright, “Your face is really hot, Sixth Sister! This is bad! Let’s go to Imperial Father to have him take a look.”
The Eleventh Princess shot a glare at the Sixth Princess, before covering her mouth to hide her grin, “There’s nothing Imperial Father can do for what your Sixth Sister is going through right now.”
“Then who should we see?”
The Eleventh Princess pouted, “She’ll be alright if you call the man inside to take a look at her.”
After finishing her words, she could not contain herself, letting a laugh slip out from her mouth, one so strong that it caused her waist to buckle as she shook like a willow in a gust.
“Then I’ll go call him over.” Believing everything she was told, the little princess strode forwards in an attempt to rush into the palace. However, after taking two steps forward, she hastily retreated, before speaking out in fear, “It sounds like he’s killing someone, right… I don’t dare to go in.”
The smile on the Eleventh Princess’ face grew even wider as a light flashed across her peach blossom-like eyes as she indicated towards the palace, “Of course he’s killing someone, but not just killing… he’s… eating someone.”
“E-E-Eating someone!” The little princess’s face drained of so much colour it turned into a shade that rivalled that of snow.
The Eleventh Princess continued on, “The man inside is an incorrigible tyrant, and he loves to eat tender little girls like you. If you get captured by him, he will first devour your fingers, then your nose, then your ears…”
As she spoke, she made a gnawing action, as though she was really chewing something, before wrapping it up with a look of satisfaction.
“Yee!” Terrified, the little princess immediately drilled herself into the bosom of the Sixth Princess, shivering as she replied in a trembling voice, “Sixth Sister, save me! I don’t want to get eaten! I don’t want to get eaten by him!”
“What are you scaring her for!” The Sixth Princess glared angrily at the Eleventh Princess, “Little sister is pure and naive, and believes anything people say, so what’s the point of telling her such a frightening tale.”
The Eleventh Princess shrugged her shoulders, “Since we’re all bored, I’m just trying to have a little fun. Haa… it’s really not fun to only hear but not participate in this colour-filled spring scenery.”
Fu Yu replied in a cold tone, “You can go in if you wish to participate, though I don’t know if they’ll welcome you or kill you.”
The Eleventh Princess said, “Forget it. It’s not good to provoke that fellow. As for me, I’m afraid even my bones won’t be left after he’s done eating me.”
Hearing those words, the little princess became increasingly frightened, causing her to hug the Sixth Princess tightly and cry, “Bring me away, Sixth Sister! I don’t want to be here! Save me, Imperial Father! Save me, Imperial Father! Wu wu wu!”
Fu Yu glared at her and growled, “Cover her ears.”
The Sixth Princess hastily extended her hands and covered the Little Princess’ ears tightly.
Sounds continued to ring out from the palace. In the beginning, it was somewhat subdued before becoming utterly unrestrained, causing the few princesses to feel exceedingly awkward. Fortunately, the Little Princess returned to snoozing within the Sixth Princess’s embrace, seemingly tired from the huge cry after being frightened. The tear stains which now marred her little sister’s face caused the Sixth Princess to feel sorry and angry for her, as well as forming an even worse impression of the man who was at fault for all this misery.
“It’s really no use.” Yang Kai felt somewhat speechless as he looked at Zhu Qing lying on the bed.
He displayed the Dragon Transformation Secret Art once again. This time, however, there wasn’t any significant change, as his height still remained at 45 meters, with completely no increase at all.
Raising her snow white body, which was covered by the bedsheet, Zhu Qing frowned slightly as she replied: “I’ve already told you, so why don’t you believe me?”
Thinking about it now, it wasn’t a question of whether he believed her or not, but a result of the rise of his lecherous side that he wanted to go all the way with.
Dispelling the Dragon Transformation Secret Art, Yang Kai chuckled: “We only tried a few times. If we do it a few more times, it might work…”
Right as he finished his sentence, he leapt back onto the bed.
“Stop messing around,” Zhu Qing reached out and pushed him away, shooting him a glare. “Dragons are lascivious by nature, the stronger your Source the more you would need to restrain yourself.”
During these few days of their intimate relations, Zhu Qing had always behaved submissively. However, now, she suddenly expressed her views solemnly, with a look of authority. Yang Kai could not help but look at her in bewilderment. It was as though she was a completely different person.
He could only bob his head and agree. “Alright, alright. I’ll control myself. Just that… If all those in the Dragon Clan are like this, how exactly do you live with it?”
Zhu Qing said, “Only the males of the Clan are like this. They also won’t act so presumptuously in front of the other Dragon Clan Members on Dragon Island.”
Yang Kai’s eyes widened. “Then what if they… need it?”
Zhu Qing had no desire to answer his question but knew that he could continue to pester her about it, so she could only frown and state. “They have their own ways.”
This statement inevitably made Yang Kai’s imagination run wild. Some funny scenes came to mind, and he could not help but chuckle. He was ready to meet Zhu Lie again and make fun of him.
Zhu Qing stared at him and reprimanded. “Didn’t I tell you not to touch me without my consent?”
Yang Kai made an innocent expression and asked. “But didn’t you give me your consent? I swore you did.”
“Just don’t do that next time!” Zhu Qing pinched Yang Kai’s arm to vent her frustration and then started to get dressed.
Yang Kai propped his head up on one hand and enjoyed looking at her, giggling.
“What are you staring at me for?” Zhu Qing became flushed.
“You are just too beautiful.” Sweet words started to spew from his mouth. “I can just stare at you for the rest of my life.”
“I wonder how many women you’ve said this to before?” Zhu Qing’s question carried a strong tinge of jealousy, she quickly organized her dress and blankly looked around before asking. “Where’s Ah Wang?”
“Guarding the door.” Yang Kai pointed at the door.
Zhu Qing just recalled that the black puppy had seemed to have been driven out by Yang Kai. She then recalled that several princesses were standing outside the door. Soon, her beautiful face lost all colour. It was clear that what they did was heard.
She did not know how she could possibly see people now…
She was so ashamed and annoyed that she reached out and grabbed Yang Kai’s ear. “Why are you not getting up yet!?”
Abiding her order, Yang Kai got up. He was completely naked. Although not stout, his body was quite well proportioned. He exuded an aura of masculinity. Facing the embarrassed Zhu Qing, he simply laughed and played dumb.
Zhu Qing gave him an angry look. Her eyes were wandering here and there. She was trying to look away from where she shouldn’t be looking. She picked up his clothes from the bed and started carefully dressing him.
It was the first time the dragon girl was doing this, so she was a little unfamiliar. Men’s clothes had always been a little different from women’s, and having never had the experience of serving others, and the fact that Yang Kai was standing right opposite to her, her hands and feet were tied.
After gasping through for a good while, she slowly got better and gradually dressed Yang Kai neatly.
She then grabbed Yang Kai’s hand again, leading him to the vanity mirror beside her and pushed Yang Kai down on the chair, sitting him down and cautiously grooming his hair.
Yang Kai was staring at the figure in the mirror with a smile hanging on his face. And seeing her serious and focused look, his pride skyrocketed.
…
Half a day later, the Human Sovereign came in a hurry. And when he arrived at the gate of the palace, he looked at his daughters standing outside in surprise, “Why are you standing outside?”
Fu Yu replied, pursing her lips, “He made us stay here.”
The Human Sovereign furrowed his brow. “Has it been like this these days?”
Fu Yu gently nodded.
The Human Sovereign heaved a sigh as a look of disappointment flashed in his eyes, but nothing else. He just reported aloud, “Sir, there has been some progress about the news you have been looking for.”
The door of the hall was pushed open as Yang Kai and Zhu Qing walked out in succession.
The princesses had varying expressions on their faces. Second Princess Fu Yu couldn’t hide the look of contempt in her eyes, especially when she looked at Zhu Qing. The Sixth Princess lowered her head; it was hard to see the expression on her face. The Eleventh Princess, on the other hand, was making seductive gestures, looking at Yang Kai with great interest, as if she was secretly expecting something. But the next moment, the princess turned pale and quietly slipped behind the Sixth Sister, shuddering.
Their reaction didn’t remain hidden from Yang Kai. He coldly snorted in his heart, noticing it. But he didn’t have time to care about that. He focused his gaze on the Human Sovereign and asked, “Tell me about it.”
The Human Sovereign replied, “About thirty minutes ago, there were signs of someone fighting at Eagle Beak Cliff. This Old Master immediately sent someone to investigate, but by the time he reached there, the battle was already over. He found a dozen or so dead Demon Race members, all of whose cultivation was quite extraordinary.”
“Did you find who did it?”
The Human Sovereign shook his head. “No, it’s just that all the Humans in the Revolving World live in Human Sovereign City. I’m afraid that no one apart from the two of you could remain outside. And more importantly, they don’t have the strength to kill a dozen or so Demon Race members. So, this Old Master thinks that the person you are looking for is probably near Eagle Beak Cliff.”
Yang Kai, after nodding and pondering for a moment, suggested, “If that’s the case, then let’s go and have a look.”
The Human Sovereign agreed, “The Old Master will immediately arrange someone to lead the way.”
“No need, I know the place. My wife and I will go and check it out on our own.” These past few days, Yang Kai had clearly memorized the layout of the Revolving World. So, he knew where Eagle Beak Cliff was when the Human Sovereign mentioned it.
“Sir and Madam, please be careful.”
Yang Kai pursed his lips into a smile. “If everything goes well, we may directly leave this world. Thank you for your hospitality.”
Hearing this, the Human Sovereign happily smiled. He wished that Yang Kai would go away as soon as possible, lest his rule was shaken. Naturally, he was overjoyed after hearing this. He quickly suppressed his excitement and calmly stated, “Sir and Madam, please forgive this Old Master if this Old Master has not looked after you well.”
His face didn’t match his words. And Yang Kai was also too lazy to haggle with him. Just as he was about to call Zhu Qing to leave, he suddenly caught a glimpse of Fu Yu still staring at Zhu Qing with a look of contempt. Her face was filled with disdain. This immediately annoyed him a little.
Suddenly, an idea clicked Yang Kai as he stretched his hand out to Ah Wang and ordered, “Ah Wang, let’s go!”
“Woof!” The black puppy stood up and threateningly barked at Fu Yu before slowly making its way to Yang Kai.
“What!? What did you say?” Yang Kai stared at the black puppy with widened eyes.
“Woof!” The black puppy titled his head, wondering what the hell Yang Kai was up to.
“What!? That’s impossible. You bastard, how can you even think like that? That’s simply outrageous.”
The black puppy was completely dumbstruck. It stupidly stood in his spot, completely confused.
Yang Kai continued, ignoring it, “One should have a sense of propriety. As a dog, you should know your limit. You shouldn’t think about what you shouldn’t, you just shouldn’t, understand!? Thankfully this Young Master is here, otherwise, you would have been beaten and eaten by him.” While he was speaking, he leisurely glanced at the Human Sovereign.
Everyone was left confused and disoriented by him. The princesses were even more confused. Fu Yu slightly frowned. Instinctively, she felt something wasn’t right, but she couldn’t think what was wrong?
But the Human Sovereign was smart and shrewd. He immediately snickered and asked, “Sir, I wonder what your pet wants to do? If you don’t mind, can you tell this Old Master. If this Old Master can satisfy it, this Old Master will definitely fulfill it.”
Yang Kai replied with a chuckle, “It’s nothing. It just made an interesting request. You don’t need to care about it.”
The Human Sovereign criticized in his heart but still asked, “If it’s interesting, why not tell us? There is no harm telling us.”
Yang Kai pointed at Fu Yu. “This Bastard has actually come to take a liking to the Second Princess. It has hit it off with the Second Princess and actually wants to take her with it. Don’t you find it funny?”
The smile on the Human Sovereign’s face immediately froze. He really didn’t know how he should answer as a drop of cold sweat trickled down the corner of his forehead.
Blood immediately drained from Fu Yu’s pretty face as she cried in horror, “Impossible!”
Yang Kai’s face turned cold as he asked, “Why is it impossible?”
Fu Yu replied, panicked, “How…how can it like me? You are clearly talking through your hat.”
Yang Kai added with a snort, “When it’s impossible for me to like you, but you have still taken a liking to me. I can’t do anything, can I? Probably, after having been looking at you for a long while, it has been attracted to you. If you don’t believe me, you can ask yourself.”
“How…how can I ask?” Fu Yu was completely dumbfounded. She really couldn’t ask the black puppy this question. Although she was sure that Yang Kai was taking revenge on her, the current situation was more complex than she realized. She might really be carried off and be reduced into a beast’s plaything.
She would rather die than be subjected to this. How could she even agree to it?
“Imperial Father!” She hurriedly looked at the Human Sovereign, trying to ask for his help. But what entered her eyes next caused her words to be stuck in her throat. Because she noticed a tight frown on her Imperial Father’s face. He appeared to be in deep thought as if he was considering whether to agree to this or not.
In an instant, all her hopes shattered to pieces. She lost all her strength.
[Imperial Father is really considering giving me to that beast!]
[That’s right, the Imperial Father is very afraid of these debauchers. If he can send them away without any accident, not to mention one daughter, he will gift all his daughters without even a frown.]
[Since ancient times, the Imperial Family has been devoid of any familial love. Who knows what I was expecting?]
The Human Sovereign’s lips parted. But before he could speak anything, Yang Kai chuckled. “Second Princess, don’t worry. Even though Ah Wang likes you, I can’t take you with us. Second Princess will be staying in Human Sovereign City, being a good princess.”
Fu Yu didn’t utter a word. She just glared at him with extreme hatred. It looked like she could not wait to eat his flesh and drink his blood.
“By the looks of it, it seems the Second Princess would like to come with me! If that’s the case, you can tell me. It’s not like this Young Master can’t consider it.” Yang Kai raised the corner of his lips.
Fu Yu hurriedly lowered her head. She didn’t dare to take another look at him, lest he started making things difficult for her again.
“Hmph!” The Human Sovereign coldly snorted. At this moment, how could he not realize that Yang Kai was deliberately making things difficult for her? [Presumably, Fu Yu had looked at the dragon girl with a wrongful gaze.] He looked at Fu Yu and ordered, “Why are you still not thanking Sir!?”
How could Fu Yu dare to disobey him? Left with no choice, she stepped forward and elegantly bowed, thanking Yang Kai in a low voice. “Thank you, Sir!”
Her arrogance had been completely worn out.
Yang Kai and Zhu Qing had to leave through the city’s Space Array, and the Human Sovereign personally sent them off.
A group of Imperial Princes and Princesses was following close behind along with anyone with the slightest prestige in Human Imperial City. The big crowd made the onlookers confused as to what was happening.
The Human Sovereign was extremely considerate the entire way, he tirelessly reminded Yang Kai of the things he should take note of when outside.
Yang Kai even bothered responding from time to time.
After finally delivering them to the Space Array, the Human Sovereign secretly let out a sigh of relief. As long as that guy left, Human Imperial City would still be under his rule and the position of his family would be secure.
He personally bestowed Yang Kai and Zhu Qing with the Human Sovereign Seal and ordered for the array to be activated.
When it lit up to initiate transport, the Human Sovereign’s suspended heart settled at last, and a relieved smile appeared on his face.
However, Yang Kai smashed his good mood into smithereens with one sentence, “In the future, this Young Master may come to visit again. I hope Sir will look after the Sacred Tree well and won’t arbitrarily extract its power again.”
After a flash of light, Yang Kai and Zhu Qing disappeared.
The Human Sovereign froze and his smile stiffened.
The Imperial Princes and Princesses, as well as the Masters gathered here, all sensed the Human Sovereign’s mood and kept silent out of fear. After a long time, an imposing aura burst forth from the Human Sovereign and washed out in all directions. As the fluctuations dispersed, after venting the anger in his heart, he seemed to have aged greatly.
……
Ten thousand kilometres from Human Imperial City, Yang Kai and Zhu Qing appeared in the depths of a burrow in what appeared to be a concealed cave.
The burrow was pitch-black with only a narrow passageway that led to the surface. In the burrow was a simple Space Array that connected with the array in the city. There were other numerous places like these dotted across the entirety of the Revolving World.
The cultivators of Human Imperial City travelled about using these Space Arrays.
Each Space Array was constructed in an obscure location, out of fear of being discovered by the Demon Race.
However, even if the Demon Race were to discover a Space Array, they could only destroy it, as without the Human Sovereign Seal’s blessing, they couldn’t enter Human Imperial City through the array. In a way, the Human Sovereign Seal was a protective mechanism of Human Imperial City. In this aspect, it was similar to the Transmission Token that Yang Kai used.
The Space Arrays arranged by him could only be used with a Transmission Token.
The pair came out of the burrow and onto the surface.
There was no abnormality with the outside world’s World Principles, indicating that the Revolving World was leaning towards the Star Boundary at the moment.
“Yang Kai, stand guard for me,” Zhu Qing wasted no time, and after informing Yang Kai, she set about using a Dragon Clan Secret Technique to find Zhu Lie’s whereabouts.
“Hm? What did you call me?”
Zhu Qing said quietly, “…Husband…”
She had never called a man like this before, so her heart raced as she felt like this simple address was capable of tying them intimately together, sharing life and death, disgrace and honour.
Yang Kai finally revealed a satisfied look.
Zhu Qing cut her palm and a drop of crimson blood dripped down. It was hot, like magma, but after falling onto the ground, it disappeared without a trace.
An enigmatic chant sounded and there was a reverent and solemn look on Zhu Qing’s face as she wove some ancient words together.
Yang Kai had witnessed such a scene before when Zhu Lie used the same Secret Technique back in the Frozen Earth.
It was a Secret Technique for locating individuals.
After a moment, when the chant reached its peak, the whole world trembled like thunder was brewing, and a Dragon’s roar pierced through the Heavens.
A small spot of red blossomed from the ground and what appeared to be a blood coral grew from it, reaching about a forearm’s length in height.
Zhu Qing stopped her chant and reached out to pick up the blood coral. Looking in the direction of the light the blood coral was floating towards, she pointed and said, “That way.”
Yang Kai nodded and he leapt into the sky to fly in that direction with Zhu Qing.
After the time it took to boil a cup of tea, the pair arrived in front of a cliff.
A long ravine stretched out into the distance while the cliff itself was extremely beak.
This was the Eagle Beak Cliff mentioned by the Human Sovereign before, and when they arrived, they saw remains of the Demon Race as they had expected. The ground was covered in fresh blood, severed limbs, and minced flesh. From the vestiges left at the scene, it seemed that although the battle had been intense, it was short-lived. The Demons seemed to have been killed before they could even bring out their full power.
This could only mean the Demons had encountered a strong enemy, so strong that they were entirely helpless.
Yang Kai looked over at Zhu Qing, who nodded back gently, “I sense an aura from the Dragon Clan, it’s definitely Zhu Lie.”
“Can you tell which direction they went?” Yang Kai asked.
Zhu Qing observed the blood coral for a moment then pointed left, “That way.”
After half an hour, Yang Kai, who was travelling quickly, let out a sound of surprise. He raised his head and looked into the distance, seemingly having discovered something.
Zhu Qing also noticed it and looked ahead with keen eyesight.
The World Energy over there was fluctuating, and there were faint sounds of battle. There seemed to be an ongoing dispute.
The two shared a glance before speeding up.
After a while, the scene ahead unfolded before their eyes.
Hundreds of troops from the Demon Race Army surrounded a single location, causing thick Demon Qi to envelop the area, and the people being surrounded by them happened to be the two people who had gotten separated from Yang Kai when he entered the Revolving World, Zhu Lie and Li Jiao.
It was unclear if they had always been together or if they had only recently met up.
The two of them were currently in a bleak situation. Although they were both powerful Masters, there seemed to be Demon Kings commanding the Demons surrounding them. It seemed that they planned to use the advantage of their numbers to slowly whittle them down.
The several dozen Demon Race corpses on the ground were no doubt Zhu Lie and Li Jiao’s handiwork.
The Demon Race had a hundred clans, and each clan possessed their own unique Innate Divine Abilities. Shadow Demons were the best at concealment, Charm Demons were unrivalled in seduction, Strength Demons possessed immense physical strength, Blood Demons were the most insidious, and if one didn’t know the characteristics of each clan, it was easy to suffer a loss.
If it was an average Third-Order Emperor, even if there were two of them, they would’ve already been defeated.
Thanks to Zhu Lie being a member of the Dragon Clan, he was able to persist under the encirclement. It was another matter for Li Jiao, however.
What’s more, it was obvious Zhu Lie wasn’t concerned with Li Jiao’s life or death.
When Yang Kai and Zhu Qing arrived, it was clear that Li Jiao’s condition wasn’t good. His mood was anxious and he was faintly emitting a black Qi. It seemed to have been corroded by the Demon Qi.
His eyes were faintly red, and his movements were stiff, while even the circulation of his Emperor Qi had become sluggish.
Among the Demon Race Army, an alluring Charm Demon suddenly used a technique against him. An intangible charm bypassed Li Jiao’s mental defences, causing ceaseless whispers to echo in his Soul, trying to break down his sense of self and reduce him to being a slave.
This was a signature move of Charm Demons. While they were physically weaker than average among Demons, their Souls were extremely powerful and were most suited to deception and manipulation.
A few Demon Great Generals charged fearlessly towards Zhu Lie, but were slain by him easily, their bodies exploding into blood mists that rained down from the sky.
In the next moment though, the blood raining down condensed together, as if it possessed spirituality, and formed into numerous blood serpents that flicked their tails and bared their fangs towards Zhu Lie.
Zhu Lie snorted coldly and spat out a searing Dragon Breath, incinerating the countless blood serpents. But before he could catch a break, a blood serpent suddenly leapt forth from the flames, much to Zhu Lie’s surprise.
At first glance, this blood serpent was indistinguishable from the others, but if one looked carefully, they would see its amazing and unique points.
It was too late to dodge it, so Zhu Lie could only use his Dragon Essence to block it.
A peal of eerie and pleased laughter arose from the snake as if its sinister ploy had succeeded.
Zhu Lie furrowed his brows with a foreboding feeling. It seemed that perhaps blocking the attack wasn’t the best move.
Just as the blood serpent was about to reach Zhu Lie, a pitch-black Moon Blade descended, brushed past Zhu Lie’s head, and directly cut the serpent in half. The blood serpent turned into ashes as if it had been incinerated, and at the same time, a miserable cry sounded from the distance.
A Blood Demon suddenly grabbed his head and collapsed onto the ground, his expression twisted as he writhed in pain.
“Who’s there?” Zhu Lie growled, but when he lifted his head, he saw a familiar figure in the sky.
Yang Kai grinned and greeted him warmly, “Hello, Little Brother-in-law!”
Zhu Lie furrowed his brows, his face puzzled, “What did you just say?”
He wasn’t sure he caught what Yang Kai just called him.
As soon as his words fell, Li Jiao, who had been fending off the enemies behind Zhu Lie, suddenly turned around and abruptly sent a palm towards him. Emperor Qi surged forth from the palm, along with the entire might of a Third-Order Emperor Realm Master.
Li Jiao’s eyes were now pitch black, and it was obviously not a move made of his own accord; however, even Zhu Lie couldn’t disregard such a blow.
A red light flashed as Zhu Qing mysteriously appeared between Zhu Lie and Li Jiao. Sending out a fist, she struck Li Jiao’s stomach.
There was the sound of bones breaking. Li Jiao let out a miserable scream and when his eyes regained clarity, it was clear he was at a loss as to what just happened. In an instant, he felt the sharp pain from his stomach and a tremendous force pressing down on his heart that practically threatened to silence it. A burst of Qi exploded behind him, tearing his clothes and sending him flying face-first, causing him to spit out a mouthful of blood mid-air.
Zhu Lie turned around and when he saw Zhu Qing, he was first overjoyed before his expression quickly cooled, “You’re still alive?”
“Is that any way to talk to your Elder Sister?” Zhu Qing glared at him.
“Hmph!” Zhu LIe snorted coldly. He wanted to say something else but he suddenly widened his eyes and gawked at Zhu Qing incredulously while stuttering, “You… You…”
“I what!?” Zhu Qing pursed her lips and blushed. She guessed the reason for Zhu Lie’s astonishment and quickly cut him off, “We can talk about it later.”
Yang Kai and Zhu Qing’s arrival surprised the Demons, and after seeing the fates of the Blood Demon and the Charm Demon who were attacking from the shadows, fear started to take root. Whether it was the Blood Demon, who was screaming in anguish, or the Charm Demon that made flowers pale in comparison, they were both Demon Kings.
Even though the two Demon Kings attacked stealthily, the newcomers deflected their attacks and even managed to retaliate and injure one of them, it was simply inconceivable.
While they were shocked, they suddenly heard the sound of a dog barking. Following after, a black puppy charged over, its four tiny legs blurring as it dashed towards a Demon General. It looked as if it was in heat and had seen a beautiful female dog inviting it, making for a funny scene.
That Demon General should be a Strength Demon. He was tall, burly, and held an axe in his hand. The blade of the axe was bright and sharp, exuding a dense black Qi, clearly identifying it as a Demon Artifact.
Seeing the black puppy charging towards him, the Demon General’s expression became ferocious. He shook his head, lifted his axe, and swung it down on the black puppy.
His movements were relaxed as he could feel that the black puppy wasn’t strong, and that he could easily kill such a beast.
The other Demons’ attention was all on Yang Kai and Zhu Qing right now, so other than the few Demons who glanced at the black puppy, no one else paid it any attention.
The axe swung down, but the small dog dodged it nimbly with shocking prowess, leaving the Demon General shocked and humiliated when his attack only hit air. Without giving him a chance to make another move though, the black puppy launched in his direction.
The puppy’s head, which originally wasn’t big, suddenly inflated to the size of a door panel and swallowed the Demon General in one bite.
Everyone was stunned.
The Demons all turned their heads towards the black puppy, staring so hard their eyes nearly popped out.
Zhu Qing and her brother were evidently shocked as well. Who could’ve imagined that this little puppy could be so powerful, able to swallow a Demon General in one gulp! Although that Demon General wasn’t particularly strong, he was still comparable to a human cultivator in the Origin King Realm. Furthermore, he was a Strength Demon, so even some Dao Source Realm cultivators may not have been his opponent.
Zhu Qing was especially surprised, as although she realized the black puppy was somewhat peculiar during her interaction with it, she never imagined it would possess such a powerful Divine Ability.
Only Yang Kai was unsurprised while he rubbed his chin as if in thought.
According to Gong Yue, the black puppy had the bloodline of the Abyssal Returner, one of the Demon Realm’s unique ancient beasts. The power of this bloodline was deeply hidden but was drawn out by Gong Yue using a Demon Race Secret Technique back at Azure Sun Temple. At that time, the black puppy became as strong as an entire army, allowing Gong Yue to use its Divine Ability to hold out against ten Emperor Realms Masters.
This puppy was even able to swallow a Second-Order Emperor like Feng Ming in one bite, so nothing needed to be said about a trivial Demon General.
However, the black puppy’s abilities weren’t stable due to its low strength, so other than swallowing Liao Guan Shi, it didn’t use this devouring Divine Ability again. When it fought Fu Yu in the Imperial Palace the other day, it didn’t swallow her despite fighting with her for quite a long time.
But now, the black puppy was acting as if it had been injected with chicken blood, shocking everyone.
Yang Kai estimated it was because it was consuming Demons; after all, the Abyssal Returner was a unique beast from the Demon Realm, so the aura of the Demons must’ve delighted it. Perhaps Demons were a delicacy to it.
As Yang Kai was pondering these thoughts, the Demon General captured in the black puppy’s mouth fought hard. Visible to the naked eyes, the black puppy’s large mouth would bugle from time to time, its large head disproportionate to its small body swaying about from the Demon General’s struggle.
Abruptly, it raised its head and made a swallowing motion.
In front of everyone’s eyes, a small bulge arrived at its throat then disappeared into its stomach.
As its door-sized mouth returned to its original size, its stomach showed no signs of change at all. It was a mystery where the Demon General had gone, along with the Demon General’s Demon Axe Artifact, which had also vanished.
There were sounds of sharp inhales and the Demons felt their blood run cold.
The black puppy merely licked its mouth with a hungry look. Its bright eyes looked at where the Demons were gathered, and every Demon its gaze fell on, regardless of their cultivation, erupted in goosebumps, their heart trembling in fear as if they had met their natural nemesis.
There was no need for any prompt, as the moment danger approached, the Demons all released their Secret Techniques. Pitch-black energy condensed into attacks one after another and launched intimidatingly at the black puppy.
Yang Kai’s expression changed, but he intended to observe first before acting.
The black puppy howled, not out of fear, but rather excitement. It jumped a metre into the air and opened its mouth again.
Its mouth became even larger than before, and inside its maw seemed to be a corridor that led to an unknown world, exuding a strong suction force.
The attacks directed at it were swallowed up without exception, and it was not the slightest bit affected. The black puppy became bolder, and under the attacks from the Demons, its mouth expanded until it was the size of a house before biting down.
The space where it chomped shattered, showing bits of the Void. The ten Demons standing within range of this bite also disappeared in an instant while the rest ran off in a flurry, quickly putting distance between themselves and the black puppy.
*Gudong*
The black puppy swallowed again, but it still wasn’t satisfied as it turned its gaze to the other Demons.
“World Destroying Beast… Abyssal Returner!?” A voice sounded from among the Demons, it was someone dressed in pure black, crying out in horror.
He realized the origins of the black puppy and his voice was full of terror.
This Demon was also a Demon King and the aura around him was considerably stronger than the rest, around the Second-Order Emperor Realm. Added to the fact that he was a Shadow Demon, if he harnessed the element of surprise, he could even assassinate a Third-Order Emperor Realm Master with ease.
He was the strongest among this group of Demons and he should also be its leader.
But even a powerful figure like him screamed after realizing the origins of the black puppy before he turned into smoke and escaped in nine different directions.
The Abyssal Returned was famously known in the Demon Realm as the World Destroying Beast. Although it was born in the Demon Realm, it could be considered a natural enemy to all Demons. It lived to devour anything that contained Demon Qi.
Rumour had it that in the original Demon Realm, there used to be an Abyssal Returner that wreaked havoc in all directions, even outmatching Demon Saints. In an age without a Great Demon God, the Abyssal Returner was practically the overlord of the Demon Realm. The Demons it devoured and the Demon cities it destroyed were beyond number.
The Abyssal Returner represented obliteration, it left ruins in its wake, so came its name ‘Abyssal Returner’.
Finally, a powerful Demon Saint led all the Demon Race Masters into a decisive battle against the Abyssal Returner. The battle lasted for a dozen years, and the Demon Race suffered innumerable casualties, nearly halving the entire population while simultaneously shattering the Demon Realm itself.
In the end, the Demon Race triumphed over the Abyssal Returner and obtained victory. The Demon Saint also had a breakthrough, and after becoming a Great Demon God, became the ruler of the Demon Realm. However, the war made much of the Demon Realm uninhabitable, leaving the Masters of the Demon Realm with no choice but to search for new land, for a more hospitable Great World.
Every Demon was familiar with this history, even the Demons of the Revolving World.
Therefore, when the black puppy showed its devouring ability, this Demon King immediately thought of the World Destroying Beast.
Although there was no way to confirm if it actually was an Abyssal Returner, this sense of crisis before death couldn’t be faked. Being devoured by the Abyssal Returner meant certain doom.
This Demon King was frightened out of his mind and even went so far as to use his life-saving Divine Ability to escape.
Out of the nine wisps of smoke, only one hid his true body, the other eight were merely diversions. With a Divine Ability of this calibre, even an enemy one Minor Realm above him wouldn’t necessarily be able to stop him.
Shadow Demons specialized in stealth and speed, and this was a perfect example.
However, the Shadow Demon Demon King had miscalculated this time. The scattered wisps of smoke had barely gotten a thousand metres away before they hit upon an invisible barrier. Eight of the wisps of smoke dispersed while one revealed the body of the Shadow Demon, his face ashen as he raised his head and looked at the human flying up in the sky.
Yang Kai smiled down at him as the Space Principles around him surged with him as their centre. The space within a thousand-metre radius of Yang Kai had transformed into a cage, one filled with a viscous feel that made it difficult to move about freely.
Zhu Qing and Zhu Lie both felt slight discomfort even though Yang Kai wasn’t deliberately targeting them; however, the strength of the two Dragon Clan members wasn’t weak, so they were much better off than the Demons.
Li Jiao groaned, seemingly having regained his consciousness, but his injuries were not light after Zhu Qing’s struck his stomach. He could only continue lying on the floor, using his Emperor Qi to recover while resisting the Demon Qi’s corrosion.
“Ah Wang, what are you waiting for?” Yang Kai said lightly.
The black puppy sprang forth towards the Blood Demon who had used his Secret Technique to attack Zhu Lie. Evidently, it seemed to think that this Demon was more delicious than the others.
The Blood Demon’s sneak attack failed as Yang Kai used his Moon Blade to intercept it, resulting in his Divine Sense being injured and his strength plummeting. Now, seeing the black puppy charging towards him, this Blood Demon’s expression sank as he turned and transformed into a bloody light that charged towards the black puppy.
He had naturally heard of the Abyssal Returner before, but even if this black puppy was a descendant of that calamity, it was still merely a puppy. As a Demon King, he had the confidence to contend against it.
The bloody light spread out in mid-air until it became bigger than a house, resembling a blood-coloured net that enveloped the black puppy.
The black puppy tilted its head, puzzled how that guy became even bigger than its mouth.
It struggled to widen its mouth, but it was unable to outgrow the blood-coloured net, making it angry and inhale sharply.
Out came an incredibly strong suction force and a shriek came from the blood-coloured net as it was sucked and folded like a pancake before disappearing into the black puppy’s mouth.
The dense bloody light was sucked into the humongous mouth. In a panic, the Blood Demon revealed his true body, but that only made it even more convenient for the black puppy to devour him. Its humongous mouth suddenly closed and bit into the Blood Demon’s lower half, and no matter how hard the other struggled, he couldn’t escape.
The Blood Demon’s face went pale as he cried for help, but which Demon present dared to rescue him? The aura of the black puppy wasn’t strong, but its unique air made them feel a chill run deep into their bones, and added with how the Shadow Demon had called it an Abyssal Returner just now, it made them even more frightened. At this moment, they only wished to be as far away from it as possible.
The Blood Demon was sucked in, little by little, completely unable to use any of his strength. It was like he had become a Demon who had never cultivated before, unable to even circulate his Demon Qi.
Looking at it, the scene was reminiscent of a python swallowing its prey. Snake species like pythons could swallow prey larger than themselves whole, so why couldn’t the black puppy?
Crimson flames blossomed and a searing force burst forth, it was Zhu Qing and Zhu Lie making their move.
They were both Red Dragons and cultivated Fire Attribute Source Strength. The temperature of the surrounding space rose sharply and the world seemed to have turned into a refining furnace, melting all the Demons nearby.
A dragon breath, fireballs, and fire blades covered the sky, with the Demons instantly beaten into a mess. Panic ensued, and the Demons were cut down like grass.
Although the Demons were large in number and they possessed a variety of strange and difficult to deal with abilities, even if Yang Kai and Zhu Qing hadn’t appeared, Zhu Lie would have still done fine against them by himself.
An Eighth-Order Red Dragon was an existence that surpassed a Third-Order Emperor Realm Master, which was more than enough to massacre these Demons.
From just one attack, the hundreds of Demons were reduced by half. None swept up by the hot flames had survived, all died without exception.
The Charm Demon screamed, the Shadow Demon paled, the Sand Demon tried to escape, but the surrounding space was sealed, making it impossible to use their Divine Abilities to flee.
Zhu Qing charged and her small fist connected with the Charm Demon dressed in a revealing outfit. An explosive force erupted, reducing the Charm Demon to a pulpy mess without a single bone intact.
The Charm Demon had been on her nerves for a while now. She kept throwing amorous glances about all the time. Just who was she making those to? What was there worth seeing about her?
After failing to flee, the Sand Demon had only just steadied himself when Zhu Lie’s fire blade in the sky swooped down and cut him into two.
The remaining Shadow Demon became the single pillar of the remaining Demons, making the situation bleak. He looked around, as an army of hundreds was nearly annihilated, and in such a muddle-headed manner, leaving him as the sole survivor. His blood went cold and his hands and feet trembled.
Two Dragon Clan members were so powerful without even revealing their true forms. If they fought using their Dragon Forms, even if he had an army ten times larger, it would still be swept away.
Zhu Lie charged towards the Shadow Demon while the latter reused his old tricks, executing his life saving Innate Divine Ability again, but he was hit with a burst of Dragon Pressure at the last moment, disorientating him and making it impossible for him to activate his skill. Zhu Lie crashed into him and smashed his head, sending red and white matter splattering in a gruesome display.
At this time, the black puppy finished swallowing the Blood Demon into its stomach with gusto. Still not satisfied, it looked around, but there wasn’t a single live Demon left to be seen as the entire army had been wiped out.
It snorted, ignoring the corpses, and turned to Yang Kai in the sky.
Yang Kai didn’t move this entire time. Other than making the spatial cage, he hadn’t killed a single Demon. That was because he knew he didn’t need to act.
He landed beside Li Jiao and lowered his head to look at him.
Li Jiao happened to open his eyes at this time, and when he saw Yang Kai, he made a smile that looked even uglier than crying, “Palace Master Yang… Help ah…”
Yang Kai raised a brow, “What does Brother Li mean? In my opinion, Brother Li is as mighty as a Dragon and as fierce as a Tiger. You are still very vigorous, there is no place for me to help.”
Li Jiao pushed on, “Palace Master Yang, you can’t just lie with your eyes wide open, this Li… This Li had been corroded by Demon Qi, can’t you tell?”
He landed in the Revolving World with Zhu Lie, but wasn’t as fortunate as Yang Kai. No one guided them to Human Imperial City, so he had been wandering in the outside world the entire time. When the World Principles shifted and Demon Qi filled the air; even Li Jiao, someone in the Third-Order Emperor Realm, was unable to resist, ultimately resulting in Demon Qi invading his body.
That Demon Qi was extremely hard to purge, like maggots on rotting bones, present no matter what. If that wasn’t the case, with his cultivation, it would’ve been impossible for him to fall under the Charm Demon’s control. His injury from Zhu Qing was a minor issue, at most, it was just a few broken bones and spitting a bit of blood, he would recover after recuperating for a while, but corrosion from Demon Qi could cost him his life and if it wasn’t handled properly, he could lose his mind.
Seeing Yang Kai now was like seeing a life-saving straw.
“I can tell, but I’m also helpless seeing your situation,” Yang Kai rubbed his chin.
Li Jiao nearly cried when he heard him, “Palace Master Yang, you must help, this Li only followed you for your sake! If Palace Master Yang didn’t insist, how would this have happened to this Li? In Fire Dragon Palace, I would be enjoying prestige and luxury, but now, this has happened to me. I have to say this, Palace Master Yang… You must take some responsibility here!” He gauged Yang Kai’s expression as he talked, afraid to offend the other.
Yang Kai did get offended and sternly rebuked, “Rice may be eaten at will, but words cannot be spoken arbitrarily. You came with me because of the conditions you negotiated in advance, you’re not without gains. Not to mention, I didn’t cause you to be corroded by Demon Qi, it was your insufficient strength and brittle will, why should I be responsible?”
Li Jiao cried without a mournful expression, “Palace Master Yang, are you just going to stand by and watch as this Li becomes corroded with Demon Qi, loses his consciousness, and degenerates into a Demon?”
“Hm, why wouldn’t I?” Yang Kai asked curiously, “Rest assured, if you succumb, this Young Master will personally take care of you and give you a quick death.”
Li Jiao scolded the other’s mother in his mind, so regretful he turned green. If he knew this was going to happen, he wouldn’t have followed Yang Kai to the Frozen Earth no matter what. Now that he was like this he was sure what the future would be like and was at a loss.
“Alright, alright,” Yang Kai suddenly chuckled. He patted the other’s shoulder and pulled him up.
Li Jiao was disorientated by the sudden change of attitude. He looked at him blankly and asked, “Palace Master Yang… Are you…”
Yang Kai replied, “Isn’t it just Demon Qi corrosion? Anyone else would’ve really become a Demon by now, but fortunately, Brother Li, your cultivation is high. Although you’ve been corroded, it’s not incurable.”
Li Jiao’s eyes lit when he heard this, he said hurriedly, “This Li knew Palace Master Yang wouldn’t be so heartless. Palace Master Yang, please tell me the way to save me!”
“The way to save you is right in front of you!” Yang Kai chuckled.
Li Jiao was perplexed.
Yang Kai nodded in a direction and whispered, “Go find Zhu Lie and ask him to give you some Dragon Blood. Dragon Blood carries high resistance to any kind of corruption and can certainly drive out the Demon Qi in you.”
Li Jiao was instantly frightened and his face paled as he waved his hands, “Palace Master Yang, please don’t joke around, how can something like Dragon Blood be so easily obtained? If Zhu Lie learned of my intentions, he might slap me to death! This Li is only a small fish, I wouldn’t dare to have any such thoughts.”
“It is precisely so that you have to do this. With your background, if you could ingest some Dragon Blood, tsk, tsk…”
“Gudong…” Li Jiao couldn’t help gulping.
Speaking of which, he was also considered to be a descendant of the Dragons. Although his Dragon Blood was weak and diluted, if he really ingested some pure Dragon Blood, it would increase his strength dramatically and elevate his bloodline by a grade. Yang Kai’s words sounded absurd at first, but they rang incessantly in his ears, bewitching him into action.
An excited gleam flashed through his eyes and the Demon Qi seemed to have become even thicker.
Yang Kai took in this scene and said nothing, only grinning meaningfully as he turned his head.
Meanwhile, Zhu Qing and Zhu Lie were having a discussion of their own. One acted like she had committed a grave crime, her eyes were evasive and unable to meet the other’s eyes. The other had a face full of shock and was scrutinizing his Elder Sister, like he was meeting her for the very first time.
Zhu Qing’s face was faintly red and her gaze became even more evasive.
“You…” After a long time, Zhu Lie finally spoke, “How did you reach the Ninth Order?”
From the time they reunited, Zhu Lie felt something was off. Zhu Qing’s bloodline seemed to be purer than his now. When she left Dragon Island, both siblings had been at the Eighth-Order. The bloodline of the Dragon Clan was extremely difficult to promote. Initially, it was influenced by their lineage, then by their own efforts and resources from Dragon Island. None of these conditions could be missed.
The siblings could be considered as two of the few powerhouses on Dragon Island, with their Eighth-Order strength already being considered amazing. Even the Great Elder was only a Tenth-Order Dragon.
The Great Elder once said the siblings were likely to remain stagnant in the Eighth-Order throughout their lifetime, and there was only a slight chance of them breaking through to the Ninth-Order. The Great Elder had lived for a long time and his judgements were almost always accurate.
And reality proved him correct. After the siblings reached the Eighth-Order, it became harder and harder for them to improve their bloodline in recent years. No matter how many Dragon Blood Flowers they consumed, no matter how long they spent in closed-door cultivation in the Dragon Palace, there was no significant progress.
Zhu Lie never thought he would see his Elder Sister becoming a Ninth-Order Dragon!
It was inconceivable, but Zhu Lie believed he wasn’t mistaken. Dragons were incredibly sensitive to each other’s bloodlines, so even if Zhu Qin wasn’t in her true form, the Ninth-Order aura she exuded was quite palpable.
Zhu Lie felt like there was a cat scratching his heart with its claws. He felt envious of his Elder Sister promotion, but also admired her. He wanted to know what the secret behind Zhu Qing’s sudden breakthrough was.
Zhu Qing didn’t answer, but her expression became even more bashful, causing Zhu Lie to ask again.
Zhu Qing finally said quietly, “The opportunity just came…”
“Impossible!” Zhu Lie refuted. He felt that Zhu Qing was being too stingy here, actually wanting to keep it a secret, only making him even more curious.
“Qing’er, you reached the Ninth-Order?” Yang Kai walked over and asked in surprise.
After asking this, Yang Kai suddenly recalled that at the Imperial Palace in Human Imperial City, Zhu Qing had shown her true form. It was a three-hundred-metre long Red Dragon. When Zhu Lie had shown his true form in Azure Sun Temple, he seemed smaller than Zhu Qin, only two hundred metres in length.
Similar to his situation, the purity of a Dragon’s bloodline would be determined from the size of its true form.
Like this, Zhu Qing’s bloodline was indeed a grade stronger than Zhu Lie’s. Zhu Lie saying she was in the Ninth-Order wasn’t without basis.
But Yang Kai found a point puzzling, “So what if she is a Ninth-Order now, isn’t that a good thing? Doesn’t the Dragon Clan pursue the purity of their bloodline? Qing’er, why is your face red?”
“Impossible, impossible, how is it possible?” Zhu Lie muttered, his brows furrowed deeply, unable to understand how Zhu Qing was promoted to Ninth-Order in this short period of time. He was indignant, and felt that the Heavens were unfair. Why couldn’t benefits like these fall on his lap instead?
He suddenly turned towards Yang Kai and said coldly, “What did you call her just now?”
His surprise over Zhu Qing’s bloodline promotion caused him to miss what Yang Kai called his Elder Sister at first, and it was only now that he felt something was amiss. How could such an intimate address be called out by a mere human? It was simply blasphemy, an insult to the Dragon Clan! What was worse was that Zhu Qing didn’t refute!
He suddenly realized something and his tone became even icier, laced with murderous intent, “What did you call me earlier?”
Yang Kai walked to Zhu Qing’s side, and under Zhu Lie’s incredulous gaze, put his hand on Zhu Qing’s shoulder, grinning as he commented, “You’re Qing’er’s younger brother, so naturally I would call you little Brother-in-law.”
Zhu Qing squirmed, but she didn’t pull off Yang Kai’s evil hand, simply allowing him to do as he pleased.
Zhu Lie’s pupils shrank. He wasn’t a fool, so he could tell that Zhu Qing didn’t reject Yang Kai’s intimate behaviour and even welcomed it. Added with how Yang Kai addressed the siblings, a daring thought popped into his head.
His face paled like it was covered in a layer of frost.
To the side, Li Jiao’s mouth was open wide enough to fit a melon into. He looked at Yang Kai with shock and admiration as he thought to himself, [He actually got together with a Dragon Girl!?]
Li Jiao wondered if he was dreaming. If it was true, wouldn’t Palace Master Yang be the son-in-law of Dragon Island? That was nothing short of an extraordinary feat.
He wanted to prostrate to Yang Kai in deep admiration. Moments before, there were still complaints in his heart, but they were nowhere to be found now. Compared to his matters, hooking up with a Dragon Girl was a heinous crime against Dragon Island. Since Yang Kai had the guts to do even this, what would he not dare to do?
“The both of you… Are you serious?” Zhu Lie’s eyes seemed to burn with flames as he looked at Zhu Qing then Yang Kai, asking in a heavy voice.
Feeling Zhu Lie’s murderous intent, Yang Kai furrowed his brows and said, displeased, “Do I look like I’m joking with you?”
“I must hear your answer!” Zhu Lie ignored him, his gaze fixing on Zhu Qing.
“Is this how you talk to your Elder Sister?” Yang Kai’s face sank as he said darkly, “Don’t think I won’t hit you just because you’re my little Brother-in-law. If you continue being discourteous to your seniors, don’t blame me if I beat you until even your Elder Sister won’t recognize you.”
Veins bulged on Zhu Lie’s neck as murderous intent spread out and he glared at Yang Kai and snarled, “I’d like nothing more!”
“I just said a few words and you’re already like this. Today I’ll give my little Brother-in-law a lesson on showing proper respect!” Yang Kai rolled up his sleeves and walked forward, but Zhu Qing grabbed him.
“What are you stopping me for?” Yang Kai said with an unhappy face, “Your brother has no manners, he should be taught properly. Don’t worry, I won’t kill him, I only plan to break a few bones so he drills into his head how to speak to you.”
Zhu Qing shook her head softly before turning to Zhu Lie, “You saw everything and heard everything, there is nothing more for me to say.”
Zhu Lie trembled and staggered back a few steps. Yang Kai’s words and actions were all hints, and he himself had already guessed it, but for Zhu Qing to confirm it herself, he still found it hard to accept.
A dignified member of the Dragon Clan, a Ninth-Order Red Dragon who stood above all living creatures, actually gave herself to a human!
This was a humiliation, a humiliation to Dragon Island! It was a humiliation to the entire Dragon Clan!
“Zhu Qing, you disappoint me,” Zhu Lie shook his head, his face and tone full of disappointment, “How could you be so foolish?”
Yang Kai snorted coldly, “You make it sound as if we did something wrong. Zhu Lie, this Brother-in-law is finding you more and more displeasing to the eye.”
“Likewise!” Zhu Lie glared coldly at Yang Kai, and as their eyes met, sparks seemed to fly in all directions. It looked like a fight could break out at any moment.
Zhu Qing gave a small smile, “I don’t think I’m foolish, on the contrary, I think this is the greatest happiness of my life.”
Hearing this, Yang Kai’s dissatisfaction towards Zhu Lie dissipated in a puff of rose-coloured smoke. He was filled with an indescribable sense of satisfaction as he laughed like a fool.
Zhu Lie said bitterly, “Women, no matter how strong they are, in the end, they’re all fools. You know what will happen if you do this, don’t you?”
Zhu Qing’s face paled slightly as she gently pursed her red lips and nodded.
“Then why did you do it!?” Zhu Lie roared hysterically, hating that iron couldn’t become steel.
Zhu Qing didn’t answer and just lowered her head to say, “If I was given a chance to choose again, I would still do so.”
“Madness, utter madness!” Zhu Lie shook his head. As he looked back and forth between Zhu Qing and Yang Kai, his expression grew complex.
After a while, he finally said quietly, “You rose to become a Ninth-Order Red Dragon because of him, right? So that’s how it is, I thought it was an opportunity for you, but unexpectedly… heh.”
Zhu Qing blushed, silently confirming Zhu Lie’s guess.
Yang Kai looked over at Zhu Qing strangely and asked, “What does your breakthrough to the Ninth-Order have to do with me?” He didn’t even know when Zhu Qing had been promoted to the Ninth-Order.
“Stop asking,” Zhu Qing’s face was bashful.
Looking at her appearance, Yang Kai suddenly recalled the crazy days in the Sealed World Bead. At that time, he vaguely noticed a change in Zhu Qing’s aura but he didn’t think too deeply about it. In retrospect, her bloodline had probably made a breakthrough at that time.
Then…
Yang Kai quietly asked via sound Divine Sense, “Qing’er, is it because of my Yang Qi… That…”
Zhu Qing pinched his arm, annoyed, “What Yang Qi?”
Yang Kai laughed dryly, winking at her as he continued speaking through Divine Sense, “You know, it’s that…”
Zhu Qing nodded, “You possess the Ancestral Dragon Source, and with that bloodline… The nourishment of its essence is a great help to Dragons like me.”
She never had such an explicit conversation with a man before, so her face couldn’t help but heat up.
“You really broke through to the Ninth-Order because of me?” Yang Kai wouldn’t stop asking.
“En,” Zhu Qing’s face became even hotter.
“Doesn’t that mean if the two of us work harder in the future…” The gears in Yang Kai’s head turned and came to a conclusion, “Your bloodline could be promoted to an even higher degree?”
“Don’t talk about it anymore…” Zhu Qing bit her red lips; she was really too embarrassed to continue this conversation with Yang Kai.
“I understand, I understand now!” Yang Kai chuckled.
Zhi Lie watched them from the side with cold eyes. Seeing them flirt like this made him look like a fool and he hated that he couldn’t just gouge his eyes out. Zhu Qing’s thoughts were incomprehensible to him. How could she do something so stupid?
Sneering, he said, “Be happy while it lasts, you’ll both come to regret it sooner or later.”
“I just discovered you really are unpleasant,” Yang Kai glanced coldly at Zhu Lie, “If you weren’t my little Brother-in-law, I would have taught you a lesson by now.”
Zhu Lie gritted his teeth, “You think I like being your Brother-in-law? Don’t think too highly of yourself!”
Yang Kai grew angry, “If I don’t teach you a lesson today, I won’t be surnamed Yang! Qing’er, step aside.”
Saying this, he pushed Zhu Qing to the side and with a low murmur, used the Dragon Transformation Secret Technique.
His body expanded rapidly and turned into a giant behemoth as he smashed a giant fist down on Zhu Lie.
Affected by the bloodline suppression, Zhu Lie was unable to use more than forty percent of his cultivation. He was secretly alarmed, the last time he fought Yang Kai, the other hadn’t been nearly this tall or suppressive. This time though, the Ancestral Dragon Source seemed to be giving off even more power, making it impossible for Zhu Lie to fight back.
With a crash, Zhu Lie was sent flying and light flashed wildly on his body.
Yang Kai chased after him, and before Zhu Lie could regain his footing, a thunderous attack came aiming at his face, followed by the sound of things breaking. Zhu Lie was beaten like a sandbag.
“Stop!” Zhu Qing stomped her foot anxiously. One was her man while the other was her younger brother, why couldn’t they get along? They acted like enemies that moment they met, and she was stuck in the middle of a difficult situation.
“No need to worry, I’m only educating him, he won’t die!” Yang Kai replied from afar, but his actions were truly quite ruthless. Regardless, an Eighth-Order Red Dragon was extremely tough and durable, so a little harshness wasn’t going to matter.
The situation was extremely one-sided, and Li Jiao was frightened stiff as he watched. However, his admiration for Yang Kai increased a lot as well.
Forget about getting together with a Dragon Girl, this High Heaven Palace Master actually pummeled his little Brother-in-law Dragon like this. From the past to the present, Palace Master Yang was surely the first to accomplish this. Though, even if Palace Master Yang caused disastrous trouble, he wouldn’t have any self-awareness at all.
“Don’t hide behind the bloodline suppression, do you dare to face me in a real battle of strength?!” Zhu Lie clenched his fists and roared. Although his injuries weren’t heavy, he had lost all face. He was filled with fury but had nowhere to vent it other than with his words.
“You said the same thing last time, don’t you remember how that ended? What a stupid brat!” Yang Kai snorted and continued raining down kicks and punches on him.
In the time it took to boil a cup of tea, Zhu Lie’s face became swollen and bruised. Lying on the floor, his clothes were in disarray, and he was panting heavily, like a girl who had been ravaged by a hundred and eighty strong men.
His eyes swelled and became nearly imperceptible slits while his handsome face was even worse off, looking practically deformed.
“The next time you dare to be disrespectful to Qing’er and me, the consequences will be worse,” Yang Kai looked down at him condescendingly.
Zhu Lie turned his head, ignoring him as he thought, [As long as the forest remains, there would be no lack of firewood, isn’t that the saying among humans? A wise man knows better than to fight when the odds are against him. I’ll show him one day…]
Yang Kai released the Dragon Transformation Secret Art and returned to his Human Form.
“Yang… Palace Master Yang!” Li Jiao timidly called from the side, “Help.”
Yang Kai looked over and suddenly wanted to laugh.
The black puppy had run over to Li Jiao at some point and was sniffing him curiously. Occasionally, it would even stick out its tongue to lick Li Jiao.
Li Jiao, being corroded by Demon Qi, now exuded a similar smell to the Demons, thus attracting the black puppy’s interest.
The scene where it swallowed the Blood Demon was still vivid in his mind, so Li Jiao was naturally afraid of it. Not to mention, since it was a pet beast brought by Yang Kai, he didn’t dare to act rashly towards it, and could only ask Yang Kai for help.
“Ah Wang, that’s not food!” Yang Kai called out.
The black puppy looked at Li Jiao reluctantly but still walked away obediently and jumped into Zhu Qing’s arms.
“What a perverted guy!” Yang Kai looked at it contemptuously. Before, the black puppy was only close to him, but ever since meeting Zhu Qing, it wouldn’t leave her side.
Zhu Qing said, “What are you saying, she’s a girl!”
Yang Kai was dumbfounded, “Really?”
Come to think of it, he never paid attention to the gender of the black puppy. He walked over and lifted the black puppy’s tail for a look, but Zhu Qing slapped his hand away.
“I’m just taking a look… What’s the big deal?” Yang Kai mumbled but didn’t continue to press the matter. Instead, he looked over at Li Jiao and Zhu Lie, saying, “Since we’ve found them, let’s head towards Yin Wind Mountain.”
Li Jiao asked, “What kind of place is Yin Wind Mountain?”
Yang Kai replied, “If you want to leave here, that place is the only exit.”
Li Jiao instantly became lively and he stood up energetically, “Then, what are we waiting for? Let’s go!”
His cultivation wasn’t the lowest present, after all, there was Yang Kai; however, based solely on combat ability, he was undoubtedly the weakest present, not to mention he was being corroded by Demon Qi and was feeling extremely unwell. He couldn’t wait to leave this damned place as soon as possible.
“Then, let’s head off,” saying this, Yang Kai summoned his Flowing Clouds Shuttle.
Zhu Qing held the black puppy and walked inside. Li Jiao followed in with a smile.
Yang Kai turned his head, “Do you want to get on as well?”
“Hmph!” Zhu Lie snorted coldly, his face full of contempt. Naturally, there would be no good feelings towards the person who had just thrashed him, not to mention he still had pride as a Dragon.
“Don’t then!” Yang Kai spat in disdain and didn’t ask anymore, in any case, he had already extended an invitation so he couldn’t be blamed if the other party didn’t want to enter. Since Zhu Lie didn’t view him as a brother-in-law, why did he have to kiss up to him?
Entering the shuttle, Yang Kai confirmed his destination, then used his Emperor Qi to guide the Flowing Clouds Shuttle towards the Yin Wind Mountain.
The Emperor Artifact was extremely fast, turning into a stream of light as it disappeared in a flash.
Li Jiao was self-aware and found a corner to sit down to meditate in a cross-legged position, utilizing his Emperor Qi to resist the corrosion of the Demon Qi. At the same time, the restlessness in his heart grew. The speaker said it casually but the listener paid heed. When Yang Kai suggested he ask Zhu Lie for Dragon Blood to suppress and expel the Demon Qi inside his body, although it sounded unrealistic, he still took it seriously.
The more he thought about it, the better the idea seemed. Dragon Blood could definitely purge the Demon Qi troubling him, not to mention for a half-dragon like himself, Dragon Blood had another use. It could purify his bloodline.
His cultivation had reached a bottleneck with no hope of improvement in this life, so if he wanted to increase his strength, he could only improve his bloodline.
Back then, he risked his life to bring back a Dragon Blood Flower from the Frozen Earth, nourished it painstakingly with his own Blood Qi and Blood Essence for three hundred years before it matured, but Yang Kai ended up benefiting from it instead. Every time he thought of this, his heart ached. The one who officially took it from him though was Zhu Qing, a member of the Dragon Clan, making it so he didn’t even dare to resist or take revenge.
However, the Dragon Blood Flower’s effects were pitiful compared to a Pure Dragon’s blood.
If he could get a drop, it would be more effective than one hundred Dragon Blood Flowers.
The more he thought about it, the harder it was for him to hold back. In a fight, he would lose for sure, maybe he should just ask Zhu Qing? Who knows, she might give him a drop.
As his thoughts were running wild, the Demon Qi in his body fluctuated and the black puppy looked up from Zhu Qing’s arms to stare at Li Jiao with a burning gaze.
To the side, Yang Kai smiled lightly and said comfortingly, “Don’t worry, he’ll be able to catch up to us.”
Zhu Qing sighed, “Don’t bully him like that in the future. Dragons are like that, he didn’t mean anything by it.”
Yang Kai smiled and said, “But your temper seems different.”
Although Zhu Qing had an aloof and prideful demeanour when they first met, as if no one in the world could enter her eyes, it changed later on.
“It is only towards you… Who knew that when we first met…” Zhu Qing glared at him, “I should’ve known you weren’t a good thing even back then.”
“But you still stayed by my side,” Yang Kai added sweetly.
Zhu Qing beat her hand on his chest, turning her head away shyly.
Yang Kai glanced at Li Jiao and scolded angrily.
[I shouldn’t have let this guy up with us.]
……
The Revolving World wasn’t big, so with the speed of the Flowing Cloud Shuttle, Yang Kai and the others arrived at Yin Wind Mountain within a day.
In a remote land, an ancient castle was situated hundreds of kilometres from a tall mountain peak. The castle’s design was crude and sinister-looking, like an ominous beast, constantly hovering and waiting to devour its prey.
There were various buildings scattered in no particular order around the periphery of the castle, forming a unique city there.
Demon Fury City!
The gathering place of Demons in the Revolving World.
Demon Fury City covered a much wider area than Human Imperial City; after all, Demon Fury City didn’t need to be protected by a barrier to resist the changes in the World Principles. Unlike the Human Race, no matter how the World Principles of the Revolving World changed, none of the Demons would be affected, and during this period where it was inclined towards the Demon Realm, they were like fish in water.
Currently, the Demon Qi was dense and it also carried a hint of coldness that could almost be called Cold Demon Qi.
This couldn’t be helped though as Demon Fury City was located near the foot of Yin Wind Mountain and Yin Winds blown down from the mountain had the characteristic of being bone-piercingly cold, attracting Demons to live here.
The Demon Race obviously chose this spot to build Demon Fury City for the sake of a better cultivation environment. The closer you were to Yin Wind Mountain, the stronger the Demon Qi would be, and the more suitable it was for the Demons to enhance their strength. Hundreds of thousands of years of research had allowed them to reduce the impact of the cold while incorporating the maximum amount of Demon Qi to enhance their strength.
When the Flowing Clouds Shuttle arrived in the sky, the Masters of Demon Fury City naturally took notice of it and leapt into the sky.
In the blink of an eye, a dense crowd had formed above Demon Fury City. There were at least a thousand people gathered and among them were a number of Demon Kings.
The Flowing Clouds Shuttle stopped outside the city and Yang Kai slowly walked out.
Countless eyes gathered on him and powerful Divine Senses swept over him, warping the surrounding space to a degree.
Yang Kai was calm and relaxed, with a smile on his face.
“Impudent Human, actually daring to trespass into my Demon Fury City, preposterous!”
“Who are you, state your name!”
“Kill him, kill!”
“Let me do it, I’ll suck his Yang Qi dry!”
The Demon Kings hollered. No Human ever dared to come into Demon Fury City in such a bold manner, it was simply against common sense. Many of the Demon Kings felt that the majesty of the Demon Race was in question so they wouldn’t let this matter go.
Dark Demon Qi soared into the sky, covering it, forming a large black cloud that slowly advanced towards Yang Kai.
Yai Kai chuckled and said loudly, “This Young Master is heading to Yin Wind Mountain, passing by here was just on the way and he has no intention to cause conflicts with everyone. If it is possible, this Young Master asks for your understanding.”
“Hahaha, what did this brat say? Heading to Yin Wind Mountain? Is he courting death?”
“It’s said that Humans don’t know the immensity of Heaven and Earth. It seems to be true. He wants to go to Yin Wind Mountain with his pitiful strength? This King is going to die of laughter.”
“Little Brother, why rush to die? Even I can’t easily approach Yin Wind Mountain as a Demon King. If you go there, I’m afraid you’ll die a cold, lonely death. Why not stay here and accompany this Elder Sister instead? Elder Sister is so lonely.”
Yang Kai cupped his fists and said, “Many thanks for Elder Sister’s concern, but I must go to Yin Wind Mountain, so I can only thank Elder Sister for your kindness. If it is possible, could Elder Sister speak with the other Demon Kings so they would let us pass?”
The Charm Demon smiled elegantly with a pure expression that unconsciously aroused goodwill in others. Hearing Yang Kai’s words, she asked innocently, “Little Brother, why are you headed towards Yin Wind Mountain?”
“It’s rumoured that atop Yin Wind Mountain there is a way to leave this world, so I’m going to find it.”
The Charm Demon nodded, “There is indeed such a rumour, but no one can confirm its authenticity.”
“It’s alright, I’m just trying my luck. If I can’t find a way out, I’ll come back to accompany Elder Sister. This Little Brother is well-equipped and skilled, I’m sure Elder Sister won’t be disappointed.”
The Charm Demon covered her mouth and tittered, “My, what is Little Brother saying? How shameless. Alright, seeing how sincere you are, Elder Sister will help you, but whether or not they let you go is not something I can control.”
Saying this, the Charm Demon actually turned around and made the request on Yang Kai’ behalf, but the Demon Kings she asked all shook their heads. They looked at Yang Kai as if he was dead meat, their expressions full of ridicule and mockery.
The Charm Demon turned back and looked at Yang Kai regretfully, “Little Brother, it’s not that Elder Sister is unwilling to help you, but they’re not willing to let you pass at all. What are you going to do?”
Yang Kai grinned and said, “Regardless, I still have to thank Elder Sister. Please step aside first for now.”
“What are you planning to do?” The Charm Demon was taken aback.
Yang Kai said frankly, “If they’re not willing to retreat, then I can only use force. Elder Sister, your skin and body are delicate and soft, you should stand farther away to avoid being accidentally injured later.”
The Charm Demon was confounded and felt that Yang Kai’s words were ridiculous. For a boy no better than a Low-Rank Demon King, he sure talked big, was he tired of living? But seeing his serious expression, she asked again, “You mean… you want to force your way through?”
“Indeed!” Yang Kai nodded. If they wanted to fight, he’d humour them.
Raising his hand, the unadorned Mountains and Rivers Bell was summoned and an ancient and desolate aura burst forth from it. On the bell were magnificent patterns that gleamed with fascinating light while an oppressive force descended from the sky like an invisible hammer.
Feeling this suppressive force, the Demon Masters hovering in the sky paled. It felt as if there was a lofty mountain suddenly placed over their heads. Their insides churned, and they couldn’t breathe as they fell to the ground involuntarily.
Some of the weaker Demon Great Generals spurted blood as they flailed about to stabilize themselves. Be that as it may, they failed to hold their ground and plummeted from the sky one after another.
Even the Demon Kings with powerful cultivation found their movements impeded. Left with no choice, they used their respective Secret Techniques to free themselves of the suppression.
But suddenly, the Mountains and Rivers Bell grew bigger and fell straight from the sky. The enormous bell overshadowed quite a few Demon Kings, swallowing them like the mouth of a giant beast, inducing their panic-stricken shouts.
*Hong…*
The Mountains and Rivers Bell fell to the ground, quaking the entire Demon Fury City, causing many old and unsecured buildings to collapse.
Everyone and everything sunk into silence. All the Demon Race members’ eyes were filled with shock, gawking in the enormous bell’s direction. At this moment, several Demon Kings with fairly good cultivations were suppressed under the bell and one of them was ranked among the top ten Masters of Demon Fury City.
But even such a powerful Demon King failed to react before this fearsome attack. And now, who knows whether he was dead or alive.
Very soon, the answer was revealed to everyone.
Yang Kai made a few hand seals as the Mountains and Rivers Bell slowly grew smaller and smaller before flying back to his hand, leaving several mutilated corpses on the ground, each one flattened like a biscuit as if they had been smashed down with a hammer.
Everyone gasped in shock at the sight of this. Many Demon Race Masters had their faces go pale while the Demon Kings who had ridiculed Yang Kai just now could no longer utter a word. Their hearts had been gripped with fear and all of them unconsciously took a step back, trying to distance themselves from Yang Kai.
Just a casual attack caused such devastation here, so who could stand against this Human in Demon Fury City? Even the strongest Demon Kings couldn’t achieve such a feat with a single blow. If anyone really provoked this person, perhaps the entire Demon Fury City would be destroyed!
*Gudong…*
The now pale Charm Demon made a nervously gulp and stuttered, “Little Brother, you’re really too bad, pretending to be a pig to eat the tiger and scare all of us. Elder Sister was almost scared to death,” She somehow squeezed a smile out, but it looked uglier than if she were crying. Her voice was shaky and it was obvious how frightened she was right now.
Although she was also a Demon King, her strength was at the lower end among the Masters of Demon Fury City. If such an attack was launched at her, she would have definitely had a miserable end.
It wasn’t until this moment she finally realized that this harmless looking Human with an amiable smile actually wielded such destructive power.
Yang Kai, holding the Mountains and Rivers Bell, shook his head in denial, “Elder Sister, you’re mistaken.”
“How so?” The Charm Demon asked while grumbling in her heart. All she knew was that a wrong word from her now might bring about her doom. Her figure involuntarily trembled when she took a glance at the little bell in horror.
Yang Kai replied with a serious look on his face, “I never said that I’m not a tiger, so how can I be pretending?”
“En, en, you’re right,” the Charm Demon nonchalantly replied, “They had eyes but failed to see. They were dogs looking down on others. They deserved to die.”
Yang Kai smiled and continued, “Elder Sister, it has been a pleasure talking to you, I can’t help but want to continue our lovely conversation, but what can I do, I still have pressing matters to attend to.”
“Hehe…” The Charm Demon’s face turned stiff and promptly stepped aside, “Since Little Brother has such important matters awaiting him, he should quickly go and not delay.”
“Good!” Yang Kai nodded in agreement, “Then this Young Master will take his leave first. No one is going to stop me now, right?”
The Charm Demon denied, shaking her head, “Naturally; no one here is blind.”
Many Demon Kings’ faces turned grim but none dared to say anything. They were afraid that if their tongue slipped and they somehow ended up provoking this Human again, a few more would have to part with their lives.
“That’s good,” Yang Kai winked at the Charm Demon, “Elder Sister doesn’t need to be sad or worried, it’s not like this Young Master will never come back. When I do, perhaps we can share a romantic evening together. At that time, Elder Sister will come to know the charm of this Little Brother.”
[Where am I sad or worried?] The Charm Demon cursed in her heart but she didn’t dare to show it.
The crowd of Demon Kings’ faces turned incomparably ugly. They were terrified by Yang Kai’s words and wanted nothing more than for him to quickly scram and hopefully die on Yin Wind Mountain. Many wished they could go up and push him along so he would move faster.
Fortunately, Yang Kai didn’t continue with this little game, otherwise, the Demon Kings would have been driven mad. Swiftly, he boarded the Flowing Clouds Shuttle, which then soared through the air before flying straight towards Yin Wind Mountain.
The Charm Demon finally heaved a sigh of relief and only now did she realize that her entire back was drenched in sweat as a cold breeze hit her, sending her shivering.
Noticing the pairs of eyes gazing at her, the Charm Demon grit her teeth and shouted, “What’re you looking at? I didn’t kill them.”
“You shouldn’t have told him so much,” a Demon King with a majestic aura coldly snorted. Demon Fury City had never suffered such an insult before. A mere Human had broken into the city and wantonly slaughtered a few Demon Kings, yet none could stop him.
The Demons all felt ashamed and needed a scapegoat to blame.
The Charm Demon was the only one among them who spoke to Yang Kai directly, so she was obviously the best choice here.
“Are you blaming me?” The Charm Demon lashed out in a sharp voice, feeling quite wronged.
“If you haven’t chatted with him, why would Demon Fury City face this undeserved catastrophe?”
The Charm Demon dumbfoundedly gawked at the speaking Demon King as she truly hadn’t expected to be accused with such a flippant reason.
“Hm? Someone else is approaching!” That Demon King turned his head and saw a handsome red-haired young man meandering over. This young man however had a gloomy look and tight frown on his face, clearly annoyed about something.
He flew straight into Demon Fury City without a care in the world, completely disregarding all the Demon Race Masters as if he was taking a stroll in his own backyard.
The Demon Kings blew their tops.
Demon Fury City had stood in the Revolving World for over ten thousand years, but when had it ever been despised like this? Forget about that Human who, although had low cultivation, possessed a treasure which was completely overpowered, just who the Hell did this red-haired Human think he was?
After looking around and exchanging eye signals with each other, many Demon Race Masters immediately flew up into the air, blocking the red-haired young man’s way.
Zhu Lie stopped and coldly glared towards the front, the anger in his heart on the very edge of erupting.
Zhu Qing and Yang Kai’s relationship had left him extremely irritated, but what was done could not be undone, leaving him with a problem without a solution. He was left with nowhere to vent his anger, and now someone presented themselves on a silver plate.
He took a deep breath and indifferently asked, trying his very best to calm himself down, “Which one of you is the strongest?”
This question was rather baffling but many Demons subconsciously glanced toward a certain direction. Before everyone’s eyes, a Demon King with a robust waist and soaring Demon Qi stepped forward and replied in a thunderous voice, “This King is Hao Fei, who are you?”
It was the very same guy who was reprimanding the Charm Demon before. He was acknowledged by all the Demon Kings here as the strongest and was just a step away from breaking the shackles of the world to reach the Demon Saint Realm.
He was confident that he would break through within a century, and as long as he could become a Demon Saint, he could attack Human Imperial City and finally break the unchanging pattern of the Revolving World, enslaving all Humans and turning this place into a paradise for the Demon Race once and for all.
He had such ambitions and also had the potential to achieve them.
When Yang Kai had just used the Mountains and Rivers Bell to launch that terrifying attack, he reckoned that he couldn’t take the blow after weighing his chances a little, so he swallowed his pride and arrogance, but at this moment, he couldn’t remain hiding in his shell like a turtle.
The Demon Race was belligerent by nature and respected strength above all else. If he hadn’t answered, he would have been looked down upon by his clansmen, and most importantly, it would be detrimental to his own cultivation.
He secretly made up his mind to humiliate this red-haired young man and let him know the strength of Demon Fury City’s strongest Master.
He disdainfully stared ahead, his eyes indifferent, seemingly not putting anyone in them.
In response, Zhu Lie lightly threw out one word, “Die!”
Just as he said this, his figure left a fiery trail as he shot straight towards the Demon King named Hao Fei like a meteor.
Hao Fei’s expression changed as the moment Zhu Lie made his move, he instinctively sensed his opponent’s strength and hurriedly pushed his Demon Qi to resist.
*Roar~*
A deafening dragon roar suddenly rang out, causing everyone’s ears to ache.
This dragon roar seemed to contain a very peculiar power that caused any who heard it to momentarily freeze.
Hao Fei was shocked and hurriedly tried to protect his mind while shaking off this crisis.
But at this moment, his vision was suddenly filled with fiery red, as if the entire world was burning. The next instant, an enormous dragon head appeared out of nowhere, shrouding the entire world, its enormous eye gazing down at him arrogantly, causing Hao Fei’s entire figure to turn stiff as his hands and feet went cold.
In a flash, Hao Fei’s figure jolted before he completely froze in place as a sound of something shattering inside his body sounded.
Zhu Lie, on the other hand, was found standing behind Hao Fei. He slowly exhaled, feeling much better.
He let out a cold snort before chasing straight ahead, ignoring the dumbfounded Demon Race members.
No one stopped him; no one dared to stop him.
It was a long time after Zhu Lie left that the Demons finally and softly called out for Hao Fei, but they never got any response. Hao Fei remained frozen in the air as if a petrification technique had been used on him. There was no change in his facial and eye expression either, as if he was just a sculpture, an extremely detailed and vivid one.
“Senior? Senior Hao Fei!” The Charm Demon boldly stepped forward and touched Hao Fei.
Much to everyone’s surprise, Hao Fei’s figure exploded into a cloud of blood mist with a loud bang, leaving not even a single piece of bone behind.
Immediately, screams and gasps rang out as every Demon Race member gazed at the blood mist with trembling eyes. They almost felt that they were dreaming.
The strongest Master of Demon Fury City, the famous Senior Hao Fei, was actually dead!
Killed by a red-haired young man, who had popped out from who knows where, in a head-on confrontation.
If they had not seen it with their own eyes, perhaps no Demon would have believed it, but the facts were laid out before them, so they had no choice but to believe.
Compared to the sight of Demon Kings dying under the treasure of the previous Human, the sight of Hao Fei being killed in an instant was even more shocking.
After the shock though came the doubts.
Who was that red-haired young man? Who was that Human? Why hadn’t they heard of such fearsome Masters in Human Imperial City? If those two were from Human Imperial City, the Demon Race would have no place in the Revolving World. All of them would have already been massacred!
Demon Fury City had gone through a lot; first, several Demon Kings lost their lives, and now, the strongest Master of Demon Fury City also died. The entire Demon Fury City was covered in gloom and each member of the Demon Race was on tenterhooks. All of them were afraid that these two catastrophes would suddenly return. In that case, no one in Demon Fury City would be able to stop them.
“They won’t live long,” some Demon King shouted. “They went to that damned place, Yin Wind Mountain. They won’t come back, so there is nothing to worry about.”
As soon as this was brought up, many Demons were shocked to their senses. They finally remembered that Yang Kai had mentioned that he was looking for a way out of this world on Yin Wind Mountain.
Apparently, it finally clicked for them. The Demon Race members finally weren’t scared; however, Demon Fury City had suffered a heavy loss this time. Even though not many clansmen had died, the ones who had were basically all Demon Kings, and one of them was the strongest Master of the city, while another of the strongest ten had also fallen. If this news ever reached Human Imperial City, the Human Race would not sit still.
For a while, many Demon Race members were overwhelmed with worries.
A thousand metres up Yin Wind Mountain, Yang Kai and others finally stopped with solemn expressions on their faces.
Before this, they were flying in the Flowing Clouds Shuttle all the way, but after ascending just one thousand metres, they were unable to move forward. They had no choice but to get out of the Flowing Clouds Shuttle and face the Yin Wind blowing from the top of the mountain.
Yang Kai took the lead and Zhu Qing was in the middle, holding the black puppy in her arms, Li Jiao brought up the rear.
After travelling a thousand metres more, Yang Kai actually felt that he could no longer advance a single step.
Yin Wind Mountain lived up to its name. The ancient books in Human Imperial City only described a fraction of how terrifying this place was. Yang Kai had tried to overestimate the dangers of Yin Wind Mountains as much as possible, but he had never expected that he had still underestimated them.
There were no other obstacles on Yin Wind Mountain, only the uninterrupted biting-cold Demon Qi blowing from the top of the mountain. This frigid Demon Qi was not only the biting chill that could extinguish every bit of vitality found only in the Frozen Earth, but also the fearsome Demon Qi of the Demon Realm blended together. Surprisingly, the two complemented each other, multiplying their power.
Even with his robust cultivation and strong physique, Yang Kai was finding it harder to resist the ravages of the Cold Demon Qi. He was expending his Emperor Qi like the water discharged from a sluice gate and already felt somewhat exhausted after advancing a thousand metres.
Yang Kai looked up, but he saw nothing but a dense fog, so who knows where the top of the mountain was.
“Let me!” Zhu Qing proposed.
Yang Kai nodded in agreement and no longer forced himself, quickly retreating behind Zhu Qing and letting her take the lead. Meanwhile, he took the opportunity to stuff some pills into his mouth to recover. In such an environment, the person leading their way would always have to bear the most pressure, because most of the oncoming Cold Demon Qi would be resisted by the leader while those following behind would have to pay a lesser price to keep up.
Li Jiao, who was at the rear, was completely pale and was giving Yang Kai a fawning smile and flattering look.
He was undoubtedly the weakest when it came to resisting the Cold Demon Qi. Even though Yang Kai’s cultivation wasn’t as good as his, Yang Kai was blessed with a strong Dragon Clan bloodline and also had pure Ancient Demon Qi sealed inside his body, giving him a natural advantage against the Cold Demon Qi. The same was true for Zhu Qing. Even if her Ninth-Order Red Dragon strength was excluded, the Dragon Clan had inherent resistance against various corrosive energies, which was directly proportional to their bloodline.
Therefore, if Li Jiao wanted to leave this world through Yin Wind Mountain, he had to rely on Yang Kai and Zhu Qing. He was afraid that he would be left behind now and felt uneasy deep in his heart.
Yang Kai didn’t bother to pay attention to him though and simply circulated his Secret Art to refine the medicinal efficacies of the Spirit Pills he took while silently observing the changes of the Cold Demon Qi for untimely and unexpected accidents.
“Hm…” Zhu Qing suddenly exclaimed as if she had discovered something extremely surprising.
Yang Kai anxiously asked, “What is it?”
“Ah Wang, she…”
Yang Kai hurriedly took a closer look and immediately he too looked surprised. He saw that the black puppy in Zhu Qing’s arm actually had his mouth wide open, facing the oncoming Demon Qi. It was devouring a large amount of Cold Demon Qi into its abdomen, making it easier for everyone.
It seemed to have sensed Yang Kai and Zhu Qing’s gaze. Surprisingly, she shook her head and proudly barked before opening its mouth wider. Immediately, the oncoming Cold Demon Qi grew even weaker. Zhu Qing, who was walking at the front, almost couldn’t feel the interference of the Demon Qi and suddenly, everyone’s speed increased.
“This beast is really amazing!” Li Jiao hurriedly started licking boots with a flattering look on his face, “I wonder where Palace Master Yang found this Divine Beast. It’s really a blessing.”
Yang Kai suddenly looked back, glancing at him, “I guess Brother Li has a lot of energy. Since you have the energy to talk, you might as well take the lead later.”
“Of course, of course.” Li Jiao obsequiously agreed, but he couldn’t wait to slap his mouth.
The mystical performance of the black puppy allowed the trio to speed up. In just the short time it took to burn a stick of incense, they had traversed more than a thousand more metres, and it wasn’t taxing at all.
The black puppy had a special taste for Demon Qi and the Demon Race, so while the Cold Demon Qi on Yin Wind Mountain was a little different, it was fundamentally similar, so the black puppy enjoyed it nonetheless.
If this continued, they might really reach the top without any difficulty.
After a thousand metres, Zhu Qing, who had been silently observing the situation of the black puppy, suddenly said, “Yang Kai, I think Ah Wang can’t continue anymore.”
Yang Kai looked at the black puppy and noticed that something was indeed wrong with Ah Wang. It didn’t appear to be having it easy like before. On the contrary, it appeared to be having a very difficult time. Its big mouth was slowly growing smaller and smaller and it would return to its original state at any moment. Also, a layer of visible frost had actually appeared on its pitch-black body as it curled up in Zhu Qing’s arm, shivering.
Any part of Zhu Qing’s body that came in contact with it also got covered in frost, and although the layer of frost was thin, it was exuding an unimaginable cold aura that seemed to freeze all existence.
Suddenly, the black puppy had reached its limit and its big mouth instantly returned to its original state.
With nothing to obstruct it now, the overwhelming Cold Demon Qi swept over everyone from top to bottom.
Zhu Qing immediately screamed the moment she came in contact with it and unleashed the might of her Dragon Source, summoning an enormous Red Dragon’s illusory phantom to wrap around Yang Kai and her.
*Kacha…*
Shockingly, the Red Dragon’s illusory phantom lasted only for a few moments before fissures began to appear on it, like cracks on a mirror on the verge of shattering.
“Not good, quickly retreat!” Yang Kai’s pupils constricted as he shouted. At the same time, he grabbed Zhu Qing by her waist and promptly kicked the ground, hurriedly falling back.
Li Jiao’s reaction was incomparably prompt as well. Seeing Yang Kai being so panic-stricken, he immediately knew that they were in mortal danger, and knowing he couldn’t resist the Cold Demon Qi, he hurriedly turned tail and ran.
Descending the mountain was much easier than going up. The three toiled very hard to traverse just a few thousand metres, but they retreated the same distance in the blink of an eye.
Going down, they ran into Zhu Lie, who was steadfastly climbing up the mountain, indomitably resisting the Cold Demon Qi. When they passed him by, they left him dumbfounded.
In a flash, they were at the bottom of Yin Wind Mountain.
The trio looked up with fear still lingering on their faces. Regardless of who it was, a layer of Cold Qi could be found on their body. This Cold Qi was as persistent as maggots on rotting bones, impossible to remove easily. The coldness seeping into their bodies made it harder for them to circulate their energy, causing them to turn stiff.
The black puppy’s situation was especially precarious. It was curled up in Zhu Qing’s arms, motionless. Its entire body was frozen inside a block of ice and no matter how much Zhu Qing called it, it gave no response, as if it was already dead.
“Don’t worry about it. It has a very tenacious life. It won’t die that easily,” Yang Kai comforted Zhu Qing, but he too wasn’t confident.
However, last time, when the black puppy was attacked by ten Emperor Realm Masters, it was on the verge of death as well, but in the end, it made it through. This time, although the situation didn’t look optimistic, it was at least better than last time.
Zhu Qing nodded before silently sitting down cross-legged, tightly hugging the black puppy in her arms, not letting go. At the same time, she circulated her Dragon Essence to eliminate the Cold Demon Qi in her body while also warming up the black puppy, hoping for a miracle.
Li Jiao did the same. Shivering, he sat down cross-legged and circulated his Secret Art.
The invasion of the Cold Qi just now almost made him see the doors of Hell. Even now, he was still terrified when he recalled it.
At this moment, Zhu Lie returned as well. He glanced at the trio and slightly furrowed his brow at their condition before silently standing at the side.
He still couldn’t fathom how Yang Kai and the others could climb farther than him. The cold winds blowing on Yin Wind Mountain were simply not on the same level as what they faced in the Frozen Earth; the two were worlds apart.
To be honest, the cold on Yin Wind Mountain really lived up to the prestige of the Frozen Earth Forbidden Zone.
Even he, an Eighth-Order Dragon, had quickly reached his limit. If he went any further, he reckoned that he would have suffered the same fate as his companions.
Yang Kai glanced at him and forced a smile before he shiveringly sat down cross-legged to adjust his breathing.
With Zhu Lie standing guard, he didn’t need to worry about anything. Although he had some differences with his little brother-in-law, in the end, as a member of the Dragon Clan, this silly brat still could be trusted somewhat.
It took Yang Kai a full two hours to get rid of the Cold Qi that had invaded his meridians and body. When he finally opened his eyes, he saw Zhu Lie standing still to one side. Although Zhu Qing was safe and sound, she was helping the little black dog get rid of the cold, so who knows how long it would take.
Sensing Yang Kai’s gaze, Zhu Qing looked up and assured, “It’s alright, it just needs time.”
Yang Kai lightly nodded; he wasn’t surprised.
Since the little black dog had awoken its Abyssal Returner Bloodline, his vitality had become extremely tenacious. Earlier their team was able to climb so far up Yin Wind Mountain all thanks to it. At that altitude, even Yang Kai and Zhu Qing couldn’t do any better.
So, as soon as Yang Kai noticed that it couldn’t hold on, he immediately pulled back with Zhu Qing.
Strictly speaking, the little black dog was not very strong as it had been emanating the aura of a Fifth or Sixth-Order Monster Beast from beginning to end. Monster Beasts of this Order could be found just about everywhere in the Star Boundary.
But it wasn’t any ordinary Fifth or Sixth-Order Monster Beast that could deal with ten Emperors alone, swallow a Demon King alive, or swallow the Yin Wind that was even giving Yang Kai and Zhu Qing a hard time, taking Yang Kai and the others much farther up Yin Wind Mountain.
The distinction between Order and strength seemed completely meaningless to the little black dog. It could be strong or weak. When it was weak, it looked completely harmless and innocent, but when it was strong, it could make a thousand men flee from it.
If the Zhu Qing sister and brother duo couldn’t withstand the Yin Winds, Yang Kai likely couldn’t either.
Then again, if it was so easy to leave the Revolving World, some from Human Imperial City would have left long ago.
For the time being, they could only start with Ah Wang.
Yang Kai turned his head, glancing in the direction of Demon Fury City, frowning for a moment to ponder before speaking, “Qing’er, I’m heading back.”
Before Zhu Qing could say anything, his figure rose into the air before flying away.
After a short while, Yang Kai suddenly felt that someone was approaching him from behind. He looked back and saw Zhu Lie quickly chasing after him with a solemn look on his face.
Yang Kai narrowed his eyes before slowing down, and when Zhu Lie finally caught up, he let out a snort and stated, “You actually want to kill me? You’ve got guts, I have to hand it to you.”
Of course, Yang Kai wasn’t just speaking randomly. Although Zhu Lie had a serious look on his face, devoid of any murderous intent whatsoever, when Yang Kai was meditating before, healing his wounds, he had noticed killing intent rising in Zhu Lie’s heart.
The killing intent was very well hidden, but there were only Zhu Qing and Li Jiao there besides Zhu Lie.
Zhu Qing was his Elder Sister, so it was naturally impossible for him to hold murderous intent toward her, and if it was towards Li Jiao, Zhu Lie would have already killed him. He had no qualms about it at all.
What did it matter if an honourable Dragon Clan member killed a human? If he wanted to kill, Zhu Lie would kill. Who could punish him anyway?
So, at that moment, there was only one person who could bring out the murderous intent in Zhu Lie’s heart but not have him act on it. Yang Kai knew it for sure. Before, Zhu Lie didn’t want to reveal it before Zhu Qing, but now, there was naturally no need to hide it.
An enemy hiding in the dark was the most difficult to deal with. When the tricks and conspiracies were out in the open, such enemies were far easier to handle.
“Since you know it, there is no point hiding it,” Zhu Lie frankly admitted. After all, when one’s cultivation had reached their realm, some things couldn’t remain hidden once they were revealed. He then continued, maintaining a stoic face, “Yes, I want to kill you. If possible, I would have already killed you.”
Yang Kai’s face turned cold, but he didn’t stop. He rather flew side by side with Zhu Lie, maintaining a delicate distance between the two, and demanded in a cold voice, “You better give me an explanation, otherwise even if you are Zhu Qing’s brother, I won’t forgive you.”
If it was before, he wouldn’t have cared about Zhu Lie’s murderous intentions toward him; after all, the two were total strangers before, but things were different now. With his relationship with Zhu Qing, the two had some connections no matter how much they vehemently denied it. If Zhu Lie was doing this for no reason, Yang Kai wouldn’t tolerate it.
A small fight with Zhu Lie was nothing, but if it was a true life and death battle, it would be devastating for Zhu Qing. Yang Kai didn’t want to see that kind of situation, so he needed to get to the bottom of this quickly.
Zhu Lie grit his teeth and replied, “I want to kill you because I am her brother.”
“What kind of dumb logic is that?” Yang Kai stared at him.
“You don’t understand. The reason I came here was just to tell you that if we can leave this world, it would be best for you to stay away from Zhu Qing and never reveal your relationship with her. Of course… if we can’t leave this palace, then treat it as if you didn’t hear anything.”
He had a completely serious look on his face, like if Yang Kai didn’t agree, he would fight it out with him.
Yang Kai was immediately angered and cursed, “Damned brat, it’s not your place to meddle in this. If Zhu Qing has anything to say, she will naturally tell me.”
Zhu Lie lashed out, “It’s because Zhu Qing can’t speak that I have to on her behalf!”
Yang Kai swept his eyes over him and asked, narrowing his eyes, “In what capacity are you speaking, are you speaking as a member of Dragon Island’s Dragon Clan, or as Zhu Qing’s brother?”
Zhu Lie quickly said, “Does it matter?”
“Yes, it does!” Yang Kai pursed his lips into a smile as he replied, tightening his fists, “If it’s former, I’ll beat you up, and if it’s latter, I’ll still beat you up.”
Zhu Lie angrily shouted, “Are you messing with me?”
Yang Kai coldly looked at him, “There are differences in beatings. A light punishment and beating to death aren’t the same. Which one do you prefer?”
Zhu Lie earnestly shook his head, “I don’t want to argue with you. I only have one request, if and when we get out of this world, you should part ways with Zhu Qing. That would be best for you and for her.”
For a Dragon, speaking the word ‘request’ was already their limit. How could the arrogant Dragon Clan, who were famous for their pride, lower themselves to request anything of anyone? Had Zhu Lie not been Yang Kai’s opponent, Zhu Lie would have already ended all troubles by force, why bother speaking so much nonsense?
Yang Kai slowly heaved a sigh and continued, “I can tell that you are concerned about Zhu Qing, but your concerns are misplaced. I’m sorry, I can’t agree to your request, let alone consider it. Zhu Qing is my woman, she is mine today, will remain mine tomorrow, and will remain mine forever, unless I die someday. Understand?”
Zhu Lie stated with a stoic face, “If Zhu Qing came to hear your sweet words, she would definitely be very happy.”
Yang Kai shrugged his shoulders, “I’m only speaking my mind.”
“Unfortunately, you will be the end of Zhu Qing, and yourself.”
Yang Kai, treading the thin air and riding the wind, spoke with a smile, “Do you want to tell me that I am a Human, and Zhu Qing is a member of Dragon Clan, so the Dragon Clan will never allow her to be with me? If word of our relationship got out, it would only cause great trouble, that’s what you want to say, right?”
“You do understand!” Zhu Lie slightly furrowed his brow.
“I have been calling you stupid, but you just don’t want to admit it,” Yang Kai sneered, “How backwards Dragon Island is, I can infer a little from your stupidity. It would be stranger if Dragon Island allowed Zhu Qing to be with me. If the news about Zhu Qing staying with me is really sent back to Dragon Island, I’m afraid Dragon Island will send many more of your Dragons to attack me. Perhaps Dragon Island would forcibly take Zhu Qing back to punish her, imprisoning her for the remainder of her life.”
“Zhu Qing told you?” Zhu Lie was completely dumbfounded because Yang Kai had said exactly what he was expecting.
A high and mighty Ninth-Order Red Dragon actually willingly gave herself to a lowly Human; once this news was sent back to Dragon Island, it would definitely cause an uproar. Dragon Island would definitely send Masters to deal with Yang Kai and forcefully take Zhu Qing back. As to whether she would be imprisoned for life, it would depend on Zhu Qing’s performance in the future.
Yang Kai grinned as he pointed to his head, “Anyone can guess such a simple thing after giving it a little bit of thought. Your Dragon Island has such a long heritage, and the older one’s heritage is, the more pedantic they are; with higher reputation comes higher self-esteem. So, how can you agree to your clansmen willingly giving herself to a Human? Isn’t that a disgrace to your Dragon Clan? It’s an even worse insult than shitting on your head.”
“It’s the truth,” Zhu Lie repeatedly nodded, “Since you know this, why are you still being stubborn?”
“You know that I can kill you at will, but do you know why you are still alive?” Yang Kai looked at him with naked contempt.
Zhu Lie was stunned, feeling that there was some truth to this, but there seemed to be something wrong about it too.
Yang Kai continued after a snort, “I don’t have many merits, but I do like to cover my friends’ and family’s shortcomings. Zhu Qing is already my woman, so if Dragon Island really tries to bully her, don’t blame me for not showing any affection to my in-laws. So, don’t do similar things in the future. Besides, you and I are both close to her, any conflict between us will be difficult for her. I don’t think you want to see that, alright?”
Zhu Lie frowned but nodded his agreement, only to then shake his head. He had no idea whether to agree or not.
Yang Kai added, “Then again, only Li Jiao and you are aware of the matter between Zhu Qing and me. If you don’t report it to Dragon Island, how will Dragon Island know about it?”
Zhu Lie solemnly stated, “How can I not report a matter of this much importance?”
“People who like to report everything are most annoying!” Yang Kai coldly snorted.
“You can say anything you want, but those are my principles. Zhu Qing and you have broken Dragon Island’s laws. If I know it and don’t report it, the matter will only get worse.”
“You really can’t hide it?” Yang Kai narrowed his eyes.
Zhu Lie firmly shook his head in refusal.
“I will remember this,” Yang Kai coldly harrumphed.
“You don’t understand,” Zhu Lie sighed. “Although Dragon Island has a huge reputation and a long inheritance, the population of my Dragon Clan is very small in any era, and a Great Dragon with a pure bloodline is even more precious. In order to ensure the continuation of the Dragon Clan’s bloodline inheritance, Dragon Island has its own rules, and anyone who violates those rules must pay a heavy price.”
Yang Kai smiled lightly and leisurely replied, remaining noncommittal, “Although Dragon Island’s inheritance seems eternal, it will not last forever. As the waves of time crash upon the shore, all things are worn away, not even Dragon Island is an exception.”
Zhu Lie snorted and rebuffed, “The waves crashing against the rock would only get destroyed, nothing other than that would happen.”
Yang Kai countered, raising his head, “Then it will depend whether the rock called Dragon Island is hard enough to break my bones to pieces.”
Zhu Lie looked at him in astonishment, as if he wanted to see a joking look on his face, but to his disappointment, Yang Kai didn’t appear to be speaking in jest; although there was no serious look on his face, there was no humour behind it either.
Zhu Lie slowly shook his head and rebuffed with a complex look on his face, “You’re really crazy.”
Yang Kai broke into laughter, “Thanks for the compliment.”
Zhu Lie didn’t want to haggle with him anymore, because Yang Kai’s attitude had made everything clear; he would never give up Zhu Qing, nor would he succumb to Dragon Island’s rules.
That being the case, there was no point in wasting words on him so he turned his head and asked, “What are you doing here?”
While talking, the two had unknowingly arrived at Demon Fury City. It had only been half a day since the last time the two had passed through here, and the aftermath of their havoc hadn’t even been cleaned up yet. The corpses of Demon Kings were still lying where they were before, and a thick stench of blood was lingering in the air.
Seeing the two scourges actually return, and returning together, with aggressive bearings like they were preparing to go all out, the Demon Race members of Demon Fury City turned completely pale. Their hearts were like dead ashes and they felt as if doom had come for them.
But even so, no Demon abandoned the city to escape. The Demon Race had been based here for hundreds of thousands of years, confronting Human Imperial City from a distance. The two races had never stopped fighting, so if they submitted to cowardice now, would they still be called the Demon Race?
One after another, Demon Race Masters walked out of the city, gradually gathering towards Yang Kai and Zhu Lie’s location. Even though their cultivations were mixed, their numbers were great.
The Demon Kings had also gathered at one place, gazing with a serious look on their faces towards the two Humans flying over from Yin Wind Mountain’s direction as their fighting spirits slowly rose.
Yang Kai and Zhu Lie stopped a thousand metres away from the Demon Kings, and although they were only two, it seemed as if an army of thousands of soldiers and horses was marching over. On the contrary, the Demon Race had completely fallen into a disadvantage in momentum.
“What are you doing here?” Zhu Lie furrowed his brow, “Could it be that you want to slaughter the entire city?”
Humans and Demons could not coexist. Even in this little Revolving World, the grievances between the two clans had lasted for hundreds of thousands of years, so it wouldn’t be surprising if Yang Kai really came to create a massacre.
“Slaughter the city? Fighting and killing like that is boring,” Yang Kai disdainfully spat before he swept a glance over the Demon Kings with a frown. Finally, his eyes landed on one particular figure hiding behind the crowd and he flashed a harmless, innocent smile as he called out, “Beautiful Elder Sister, can you come out and have a chat?”
All the Demon Kings turned their heads, looking in the direction of Yang Kai’s gaze.
A graceful figure was hiding behind the crowd as if she didn’t dare to show her face.
Obviously, she was very discreet, but she had still been picked out from the crowd by Yang Kai. Her heart was bogged down with sorrow as she kept raining down silent curses on Yang Kai while viciously glaring at him. She hated herself for teasing Yang Kai before out of boredom, as now she couldn’t get rid of this scourge. She had no idea what fate was waiting for her.
In front of everyone’s eyes, the Charm Demon couldn’t hide anymore, so all she could do was walk out of the crowd with a reluctant smile. She knew everything, but deliberately asked, “Sir… are you talking to me? You aren’t, right? Hehehe…”
With no one acting in concert with her, she embarrassedly laughed and immediately stopped, wearing a pitiful and submissive look.
“En, I’m talking to you,” Yang Kai nodded to her with a warm smile.
She knew that was the case, but when Yang Kai confirmed it, her face involuntarily turned pale nonetheless. She replied in a trembling voice, “Sir, please forgive this slave for having eyes but failing to see. Fortunately, Sir is magnanimous and would not lower yourself to the same level as such a lowly one. This slave will not commit the same mistake again. Sir, please spare me!”
She yielded right away while the faces of the other Demon Kings immediately turned ugly. Everyone felt that this bitch had lost the Demon Race’s face. She made the despicable Human look down upon them and they couldn’t wait to rip her mouth out.
But they could only think such things in their heads. Although the Demon Kings despised this Charm Demon’s attitude, they also knew that there should be no conflicts among them at the moment. If they really made their moves now, these two bastards would wash the entire Demon Fury City with blood.
“Don’t be so nervous, we won’t eat you,” Yang Kai chuckled at the Charm Demon. “This Young Master just came over to ask some questions. Is there someplace we can talk?”
Hearing this, the Charm Demon didn’t know whether she should believe him or not, but even if she didn’t believe him, what could she do? The opposite party had a bigger fist, so whatever he said was the truth.
“Yes, there is. Sir, what do you think about there?” The Charm Demon proposed, pointing to a nearby location.
Yang Kai looked over and saw an open square with stone tables and chairs at its edges. There were many statues erected in the square, all of them were quite tall and muscular, with frightening faces. Those statues should have been sculpted by a Master, as each one was vivid and lifelike, just like a real person.
The statues were of males and females, and all different races. Even though Yang Kai knew much of the Demon Race, he couldn’t identify all the races of these statues.
“It will do!” Yang Kai nodded and flew towards the square first.
Zhu Lie furrowed his brow; he had no idea what Yang Kai wanted to do here, so all he could do was follow his lead for now.
The Charm Demon’s feet seemed to be rooted on the ground; she appeared to be in a difficult spot. She really lacked the courage to meet with Yang Kai face-to-face, but if she didn’t go, she might offend this plague.
She turned to look at the other Demon Kings, as if she was looking for their support.
The moment she glanced at them, some Demon Kings looked away, others looked up, some whispered to their companions as if they were discussing important matters, while some infuriatingly even pretended to be counting their hairs! All of them had extremely serious looks on their faces though as they avoided her eyes!
The Charm Demon felt isolated and helpless.
“All you Demon Kings come too, I’ll kill whoever refuses!”
Yang Kai’s voice came from afar. It wasn’t loud, but the countenances of many Demon Kings immediately turned ugly.
Meanwhile, the Charm Demon suddenly smiled happily. She couldn’t help but want to laugh out loud, but seeing the livid looks on her fellow clansmen’s faces, she held back.
Letting out a soft snort, she chased after Yang Kai, swaying her hips lightly.
With her taking the lead, the other Demon Kings followed one after another. Naturally, some prideful and unyielding Demon Kings stood in place, not wanting to follow Yang Kai’s order, but they were dragged over by their companions soon enough.
They didn’t want to give these two fearsome fellows any reason to act out.
In the square, Yang Kai and Zhu Lie, taking their respective seats, gazed at the statues before Yang Kai looked back and asked, “Who are they?”
The Charm Demon was first to arrive, and after coming within ten metres of him, she started shaking. Her mouth went parched and tongue scorched, feeling insecure. In her heart, just when she was wondering what Yang Kai wanted to ask and how she should answer him so as not to arouse his anger, she finally felt at ease when she heard his question. She hurriedly replied, “These are the statues of all the Demon Kings ever born in Demon Fury City.”
Yang Kai raised his brow and asked, “Demon Fury City has been standing for hundreds of thousands of years, but there have only been this many Demon Kings?”
There were many statues in the square, but at most there were two thousand in total. Demon Fury City couldn’t have only given birth to these few Demon Kings.
The Charm Demon hurriedly corrected, “Of course not! The only ones whose statues can remain here are the top Demon Kings.” After having said this, she added, “The top Demon King is the strongest Master of Demon Fury City.”
“So that’s how it is,” Yang Kai gently nodded before asking with interest, “I wonder if among the few Demon Kings who just died, was there a top Demon King or not?”
The corner of Charm Demon’s mouth twitched as she wondered what Yang Kai’s intentions were, but she still gently nodded.
“Who did it?” Yang Kai was a little surprised, thinking that the top Demon King’s luck was too bad.
The Charm Demon cautiously glanced at Zhu Lie and said, forcing a smile, “I would also like to thank Sir for giving our top Demon King the chance to leave his name in advance… After all, according to the rules, one can only leave a statue here after his or her death.”
Zhu Lie coldly snorted, “This Dragon wasn’t aiming at anyone in particular, it’s just that you Demon Kings are weak as chickens!”
The Demon Kings of Demon Fury City happened to have just arrived so their chests immediately heaved up and down in anger, hearing Zhu Lie’s words. Their breathing became ragged, but they dared not voice their discontent, settling for grimacing in anger.
The Charm Demon was rendered speechless too. Although she deliberately wanted to please Yang Kai and Zhu Lie, she wasn’t stupid enough to agree to this in front of so many Demon Kings.
[But speaking of, this red-haired man is really scary. It’s not that the top Demon King was weak. In fact, anyone who could reach the realm of Demon King isn’t weak while the one who rises to seize the title of top Demon King is the strongest Master among all living Demon Kings.]
[Even so, he was killed by this red-haired man in a flash.]
The Charm Demon wanted to know the origins of this red-haired young man and what his cultivation was.
“What about the statue in the middle? It’s like a crane amongst the chickens. And why can’t I see its face clearly?” Yang Kai looked at the centre of the square.
There stood an enormous statue. In contrast, the other statues were simply like grandchildren before their grandfather. It was at least ten times bigger than the other, but what Yang Kai found strange was that the other statues were vivid and lifelike, but only this statue’s face was completely flat, uncarved in any way.
The Charm Demon immediately replied with a solemn face and in a solemn voice, “That is the statue of my Demon Realm’s Great Demon God! Because no one has seen the Great Demon God in person though…”
“Great Demon God!” Yang Kai narrowed his eyes as he suddenly recalled his experience in the Thousand Illusions Dreamworld. Inside the Two Worlds Passage, just one remote attack by Great Demon God had almost extinguished his Soul. That moment was completely terrifying and even now Yang Kai could recall it vividly.
Zhu Lie rebuffed with a look of contempt, “What a load of crap! How come this Dragon has never heard of it? I may not know about his abilities but how dare he confer himself as a God? How shameless of him!”
The moment these comments left his mouth, he had poked a hornet’s nest. All the Demon Kings angrily glared at Zhu Lie; obviously, they had been extremely furious at his blatant disrespect of Great Demon God.
Even the Charm Demon, who had been acting sheepishly and cautiously, turned serious and stated, grinding her teeth, “Sir, please choose your words carefully!”
Zhu Lie glanced at her and indifferently stated, “This Dragon has always spoken his mind, why would I need to choose my words!?”
His indifferent gaze immediately brought the Charm Demon to her senses and her face turned incomparably pale. She was at a loss; she regretted her impulsiveness and lightly bit her lips, not daring to speak another word.
Another Demon King stepped up at that time and stated in a heavy voice, “Your Excellency’s cultivation is high and you have fearsome methods in your arsenal. We are indeed not your opponent, but if Your Excellency deliberately humiliates us, then we will fight. We are not afraid of dying. Great Demon God is inviolable.”
Just as he proclaimed this, all the Demon Kings stepped forward in unison. Each and every one of them had a cold look on their faces, giving the impression that they were prepared to battle Zhu Lie at a moment’s notice.
The Charm Demon hesitated for a moment before she too took a step forward despite turning even paler.
“Oh?” Zhu Lie’s mouth curled into a cold smile, “Do you think that you trash can fight against this Dragon?”
Slight traces of murderous intent slowly started to leak from Zhu Lie as his Dragon Essence surged. He might need to sweat a little to kill all these Demon Kings, but he could definitely do it. Not just anyone could take on the anger of an Eighth-Order Red Dragon. Even a Third-Order Emperor Realm Master might have a hard time dealing with a furious Great Dragon.
The fate of the best Demon King of Demon Fury City was a prime example.
Zhu Lie didn’t place any importance on these Demon Kings; he didn’t need to talk to them on an equal footing. As far as he was concerned, Demon Fury City was just a slightly bigger ant hill, one he could walk past if he was in a good mood, or kicked away if he was in a bad one. And now, when these ants actually started defying him on their own, only blood and death could calm his fury.
His murderous intent swept around like a tide, creating a tense atmosphere; everyone was ready to confront each other.
“The Great Demon God… is truly strong!” Yang Kai stated in a light but reverberating voice.
Zhu Lie looked at him, furrowing his brow. He was wondering why Yang Kai suddenly said this. Speaking of which, although he looked at Yang Kai with undisguised displeasure, he also felt that he couldn’t beat Yang Kai because of the bloodline suppression. He had no choice but to admit that Yang Kai indeed had some ability.
With just a First-Order Emperor Realm cultivation, he could display strength no worse than a Third-Order Emperor Realm Master. Not many people in the entire Star Boundary possessed such a robust foundation.
So, Zhu Lie still paid a little attention to his words.
Many Demon Kings were also taken aback and their gazes and expressions when looking at Yang Kai grew softer. Everyone thought that this Human was a hundred times more pleasing to the eyes than the red-haired young man.
Yang Kai smiled at Zhu Lie, “There are many powerful heroes in this vast universe. Although the Divine Spirits stood at the apex of this myriad worlds, there is always something or someone that exists beyond your imagination. And all we can do is strive to catch up; catch up to them, surpass them, and become the ones they must strive to catch up to someday.”
Zhu Lie was startled and snarled, “Are you teaching me?”
Although he admitted that Yang Kai’s words were reasonable, the arrogance rooted in his bones made it impossible for him to agree with him. In the eyes of the Dragon Clan, they were the strongest, standing high above everyone and everything. All creatures could only look up to them, so the way Yang Kai spoke as if that was untrue displeased him even more so.
“Boy, you are quite arrogant!” Yang Kai chuckled before turning his gaze away from the furious Zhu Lie and to the Charm Demon, “I called you over for just one thing.”
“I wonder what Sir wants to know?” The Charm Demon asked in a seductive voice.
Just now, Yang Kai’s act of rectifying the Great Demon God’s name had made a good impression on her. She was no longer as fearful as before, and the same was true for the other Demon Kings.
“Tell me about the Abyssal Returner,” Yang Kai indifferently asked.
“What!?”
“Abyssal… Returner!”
“The Beast of Destruction!”
“How did you come to know about the Abyssal Returner?”
The faces of the Demon Kings changed as they broke into an uproar as if they had heard something terrifying. Yang Kai immediately let out a cold snort, which instantly shut them up. Nevertheless, they kept exchanging glances with each other, seemingly shocked in their hearts.
The Charm Demon nervously gulped and asked, “Sir, I wonder why are you asking about this?”
“What do you mean why? I’m raising an Abyssal Returner, so I wanted to know about it. Isn’t the Abyssal Returner an Exotic Beast of the Demon Realm? Naturally, I would come to you to inquire about it.”
“R-R-Raising an A-A-Abyssal Returner?” The Charm Demon’s face lost all its colour as she somehow forced a smile and continued, “Sir, you must be joking, right? How could you be raising that Exotic Beast?”
A shadow of a smile slowly seemed to have appeared on the faces of some of the Demon Kings. Obviously, they didn’t believe Yang Kai one bit. They felt that he was just shamelessly boasting; after all, it was too unbelievable. How could an Abyssal Returner that was born to destroy the world be raised by a Human? If that was really the case, he would have long been devoured by it. How could he be standing here, chatting casually?
“You think I’m joking?” Yang Kai looked at the Charm Demon with a serious look on his face.
The Charm Demon withdrew her smile and slowly shook her head.
“Then don’t ask such naive questions.”
The Charm Demon gave a light cough as she secretly thought in her heart, [This guy must have mistaken some strange Monster Beast for an Abyssal Returner.] But seeing the serious look on his face, she didn’t dare to raise such a point. Instead, all she could do was go along with him and reply, “Sir, what do you want to ask?”
“Tell me whatever you know!” Yang Kai rested his one hand on the stone table while pointing at the Demon Kings with another before speaking to the Charm Demon, “Starting from you, everyone will tell me one thing about the Abyssal Returner, and if anyone doesn’t give me something or his answer dissatisfies me, there will be consequences.”
The Charm Demon jumped back in fright, “Sir, what are the consequences?”
Yang Kai replied, “I haven’t thought about them but it would certainly not be good.” A slightly cold smile emerged on his lips as a sliver of murderous intent timely reared its head before receding, terrifying the Demon Kings. They knew that Yang Kai was being serious. He indeed wanted to know about the Abyssal Returner.
They really couldn’t fathom why though as although the Abyssal Returner had quite the notoriety, it had long been destroyed. Furthermore, the Abyssal Returner was an Exotic Beast of the Demon Realm, so why was a Human trying to learn about it? None of them dared to ask any question though and turned their gazes to the Charm Demon.
The Charm Demon felt a bitter taste in her mouth, but she had no choice but to go along Yang Kai’s whims. So, she thought for a while before replying, “The Abyssal Returner is also known as Beast of Destruction. It is a legendary creature in our Demon Realm, and not in a good way. The reason why it has such a title is because it represents destruction itself. Wherever it goes, nothing but an empty abyss and destruction remains.”
After speaking, she vigilantly looked at Yang Kai, who lightly furrowed his brow. Although he was a little dissatisfied with such general information, he didn’t care about it too much and just waved his hand, indicating a pass.
The Charm Demon breathed a sigh of relief before turning her head towards another Demon King.
Obviously, this Demon King had already thought about it and immediately started speaking, “Legend has it that the Abyssal Returner was born from the primordial chaos itself. Although it has a body of flesh and blood, it has no source or root. No one knows how it was truly born, but it seemed to have existed since the Demon Realm was formed.”
Yang Kai gently nodded.
The speaking Demon King took the hint and looked to another Demon King.
The third Demon King added, “I only know that there seems to be a strange space inside the Abyssal Returner that can swallow and contain anything and everything.”
“Because the Abyssal Returner was an Exotic Beast of the Demon Realm, it was particularly attracted to Demon Qi. It seems to grow stronger by devouring Demon Qi.”
“Yes, rumour has it that the Abyssal Returner wasn’t very strong when it was born. Although it showed peculiar abilities, our Demon Race didn’t pay that much importance to it until it slowly matured, whereupon it finally attracted the attention of the Masters of the Demon Realm. But unfortunately, it was too late by then.”
“Back then, the Abyssal Returner ran rampant. It devoured countless Demons and razed countless cities to the ground. Even Demon Saints were swallowed by it. Finally, my Demon Race stood united to resist it and finally killed it after paying a very heavy price.”
“The Abyssal Returner was so tenacious that it is said it did not actually die and instead retreated into the chaos after faking its death, waiting for the day it would stage a comeback.”
“…”
One after another, pieces of information about the Abyssal Returner left the mouths of the Demon Kings. Although they had been trapped in the Revolving World for hundreds of thousands of years, some of the information about the Demon Realm was still passed down from generation to generation. As for the Abyssal Returner, it was known as the Beast of Destruction and was a legend unto itself, so even if most of the facts had been distorted by time and rumours, they were all extremely good pieces of information.
Some Demon Kings knew nothing about the Abyssal Returner, or the things they knew had already been spoken by others, but other Demon Kings would secretly relay some information to them, which would allow them to pass Yang Kai’s test.
After two or three rounds, the Demon Kings couldn’t think of anything more no matter how much they racked their brains, but seeing that Yang Kai had no intention of stopping, they couldn’t help but feel a little bitter. They now thought that Yang Kai was deliberately making things difficult for them; why else would he ask about the Abyssal Returner and nothing else?
After another Demon King gave what information he knew, the next one wiped the cold sweat from his forehead. He thought hard for a very long time but couldn’t think of anything.
Yang Kai raised his head and asked, “Nothing else?”
The Demon King bitterly shook his head.
The Charm Demon hurriedly intervened, “Sir, we have told you everything we know. We have not concealed anything.”
“En, I know.” Yang Kai nodded, “I believe what you said just now is true, but there is one point that interests me in particular.”
“I don’t know what Sir is referring to?”
“Can the Abyssal Returner become stronger if it devours all of you?”
“U… us?” The Charm Demon nervously gulped, her lips quivering before she haltingly replied, “Possibly…”
“I wonder …” Yang Kai smilingly looked at her, “If it swallowed all of you Demon Kings, its speed of growth should be very quick, right?”
“Aha… ha… probably,” the Charm Demon forced out a laugh. Although she didn’t think that an Abyssal Returner would really appear to swallow them, it still sent chills down her back to talk about this. She felt as if a bloody mouth was biting toward her and would swallow her down at any moment.
“Call your Elder Sister here,” Yang Kai looked at Zhu Lie and ordered.
Zhu Lie lightly snorted. Although he was unhappy with Yang Kai’s overbearing tone, he didn’t haggle with him much. Having heard everything so far, he prompted his Dragon Essence and formed a few hand seals as his lips moved up and down a few times.
Yang Kai turned his attention back to the Charm Demon and smilingly asked, “If I ask you which Demon King you would like to kill, who would you pick?”
The Charm Demon’s face changed after hearing this and she immediately asked, shocked, “Sir, what do you mean?”
“I’m just asking, who do you find the most disgusting?”
The Charm Demon replied with a forced smile, “Sir, please don’t joke, we all belong to the Demon Race. We stand together and help each other in times of difficulty. All in Demon Fury City are brothers and sisters, how can we find each other… disgusting?”
Other Demon Kings puffed their chests after hearing this, trying their best to assume the stance of sharing life and death together in adversity. Although no one knew why Yang Kai was asking this, everyone felt that something wasn’t right.
This Human seemed to have some ill-intentions, and it was by no means as friendly as he looked on the surface. He was a beast shrouded in the wool of a sheep, one that would attack if they accidentally touched it.
Yang Kai’s brow twitched as he declared, “The opportunity is in your hand, it will be gone once you let it slip away.”
The Charm Demon didn’t say a word, hesitating for a time before using her Divine Sense stealthily.
Yang Kai raised his eyes, looking toward one side, his gaze happening to land on a sinister-looking Demon King. This Demon King was surging with Blood Qi, forming a faint red halo around his body. He seemed to be a member of the Blood Demon Clan and there was an uneasy expression on his face, as if he was worried about something.
When Yang Kai’s gaze swept over him, he immediately reacted, shouting at the Charm Demon, grinding his teeth in anger, “Slut, how dare you betray me!”
The Charm Demon had her red lips pursed and her face turned a little pale, but she said nothing to the accusation of the Blood Demon.
The Blood Demon grew angrier, “Ungrateful slut! When you were under my crotch, you did everything to seduce me, but now that you’ve climbed a higher branch, you want to kill me!? I should have known never to trust a wench like you!”
The Charm Demon became angry out of shame and rebuked, gritting her teeth, “Although I am a Charm Demon, I’m not loose! If you hadn’t forced yourself on me, why would I…”
“Hahaha!” The Blood Demon broke into laughter as Blood Qi fiercely surged from him, “Enough with the sophistry. The Charm Demon Clan are all cheap sluts! If it wasn’t for this King’s help, how could you have ever reached the Demon King Realm with your aptitude!? You think that this King had no idea that you have been secretly hooking up with other people all these years? And you still have the gall to say that you aren’t loose? Now, you are just a piece of rotten meat that not even the wild dogs would bother to sniff! Even if you kneel down and beg me, this King wouldn’t touch you!”
“What nonsense!?” Charm Demon screamed before she turned and begged, looking at Yang Kai, “Sir, although this slave has no idea what you want to do, if you want to kill someone, please kill him! The slave will be at your beck and call in the future.”
“How dare you want to kill me!? I’ll kill you first!” The Blood Demon erupted and the moment he raised his hand, a beam of bloody light shot straight towards the Charm Demon. The beam then exploded, transforming into a rain of blood that poured down over a large area.
The blood rain seemed to be extremely corrosive and made sizzling noises even as it fell through the air.
The Charm Demon immediately screamed. Her cultivation was much lower than the Blood Demon’s so she couldn’t resist his attack. She promptly retreated as she chanted some verse in the Demon language, while repeatedly swinging her arms, shooting pure Demon Qi out again and again. Nevertheless, she was unable to stop the blood rain from falling on her.
*Chi chi chi chi…*
The drops of blood rain melted through the Charm Demon’s defences, corroding her clothes, laying a large part of her body bare. The exposed skin was then stained by the blood rain and quickly rotted away, turning into pus and dripping down along her body. At some places, her white bones could even be seen, making her look extremely miserable.
“Die slut!” The Blood Demon didn’t give up and charged straight at the Charm Demon. By the looks of his posture, he wanted to finish her once and for all.
The Charm Demon’s face turned pale in horror. She did her best to retaliate but was unable to stop the Blood Demon from charging. She felt death approaching and believed no matter what, she would not survive this.
But suddenly, the Blood Demon collapsed in the mid-air, blowing up as an endless wave of blood shot straight towards Yang Kai. Its momentum was quite shocking, giving the impression of a tidal wave. The tsunami of blood was extremely powerful and destructive, seemingly capable of sweeping away all things in existence, and at the forefront of the blood wave, the Blood Demon’s face slowly emerged. He seemed to be riding the waves, fiercely rushing towards Yang Kai.
Attacking the Charm Demon was just a cover, that’s all. His real target was always Yang Kai.
Although he didn’t want to have a conflict with Yang Kai, having been stirred by the Charm Demon, he had been pushed to the edge of the storm. If he wanted to survive it, he had no choice but to strike first.
The red-haired young man was too terrifying. Even the top Demon King was instantly killed, so the Blood Demon didn’t dare to have any thoughts of attacking him whatsoever.
Although Yang Kai had killed a few Demon Kings, he had done it by depending on the might of an artifact, so in the Blood Demon’s opinion, Yang Kai’s own strength might not be that great. Now was his opportunity to take Yang Kai down while he had not yet summoned his artifact.
[As long as I can capture this Human, I can have the absolute upper hand!] Thinking so, the Blood Demon immediately made his move. Furthermore, he was extremely confident that he would succeed.
At that moment, he noticed a meaningful grin on Yang Kai’s face. The smile promptly made his confidence hit rock bottom as he inexplicably felt that he was a sheep throwing himself at a wolf. He immediately felt that he had made a fatal mistake.
The hesitation in his heart caused his blood wave incarnation to freeze for a moment.
Yang Kai raised his hand and flicked his fingers.
*Chi chi chi chi…*
Crescent-shaped pitch-black slashes cut through the blood waves like hot knives through butter.
Every Moon Blade made the Blood Demon grunt in pain as his crimson halo dimmed, reducing the size of the blood wave.
After seven or eight Moon Blades, the blood wave converged to a point as the Blood Demon’s figure re-appeared and staggered not too far away from Yang Kai.
Yang Kai quickly formed hand seals as a solemn look appeared on his face while a faint Time Principle fluctuation rose from his body.
“Time Flows on Infinitely, Like a Mighty Stream, Like an Unending Dream!”
He lightly smacked his palm out, hitting the absent-minded Blood Demon in a flash, who immediately spurted a mouthful of blood before his figure flew away like a kite. Somehow, the Blood Demon regained his wits after taking this hit and his figure jolted as he transformed into rays of blood light that shot off in multiple directions.
The serious injuries he had suffered in that brief clash let the Blood Demon, who was a powerful Demon King, know that he had greatly underestimated his opponent. From the start, he wasn’t Yang Kai’s opponent.
Now, he just wanted to escape, the farther the better.
“Blood Shadow Escape Technique!” Yang Kai lightly snorted before sneering, “If it was Shadow Demon Clan’s Divine Shadow Slayer Escape Technique, then this Young Master may have taken a little more time to solve it, but you dare act so arrogant in front of this Young Master with mere Blood Shadow Escape? Watch how this Young Master instantly breaks it.” Saying so, Yang Kai’s gaze quickly swept through various streaks of blood light in succession before he focused his gaze on one in particular and pointed his finger at it.
Immediately, Space Principles surged, turning the area around that streak of blood light into an invisible cage.
The streak of blood light crashed into the cage wall and was knocked back as a pale Blood Demon appeared.
“How is this possible!?” He couldn’t help but cry out in shock.
The Blood Shadow Escape Technique was one of the Blood Demon Clan’s Innate Divine Abilities, one that boasted superior concealment and speed. If an ordinary person encountered this Divine Ability, he or she wouldn’t be able to distinguish between the real and fake bodies.
The Blood Demon never expected a mere First-Order Emperor Realm Human boy to see through it.
And the words this young man had spoken just now horrified him even more. The Blood Demon’s Blood Shadow Escape Technique and the Divine Shadow Slayer Escape Technique were both Innate Divine Abilities. Even for the Demon Race’s Demon Kings, it would be too difficult to see through these techniques, but judging by this Human’s confident tone, he was well versed and experienced with the unique skills of the Demon Race.
The Blood Demon was horrified to the extreme and his entire body had gone cold.
He tried to use his escape technique again, but a figure had appeared before him; Yang Kai was already blocking his way.
The Blood Demon immediately gasped in horror, hurriedly retreating.
“Look at me!” Yang Kai spoke in a heavy tone, his voice seemingly carrying an irresistible power. The Blood Demon instinctually looked up at him when he heard this and when their eyes met, the Blood Demon saw the opposite party’s left eye turn into a vertical golden slit. The majestic golden glow of this eye seemed to suck away his Soul, shaking his Knowledge Sea, rendering him unable to have any thought of looking away. The next moment, Yang Kai’s Divine Sense surged like a tide as a budding lotus flower flashed away from his left eye, shooting straight into the Blood Demon’s Knowledge Sea.
In an instant, the Blood Demon’s thoughts froze even more firmly as he stood rooted on the spot, dumbstruck.
His Knowledge Sea had collapsed. The Blood Demon was now as good as a walking corpse.
A figure rushed over from the side at that moment, its eyes filled with deep-rooted hatred, holding a white bone dagger. The bone dagger didn’t appear to belong to any kind of Ominous Beast. Rather it was more like a bone left behind by a Human or Demon Race Master, one that had been refined into a Demon Artifact using some unknown technique.
The aura of the bone dagger was pretty good, and it was ruthlessly thrust straight towards the head of the rooted Blood Demon, wanting to reap his life in a single blow.
Yang Kai promptly sent out a palm along with a cold snort, knocking the Charm Demon away, who crawled back up and doubtfully asked, wiping the blood from the corner of her lips, “Sir?”
The Charm Demon’s condition was pretty miserable at the moment. Her clothes were in tatters, and ugly pustules could be found all over her beautiful figure. Many of these pustules were bleeding, radiating an unpleasant aura.
She was far weaker than the Blood Demon, and was nearly killed by his opening attack. Coupled with the humiliation she had suffered, she naturally wanted to take revenge.
It was just that she couldn’t understand why Yang Kai would stop her; after all, it was Yang Kai who asked her who she wanted to kill in the first place.
“What do you think you’re doing?” Yang Kai coldly looked at her, the golden glow remaining in his left eye. The Charm Demon’s entire body went cold as she hurriedly explained, “Didn’t Sir want to kill him? I only wished to assist you!”
“If I want to kill someone, I can do it myself, why would I need your help?” Yang Kai lightly snorted.
The Charm Demon tremblingly admitted her mistake, “This Mistress was wrong, Sir, please don’t be angry!”
She knew that she had to be submissive if she wanted to survive, so she didn’t dare show any grievance or anger.
Yang Kai simply ignored her though and looked over at the nearby Zhu Lie.
Zhu Lie had been sitting in the same place, not moving an inch, but the Dragon Pressure radiating from him had already been pushed to the limit. The Demon Kings standing before him were sweating buckets while the ones with the lower cultivation were shivering, their faces pale. They felt as if a huge mountain had been placed on their chests and they were having a hard time breathing.
Although the battle between Yang Kai and the Blood Demon was very short, without Zhu Lie’s deterrence, other Demon Kings would not have just stood by and watched. In any case, they were all Demons, so it was impossible for them to idly sit while their clansman was being killed.
In fact, several Demon Kings wanted to make a move as soon as the Blood Demon made his, but they were suppressed by Zhu Lie before they could act.
The red-haired young man had put a lot of pressure on the Demon Kings, but the pressure the strange Human was giving wasn’t any weaker. They weren’t confident that they could survive under his attacks, so they remained obedient after being suppressed, secretly praying that they would not draw fire upon themselves.
Now that the dust had settled, it became apparent that the Blood Demon had suffered serious injuries, and while he may be alive, he was as good as a walking corpse. This chilled the other Demon Kings even further, making them all worry about what kind of fate was awaiting them.
“What are you trying to do?” Zhu Lie frowned and impatiently stared at Yang Kai.
First, he went to Demon Fury City to look for Demon Kings to inquire about some strange beast, and now, he had attacked without a word. It would have been nothing if he had killed the Blood Demon, but Yang Kai actually just put him into a half-dead state, which was rather baffling.
“You will know later,” Yang Kai indifferently replied. At this moment, he noticed Zhu Qing flying over, with Li Jiao a half step behind her. Who knows what kind of brown-nosing he was doing, but it was clear he was nodding and bowing with a big smile on his face. However, he couldn’t get any response from Zhu Qing.
After the two flew closer, Li Jiao hurriedly greeted Yang Kai.
“What happened here?” Zhu Qing curiously looked around. She was puzzled about what had happened as she noticed the traces of fighting and could tell that they were fresh.
“Nothing much,” Yang Kai gave an arbitrary reply before he looked at the black puppy in her arms and asked, “How is it doing?”
“It’s getting better, but it seems a little weak,” Zhu Qing caressed the little black puppy’s head.
Its situation had indeed improved. When Yang Kai left, the black puppy was still frozen in a block of ice, but now, although there was still frost on its body, it was obviously much better.
Right at that moment, it looked as if it had smelled something delicious and it raised its head to look at the nearby Demon Kings, drooling from the corner of its mouth.
Being stared at by this small beast, many Demon Kings felt as if they had encountered their nemesis and their hands and feet went cold as they promptly looked away.
“Want to eat?” Yang Kai smilingly asked.
“Woof!” The black puppy’s bark immediately rang in his mind as it struggled to get up from Zhu Qing’s arm.
“Don’t just indiscriminately eat things,” Zhu Qing frowned as she scolded it. She wanted to say it when she saw Ah Wang swallow the two Demon Race members before, but the situation had changed so abruptly that she wasn’t able to. Now that she saw it wanting to do the same thing, she immediately knocked its head.
The black puppy aggrievedly whimpered.
Yang Kai picked up the black puppy from Zhu Qing’s arm and said, “Qing’er, if we want to leave this place, we’ll have to let it eat more.”
“Huh?” Zhu Qing furrowed her brow, wondering what Yang Kai meant.
The next moment, she saw Yang Kai throw the black puppy straight toward the absentminded Blood Demon.
In the air, Ah Wang was in high spirits, practically glowing with vigour. His pair of black eyes burst with a fearsome glow as it suddenly opened its mouth, which grew to the size of a door as it swallowed the Blood Demon in one bite.
*Ssii…*
Immediately, gasps escaped from the Demon Kings’ mouths as they dumbfoundedly stared at the black puppy’s sudden transformation. Their eyes were ready to pop out of their sockets. The frightening things Yang Kai had been talking about earlier were gradually confirmed by what they were seeing before their eyes, bringing them all to a horrifying conclusion.
“Abyssal Returner!”
The Charm Demon’s scream reverberated throughout the sky as her face, which had just regained a bit of its complexion, turned completely pale once again. She seemed to have lost all her strength as she crumpled down to the ground.
Although the other Demon Kings fared better than her, they were greatly frightened for sure. Panic immediately spread among the Demon Kings, making all of them extremely uneasy as their emotions were thrown into chaos.
The legendary monster that they thought was long dead had suddenly appeared in front of them. They simply couldn’t believe this; after all, in the records of the Demon Race, the Abyssal Returner was described in the most terrifying of ways, portraying it as the living embodiment of catastrophe and destruction. Almost a third of the Demon Realm was destroyed by its demonic hunger, and the current harsh environment of the Demon Realm was inextricably linked to it.
They couldn’t figure out how the Abyssal Returner was still alive. Wasn’t it killed by the Great Demon God of the time? Could it be that the rumours they spoke of earlier were actually true? That the Abyssal Returner had escaped by feigning death, hoping to make a comeback, and when it was prepared, it would definitely go looking for the Great Demon God for revenge. The current shattered Demon Realm couldn’t withstand any more destruction.
With so many Demon Kings here, it was impossible to misidentify the Abyssal Returner. Although the Abyssal Returned seemed very ordinary at a glance, when it transformed, its characteristics couldn’t be any more obvious.
In other words, this seemingly docile black puppy was definitely the Abyssal Returner, the very same horrifying existence that destroyed the Demon Realm and fought a life and death battle with the Great Demon God back then.
[No wonder, no wonder this Human wanted to learn everything about the Abyssal Returner.]
It turned out that what he said about raising an Abyssal Returner was really true!
Just as this thought crossed their minds, many Demon Kings’ faces turned as black as the bottom of a pot.
They seemed to have revealed a lot of information that shouldn’t have been revealed, especially the part about the strength of the Abyssal Returner, which was simply life-threatening information.
In a flash, all the Demon Kings felt regret, especially the Demon Kings who had revealed more sensitive information, wishing to tear their mouths off for their foolishness.
While the Demon Kings had lost their wits in shock and horror, the little puppy had already swallowed the Blood Demon in one bite, and its enormous mouth had already returned to its original shape. There was a satisfied look on its face, and its belly was moving up and down. The frost covering its body surprisingly began to melt at speed visible to the naked eye. Wisps of Cold Qi slowly flowed out of its body, assimilating into the surroundings and causing the temperature to drop sharply.
Moreover, under Yang Kai’s keen perception, the moment the black puppy ingested its latest food, its aura soared, reaching to the level of Sixth-Order Monster Beast before returning to its original level after the black puppy returned to its native state.
In just a short dozen breaths, the black puppy had already returned to its original size, but it wasn’t as weak as before; its vitality was as vigorous as a dragon and it was walking in large strides. It was now eagerly looking at the Demon Kings, making them shiver in horror.
“Hmm?” Zhu Qing looked at the black puppy in astonishment, as if she hadn’t expected that swallowing a Demon King would be this helpful.
Yang Kai explained, “This little thing is a Demon Realm Exotic Beast. It also seems to be very famous over here. There is a kind of void space in its belly, which allows it to devour everything, so anything related to the Demon Race makes it stronger.”
Zhu Qing thoughtfully asked, “Speaking of which, was the Yin Wind it had swallowed before swallowed into that unknown space too?”
Yang Kai replied, “It should be so. I guess the size of that space has something to do with its strength. If it’s not strong enough and the space in its belly is too small, it can’t handle it after swallowing it to a certain extent.”
“It’s really amazing,” Zhu Qing looked surprised, sizing up the black puppy as if she wanted to re-assess it. The Yin Wind they had encountered on Yin Wind Mountain was too terrifying. The Cold Demon Qi that became heavier as they walked further was something even Yang Kai and she couldn’t resist, was swallowed by the black puppy in its strange space, carrying them more than a thousand meters up Yin Wind Mountain. This kind of ability was shocking.
“Do you want to make it stronger, strong enough to take us deeper into the Yin Wind Mountain?” Zhu Lie asked, furrowing his brow. Yang Kai’s intentions couldn’t be any more obvious now, so if he still couldn’t guess it, he would really be a fool.
“That’s right.” Yang Kai nodded his agreement, “Ah Wang is our only chance now. As long as it is strong enough, and the space in its belly large enough, then it can definitely lead us outside.”
Zhu Lie thought for a moment before agreeing, “This is indeed an opportunity. However… before that, it needs a lot of food.” While speaking, he glanced at the Demon Kings.
Many Demon Kings’ faces turned bitter. They had the will to resist but were powerless to do so. They felt wronged.
The Charm Demon sat down on the ground in despair. She hadn’t expected that such a destiny awaited her. She racked her brain, trying to come up with ways to survive. If there was no Blood Demon, she could have tried to seduce Yang Kai, but the previous battle had left her in a sorry state that would take at least a month or two to recover from. How could she get so much time to recuperate now?
Yang Kai added, “Of course, this is just my guess. I don’t know if it will work. In order to confirm this, I have to go and do a little experiment.”
“How are you going to experiment?” Zhu Qing asked.
Yang Kai slightly smiled before he reached out and grabbed the black puppy. The black puppy looked confused; it had no idea how it would be treated next.
“Take good care of these guys, none of them are allowed to leave,” ordered Yang Kai before his figure disappeared from the spot.
Zhu Lie thoughtfully gazed in Yin Wind Mountain’s direction.
After a while, he retracted his gaze and firmly sat.
The Charm Demon was flabbergasted. She wanted to escape but didn’t have the guts to try it. Obviously, she could only stand up and walk toward the other Demon Kings.
She gingerly glanced at Zhu Lie and noticing that he didn’t have any intention of stopping her, she secretly heaved a sigh of relief.
Many Demon Kings gathered around as their Divine Senses surged. Apparently, they were discussing ways to save their lives. Occasionally, a faint murderous intent would emerge, obviously wanting to give it a try.
After all, they weren’t weak. If they were really fish in the net and had no chance to live, it would have been a given that they would become food for the Abyssal Returner.
Demon Fury City had stood in the Revolving World for hundreds of thousands of years and had been constantly at war with Human Imperial City, but it had never faced this kind of crisis.
This strange Human Boy, who had appeared out of nowhere, was beyond what they could contend with.
While the Demon Kings were talking among themselves, the Zhu sister and brother duo weren’t interested in knowing their intentions. Li Jiao was huddled on one side. He completely lacked the stance of a Sect Master or powerhouse as he deliberately went to chat and flatter the two Dragon Clan members, but without the guts to go any further, a troubled look covered his face.
After an hour, Yang Kai suddenly appeared out of nowhere. Although he cut a sorry figure, obvious joy could be seen on his face.
Zhu Qing and Zhu Lie immediately knew that Yang Kai’s theory was correct at one glance. Otherwise, he would never show such a happy look. Both of them secretly cheered.
Meanwhile, the Demon Kings looked horrified and their hearts were gripped with bitterness.
This couldn’t be helped, the Abyssal Returner cub in Yang Kai’s arms was covered in frost, obviously because it had swallowed a lot of Yin Wind on Yin Wind Mountain. And from past experience, solving this problem was quite easy, but it certainly wasn’t what the Demon Kings were hoping for.
Yang Kai nodded to Zhu Qing before turning his gaze to the crowd of Demon Kings, like a butcher looking at a herd of lambs. Zhu Lie and Zhu Qing rose into the air without speaking a word, surrounding the Demon Kings in a triangle formation along with Yang Kai.
Li Jiao thought for a while before hurriedly joining them, releasing his own Emperor Pressure and assuming a ferocious look on his face, giving the impression that he could swallow them in one bite.
“Sirs and Madam, please wait a moment!” The Charm Demon hurriedly stepped up and loudly spoke, perhaps forced or perhaps of her own will, either way sweating buckets, “We have had a discussion and are willing to help you make the Abyssal Returner stronger, to help Sirs and Madam leave this place.”
“Oh?” Yang Kai raised his brow and enthusiastically asked, “It’s interesting for you to cooperate of your own will, but if I don’t satisfy you, then I’ll be ill-at-ease. So, who is willing to die first?”
The Charm Demon hurriedly wiped the sweat off her forehead and corrected, forcing a smile on her face, “The Abyssal Returner consumes anything related to the Demon Race, and its strength can be increased using the Demon Qi, but it doesn’t mean that it needs to devour my clansmen, Sir.”
“I know,” Yang Kai nodded before adding, “But isn’t this the most efficient and direct method?”
The Charm Demon replied, “The most direct method, yes, but the most efficient, not necessarily.”
Yang Kai asked with a shadow of a smile lingering on his face, “How is it inefficient?”
The Charm Demon summoned up her courage and replied, “There are only so many Demon King-level Masters in Demon Fury City. May I ask, what would Sir do if the Abyssal Returner’s strength isn’t enough to leave this place after swallowing all of us?”
Yang Kai frowned before adding, “Although there are only so many Demon Kings, there are a lot of other Demons in Demon Fury City, swallowing all of them would be enough.”
The Charm Demon continued, “How can these clansmen be compared with us? Sir is also a Master himself, so Sir should know that strength doesn’t have anything to do with quantity.”
Yang Kai smiled, “What you say also makes sense. Good, I will give you a chance to convince me otherwise.”
The Charm Demon was taken aback and immediately replied, “This Mistress has heard that among humans there is a saying, ‘do not kill the goose that lays the eggs’. Sir’s current practice is exactly that. If you want eggs, you must not kill the goose that lays them.”
“Would you be willing to be the goose that lays the eggs?”
The Charm Demon replied with a wane smile, “It’s better than the alternative, death. We are willing to cooperate, and allow the Abyssal Returner to devour our Demon Qi. Although it won’t be as fast as directly swallowing us, it shouldn’t be much worse, and it has the benefit of maintaining a source of energy. As long as we are alive, we can provide the Abyssal Returner with the energy it needs to grow. Sir is wise, Sir should be able to weigh the pros and cons.”
Yang Kai lightly snorted before indifferently asking, “And if I insist on killing the goose that lays the eggs?”
The Charm Demon nibbled her lower lips before she looked at the other Demon Kings and aggrievedly replied, “If Sir insists, then we will have no choice but to fight back. We might have no hope of succeeding, and will just be speeding up our deaths, but… if we all die, the Abyssal Returner won’t get any benefits. Sir probably doesn’t know, but the Abyssal Returner doesn’t eat the dead, only the living.”
Having finished her peace, she nervously looked at Yang Kai, and with the other Demon Kings silent as well, the atmosphere was turning a little serious.
In front of everyone’s eyes, Yang Kai’s face became serious. He pondered for a while before a look of realization appeared on his face, “No wonder it didn’t swallow those Demons last time, so this guy is a picky eater!”
The Charm Demon couldn’t help but be a little dumbfounded. Seeing Yang Kai thinking so seriously just now, she naturally thought that Yang Kai was considering their proposal, who knew that it was actually something so irrelevant.
Just as she was about to speak, Yang Kai continued, “I can follow your suggestion and not kill you. Massacring an entire city goes against Heaven’s Will, so if not forced, this Young Master is not willing to do so. However, whether you live or die will depend on your performance.”
Just as he said this, Yang Kai threw the black puppy over.
The Demon Kings were all struck with panic at the sight of this and instinctually dodged. Having just seen the black puppy swallow the Blood Demon in one go, they were naturally wary of it.
In the end, the Charm Demon was more reliable than the others and courageously caught the black puppy.
The black puppy opened its mouth wide and instantly, everything went dark before the Charm Demon’s eyes. The Charm Demon was so terrified that her entire body went limp, helplessly watching as the big mouth closed down on her. She couldn’t do anything to escape.
A smacking sound suddenly rang out as Yang Kai slapped the black puppy’s head, who immediately let out a whimper, but it still promptly closed its mouth, finally letting the Charm Demon escape.
“You can’t eat her!” Yang Kai looked at it with a serious look on his face, “Don’t pretend to be a fool. No means no!”
The black puppy’s ears immediately drooped.
“It’s all good now.” Yang Kai broke into laughter, looking at the Charm Demon.
The Charm Demon was frozen on the spot. After a good long while, she finally awkwardly reacted, “I’m a little limp, which one of you will come first.”
The Demon Kings hesitatingly looked at each other, but in the end, a Bone Demon came out and volunteered in a hoarse voice, “I’ll go first.”
While speaking, he strode to the black puppy and pushed all his Demon Qi. In a flash, surging Demon Qi emerged from him and fiercely flowed towards the black puppy.
The black puppy suddenly got excited and opened his mouth wide again as a strong suction came from its wide-open jaw, sucking in the Bone Demon’s Demon Qi and swallowing it into its abdomen.
A black line visible to the naked eye appeared between the black puppy and the Bone Demon. A steady stream of energy was flowing from the Bone Demon to the black puppy, owing to which the frost covering the black puppy slowly began to melt.
The Bone Demon’s cultivation was good, his aura placing him somewhere between the Second and Third-Order Emperor Realm. He was definitely ranked among the top ten Demon Kings in the city.
But such a Demon King couldn’t even last the time it took for an incense to burn before the black puppy.
No matter how much he pushed his energy, the black puppy devoured it clean. Its small stomach was like a bottomless pit that could never be filled.
After the time it takes for an incense to burn, the Bone Demon, whose Demon Qi had been devoured clean, staggered. The pulsating ghost fire in his eyes had dimmed significantly, obviously because of the excessive consumption of his strength.
Staggering, he walked to one side and sat down cross-legged to recover.
With an example having been made, the other Demon Kings walked to the black puppy one by one and followed the same pattern.
One by one, the Demon Kings walked up the black puppy and left soon after. Each and every one of them had almost been drained to death.
Even the strongest Demon King present could only persist for the time it took for two incense sticks to burn before he was exhausted.
After three hours, all the Demon Kings were left sitting on the ground in rows.
Yang Kai’s face turned a little dark. Although he knew that the black puppy had gotten stronger, it was definitely not enough to take them out of here.
The Charm Demon had been paying attention to Yang Kai’s posture and expression, so she immediately said, forcing herself to be enthusiastic, “This Mistress can summon all the Demon Great Generals in the city here. Although they are weaker, they are greater in number.”
Yang Kai lightly nodded, whereupon the Charm Demon used a technique to summon all the Demon Great Generals.
Not long after, Demon Great General-level figures flew over from every direction of the city one after another.
As the Charm Demon said, although the Demon Great Generals were weaker in cultivation, they won in numbers. In any case, they could contribute to making the black puppy stronger.
When the crowd of Demon Great Generals arrived, they were taken aback at the sight of the Demon Kings’ plight. They were uneasy, wondering what fate awaited them.
The Charm Demon summoned some of the strongest Demon Great Generals to her side and whispered to them, making them turn pale. From time to time, they glanced at the black puppy with apprehension.
Very soon, all the Demon Great Generals knew why they were called over.
With the Demon Kings taking the road before, they knew that they couldn’t resist, so they lined up before the black puppy and pushed out their Demon Qi.
The Demon Great Generals were far worse than the Demon Kings, as each of them was only comparable to a Dao Source Realm cultivator. They could only persist for a few dozen breaths, that was all. The suction from the black puppy’s mouth seemed to be able to squeeze out energy from their bodies, making them unable to hold out for long.
One after another, the Demon Great Generals became dead tired.
After a day, the Demon Great Generals round was already over. Everywhere, Demon Race members were sitting cross-legged, restoring their energy. It was an extremely spectacular sight.
But just a short span of one day wasn’t enough for the Demon Kings to completely recover.
The black puppy impatiently growled a few times. Since its birth, it had never eaten so refreshingly. Although it wasn’t as delicious as eating a Demon King directly, eating this way lasted longer, allowing it to revel in the pleasure of savouring its food.
The Bone Demon, who had gone first, had no choice but to get up and repeat what he did the day before.
Yang Kai, who was coldly watching from the side, knew that this would only be a vicious cycle. The Demon Race members wouldn’t get enough time to recover, owing to which, the energy they could provide to the black puppy would become less and less, eventually becoming almost negligible.
After weighing his options for a while, Yang Kai took out a few bottles of recovery-type pills, woke up the Charm Demon, and asked her to distribute them.
The Charm Demon appeared to be hesitating as she wished to ask what these pills were, but didn’t dare to ask.
Yang Kai let out a cold snort before taking the initiative to explain, freeing her from her worries.
The distribution of the pills was finished in no time. The Demon Kings who had taken the pills were all smiling happily. Obviously, their recovery speed had become much greater.
The Charm Demon walked back. She seemed to be able to tell what was on Yang Kai’s mind as she whispered, “Sir, please don’t worry too much. At this moment, the World Principles are biased toward your Star Boundary, but once the principles change, our recovery speed will be greater. At that time, things will go much faster.”
“I hope so.” Yang Kai remained noncommittal.
The World Principles of the Revolving World cycled back and forth between being biased towards the Star Boundary and the Demon Realm. There was no pattern to it at all and the reason was that the Revolving World sat in the Void Crack between these two Great Worlds, wandering randomly. It would constantly move between the spheres of influence of these two Great Worlds, and depending on which Great World it was overlapping with, the World Principles would be thus affected.
However, there would be some very obvious natural signs when the World Principles were about to shift. The Human Race of Human Imperial City relied on this to avoid danger.
With the pills distributed by Yang Kai, the speed of recovery of the Demon Kings was indeed a lot faster, but it still couldn’t satisfy the black puppy’s appetite.
Now, Yang Kai could only pin his hopes on the Revolving World’s shifting World Principles.
The wait lasted for half a month.
In this half month, every Demon King and Demon Great General of Demon Fury City had basically undergone ten rounds being drained by the black puppy, only to recover then push their Demon Qi again to let the black puppy feed once more.
No Master could withstand this kind of suffering, not even Yang Kai, so after half a month, all the Demon Kings and Demon Great Generals’ faces had turned grey and were filled with Death Qi, as if their end was nigh and they could die at any moment. Some of the Demon Kings and Demon Great Generals’ cultivations had even regressed and it was unknown if they could ever recover their original strength.
They simply couldn’t carry on, but if they could have escaped, they would have done so long ago. There was an Exotic Monster like the Abyssal Returner, two Dragon Clan members guarding the surroundings, and Yang Kai, who was keeping a close watch on them. How could they escape?
They too were looking forward to World Principles changing.
After half a day, the World Principles began to shift. A reverberating thunderclap-like sound rang out, making the Demon Race members, who had been suffering these days, tear up and cheer in excitement.
After a tremble, the ambient World Energy started to undergo some subtle changes.
Li Jiao came up to Yang Kai’s side and begged, wearing a sad face, “Palace Master Yang, help me.”
“What’s wrong?”
Li Jiao replied, “This Li was corroded by Demon Qi, and these days, the Demon Essence has been steadily growing. It has been very hard to hold on to my sanity. The World Principles are about to change, and if I don’t find a place to hide, I’m afraid I would really undergo demonification.”
Last time, when he wandered with Zhu Lie outside, the World Principles had shifted in favour of the Demon Realm, and without a place to take shelter, he had been invaded by Demon Qi. Li Jiao had been relying on his powerful cultivation to suppress the Demon Essence which had taken root in his body so far, but now, the World Principles were about to change again and flood the air with Demon Qi.
In his current state, it was simply impossible for him to survive. He would definitely be completely overwhelmed by the Demon Essence and become a Demon.
“Then find a place to hide, why are you asking me to save you?” Yang Kai asked with a grin.
Li Jiao replied, wearing a sad look, “But I don’t know where to go. I heard Palace Master Yang mention that there is a place called Human Imperial City. I wonder…”
“Don’t even think about going to Human Imperial City. Although it’s not far from here, you won’t get there in time.”
Li Jiao was struck with panic immediately after hearing this, “Then what do you suggest?”
Yang Kai shrugged his shoulders and spread his hands as he replied, “If you want to save yourself, you have to rely on your own ability.”
Li Jiao’s face turned black and was on the verge of crying as he protested, “Palace Master Yang, you can’t just sit back and watch me die! This Li only came here because of you.”
Yang Kai simply replied, “If I could save you, I would have, but now, I too can’t do anything.”
Li Jiao’s expression involuntarily turned unsightly. Out of everyone present here, the two Dragon Clan members shouldn’t have to be worried about being invaded by the Demon Qi; after all, their Divine Spirit physique and Dragon Blood possessed strong resistance towards Demon Qi. Not to mention the change in World Principles, even if they were thrown into the Demon Realm itself, they were unlikely to be concerned.
Yang Kai couldn’t be regarded as ordinary either. Although Li Jiao had no idea why Yang Kai was confident that he would remain safe and sound, judging by his current lax attitude, Li Jiao knew that he must have a way.
Li Jiao was a little angry, thinking that Yang Kai was treasuring his own skin, but was unwilling to help him.
“Didn’t I show you the way before? What can I do when you don’t cherish it?”
Li Jiao quickly rebuffed, “Palace Master Yang, don’t be ridiculous. While getting blood from the Dragon Clan was something you suggested, if this Li brought it up, his fate would be even more miserable.”
“You’re about to be demonified, so what could be worse?”
“Palace Master Yang, are you really going to sit back and watch me die?” A malevolent aura slowly crept up on Li Jiao’s face as swirling black Qi surrounded his body; anger and wicked thoughts were growing in his heart, strengthening his Demon Essence a lot, especially at this moment when the World Energy had begun to infuse with Demon Qi, which was now even affecting his mind.
Yang Kia looked at him with a sneer, “Now you’re trying to blame me?”
“Damn you!” Li Jian couldn’t stand it and a hideous look appeared on his face as he shouted, grinding his teeth in rage, “If it weren’t for you, how would this Li be trapped here? Since you are so cold-hearted, then don’t blame this Li for not giving you face!”
Just as he said this, the black Qi around him swirled as his eyes turned red. His head moved left and right before it suddenly transformed into the enormous head of a flood dragon, fiercely biting at Yang Kai.
Having been invaded by Demon Qi, Li Jiao had been incomparably vexed these past few days, and now, after having been antagonized by Yang Kai so much, he finally couldn’t maintain a hold on his sanity. The repressed Demon Essence suddenly erupted, instantly demonising him.
“You dare to act presumptuously in front of me? Li Jiao, your courage isn’t small.”
Facing Li Jiao’s anger-filled attack, Yang Kai only chuckled and pushed his Golden Divine Dragon Source Strength before raising his hand and pointing at Li Jiao’s forehead.
A wisp of golden glow emerged from his fingertip. The golden glow wasn’t that bright, but Li Jiao acted as if it was his ultimate nemesis. He screamed in horror as the enormous flood dragon head shrank back to its original size. The Emperor Qi instantly stopped circulating and he felt as if he was on the brink of suffocating.
The fingertip pointed on his forehead shocked Li Jiao as a sliver of clarity returned to his eyes.
He was horrified after regaining his senses. He had never thought he would actually attack Yang Kai and realized his actions were a result of the Demon Essence erupting, not his own intention, but who knew whether Yang Kai would spare him or not.
His cultivation was indeed two Minor Realms higher than Yang Kai’s, but under the effects of bloodline suppression, this gap provided him with no advantage at all. If Yang Kai wanted to kill him, it would be as easy as crushing an ant underfoot; Li Jiao didn’t have the slightest chance to resist.
This was the sorrow of Dragon Clan descendants. The bloodline of the Dragon Clan descendants indeed allowed him to walk farther and stand higher than almost all others, with his current Third-Order Emperor Realm cultivation as the proof itself. Without his Dragon Clan bloodline, Li Jiao would never have reached such high cultivation.
But before an opponent with a purer Dragon Clan bloodline, more often than not, one’s cultivation was secondary, the power of one’s bloodline was the most important factor.
His back was immediately drenched in a cold sweat as he hurriedly begged, “Palace Master Yang, I was wrong, please show mercy!”
Yang Kai just chuckled and completely ignored him, as if he really wanted to finish him off.
Li Jiao’s face turned ashen as he secretly thought that his end had come.
[My Fire Dragon Palace, my beautiful wives and concubines, what will happen to them? Who will enjoy them when I am gone?]
All kinds of random thoughts flashed in his mind, but even after some time, he didn’t see the gates of Hell. Yang Kai’s finger was still pointed at his forehead, but it was devoid of any murderous intent; instead, a joking look filled his face.
Suddenly, Li Jiao felt the aura around Yang Kai’s body undergo a tremendous change, one that had an ancient and desolate feel to it.
A reverberating and solemn chant sounded as a brilliance bloomed from Yang Kai’s fingertip, enveloping Li Jiao.
The next moment, Li Jiao’s figure jolted as if all the joints in his body cracked. His already tall figure doubled in size as fierce and surging Blood Qi broke out from his body, attacking the Demon Qi inside and outside his form.
Li Jiao was stunned on the spot. He might not know what Yang Kai had done to him, but he could clearly tell that his strength had improved greatly. Furthermore, extremely belligerent and blood-thirsty thoughts were mysteriously rising in his heart. Although these thoughts were giving him discomfort, they were also weakening the effect of Demon Essence on him, allowing him to maintain a strange lucid state.
Li Jiao now looked like he was filled with two coloured lights, one was black Demon Qi and the other was a crimson Blood Qi. The red and black colours were tumbling against each other, giving an extremely strange appearance.
“This…” Li Jiao couldn’t help but begin to ask. At this moment, he knew that Yang Kai had no intention of killing him. The reason for doing this might be to help him, it was just that he hadn’t figured this out, but since Yang Kai could do this, why didn’t he do it earlier? Why toy with and aggravate his condition?
“Ancient Bloodlust Spell!” Yang Kai slightly smiled, “It has a strong effect on the Demon Qi that has invaded Humans. The Shamans of ancient times used this method to save their clansmen, but today’s World Principles are somewhat different from that time. It’s not difficult to get rid of Demon Qi in your body, but it’s troublesome to root out the Demon Essence completely. The best method would be to allow that Demon Essence to completely erupt, only then could it be eliminated once and for all. Otherwise, some hidden dangers might be left behind. You don’t wish to experience cultivation dissonance while in seclusion in the future, do you?”
Li Jiao looked at Yang Kai and asked with an impressed look on his face, “So that’s why Palace Master Yang has been ignoring me these days, deliberately leaving me hanging, even trying to aggravate my condition?”
If not for this, the Demon Essence in his body would not have erupted so quickly.
Yang Kai nodded, “Since we came in together, we must leave together. Not to mention, your Fire Dragon Palace still owes me a lot of Source Crystals, so I can’t have you dying here.”
“Palace Master Yang Kai, this Li has firmly engraved your grace in his heart!” Li Jiao was completely excited. Originally, he thought that he would die today, but things had suddenly turned around. Not only did he have the hope of surviving, but he wouldn’t have to worry about possible sequela.
“Don’t get too excited yet. As I said, the current World Principles are different from the ancient times, and so are the people living under those World Principles. This method was useful for the ancient Humans, but I don’t know how effective it will be for you. Be extremely careful when cultivating in the future.
“Yes, yes, yes, this Li will certainly be careful!” Li Jiao nodded without hesitation.
Suddenly, Yang Kai’s expression changed as he changed the incantation before raising his hand and patting Li Jiao, “Demon Suppression!”
Under his pat, the Demon Qi surging around Li Jiao seemed to have been suppressed by something and stagnated.
Yang Kai’s incantation changed again before smacking another palm, “Demon Purification.”
The moment the light flashed, a stream of black Qi whizzed out from Li Jiao’s back and let out a wail as if a ghost possessing Li Jiao had been exorcised.
The black Qi lasted for several breaths before it was completely eliminated. When the Demon Qi was completely eliminated, a flash of joy involuntarily appeared in Li Jiao’s eyes.
He knew his own situation best. He had been plagued by the Demon Qi these days, and even if it didn’t continuously grow, he was unable to get rid of it despite his Third-Order Emperor Realm cultivation.
But now, after Yang Kai had used his mysterious techniques, Li Jiao could clearly feel that the problem that had been plaguing him had been completely resolved. There was no more Demon Qi left in his body; all of it had been expelled, and with the Bloodlust Spell’s restraint, the Demon Essence would no longer affect his heart while his Knowledge Sea would remain completely clear.
“Many thanks, Palace Master Yang!” Li Jiao was extremely grateful.
Just as he finished thanking him, he saw Yang Kai grin widely at him, sending out a hard palm. This palm was definitely not something to expel Demon Qi, because it was quite powerful. The most important thing was that it carried a suppressive force of his Dragon Clan bloodline.
Pitifully Li Jiao, a Third-Order Emperor Realm Master, didn’t even have the time to react before directly fainting from the blow.
Afterwards, Yang Kai stretched his hand out towards him before Li Jiao’s figure disappeared from sight.
Zhu Lie, who had been watching on with cold eyes, couldn’t help but have his pupils shrunk. He couldn’t figure out where Yang Kai had put Li Jiao.
Only Zhu Qing knew that Li Jiao should have been thrown into that strange space she had been to before. The World Principles here were about to change, and although the Demon Qi had been purged from Li Jiao’s body, if he didn’t find a place to take shelter, it was inevitable that he would be invaded by the Demon Qi again. Human Imperial City was too far away, and there was no place to hide in Demon Fury City, so that isolated space was the best option.
Thinking of what previously transpired in that space though, Zhu Qing’s cheeks involuntarily flushed.
At this moment, the transformation of the World Principles was extremely obvious. The World Energy seemed to have been infused by something which was no doubt Demon Qi.
Many Demon Kings and Demon Great Generals who had been waiting for this looked excited. This was the aura of their ancestral home. When the Revolving World Principles leaned towards the Demon Realm, their rate of cultivation and speed of recovery was enhanced.
The black puppy also became very excited. Obviously, it liked these World Principles too. It cracked its mouth wide and constantly sucked in the surrounding Demon Qi.
In a short while, the entire world had drastically changed. The surroundings were full of rich Demon Qi, and the world had gone dark. The rich Demon Qi flooded in every direction, giving everyone the impression of entering the Demon Realm.
Although Yang Kai had no idea what the Demon Realm looked like, he reckoned that it shouldn’t look much different from the current Revolving World.
The change in World Principles lasted a total of three days, and in these three days, Demon Fury City’s Masters recovered a lot, not enough to keep up with the appetite of the black puppy, but better than before.
Three days later, Yang Kai took the black puppy to Yin Wind Mountain, but when he came back, there was a frown on his face. Under the Demon Kings and Demon Great Generals’ disappointed gaze, Yang Kai threw the black puppy down, letting it continue to devour their Demon Qi.
“What’s the situation?” Zhu Lie asked, raising his head.
“I still couldn’t see the exit,” Yang Kai shook his head.
Although he climbed a little further than the last time, he still couldn’t find where the exit was. In other words, the black puppy’s current strength was still insufficient for them to leave. He had no choice but to continue making it grow stronger.
Zhu Qing stepped forward and comforted, holding Yang Kai’s hand, “Don’t worry, we will definitely get out someday, it’s just a matter of time, that’s all.”
Yang Kai chuckled, “I’m not worried about anything. Only, this damned place is too depressing. The sooner we leave this place, the sooner I will be at ease.”
Zhu Qing hesitated for a moment before softly asking, “What if we really can’t leave this place?”
Yang Kai squeezed her hand and affectionately replied, “Then we will grow old together here.”
Zhu Qing lowered her head; her face was completely flushed.
“You two, do you think I’m blind?” Zhu Lie coldly snorted, his face extremely unsightly.
He had strictly warned Yang Kai before, but he hadn’t expected him to not take his words seriously.
Yang Kai raised his hand, put his arm around Zhu Qing’s shoulder, and stated provocatively, “You watch over things here, I’m going on a walk with your Elder Sister.”
After having said this, he directly grabbed Zhu Qing and left.
Li Jiao grew anxious and loudly shouted from behind, “Palace Master Yang, please return as soon as possible.”
Without Yang Kai, he would definitely not be able to stand the erosion of the Demon Qi when the World Principles changed again. Although he had no idea what Yang Kai had done to him before, he didn’t notice any signs of Demon Qi erosion when he woke up from his coma.
If he wanted to survive in this place, he could only rely on Yang Kai.
“Where are we going?” Zhu Qing still believed that Yang Kai was taking her out for something, and innocently asked.
“Anywhere as long as there is no one else there.”
His words were too straightforward, so Zhu Qing immediately understood and her heart immediately started beating wildly as her cheeks turned red and hot.
……
One after another, days went by, and in a flash, it had been three months since Yang Kai and his group had come to Demon Fury City.
During these three months, the Demon King and Demon Great Generals of Demon Fury City had been living a life worse than death. They were constantly alternating between recovering and being drained. More often than not, they were forced to line up when just twenty to thirty percent of their strength had recovered.
After three months of this, the cultivations of all the Demon Kings and Demon Great Generals had regressed by one or two Minor Realms.
It was tantamount to having their flesh cut with a blunt knife, even more painful than being killed outright. Sometimes, the Demon Kings simply wanted to fight it out with Yang Kai, whatever the cost might be, but after giving it a thought, a living dog was better than a dead lion. Their ancestors had occupied Demon Fury City for hundreds of thousands of years, they couldn’t allow its inheritance to be severed in their generation. Thinking so, they had no choice but to painstakingly bide their time, waiting to send these gods of misfortune away.
The black puppy still looked the same as ever, only exuding an aura of a Fifth or Sixth-Order Monster Beast, but through Yang Kai’s many experiments, he knew it had become a lot stronger.
The unknown space in its belly was more than a hundred times larger than it was at the beginning, and it could now take Yang Kai far higher up the mountain than before.
During these three months, Yang Kai and Zhu Qing would occasionally go out to tour the mountains and rivers, then return to Demon Fury City after spending a day or two together. Zhu Lie grumbled over this many times, even openly mocking them, but it had no effect on the couple. Zhu Qing had thin skin and would always blush with guilt whenever her little brother accused them, but Yang Kai was completely brazen. No matter what Zhu Lie said, he treated it as nothing but farts.
As for Li Jiao, he was no longer living his life according to his own wishes, because every time the World Principles leaned towards the Demon Realm, he would be knocked out by Yang Kai and only wake when the change was over.
To this day, he still had no idea how exactly Yang Kai helped him avoid the misfortune of being corroded by the Demon Qi. Nonetheless, his gratitude towards him was increasing day by day despite having no choice in the matter.
At this moment, Yang Kai was already rejoicing a little for not letting the black puppy swallow the Demon Kings, because if he had really done that, the black puppy would have never grown to this level in three months.
It was indeed better to keep the goose that lays the egg than to kill it.
The hard days of the Demon Race were finally coming to an end though, because the last time Yang Kai returned from Yin Wind Mountain with the black puppy, he informed the others that he had a vague idea of the location of the exit. As long as the black puppy became just a bit stronger, they should have a chance to leave this place.
All the Demon Race members rejoiced after hearing this piece of news. They had been toiling hard for these three months just for this day, so now that they had seen hope, they naturally tried harder to recover.
The priceless Demon Fruits that they could never bear to use, were all taken out as they spared no effort to recover their energy.
After another change of World Principles, Yang Kai threw Li Jiao out of the Small Sealed World and woke him.
In the square, all the Demon Kings and Demon Great Generals were sitting cross-legged on the ground, blankly looking at Yang Kai, looking weak and exhausted.
Yang Kai curled his lips into a smile and loudly stated, “Humans and Demons have been enemies since ancient times. There is a deep-rooted feud between the two races that can never be resolved. According to reason, I should kill you all and end all troubles.”
Just as he said this, the faces of Demon Race members changed, but they didn’t panic as they could tell that Yang Kai didn’t plan on doing that from his words.
“However, as thanks for your help over these past few months, we finally have hope of leaving this place, so I am willing to spare your lives.”
“Many thanks, Sir!” The Charm Demon shouted out loud, but there was no response from other Demon Race members.
Yang Kai smiled and added, “I hope we will never meet again.”
[Who wants to meet you again!?] Many Demon Kings and Demon Great Generals rained down curses in their hearts!
“Farewell!” Yang Kai smiled before picking up the black puppy and flying towards Yin Wind Mountain.
Zhu Qing, Zhu Lie, and Li Jiao hurriedly followed after him.
“I wish Sir good luck and safe travels!” The Charm Demon vigorously waved her hands; the corners of her eyes were a little moist.
[Finally! Finally, these living calamities are leaving!] The Demon Kings and Demon Great Generals sincerely prayed in their hearts for them to leave this world, watching Yang Kai and the others’ departing backs.
Yang Kai had been to Yin Wind Mountain more than a dozen times now, each time to perform an experiment with the black puppy, each time climbing further than he previously had.
So, he could be considered to be quite familiar with the way and method.
The Cold Demon Qi continuously blew down the mountain from some unknown place, and the higher one climbed, the more terrifying it was.
At the very beginning, everyone was at ease and could resist the Cold Demon Qi with their own strength, but after a thousand metres, it started to become a little strenuous. None would be able to go farther than a thousand metres without the help of the black puppy.
Obviously, the black puppy was familiar with this too, and after a thousand metres, it opened its mouth wide and sucked in the oncoming Cold Demon Qi into its belly.
In a flash, the four felt the pressure on them greatly reduce. Basically, ninety percent of the oncoming Cold Demon Qi was swallowed by the black puppy while the remaining ten percent was scattered about, easily dealt with by Yang Kai and the others.
As they continued to advance forward, the Cold Demon Qi grew more intense, but the black puppy was safe and sound as it devoured everything.
Only after traversing ten thousand metres did a faint frost start to appear on the black puppy’s body. Obviously, the Cold Demon Qi began to have some effect on it.
In the group of four, Yang Kai was in the lead with the black puppy in his arms, whereas the Zhu sister and brother duo were in the middle, with Li Jiao bringing up the rear, though the distance between them did not exceed more than three steps each.
The surrounding landscape was completely invisible. Even their Divine Sense couldn’t spread more than two hundred metres. Nonetheless, Yang Kai wasn’t worried about going in the wrong direction. He just needed to walk in the direction from where the Cold Demon Qi was blowing.
After a day, they finally noticed signs of an anomaly up ahead.
Powerful Space Principle fluctuations were radiating from that direction. Yang Kai was greatly excited and cried in a loud voice, “We are almost there.”
Hearing what he said, all three of them turned serious, especially Li Jiao. The Emperor Qi emanating from him was extremely fierce and a voice was ringing in his mind, [As long as I can leave this damned place, I’m going straight back to Fire Dragon Palace and not coming out!]
Thinking so, his blood was pumping as he was filled with expectation.
The air around the black puppy became colder and colder as a thick layer of frost covered its body. Its big wide open mouth also became smaller and smaller. Obviously, it was approaching its limit.
About a thousand metres ahead, there seemed to be the source of the Cold Demon Qi. The whistling Yin Winds that were found everywhere on the Yin Wind Mountain were nowhere near as terrifying as they were here.
The last stretch was always the hardest to cross. Yang Kai discovered this place the last time he came here and knew that this should be the place where the exit was. The black puppy had grown a lot stronger over the last few days, so he reckoned that he should be able to bring himself and the others to the exit.
Sink or swim, it all depended on this moment.
Yang Kai constantly whispered words of encouragement in the black puppy’s ears.
The black puppy could obviously understand everything and probably knew that everyone’s life and death were tied to its performance. Suddenly, like divine providence, a muffled roar came from its throat as its small mouth suddenly became bigger again.
All the oncoming Cold Demon Qi was swallowed by it.
Immediately, the pressure on everyone sharply dropped! Yang Kai promptly sped up his footsteps.
Seven hundred metres!
Five hundred metres!
Three hundred metres!
With just one hundred metres left, Yang Kai finally saw what the exit looked like. At first glance, it looked like a rift in space. Furthermore, pure and rich Demon Qi along with an extremely cold aura that could freeze anything and everything in the world was billowing out from that tear, converging in one place.
The rift was several dozen metres long and stretched across the top of Yin Wind Mountain, weaving up and down, continuous and ever-changing, looking extremely unstable.
Logically, such a gap could not possibly continue to exist for a long time because the World Principles would automatically repair it.
But the Revolving World was quite peculiar, located in the Void Crack between the Demon Realm and the Star Boundary. It wouldn’t be surprising if the pulling force of the two Great Worlds were what made a crack appear in the Revolving World and kept it open.
If someday, the pulling force of a certain Great World on the Revolving World suddenly grew stronger, it might tear the entire Revolving World to pieces. At that time, all the creatures living here would surely perish.
A rift like this was inappropriate for anyone to pass through as they wished, because the wild fluctuations in Space Principles could have unpredictable effects on those who tried to cross it. One might pass through without any trouble, or might be ripped apart the instant they tried, it was completely up to luck.
If one wanted to cross such a rift, one would first need to stabilize it to create a safe entrance.
As all kinds of thoughts flashed across Yang Kai’s mind, he had already anticipated this situation and had long come up with a plan. He then shouted, “I will stabilize this exit, but I won’t be able to hold it for too long, three breaths at most. You must quickly follow me so that you don’t get lost in the Void Crack!”
“En!” Zhu Qing nodded while Zhu Lie and Li Jiao also turned serious; their nerves were taut and they were ready to act at a moment’s notice.
When it came to the Void Crack and anything else related to the Dao of Space, they were completely helpless regardless of their great strength. They could only depend on Yang Kai at this moment.
Yang Kai’s face also turned serious as Space Principles flared from his figure. Although he was standing on the same spot, it gave the impression that he was sometimes far and sometimes near as space warped around him.
“Open!”
With a loud shout, the invisible Space Principles condensed, creating a wave visible to the naked eye which shot straight towards the shifting Void Crack.
In an instant, an invisible gate seemed to have been erected at a certain location on the rift, stabilizing that small piece of it.
“Qing’er, hurry!” Yang Kai shouted.
Zhu Qing, who had prepared beforehand, rushed into the invisible gate and disappeared in the blink of an eye.
Zhu Lie followed right on her tail without a word.
Li Jiao was the last to make a move, and in light of his strength, he should be able to rush in if there was no accident, but the moment he left the black puppy’s protection range, he became completely stiff. He was unable to circulate his Emperor Qi, and could only watch the entrance just before him helplessly as he stood rooted on the spot.
His eyes bulged and were almost ready to pop out as his blood went cold and almost froze as panic and despair gripped his heart and soul.
He knew that he was finished this time. If he missed this opportunity, he would never be able to leave this place and would freeze to death in the end.
Panic-stricken and anxious, all he could do was cast a begging look at Yang Kai.
“Waste!” Yang Kai angrily cursed. He hadn’t expected that Li Jiao would freeze at the critical moment. He wanted to leave him behind but he still reached out and grabbed him before quickly rushing towards the crack, holding the black puppy with his other hand.
The three breaths were already over and the stabilized part of the rift had begun to collapse.
Yang Kai had no choice but to push his Space Principles once again, forming a semi-safe region in front of himself before disappearing into it.
The howls of the wind disappeared all of a sudden and their surroundings turned completely quiet and calm. There was no light, nor any World Energy here, only nothingness.
Arriving at such a mysterious and silent place from the howling environment before would make anyone a little uneasy.
In this place, only Divine Sense was of some use.
“Qing’er!” Yang Kai promptly shouted but no voice could propagate here. Fortunately, he sensed Zhu Qing’s aura and immediately threw Li Jiao down and came to Zhu Qing’s side, pulling her into his arms.
“Are you okay?” Yang Kai asked via Divine Sense.
“I’m alright!” Zhu Qing replied. She was the first to charge into the rift, so naturally, nothing would happen to her, but Yang Kai’s concern still filled her with warmth as she asked, “Is this the Void Crack?”
“That’s right, this is the Void Crack!”
It wasn’t the first time Yang Kai had been to this place. The Void Crack was everywhere, and one could enter it from anywhere. Although it was similar in all places, it was unimaginably vast and for most, no matter how strong they were, such a place was extremely dangerous. Once someone was cast into the Void Crack, he or she might become lost here and never escape for the rest of their life.
Only someone proficient in the Dao of Space was qualified to traverse this place, and they were only qualified, far from being able to leisurely stroll around.
At this time, Zhu Lie and Li Jiao also converged on him. Zhu Lie was still good and fine, but Li Jiao was trembling as he had been almost frozen just now; fear still lingering on his face.
Yang Kai’s Divine Sense surged as he warned them, “There are many space turbulences in the Void Crack that can swallow up and sweep one away, or teleport them to some random location. If you sense something strange, don’t try to investigate out of curiosity, just move as far away from it as possible.”
“Palace Master Yang is right, I will follow your orders here,” Li Jiao nodded his agreement without a moment of hesitation.
In this situation, even if Yang Kai farted, he would breathe it in gratefully. He had no choice. After having owed him so many times, including being rescued just now, Li Jiao had no choice but to pin his hopes on Yang Kai if he wanted to make it back to the Star Boundary. If he couldn’t count on him, who could he count on?
“It’s also easy to get lost here. In this place, a momentary lapse is all that is required to lose contact even if you are just arm’s length away, so I suggest that everyone hold each other’s hands like good friends!”
“That’s a really good proposal!” Li Jiao was trying to find some sense of security, and Yang Kai’s proposal undoubtedly hit home as he hurriedly looked over at Zhu Lie.
Zhu Lie, maintaining a cold face, responded, “If you dare to lean over, you’re dead.”
“Ahem, it was Palace Master Yang’s suggestion…” Li Jiao replied, now stuck in a tight position.
Zhu Lie furrowed his brow before he took out a ribbon from his Space Ring without another word.
Although they were inside a chaotic nothingness, when the ribbon appeared, a flash of light immediately brightened the surroundings for a moment. Obviously, it was a fairly good Emperor Artifact. Moreover, it was an Emperor Artifact quite suitable for women.
“Use this,” Zhu Lie suggested. Asking him to hold hands with Li Jiao was more difficult than killing him.
“That should work too!” Yang Kai nodded.
Zhu Lie immediately flicked the ribbon straight at Yang Kai, who grabbed its end and tied it around his waist while Zhu Lie tied the other end to himself.
Li Jiao, looking with eager eyes, asked with an unashamed look, “Leave a bit, leave a bit for me too.”
Zhu Lie let out a snort. Although he was filled with dissatisfaction, he didn’t make things difficult for him and really left a section for Li Jiao, who hurriedly and happily tied it to his wrist.
This way, all three of them were connected with each other, and the quality of the ribbon was pretty good, so it wouldn’t break that easily.
As for Zhu Qing, there was no need to worry about her. Yang Kai was holding her in his arms the whole time, so it could be said that she was in the safest place. It was just that she was blushing and having a hard time adapting to being so close to Yang Kai in front of others.
“Alright, let’s find the exit now,” Yang Kai shouted.
“Do you know where the exit is?” Zhu Lie asked.
“I can sense it somewhat,” Yang Kai turned and looked towards a certain direction before walking off. Zhu Lie and Li Jiao hurriedly followed after him.
After walking for a while, Zhu Lie felt that something was wrong.
Indeed, it was a good idea to use a ribbon to remain connected to each other, avoiding the embarrassment and discomfort of holding hands, but now, it gave the impression that Yang Kai was leading two animals…
Once this thought crossed his mind, Zhu Lie’s face blackened right away.
Li Jiao was struck with panic and large beads of sweat started oozing from his forehead as, much to his surprise, he felt a murderous intent rising from Zhu Lie.
[I didn’t provoke him! So what’s going on now?] He couldn’t understand.
In the boundless Void, a group of four walked for who knows how long and avoided who knows how many Void Turbulences before they finally arrived at a strange place.
This place seemed to be divided into two levels, an upper and lower level, each connected by an enormous whirlpool. The whirlpools were completely pitch-black and seemed capable of swallowing anything and everything, giving everyone the shudders. Both whirlpools appeared to be in a mysterious static state, but anyone could feel the terrifying suction coming from them.
Yang Kai and the others were standing right in the middle of these two vortices.
After meticulously observing them for a long time, Yang Kai solemnly stated, “These two are the exits, and if I’m right, one should lead to the Star Boundary and the other to the Demon Realm.”
Li Jiao asked, “Which should we take?”
Yang Kai replied, pointing at one, “The upper one. Although both look exactly the same, Demon Qi is overflowing from the bottom one. That one definitely leads to the Demon Realm.”
“Since the location is determined, let’s go then,” Zhu Lie urged.
Yang Kai nodded before exhorting, “I will take you out of here back to the Star Boundary, but I can’t guarantee your safety during the transit; after all, there are a lot of variables here.”
“Since that’s the hand we are dealt, it’s useless to say anything anymore.”
Yang Kai pursed his lips into a smile and stated, “Then let’s go, you must closely follow behind me.”
Just as he finished speaking, his figure rushed towards the upper vortex. Space Principles madly surged as an invisible blow shot straight toward the vortex, prying open a way through it, creating a safe passage between the two realms.
Immediately, some unexpected changes began to appear in that calm and quiet vortex. The rotating layers upon layers madly squeezed from all directions, as if they wanted to push everyone out.
At first glance, the entire scene gave the impression that Yang Kai was riding a giant wave, waves that separated and then merged back together, and swirled behind him.
Zhu Lie and Li Jiao could only follow closely behind Yang Kai to avoid getting swallowed up by the current.
Fortunately, everyone was a Master among Masters and were connected by the Emperor Artifact ribbon. Furthermore, no one made any mistakes at this critical point.
Yang Kai pushed forward like a hot knife cutting through butter, releasing Space Principles to the limit.
After shuttling through the vortex for who knows how long, Yang Kai suddenly felt a huge resistance coming from the front, making him feel as if he had run straight into an iron plate. His blood began to roil and he could see stars circling around him.
The World Barrier!
The reason the two Great Worlds weren’t connected to each other was because of the existence of World Barriers. This was the barrier that shielded and bordered a Great World. Generally speaking, it was extremely strong and even Great Emperors couldn’t tear it apart.
According to what Yang Kai knew, only the Great Demon God of the Demon Realm once pierced through the World Barrier, allowing the Demon Realm’s Masters to descend to the ancient Star Boundary.
If the World Barrier was in a normal state, Yang Kai would never be able to pierce through it even if he was proficient in the Dao of Space; after all, his cultivation was too low. Compared to those ancient Masters, he was just in the First-Order Emperor.
But the World Barriers were incomplete here because of the existence of the Revolving World floating between the Star Boundary and the Demon Realm, so some flaws had appeared in it.
Although Yang Kai was disoriented after the collision, he also noticed a chance to break through it.
Suddenly, the Seven Coloured Soul Warming Lotus in his Knowledge Sea bloomed with seven coloured brilliance, stabilizing Yang Kai’s mind. At the same time, Yang Kai pushed his Space Principles to form Moon Blades one after another which he crazily fired towards the front.
Countless Moon Blades fell like a meteor shower and a gap really began to appear in the sturdy World Barrier.
Yang Kai rejoiced as he led everyone through that gap.
But right then, an accident occurred. Who knows whether it was triggered because of Yang Kai’s methods or because a gap had suddenly appeared in the World Barrier, but the Void Turbulences suddenly rioted, sweeping everyone up in an instant.
Yang Kai was caught off guard, and by the time he regained his wits, Zhu Qing was nowhere to be found.
He immediately turned pale in horror and promptly spread out his Divine Sense, but the next moment, his heart hit rock bottom.
Not only had Zhu Qing disappeared, even Zhu Lie and Li Jiao, who were following behind him, had also disappeared. Even the black puppy was nowhere to be found.
Yang Kai broke into a cold sweat and stood rooted on his spot.
Yang Kai turned around, wanting to rush back, but the World Barrier had already repaired itself.
After a bright flash of light, Yang Kai appeared in another world.
Feeling the familiar World Principles in his surroundings, Yang Kai understood that he had returned to the Star Boundary, but it was a little different from his expectations. He wasn’t in the Frozen Earth, because there was no ice and snow anywhere in sight.
This wasn’t even the Northern Territory as although the World Principles of the Star Boundary were roughly the same everywhere, there were some subtle differences between the different territories.
Yang Kai had lived in the Northern Territory for quite some time, so if he was in the Northern Territory now, he would definitely have sensed it.
[Where the Hell am I?]
[Zhu Qing and the others wouldn’t have failed to keep up and get lost into the Void, could they?] Just as this thought crossed Yang Kai’s mind, his face immediately turned incomparably ugly. He hadn’t expected for an accident to happen when he had opened a rift in the World Barrier. Had he known this earlier, he would have been more cautious.
If Zhu Qing and the others were really lost in the Void, they might never be able to find their way out. In that case, he would have to return to the Revolving World to search for them, but even the black puppy was gone now, so even if he could really enter the Revolving World, he would not be able to venture deep into Yin Wind Mountain.
In a flash, Yang Kai became extremely depressed, and all the joy of returning to the Star Boundary had completely vanished.
He lowered his head and looked at his waist where Zhu Lie’s ribbon artifact was broken and had lost most of its brilliance. Its spirituality was completely lost as this fairly good Emperor Artifact was cut to pieces by the intense Void Turbulence. If Zhu Qing and the others had suffered similar fates, even their dragon bodies would be injured.
Taking a deep breath, Yang Kai forced himself to calm down and carefully think about what just transpired.
After a moment, Yang Kai’s taut nerves finally relaxed.
Although everything happened during a very short span of time, he still had sensed a little, and recalling everything step by step, he found some clues. He now believed that Zhu Qing and the others should not be lost in the Void as the Void Turbulence, which caused them to be separated, struck them as they passed through the World Barrier.
If that was the case, it meant that they had all returned to the Star Boundary, but the place where everyone returned was different.
[As long as Zhu Qing and Zhu Lie returned to the Star Boundary, they would not be in any danger. Perhaps they might be searching for me now.]
As this thought crossed his mind, Yang Kai finally relaxed somewhat, but whether this was the case or not, it had not been verified yet.
Finally, he looked around and found himself standing amidst scorching sand and violent sandstorms, like he was in a desert. The World Energy here was pretty lacking, and the environment was a little harsh too; he could not find a single piece of grass growing anywhere in sight.
[In any case, I need to find Zhu Qing and the others first.]
Thinking so, Yang Kai immediately summoned his Flowing Clouds Shuttle and flew off in a random direction to begin searching.
The desert seemed vast; Yang Kai had been searching around for several days but had not found its end. Of course, he had been circling around where he had appeared and hadn’t travelled in a straight line. Had he flown in just one direction, perhaps he would have left the desert.
The reason he was constantly circling was to look for any signs of Zhu Qing and the others.
After five days though, Yang Kai, who was keeping a close watch on the surroundings on the Flowing Clouds Shuttle, finally sensed a familiar aura. He was taken aback and immediately made a beeline in that direction.
It didn’t take him that long to reach that place, where he saw billowing sand as if an army was rushing over; it was quite an amazing sight.
And in front of that dust storm, a small black figure was running. It seemed to be running away from some fearsome Master, looking quite panicked as it weaved left and right.
The black figure was extremely fast, but pursuing it was an extremely powerful Monster Beast. This Monster Beast was treading the sand but was still unable to catch up to its target. Furious, it kept angrily roaring and attacking, leaving enormous pits in the surrounding deserts.
Promptly stowing the Flowing Clouds Shuttle, Yang Kai ran towards the fleeing black figure.
The black figure had obviously sensed Yang Kai’s aura and raised its head to stare at him. The black figure looked pleasantly surprised and immediately made a beeline towards Yang Kai, its speed shooting up as it pulled away from its pursuer.
After a while, the little black shadow arrived before Yang Kai and jumped into his arms, whimpering and trembling.
“Ah Wang, it’s alright now, don’t be afraid!” Yang Kai’s anxious heart finally relaxed as he gently stroked the black puppy’s back.
Seeing the black puppy, Yang Kai finally confirmed that Zhu Qing and the others were safe and sound. At least Zhu Qing was absolutely fine as the black puppy had been in Zhu Qing’s arms the whole time. Since the black puppy had returned to the Star Boundary, Zhu Qing had definitely returned as well. Only, he had no idea where she was.
Obviously, the black puppy had been fleeing for a long while as it was out of breath and its small body was heaving up and down. It had finally found a sense of security in Yang Kai’s arms.
“Hou!”
A deafening roar suddenly reverberated across the sky, shaking eardrums before the billowing sand flew over and an enormous Monster Beast the size of a two story building suddenly appeared. The beast looked extremely terrifying, like an angry bull that had two fangs protruding from the corners of its mouth. Its eyes were red as blood and it was exuding fearsome Monster Qi. Judging by the aura it was radiating, it appeared to be a peak Eleventh-Order Monster Beast.
Yang Kai failed to stifle his laughter, “You are really useless. You were chased by this guy? Don’t you have your Swallowing Divine Ability?”
An Eleventh-Order Monster Beast was equivalent to a Dao Source Realm Master, that’s all. This Monster Beast might appear fearsome but the black puppy had even swallowed Demon Kings, so how could it be helpless before a mere Eleventh-Order Monster Beast?
Yang Kai couldn’t understand what was going on?
“Don’t make trouble! Swallow it.” Yang Kai poked the black puppy, but he didn’t expect it to shrink even more into his arms, leaving only its butt and its short tail between its legs exposed. It looked as if it would not come out no matter what.
“Hou!” The Eleventh-Order Monster Beast was angered by Yang Kai’s carefree appearance and let out another roar before it lifted its enormous paw and smacked it down towards him with the intention of flattening Yang Kai into nothing.
Yang Kai furrowed his brow before lifting his arm and flicking his finger straight towards the Monster Beast’s hoof.
The enormous hoof suddenly exploded and the Monster Beast was sent flying. The brutality in its scarlet eyes disappeared all of a sudden, replaced by pure horror.
Having cultivated to the Eleventh Order, a Monster Beast would naturally have some level of sentience even if it did not have a Human Form; hence, it would know how to seek out fortune and avoid misfortune.
When Yang Kai easily used a finger to cause its huge hoof to explode, it immediately sensed that it was in mortal danger. Therefore, it turned around without hesitation, wrapped itself in sand and dust, and escaped into the distance as swiftly as the wind. The ability to wrap itself in sand and dust seemed like some sort of Innate Divine Ability for it to escape from danger.
Yang Kai was in a good mood since he managed to locate the black puppy; thus, he did not give chase nor kill it ruthlessly. An Eleventh-Order Monster Beast was nothing to him, so he simply watched it escape without stopping it.
“What’s with you?” He held the black puppy up in front of his eyes and studied it carefully; he was unable to make heads or tails of the situation. It could even devour a Demon King, so why is it being driven into the corner by a mere Eleventh-Order Monster Beast? He would not have believed it had he not seen it with his own eyes.
Thinking back on it, Gong Yue, who had been taken over by a Demon Spirit at the time, once said that the black puppy had a faint trace of the Abyssal Returner’s bloodline; however, he did not outrightly mention that it was an Abyssal Returner cub. It was very likely that the puppy did not come from a pure bloodline.
Its Innate Divine Ability would instinctively be stimulated when faced with its favourite food, the Demon Race. Unfortunately, that ability was unstable and unreliable against other kinds of enemies. It once devoured Liao Guan Shi in the Revolving World without any warning, but behaved very ordinarily when fighting against the Princes and Princesses of the Imperial Family. It had not used its innate devouring ability at the time even once.
From the looks of it, it probably failed to bring out its Divine Ability and was chased by an Eleventh-Order Monster Beast as a result. It was pretty troublesome to have impure bloodlines.
Even so, Yang Kai wasn’t bothered by this. It was good if the black puppy was capable, but it was fine even if it wasn’t; after all, he did not need to rely on its power. The most important thing was that he finally knew that Zhu Qing and the others were here.
Picking up the black puppy, he placed it on his shoulder, but did not summon his Emperor Grade flight-type Artifact. Instead, Yang Kai just flew into the air directly before he continued his search. Unfortunately, for the next ten days, he made no new discoveries.
Ten days later, an oasis suddenly appeared in Yang Kai’s field of vision. Discovering such a pleasing spot out of the blue in this land of endless sand and dust instantly made his mood brighten.
There seemed to be a small village in the oasis, and Yang Kai could sense a number of life auras inside. Sweeping his Divine Sense across the village, he discovered that there were no powerful cultivators here, with the strongest person being just a Dao Source Realm while the rest were even lower than that.
Yang Kai headed to the oasis and landed beside the clear pool of water. Bending down, he washed his face in the water while the black puppy jumped into the water and started swimming freely. When he lifted his head again, he saw several children standing next to him and staring at him with wide eyes brimming with curiosity.
The children were a mix of boys and girls, with the youngest no older than five while the oldest was perhaps eleven or twelve. It might have been due to the environment, but their clothes were shabby and patched over multiple times. Moreover, they had terrible complexions and were all skin and bones, looking extremely malnourished.
The older ones among them seemed to have begun cultivating. Unfortunately, their cultivation was weak to the point that it was pitiful. They stood tens of meters away from Yang Kai, staring at him timidly with eyes that sparkled with curiosity.
Yang Kai smiled at them slightly, but just as he was about to speak, his gaze focused on something in one of the girl’s hair. Smiling even more happily, Yang Kai asked in as friendly a voice as possible, “Hey, where did you get that?”
This girl was among the older ones in the group of children and had tied a ribbon into her hair. What surprised Yang Kai was the material the ribbon was made out of. It turned out to be part of the Emperor Artifact Ribbon Zhu Lie had brought out!
Back in the Void Crack, everybody had used this Emperor Artifact Ribbon to tie themselves together to prevent getting lost or separated. However, that artifact had been shredded when they crossed the World Barrier by a violent Void Turbulence. Yang Kai had one section in his possession originally, but later threw it away since he no longer had a use for it.
[I can’t believe I’d find another section of that artifact here! This is clearly not the one that I threw away as the place I discarded mine is far away from here, there is no way this little girl could have picked up that ribbon from over there. In other words, this section of the ribbon must have been dropped by either Li Jiao or Zhu Lie.] This discovery confirmed Yang Kai’s suspicions from before: everyone had returned to Star Boundary, it was just that they all landed in different places.
When Yang Kai spoke up abruptly, the children jumped in fright and took several steps back in unison.
“Can you let me see that for a moment? I will return it to you once I’m done,” stretching out his hand, the ribbon loosened and flew over to Yang Kai. He lowered his head and studied the ribbon and was now certain it was a piece of the Emperor Artifact. It was too bad that its spirituality was completely lost after it was torn to pieces and no longer had any use. If not for that, the aura of an Emperor Rank Artifact alone would be enough to crush this little girl into dust.
Nodding repeatedly, he lifted his head again to ask something, but to his surprise, he saw the children fleeing without warning. They were probably frightened away by his sudden movements.
Moments later, several dozen cultivators of varying strength rushed over from all directions following the screams of the children. In the blink of an eye, they surrounded Yang Kai, all of them staring at him warily, their expressions rather unkind.
Yang Kai failed to stifle his laughter even though he knew that his actions were a little reckless. His gaze shifted and landed on the face of one of the middle-aged men as he asked, “Are you the one in charge here?”
That middle-aged man’s cultivation was at the Second-Order Dao Source Realm and he was the strongest person here, but for some reason, his face looked particularly haggard and aged. It seemed even his cultivation could not prevent the passing years from carving wrinkles into his face while the rest of the villagers were in similar situations. Moreover, Yang Kai could tell that something was amiss from their expressions. The looks in their eyes seemed to be filled with despair.
Upon hearing Yang Kai’s question, the middle-aged man nodded, “That is correct. I am the one in charge of Green Water Village. May I know Your Excellency’s name?”
Although his cultivation was not as high as Yang Kai’s, he could tell that the young man in front of him was not somebody he could afford to provoke. Thus, he spoke with great respect, for fear that he might bring disaster down on the Green Water Village.
“My name doesn’t matter, I just wanted to ask something,” Yang Kai lifted the ribbon in his hands and continued, “I saw the little girl wearing this on her head just now, so I wanted to know where she obtained it. I didn’t mean to frighten them. Can you help me ask her about it instead?”
The middle-aged man said, “If that’s the case, there’s no need to ask her.”
“Do you know about it?”
He nodded and replied, “She received that item from a red-haired young man.”
“A red-haired young man!” Yang Kai was overjoyed when he heard the news. He didn’t need to inquire further to know that the red-haired young man was Zhu Lie and thus, he hurriedly asked, “Where is that red-haired young man now?”
“He left a long time ago,” the middle-aged man mulled over it for a bit before continuing, “He suddenly appeared in this place about half a month ago and waited here for about half a day. Then, a woman came looking for him. After that, they left together.”
Yang Kai anxiously asked, “What did that woman look like? Did she have red hair too?”
The middle-aged man nodded, “That’s right. Moreover, those two looked very strong, I believe they were even stronger than you.”
“That’s right; that’s right. They are certainly stronger than I am,” Yang Kai was all smiles, his worries finally completely laid to rest. Although he had guessed that Zhu Qing was fine when he managed to locate the black puppy, it was still a huge relief to receive confirmation.
Red hair was a unique characteristic of the Red Dragon siblings. Zhu Lie had obviously arrived at this oasis and used a Dragon Clan Secret Technique to contact Zhu Qing. Then, they left this place together after she arrived.
The middle-aged man continued, “This ribbon is what the red-haired young man left behind when he left this place. Please excuse the child’s ignorance for picking it up and playing with it. You can have it back if it is something you need.”
Yang Kai waved his hand lightly in response, “That is not necessary. I just wanted some information, there’s no need to be so nervous.”
While speaking, he flicked his wrist and the ribbon immediately flew to the little girl and stopped in front of her. The little girl glanced at Yang Kai several times before grabbing the ribbon and holding it in her palm like a treasured item.
After ascertaining that he meant no harm, the group of people finally felt relieved. They had sensed how powerful Yang Kai was and knew if he meant to harm them, they would have no way to resist.
“Which direction did that man and woman leave in? Do you know?”
The middle-aged man pointed with his hand, “That way!”
Glancing into the distance, Yang Kai cupped his fists and said, “Many thanks!”
Subsequently, he turned around and called for the black puppy. Picking Ah Wang up, he then left in the direction Zhu Qing and her brother had gone, chasing after them.
Upon seeing him leave, the villagers secretly breathed a sigh of relief; however, it was just a momentary respite as a figure appeared in front of them again a moment later. It was the powerful young man from before who had for some reason returned.
The middle-aged man asked curiously, “Does Your Excellency need something else?”
Yang Kai smiled, “I thought about it, and since you helped me out, I should return the favour to you.”
“It was nothing; please don’t worry about it!” The middle-aged man shook his head in response.
“It might be a trivial matter to you, but it is extremely important to me. In that case, go ahead and tell me what you need. I will do my best to satisfy you!”
As soon as those words left his mouth, a small commotion ran through the crowd as they looked at the middle-aged man in unison.
Similarly, the head of the village’s expression changed significantly. Even so, he hesitated for a long time before shaking his head and saying, “Many thanks, Your Excellency; however, we are currently not in need of anything in particular.”
Yang Kai smiled, “Looking at your expressions, it must be something difficult to ask, or perhaps there are lives at stake. Not answering when asked means that you are either being restrained by something, or do not have confidence in me. Tell me, who is troubling you?”
“It’s nothing,” the middle-aged man shook his head again with a nervous expression, “Your Excellency, please go quickly. The people you are looking for left half a month ago, so if you don’t leave now, you won’t be able to catch up with them again.”
Yang Kai ignored the village head and turned his gaze to the little girl who had picked up the ribbon instead to ask, “In truth, you are the one who did me the favour, so I would like to return the favour in kind. Tell me, is somebody bullying you? I will go and beat them up so that they won’t be able to bully you again.”
The little girl exclaimed in surprise, “Really?”
“Yes, really.”
Then, the little girl said, “Then, can you go and defeat that giant snake? It often comes here to eat people. Both my brother and sister were eaten by it.”
“A giant snake?” Yang Kai frowned.
Ten days later. Yang Kai leisurely appeared in a city somewhere. After so many days, he finally figured out where he was. He was in the Western Territory! The Western Territory was said to be the most barren and desolate of the four domains in the Star Boundary.
Despite coming to Star Boundary for so many years, Yang Kai had yet to step foot into the Western Territory. He never thought that he would accidentally come here upon escaping from the Revolving World and did not know if there were mysterious and unseen forces at work behind the scenes.
Ten days ago, he had left the oasis and went to slay a Monster Beast, a giant snake. It was a Twelfth-Order Monster Beast, which was comparable to a Second-Order Emperor Realm Master. It considered the people living in the oasis food and would devour one or two of them from time to time. Unfortunately, the people living in the oasis were powerless, even if they wanted to escape. Anyone who dared to venture any further than five kilometres from the oasis would die a horrible death.
Even though that Twelfth-Order Monster Beast was a terrifying nightmare to those people, it was nothing to Yang Kai; thus, he got rid of it in passing. It was also to return a favour to those people. He did not return to the oasis again afterwards, leaving straight away without another word. He was certain that the people in the oasis would discover that the giant snake causing trouble for them had been slain within a few days.
He then chased after Zhu Qing and her brother but did not find traces of them anywhere, so he concluded they must have returned to Dragon Island or gone back to High Heaven Palace. At this point, Yang Kai was no longer in a rush to search for them. Travelling across the mountains and the rivers, he enjoyed the unique customs and sceneries of the Western Territory in a leisurely manner.
It was a rare opportunity for him to come to the Western Territory; hence, he wanted to find a remote and hidden location to set up a Cross-Territory Space Array. That way, it would be more convenient for him to come to the Western Territory again in the future. However, he couldn’t find a suitable place for his use despite searching for several days, leaving him feeling somewhat helpless.
The Western Territory might be relatively remote and barren compared to the other three territories, but relative was still just relative. Having said that, it contained many famous lands which were cultivation paradises rich in World Energy.
The famous Shadow Killer Palace was also located in the Western Territory. Shadow Killer Palace was the Hegemon of the Western Territory and was led by a Great Emperor. It was established by none other than the frightening Night Shadow Great Emperor.
Compared to other Great Emperor Sects, Shadow Killer Palace was undoubtedly the most mysterious one. That was because even the local cultivators in the Western Territory were not sure as to where the Sect was situated, nor how many disciples it had. Even so, it did not prevent Shadow Killer Palace from standing supreme in the hearts of the Western Territory’s cultivators.
If one were to say that Star Soul Palace was the Holy Land in the hearts of the Southern Territory’s cultivators, then Shadow Killer Palace held the same status in the Western Territory.
As Great Emperors were Masters among Masters, a Great Emperor who was proficient in the way of assassination was even more terrifying. There were rumours in the Western Territory that although there were no obvious differences in strengths among the Great Emperors, the most feared one was none other than Night Shadow Great Emperor. That honour was not something ordinary people could ever grasp.
The city Yang Kai entered was not that small, and he immediately made his way into a tavern, found a table by the window, and sat down. Then, the shop-hand immediately came over and greeted him enthusiastically, “Hello, what would you like to order?”
“Do you have any Sword Wine?” Yang Kai asked.
The shop hand grinned meaningfully in response, “You came to the right place, Sir. There are thousands of shops in Star Point City, but only ten of them sell Sword Wine. This small shop happens to be one of them.”
Yang Kai waved his hand magnanimously, “Bring me a hundred bottles to quench my thirst!”
The Western Territory was not just famous for Shadow Killer Palace and the Night Shadow Great Emperor. It was also famous for the Sword Wine, a wine brewed by a place known as the Sword Villa. The brewing process of the Sword Wine was extremely complicated and time-consuming. More importantly, it required a Master proficient in the Sword Dao to pour their insight into the wine. For that reason, every bottle of it was extremely precious.
The Sword Wine was very beneficial for cultivators, and consuming it long-term could improve cultivation, especially for those cultivating the Sword Dao. It could help cultivators comprehend the concepts of the Sword Dao better and it was precisely because of the Sword Wine’s existence that there were more Sword Masters in the Western Territory compared to the other three territories.
When Yang Kai first met Zhu Qing, she kept pestering him non-stop to be ‘friends’, which annoyed him to no end. Hence, he sent her to the Western Territory to obtain some Sword Wine in order to escape from her pestering. He originally did that just to make things difficult for her, but to his surprise, she actually managed to obtain a bottle of Sword Wine in rather short order.
Recalling the unfamiliarity and repulsion between them in the beginning, Yang Kai couldn’t help sighing in amazement at the thought that they were now husband and wife. It truly was impossible to predict the future. Fate is decided by the Heavens, and everything in life is part of a never-ending cycle. Zhu Qing herself probably never expected the two of them to end up as a couple either.
Now that Yang Kai had experienced the Western Territory for himself, the first thing he thought about was the Sword Wine. If he could obtain large quantities of the Sword Wine, it would be helpful to the future development of High Heaven Palace. More so since his relatives and friends back on Shadowed Star were not strong enough. When the time came for him to bring them to the Star Boundary, it would surely be easier for them to cultivate if they had the assistance of the Sword Wine.
[Perhaps, I should visit Sword Villa to find a way to cooperate with them. At any rate, I am an Emperor Rank Alchemist, so I’m sure Sword Villa won’t be able to deny my request if I can meet their requirements.]
As those thoughts flashed through Yang Kai’s mind, mocking laughter sounded from the table next to him, “Which rock did you crawl out from under? What do you take the Sword Wine for? I can’t believe you tried to order a hundred bottles. You sure don’t know your own limits!”
Yang Kait turned his head to look in the direction of the sound and saw a burly man with his chest exposed looking at him mockingly. He had a bulb-like nose and a toad-like mouth, making him look extremely ugly. He wore a string of skulls around his neck that originated from some sort of unknown beasts. Each skull was approximately the size of a fist and gave off a chilling aura, which only served to set off his ferociousness even more.
That person’s appearance might be rather horrendous, but Yang Kai was more surprised to discover that that man was a Second-Order Emperor. Moreover, two other First-Order Emperors shared a table with that man.
Yang Kai couldn’t help frowning. According to his observations, Star Point City was not considered a big city, so it did not make sense for so many Emperor Realm Masters to be here.
However, the truth was that there seemed to be two other Emperors in this tavern aside from those three at that table. Stealthily extending his Divine Sense outward, Yang Kai studied his surroundings and instantly discovered that something was wrong. These Emperor Realm Masters seemed to be waiting for something here.
When their gazes met, the brawny man slammed his fist against the table and sternly roared, “What are you looking at?! I was talking about you, you country bumpkin!”
[What a nasty temper!] Yang Kai chuckled secretly. He couldn’t be bothered to pick a fight with that man while on the other hand, the other two Emperor Realm Masters sharing the same table as him hurriedly piped up, “Senior Xiong, please calm down. Why are you trying to reason with a country bumpkin like him? We should focus on business instead.”
“That’s right!” The other person fervently agreed.
The burly man with the surnamed ‘Xiong’ snorted coldly at those words. Yang Kai showing weakness seemed to stroke his ego and vanity so he threw a disdainful look at him before picking up his wine and draining the contents with a smug expression.
Seeing that a storm had passed, the shop-hand nearby wiped away his cold sweat and tentatively glanced at Yang Kai to ask, “Does Sir come from afar?”
“You have a good eye, little guy!” Yang Kai smiled gently without denying it.
Generally speaking, servants working in these kinds of crowded environments would develop an excellent eye for people. They could pretty much figure out the origins and status of a person with a single glance. Besides, there were subtle differences between Yang Kai’s clothes and the clothes of the Western Territory’s cultivators and he was also covered in dust from his travels. If the shop hand failed to notice these details, he would be unqualified for his job.
The shop hand smiled and said, “Then, I can’t blame Sir for not knowing. I’m sure you know that Sword Wine can only be produced by Sword Villa; therefore, the amount produced every year is limited. This shop may sell Sword Wine, but we have a limited supply of it. I’m afraid something like a hundred bottles of Sword Wine… Is beyond what we can sell.”
Yang Kai understood and asked, “How many bottles can I buy?”
The shop hand answered embarrassedly, “One bottle.”
“Only one bottle?” Even though Yang Kai was somewhat mentally prepared, he was still taken aback by the answer. It seemed as though the Sword Wine was not something one could drink casually even in the Western Territory. [I wonder how Zhu Qing obtained the Sword Wine back then?]
Despite his curiosity, Yang Kai didn’t care too much so he simply nodded, “Oh well. One bottle it is, then. I want the best one you have.”
As soon as the words left his mouth, the burly man by the side sneered again, “Is the best Sword Wine something that you are worthy of drinking? Why don’t you look at yourself in the mirror? What a shameless fool.”
Another person at the same table laughed, “There are all kinds of people out there in the world. Senior Xiong, why do you care about what he does?”
That burly man shook his head, “I can’t stand these useless good-for-nothings that have nothing to them aside from their good looks. I get the urge to beat them up every time I meet one.”
Meanwhile, Yang Kai turned a deaf ear to those words and simply addressed the shop hand again, “Can you explain it to me?”
The shop hand felt even more embarrassed as he explained, “The Sword Wine can be categorized into three classes: Low-Rank, Mid-Rank, and High-Rank. This shop only sells Low-Rank and Mid-Rank Sword Wines. On the other hand, only one bottle of the High-Rank Sword Wine is sold each day and those can only be bought by participating in the auction.”
“An auction?!” Yang Kai looked surprised but soon realized that this was a way for the shop to solicit customers; after all, special goods always sold better. He immediately asked, “About today’s auction…”
“It ended this morning.”
Yang Kai nodded and pondered in silence for a moment, “I see, get me a bottle of Mid-Rank Sword Wine then.”
“Good! Please wait a moment!” The shop hand seemed relieved to see that Yang Kai was being so reasonable; thus, he turned around to leave after responding.
Yang Kai turned to look out the window then, watching the weaving flow of people as the urge to visit Sword Villa grew stronger.
At that moment, a quiet conversation entered his ears. One person said, “The Wind and Cloud Pavilion has gone all out this time around and issued a wanted order for that little girl. If anybody manages to kill her, they will receive a reward of 10 million High-Rank Source Crystals. The reward for capturing her alive is even more remarkable. They are offering a reward of 20 million High-Rank Source Crystals for that!”
The voices came from the table by the side where those three Emperor Realm Masters sat. They believed that their voices were soft enough that nobody else could hear them; however, Yang Kai’s Divine Sense was extremely powerful so he could hear their voices clearly regardless of how softly they spoke.
A reward ranging from 10 to 20 million High-Rank Source Crystals was very tempting to these Emperor Realm Masters; after all, even Fire Dragon Palace, a top Sect in the Northern Territory, only made 50 million High-Rank Source Crystals a year. Moreover, that was the income of the entire Sect. What was distributed to the individuals within the Sect was much less than that. For that reason, 10 million to 20 million High-Rank Source Crystals was quite astonishing in comparison.
As soon as the words left that person’s mouth, another said, “It’s all that girl’s fault for killing the Young Pavilion Master of Wind and Cloud Pavilion. Because of that, she provoked Wind and Cloud Pavilion’s ire. How can she possibly survive? She will die sooner or later.”
The first person replied, “That girl is pretty interesting too. Of all the people she could choose to kill, she had to kill the Young Pavilion Master of Wind and Cloud Pavilion. Although the Old Pavilion Master of Wind and Cloud Pavilion has many wives and concubines, he does not have any children to continue the family name. It was not easy for him to get a son; moreover, he spoiled his son rotten. How could he let bygones be bygones now that his precious son has been killed? If not for that, the reward would never be that generous.”
“Speaking of which, the Young Pavilion Master wasn’t anything good either. He abused his status and the love the Old Pavilion Master had for him to oppress both men and women. He was completely lawless. Even though his cultivation wasn’t high, he had a strong background supporting him. I don’t know how many women he ruined. I heard that the reason he was killed was that he had molested that little girl.”
The eyes of the burly man surnamed Xiong brightened at those words, “Does that mean that the girl is a beauty?”
The first person burst out laughing, “Of course! Think about it; the Young Pavilion Master has played with countless women already, so what kind of woman has he not seen before? He wouldn’t be interested in ordinary women! I’ll be honest with you, I caught a glimpse of that girl from a distance, and I can say with confidence she is extremely beautiful. It was as if an Immortal Fairy had descended to the Earth! If I could marry a woman like that, I would surely lose my motivation to cultivate. How could a sleazy Young Master like the Young Pavilion Master keep his hands off her the moment he saw her? It’s just that…”
“What?”
“It’s just that her strength was equally extraordinary. I’m not sure I could win against her, that’s why I just watched the opportunity slip away from me.”
“I love gorgeous women too,” the man surnamed Xiong grabbed the wine bottle from the table and took a swig. The wine dripped out of the corner of his mouth, making him look bold and unconstrained as an evil light flashed across his eyes, “I want to see just how beautiful this woman is. She is merely a First-Order Emperor Realm Master, so if I ever meet her, she won’t be able to escape from me!”
“With Senior Xiong taking action, the girl won’t be able to escape anymore,” one of them flatteringly said.
The man surnamed Xiong laughed, “Once I capture her, I will have a good time with her before handing her over to Wind and Cloud Pavilion to get the bounty.”
“Good! If you really capture her, Senior Xiong, please let me have some fun with her too.”
He snickered, “Brother, you sure have strange preferences. You want my leftovers?”
“It’s just for fun. It’s not like I’m marrying her, so what does it matter?”
“Sure, then let’s do that. It’s just that I don’t know if the information is accurate. Is that little girl really going to pass by this place?”
“The information has been confirmed. That girl is bold if nothing else. Despite offending Wind and Cloud Pavilion, she did not conceal her whereabouts and is instead killing her way towards Wind and Cloud Pavilion. It seems like many died at her hands already. Since she is making her way towards Wind and Cloud Pavilion, she will surely pass by Star Point City. We can just wait here for her to come. Didn’t the two of you notice that there are many Emperor Realm Masters in Star Point City? They are all here for that girl.”
“Hmph, they want to steal my prey? With their strength? How arrogant of them! They had better not get in my way or they can’t blame me for being merciless!”
“What you said is right, Senior Xiong! How can this pile of trash compare to you?”
While those people were talking among themselves, the man surnamed Xiong suddenly looked up and glanced in Yang Kai’s direction.
At that moment, Yang Kai was tasting the Mid-Rank Sword Wine that had been delivered to him by the shop hand; however, he immediately frowned after taking a sip as he discovered that the taste of this Sword Wine was a little different from the one he had drunk before.
[It’s not the same Rank at all!] Although the wine contained some Sword Intent, it was extremely weak. Yang Kai could easily refine the Sword Intent that rushed into his body and his meridians, so it was of no use to him at all.
[The Sword Wine Zhu Qing gave me before seems to be a rather high-end product.] Holding the wine glass in his hand, he frowned and suddenly felt rather empty inside.
All of a sudden, the opened bottle of wine on the table was sucked to the side by a powerful force as the man surnamed Xiong laughed loudly and said to Yang Kai, “Little brat, the Sword Wine isn’t something you can drink. I’ll reluctantly help you finish it. You don’t need to thank me.”
The Sword Wine at his table had been finished a long time ago; therefore, he indiscriminately snatched Yang Kai’s bottle away. While speaking, he picked up the wine bottle and gulped down the contents greedily, his Emperor Qi rippling slightly as if stimulated by the Sword Intent in the wine.
In response, Yang Kai’s expression immediately darkened. This burly man surnamed Xiong had scorned him several times, and at first, Yang Kai had been too lazy to bother with him, but now this man went so far as to snatch away his Sword Wine from right under his nose. Although Yang Kai did not care much for that bottle of Mid-Rank Sword Wine, nor plan to finish drinking it, letting it be snatched away by somebody else was a different matter altogether.
“What great wine!” The burly man surnamed Xiong finished drinking the bottle and the vitality of his body was stimulated by the Sword Intent, causing his face to become flushed. Wiping at his mouth, he yelled out cheerfully. Similarly, the other two people at the table were watching Yang Kai with scornful and jeering looks.
Yang Kai’s expression was frosty as he said, “As the saying goes, ‘all lay loads on the willing horse’. Initially, I had no plans to stoop down to your level, but you trash just had to provoke me. It looks like you are begging to die.”
When the burly man surnamed Xiong heard those words, he was taken aback for a moment before he burst out laughing, “What did you say, boy? I didn’t hear you clearly, why don’t you say that again, hmm?”
He deliberately leaned his ear towards Yang Kai while speaking, acting as if he really wanted to hear properly.
Yang Kai sighed softly, “Some people are simply frogs in a well; the sky above them is only as wide as they can see, but for some reason, they seem to think that they’re amazing.”
The expression of the burly man surnamed Xiong turned cold as he stood up abruptly and snarled, “Little brat, just who did you say is a frog in a well?!”
The other two people sitting at the same table as that man stood up as well and started to circulate their Emperor Qi. One of them snorted, “Don’t talk nonsense, little brat. This place is not your poor countryside home. It’s fine if you get embarrassed from saying the wrong things, but it’ll be bad if you lose your life because of that.”
“The ones that will lose their lives are you people!” Yang Kai lifted his hand slightly to teach these three people a profound and unforgettable lesson.
But at that moment, an abnormality occurred. A loud noise came from afar, followed by several blood-curdling screams that resounded through the sky. It sounded like a battle was taking place nearby. Emperor Qi filled the air as the World Energy and Principles were thrown into chaos. In the next instant, a pink figure suddenly shot by overhead.
Yang Kai was sitting by the window and caught a whiff of a faint fragrance as that figure passed him by. He then spotted a graceful figure with long hair flying in the wind and a fluttering pink robe out of the corner of his eyes, but she was gone in a blink of an eye. Immediately after that, several rays of light rushed by as they gave chase.
“Slut! How dare you run away?”
“How dare you show up here in Star Point City?! You won’t be able to escape this time!”
“Hurry up! Don’t let her get away again! The reward is 20 million High-Rank Source Crystals!”
The commotion lasted for a while as hundreds of people chased after the girl. There were some Emperors, but most were just Dao Source Realms, obviously tagging along to join in on the fun.
Meanwhile, Yang Kai was frozen in place from shock. His brain had blanked out at that moment as he stared blankly at the figure that had long since disappeared into the distance before he rubbed his eyes vigorously.
“It’s that little girl!” Exclamations rang out from behind him.
“Let’s go!” Another person hurriedly leapt out the window.
The moment that burly man surnamed Xiong heard those words, he lost all interest in Yang Kai and simply shot him a glare before he stomped his big foot and broke through the roof to pursue the girl.
The tavern instantly became a huge mess, with the shop hand running over to check on the situation. The scene that greeted him left him close to tears though, but he was unable to cry.
On the other hand, Yang Kai recovered from his shock and quickly threw some Source Crystals onto the table before he disappeared in a flash. When he reappeared again, he was already outside the city.
A group of people swarmed out from the city, seemingly unbothered by his sudden appearance, their eyes fixed on the beautiful figure fleeing in front of them, energetically chasing after her. To them, that girl was equivalent to 10 or 20 million High-Rank Source Crystals.
Yang Kai joined the chasing team without saying a word. It was not a particularly eye-catching action, but unlike the other pursuers, he only had one question in his heart, [Was I mistaken? Did I see wrongly?]
The speed the young woman flew past him was too fast; moreover, his attention had been fixed on the people sitting at the neighbouring table. Therefore, he failed to get a proper look at her appearance and only saw something out of the corner of his eyes.
That one glance shook his heart to the core though as he found the girl oddly familiar. In addition, she was a young woman he had not seen in many years. If he was not mistaken, then the situation was far too coincidental; therefore, he planned to mix into the crowd to observe the situation carefully before he made a decision since he wasn’t too sure about what he saw. It would be awkward if he recognized the wrong person. Besides, that girl was not in a good situation right now. In the worst case, he might be suspected of being her accomplice or something.
Outside Star Point City, the girl fled with unusual speed. She was like a pink streak of lightning shooting across the sky while the group of cultivators behind her chased after her perseveringly.
Within a short time, the differences between the strength of the cultivators manifested. The pursuers in the Dao Source Realm were all left behind and only those in the Emperor Realm managed to barely keep up with her speed.
Not many people were left soon, only about ten or so of them were left and most of them were First-Order Emperors. Nevertheless, that was a force that could not be underestimated, especially for this lone girl.
Despite the distance between them, Yang Kai could tell that the girl was only a First-Order Emperor Realm Master, and it was precisely because of her current cultivation that he wasn’t sure if he was mistaken. After all, he himself was just a First-Order Emperor. [If she is truly who I think she is, then it should have been impossible for her to reach this realm so quickly.]
A First-Order Emperor had little chance of winning when facing so many pursuers at the same realm; however, Yang Kai soon realized that something was amiss.
The girl fleeing in front of him didn’t seem the slightest bit flustered. Her aura was deep and serene, clearly indicating that she was not using her full strength. Rather, she seemed to be baiting her pursuers. As soon as the thought surfaced in Yang Kai’s mind, he failed to stifle his laughter and dismissed his suspicions as an excessive worry.
They soon left Star Point City far behind on their cat and mouse chase. Then, the girl who had been fleeing all this while suddenly stopped in her tracks amid the wild plains approximately five thousand kilometres away from Star Point City. She stood quietly in the plains, showing a beautiful back to her pursuers. A breeze blew past her and her long hair swayed lightly in the wind. It was a mesmerizing sight to behold.
Consequently, the dozen or so Emperor Realm Masters pursuing her came to a stop as well. At this point, they finally noticed that something was wrong. The girl did not seem to be escaping; rather, she seemed to be leading them into a trap. When that thought occurred to them, they hurriedly checked the surrounding area, lest there be a hidden Spirit Array or a powerful helper lying in wait.
Sweeping their Divine Sense across their surroundings and finding no hidden traps, Spirit Arrays, or Masters waiting to ambush them, the Emperors finally felt a sense of relief wash over them. However, the way the girl stood with her back to them annoyed them greatly. They felt as if they were being looked down upon and the thought left them feeling very uneasy.
A red-faced old man sighed, “Little girl, why did you go and provoke Wind and Cloud Pavilion? You brought this upon yourself. Although I don’t condone bullying the weak, the reward is too generous to pass up. It is impossible not to be swayed by such benefits. Heed my advice, you should surrender without a fight; otherwise, you might get hurt if a fight breaks out. That won’t be good for you.”
His tone was as earnest as could be; however, his eyes were shifting about suspiciously as he spoke. He was clearly up to no good. The rest of the group were silent, but even so, each of them was secretly circulating their Emperor Qi, preparing for a fight at a moment’s notice.
The old man continued, “Little girl, you don’t have a chance of winning. As you know, resistance will only cause you more harm than good. It’s not easy for somebody as young as you to reach this realm! Unfortunately, you don’t know how to hide your claws! I’m willing to be a peacemaker and accompany you to Wind and Cloud Pavilion to apologize and resolve this grievance. What do you think?”
As soon as the words left his mouth, the girl chuckled, “If you weren’t trying to covertly use a Secret Technique on me, I might have actually believed you’re not a bad man. It’s a pity that your methods are too crude. What my Master said was right; the people outside are cunning and dishonest. It really is hateful.”
After saying that, she suddenly lifted a finger into the air and swiped horizontally. Her actions were accompanied by a soft tearing sound as if something was being cut open. A cloud of brilliance burst out in the air and in response, that red-faced old man shuddered. His complexion paled greatly, obviously suffering from the backlash of his Secret Technique being forcefully broken.
Therefore, he was both shocked and horrified. He did not expect a petite little girl to be able to break his Secret Technique with such ease. Gaining a deeper understanding of her strength, he instantly became fearful of her.
At the same time, a figure appeared without any warning about ten metres away from the girl. That person had secretly hidden next to the girl at some point in time. Before this moment, not a single trace of their presence had been revealed and they took advantage of the moment she broke the Secret Technique to attack. It was the moment when her guard was at its lowest and his timing could not be more perfect. Enveloped in powerful Emperor Qi, this man raised his hand and threw a large net-like artifact over her. The large net sparkled in a brilliant multi-coloured glow and one could tell that it was a high-grade Emperor Rank Artifact at a glance, one specifically meant for capturing people.
The large net opened so widely that it seemed as though it could encase the entire world in it, enclosing the space around the girl firmly and securely. Then, the person who launched the surprise attack laughed heartily, “Hahahaha! Let’s see where you can escape now!”
The girl’s strength was exceptional, but she obviously had little combat experience. When this change occurred, she frowned and tried to retreat. Unexpectedly, the large net followed her closely like maggots on rotting bones and she couldn’t get away from it no matter what she did. Furthermore, the large net was shrinking rapidly to capture her within it.
She would not be able to escape if she were to be caught by this Emperor Artifact, regardless of how powerful she was. After all, there were many Emperor Realm Masters gathered here and if they all attacked at once, she would surely be overwhelmed by their numbers.
The moment she turned around though, Yang Kai stared at her in a daze. He stared blankly at the somewhat familiar yet unfamiliar face but could not associate her with the person he knew in any way.
[Is this her? Or, not?] He wasn’t certain anymore.
At that moment, the Emperor Realm Master that threw the net formed a series of hand seals and shouted, “Seal!”
In response, the large net shrank abruptly and completely encased the girl inside it. A panicked expression surfaced on her face, and although she wanted to escape, the space surrounding her had been sealed inside the net. Then, a trace of determination flashed through her beautiful eyes.
At that moment, a strange force suddenly enveloped her, and by the time the large net fully closed around her, they discovered that she had escaped through some unfathomable means. The owner of the large net was astonished and looked bewildered and incapable of comprehending what had just happened.
“Master said that if a person hits me once, I should hit them back twice. If you can take two hits from me and survive, I will let you go.” The girl seemed a little angry after being ambushed just now and her beautiful face furrowed in rage. Still, a beauty would always be a beauty and even her angry face was gorgeous.
As she spoke, her tender body shifted slightly and she lunged towards that person with a pair of small fists that were glowing with a bright light. Then, she threw a punch at him from more than ten metres away.
That person was still wondering why his Emperor Artifact had failed to capture the girl; however, he immediately became furious when he heard what she said, “Those are some cocky words, little girl! You’re far too arrogant! I don’t know who your Master is, but he must not be that great of a person to raise a disciple like you. Two hits? Even if it’s a hundred…”
Before he finished speaking, he suddenly noticed that something was wrong. When the girl threw her punch, the entire world seemed to freeze in that moment. He himself had the illusion that a vast mountain was pressing down on him and he physically felt a huge weight on his chest, making it hard to even breathe. Moreover, all the blood in his body felt like it had frozen in his veins.
*Hong…*
A loud sound rang out, followed by the sound of bones breaking as that Emperor Realm Master flew backwards and smashed into the ground like a meteor. He even coughed up blood mid-air as his complexion became bloodless in an instant.
*Pa…*
He crashed into the ground, creating a huge crater, and at the same time, cracks spread out in all directions like the world itself was breaking apart.
The sound of many shocked gasps could be heard; everyone widened their eyes in surprise as they stared at the delicate and weak-looking girl in a daze. None of them had expected such an ordinary-looking punch to carry such power. The visual impact gave them an incredibly unreal feeling, so much so that they couldn’t help wondering if they were dreaming.
Even Yang Kai was dumbfounded. He was fairly certain at this point that this girl was not the person he knew as, although she was a First-Order Emperor, the strength she unleashed was horrifying. Contrarily, the person he knew would not be able to achieve this level of strength.
“Take my second fist!” The girl flew up above the crater and threw another punch downward as she shouted.
This time around, everybody was mentally prepared and stared fixedly at this attack, all of them becoming aware that this was no simple punch. There were no traces of any kind of Secret Technique being used, but even so, this small fist caused the crater to expand by more than ten times. The Earth trembled from the force of her blow while the First-Order Emperor Realm Master that had crashed into the pit uttered a muffled groan before he stopped moving.
Many Divine Senses swept over and following that, their expressions were filled with shock. That man was dead! He actually died! He was killed in two punches by a delicate-looking little girl!
Inside the crater, that man had died a terrible death, to the point where his remains barely even looked human anymore.
“W-W-Who is your Master?!” The red-faced old man asked in surprise. Even an idiot could tell that something was amiss by now. The girl’s strength was too shocking, not something an ordinary person could achieve. The Disciple was already so strong, so surely the Master would be even more powerful than her. It was very likely that she had some kind of supreme existence backing her.
After thinking about it from this perspective, everybody looked at the girl again and seemed to see a giant illusory shadow standing behind her.
At that moment, all of them felt rather distressed. They were afraid that they might have provoked an existence that they should not have and that there was a reason why she dared to kill the Young Pavilion Master of Wind and Cloud Pavilion.
Although Wind and Cloud Pavilion was fairly influential, several great forces in the Western Territory could rival it in strength. Not to mention there was still the elusive Shadow Killer Palace standing above them all.
“Why do you care about who my Master is? You secretly tried to trick me just now! I’m going to hit you twice too!” After getting rid of her first opponent, the little girl fixed her gaze on the red-faced old man and raised her small fists.
The old man was extremely shocked in response. He might have been strong, but he wouldn’t dare to claim he was stronger than the man just now. If that man failed to receive two blows from this girl, then he wouldn’t be able to survive them either.
From an uninvolved party’s perspective, the girl’s slightly reddened fists looked quite attractive; however, in the old man’s eyes, they looked like deadly weapons that were about to slaughter him. Panicking, he shouted, “This girl is strong! We need to attack her together!”
“Little girl, you are beautiful indeed! Let me give you some love!” A furious roar rang out as a burly figure lunged towards the girl.
Everybody else felt astonished in response to that burly figure’s actions and thought to themselves. [Great! People who are not afraid of death really exist!]
They had learned their lesson after the spectacle from before and were planning to withdraw. Source Crystals were attractive, but one needed their life to be able to enjoy them. Even though the possibility of winning against the little girl was very high if all of them worked together to bring her down, they knew that everyone had their own reservations. Hence, it would only give the girl an opportunity to break through their ranks if they really attacked with such a fragile alliance. That would only result in more injuries and casualties on their side.
For somebody to rush forward at this time would undoubtedly cause some changes to the situation though. Therefore, everybody turned to watch how things would unfold. Upon seeing the person’s appearance and cultivation, however, many were shocked.
“Xiong Kai Shan!”
“It’s him!”
“This is great! With him taking the lead, we might have a chance of winning!”
One by one, the Emperor Realm Masters that were about to retreat stood their ground to watch the situation unfold.
On the other side, Xiong Kai Shan appeared in front of the girl, his Emperor Qi surging greatly as his fists that were as large as plates flew out. Every punch he threw could crush mountains and split seas. The air filled with afterimages of his punches at that moment, and thanks to his brawny figure, his attacks covered a wide range, making him look extremely fierce.
In the face of this violent storm of fists, the girl pursed her red lips and retaliated blow for blow without saying a word. Following several loud booming sounds, the pair exchanged hundreds of blows in a matter of breaths.
All of a sudden, Xiong Kai Shan pulled back from the fight, his expression filled with shock as both his arms trembled uncontrollably.
Everybody was dumbstruck by the sight. Xiong Kai Shan’s fists were covered in blood while on the contrary, the girl was safe and sound. Even though her enemy had retreated, she did not take advantage of the situation to pursue him further and just glared at the other party angrily.
“How is she this strong?!” Xiong Kai Shan lowered his head to look at his fists in disbelief; however, the reality was laid out before his eyes and did not allow any room for doubt. As a Second-Order Emperor Realm Master, he actually lost to a little girl in a direct exchange of fists! That fact made him feel extremely humiliated and he roared to activate his Secret Technique. At that moment, the necklace of skulls hanging around his neck snapped and flew out. Those white skulls danced about in the air and transformed into gigantic skulls with gloomy ghost fires burning in their eye sockets as they slammed towards the girl.
The gigantic skulls danced through the air, shooting out a series of freezing cold Yin Qi blasts from their mouths. The Yin Qi seemed like it could freeze Emperor Qi and clearly presented a huge threat.
In the blink of an eye, the girl was surrounded so tightly that not even a fly could escape, and her figure disappeared behind the wall of skulls.
Xiong Kai Shan coldly snorted, “There are always youngsters that don’t know their own limits. Today, I will teach you what it means when they say there is always Heavens beyond Heavens, people beyond people!”
He continued to control his Secret Technique, amplifying the power of the flying skulls.
All of a sudden, an explosive sound rang out and Xiong Kai Shan’s expression changed drastically, displaying unprecedented shock. Lifting his head to look in the direction of the sound, he saw his skulls flying in all directions after being blown away by some huge force.
The girl’s figure was revealed again, standing there motionless like a God of War.
“Damn slut! How dare you destroy my Emperor Artifact?!” His eyes turned scarlet with rage. Those skulls were his biggest trump card, but at this moment, the light in one of the skulls’ sockets had completely dimmed. It was a little out of control and floated about unsteadily, clearly having lost most of its spirituality.
He had not expected that an Emperor Artifact he summoned would be blown away by a young girl’s physical strength alone.
Meanwhile, a pair of gloves had appeared on the girl’s fists. They were completely pitch-black and gave off an extremely ominous aura. Judging by the fluctuations emanating from her fists, this pair of gloves was also an extraordinarily powerful Emperor Artifact. It was by relying on the power of these gloves that she managed to blast away the skulls surrounding her.
Roaring intensely, Xiong Kai Shan once again controlled his skulls to slam into the girl while at the same time, he burst out, “Are the rest of you only here to watch the show?!”
After exchanging blows with this girl, he was no longer confident that he could win against her on his own; thus, he could only pin his hopes on the others. As long as everyone worked together, this girl would surely be overwhelmed by their numbers no matter how strong she was.
The red-faced old man immediately echoed those words, “What are you all waiting for?! If you don’t act now, when will you?!”
As soon as the words left his mouth, he made his move, summoning an Emperor Artifact that looked like a wine gourd with a flip of his wrist. The wine gourd expanded rapidly as the old man aimed its opening in the direction of the girl. The next moment, a violent flame burst from.
The moment he made his move, the rest of the Emperor Realm Masters that had been spectating finally couldn’t hold themselves back anymore. They hurriedly summoned their respective Emperor Artifacts and attacked the girl. Subsequently, various Emperor Artifacts and Secret Techniques flew through the air, making for a chaotic and lively display.
The girl was truly quite strong; however, she could barely keep up with the endless stream of attacks from so many Emperors all at once. For a moment, she didn’t know what to do as she constantly avoided the attacks coming her way. Although she wanted to break through this encirclement, she kept missing her chances and in the end, she remained trapped in place.
It could be seen from this situation that her combat experience was severely lacking. Believing that she was strong enough to face all her pursuers, she had led them to this place, but how could she have known she would cause her own movements to be restrained instead? Even so, she was by no means weak and each time her fists were thrown out, an explosive force on par with any Emperor Artifact attack or Secret Technique was unleashed.
At this point, that pair of tender fists was practically an existence comparable to that of an Emperor Artifact. Besides, she remained standing even when facing more than ten Emperor Realm Masters and their Artifacts. That in itself was enough to demonstrate the depths of her strength. Up until today, the only ones that Yang Kai knew of who could achieve this level of physical strength was the Dragon Clan.
“Hey, Friend, why aren’t you attacking?” All of a sudden, somebody turned to look at Yang Kai curiously.
All the other Emperor Realm Masters present had already taken action, either by rushing forward to attack or using their Artifacts and Secret Techniques. Yang Kai was the only one who stayed still, making him stand out from the crowd.
Yang Kai lightly waved his hand and said, “Don’t worry. I’m about to take action.”
Saying so, he lifted his hand and palmed towards that man.
“You…” That person was shocked as he never expected Yang Kai to attack him without any warning. He had never offended this young man or even met him before today, so what reason did he have for targeting him?
Suppressing his suspicions and shock, the man hurriedly circulated his Emperor Qi to protect himself. At the same time, he retreated quickly to create some distance between him and Yang Kai. Unfortunately, that was a pointless effort as he could not get away from the power coming from Yang Kai’s palm no matter how far he retreated.
The Emperor Qi that man used to protect himself was shattered in an instant, causing him to spurt a mouthful of blood while his aura weakened considerably.
Yang Kai did not relent and pushed his palm down, knocking this man out on the spot.
The sudden turn of events took everyone by surprise, but the red-faced old man quickly shouted, “This guy is with that bitch!”
Yang Kai chuckled and said, “Think whatever you want.”
The reason why he followed along was just to see if that girl was somebody he knew. He was pretty certain by now that he had gotten the wrong person, but even so, he did not wish to stand by and do nothing in this matter. These people were obviously nothing good and needed to be taught a lesson.
While shouting, the red-faced old man waved his hand and the huge wine gourd immediately flew back to him. He then aimed the wine gourd at Yang Kai and the surrounding World Energy instantly became disordered. Just as the wine gourd was about to spew out flames, the red-faced old man’s vision blurred for a moment and a person suddenly appeared less than a hand’s length away from his face.
“Ah…” The old man exclaimed in shock as his eyes focused and he realized that the young man he had been targeting was now standing in front of him somehow. [What kind of Divine Ability is that?! I didn’t even see him move!]
Looking flustered, the red-faced old man bit the tip of his tongue and spat out a kind of blood arrow. Simultaneously, a cold smile appeared on his face.
He had complete confidence in his attack, but to his shock, the blood arrow missed, as if it was being guided by an invisible force to slip past the side of the young man’s face.
“How?!” The old man exclaimed. With just a hand’s length between them, even a Third-Order Emperor Realm Master would have been hit by his sneak attack, so how did he miss?
“Old man, you’re quite the crafty one!” Yang Kai nodded in approval before he lifted his hand and casually patted his opponent’s chest.
The old man was so scared that his Soul nearly left his body in fright; however, he quickly discovered that he was perfectly fine. Just as he was secretly rejoicing over that fact, a powerful force burst out from his chest and his entire body flew out as if he had been struck by lightning. Nobody could tell if he had survived the attack. Meanwhile, his Emperor Artifact, the wine gourd, shrank back into its original size with nobody controlling it and fell to the ground.
Yang Kai easily dispatched two Emperor Realm Masters in less than three breaths.
His horrifying combat ability terrified the others present. They initially thought that the little girl was enough of a monster, but they did not expect another more terrifying individual to pop up out of nowhere.
How could anyone still have the confidence to fight after this? Their expressions changed considerably before they scattered in all directions, trying to escape from this place. Only Xiong Kai Shan was left fighting that girl. It wasn’t that he didn’t want to escape either, but rather that he couldn’t as no one would cooperate with him to create an opening he could use to escape.
“It’s so rare for me to play the hero. What would become of my reputation if I let you all escape?” Yang Kai shook his head slightly as he stood in place; however, Space Principles flared from his body as he spoke, turning a thousand-metre radius around himself into a sealed space.
All the Emperor Realm Masters that had rushed to the edge of this cage were blocked by an invisible barrier, all of them falling into confusion as they did.
“Hm?” An exclamation of surprise rang out as the little girl, who had been suppressing Xiong Kai Shan’s continuous and fierce attacks, raised her head suddenly and glanced over at Yang Kai. She tilted her head to the side with a puzzled expression, seemingly feeling like this person’s voice sounded quite familiar. Furthermore, that figure also looked very familiar from behind. Then, a person sprang to mind and she opened her mouth to call out suspiciously, “Uncle Yang?”
Yang Kai was shocked to hear the way she addressed him, but that thought he had given up upon was suddenly rekindled with hope again. Turning to look at the girl, who was looking at him in surprise, he uttered in equal astonishment, “Yun’er?”
“It’s me! Uncle Yang! It’s Yun’er!” Lin Yun’er shouted excitedly. The excitement that overflowed from her was beyond words. It might be because she was meeting an old acquaintance again in a faraway land, but she was so excited that her eyes misted over with emotion.
“It really is you!” Yang Kai wiped away the cold sweat on his forehead as he swept his gaze over her, “I almost couldn’t recognize you.”
Although he had confirmation now, Yang Kai still couldn’t believe that this girl was really Lin Yun’er. Many years had passed after all and back when he had accepted her into High Heaven Sect on Shadowed Star, she had only been a child of around five or six years. Lin Yun’er had left Heng Luo Star Field for the Star Boundary together with Yang Yan even before Yang Kai, and many years had passed since then with him never hearing any news about her at all.
In a blink of an eye, the little girl from back then had grown into a fine young woman. If that was all, Yang Kai would not have had so much trouble recognizing her. Even though they say a girl experiences eighteen different changes as she becomes a woman, there were still some traces of the past in her face. In fact, there were many similarities between the current Lin Yun’er and the little girl from back then.
What made Yang Kai doubt himself was her current cultivation. She was a First-Order Emperor Realm Master! That wasn’t all, she could also fight above her realm with ease. Therefore, cultivators in the same realm as her were nothing to her. If not for that, he would not have had any trouble recognizing her.
When Yang Yan took her away with her back then, Lin Yun’er had been very young and her cultivation had been very weak. Even if she was brought to the Star Boundary where she would have plenty of opportunities to grow, it shouldn’t have been to such an exaggerated extent, right? After all, Yang Kai himself was only a First-Order Emperor Realm Master at the moment.
[Her strength is almost equal to mine! What is going on?] Still, no matter how shocked Yang Kai was, the fact that this girl was Lin Yun’er was indisputable. The best proof was the way she addressed him as ‘Uncle Yang’. That was how the little girl had always called him in High Heaven Sect back on Shadowed Star.
During their conversation, Yang Kai unconsciously stopped using his Space Principles to isolate this space, allowing the Emperor Realm Masters that had been trapped by him to regain their freedom. Hence, they quickly used their Movement Skills to escape and ran away into the distance in the blink of an eye.
Turning to glance in their direction, Yang Kai frowned slightly and raised his hand to send out a dozen Moon Blades. Several shrill screams rang out in the distance as Space was torn apart. Some had been hit by those attacks, but more than half of them managed to escape.
Meanwhile, Xiong Kai Shan wanted nothing more than to escape right now. Fighting with Lin Yun’er had given him a sense of imminent death as he realized how terrifying the little girl was. Taking advantage of her distraction, he hurriedly recalled his skulls and his figure flickered for a moment as he hid in one of them to escape.
At that moment, Lin Yun’er snapped back to her senses and after wiping the corners of her eyes quickly, she shouted, “Uncle Yang, I’ll be back to talk to you again once I finish dealing with this guy.”
“Do you need any help?” Yang Kai asked with a smile.
“Nope!” The girl politely refused with a confident expression. As soon as the words rolled off her tongue, she punched at the floating skull Xiong Kai Shan was hiding in, sending out a raging force that caused the surrounding space to be compressed into a layer of irregular fluctuations. Its power was absolutely terrifying.
Although Xiong Kai Shan was fast, he was not as fast as her punch, and with a loud explosive sound, the skull took the blow and nearly fell from the sky. A crack appeared in the bone as a muffled groan came from the inside.
Yang Kai’s eyes brightened with interest and he secretly thought to himself, [She must have received many opportunities since coming to Star Boundary for her to unleash such power even though she is only a First-Order Emperor Realm Master. I wonder how Yang Yan dug out her potential to such an extent.]
Thinking about Yang Yan, Yang Kai’s heart swayed again. He had been looking for her whereabouts for several years now, but he had not gotten any leads. He only had a vague guess that she was involved with some great force known as the Star Court. Since he had coincidentally run into Lin Yun’er here, he might be able to get some clues about Yang Yan’s whereabouts from her.
As long as he could locate Yang Yan, he would be able to find a way to return to Heng Luo Star Field and bring his relatives and friends here. The time he had spent in the Star Boundary was not short, and during that time he had built a foundation here for himself. The expansive High Heaven Palace was enough for those on Shadowed Star to obtain a better environment and resources for cultivation.
“Little girl, you should show some restraint! We might run into each other again in the future, so it’s best if you do not forge unresolvable enmities. Why do you have to be so aggressive?!” Xiong Kai Shan’s flustered voice called out. During that brief period where Yang Kai’s thoughts had wandered all over the place, Xiong Kai Shan had been badly beaten up by Lin Yun’er.
The gigantic skull he was hiding in had countless cracks in it; moreover, the ghost fire in its eye sockets had gone dim, looking like it was on the brink of being extinguished. Understanding his enemy’s strength, he knew that he was no match for her and thus wanted to bury the hatchet and make amends.
It was a pity that Lin Yun’er did not act as he hoped. It was a mystery where she had cultivated all these years, and her mentality remained relatively simple and naïve, but she had a stubbornness in her that was not to be underestimated. She completely turned a deaf ear to whatever Xiong Kai Shan said and continued to punch the skull continuously.
After dozens of punches, the skull exploded into dust with a loud bang, forcing Xiong Kai Shan out in a pathetic state, blood trickling out from a corner of his mouth. It was apparent that he had suffered serious injuries.
Meanwhile, Yang Kai felt cold sweat pouring profusely down his face as he watched the entire scene. Lin Yun’er had destroyed an Emperor Artifact with brute strength alone, an extraordinary feat. Right now, this monstrous young woman was completely different from the little girl in his memories that never grew up.
Now that the skull had been destroyed, Xiong Kai Shan’s shame turned into rage, which fed his courage as he gritted his teeth and snarled, “If you won’t let me off, then you won’t get off easy either!”
Gesturing with both hands, the remaining intact skulls suddenly began to dance in the air. Then, they burst into flame all at once and exuded a freezing aura that shot towards Lin Yun’er in unison.
Yang Kai’s expression changed drastically as he could vaguely sense that these flames were difficult to deal with. The consequences would be terrible if one were to touch such flames carelessly.
Just as he was about to call out a warning to Lin Yun’er, he saw that she was neither surprised nor afraid as she charged forward without avoiding the flames. Subsequently, her body was enveloped in the gloomy flames and she disappeared.
“Hahahahaha!” Xiong Kai Shan laughed loudly, “What a foolish girl! Did you think my Dark Ghost Fire could be dealt with so easily?! Let’s see how you di… gah!” His laughter ended abruptly as he widened his eyes in shock, looking as if an invisible hand was strangling him. His eyes were filled with both amazement and terror.
A graceful figure confidently walked out of the so-called Dark Ghost Fire, the cold flames coiling around her body rapidly, but unable to harm her at all.
At this moment, her entire body was exuding a dazzling light. That light seemed to have a strange power that was preventing the Dark Ghost Fire from harming her, allowing her to remain safe.
Yang Kai narrowed his eyes in astonishment as he could tell that the light was not the effect of a defensive Emperor Artifact. Rather, it came from some unknown Secret Technique that she was using, but what kind of Secret Technique had such powerful defensive abilities?
“Master said that I must kill anyone that tries to kill me!” She said lightly with a serious expression. It was as if the words of her Master were the only truth she had to follow. After making this declaration, she shot forward towards Xiong Kai Shan.
In response, Xiong Kai Shan gasped. His strongest Divine Ability had been defeated so easily, so how could he still have the confidence to fight? Seeing the girl rushing toward him so fiercely, he bit the tip of his tongue, burned his Blood Essence, and turned tail to flee.
He only managed to take several steps before he suddenly noticed that the space around him had become extremely viscous, however, making it difficult for him to even lift his foot off the ground.
“You…” He turned to look at Yang Kai with an expression of grief and rage, glaring at him as he shed tears of blood. He was certain that Yang Kai had done something to cut off his only hope of escape.
“Have a safe journey!” Yang Kai smiled and waved at Xiong Kai Shan like an old friend saying goodbye.
All Xiong Kai Shan could feel was the vitality in his chest lurching uncomfortably before he involuntarily spat out a mouthful of fresh blood.
In the next moment, Lin Yun’er slammed into his back and delivered two blows with her fist. Blood spread across the sky like a rose in full bloom while flesh and blood rained down on the ground. However, the girl remained clean and unsullied like a white lotus growing out of the mud.
Immediately afterwards, she withdrew her aura while the gloves on her hand simultaneously vanished without a trace. Then, she threw herself into Yang Kai’s arms at lightning speed and sweetly called out, “Uncle Yang!”
The change was too sudden, catching Yang Kai off guard. Thus, he staggered backward slightly before he could stabilize himself.
The scent of a young woman’s body lingered in his nose as her hair exuded an intoxicating fragrance. Moreover, the fullness and amazing elasticity of her chest which pressed against his instantly made him feel embarrassed.
Meanwhile, Lin Yun’er buried her head in his chest and took several deep sniffs before lifting her head, an intoxicated expression on her face as she squinted and murmured to herself, “This is the familiar scent that I even smelt in my dreams.”
Looking at the girl’s sincere expression and listening to her heartfelt voice, Yang Kai felt a warmth spreading in his heart as he lifted his hand and patted her head with a smile, “Yun’er has grown up.”
She laughed softly, revealing a set of pure white teeth. Subsequently, she pulled away from him slightly, looked him up and down, and nodded repeatedly, “Uncle Yang, you haven’t changed much. I hope everyone else hasn’t changed like you, or else I might not be able to recognize them anymore.” After saying that, she hugged him again as if she never wanted to let him go again.
“This isn’t the place to talk. We can chat while we walk,” he suggested.
“Just a little longer,” she remained motionless, acting as if she was trying to burn this familiar scent and touch deep into her memory.
She didn’t want to move, and he didn’t want to force her. Thus, Yang Kai could only stand there motionlessly. A moment later though, he frowned as he could feel a wet and warm sensation around his chest. Looking down, he saw the girl’s eyelashes trembling slightly, and the corners of her eyes were wet.
“What is there to cry about?” Yang Kai failed to stifle his laughter.
“I missed you!” Lin Yun’er’s voice was full of grievances, “I miss Aunt Yang Yan, Aunt Huang, Aunt Ye, and you! I miss all of you! But, I couldn’t meet you all, I didn’t even know where you all were, and I couldn’t find any of you.”
Yang Kai felt a bit emotional when he heard the grief in her voice. Although Lin Yun’er now wielded astonishing power, she was still very young so it was normal for her to be sentimental and emotional. Besides, she had been taken away when she was even younger, so now that she finally met somebody from her homeland, all the repressed emotions in her heart immediately poured out without stopping.
Yang Kai lifted his hand to pat her back, enjoying this rare moment of warmth with her.
*Gululu…*
A strange noise broke through the silence, and Yang Kai was startled for a moment before he realized what that sound was and he laughed out loud.
On the other hand, Lin Yun’er lowered her head, blushing from her neck all the way up to her cheeks and ears.
“Hungry?” Yang Kai asked, lowering his head to look at her.
She nodded almost imperceptibly. Logically speaking, it shouldn’t matter even if she did not eat for years since she was a First-Order Emperor Realm Master. Once one reached such a cultivation, they neither needed to eat nor drink as absorbing World Energy would be enough to sustain their body. How could Lin Yun’er possibly be hungry then? When an Emperor Realm Master ate, it was more about satisfying cravings rather than for cultivation purposes. Therefore, it had been a long time since Yang Kai experienced what it felt like to be hungry.
Without asking too much, he sent his Divine Sense into the Sealed World Bead and searched. Although he had no delicious food on hand, he had many other things like spirit fruits. There were all sorts of strange and exotic plants in his medicine garden, so finding some fruits was a simple matter. Furthermore, these fruits were not ordinary spirit fruits; they were all extremely high-grade items.
With a flip of his hand, three red fruits about the size of a baby’s fist appeared in his hand, “Do you want this?”
“You’re the best, Uncle Yang!” The girl’s spirits lifted and she instantly forgot about her shame. She quickly took the fruits from him and bit into them, narrowing her eyes in satisfaction.
She seemed to eat slowly; however, she was done almost immediately. It just seemed slower because she did not lose her elegance. She still had tears in the corners of her eyes but she also had a smile on her face, the combination making her look rather heartless.
“Let’s go!” Yang Kai proposed.
“Wait a moment,” after saying that, Lin Yun’er flickered and disappeared not too far away.
A heavily injured Emperor Realm Master was lying on the ground over there, one of the people that had been injured by Yang Kai’s attack early.
Yang Kai was curious as to what this little girl wanted to do, but a moment later, he saw her eating the spirit fruit while throwing a punch at that person. That punch of hers blasted that half-dead person until not even his bones were left, causing Yang Kai’s brow to twitch slightly.
Afterwards, Lin Yun’er turned around, went up to another disabled Emperor Realm Master, and repeated the same process, showing no hesitation nor doubt during the entire process. It was as if she was not killing two Emperor Realm Masters but two insignificant insects.
[On one hand, she is innocent and naïve, on the other, she kills without batting an eye.] The more Yang Kai saw, the more he realized that he no longer understood this little girl.
“Master said that when it comes to problems, one must cut weeds and pull out roots or else they will return again one day,” Lin Yun’er explained.
Yang Kai felt cold sweat dripping down his back in response. [I wonder who this Master of hers is, I can’t believe they are so cold and cruel! Just who did Yang Yan entrust Lin Yun’er to when she first brought her to the Star Boundary?]
Meanwhile, Lin Yun’er took the initiative to hold Yang Kai’s hand and flew off in a certain direction, chattering away happily the entire time. Along their journey, he mostly listened to what she said. He wanted to ask about her situation over the years but couldn’t bring himself to interrupt her cheerfulness.
Soon, he noticed something strange. She was a glutton! The three spirit fruits he gave her were Emperor Grade, and even if an Emperor Realm Master ate them, it would take them some time to finish digesting the energy completely. However, those three fruits were no different from a mere snack to this girl.
After eating the spirit fruits, she proceeded to take out big pieces of dried meat from her Space Ring. These pieces of meat looked like they were cooked from High-Order Monster Beast meat and contained explosive power in them.
“Is it okay for you to eat that much?” Yang Kai couldn’t help asking.
To which Lin Yun’er answered matter-of-factly, “Master said that one can only cultivate or fight when their stomach is full.”
[What kind of logic is that?] Yang Kai was becoming more and more curious as to who her Master was.
One day later, the two of them arrived in another city. This city was no worse than Star Point City with lots of people jostling against each other like a school of fish.
In view of Lin Yun’er’s behaviour along the way, Yang Kai brought her to one of the largest restaurants, arranged for a private room, called the shop-hand over, and ordered a table full of sumptuous dishes.
These delicacies were not ordinary food, each one cooked with spirit herbs and Monster Beast meat. Even if a Master ate this food, it would be of great benefit to their cultivation.
Lin Yun’er’s eyes sparkled at the sight of the food and she wolfed down everything in a flash, making short work of the dishes like a gust of wind. The eyes of the shop-hand serving the dishes nearly popped out in surprise at the sight as it was hard to imagine that such a stunning beauty could actually eat so much.
When she finally had her fill, Yang Kai asked, “Yun’er, where is your Aunt Yang Yan?”
Lin Yun’er leaned back against the chair, rubbing her belly with one hand. After eating so much food though, her stomach remained flat as usual, with no signs of bloating whatsoever. At first, her expression was comfortable and contented; however, she pouted upon hearing his question and answered aggrievedly, “I don’t know…”
“You don’t know?” Yang Kai was surprised, “Didn’t she take you away with her back then?”
Nodding, Lin Yun’er continued, “En, she brought me here and entrusted me to Master. After that, I never saw her again, and she never came to see me either.” The little girl looked like she was about to cry. Her deep-seated sorrow was very apparent. While speaking, she grabbed a drumstick from the table and gnawed on it as if to turn her grief and anger into appetite…
Yang Kai wiped at the cold sweat on his forehead and continued to ask, “What about your Master? Who is your Master?”
Without even lifting her head, she answered, “Master is Master.”
He said, “He must have a name, right?”
Lin Yun’er tilted her head and stared at him blankly, but after a while, she gave a silly chuckle and said, “I don’t know… I have always called Master, ‘Master’.”
[It’s over. This little girl isn’t just naïve, she is also an air-head.] Yang Kai couldn’t help worrying about her future. How could she hold her own in Star Boundary with this kind of personality? No wonder she provoked that Wind and Cloud Pavilion and was chased by them all over. It was a wonder how she managed to grow up safely over all these years.
But then again, since Yang Yan entrusted Lin Yun’er to whoever her Master was, that person must be extremely reliable. Besides, it could be seen from Lin Yun’er’s current growth that her Master was an extremely powerful cultivator who could shake the world by stomping his foot. It was a pity that she knew nothing about her Master’s identity, making it impossible for Yang Kai to obtain any clues from her even if he wanted to inquire about it.
He recalled that Lin Yun’er’s physique was rather special. Back then, Yang Yan mentioned that Lin Yun’er had a Special Constitution called the Tyrant Strength Body. The reason she had taken Lin Yun’er away was that she supposedly had a friend whose Secret Art and techniques were extremely suitable for Lin Yun’er to learn.
Now, it seemed that Yang Yan’s decision was right. Although the little girl had been separated from her relatives for many years, the growth she experienced was considerable indeed. If she had stayed on Shadowed Star back then, she would never have the achievements she had at this moment.
“Can you bring me to your Master?” Yang Kai asked in a deep voice.
“Why do you want to look for Master?” Lin Yun’er asked curiously, not even pausing her hands as he continued to eat, staring at him with widened eyes.
“I want to ask your Master about your Aunt Yang Yan’s whereabouts.”
“Oh,” She nodded lightly and continued, “If that’s the case, there’s no need to do so.”
“Why?” He asked frowningly.
“Because Master won’t tell me anything. I’ve asked him countless times over the years, but he always refused to answer.”
Yang Kai replied smiling, “He might have his reasons for not telling you; however, it might be different if I ask him myself. That’s why, I hope you can bring me to meet your Master.”
Lin Yun’er’s expression suddenly became a little unnatural as she laughed dryly and her eyes shifted about. She even seemed a little absent-minded while eating.
Hence, Yang Kai asked curiously, “Is it inconvenient for you?”
She hurriedly waved her hands dismissively, “No, no, no… It’s not inconvenient…” All of a sudden, she looked downcast and answered seriously, “Uncle Yang, I actually ran away…”
Yang Kai was shocked and asked, “Why did you run away? Where did you run away from? Did somebody restrict your freedom?”
She lowered her head, “Nobody is restricting my freedom. The one I escaped from was Master.”
Yang Kai was astonished beyond words, “Are you sure your Master is treating you well? Why did he restrict your freedom?”
“That’s not it,” she hurriedly denied, “Master treats me very well. He said that I am his successor, so he gives me the best of everything. He also gives me delicious food every day.”
Yang Kai was now genuinely confused, “If he treats you so well, why did you run away?”
She squirmed, “I just wanted to come outside to have a look. I’ve always stayed in one place, and have never gone out. Also, I… I miss Aunt Yang Yan, I wanted to come out and look for her.”
After listening to her explanation, Yang Kai failed to stifle his laughter. At the same time, he felt relieved. He had no idea who her Master was, but going by what she said, it seemed that that person truly treated her well.
Lin Yun’er laughed softly and continued, “It’s lucky I ran out though, otherwise I wouldn’t have met you, Uncle Yang!”
“En, good! But first, let’s discuss something.”
“En?”
“As you can see, I’m not that old, so stop calling me ‘Uncle’.”
Tilting her head to the side, she considered it before smiling heartlessly, “But, you are Yun’er’s Uncle Yang!”
“… Ha… fine.” Yang Kai shook his head helplessly. Then, he frowned abruptly and became pensive, “Your Master must be very powerful, right?”
To which Lin Yun’er excitedly replied, “Of course! Master is the strongest! There is nothing he cannot do in this world!”
Yang Kai then asked, “If he is so powerful, how did you escape from him?”
“I ran away while he wasn’t paying attention! What’s so difficult about that?”
The confidence in her reply rendered Yang Kai speechless, but just as he was about to ask something else, his expression changed drastically and he shouted, “Yun’er, stop eating that! It’s poisoned!”
He suddenly noticed that she had an unusual colour to her complexion, which was a tell-tale sign of poisoning.
[A poison that can even affect a First-Order Emperor Realm Master! It must be extremely potent!] Yang Kai blamed himself greatly for making this kind of mistake. Although he had casually checked the food when it was brought in, he did not notice anything abnormal about it. He did not expect the poison to be so well-concealed that it completely deceived his perception.
“Oh! It’s poisoned? No wonder it tasted funny.” Saying so, Lin Yun’er belched and then stared at the food in her hand… before she continued biting into it!
“You…” Yang Kai was utterly dumbfounded. She had been poisoned; moreover, she knew it! So why wasn’t she taking this seriously? Was there really something wrong with her head?
Just as Yang Kai was about to snatch away the food in Lin Yun’er’s hands, he noticed a strange phenomenon. The surface of her body had started to emit a viridian mist, and that mist contained a very powerful toxic substance.
[She can even do that?] Yang Kai nearly bit his own tongue in surprise. Lin Yun’er was clearly forcing out the toxic mist herself. In other words, the poison in the food had no effect on her. She obviously knew that too, which was why she recklessly continued to eat.
[Is the Tyrant Strength Body that strong? Or, is it the inheritance she received from her Master that is so amazing?] Yang Kai couldn’t figure out anything about this situation. Even so, he felt relieved and said, “Don’t go anywhere. I’ll be right back!”
As soon as those words left his mouth, his figure flickered and disappeared. The next moment, he arrived at a place similar to a kitchen. It was very hot and there were many people dressed as cooks, preparing various dishes in this place.
Looking around, Yang Kai’s gaze immediately landed on a certain person. That person’s cultivation was not low, a First-Order Emperor Realm Master like Yang Kai. Moreover, he was fully wrapped in a black robe that concealed his face and he exuded an extremely dangerous aura.
“You…” That person was surprised to see Yang Kai appearing all of a sudden. Lifting his hand, a multi-coloured venomous snake struck out at Yang Kai without warning. The snake was fierce, opening its mouth wide to reveal fangs that glimmered with a strange light as it lunged.
“You court death!” Yang Kai swung his hand to release a Moon Blade which cut the body of the venomous snake in half. The snake dropped to the ground as a result.
Nevertheless, the black-robed person wasn’t flustered. Forming a set of hand seals, the two halves of the snake’s body suddenly exploded and transformed into a cloud of blood-red poisonous mist filling the surrounding areas.
Taking this opportunity, he retreated backwards and smashed through the wall to escape. A loud explosion sounded, and the kitchen wall collapsed. By the time the dust settled, the man was already several thousands of metres away.
“Did you think you had escaped?” Yang Kai’s voice suddenly sounded.
The black-robed man was shocked to hear this voice and upon looking up, he discovered that Yang Kai had appeared in his path and blocked his way without him noticing. In response, his black robe fluttered and poisonous animals of every kind subsequently rushed forward to attack, including snakes, frogs, and spiders among them. Each and every one of them was brightly coloured and it only took one glance to tell that they were all highly venomous. Furthermore, there were many of them; several hundred, which instantly attacked Yang Kai all at once.
“Exile!” Yang Kai shouted as he stretched out his hand in front of himself, causing space to warp and tear apart. Subsequently, all the poisonous animals were sucked into the collapsed space and exiled into the endless Void, vanishing in the blink of an eye.
“A Space Technique!” The black-robed man exclaimed. At first, he wanted to exchange a few blows with Yang Kai; however, he immediately dispelled his original idea upon seeing the power of Yang Kai’s Divine Ability. Pushing his Emperor Qi, with a flick of his robe, the man’s entire body suddenly became indiscernible, as if he had melted into the surrounding air around him.
It was obviously a profound escape method. When used, it made it hard for others to grasp his movements and the slightest bit of carelessness from them would allow him to escape without a trace.
“Why run? You should stay!” Yang Kai coldly snorted as Space Principles surged, enveloping the surrounding space. The man’s faded figure appeared again as a squeezing force from the surrounding space broke his Secret Technique in an instant and forced him to reveal himself.
At that moment, the black-robed man panicked. He had long heard that Masters proficient in the Dao of Space were not to be trifled with; however, he had not expected his opponent to be so strong. Although both their cultivations were in the First-Order Emperor Realm, Yang Kai seemed so much stronger that it was difficult to believe their realms were the same. Thus, the black-robed man no longer had the confidence to fight against Yang Kai.
Forcibly pushing his own power, he tried to escape the constraints of the Space Principles, but before he had a chance to succeed, a large hand reached out from the front and grabbed him by the neck. Then, a surge of power flooded into his meridians, scattering his strength. The black-robed man immediately lost all strength to resist and as a result was lifted up like a helpless chicken, unable to move a single muscle.
Yang Kai snorted and a burst of energy tore apart the headpiece covering the black-robed man’s head. Consequently, a scarred and pitted face that looked like it had been burned by boiling water was revealed. It was a horrifying and sickening appearance that made one shudder at the sight.
The struggle between the two might have been short, but it still created a commotion, attracting the attention of many local residents the moment their powers clashed. As soon as the black-robed man’s true appearance was revealed, bursts of exclamations rang out from the crowd.
“Poison Lord Bu Hong!”
“Why is he here?!”
“Damn! How could Wind and Cloud Pavilion let that monster out?!”
“Hurry up and run! This place is dangerous! We can’t stay here! Death and destruction always follow the Poison Lord’s appearance!”
“Why are you running? Don’t you see that Bu Hong has been restrained? Tsk. Tsk. Just who is that young man, I can’t believe how amazing he is!”
“Are you blind? How could the Poison Lord be captured so easily? That little brat is done for. No, no way. I have to leave quickly. If I don’t leave now, I might never get the chance to leave this place again!”
The crowd became quite noisy and many people rushed out of the city desperately, as if that black-robed man was a scourge and they would lose their lives if they fled even a little slower.
“It looks like you’re pretty famous,” Yang Kai pointed out, looking ahead coldly.
Bu Hong smiled deviously, “Little brat, you’re dead! My body is full of poisons. If you had not approached me, I might not have been a match for you, but you just had to recklessly try and capture me without fear of death!”
While Bu Hong was talking, a viridian aura flowed into Yang Kai’s hand and spread along his arm like a green snake climbing upward. It moved very swiftly and disappeared into the sleeves of his clothes in the blink of an eye.
Yang Kai looked down and absent-mindedly said, “With this rubbish of a poison of yours?”
Bu Hong was clearly affronted, but just as he was about to retort with vicious words, he widened his eyes in astonishment as he stared at Yang Kai’s arm incredulously. Then, Yang Kai pulled up his sleeves as the green aura became stuck at his elbow, unable to advance any further.
A drop of cold sweat dripped from Bu Hong’s forehead as he uttered in shock, “How is that possible?! How did you resist my poison?!”
Yang Kai replied indifferently, “As long as one’s body is strong enough, it can protect itself against any kind of poison!”
“Impossible! That’s absolutely impossible!” Bu Hong’s eyes trembled violently, as if he had received a terrible shock. Even a Third-Order Emperor should be unable to resist his poisons! How could a mere First-Order Emperor Realm brat remain safe in front of him?
Even though Yang Kai had been poisoned, the poison was being blocked below his elbow. It couldn’t spread to the rest of his body. Therefore, Bu Hong simply couldn’t accept it. Just how strong does one’s body have to be to resist his poison?
Now that his biggest trump card had failed to produce results, he finally panicked for real. He could feel Yang Kai’s murderous intent and the increasing strength gripping around his neck and hurriedly said, “You might have a way to detoxify my poison, but what about the little girl? If you want her to live, you have to obediently release me! Perhaps, she might still have a chance of survival then.”
Yang Kai snorted in response, “You don’t need to worry about her! Have a safe journey to the afterlife!” As soon as the words left his mouth, he pushed Emperor Qi into his hand.
With a soft snap, Bu Hong’s neck was squeezed so hard that it exploded and his head flew up into the air. Bu Hong’s eyes were as wide as saucers as he retained a shocked expression on his face, as if he had yet to realize what was going on. Up until the moment of his death, he still could not understand why this young man was so unconcerned about the life and death of that little girl.
As the mutilated body fell from the air, Yang Kai reached out his hand and took Bu Hong’s Space Ring.
When the crowd of onlookers saw what happened and were so shocked by the situation that they were rendered completely speechless. Poison Lord Bu Hong was dead! Poison Lord Bu Hong, who caused disasters in the Western Territory for centuries and had left more than a dozen cities in ruins in his wake, had been killed so effortlessly! Moreover, he had died so miserably, crushed to death by a young man with one hand.
After a long period of silence, cheers suddenly rang out from the crowd below. Eyes filled with admiration and gratitude looked up at Yang Kai as if he had done something to be applauded.
It certainly was a good thing though. Poison Lord Bu Hong had used many cultivators in the Western Territory as his experimental subjects when concocting his poisons. On many occasions, he poisoned entire cities just to test out the effects of his new poison and concealed himself in the city to observe the results. Numerous cities had been wiped out by him and countless people had lost their lives. As such, the people in the Western Territory hated the very mention of the Poison Lord.
Although Bu Hong’s cultivation wasn’t high, the poisons he cultivated were unpredictable and difficult to deal with. Many Second-Order Emperor Realm Masters had died at his hands. Later, Third-Order Emperor Realm Masters had tried to hunt him down, but unfortunately, Bu Hong had taken shelter inside Wind and Cloud Pavilion. It had been a long time since he last showed up in public and he certainly never expected to meet his death just like that.
Ignoring the cheers coming from below, Yang Kai silently circulated his Secret Art to force out the poison in his arm. Bu Hong’s poison really was quite amazing and if it were Yang Kai from a few years ago, he probably would have succumbed to it as well.
However, ever since he started cultivating the Dragon Transformation Secret Art, drawing out the Golden Divine Dragon’s Source Strength, a trace of the Dragon Clan’s bloodline had been added to his physique, dramatically increasing his body’s resistance to poison.
The true members of the Dragon Clan had an incredible resistance towards all forms of negative conditions. A Master of the Dragon Clan was even more invincible and impervious to all sorts of poisons.
Although Yang Kai could not compare to the true members of the Dragon Clan, it was sufficient to resist Bu Hong’s poison.
A short while later, a drop of viridian poison was forced out of Yang Kai’s fingertip. The poison might be small in amount but it contained enough power to destroy an entire city. Pushing his Space Principles, Yang Kai exiled the poison to the Void.
Shifting his body slightly, he returned to the private room and saw a mess on the table. All the food had been polished off cleanly. Meanwhile, Lin Yun’er spread her palms open and was carefully licking her fingers clean, one by one.
Yang Kai sweated profusely. It must not have been easy to be this girl’s Master. Just how much would it cost to keep this bottomless glutton fed?
“Are you back, Uncle Yang?” She looked up at him and smiled so widely that her eyes squinted.
“Ah… en,” he nodded. Then, he pensively asked, “Were you planning to head towards Wind and Cloud Pavilion?”
“That’s right,” upon hearing his question, her pretty face sank and her expression turned frosty, “The people of Wind and Cloud Pavilion are too much! From what I heard from their Young Pavilion Master, it seems that he has imprisoned many innocent women and girls in his home. I want to rescue them.” After saying that, her expression changed drastically and she slammed her palms down on the table and stood up.
“What’s wrong?” Yang Kai asked in astonishment.
“I don’t know where the Wind and Cloud Pavilion is!” She looked at him with an aggrieved yet innocent expression.
The corners of Yang Kai’s mouth twitched in response, “Then, how did you find your way before?”
She laughed in embarrassment, “I was just moving about randomly.”
Yang Kai suddenly felt a headache coming on but somehow pushed it aside and muttered, “Forget it. I’ll go with you.”
There was nothing urgent that Yang Kai needed to do at the moment. He originally wanted to search for Zu Qing and her brother, but it seemed as though the two of them had left this place a long time ago, so it was meaningless to continue chasing after them. Besides, he could meet them again when he returned to the Northern Territory; on the other hand, it was not easy for him to meet Lin Yun’er, so she naturally became the priority.
The little girl might be powerful, but there would always be people in this world that she could not afford to provoke. With her innocent and naïve personality, he did not know what trouble she might get herself into; therefore, it was better for him to just go along with her.
When Lin Yun’er heard those words, her eyes lit up, “Uncle Yang, you’re the best!” She rushed over and hugged his arm, squeezing herself up against him.
Feeling an amazing softness pressing against his arm, Yang Kai earnestly said, “Yun’er, you’re all grown up. You are a big girl now.”
She nodded repeatedly, “En, en.”
He continued, “Since you are a big girl now, there are some things that you can’t continue doing like before.”
“En, en!”
He opened his mouth again but swallowed the words that were on the tip of his tongue before sighing to himself. This little girl had been sheltered too much, never having been outside in all these years, so she had no clue about the differences between men and women nor how to act appropriately… She was too pure, so why should he be the one who leaves a black mark on her with worldly ideas?
Giving up on educating her, Yang Kai was about to say something else when he frowned slightly and scanned his surroundings warily, releasing his Divine Sense out like a rushing tide.
“What happened?” Lin Yun’er asked anxiously, noting his strange behaviour.
“Did you just feel something?” Yang Kai quickly asked.
“I did,” She nodded immediately.
“You felt it too?” He was looking around, straining his sense to the maximum. For some reason, he had felt a sudden trace of hostility directed at him for a moment; however, there was no trace of it now, so it made him wonder whether it had simply been an illusion.
“En, I feel very comfortable!”
Yang Kai was speechless while Lin Yun’er giggled in response, hugging his arm even tighter without any care.
Afterwards, the two of them left the restaurant and asked around for directions to Wind and Cloud Pavilion. Then, Yang Kai immediately summoned his Flowing Clouds Shuttle and led Lin Yun’er aboard before it took off like a stream of light into the distance.
The two of them had just left the restaurant when a strange figure appeared at the entrance of the restaurant. He appeared out of thin air, as if he had been standing there all this while. It was strange, but the people passing by seemed to be completely unaware of his presence.
That person was brawny with a dignified air about him. He was wearing a soap-coloured robe and had a thick stubble on his chin. All in all, it gave him a bold and unconstrained look. He was staring in the direction in which the Flowing Clouds Shuttle was leaving with a distressed expression. The bulging veins on his forehead twitched wildly, causing his entire facial expression to look fierce and hideous.
A long while later, he flinched slightly, placed one hand over his chest, and sighed heavily. After that sigh, he suddenly disappeared again. That movement startled the people nearby as they rubbed at their eyes and wondered if they had seen it wrongly.
……
Wind and Cloud Pavilion was considered one of the top Sects in the Western Territory, its status was equivalent to that of Azure Sun Temple in the Southern Territory. Moreover, the Old Pavilion Master Hua Xing was a Third-Order Emperor Realm Master. He was the anchor of Wind and Cloud Pavilion, as well as an influential figure across the entire Western Territory.
It was a large and prosperous Sect with an inheritance passed down for more than ten thousand years. No matter where its disciples went in the Western Territory, everyone had to show them some level of respect. Therefore, the disciples of Wind and Cloud Pavilion were all quite proud of their background.
Even so, someone actually dared to humiliate such a powerful Sect.
One month ago, the Young Pavilion Master was killed in a city 300,000 kilometres away from Wind and Cloud Pavilion’s headquarters when he went out to play. As soon as news of his death came back, the entire Wind and Cloud Pavilion was shocked to its core, with the Old Pavilion Master even coughing up blood on the spot and fainting from rage.
It wasn’t that the Old Pavilion Master’s mental cultivation was weak; he was a Third-Order Emperor Realm Master after all. He had seen many great storms and survived them all. Under normal circumstances, he wouldn’t even frown if the sky came crashing down, unfortunately, this was not something he could bear.
Old Pavilion Master Hua Xing had focused on cultivating the Martial Dao when he was younger, putting all his efforts into strengthening himself as he travelled across the entire Star Boundary. During that period, he experienced many difficulties and challenges, survived countless life-and-death situations, and spent two thousand years to finally become a Third-Order Emperor Realm Master. One day though, he realized that his cultivation had reached a plateau he could no longer rise above. Thus, he returned to the Western Territory and inherited the position of Pavilion Master of Wind and Cloud Pavilion.
Since his own Martial Dao journey had come to an end, he stopped thinking about it and began to pin his hopes on the next generation, hoping that he could produce a child that had greater aptitude than himself; a child that could aspire to become an existence akin to a Great Emperor one day.
He knew better than anyone else that although a Third-Order Emperor Realm Master seemed to be a ruler amongst men, it was no different from an ant in front of a Great Emperor. If any Great Emperors wanted to, they could destroy the long-standing legacy of the Wind and Cloud Pavilion with ease.
After returning to Wind and Cloud Pavilion, Hua Xing had developed the Sect while taking in many wives and concubines. In the short span of ten years, he had a thousand great beauties in his harem.
As if the Heavens were mocking him though, Hua Xing was struck with a terrible shortcoming. The higher one’s cultivation was, the lower the probability of siring a child, and Hua Xing had practised abstinence and stayed away from women for all his life, thinking them a distraction from his journey on the Martial Dao. It wasn’t until he became a Third-Order Emperor that he started to sow his seeds in an effort to sire a child. Unfortunately, none of the seeds he sowed showed any signs of germinating.
It wasn’t until thirty years later that a concubine gave birth to a baby boy. It was as if Hua Xing had received the most precious treasure, and therefore, he painstakingly began to nurture his son’s cultivation.
In the beginning, he had hoped that his son could grow up to become his hope; however, he soon discovered that his son’s aptitude was far worse than his own. Despite being backed by the entire Wind and Cloud Pavilion and personally taught by Hua Xing, the child’s journey in cultivation was full of challenges. With such poor aptitude, it would be a miracle for his child to even reach the Emperor Realm, much less aspire to become a Great Emperor.
Upon realizing this, Hua Xing immediately changed his plans. He decided not to place his hope on that child and instead focus on the following generation. He waited until his son came of age, then he immediately brought in many beautiful wives and concubines for him while also greatly encouraging him to fool around outside.
The Young Pavilion Master was not suitable for cultivation in the first place. Moreover, the heavy pressure the Old Pavilion Master had placed on him as a child made him instinctively reject cultivation. Combining that with his lack of aptitude, his cultivation was entirely built on a shaky foundation of treasures and external aids. On top of that, he no longer feared anything after receiving the Old Pavilion Master’s permission and even encouragement to do as he pleased.
The Young Pavilion Master generally spent most of his time fooling around with women, but as he gradually grew sick and tired of his wives and concubines, he decided to go out and have fun with those who weren’t so submissive to him.
The Old Pavilion Master did not object to this at all, even sending a Second-Order Emperor Realm Master along as a bodyguard for his son.
Unexpectedly, the Young Pavilion Master had gotten into trouble the very first time he went outside. If trouble was all that it amounted to, it wouldn’t have mattered. In any case, the Old Pavilion Master didn’t love his son at all, so as long as his son had left behind an heir, it wouldn’t even have mattered if his son had died. However, the key point was that his son had not left a single descendent behind! That was tantamount to ending the entire lineage of the Hua Family!
That was something Hua Xing could never accept. On the one hand, he scolded his unfilial son for being blind despite having eyes and offending somebody who should never have been provoked. On the other hand, he deeply resented the person who killed the Young Pavilion Master and swore to rip their corpse into ten thousand pieces to vent the hatred in his heart!
Hence, Hua Xing immediately issued a bounty of 20 million Source Crystals for the culprit’s head, an amount tempting enough for many Masters to join in the hunt. Unfortunately, the news that came from the outside frightened Hua Xing greatly. The young woman that had killed his son turned out to be ridiculously powerful. Recently, many Masters eyeing the reward had died at her hands. Moreover, judging by the direction the news came from, it seemed that the woman was actually heading towards Wind and Cloud Pavilion.
Hua Xing was furious! If that woman really killed her way to Wind and Cloud Pavilion, his Sect would lose all face. For that reason, he raised the reward to attract more helping hands while dispatching all the Masters of the Sect out to kill her. Nevertheless, the results so far had not been satisfactory. Not only were the Masters attracted by the reward unsuccessful, even Wind and Cloud Pavilion lost several Emperor Realm Masters in quick succession.
Moreover, the latest news reported that the woman had picked up a companion from somewhere and the two of them were travelling together, leaving a path of destruction in their wake, seemingly completely unstoppable.
Inside the Rear Palace of Wind and Cloud Pavilion, a pink aura seeped across a large hall. Numerous beautiful and captivating bodies were spread across the palace, their gazes dazed as they panted breathlessly. The soft moans that rang out constantly made anyone listening blush furiously and cause their throats to go dry.
The Old Pavilion Master was not young, but he was still going strong. At this moment, he was sweating profusely as he sowed his seed in one of his concubines. Every time he thrust forward, he made the woman pressed under him scream. However, it was not clear whether those screams were of pleasure or pain.
Several other naked beauties were tangled like snakes next to him, leaking soft moans from their lips as they constantly begged for more. The entire Rear Palace drowned in passion was a complete mess, the air thick with the scent of lovemaking.
Only the Heavens knew how much time went by before all the women were lying on the ground and gasping feebly while Hua Xing let out a deep roar and released his seed.
*Dong Dong Dong…*
All of a sudden, a knock sounded from the outside and Hua Xing swept his gaze over his surroundings without the slightest pity in his expression before letting out a soft snort. Then, he headed towards the outside just like that.
Upon opening the door, he was greeted by a beautiful woman standing outside the door. She had her eyes lowered obediently, but her expression looked a little flustered.
“What is it?” He glanced at her coldly as he had an ominous premonition.
The beautiful woman tremblingly replied, “Pavilion Master, that unscrupulous pair have made their way to Great Cloud City.”
Hua Xing’s eyes flashed sharply when he heard those words. Gritting his teeth, he snarled, “As I expected, they are heading this way. They are looking down on me too much. These youngsters are simply going too far!”
The imposing aura of a Third-Order Emperor Realm Master surged from him. In response, the beautiful woman suddenly felt strength leaving her body and she fell to her knees.
Glancing at her, Hua Xing reached out his hand and held her head.
She immediately paled and spoke in a trembling voice, “Pavilion Master…”
Hua Xing coldly replied, “What are you afraid of? I’m not going to kill you.” After saying that, he exerted some strength in his hand and guided her towards his lower body.
She felt relieved knowing that her life was not in danger and hurriedly opened her small mouth to clean up the mess before her. From her posture and proficiency, it could be seen that it was not the first time she was doing this.
Hua Xing narrowed his eyes slightly as the cold expression on his face grew even colder. Although he did not know where this man and woman came from, they seemed to be quite extraordinary judging by the information he received recently. These two First-Order Emperors had killed many Second-Order Emperor Realm Masters along their way here. That was not something ordinary people could do.
Wind and Cloud Pavilion lost many men in its efforts to kill them a few days ago. Just those in the Emperor Realm alone that died in their hands were numerous, striking fear into the entire Wind and Cloud Pavilion.
Even Hua Xing felt apprehensive. The more he learned about them, the more he felt that they came from extraordinary backgrounds. Even if he was a Third-Order Emperor Realm Master, there were still many people in this world that he could not afford to provoke. Forget about the Great Emperors that never revealed their presence, there were other existences out there that were stronger than him even among those in the Third-Order Emperor Realm. If he really offended one of those existences, then Wind and Cloud Pavilion would have a rough time surviving in the future.
[But, how can I not avenge the death of my son? Maybe… I should let that person test out the waters first.] It would be great if he could figure out the origins of those two. In any case, that person should be enough to capture them, even if the attempt to learn more about them failed. More importantly, if that person took action, the one to offend the other party would not be him. Not to mention, that person was also much stronger than he was.
Coincidentally, that person visited Wind and Cloud Pavilion recently and was staying here as a guest. [It’s as if he is a helper sent by the Heavens. I’d be stupid not to use him!]
[I am an Emperor Realm Master and a Palace Master. I should be living a life like this instead of living a precarious life wagging my tail like a dog at others.] Li Jiao secretly vowed in his heart, [Even if somebody presses a knife to my throat, I will never do such thankless things again.]
The two beauties in his arms were delicate and tender. Moreover, their exposed skin glowed like the most exquisite porcelain. He stroked and played with them, satisfying some of his primal desires. He stroked them so much that they were panting breathlessly and protesting coquettishly. Even so, their reaction only made him laugh loudly in delight.
Thinking back to the miserable situation he had been in previously and comparing it with the comfort he had now, Li Jiao became slightly melancholic for an instant, secretly feeling sorry for himself.
All of a sudden, he lifted his head and looked out. A smile appeared on his face as he stood up and smilingly said, “You came, Brother Hua. Please forgive me for not coming to greet you.”
A well-dressed Hua Xing strode inside. When the young girls, who were singing and dancing gracefully in the main hall, saw him, they hurriedly bowed their heads in greeting and called out to him, “Pavilion Master.”
Hua Xing acknowledged their greeting and indicated for them to be at ease. Only then did they dare to continue performing. Perhaps it was due to the Pavilion Master’s presence, but these girls seemed to put in more effort and became more enchanting when they performed. The looks in their eyes revealed that they were clearly expecting something.
“Brother Li, I’m sorry for bothering you!” He cupped his fists and smiled.
When Li Jiao heard those words, he laughed in response, “What are you saying, Brother Hua? I should be the one saying that! This is Wind and Cloud Pavilion after all. You are the Master here! Come, come! Have a seat!”
While speaking, he invited Hua Xing to sit in the higher position.
The time Li Jiao and Hua Xing had known each other was not just a year or two; it had been hundreds of years by now. Back when Hua Xing had been wholeheartedly pursuing the Martial Dao, he had travelled to all four Territories in the Star Boundary. When he arrived in the Northern Territory, there had been some friction between him and Li Jiao. Despite exchanging blows, it did not create enmity between them though, and instead, a kind of respect was fostered, eventually becoming a friendship.
Later, they even explored a Sealed World together. Thus, they had a pretty close relationship between them. It was just that since Hua Xing returned to the Western Territory and assumed command of Wind and Cloud Pavilion, the two of them had not kept in contact.
After escaping from the Revolving World, Li Jiao arrived in the Western Territory; however, the place he landed was a little different from where Yang Kai, Zhu Qing, and Zhu Lie had landed. It was a little closer to Wind and Cloud Pavilion; therefore, he decided to come visit his old friend.
Even though they had not met for hundreds of years, Hua Xing had not forgotten about Li Jiao and welcomed him warmly, allowing Li Jiao to live on one of the mountain peaks while sending some beauties over to serve him. Thus, Li Jiao fooled around all day, indulging in his vices and living carefreely.
In any case, Li Jiao had been frustrated for long enough. Life had not been easy for him ever since he lost his bet against Yang Kai at High Heaven Palace.
First, his Sect had encountered a financial crisis, which caused many Elders within Fire Dragon Palace to become resentful. However, they did not dare to say a word against him. Then, before he could resolve that issue, Yang Kai had dragged him to the Frozen Earth. What happened later was so unbearable that just thinking about it filled Li Jiao with the urge to cry.
[I am the Palace Master of Fire Dragon Palace! I am a Third-Order Emperor Realm Master! I can be considered a Master among Masters throughout Star Boundary! As long as a Great Emperor does not come forward, a Third-Order Emperor Realm Master can be said to be the strongest! Who would dare to act disrespectfully and discourteously towards a Third-Order Emperor Realm Master? But, after staying with monsters like Yang Kai and his companions, I can no longer feel the slightest sense of superiority.]
Two Pureblood members of the Dragon Race had been Li Jiao’s most recent travel companions. Any Great Dragon above the Eighth-Order only needed to slightly release their Dragon Pressure to force him to bow in fear, hence he had no choice but to serve them cautiously. Even Yang Kai had the blood of a Dragon in him. Li Jiao was not fooled by the fact that he was only a First-Order Emperor and knew that if it came down to a fight, he was certain he wouldn’t be able to take more than three blows from Yang Kai.
Those three… Were like Great Seniors of the Sect, while he was just a lowly disciple. Any one of them could order him around and he couldn’t even utter a single complaint or muster any kind of resistance. The aura and confidence he had as a Third-Order Emperor Realm Master was all but washed away being in their presence. It is too humiliating! Just thinking about it threatened to bring tears to his eyes!
For that reason, Li Jiao had no intention of looking for Yang Kai and the others the moment he got away from them. He relished the freedom he suddenly obtained, and if possible, he never wanted to meet them ever again.
After coming to Wind and Cloud Pavilion as a guest, Hua Xing had been so welcoming that Li Jiao finally regained some of his confidence. [I am a Dragonborn. I am a Third-Order Emperor Realm Master. I am a Master!]
These days, Li Jiao lived a life of indulgence and the resentment accumulated in his heart gradually dissipated as a result. It felt as if living in Wind and Cloud Pavilion was more comfortable than living in his own home, Fire Dragon Palace. Although Fire Dragon Palace belonged to him, he had to deal with a massive debt that would saddle him for decades once he returned. It felt like knives were slowly shaving off pieces of his heart at the thought of those Elders that loved passing the blame around.
[How can Fire Dragon Palace compare to Wind and Cloud Pavilion in terms of freedom and leisure? If possible, I’d stay here for several dozen years before going back. I’m sure Hua Xing wouldn’t mind. It would be as if Wind and Cloud Pavilion had gained another Master among their ranks. Hua Xing would probably like that very much.]
Therefore, Li Jiao had been overjoyed at the sight of Hua Xing’s arrival and was wondering about how he was going to let Hua Xing know that he wanted to stay here for a while.
“Are you comfortable living here, Brother Li?” Hua Xing asked with a look of concern.
Li Jiao laughed and pointed to the graceful young ladies around him, “How can I not be comfortable with such hospitality from Brother Hua? Wind and Cloud Pavilion is a beautiful place indeed, much better than Fire Dragon Palace.”
Hua Xing hurriedly waved his hands dismissively, “Brother Li, you are being absurd. I believe the Western Territory is the most barren and desolate land in Star Boundary. No matter how great Wind and Cloud Pavilion is, how can it compare to Fire Dragon Palace? Brother Li, don’t forget, I’ve been to your Fire Dragon Palace before. I know what it’s like there.”
Those words were so pleasant on the ears; they even contained a trace of flattery in them. It had been a while since Li Jiao heard these kinds of words. Thus, those words immediately brought a smile to his face and a sense of relief to him. [This world is filled with ordinary people. Existences like those three monsters are a rarity.]
“Brother Hua, you don’t need to put yourself down. It’s precisely because Wind and Cloud Pavilion is located in the Western Territory that it is very impressive for it to achieve such a size and scale. It shows how great you are at managing the Sect, Brother Hua. On this point, I should be asking for advice instead.”
“You praise me too much; I don’t dare to accept such high acclaim. Besides, I’ve lost interest in overseeing Wind and Cloud Pavilion. If I ever go to the Northern Territory one day, I hope you can welcome me too, Brother Li. I will be eternally grateful.” Hua Xing looked sorrowful and disappointed.
Li Jiao was surprised, “Welcoming you is not a problem. You and I have been friends for hundreds of years, so it’s only natural that I welcome you with open arms if you ever come to the Northern Territory. It’s just that… What do you mean by that, Brother Hua? In my opinion, Wind and Cloud Pavilion is at the height of its prosperity. If you manage the Sect for another three to five hundred years, I’m sure it will become one of the strongest in the Star Boundary, so why are you sighing so heavily, Brother Hua? Could it be that you encountered some kind of problem?”
Upon hearing that, Hua Xing smiled bitterly as he picked up his wine glass with a depressed look and finished its contents in a single gulp before saying, dispirited, “I shouldn’t air my dirty laundry in public. It’s fine; don’t mention it.”
Li Jiao’s expression darkened as he angrily said, “You shouldn’t say that, Brother Hua. We have been friends for hundreds of years, so what do you mean by airing dirty laundry in public? If you’ve really run into some kind of trouble… Why don’t you talk to me about it? If I can help, I won’t just stand by idly.”
A light flashed in Hua Xing’s eyes, but it was well hidden, while on his face he smiled bitterly and said, “I appreciate your kind offer, Brother Li. It’s just that… This is the Sect’s affairs after all…”
Li Jiao stood up with a sullen expression, “In other words, you are treating me like an outsider! Fine! Since you don’t consider me a friend, I won’t disturb you anymore. Until next time; goodbye, Brother Hua!”
After saying that, he strode outside with large strides as if he was truly about to leave.
In response, Hua Xing quickly stood up and grabbed Li Jiao’s sleeve, “Calm down, Brother Li; calm down. I was wrong, alright?”
Li Jiao looked back at Hua Xing. He was only acting like he was leaving, so he naturally went with the flow and remained, earnestly saying, “Brother Hua, we faced life and death together back then. We might not have seen each other for a hundred years, but our friendship has not diminished in any way. If you are in trouble, I’m willing to lend a hand.”
Hua Xing looked touched and gratefully replied, “You are righteous indeed, Brother Li! I was being too petty!” After ‘struggling’ for a moment, Hua Xing resolutely said, “Good, it’s not like you’re an outsider, Brother Li. It’s not shameful to tell you this. Let’s sit down and talk.”
Li Jiao returned to his seat and personally poured a glass of wine for Hua Xing before he waited quietly.
Hua Xing opened his mouth and sighed again, downing the contents of his glass before saying sadly, “Brother Li, I’ll be honest with you. Wind and Cloud Pavilion… Was kicked in the face recently. Our reputation has taken a huge blow because of that.”
“What happened?” Li Jiao frowned. Although he had been acting as a guest here recently, he had done nothing more than spend time drinking and having fun. He had not been paying attention to anything outside, and the girls serving him would never speak about this to him either. Thus, he had been somewhat isolated from news of the outside world.
“Who is it that dares to be so reckless?!” He shouted, slamming his fist down on the table in a rage while he muttered to himself in his heart, [Hua Xing’s cultivation is comparable to mine. I might be stronger than most Third-Order Emperor Realm Masters because of the Dragon blood in me, but the difference is negligible even if I am slightly stronger than Hua Xing. Hua Xing looks like he has encountered a strong enemy. I wonder just who Wind and Cloud Pavilion offended to make him look so helpless.]
Li Jiao secretly regretted his bold words just now and felt he really should have taken the opportunity to leave. [That’s just great. I don’t think I’ll be able to get out of this easily now.]
While Li Jiao was now on edge, he heard Hua Xing saying, “It’s a little girl who doesn’t know her limits! She even killed my son!”
As Hua Xing spoke, the corners of his eyes became wet at a timely moment. He grabbed the wine bottle on the table directly and took a large swig as if trying to drown his sorrows away.
“A little girl…” Li Jiao felt cold sweat forming on his forehead as a face that absolutely terrified him involuntarily appeared in his mind. Hesitantly, he asked, “What does the little girl look like? Does she have… Red hair?”
He was extremely frightened. If the person who killed the Young Pavilion Master of Wind and Cloud Pavilion turned out to be Zhu Qing, then Li Jiao had to leave immediately even if he had to cut all ties with Hua Xing. Even if he was friends with Hua Xing, the depths of that friendship were something they both understood very well. Offending a member of the Dragon Clan for the sake of some casual friendship? And, a Ninth-Order Dragon at that?! Li Jiao wasn’t insane!
“Red hair?” Hua Xing was a little puzzled by what Li Jiao said and he looked at Li Jiao questioningly as he shook his head, “She doesn’t have red hair. That little girl has black hair.”
Although he did not know why Li Jiao asked that question, he vaguely sensed that Li Jiao was scared of something.
[He has somebody he fears?] Hua Xing couldn’t help finding the very notion strange.
“Black hair…” Li Jiao breathed out a sigh of relief, [If the girl has black hair, then it’s definitely not Zhu Qing.]
Just in case, he carefully asked for more clarification, “What cultivation does that girl have?”
“First-Order Emperor Realm!”
He was startled by those words, “A mere First-Order Emperor Realm Master?”
[That’s definitely not Zhu Qing!] He was completely at ease now.
“That’s right. That’s why I feel so humiliated!” Hua Xing picked up another bottle of wine and gulped it down. Wiping at his mouth as he complained, “Brother Li, you know about my situation. Despite all the efforts I put in, I only have one son. I was expecting him to inherit my position in the future. W-Who would have thought…” At this point, he sounded choked up.
Li Jiao comforted, “To see one’s child die before oneself… It must be difficult for you, Brother Hua. You have my condolences.”
Hua Xing slammed his hands on the table and murderously vowed, “I have to avenge my son, 0therwise, I can’t call myself a man anymore!”
“This is a deep-seated hatred. It is only natural to take revenge,” Li Jiao hesitated for a moment before asking, “It’s just that I don’t quite understand… Wind and Cloud Pavilion is a top Sect in the Western Territory. Moreover, you are a Third-Order Emperor Realm Master, Brother Hua, how can you be helpless against a little girl?”
Hua Xing shook his head and smiled bitterly, “You might not be aware, but that little girl’s strength is extremely unusual despite her seemingly low cultivation. Unfortunately, I underestimated her previously when I sent some of the Masters within the Sect to capture her; as a result, all of them died at her hands, even though some were Second-Order Emperors!”
“Oh? To think a little girl could fight so many Masters above her own realm!” Li Jiao raised his brow at those words, “It looks like this little girl is quite difficult to deal with.”
He suddenly thought of Yang Kai and solemnly said, “Not many people can fight against those in a higher realm by themselves, but as long as they don’t die early, they will surely become powerful in the future.”
Hua Xing said, “Wind and Cloud Pavilion’s face has taken a huge hit recently. Please help me, Brother Li!”
Li Jiao replied, “You are exaggerating, Brother Hua. That little girl might be strong enough to kill a Second-Order Emperor, but surely she can’t triumph against you if you take action personally. I know the extent of your strength very well and even though I want to help, taking revenge for your son should be done with your own hands… Only by doing so will you truly be able to soothe your anger.”
Upon hearing those words, Hua Xing smiled bitterly, “How can I not know that? Ever since my son was killed, I’ve been unable to rest at all. I can’t wait to rip that cheap slut apart and skin her alive! If I could take revenge with my own hands, I would track that bitch down this instant… it’s just…”
“What is it?” Li Jiao looked at Hua Xing curiously. He couldn’t figure out why Hua Xing would make this request of him.
“Haa… perhaps this will make you understand, Brother Li,” Hua Xing stretched out his hand as he spoke.
Li Jiao stuck out two fingers suspiciously and pressed them against Hua Xing’s wrist. A moment later his expression changed and he uttered in surprise, “You’re injured, Brother Hua? Who could have done this to you?”
Hua Xing replied dejectedly, “When news of my son’s death arrived, I was cultivating in retreat. The shock I received at the time nearly caused a dissonance in my cultivation. Although I managed to stabilize myself, I still suffered a serious backlash. If not for this injury, I would have personally taken action a long time ago. How could I possibly leave that whore alive and free knowing what she did?!”
“So that’s how it is!” Li Jiao nodded lightly, a touch of sympathy appearing on his face. [It’s not easy for Hua Xing either. He only has one son after all. It certainly is difficult to accept that his son was killed so suddenly.]
“That cheap slut is capable of killing a Second-Order Emperor; hence, her strength is certainly not low. I am not in my best condition at the moment, and if I act rashly… It’s fine if I succeed, but it will be a disaster if I were to fail.”
“You are right, Brother Hua,” Li Jiao pondered for a moment, “I understand what you are trying to say, Brother Hua. Rest assured, you can leave this to me. I will let that little girl know the consequences of her actions!”
The moment Hua Xing heard those words, he was overjoyed and stood up before bowing deeply, “Many thanks, Brother Li! With you personally taking action, that cheap slut won’t stand a chance no matter how talented she is!”
Li Jiao helped Hua Xing up with a smile, “I’ve been repeating this again and again, Brother Hua, I won’t stand idly by if you are in trouble. But… I don’t know that little girl’s current whereabouts.”
Hua Xing solemnly said, “I’ll be truthful with you, Brother Li. That slut is currently in Great Cloud City, just thirty kilometres away from Wind and Cloud Pavilion.”
“She dares to make her way here?” Li Jiao’s expression soured as he snorted, “Her courage isn’t small.”
Hua Xing said through gritted teeth, “That’s certainly the case. Her strength has gone to her head and she must believe she can look down on my Wind and Cloud Pavilion as a result! I’ll have to trouble you for this, Brother Li.”
Li Jiao said, “Since she is not that far away, why don’t we let her break into Wind and Cloud Pavilion before I make my move? I won’t let her escape.”
Hua Xing smiled bitterly, “If she succeeded in attacking Wind and Cloud Pavilion and breaking the Sect Defending Array, then…”
Li Jiao thought about it and immediately understood Hua Xing’s worries. Thus, he nodded and said, “That certainly wouldn’t look good. I was too careless in my thoughts. Good, I’ll head to Great Cloud City and capture her.”
“That’s exactly what I was hoping for. Many thanks, Brother Li.”
“This shouldn’t be delayed any longer; I’ll go now.” While speaking, Li Jiao stood up and walked outside.
“I’ll be waiting for good news from you, Brother Li!” Hua Xing saw Li Jiao off.
From the top of the mountain peak, Li Jiao soared into the air and flew off into the distance. When his figure disappeared from sight, the smile on Hua Xing’s face gradually vanished as he stood there frowning while deep in thought for a while. Afterwards, he coldly snorted and strode away.
In his opinion, making Li Jiao take action was enough to make this trip worthwhile. He couldn’t obtain any background information on that man and woman; however, judging from the way they dared to attack Wind and Cloud Pavilion so blatantly, it was clear that they had some sort of profound backing. If they really turned out to have strong backgrounds, then the blame for upsetting them will fall on Li Jiao. It will have nothing to do with Wind and Cloud Pavilion, so Hua Xing only needed to wait quietly for the news.
In Great Cloud City, the air was filled with the smell of blood. Ruins were scattered everywhere while the ground was covered in fresh bloodstains and torn limbs.
Great Cloud City was only thirty kilometres away from Wind and Cloud Pavilion and could be considered an important industry for the Sect as well as a hub of communication with the outside world. In other words, this city was the commercial heart of Wind and Cloud Pavilion.
Yang Kai and Lin Yun’er were travelling with a clear goal in mind. It was obvious that they planned to go straight to Wind and Cloud Pavilion. Therefore, it was only natural for Great Cloud City under Wind and Cloud Pavilion to take precautions against them.
Inside a certain palace, a Second-Order Emperor Realm Master led a team consisting of several hundred disciples. In addition, many other Emperor Realm Masters attracted by the reward were gathered as well. They had long since set up an impressive array and were waiting for their targets to walk right into their trap.
For that reason, Yang Kai and Lin Yun’er were noticed the moment they stepped into Great Cloud City, and a huge battle instantly broke out.
In just an hour, Great Cloud City was practically in ruins. Hundreds of disciples of Wind and Cloud Pavilion suffered heavy casualties, and even the Second-Order Emperor Realm Master leading the team had been blown away by a punch from Lin Yun’er.
With the Spirit Array broken, the rest scattered. The disciples of Wind and Cloud Pavilion that survived the battle hurriedly fled back to their headquarters while the Emperor Realm Masters, attracted by the bounty, were either dead or making a run for it. The entire Great Cloud City was a chaotic mess as everybody was thrown into panic.
On the way to the city, Li Jiao landed in front of a group of blood-stained Wind and Cloud Pavilion disciples that were currently fleeing.
“What happened here?” Li Jiao released his Emperor Pressure, suppressing the group of disciples so that they did not dare to take any rash actions.
“You are… Senior Li?” A First-Order Emperor Realm Master leading the group recognized Li Jiao and called out with joy.
“Who are you?” Li Jiao squinted at the man.
That First-Order Emperor Realm Master hurriedly cupped his fists and said, “Greetings Senior Li, I am Wind and Cloud Pavilion’s Ninth Elder, Cai Shi.”
“You know me?”
Cai Shi quickly replied, “I saw you once from afar when you came to the Sect a few days ago.”
“Oh. So, that was you.” Li Jiao had a vague impression of this man. He seemed to recall greeting this person back when he first arrived at Wind and Cloud Pavilion. Frowning, he asked, “Why are you in such terrible condition?”
Cai Shi blushed and said in embarrassment, “I am ashamed to say that the invaders were too powerful and I was not their opponent. The Sect’s Masters were all either killed or suffered heavy injuries.”
“That little girl is that strong?” Li Jiao raised his eyebrows.
Cai Shi replied, “The Second Elder died tragically at her hands. Moreover, the Nine Serenity Chain Spirit Array we arranged as a trap was destroyed in less than an hour.”
Li Jiao narrowed his eyes as he commented, “It looks like Wind and Cloud Pavilion has offended an incredibly powerful enemy this time.”
Cai Shi said, “I can only ask the Pavilion Master to take action now. I’m afraid he is the only one that can suppress her.”
Li Jiao raised his hand and said, “There’s no need to bother the Pavilion Master to take action. He has entrusted this matter to me. I will take care of that little girl.”
Cai Shi’s eyes lit up upon hearing this and couldn’t help asking, “Senior Li will be stepping in?”
“Why else would I come here?” Li Jiao replied proudly.
“Good good! With Senior Li here, that cheap slut will certainly be defeated!”
Li Jiao impatiently said, “Come with me. The faster we resolve this issue, the faster we can return.”
“Yes, of course! Please come this way, Senior Li!” Cai Shi excitedly replied, the terror on his face vanishing into thin air. He had heard from Hua Xing before that Li Jiao had a trace of the Dragon’s bloodline in him. Therefore, Hua Xing was no match for Li Jiao even though they were both Third-Order Emperor Realm Masters.
[With such a powerful Master taking action, things will become much easier!] Wind and Cloud Pavilion had suffered heavy losses, with even the Second Elder being killed; therefore, Cai Shi was worrying about how he was going to report the outcome of the battle upon his return. At that moment, Li Jiao had appeared like a hero to save them, so how could he not be overjoyed?
In his opinion, regardless of how strong the young man and woman in Great Cloud City were, they couldn’t win against Li Jiao. As long as they could capture and bring those two back, it should be enough to redeem themselves and salvage some of Wind and Cloud Pavilion’s face. Hence, he was extremely diligent and even took the initiative to lead the way.
It didn’t take long before the small group arrived at Great Cloud City again.
Li Jiao swept his Divine Sense over the city and upon seeing the destruction that had been wrought, he frowned involuntarily as he thought to himself, [These people from Wind and Cloud Pavilion are so useless. How could they be so helpless against one little girl? I wonder how Hua Xing taught his disciples… If this matter were to occur at Fire Dragon Palace, that little girl would have died several times over by now.]
“Where are they?” Li Jiao asked with a scowl as he could not sense the enemy’s aura.
Cai Shi replied, “They should be in the City Lord’s Mansion. They killed many people from the Sect previously before breaking into the City Lord’s Mansion. They are clearly looking to obtain some riches.”
“Let’s go to the City Lord’s Mansion then!” Li Jiao gestured with a wave of his sleeve.
Thus, Cai Shi quickly led the way.
A few moments later, they arrived in front of the City Lord’s Mansion, the scene of a bloodbath. Many cultivators dressed as Wind and Cloud Pavilion disciples had died here and even the gates of the City Lord’s Mansion had collapsed.
Cai Shi pointed somewhere and said, “They are right there, Sir.”
Li Jiao swept his Divine Sense over the place and sure enough, he found the aura of Emperor Realm Masters inside. However, it was somewhat different from the information he had received. There were two people inside, not one like he had initially thought. Even so, the auras weren’t that strong, both First-Order Emperor Realm.
“You all wait outside. I’ll be right back!” Li Jiao snorted. He was not worried about the change in numbers and rushed into the City Lord’s Mansion with a slight shift of his body.
Immediately afterwards, Cai Shi heard Li Jiao shouting loudly, “Fearless youngsters, how dare you insult Wind and Cloud Pavilion?! This Li is here to dispense justice! If you surrender without a fight, you may yet live!”
As soon as the words rang out, an extremely dense Emperor Pressure seeped into the air. With the City Lord’s Mansion as the centre, the air spanning a radius of a thousand meters began to thrum.
Cai Shi’s expression changed slightly as he revealed a look of admiration. A Third-Order Emperor Realm Master was indeed different. The power they wield is on a completely different level, incomparable to that of a First or Second-Order Emperor.
Now that he felt it for himself, Cai Shi realized that the Pavilion Master was not being modest when he said that this person was stronger than him. Li Jiao’s aura was indeed noticeably denser than the Pavilion Master’s.
[This is great. Nothing unexpected should occur with Senior Li around. It’s just a pity that the Second Elder and many other disciples had died a tragic death at the hands of that unscrupulous young man and woman. If only Senior Li had arrived just a little earlier, things might have turned out differently.]
Cai Shi sighed as those thoughts crossed his mind. This was fate. His cultivation was not as high as the Second Elders’, but he had survived in the end. It was simply a matter of luck.
Cultivation was a process meant to defy the Heavens; therefore, luck was also a form of opportunity and strength. Escaping from the clutches of death had given Cai Shi a faint trace of enlightenment, and the bottleneck he had been stuck at for many years now showed signs of loosening.
Upon realizing this, he was overjoyed. He was currently a First-Order Emperor Realm Master, so if he could break through, he would become a Second-Order Emperor. Such strength was enough for him to rank among the top three Wind and Cloud Pavilion Elders. Thus, he secretly made up his mind that once this matter was resolved, he would immediately enter secluded retreat and not come out until he ascended to the next realm!
*Hong hong hong…*
Just as Cai Shi was deep in thought, several thunderous explosions rang out from the City Lord’s Mansion, clearly the sound of Emperor Realm Masters exchanging blows. The overflowing power seemed to invert the Heavens and Earth, causing great damage and destruction with large parts of the building collapsing as a result.
Cai Shi stared in that direction intently, his heart pounding wildly as his admiration for Li Jiao grew.
All of a sudden, the fighting stopped abruptly and the noise subsided.
[Is it over?] Shock washed over Cai Shi again. Wasn’t that a little too fast? He had fought that young man and woman before, so he was well aware of how strong they were; he simply couldn’t believe that Senior Li dealt with them so easily.
A figure flew out from the ruins of the collapsed City Lord’s Mansion and headed in his direction in the next instant.
Cai Shi looked in that direction and wondered, [Isn’t that Senior Li?]
Cai Shi stepped forward with a surprised look and cupped his fists, “Many thanks, Senior Li! Congratulations on your victorious return!”
Contrary to the smiling expression Cai Shi expected, Li Jiao was frowning deeply, as if he had encountered some huge difficulty. What surprised Cai Shi even more was the bruise mark around one of Li Jiao’s eyes. It was obviously caused by a fist. Moreover, that punch was extremely heavy, so heavy that the corner of Li Jiao’s eye was cut and the area around it was badly swollen. Heaven knows how long it would take to heal.
“Senior Li…” Cai Shi was a little confused and did not know what was wrong with Li Jiao.
“Haa…” Li Jiao sighed heavily, turning his head to look up at the sky, feeling choked with speechless tears. After a long time, he looked back down at Cai Shi and muttered, “Just who did I provoke in order to deserve this?”
“What?” Cai Shi looked at Li Jiao, confused, unable to comprehend what was going on.
“Did you say your name was Cai Shi?” Li Jiao asked.
“Yes!” Cai Shi nodded, the feeling that Li Jiao was acting strangely growing ever stronger. The arrogant attitude from before was gone; furthermore, Li Jiao even seemed depressed and despondent now, but what exactly could make a Third-Order Emperor reveal such an expression?
“I want something from you,” Li Jiao looked at Cai Shi expressionlessly.
Cai Shi felt his heart jump and he instinctively felt uneasy, subconsciously taking a few steps back as he haltingly asked, “What is it that you want, Senior Li?”
“I want your life!” As Li Jiao spoke, he suddenly reached out his hand to grab Cai Shi.
Although they were both Emperor Realm Masters, there was a difference of two Minor Realms between them, and the gap between each of those Minor Realms was enormous. How could Cai Shi resist this surprise attack? He swayed slightly and felt something tighten around his neck before suddenly finding himself caught by Li Jiao’s hand.
A stream of power that absolutely terrified him poured out from that large hand, indiscriminately flooding into his body and his meridians. It made his entire body convulse uncontrollably and left him in a disoriented state. He couldn’t even summon the strength to resist.
“S-S-Senior Li, w-w-why are y-you doing t-this?!” Cai Shi struggled desperately, staring at Li Jiao in disbelief. Wasn’t Li Jiao asked by the Pavilion Master to help them? He said as much himself, even saying to leave that little girl to him. Why did he change his mind in the blink of an eye and turn against them instead?
Cai Shi couldn’t help feeling that everything was changing too abruptly.
“You can only blame your Wind and Cloud Pavilion for provoking someone they should never have provoked. That man inside… Even I cannot afford to offend him. Haa… Forget it, you have so many companions with you on your journey to the afterlife. I’m sure you won’t feel lonely.”
[Huh? What? The man inside is somebody even Senior Li can’t afford to offend?!] Cai Shi wondered whether he had heard wrongly, but just as he was about to say something, a violent force pressed down on him from all directions.
With a loud boom, his entire body turned into a bloody mist, not even leaving behind any bones.
“Ah!” The rest of the Wind and Cloud Pavilion disciples were dumbfounded. They never expected something like this to happen. Their hope and saviour suddenly became their executioner instead. Even the Ninth Elder was crushed to death!
Not stopping to try to figure out what was happening, the survivors went all out to flee.
Before they could get far though, the wind raged around them and a gigantic green palm suddenly descended from the sky, covering a wide area and slamming into the ground fiercely. Several blood-curdling screams rang out, and those Wind and Cloud Pavilion disciples were all wiped out. Their cultivations could not be considered powerful, so they had no way of defending themselves against Li Jiao’s attack.
*Wang wang!*
The sound of a dog barking came from behind and the indifference on Li Jiao’s face disappeared immediately. It was instantly replaced by endless flattery as he turned around and bowed deeply, “Heh heh… Palace Master Yang, I have killed them all. You see…”
Where did all the prestige of a Third-Order Emperor Realm Master go? At this moment, the great Palace Master of the Northern Territory’s Fire Dragon Palace looked no different from a dog wagging its tail.
“At least you know what’s good for you!” Yang Kai scoffed.
Li Jiao sweated profusely as he knew that Yang Kai was still angry; thus, he hurriedly explained, “Palace Master Yang, I was deceived! I knew nothing about this matter. Had I known it was you, I would never have come here.”
As Li Jiao tried to explain himself, he cursed Hua Xing in his heart over and over again. He had finally escaped from Yang Kai, Zhu Qing, and Zhu Lie, but he only managed to enjoy his leisurely life for a few days before he went and got himself caught again! There was nothing sadder in this world than this!
Yang Kai glanced sideways at him and said, “It almost sounds as if you wanted to avoid this Palace Master.”
Li Jiao began sweating profusely at those words and anxiously declared, “No, no, no! What I meant is that, had I had known that Palace Master Yang was here, I would have come to welcome you! How could I dare to be your enemy? This is all just a misunderstanding. Yes, a misunderstanding.”
“Enough,” Yang Kai waved his hand dismissively, “I know very well what you think of me in your heart. Tell me, what is the connection between you and Wind and Cloud Pavilion? Why are you helping them?”
Li Jiao was extremely embarrassed and quickly explained. Meanwhile, Yang Kai looked over at Lin Yun’er while listening to the explanation.
The little girl was hugging the black puppy and playing with it. She opened her small mouth and playfully pretended to bite it. She even made soft baby growling noises from the mouth. The black puppy seemed to enjoy this childish game and played happily with her, shaking its tail and barking vigorously.
It was quite strange in fact. When Yang Kai and Lin Yun’er reunited a few days ago, she had not cared much for the black puppy; however, she couldn’t bear to be separated from it anymore after spending some time together. Lin Yun’er would spend most of her time playing with Ah Wang now, but this was not surprising as the little beast was adorable and had always been well-received by women.
When Li Jiao finished explaining, Yang Kai summarized, “In other words, you are on good terms with the Pavilion Master of Wind and Cloud Pavilion.”
Li Jiao hurriedly explained, “No no no, we only met by chance and are passing acquaintances. Besides, we have not contacted each other for over a hundred years so even if we had any friendship between us, it has more or less faded with time. Aha.. ha ha…”
Putting aside the fact that the friendship between him and Hua Xing was not that deep, even if they were sworn brothers Li Jiao would not dare to say otherwise at this moment; after all, he really could not afford to offend Yang Kai. Both of them lived in the Northern Territory as leaders of great forces, but if he really upset Yang Kai, Fire Dragon Palace would not survive. Besides, Yang Kai had an incredibly close relationship with the Dragon Clan, so what was his friendship with Hua Xing in comparison? If it wasn’t for Hua Xing, he wouldn’t have run straight into this trap and gotten caught by Yang Kai!
Thinking about this, Li Jiao now felt a bit resentful towards Hua Xing. [That guy is so dishonest, giving me so much false information. It’s all his fault that I am now stuck under Yang Kai’s despotic command again.]
“Palace Master Yang, this young lady is…” Seeing that Yang Kai was not saying anything, Li Jiao quickly found something to fill the silence and asked about Lin Yun’er.
This little girl was extraordinary! When she punched his eye just now, Li Jiao felt as if his head was about to explode. Fortunately, he had a trace of the Dragon Clan’s bloodline within him, otherwise, this would not have ended with just a small injury. That punch had been enough to daze him momentarily, and in a life-or-death battle, a moment of disorientation was enough to make one lose their lives.
[This little girl is so powerful. Could she be another member of the Dragon Clan?] Li Jiao jumped in fright. At the same time, his admiration toward Yang Kai grew stronger. [He only just obtained a Ninth Order Red Dragon a short while ago. Did he get another one in just a few days?]
Malicious speculations sprung up in his mind at the thought. [If Zhu Qing and this girl meet each other, will they turn the world upside down? Who is stronger? Who is weaker? Yang Kai, Yang Kai… I’d like to see what becomes of you then!]
The images that accompanied such thoughts suddenly put Li Jiao in a better mood.
“Don’t ask about things you shouldn’t ask!” Yang Kai glanced at Li Jiao coldly.
Li Jiao immediately fell silent at those words.
“I need a favour from you!”
Li Jiao quickly replied, “What are you saying, Palace Master Yang? I owe my life to you. Please let me know if you have any instructions for me, I will not shirk away from it.”
Despite his bold and unrestrained manner, Li Jiao secretly felt bitter inside. He could already guess what Yang Kai wanted his help with. It was undoubtedly related to Yang Kai’s grievances with Wind and Cloud Pavilion. Now that Yang Kai had arrived in Great Cloud City, it was obvious that he wanted to infiltrate the headquarters of Wind and Cloud Pavilion.
Li Jiao thought to himself, [Hua Xing, oh, Hua Xing… It’s not that I don’t bear any friendship with you. It’s just that I have no other choice.]
“Take us into Wind and Cloud Pavilion.”
Li Jiao puffed out his chest, “No problem. Leave it to me!”
A quarter of an hour later, the group of three flew over and stood just outside Wind and Cloud Pavilion. Circulating his Emperor Qi, Li Jiao enveloped both Yang Kai and Lin Yun’er. Even the black puppy was not spared. After that, Yang Kai, Lin Yun’er, and the black puppy obediently followed behind him as though they had been placed under some sort of restriction.
“Are you Senior Li?” An Elder of Wind and Cloud Pavilion was standing behind the Sect Defending Array and cupped his fist to greet Li Jiao. It was obvious that he had heard from Hua Xing and specifically came here to await Li Jiao’s return. The Sect Defending Array was fully activated at the moment. Clearly, Hua Xing had not placed all his hopes on Li Jiao either and made preparations just in case.
“It is this Li!” Li Jiao replied in a deep voice.
“Then, these two…” the Elder asked suspiciously.
“Open your eyes wide and have a good look. Is this girl the one behind the murder of the Young Pavilion Master? I have captured her and brought her back.”
The Elder fixed his gaze on Lin Yun’er and was soon overjoyed, nodding, “That’s her! It’s that cheap slut! Senior Li, you are truly amazing to be able to capture her! The Pavilion Master will be ecstatic to know about this!”
“Then why are you still wasting time on nonsense? Hurry up and open the array. I want to hand these two over to the Pavilion Master and finish this sorry business!”
“Of course, of course,” the Elder nodded repeatedly and took out a token he then poured his Emperor Qi into. A stream of light immediately shot out from the token and landed on the Sect Defending Array which subsequently opened a crack and allowed Li Jiao to enter.
“Brother Li, you returned victoriously! I apologize for not coming to greet you sooner, please forgive me for my discourtesy,” Hua Xing suddenly appeared out of nowhere, flying over from not too far away. It was uncertain if he had been hiding nearby, waiting for Li Jiao to return or had really just arrived.
“It’s nothing worth mentioning!” Li Jiao waved his hand lightly.
“Are you the Father of that nasty guy?” All of a sudden, Lin Yun’er frowned at Hua Xing and asked, but before Hua Xing could answer, she continued, “I’m sure it’s you. You both look very similar.”
“You cheap slut!” Hua Xing turned to look at her, flames of rage burning in his chest as his murderous intent surged up like a wave. He roared furiously, “How dare you kill my son?! Today, I… Huh?”
While he was speaking, he suddenly noticed that something was wrong. This girl’s aura was vigorous and her Emperor Qi was clearly flowing freely, she hadn’t been imprisoned at all!
Just as those doubts grew in Hua Xing, Lin Yun’er rushed forward as swiftly as lightning. At the same time, a pair of pitch-black gloves appeared on her tender fists which she clenched tightly and threw out with all her might.
*Ssii…*
Hua Xing was startled, but although things had happened so abruptly, it wasn’t enough to panic him. What shocked him was the explosive force the girl exerted in that instant. Those small fists of hers contained enough strength to destroy the Heavens and shatter the Earth. It would hurt greatly if he were struck by that fist, even if he was a Third-Order Emperor Realm Master.
“You court death!” Hua Xing immediately countered in a furious rage. He initially wanted to torture this girl by subjecting her to all sorts of torment before brutally killing her; however, the battle had been joined and he had no choice but to respond in kind. He circulated his Emperor Qi and struck out at her with his palm.
Following that, a gigantic palm formed from pure, condensed Emperor Qi instantly appeared in mid-air. That palm hanging in mid-air triggered a Secret Technique, stretching out its finger and pointing it at her, causing the surrounding World Energy to become turbulent while Principles surged up.
That was definitely a powerful Secret Technique and all of Wind and Cloud Pavilion’s disciples shuddered under its might. At the same time, an impulsive urge to bow down and worship that power bloomed in them. Even the Sect Defending Array nearby rippled as if it was about to break. This was the power of a Third-Order Emperor Realm Master’s attack at full strength; it was phenomenal indeed.
Undeterred, Lin Yun’er smashed her fist against the palm before she grunted in pain. Her entire being was slapped by a vigorous force, and she was sent flying like a kite with a broken string before being pressed into the ground.
Even if she was strong, her cultivation was still two Minor Realms lower than her opponent’s; therefore, her strength was inadequate in a fight against a veteran like Hua Xing and her disadvantage was clear after just one exchange of blows.
*Pa…*
A soft sound rang out as Yang Kai slapped his hands together before drawing a large arc in the air, Space Principles surging as a gigantic Moon Blade was slashed out.
The Moon Blade soared forth, collapsing space around it as it flew. As a result, a deep gash was cut into the palm Secret Technique, causing its power to reduce drastically.
Consequently, the pressure pressing down on Lin Yun’er disappeared suddenly. Her feet kicked against the ground, and she slipped through the gaps like a flash of lightning before appearing Hua Xing, her fists striking out repeatedly.
Hua Xing’s expression changed as he opened his mouth, he spat out a tiny cyan sword. The sword spun leisurely in the air before instantly expanding until its shadow covered the entire sky, forming a defensive barrier in front of him.
*Hong Hong Hong…*
Lin Yun’er’s fists continuously smashed into the barrier formed by the giant sword, each punch containing the sum of her complete strength behind it, and the sounds of explosions that rang out from each blow was deafening. Her raw destructive power made everybody’s expression change; however, the sword remained unyielding and stood before Hua Xing steadily, rendering all her attacks futile.
“Cut!” Yang Kai flexed his fingers. Following that, Moon Blades flew towards Hua Xing one after another.
Hua Xing furrowed his brow slightly as he waved his hand to send out another Secret Technique. Then, the sword barrier in front of him suddenly shot out phantom blades that struck and deflected the Moon Blades accurately. Not only that, but a giant sword also descended from the sky at the same time and slammed down towards Yang Kai ferociously.
“Hmph!” Li Jiao snorted coldly, lifting his hand as a phantom Flood Dragon flew out, slammed into that gigantic sword and caused it to shatter to pieces.
Meanwhile, Lin Yun’er fluttered backwards and retreated, returning to Yang Kai and Li Jiao’s side while panting lightly. She had used up a lot of energy to launch the previous round of attacks. Even so, it had not affected Hua Xing in any way, which showed how impressive the Emperor Artifact Sword was.
During that exchange of blows, sparks flew and mayhem ensued. Everything happened so quickly that the onlookers could not keep up with the battle. Before the disciples of Wind and Cloud Pavilion in the surrounding area could grasp what was happening, both sides had retreated from the clash.
Hua Xing’s eyes flashed sharply. He gritted his teeth and shouted, “Li Jiao! I treated you with such courtesy during your stay here, how could you collude with outsiders to deceive me?!”
That young man and woman had looked like they were being restrained by Li Jiao, but in truth, they were not imprisoned at all. Otherwise, they couldn’t have fought with Hua Xing. In addition, Li Jiao had stepped up to help them just now. Hua Xing would be an idiot if he still failed to notice the problem.
However, he simply couldn’t figure out something. [Li Jiao only left for a short while, so why did he suddenly turn from an ally to an enemy? This young man and woman shouldn’t have that much power to make him switch sides, right? What is going on?!]
Even though Hua Xing couldn’t make heads or tails of the situation, he already held a grudge against Li Jiao now. If not for his trust in him, he would never have allowed an enemy to slip through the Sect Defending Array.
This was a matter of pride. It didn’t matter if they had massacred their way to Great Cloud City, but the fact that they managed to kill their way into Wind and Cloud Pavilion headquarters and get past the Sect Defending Array was a naked insult to the Sect. Even though Wind and Cloud Pavilion’s reputation had taken a huge blow recently, the Sect Defending Array was the last layer of defence they had left to cover up this embarrassing incident.
[This is just great. Even our last layer of defence was rendered useless. Wind and Cloud Pavilion will have no face to speak of from now on.]
Hua Xing originally hated Lin Yun’er because his son had died in her hands, but the betrayal of Li Jiao angered him even more.
Faced with Hua Xing’s questioning, Li Jiao’s expression remained unchanged as he simply snorted, “Brother Hua, your aura sure is vigorous. It seems like you’re recovering quite well. That’s so amazing. Only a short while has passed, but you recovered from your internal injuries so quickly. I am extremely impressed. What kind of rare and precious treasures did you take to heal yourself so quickly? I can’t believe how miraculous the effects are. Do you think you can spare me a few?”
He avoided the most important topics and instead changed the subject to one more favourable to him. Li Jiao was undoubtedly embarrassed to speak of his own affairs; thus, he pointed out the fact that Hua Xing had deceived him by faking an injury and forcing his hand.
He could see it now. This old fox Hua Xing had pushed him to take action, obviously without good intentions. Thinking about it this way, Li Jiao suddenly felt the guilt in his heart lessen.
Hua Xing turned to look at Yang Kai and Lin Yun’er before turning to look at Li Jiao, “Brother Li, was my hospitality lacking during your stay in Wind and Cloud Pavilion?”
“Nothing of the sort. Brother Hua, you made me feel extremely welcome,” Li Jiao replied lightly.
Then, Hua Xing asked bitterly, “In that case, why did you betray me? W-Why did you join hands with them?!”
Li Jiao responded, “I had to!”
Hua Xing stared at Li Jiao incredulously, “You had to?”
This was what puzzled him the most. Why would Li Jiao rather join hands with this unknown young man and woman? Why would he rather become his enemy?
Gritting his teeth, Hua Xing asked, “You and I have been friends for hundreds of years, but that’s all it takes for you to make me your enemy? Because you ‘had’ to?!”
Li Jiao scratched his cheek somewhat awkwardly, “Friendship isn’t as important as life, right?”
Hua Xing couldn’t help losing his composure, “Just who are these people?!”
Hua Xing knew very well just what kind of person Li Jiao was. He was a descendant of the Dragon Clan, a Third-Order Emperor Realm Master, as well as the Palace Master of one of the top Sects in the Northern Territory. Hua Xing couldn’t believe Li Jiao was acting so weakly now. It looked like his guess was right. This young man and woman must come from influential backgrounds, ones powerful enough that they can even threaten Li Jiao’s life! If not, Li Jiao would never say such embarrassing things.
Hua Xing’s expression suddenly became gloomy and uncertain. Li Jiao’s betrayal had upset him greatly, but although Wind and Cloud Pavilion was pretty impressive, that was only a relative comparison. If this man and woman, plus Li Jiao were to really kick up a fuss here, more than half of Wind and Cloud Pavilion would be destroyed. Even if the Sect ultimately survived, it would undoubtedly be a pyrrhic victory.
As soon as that thought crossed his mind, Hua Xing began considering backing down. Thus, he secretly sent a Divine Sense transmission to Li Jiao, “Brother Li, tell me the truth. Are these two… related to one of the Great Emperors?”
If that was the case, then even if his pride was damaged, this conflict could not be aggravated any further. Wind and Cloud Pavilion could not afford to provoke anybody related to the Great Emperors.
Li Jiao glanced at him before glancing at Yang Kai. Seeing that Yang Kai had no intention to stop him from speaking, he casually replied, “No.”
“No?” Hua Xing was taken aback by the reply.